NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Episode Date: September 24, 2026

Trump hosts China’s leader at high-stakes summit; Shots fired at Miami International Airport; Son of Israeli ambassador to U.S. seriously injured in West Bank car-ramming attack; 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, China's leader touching down in the U.S. just moments ago for a high-stakes meeting with President Trump, the historic welcome ceremony on the tarmac right now. Next, the critical talks on everything from AI to trade to Taiwan. Plus, the First Amendment showdown in court today over Trump banning media outlets from the White House. Also breaking shots fired at Miami's airport, videos showing first responders in tactical gear and rifles at the scene, a person taken into custody. West Bank ramming attack caught on video. The son of Israel's ambassador to the U.S. seriously hurt, his father saying he needs a miracle. The Northeast bracing for a powerful nor'easter, plus another potential hurricane churning near hard-hit Hawaii, we're tracking it all. The men spotted coming out of a manhole near where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is staying after incidents just like this in recent months.

The shocking incident on a united flight, the heinous act, allegedly committed by a man on board, a female passenger told she had to sit back next to him. Our series, the cost of denial, and a young woman hospitalized for a broken ankle, then dying after being overmedicated with painkillers, while her parents believe cost-cutting is partly to blame. A fireball explosion as a Royal Air Force plane crashes in the UK, the pilots ejecting and parachuting to safety.

Nightly News starts right now. This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yomas. And good evening. We thank you for joining us on this Wednesday night. And we want to begin with the leaders of the world's two biggest superpowers meeting right now. China's leader, Xi Jinping has just arrived in Washington for a pivotal three-day visit. President Trump rolling out the red carpet, as you see here, with an honor guard, the Air Force ban, and B-1 bombers. A U.S. President making an airport greeting an honor given only to Popes for more than six decades.

The agenda for the summit critical, with everything from AI to trade to Taiwan expected to come up. And already the trip is yielding results with the Treasury Secretary just announcing the extension of a fragile trade truce between the countries. Also on the docket, the war in Iran and China's support for that country after its president, you see him here, spoke defiantly in front of the UN today. All of it as a legal battle plays out in the background over those banned media outlets. The reason why you're not seen video of today's events with President Trump, a judge hearing that case today and is expected to rule on it soon. We're across all of it. Gabe Gutierrez is starting us off. Tonight, President Trump greeting China's leader Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews.

The airport welcomed the first for a world leader besides the Pope since the 1960s and featuring a hundred foot long red carpet, the Air Force band, in two. two B-1 flyovers. We have a great relationship. He wants to get along, and we want it. We're going to get along. It follows the pair's previous summit in China, where President Xi rolled out his red carpet. This week's visit expected to include critical discussions over AI, trade in Taiwan. But it's drawing rare criticism from a top Senate Republican.

Our commander-in-chief should keep in mind that his guest is a brutal, unelected, and oppressive dictator. Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushing back. The idea that we would not interact with them at the highest levels is irresponsible. It's outrageous. We have to. Also looming over the high-stakes summit, China's economic support of Iran. Today, Iran's president, Massoud Peseskian, on American soil at the UN General Assembly. Defiant.

We are ready for dialogue and diplomacy and negotiations without accepting the language of force, he says. But Secretary Rubio argues Iran, is stalling on a deal until after the midterms. I think the Iranians misread our system. I think the Iranians are under this illusion that Democrats are going to win in November and the president will no longer be able to do things against them. I just don't think they understand our system very well.

In a separate diplomatic push, Rubio also revealing the U.S. has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to a G20 summit later this year in Miami. We think it's an opportunity for him to engage, not just with the president, but with other world leaders. Gabe joins us now live from the White House. And Gabe, we mentioned the usual press pool is not covering today's arrival ceremony after President Trump banned three media outlets from the White House. And now a judge is deciding if that ban is legal.

Yes, Tom, CNN, MS now, and Politico argued the president violated their First Amendment rights. President Trump said the ban was for what he called negative coverage, though the DOJ now cites national security concerns. The Trump appointed judge says he'll issue a ruling soon, Tom. Gabe, thank you for that. We have breaking news out of Miami tonight where shots were fired at the major international airport there. Today, triggering a massive response. Victoria DeCardin us from our Miami station is there live for us tonight. Victoria, what happened? Hey, Tom, good evening. No shots rang out at around 4 o'clock here at Miami International Airport. Some of those gunshots echoing in the parking garage just behind me. And as we arrived, we heard witnesses, including airport employees, describing that chaotic scene. We've even heard that

Some people were ducking behind cars for cover. Now, this law enforcement presence here was massive. Several entrances to the terminals were shut down as investigators moved in. Tonight, one person is in custody. But hours later, deputies still have some areas roped off as you see just behind me as they continue to investigate what happened. The good news we can report to you tonight. No injuries were reported. The airport is fully operational right now, but travelers can expect a late.

throughout the night as this investigation continues. Tom. Victoria DeCardis for us from Miami. Victoria, thank you. We want to head overseas now to disturbing new video of a car ramming attack in the West Bank. The victim, the son of Israel's ambassador to the U.S., now fighting for his life tonight. Matt Bradley is in Israel with the story. Tonight's surveillance video capturing the moment a Palestinian driver rams his car into an Israeli soldier. Hamas celebrating the attack, calling it heroic. And now we've learned the victim is the son of Israel's ambassador to the U.S., Naria Lighter.

You can see the car hit Lighter while he's standing on the median. The driver then crashes across the street, gets out and runs across the road as soldiers open fire. The IDF says the driver was eliminated. Medics seen here trying to revive Lighter, an Israeli Army reservist and U.S. citizen who was manning the checkpoint. His father, Ambassador Yehia Lighter, writing, doctors are fighting to save his son's life, and that he needs a miracle. The Palestinian health ministry identified the suspect as Mahmoud Suleiman. The lighter family has already been deeply affected by the war.

Nairia's older brother, Moshe, was killed in Gaza while serving in the Israeli military in 2023. U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, calling on the public to pray for the lighter family. Hamas said the attack was a natural response to rampaging settlers and occupation leaders. In Jerusalem tonight, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visited the lighter family before he departed for the UN General Assembly. Tom? Matt, thank you. Back here at home, we are tracking flash flooding, impacting parts of the country. And take a look at this, water surrounding these apartment buildings in southeast Virginia,

Tuesday, rising to the bumpers of those cars, that area now under a coastal flood warning throughout least Friday morning. And there are multiple other severe weather threats on the way, both the East Coast and Hawaii at risk. Bill Cairns is here tonight in studio live for us. And Bill, what are you tracking right now? Tom, let's start with the Nor'Easter. This is going to be a huge inconvenience for millions this weekend. But it's only going to be dangerous for isolated people along the coastal sections, especially areas from Cape Cod, Boston, through Long Island and down through the Jersey Shore.

The high winds will only be located right near the water. That's where power outages are possible. Rain and wind impacts inland. But I don't think you're going to be losing power. We're not going to have flooding to deal with all the heavy rain, as we mentioned, will be mostly confined to the coastal areas of eastern New England. Now, Hawaii, can you believe they're going to get hit by their third hurricane this season alone? And this one is targeting the Big Island.

The National Hurricane Center says we should have a major hurricane just south of the Big Island on Saturday. We're hoping this makes a turn earlier and misses the island. But right now they need to prepare for devastating flooding. All those residents in Hawaii cannot catch a break this summer. Okay, we thank you for that, Bill. We want to tell you about a disturbing incident that allegedly happened on a United Airlines flight. A woman says she was forced to sit back down next to a passenger. committing a heinous act in a seat. Stephanie Goss has more and a warning the language used in this story is sexually explicit.

Tonight, a shocking incident on a United Airlines plane. A 25-year-old woman says the man sitting next to her was masturbating during a one-hour flight Labor Day weekend. The woman who does not want to publicly share her name tells NBC News she got out of her seat and told the flight attendants, but they forced her to go back and sit next to him for landing because the flight was full. She adds, on multiple instances, I said I feel uncomfortable doing that. The man was then allowed to leave the plane without anyone confronting him, she says, and a United Gate agent asked her, what am I supposed to do about it? The airline then eventually offered her a $100 credit for a $400 flight. United says safety is their top priority, adding, we take these matters seriously and are looking

into what happened. We have been in contact with the customer and apologized for her experience. According to the FBI, there are dozens of sexual assault cases on board flights every year. I just froze up and my mind was like screaming. Dana LaRue Park describes being groped on a red-eye flight in 2011, and she has this advice for other victims. Try and get someone's attention right away so that someone might see what's happening. The FBI couldn't bring charges in her case, she says, because there were no witnesses. It's not just on the victims to, uh,

be responsible for what happened to them. It's also up to the airlines to provide the proper support. As for the 25-year-old, she says she hopes the men who sat next to her won't ever be allowed back on a plane. Stephanie Gosk, NBC News. When we return in 60 seconds, a college student hospitalized for a broken ankle, then dies from an over-prescription of painkillers at that same hospital, why her parents blame the system. And the fire recrashed the Air Force training flight that ended in an explosion

in the UK, how the pilots escaped and survived. Plus, the pasta recall hitting Walmart across the country. That's next. We're back now with our series of The Cost of Denial. Tonight, Laura Jarrett talks to the parents of a young woman who was hospitalized for a broken ankle and ended up losing her life. Those parents now blamed their loss in part on cuts made at a hospital and financial distress. 21-year-old Dale Alice Martin was an avid piano player and college student with her entire life in front of her.

But when she was brought to Connecticut's Waterbury Hospital with a broken ankle last year, her parents, Jillian and Lindsay, say their lives changed overnight. They're like, she's in the ICU, you need to come. Dale had gone into cardiac arrest and was soon declared brain dead. You must be thinking, wait a minute, she came in for a broken ankle. What happened? Yeah. And I still didn't really process it when I saw her in front of me. State records showed Dale had been given oxycodone and morphine when a doctor treating her prescribed another powerful narcotic, dilated, but failed to tell the nurse to stop the other painkillers. An autopsy report confirming Dale was over-medicated.

What was your reaction? I pulled over to the side of the road and cried. you go into a hospital for treatment and you come out dead, they seem to have just dosed her up and left her in a room. What Dale's parents say they didn't know at the time, years earlier, Waterbury was owned by a company controlled by a private equity firm that, according to a bipartisan Senate report, paid out $650 million to investors as its hospitals fell into severe financial distress.

They took out over $650 million, and then you read a report that says the nurses were buying patients' food. That can't happen in America. Longtime Waterbury nurses, Marilyn Anthony and Sarah Campbell believe staffing changes and cost-cutting under private equity left a lasting impact on patient care. Emails were generated that we were to now call the patient's customers. So that set the tone. As things were breaking, they were just throwing stuff out and not replacing it. Some of our ICU nurses went out and spent $30 to $50 and bought their own thermometer. Waterbury Hospital was repeatedly flagged for understaffing and safety violations.

And in 2025, the company that owned it, Prospect Medical Holdings, filed for bankruptcy. I don't understand how the hospital was allowed to function. It was a zombie institution. The private equity firm that once owned Prospect, said it has had no control over the hospital since selling its stake in 2021, and that it left the company in strong financial condition. Today, more than one in ten private hospitals are owned by private equity firms, which aim to buy and sell businesses at a profit for their investors,

but often leave those businesses deeply in debt. And research shows it can come at a cost to patients, from higher prices to staffing cuts. A recent study finding Medicare patients died at higher rates in, ERs owned by private equity. All setting the stage, Dale's parents say, for disaster. This is about the safety net being yanked out from under every patient. That's what private equity's done. Waterbury Hospital now under new nonprofit ownership said in a statement, the quality, safety, and well-being of our patients is our top priority, but referred our questions to prospect medical

holdings, which could not be reached. It's hard to... not feel a deep rage towards the individuals who treated her in such callous way. But the system is broken, so I can't choose who I blame them most. Diels' parents have now filed a wrongful death suit against the doctor, nurse, hospital, and what's left of prospect. Their hope to send a message. When you make hospitals about profit and not about the patients, this is what you're going to get. Laura Jarrett, NBC News. All right, we're back in a moment with the manhole mystery, why we're seeing men emerging from sewers like these near Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hotel.

Plus the jet crash that ended in a fireball, how the pilot survived. We're back now with terrifying video of a jet. crash in the UK. You see this Royal Air Force training plane plummeting the pilots quickly ejecting in parachutes. It freefalls before nosediving, nearly hitting a campsite and sending up that giant cloud of smoke and flames. The Royal Air Force says both pilots are being treated and it's investigating what exactly went wrong. Here in New York City, police are investigating after security cameras once again captured three men emerging from sewers, but this time near the hotel where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is stained for the UN General Assembly.

Police say they believe this incident is related to a series of similar sewer intrusions reported across the city in recent months. They're conducting additional security sweeps, but noted the overnight incident does not appear to be connected to Netanyahu or the UN. Also tonight, the urgent recall hitting Walmart stores across the country, the FDA announcing this lemon Alfredo Feducini is being pulled from shelves over a Listeriorist. The food-borne illness causes flu-like symptoms but can be deadly for high-risk groups. The possible contamination was discovered after routine sampling in two states.

All right, 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.