NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, October 7, 2026

Episode Date: October 8, 2026

Gulf Coast braces for Hurricane Isaias; FBI: Terror plot foiled against Mall of America; New video reveals moments after student shoots teacher; 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, the powerful storm taking aim at the Gulf, set to reach hurricane strength in just hours. The states of emergency just declared as the storm quickly intensifies. Grocery store shelves empty lines of cars waiting for gas. Hurricane watches from Mississippi to Florida. Al Roker with the latest tracking and timing. The terror plot targeting the Mall of America. The FBI says this team pledged his support to our... ISIS and planned to kill up to 60 people, how they stopped him.

Shocking never-before seen video of the six-year-old who shot his teacher, Abigail's Warner, body cam video of the young boy in another teacher's arms, the child cursing, even threatening police. You won't believe what this little boy said. Death row inmate Krista Pike's first words since that botched execution left her unconscious. Will she be put to death again after that failed attempt? Russia launching one of its deadly attacks on Ukraine since the start of the war, the massive explosion in Kiev. Also tonight, the heroic firefighter engulfed in flames while responding to a house fire, how he escaped.

Fiery plane crashed in Fort Worth, the pilot killed after the plane nearly crashed into this road. Plus, data center divide are Ryan Nobles with voters in Ohio. Could anger at the controversial projects determine the balance of power? this November. What goes up must come down, the burglar falling through a Macy ceiling after a standoff with police. And there's good news tonight, the surprise from a best friend of 50 years to ring in a life-saving milestone. Nightly News starts right now. This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamas. Good evening, and thanks for being with us on this Wednesday night. We want to start with that tropical storm quickly intensifying in the Gulf, set to hit hurricane strength in just hours.

Here's a live look at Isayas right now, churning several hundred miles off the Gulf Coast and hurtling towards the U.S. Millions now bracing for a direct hit. You can see those alerts stretching across the Gulf. All the communities in pink are now under a hurricane watch and new fears tonight that the hurricane could make landfall as a powerful cat too, where Isayas will hit those still a moving target tonight. Traditional models have the storm making landfall farther west between southeastern Louisiana and Alabama, but newer AI models. You can see it right there, predict it will hit farther east in Florida's panhandle. And tonight, we're going to explain why those AI models are forecasting a different track. All of it has people across the Gulf scrambling

to prepare for life-threatening conditions with store shelves. You see them there cleared and cars lining up now to fuel up. Al Roker is tracking it all for us tonight and he starts us off. Tonight, Isayas, gaining strength. The storm now closing in on the Gulf Coast. States of emergencies declared in Alabama and Florida. On Dauphin Island, Alabama, red flags warning that the ocean is dangerous, a high risk of rip currents already. Mobile County officials urging families not to take any chances. It's time to prepare like we're going to get the worst case scenario. People getting sandbags in nearby Baldwin County. I want to block it basically my doorway and my garage for water coming into my house. This time lapse showing the lightning embedded within the storm this morning. In Pensacola, Florida, some store shelves already emptying out as shoppers fill their carts. And these vehicles are waiting for fuel. You can see those extra gas cans lined up in the bed of that pickup truck.

And the University of Alabama announcing today they are closely monitoring the weather forecast ahead of Saturday's planned football game versus Georgia. Al Roker joins us now live in studio. So Al, walk us through these different models and time out the storm for us. Okay, let's get started first. Where East I is is right now, 500 miles south-southwest, mouth of the Mississippi, 65-mile-per-hour. It's moving northeast at eight miles per hour. Now, the traditional National Hurricane Forecast map brings it right upon Pensacola sometime early Saturday morning.

Now, here's the difference between those models. The traditional models, the European model, the American, the National Hurricane Forecast, they use math, physics to create that path. However, these new models, the Google Deep Mind AI model uses patterns to take a look at what's happened as to what may happen. And those are moving to the east, as is the National Hurricane Center map. And you can see we're looking at blinding rain, battering waves, hurricane force winds at the coast, and upwards of 10 to 12 inches of rain will update you tomorrow morning.

on today. Tom. All right, we'll stay on top of all of that. Al, we thank you. Also developing tonight, the FBI in Minnesota, saying it stopped a terror plot against the Mall of America by a suspect who pledged allegiance to ISIS and was preparing to carry out a mass shooting. Kelly O'Donnell has the late details. A terror plot, allegedly targeting the Mall of America, foiled in Minnesota, leaving a local police chief shaken. Horrified. But normally I'm not at a loss for words, but horrified. Tonight, the FBI says this 18-year-old American-born teenager, Sheikh Dune Abdohani Mohammed, pledged loyalty to ISIS, and he planned to carry out a mass casualty event in Minnesota.

100% committed. Those are the words Muhammad allegedly uttered when he described his planned jihad journey. The FBI says it had been watching the. suspect for nearly two years. The teenager had been communicating on social media with a confidential informant where they say, Muhammad wrote, I am mentally and physically ready, and spelled out his target, the largest mall in North America, an attack planned for October 24th, and wrote he hoped to kill maybe 30 to 60 people. Why there? He wrote, because it's owned by Jewish, adding, I want to harm the Jew. Muhammad was arrested after he bought an AK-47, four 30-round capacity magazines, and about 200 rounds of ammunition from an undercover federal agent.

The son of Somali immigrants, investigators say he expressed anger at the treatment of Muslims. The messages this defendant allegedly sent to others were chilling. A callous disregard for the sanctity of human life. And, Kelly, we're also getting disturbing new details on the kind of attack the suspect allegedly. wanted to carry out? According to the criminal complaint, the suspect said he was inspired by mass killings, like the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando and the Bondi Beach attack in Australia. Mohamed made his first court appearance today in faces a felony charge of receiving a firearm

with the intent to commit terrorism in support of a foreign terrorist organization. Tom? Kelly O'Donnell for us tonight, Kelly, thank you. We have a major update to a story we've followed here for years. When a six-year-old student shot his teacher in a classroom in Virginia, the nation was shot. But now new video of the boys' comments in the moments after that shooting are sparking even more horrified disbelief. A warning, the videos you're about to see are hard to watch. Here's Stephanie Gosk.

New video tonight of the shocking shooting at Virginia's Richneck Elementary School in 2023. Where is the weapon? It's on the floor. This is moments after the six-year-old shooting. shooter seen here fired on his teacher Abigail's Werner hitting her in the hand and chest. The video made public for the first time. If you want a piece of me, come get it all. The first grader swearing at a different teacher who is holding him as police start processing

the scene. My mom, magic. I stole that from my mom. He threatens the officers. These new disturbing images shining a spotlight on his. state of mind. His, I mean, he does have the gun residue, looks like. Okay.

It's just not touch his hands or anything. The video was put under seal by the court during assistant principal Ebony Parker's criminal trial. Parker was charged with eight counts of child endangerment. Prosecutors say she ignored multiple warnings that the student had a gun that day. But the judge throughout the case, saying her actions did not fit the charges. That same judge releasing this. video asking that the child's face be blurred.

I don't care if we call back up. I don't care if I go to you. The student's mother was convicted on state child neglect and federal gun charges, while Abigail's Werner, who no longer teaches, was awarded $10 million in a civil case. The jury finding the assistant principal grossly negligent. Stephanie Gosk, NBC News. And tonight we're also learning more about the woman who survived that botched execution in Tennessee. Her lawyers revealing her first words when she woke.

up as they push for her to be taken off of death row. Aaron Gilchrist is in Nashville with the latest. Tonight, new revelations about the condition of Tennessee death row inmate, Krista Pike, a week after a failed execution attempt. A Monday night, it was our understanding that Krista was brain dead and that life support would be removed the next day. But on Tuesday, to the shock of everyone, including me, including her team, and including the medical team, Krista woke up and began talking. Pike's lawyers say they visited her yesterday and she remains shackled to a hospital bed. I think she is angry and confused about everything right now. Also saying she is unable to move her arms and battling pneumonia. Pike has been on death row for more than 30 years for the brutal

beating and murder of a classmate Colleen Slimmer in 1995. Pike was rushed to a Nashville hospital last Wednesday night after two doses of a lethal drug didn't kill her. The evidence that we are seeking to preserve now is relevant for any future challenge that she makes. In court today, Pike's attorney convincing a judge to order state corrections officials to preserve everything related specifically to Pike's botched execution, including drugs, syringes, notes, and text messages. Any recording of that evening, September 30th, will need to be preserved and maintained. The state head argued a standing federal court order already applied to this case.

as her lawyers again appealed to the governor to commute her death sentence to life in prison. It is unimaginable that the state would try to execute her again. Aaron Gilchrist joins us now live in Nashville. And Aaron, there were supporters of the team killed by Pike in court as well today. Right, and they believe that Pike should still be put to death. We reached out to the mother of Colleen Slimmer, who wouldn't comment on the case today and the activities in this hearing today, but she has told NBC News that she believes this failed execution is a mess,

and she said the state owes me big time. Tom? Aaron, Gilcrest for us. Also tonight, a reminder of the dangers firefighters face. We have new video we want to show you from New Hampshire of a firefighter, totally engulfed, diving out of a burning home. Valerie Castro now and how he survived. This New Hampshire firefighter escaping an explosion of flames Watch as Lieutenant Mike England burst through the front door of a home, engulfed in fire, then throws himself off the porch.

I've got an injured firefighter on the scene. Other firefighters patting him down to extinguish the flames on his body. Crews raced to the scene Friday night following reports that someone could be trapped, according to the Londonderry Fire Chief. While inside, a flashover when combustible materials suddenly ignite all at once, catching England off guard. Pictures from the scenes show the chart. entryway. Everyone in the home, including pets, escaped to safety, according to officials. All visible fire has been knocked down. England suffered a leg injury and minor burns, but is expected to recover. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Valerie Castro,

NBC News. It is October 7th, and there are emotional memorials marking three years since the Hamas terror attacks on Israel. Chief International correspondent, Keir Simmons, is in Israel tonight for us. Tonight, the memorials around the world from Miami to Berlin, to here in Israel, where so many still cannot comprehend what happened here three years ago. When Hamas terrorists invaded, murdering 1,200 people, including children, 251 people were kidnapped. The images of Rachel Goldberg, Poland's son, Hirsch, being abducted, were seen around the world. Hirsch, after having his dominant arm blown off, texted us with his other hand, a very simple message. I love you. I'm sorry.

328 days after he was kidnapped, he was killed by his captors. I don't think the years make a difference. I think every morning I wake up and it's all over again. Every single morning is the anniversary. The attack triggered Israel's war. against Hamas in Gaza. More than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed, sparking global outrage.

Portions of Gaza today completely destroyed. There doesn't have to be a competition of tears here. We are all suffering. We are all in pain. Rita Lifshitz shows me the home burned by Hamas, where her neighbor was murdered with her 12-year-old granddaughter. Rita still lives next door. I love these kibbutz,

but it will be. be different. I almost cry. Israelis finding ways to cope, not to overcome. Ways to keep living. Never forgetting. Keir Simmons, NBC News, Israel. And when we return

in 60 seconds, could data center swing the midterm elections? How the massive facilities redrawing the landscape deep in Trump country could be redrawing the political landscape as well. Plus, the deadly plane crash slamming into the highway near Fort Worth, Texas,

what happened here, and look out below the stunning moment in a mall when police pull a suspect out of the ceiling. We are back now with our series, the data center divide. The huge structures needed to power AI are popping up all over the country and have become a political lightning rod. So much so, they just might be the issue that determines the balance of power in Congress. Ryan Noble's traveled to Ohio to see how they're changing the landscape. They don't care because.

At this town meeting in a Trump stronghold near Cincinnati, the message for politicians was clear. I retired out here. Now all of a sudden, I may not be able to get back when I put into my home. Who wants to live next to a data center? Nobody. Nobody knows it better than Angel Shelton. Here in rural Southwest Ohio, she says there is one thing that will determine her vote in the Senate race between Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican John Houston. You voted for President Trump. You voted for Republicans in the past?

Yes, I did. John Houston's on the ballot. Does this issue take that into account how you're going to vote? Absolutely. And he's not getting our vote. That one issue? Data Centers. Earlier this year, Angel learned an Amazon Data Center was being planned here, right down the road from her hay farm. It absolutely kills our dreams. Now she worries about its impact to her property and quiet way of light.

Who do I blame? I blame John Hustead, President Trump, along with our local commissioners. They don't care about other people's lives. Data center campuses like these that are popping up all over Ohio have become a very big political issue. But it's way more complicated than just Republican or Democrat. John Hustead led the charge to bring these data centers to our state. Democrat and former Ohio Senator Sharon Brown is hammering Houston for past support of data centers, tapping into voter anger. They've seen what John Hustadt has done more than let them down.

He's been the lead guy on this. And in a state President Trump won three times. Brown is leading the race in several recent polls. A leaked memo obtained by NBC News in August from the National Republican Senatorial Committee claimed that data centers are the anchor hanging around Houston's neck. Do you regret at all the effort that you made, though, when you did encourage them to come to the state and your other roles that you had in Ohio?

Local citizens and communities make those decisions, not me. Local decisions decide whether they want data centers in a community, not me. I'm very patriotic. I put my two big flags right here. Voters like Jody Wilson used to make up the MAGA Republican faithful, but now she says the politicians don't get it. We're frustrated. We're angry.

Why would our public officials that we voted in keep us behind our backs? Some of them probably will not be reelected in. At 68, she's become an activist to petition against data centers. A three-time Trump voter, she says she can't bring herself to vote for Houston in November. Do you think that people in office realize what's about to hit them in November? No. It could be a wake-up call. I hope it is.

Ryan Noble's NBC News, Williamsburg, Ohio. And we're back in a moment with the prediction that came true, the brutal assault on Ukraine leaving death and destruction. That's next. Back now with the intensifying war in Ukraine, Russia unleashing a barrage of new attacks across the country overnight, including on Kyiv. President Zelensky, reporting children were among the 25 people killed. A day earlier, he warned intelligence, signaled Russia was preparing a massive attack. Also tonight, this deadly small plane crash in Texas, you see it right here, the wreckage engulfed in flames. It happened this morning,

Hicks Airfield in Fort Worth. Fire officials report the pilot was killed. He was the only person aboard. The FVA is investigating what went wrong. And take a look at this wild body cam video out of Washington State, this burglary suspect hiding in the ceiling of a Macy's Vancouver police pausing the video here just before he comes crashing down onto a safety mat and right into police custody. When we come back, there's good news tonight. The big surprise that brought these two friends together 50 years after they first met. Finally, there's good news tonight about the enduring power of friendship. This is what five decades of friendship looks like.

Eric Beasley and Gene Allison first met in fifth grade more than 50 years ago. They've stayed close, even when life took them in different directions. Gene now lives in Chicago. Eric in Montgomery, Alabama. So when Gene finished cancer treatment a few weeks back, Eric knew he had to fly in and surprise him. Traditionally, a cancer patient rings a bell to mark the end of treatment. But in this case, Eric and his family brought the bells to Gene.

I thought I was almost dreaming. With me and him, it's always been extra special. And Eric knows what this moment feels like. He went through his own journey with the disease. last year, beating prostate cancer, and now grateful to be there for a friend, he says, is more like a brother. Our relationship is truly special. He was always there, supporting me and encouraging me and uplifting me.

He is the best friend I ever have in his life, and I love him dearly. Friends, always there for each other. All right, that's nightly news for me. this Wednesday. I'm Tom Yamas. We thank you so much for watching tonight and always. We're here for you. Good night.