NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Episode Date: May 7, 2026

Jeffrey Epstein possible suicide note released; Sick passengers evacuated from cruise hit by hantavirus outbreak; New images of frightening National Mall shooting blocks from White House; 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.

Breaking news tonight, Jeffrey Epstein's possible suicide note just released moments ago what it could reveal about the convicted sex offender's death. The purported note, you see it here, unsealed as we come on the air, apparently in his own handwriting, saying the investigation into him found nothing, and it's time to, quote, say goodbye, what this means for the questions swirling around his death. Also breaking tonight officials in hazmat suits, evacuating infected passengers, from that cruise ship, loading them into ambulances, then rushing them to the hospital. The ship with more than 100 others on board now heading for the Canary Islands off the coast

of Spain. We have new video the moment the captain announced the first death and new questions tonight, will all the passengers have to quarantine for weeks? New video of the shootout at the DC National Mall involving Secret Service dash cam, capturing the chaos as gunshots ring out a person, sent flying. Also tonight a U.S. fighter jet firing at an Iranian tanker, new details on a 14-point peace plan now in play, and are new exclusive reporting why the president abruptly shut down his plan to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz. The Texas father fighting for his family,

pulling a gun on an attempted carjacker, his entire family, including a baby inside the vehicle, what happened next, all caught on camera. This just in the major update. on the Special Forces veteran on the run after allegedly attempting to kill his wife. Our series, the cost of denial, the health care company, military family say is failing them. What happened when NBC called? More than a dozen desperate patients now getting results. The new twist in the Kristen Smart case, the home police are now searching three decades after the college student disappeared. The dramatic water rescue the desperate race to save this family after their boats suddenly. sank. And remembering television pioneer Ted Turner, the outspoken CNN founder who revolutionized

TV with the 24-hour news network. Nightly News starts right now. This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamas. And good evening. We begin tonight with that breaking news, a major new development in the Jeffrey Epstein case. A federal judge unsealing for the first time a purported suicide note, possibly written by the now notorious sex offender before he took his own life. Here's that note, just released publicly in the last few moments, appearing to state in part, they investigated me for months, found nothing, and time to say goodbye. The note which has not yet been verified comes as many push

for a deeper investigation into Epstein's death, questioning whether he died by suicide. Embassy's Laura Jarrett has the latest on this developing story. So, Laura, what do we know? Yeah, Tom, this is the first time we're seeing this, obviously a major development. We have not authenticated this note. The U.S. government has not authenticated this note. As you mentioned, it's coming out because a federal judge in a completely unrelated case related to Jeffrey Epstein's then cellmate says he got a hold of this note. And in 2019,

we want to read to you part of what it appears to say. Again, we have not authenticated it. As you said, Tom, they investigated me for a month, found nothing. It references also what appears to be 15-year-old charges, says it's time to say goodbye, what you want me to do, bust out crying, no fun, not worth it. Now, again, this was not part of the Epstein files, those millions of pages that we saw produce earlier this year. It was not a part of the investigation. And so it's going to lead to a lot of questions about whether the investigation should now be reopened in some way. This obviously could speak to potentially his mindset at the time that he committed suicide. Remember, the medical examiner said it was a suicide. He ruled it. It was a suicide. He ruled it. It was a

that's never actually been a matter of dispute for the government, but it's going to raise a fair amount of questions now that it's coming out now. Again, in a completely unrelated case, his cellmate says he found it, tucked away in a book at the time. He gave it to his lawyer because he was worried that Epstein would say he was trying to harm him. So that's how it's all coming out just now because the media actually petitioned to get this unsealed. And the world will now be analyzing this note. All right, Laura Jarrett, with that big news site, Laura, thank you. Now to the race to stop a deadly virus outbreak, which already killed three cruise ship passengers. Three other people evacuated from the boat just hours ago, and the ordeal not over for nearly 150 terrified people still on board.

Now heading to the Canary Islands. Here's Camilla Bernal. These are the moments three people suspected to have haunt of virus were rushed to the Netherlands, evacuating from that luxury cruise ship at the center of a deadly outbreak. This photo showing someone on a stretcher. Before taking off, on an air ambulance, patients later meeting a fleet of emergency vehicles at Amsterdam's airport, and the cruise ship now on the move in the Atlantic Ocean, heading for the Canary Islands off the coast of northwest Africa. It's very scary because it was nothing that we were ready for. On 12th of April, we had the first casualty. Ruhi Kennett was on the ship's first leg for most of April and recorded the moments the captain announced the first death.

This is my sad guilty, at least phone knew, that one of our passengers suddenly passed away last night. Why did you decide to record the captain's announcement? I felt something odd. It turns out we were not well informed. The cruise operator says at the time of this announcement, there was no evidence of a virus or contagion on the ship. Three people died following this outbreak now confirmed by the World Health Organization to be the anti-strain of hauntavirus. In rare instances, it can spread from person to person. Health officials are now tasked with contact tracing, with one passenger in intensive care in South Africa, another hospitalized after returning to Switzerland. Dr. Jason Zucker is an infectious disease physician.

This is not as easy to spread as things like COVID, but I wouldn't be overly concerned right now if you have travel plans. Not easy to spread, but still a big fear out there. Camila joins us now. Camila, what happens to the people still on board this cruise ship once they dock at the Canary Islands? Yeah, Tom, so the ship is still days away. Spain's health ministry says they will get medical screenings and then go to their home countries, but there may be one more hurdle. The regional leader says he does not want the ship to dock there, Tom. Okay, Camila, we thank you for that. Now to the Mideast and the showdown between the U.S. military and an Iranian oil. tanker trying to break through the U.S. blockade. All us, President Trump tonight says he's optimistic there could be a deal with Iran and soon. Garrett Hake has fallen all of this. Tonight, the new showdown with Iran with a U.S. fighter jet firing on and disabling an Iranian tanker, which the Pentagon says ignored warnings and attempted to bypass the U.S. blockade.

The blockade is unbelievable. Tonight, we pressed the president about his optimism that a deal to end the war could be close, with talks focusing on what the Wall Street Journal reports is a one-page, 14-point U.S. proposal, citing people familiar. You're facing an opponent right now in Iran that has refused to submit. You seem optimistic now and you may be closer to a deal. What's different about this moment now that in other moments where a deal has seemed close? Well, why do you say they refuse to submit?

You don't know that. You don't know what's going on. They're firing on U.S. ships a few days ago. Yeah, a few days ago is a long time ago. You know, in the world. of war a few days ago, no, they want to make a deal badly. And we'll see if we get there. Optimism for a deal sending stocks soaring and oil prices plummeting.

But there's been optimism before in the Iranian regime this week striking the United Arab Emirates and attacking oil tankers in the strait. Tonight, the president says he's setting no timetable for Iran's response. It's never a deadline. It'll happen. And Garrett joins us now live. Garrett, we also have some new reporting tonight on President Trump's son and pause of his mission to protect oil tankers from Iranian attacks in the Strait of Ormuz. This news happened overnight.

Yeah, that's right, Tom. This pause came about after a disagreement with Saudi Arabia, who said the U.S. could not use their airspace, unhappy they'd been kept in the dark about what President Trump called Project Freedom to U.S. officials tell NBC News. A call then between President Trump and the Saudi Crown Prince failed to resolve the issue. Tom. Garrett Hake and our Courtney Cuby with that new reporting. We thank you both. Now to new details in the shooting blocks from the White House. We have new dash cam video obtained by NBC Washington. And a warning this video is graphic. It shows Secret Service firing on the suspect in Monday's shooting on the National Mall. Today, prosecutors charged 45-year-old Michael Marks from Texas with three federal charges. Now, to our series, the cost of denial where we investigate the challenges people face with their insurance coverage. Tonight we focus on the company providing health care coverage for many of our military families, more than a dozen speaking out about the services they're being denied until our Air McLaughlin investigated. Right. So, this is the moment retired sergeant first class Guy Shoemaker feared most.

The safest thing would be for you to get a feeding tube. Not. I know. Not a fan. Cough. There you go. Guy is struggling to swallow. He needs weekly therapy to recover from the.

radiation that helped him defeat stage two throat cancer. For a while, he'd stop going to critical appointments. We've just been on pause for so long. And that pause because, why? Because of the lack of insurance coverage. Guy and his wife Kathy are both retired Army recruiters. They each served for more than two decades, including Guy's time in Afghanistan. And like 4.2 million uniform service members, veterans, and family members, they have health coverage through a federal program administered by Tri-West Health Care Alliance. These are just all the latest bills. They say they face tens of thousands of dollars worth of rejected claims because of a simple mistake.

Tri-West incorrectly saw the couple's separate vision plan as their primary insurance, known as O-H-I or other health insurance, and has been pointing to the so-called O-HI to deny coverage for guys' post-cancer treatments. It's a click. Somebody's just got to check the box and say this person doesn't have an OHA. So on the one hand, we're talking about a checked box. Right. Yeah, a mouse click. And on the other hand, it's a question of your survival. Yes.

He says these denials didn't used to happen that his health coverage for veterans through the federal government used to work great. But everything changed at the beginning of last year. when TriWest took over the contract to administer the plan for guys' home state of Texas and 25 other Western states. I mean, you go from flawless, I'm being taken care of, to just getting dumped. Denial, denial, denial. The transition to TriWest, a nine-year, $65 billion contract was a problem for members from the start, reported on by NBC News and others.

And yet, more than a year later, problems persist with thousands joining social media groups dedicated to airing grievances with Tri-West. NBC News has been in contact with 13 beneficiaries, in addition to the shoemakers, who report a litany of issues ranging from inability to get answers to basic coverage questions to denials of potentially life-saving emergency care, getting the problems resolved for some proving impossible. You've asked. Yes. You've asked again.

Yes. You called. Yes. You contacted your lawmaker. Yes. You posted on social media. Yes. And the one thing that made a difference.

You. NBC. NBC. That was the first time I got a phone call back. They called us and said, oh, we're going to open a case. You deal directly with me now. They recorded one of those calls where a Tri-West representative acknowledged its mistake. I apologize for why it's not.

In statements to NBC News, TriWest said it processes more than 2 million claims a month. And also acknowledge that Shoemaker has faced undue challenges during his treatment and that their reprocessing has denied claims to ensure he receives proper coverage. After NBC News asked TriWest about the other 13 cases we've been tracking, TriWest says it assigned dedicated case managers to each of these beneficiaries to address and resolve concerns raised. Most now tell us that their initial problems have been resolved. Thank you, NBC Nightly News. After contacting NBC, once NBC got involved. Bills that just simply hadn't been paid, got paid. Several of the claims were paid correctly.

We just got our first reimbursement check in the mail. And we're so thankful. Ultimately, the Pentagon is responsible for all of these issues. Its Defense Health Agency or DHA is charged with oversight of the program. Our investigation found that after TriWest was awarded the contract, the DHA was warned repeatedly that TriWest was not ready to take on the work, jeopardizing coverage for millions of active duty and veteran military personnel. That according to two sources with direct knowledge of the transition. TriWest says not only did the DHA determine that TriWest was the most qualified company for the job, so did the courts and the government accountability office. But our sources say the defense helped.

agency did not provide adequate oversight. The DHA says it conducted rigorous readiness validations before the transition to TriWest, but acknowledged unforeseen challenges. That one was denied. Our records indicate the patient has other health care insurance. It's still happening. Yes.

They say denials from the health coverage they earned cut deep. Do you wonder what if? Always. Yep. I'm always thinking about my family. What could happen to my family? Come on. I feel betrayed.

I upheld my end of the obligation. All of a sudden, that's just all wiped away. And with that, Aaron, joins us now live. And Aaron, this is stunning. The shoemakers are still facing denials? That's right, Tom. We spoke with Guy today. And while he says his initial issues have been resolved,

he's facing a new denial. Once again, pointing to other health insurance he does not have. Other beneficiaries also say they're continuing to face coverage issues. Some say they're putting off critical appointments, fearing denials they can't afford. Really great work tonight by you and the team. We thank you for bringing us that story. When we return in just 60 seconds, the father versus the carjacker, the dad opening fire to protect his family that was inside the vehicle. But will he face charges? That's next. We're back now with a dramatic moment of father pulls a gun and fights off a suspected,

and a suspect attempting to take his car with his family inside. Ryan Chandler is on the scene. Tonight, new video shows the moment a father opens fire in an act police are calling self-defense. Watch as this man approaches a parked car and forces his way into the vehicle on Sunday. The driver tries to pull him away as a child runs out, fighting as the family scrambles for safety.

Police say the driver, two women, and several children, even a baby, were in the car. I was able to help get them inside so that weren't in the line of fire. Police tell us the suspect, 30-year-old Jose Ramirez, crashed into two cars at this gas station and then tried to force his way into at least four others. He then crossed the street into this parking lot where he targeted that car with the family inside. Tatiana Starks watched from her store just feet away, jumping into action to help the kids. Hats off goes to dad because dad was able to stand his ground and protect his family. The father fires 10 shots killing the attacker. We are looking at this as a self-defense case.

And Tom, police tell us they are not filing charges against the father at this time as the investigation continues. The people here who saw it all happen tell me they're just happy those kids are safe tonight. Tom. Brian Chandler for us, Ryan, thank you. We are back in a moment. with a major development in the manhunt for a special forces veteran accused of shooting his wife. That's next. We're back now with a major update in the search for a special forces veteran accused of shooting his wife. U.S. Marshals say Craig Berry is dead, ending a days-long manhunt. Authorities alleged Barry fled into the woods in Tennessee after the shooting which his wife survived.

His cause of death was not yet announced. Also tonight, new developments in the murder case of Kristen Small. A Cal Poly student you may remember who disappeared in 1996. Today, law enforcement serving a new search warrant at the home of Susan Flores. Her son Paul was convicted of Smart's murder in 2022, but maintained his innocence. Smart's body has never been found. And in Central Florida, look at this, the urgent water rescue as a storm rolls in. Video shows six people stranded in choppy waters as their boat takes on water,

Some jumping into the lake as first responders speed in. You see them here helping pull them all aboard to safety. Okay, when we come back tonight, he invented the 24-hour news cycle and the 24-hour news network, plus so much more. How the world is remembering Ted Turner, who changed the media landscape forever. Finally tonight, he was truly one of a kind, remembering Ted Turner. They called him the mouth of the south. Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise. Ted Turner, a gutsy media titan that turned his father's billboard business into billions.

That was my father's advice to me was do not set goals that are achievable during your lifetime. Set goals that are too high. He saw a gold rush coming in cable and satellite TV, going into debt to buy a small failing Atlanta TV station, which he turned into TBS, calling it a super station. and in cable single-handedly creating the 24-hour news cycle when he launched CNN. This is CNN. Mocked at first, it grabbed the national spotlight during the first Iraq war, the OJ Simpson trial, and turned political bickering into must-see TV.

Earlier today, the network announcing its founder's passing. For me very personally sad, breaking news coming into the situation room, Ted Turner, Ted Turner has died. But CNN was just a start for Turner, who was also a powerhouse in sports, buying the Atlanta Braves and the Hawks and a giant of philanthropy, when he donated a billion dollars to the UN to promote world peace. I love this world of ours. It's a beautiful, wonderful place that deserves taking care of. He was also one of the largest private landowners in the country, some two million acres of land, using it to promote conservation, including bringing back America's bison.

He married three times, including to Hollywood star Jane Fonda. He's a maverick. He's quite essentially American. He's the underdog who made it. An underdog always willing to gamble. If you want to be successful in difficult circumstances, you have to get over being afraid. Eight years ago, Turner revealed he had been diagnosed with Louis body dementia. I think I've led an adventurous life, and that's really what I wanted to do. Ted Turner was 87.

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.