Monday, October 26, 2026

0:28A minute, a minute, a minute, a minute. Hi, I'm Angie Hicks, co-founder of Angie. From roof repair to emergency plumbing and more, when you use Angie for your home projects, you know all your jobs will be done well. Angie, the one you trust to find the ones you trust. Find a pro for your project at Angie.com. Breaking news tonight. The new charges just filed against former FBI Director James Comey. The newest charge tied to an alleged leak of national defense information. what the DOJ is alleging and how he's responding tonight. The final sprint to the midterms, President Trump in deep red Mississippi right now.

1:06The Senate race there tightening as the battle for Michigan grows even uglier. The new attacks launched by the president and his new offer,$1 million to find election fraud. Powerful king tides battering both coasts. Floodwaters swamping communities in Florida and in California. Plus the catastrophic floodwaters in the southwest. Entire neighborhoods submerged. Residents rescued by helicopter. The manhunt for an escaped murderer. The images of a convicted killer breaking out of a Tennessee prison. How did he manage to sneak out? Venezuela's opposition leader making the dangerous return home, greeted by massive crowds after months in exile.

1:49Fiery house explosion. The deadly blast rocking a South Dakota neighborhood. The bizarre police video man swallowing$750 ,000 in diamonds. The x-ray showing just where they lodged. The cops called to a youth soccer game. Parents say because their three-year-old was just too good. Crews collision. The luxury liner crashing into two container ships. What happened next? And there's good news tonight. The military dad surprising his four daughters. Their emotional reunion. You'll see them all. Nightly News starts right now. This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yawmas. And good evening. We thank you for joining us on this Monday night.

2:35And we begin with that breaking news. Former FBI Director James Comey charged again, this time over an alleged leak of national defense going back to 2016. Prosecutors now accusing him of instructing staff to share classified information with the press. The case just unsealed today by a U.S. district judge after Comey requested it be made public. It marks the Trump administration's third federal case against Comey, who became a target of President Trump after launching the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Comey is now speaking out tonight on these latest charges, claiming he's innocent and calling them an appalling abuse of the Justice Department.

3:16Laura Joder has been following this for us. She starts us off. And this was unveiled late tonight. It was, Tom. It was a dramatic new escalation against the former FBI director, James Comey, now facing new criminal allegations. This marks the third time he is now facing allegations from federal prosecutors. This one where prosecutors say back in 2016, Comey sought to correct misinformation. It was in a Reuters article. It was about national security. So he allegedly directed his staff at the FBI to speak with a different reporter, a reporter at The New York Times. And prosecutors now say he actually illegally transferred or had classified information transferred to that reporter against the law.

3:56Now, his legal team pushing back hard tonight, saying this case should be dismissed because it's barred by the statute of limitations. So it's a technical defense here. The president, of course, repeatedly gone after Comey many times. Comey, in turn, a fierce critic of this president. Criminal charges, people will remember, been filed twice against the former FBI director. or the most recent one having to do with a social media post. There was another case people might remember. That one was dismissed. In that case, Comey was accused of making false statements to Congress, which he denied. As Tom mentioned, he's put out a video already saying he's innocent, saying that prosecutors are back again, saying it's an appalling abuse of the Justice Department, one that we cannot become numb to, Tom.

4:37And there's a bit of more news, right? You also have a headline on James Comey's daughter tonight. Yes. Here in New York, a federal judge has actually found that Maureen Comey was wrongly dismissed. She had said that was a violation of her due process, right? Saying she was only fired because of who her father was. She's getting her job back. She is at least getting back pay for now. Not clear she wants her job back. All right. Laura Jerafors. Laura, thank you. To the midterms now heading into the final stretch. President Trump and former President Obama now hitting the trail. Both sides launching personal attacks with polls tightening.

5:05Here's Monica Alba. Tonight, the final push to the midterms and the closers are out in full force. For the GOP, President Trump has been on the trail for eight days straight, set to rally Republicans in deep red Mississippi, following a stop in critical Michigan. All you have to do is get out of it, because we have the numbers. For Democrats, former President Obama also in Michigan, slamming his successor. What's up with the gold? Everything, more gold. He's got the white ass looking like Saddam Hussein opened a cheesecake cake factory. The Senate race in that state turning especially bitter. Republican Mike Rogers in a tight contest with Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, who today fired back at President Trump's attacks.

5:51There are always a few small people who want to make America small like them. You see them. They're very loud. El-Sayed facing questions over whether his family is linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement that several countries label a terrorist group. He would be the only senator that will have to go through a metal detector before he's allowed to go into the Senate. I want him to have a metal detector. El-Sayed's half-sister posted in 2012, quote, my family has long been MB. Can you just explain it? But when Tom recently pressed him, he said he had no ties. I'm telling you, like, I have no ties.

6:24We have no ties. And NBC's Kristen Welker asking Rogers about the president's incendiary language. You agree with calling him a violent terrorist? Is that up to your standard? No, I don't. I've never called him a terrorist. While here in Mississippi, incumbent GOP Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith is facing a closer than expected challenge from Democrat Scott Cologne, who's gone after her comments about high beef prices. Pick another protein. I'd rather pick another senator instead. Cologne's campaign now forced to take down this video featuring an AI generated image of Hyde-Smith running from reporters after the Mississippi attorney general said it may have violated state law.

7:01Monica joins us now live from the president's rally. Monica, another headline tonight. The president is now offering$1 million as a reward to any American who reports someone fraud before the midterms. That's right, Tom,$1 million for any tips on voter fraud that lead to an arrest and conviction for those responsible. It's the latest cash incentive for Americans on the heels of those promises of$5 ,000 checks for adults only if Republicans keep control of Congress. Tom. Monica Alba for us on the trail. And for more of NBC's political reporting and exclusives, you can scan the QR code on your screen and subscribe now.

7:37We are tracking powerful king tides and catastrophic flooding, leaving communities underwater from coast to coast. Dana Griffin is in Long Beach, California, where residents are racing to save their homes. Tonight, dangerous conditions on both coasts as a high tide phenomenon unleashes flooding and swamps communities. In Southern California, business owners scooping out water from their flooded shops. Water gushing through this Orange County neighborhood as residents lug in sandbags to stop the flow. In Florida, floodwaters from high tides overtaking streets and communities. This dog park in Vero Beach submerged.

8:17We got a lake right here. Watch as cars try navigating these roads in Fort Lauderdale completely underwater. A similar scene in South Carolina. The coastal threat comes after a weekend of volatile weather across the west, including flooding in the Four Corners region. In southwest Colorado, floodwaters washing away a section of this highway, forcing it to close. This video showing a helicopter rescue from a flipped RV. The Colorado National Guard hoisting a couple and their pets to safety. And in Santa Fe, a tornado tearing through this neighborhood Saturday night with winds uprooting trees and damaging roofs.

8:55In nearby Shiprock, aerial video showing the extent of the damage from floodwaters, debris covering homes and roadways. Back in California tonight, the danger isn't over. These are the massive sand berms built to block rising water. But take a look at this. This massive pipeline is pumping out more than a billion pounds of sand back onto the battered shore, all to help protect homes just beyond the beach. Dana Griffin, NBC News, Long Beach, California. We're also following some developing news out of Tennessee tonight. A convicted killer is on the loose after breaking out of prison. Authorities releasing new images showing his escape amid an all-out manhunt to catch him.

9:35Here's Aaron Gilchrist. Tonight, a convicted murderer is on the run, escaping from a Tennessee prison. Now a manhunt for 28-year-old Jacob Allen Morley. Corrections officials putting out these recent surveillance images showing him in a prison uniform with glasses and a thick beard. Officers from local, state, and federal agencies now scouring Northwest Tennessee, setting up checkpoints and using a helicopter and search dogs in the hunt. Authorities say Morley, who was serving a life sentence, escaped from the Northwest Regional Complex late Sunday night, getting through a perimeter fence before disappearing into the darkness.

10:10Tonight, state investigators releasing this surveillance video of Morley stealing a pickup truck about six miles from the prison. Police asking residents to check doorbell and trail cameras for any possible sightings. He's nowhere close to here. You know, that's the last place he'd want to be. Morley was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Cody Birchfield back in 2022. Witnesses told investigators at the time that Morley was the last person seen with Birchfield before he went missing. Investigators discovered the victim's body stuffed inside a metal box beneath Morley's house and found Birchfield had been shot.

10:45Officials aren't saying how Morley was able to escape, but they are warning the public to consider him dangerous. Morley now on Tennessee's most wanted list with a$2 ,500 reward for his capture. Aaron Gilchrist, NBC News. Now that surprising homecoming in Venezuela, opposition leader and Nobel Prize winner Maria Corina Machado making a daring return home welcomed by cheering crowds. Gabe Gutierrez with those images tonight. Tonight, Venezuela's top opposition leader is back in that country following 10 months in exile. Maria Corina Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, greeted by thousands of cheering supporters, some lining overpasses, others swarming her call.

11:32Great changes and hope are coming, this woman says. A senior State Department official now says the U.S. is trying to help revamp the judicial system in Venezuela by the end of this year to set the stage for credible elections, potentially months after that. Machado had gotten into hiding after leading mass opposition to Venezuela's disputed 2024 election. I don't know anything about it, but I think she's a very nice woman. She gave me her Nobel Prize. Her return comes less than a year after U.S. Special Forces arrested authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro, who's now awaiting trial in New York on federal drug trafficking charges, which he's denied.

12:13Despite those crowds surrounding Machado, Back in January, President Trump had said it'd be tough for her to leave. She doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country. Now,

12:32Today, Venezuela's interim president, Delcey Rodriguez, called Machado's return a show, but added she hopes there's repentance and a change of course. Tom? Gabe, thank you. We have a major restructuring announcement from one of the country's biggest companies to tell you about. Microsoft is offering what it calls voluntary exit offers to up to get this 60 ,000 of its employees in four countries. The move is meant to reduce payroll costs and will provide financial support to eligible employees who take the offer. It's unclear how many positions the tech giant ultimately hopes to eliminate as AI is pushing big companies to be more efficient.

13:08OK, now to some wild video out of Florida showing a suspect stealing more than$760 ,000 in diamonds by swallowing the evidence. And it was all caught on camera. Jesse Kirsch has the video. Tonight, the jewel thief takedown and a desperate attempt to hide the evidence. This video obtained by the smoking gun shows Florida Highway Patrol trying to get a suspect to spit out diamond earrings worth three quarters of a million dollars. Investigators say in February 2025, Jathan Gilder walked into this Tiffany store in Orlando claiming to represent an NBA player. Surveillance video shows Gilder inside a VIP room.

13:51Watch as he grabs over a million dollars worth of jewelry. Investigators say he then struggled with a store employee and fled with two pairs of diamond earrings worth more than$760 ,000.

14:06About 250 miles away, troopers caught up with Gilder during a traffic stop that quickly escalated. Later at the jail, a scan of Gilder's body revealed these mystery items, according to a police detective affidavit, which also says Gilder asked staff, am I going to be charged with what's in my stomach? Diamonds may be forever, but these did not stay missing for long. About two weeks after the theft, prosecutors say authorities recovered the jewels, adding that earlier this month, a jury found the 34-year-old guilty of robbery and grand theft. Prosecutors say Gilder's sentencing has been set for December, adding that because he has been deemed a habitual offender, he faces a maximum of life in prison.

14:48Tom, Jesse Kirsch for us. Jesse, thank you. When we return in 60 seconds, the three-year-old soccer phenom, why his parents say the cops were called because he was too good. In Orlando, meetings reach another level thanks to a growing list of award-winning restaurants, a world-class convention center, a great hotel community, easy access through the airport, and of course, the weather. Andrew Moyes, VP of Fan Expo HQ, had this to say about Orlando. Orlando really can be that destination where you can innovate, collaborate, and look into the future. And that's what makes Orlando unbelievably real.

15:25Learn more at OrlandoForBusiness.com. Hi, I'm Angie Hicks, co-founder of Angie. And one thing I've learned is that you buy a house, but you make it a home. Because with every fix, update, and renovation, it becomes a little more your own. So you need all your jobs done well. For nearly 30 years, Angie has helped millions of homeowners hire skilled pros for the projects that matter. From plumbing to electrical, roof repair to deck upgrades. So leave it to the pros who will get your jobs done well. Angie, the one you trust to find the ones you trust. Find a pro for your project at Angie.com. Traditional home security only alerts you after a break-in.

16:00And that's too late. SimpliSafe is changing that. Stop. This is SimpliSafe. Police are on the way. We don't just alert. We help stop crime before it starts. Plans starting around a dollar a day. Right now, get 70 % off your new system with professional monitoring at SimpliSafe.com slash SXM. SimpliSafe, ahead of crime in real time. Outdoor deterrence plans start at$49.99 a month. Visit SimpliSafe.com slash licenses for alarm license information. We're back now with a story about police being called to a youth soccer game in Florida, but you're not going to believe why. The parents of a three-year-old player say it was because their son was too good.

16:39George Solis with what the body cam and 911 calls reveal. They call the police on the three-year-old because he's too good. In Winter Park, Florida, police called to the scene of a youth soccer game this weekend where three-year-old Nevada had been dominating the field, dribbling through the defense, kicking the ball between other players' legs, even scoring with his heel. They call the police on the three-year-old because he had the ball for too long. According to Nevada's parents, who recorded this video, their son was being picked on for playing too well. They had a whole meeting about a three-year-old.

17:13How y 'all gonna have a whole meeting about a three-year-old? A league official saying he called the cops because it was the family causing a disturbance. There's a parent here that's really, really disruptive. Like following me around and calling me names in front of this whole bunch of people that's here. That's the sports league director on the line who is seen here talking to police. So the kid is good, right? He's been talking, he's great, really good. But he pushes the kids and do all that stuff. So I try to tell them, hey, stop, don't let them push. We want to pay without pushing, right?

17:44The three-year-old's mother saying they typically stand apart from the other families at games. We stand on the other side. We don't never stand with the other parents. So we're not getting into it with other parents. We're always on the other side. Everybody can tell you that we're always on this side. You guys have a better day, OK? Thank you. Thank you, guys. Ultimately, the family left voluntarily. Police determining the matter was a civil dispute. In a statement, the league says it's reviewing the incident of a young child caught in the middle of a very grown-up dispute. George Solis, NBC News.

18:16All right, we're back in a moment with the deadly house explosion caught on camera that could be heard from towns away. And Ruff sees the luxury cruise ships slamming into massive freighters while in brutal conditions. Stay with us.

18:37center, a great hotel community, easy access through the airport, and of course, the weather. Andrew Moyes, VP of Fan Expo HQ, had this to say about Orlando. Orlando really can be that destination where you can innovate, collaborate, and look into the future. And that's what makes Orlando unbelievably real. Learn more at OrlandoForBusiness.com. Hi, I'm Angie Hicks, co-founder of Angie. And one thing I've learned is that you buy a house, but you make it a home. Because with every fix, update, and renovation, it becomes a little more your own. So you need all your jobs done well. For nearly 30 years, Angie has helped millions of homeowners hire skilled pros for the projects that matter.

19:16From plumbing to electrical, roof repair to deck upgrades. So leave it to the pros who will get your jobs done well. Angie, the one you trust to find the ones you trust. Find a pro for your project at Angie.com. When an intruder approaches a home, they expect a camera. What they don't expect. Stop. This is SimpliSafe. Police are on the way. Using smart AI cameras, live U.S.-based agents help deter intruders in under 30 seconds. Don't just record a break-in. Stop it from ever happening. Plan starting around a dollar a day. Right now, get 70 % off your new system with professional monitoring at simplisafe.com.

19:5130 seconds response time requires monitoring plan with outdoor protection starting at$49.99 a month. Visit simplisafe.com. Licenses for alarm license information. Now to South Dakota, where a home captured the moment a house exploded on their block. The fiery blast happening in a garage, setting a car up into flames. Officials say the explosion could be heard from several towns away, with debris stretching for nearly a block. One man was killed. The cause is still under investigation. In Germany, a cruise ship carrying more than 2 ,000 passengers slammed into two container ships while leaving port.

20:24Look how choppy the water is, and you can see tugboats trying to keep the ships clear of the freighters in port, but it's not enough, and you get a view from the deck as the cruise ship slams into them from this video on board. All around bad news for passengers, the trip to the Canary Islands that was planned had to be canceled. When we come back, four hugs and a reunion. It's not a new rom-com. It's our good news. The military family and the big surprise from Dad. That's next.

20:54Finally, there's good news tonight. We've shown you incredible military homecomings on this broadcast before, but none quite like this. Four sisters each getting their moment. Back with Dad.

21:09In a gym full of people, one fan stood out.

21:17Sisters Mackenzie and Elizabeth Shaw jumping into their dad's arms. Staff Sergeant Leland Shaw is stationed in Texas and hasn't seen his girls since February, coming home to surprise them as they warmed up for a volleyball game in Northern Virginia. I saw him, like, through the bleachers, and at first I didn't believe it. I was like, there's no way my dad's here. I just wanted to give him a hug, so I ran over and I, like, jumped on him. Their younger sisters, Hannah and Emmeline, surprised as well. emily nearly knocking that over with the force of her hug mom deborah says it's been hard on the girls the best part was is just seeing how surprised they were but also just to see that that connection that they have hasn't gone anywhere four surprises four hugs and four sisters happy to be back with their dad

22:21Just seeing them all together, I can't even express that amount of joy. So great. Dad's back. All right. That's nightly news for this Monday. I'm Tom Yamas. We thank you so much for watching tonight and always. We're here for you. Good night.

22:46Hi, it's me, your gutters. Everything is totally fine. There's just a lot of debris up here, and I've been managing it mostly on my own. I just thought you could find someone on Angie to clean me up. I could really use it. Your gutters have waited long enough. Find a pro at Angie.com.