Thursday, September 24, 2026

0:00When you think of banking, what comes to mind? Kindness? Empathy? Commitment? At Healthcare Associates Credit Union, that's exactly what our members experience. Outstanding financial services from people who really care. Because we know that financial health is essential to your well-being. That's why we're here to serve everyone who cares for patients, families, and the systems that support them. With accounts that work around you and loans that move you forward. We're Healthcare Associates Credit Union. The healthy way to bank. Federally insured by NCUA. Equal housing lender. It's the holiday season at House of Burl, which means that it's the perfect moment to review some key rules.

0:36Rule number five, more style means more celebration. Number four, buy gifts, but remember to treat yourself too. Number three, there is no dress code, but always leave them talking. Number two, show off different outfits. No party remains unattended. And rule number one, have it all without spending it all. Happy holidays from House of Burl, Burlington. Breaking news tonight. The powerful and rare nor 'easter taking aim at the East Coast right now. The dangerous storm barreling towards major American cities, sending waves crashing into homes. This car trapped in the sand. Entire neighborhoods already flooded out.

1:18Crews racing ashore of beaches. We're timing it all out. Plus, Hawaii bracing for another major hurricane that could bring catastrophic flooding to the islands. The elaborate White House welcome for China's leader as the president tries to shut out some reporters. What the two leaders said about AI, as a judge rules, President Trump must let those banned media outlets back in. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasting critics in his UN speech. The massive delegate walkout inside and hundreds of protesters outside. Actress Susan Sarandon detained. AI goes rogue again. An open AI model hacking into a government website for the first time.

2:01Plus, our exclusive interview with Mark Zuckerberg. Does he think AI is a threat? New warnings about a killer drug 10 times more lethal than fentanyl, the street drug responsible for dozens of overdose deaths, including teenagers. Our series Affording America and the 81-year-old delivering heavy luggage to pay for his wife's cancer treatment. How the community is stepping in to help. Violent gas station shooting a man ripping open a car door, fighting with the female passenger. Moments later, the driver stepping in, firing several shots. Rhino ramming the tour group on safari, charged by the animal, destroying parts of the Jeep.

2:43And grandparents addicted to their phones. Viral videos showing how teens aren't the only ones with a screen time problem. Nightly news starts right now. This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yawmas.

3:02Good evening and we thank you for joining us on this Thursday night. We want to begin with the Northeast bracing for impact tonight as a dangerous and powerful nor 'easter marches up the Atlantic. Taking aim at tens of millions along the East Coast. You're looking at our first images from that storm. Seawater washing into streets in the outer banks of North Carolina. Cars getting trapped in the sand. And right now that storm is gaining strength. Look at this. Fast and set to bring coastal flooding, rough surf and powerful winds from North Carolina all the way up to New England. And we're already seeing neighborhoods in Virginia underwater with conditions set to get even worse with more rain on the way.

3:43Meanwhile, in the Pacific, we're tracking Tropical Storm Nolo that's also gaining strength near Hawaii and could become a hurricane later tonight. That storm is also expected to bring devastating and life-threatening flooding to the Big Island just weeks after Hurricane Lala hit the same area. We'll get the latest forecast from Bill Cairns in just a moment, but we start with Sam Brock on the Jersey Shore on the race to prepare for that nor 'easter. Tonight, alarming images of seawater rushing into streets in North Carolina's outer banks. Coastal homes sitting on violent surf and cars encased in sand are just the precursor to a powerful nor 'easter forming right now off the Carolina coast.

4:24Set to rock a large region of the country from Norfolk, Virginia, where high tides submerged neighborhoods overnight, to Massachusetts. Some 18 million people now under flood alerts all along the eastern seaboard. Winds gusting above 30 miles an hour just today on the Jersey Shore. You hear a wind-driven event and many folks might think of flooding, but look at the beaches and what's happening with the sand. It's like some sort of a visual effect, erosion happening before our very eyes. For communities like Strathmere, New Jersey, near Ocean City, the government just spent millions to build back this beach.

4:59The brunt of the waves, the wave actions, the way it comes in, it just takes everything in its path. and there's really no way to stop Mother Nature. Now, when natural sledgehammer in the form of that nor 'easter, paired with a full moon Saturday, has lifted sea levels higher and left residents scrambling. My husband is now moving our car, knowing that this is going to come up. Boats, too, had to be yanked from marinas. That high tide, I don't know, and the wind, I don't know what's going to happen. So I felt like it was safer to pull the boat and put it here. What is clear is that it will be a bumpy ride for millions as the nor 'easter's path and force starts to come into focus.

5:36And with that, Sam Brock joins us now live from the Jersey Shore. Sam, we've heard so much about the full moon coming. We've heard it there in your report. Do we know how much of an impact that's going to have? Yeah, we do, Tom. A full moon adds up to a half a foot to high tide, so substantial. By the way, this is the same beach I was standing on earlier where the sand was flying everywhere. Now look at it. It has swallowed up the tide, the entire beach. It's come up almost to this fence here. And Tom, that is before the nor 'easter arrives. Tom? Sam Brock leading us off. Sam, we thank you for that.

6:06Let's bring in Bill Cairns tracking multiple threats. Let's start with the nor 'easter because it seems to be getting more dangerous for those on the east coast. Yeah, this forecast definitely took a turn for the worse in the last 24 hours. So we're watching the storm getting stronger. And now we're also watching it closer to the coast. 50-mile-per-hour winds are possible on the Jersey Shore, Long Island. Up to 60-mile-per-hour winds in areas from Cape Cod and the islands. and that could cause significant power outages, long-duration power outages. Remember, the leaves are still on the trees. We don't typically have that for nor 'easters.

6:34So where you see the orange and the red, be prepared for the possibility of days without power. The rain is also worse for interior areas. I don't think we're going to see a lot of significant flooding, but we will see a very prolonged period of rain right through the weekend. And as far as the tides go, the worst is going to be the Dalmarva also, and that's tonight. And then tomorrow, the worst will be up in areas of the northeast. As far as Hawaii goes, a little bit of improvement today. We are seeing the forecast a little bit more to the south. Tom, they're still going to get a ton of rain, but they're not going to be looking at the hurricane force winds.

7:03We'll take a little bit of that good news, though. We thank you for that, Bill. Now to the high stakes summit in Washington. President Trump meeting with China's communist leader. All as the president faced a new legal blow and his push to ban three media outlets from the White House. Here's Gabe Gutierrez. Tonight, President Trump welcoming the communist leader of the U.S.'s biggest rival while locked in a legal showdown to keep out prominent members of the American press corps. The red carpet greeting for China's Xi Jinping included a stealth bomber flyover, President Trump touting tremendous strides in the relationship.

7:37Xi saying achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand, while also warning both lose in confrontation. His wife, Madam Peng, later visiting a Smithsonian museum with First Lady Melania Trump, while the Trump administration announces the extension of a trade truce between the two countries. China also saying today that it'll send two pandas to the Atlanta Zoo within weeks. But the world's two largest superpowers are facing thornier issues, the future of AI, U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, and China propping up Iran by buying its oil. Xi's critics are skeptical of his visit.

8:19It doesn't bother me if the president wants to buy him dinner. I'm fine with that. I just wouldn't believe his bulls**t. At one point, President Trump joking with Xi, the world's most powerful communist leader, that China had the friendliest press corps. The quip coming as President Trump lost that legal battle, at least for now, to ban three U.S. media outlets from the White House. over their reporting. I never get anything positive. It's always negative. Today, journalists from CNN, MS Now and Politico returned to the White House after a Trump-appointed federal judge overnight wrote the ban likely violated their constitutional due process rights.

8:58Gabe joins us now live from the White House. Gabe, let's go back to AI. It's a big part of the summit, and we're getting a glimpse of that at tonight's state dinner. Yes, Tom, there's quite the guest list filled with tech CEOs, Sam Altman from OpenAI, Jensen Huang of NVIDIA, along with Elon Musk. President Trump again today saying he does not want to slow down the industry, while President Xi says China and the U.S. have a responsibility to keep AI under human control. Tom. Gabe, thank you. Here in New York, fiery moments at the U.N. with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivering a passionate defense of Israel's military response to Hamas in Gaza while facing a massive walkout inside the chamber and protest outside.

9:40Here's Aaron McLaughlin. Tonight, a walkout at the U.N. If there are any other moral cowards who haven't yet left this hall, please do so now. Hundreds of delegates leaving the hall as soon as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu started a fiery speech to the General Assembly, defending Israeli military actions against Hamas in Gaza. We sent millions of text messages warning civilians to leave combat areas. Accusing Israel of genocide is the greatest lie of the century. All outside the building, more than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters were detained for blocking roads. Susan Sarandon among those taken away in handcuffs.

10:24Netanyahu's speech comes amid a fierce feud with New York City's mayor Zoran Mamdani, who has called Netanyahu a war criminal. He is the subject of an international criminal court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Netanyahu firing back. The anti-Semitic mayor of New York, I say this. Shame on you. Since you were elected mayor of this city, many Jews no longer feel safe in New York. Late tonight, Mayor Mamdani issued this scathing response, accusing Netanyahu of using his speech to, quote, repeat baseless lies meant to sanitize the genocide of Palestinians. And tonight in Midtown Manhattan, a standoff over this way, a small group of pro-Israel protesters and over that way, a group of pro-Palestinian protesters.

11:14Folks are telling me they're willing to stay out all night. Tom. Aaron McLaughlin for us. Aaron, thank you. Now to the growing alarm over AI and the world leader announcing a rogue agent hacked into a government website for the first time. And we have an exclusive interview with Mark Zuckerberg on whether AI needs more regulation. Here's Stephanie Goss. Tonight, another open AI model going rogue, this time breaking into Australia's Medicare website. The first known case of AI acting independently to hack into a government system. And the country's prime minister is promising legal consequences.

11:50I spoke with the CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, to express Australia's extreme concern about this incident. According to the prime minister, in June, OpenAI's model broke into a secure website on its own to research health spending data. His government, he said, was told just this month. OpenAI calling it misaligned model activity. adding, our models took actions we did not intend. Our review found no evidence of patient records being accessed. The news breaking just after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said this. We need to understand what these systems are doing and have strong evidence that they will do what people intend.

12:31Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaking exclusively with NBC News' chief tech analyst Joanna Stern. I don't think that we need some kind of like industry-wide coordination. You just take the time that you need internally to basically make sure that you're proceeding safely. Safety, a key question, with concerns that out-of-control AI may lead to catastrophe. The nonprofit research lab Transluse says OpenAI models are behind three other incidents going back to March. And when they struggled to get the information they wanted through normal means, they decided to just hack to get it. OpenAI saying tonight they expect the review of those other attempts to take months.

13:09How significant is it that these models are willing to break the rules and maybe even break the law? Well, I think it could be very significant, especially if it gets worse. The question now is whether governments around the world are willing to leave safety up to the AI developers. Stephanie Goss, NBC News. We have an important new warning tonight about a street drug spreading fast, considered 10 times more dangerous than fentanyl. It's now claiming young victims and many may have no idea what's in a pill they're taking. Here's Tom Costello. It's the latest street drug quickly driving overdose deaths higher.

13:47Cyclorphine is a synthetic opioid, a white powder, now being added to illegal street drugs like fentanyl, meth and cocaine, even fake anxiety meds. Melissa Hatner says her 18-year-old son Jake died after taking a pill that had been laced with cyclorphine. There's so much grief and such a hole in his absence, but also a resolve for people to know that drugs like this exist. This drug doesn't discriminate, so it will take you in a matter of seconds. Cyclorphine, 10 times more dangerous than fentanyl. They simply lose the drive to breathe, but it also has some cardiovascular depressive effects as well.

14:29Dr. David Hammond is the chief medical officer at New Orleans Detox. In the last month alone, he says, Louisiana has seen 16 overdose deaths, most of them young people. They think they're getting one thing as a party drug and they're getting something else. And it could be lethal. Absolutely. In April, the White House issued this drug threat notice. At least 24 states have reported cyclophene overdoses. After a teenager died in San Francisco, police made four arrests and confiscated 20 ,000 illegal pills. San Francisco was caught flat-footed by the fentanyl crisis. We will not let that happen again.

15:11Making cyclophene even more dangerous, doctors say it can take up to 10 doses of the emergency medication Narcan to revive somebody who's overdosed, far more than most first responders carry. Tom? Ten doses. Okay, Tom Costello for us. When we return in 60 seconds, the 81-year-old man lugging lost luggage upstairs to pay for his wife's cancer treatment. The community now raising money to help him retire. Plus, what we know about this wild rhino attack during a safari. And the Miami shooting raising new questions about what qualifies as self-defense. Stay with us. If you're the type of person who wants data, not assumptions, PreNuvo's Whole Body Scan gives you a deep understanding of your health.

15:58Screen for over 500 conditions, including many cancers, autoimmune disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and more. Add blood panels to test over 80 biomarkers, and you've got information about your body you may never have had before. Book your scan at PreNuvo.com. That's P-R-E-N-U-V-O dot 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.

16:38From 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. The real cost of a break-in isn't your valuables. It's the feeling that your home stopped being safe. SimpliSafe keeps danger away from your family with three layers of protection. One, smart AI cameras and live U.S.-based agents help stop intruders before they break in. Two, we sound the alarm at points of entry. Three, our agents request emergency response. Plans starting around a dollar a day.

17:10Right now, get 70 % off your new system with professional monitoring at simplisafe.com slash sxm. Outdoor deterrence plans start at$49.99 a month. Visit simplisafe.com slash licenses for alarm license information. We are back now with our new series of Fording America, looking at how hard it has become for so many people to make ends meet. Tonight, Candace Sweat from our NBC station in Dallas has the story of an 81-year-old man doing what he must to pay for his wife's cancer treatment and the community now rallying to their side. 81-year-old Don Johnson doesn't know it, but this ring cam video is about to change his life.

17:47It shows him struggling to carry two suitcases up a flight of stairs, day in and day out. This is how he makes a living. It was extremely heavy. He delivers lost luggage from the Dallas-Fort Worth airport to people's homes. 12 to 14 hours a day and driving 300 to 400 miles a day. The woman whose camera took this video came out to help with the suitcases and asked him why he's still working. We were financially breaking even with the increase in living expenses. But it wasn't just living expenses. His wife of 57 years, Josephine, also battling cancer. I appreciate what we do get from insurance, but it doesn't cover it all.

18:32He's part of a growing number of Americans, 75 and older, still in the labor force. Nearly 9 % are working or looking for work. Moved by Don's story, the woman posted the now viral video and launched a GoFundMe, which has since raised more than$400 ,000. This was a total shock. I'm grateful. I'm really grateful. Don says he may be able to retire now and pay for his wife's care. I was so surprised about how loving people can be. For her to do that was just a miracle. I look forward to the day that I can help people just like I'm being helped now. Candace Sweat, NBC News. And Don, we are all hoping Josephine gets better.

19:24We are back in a moment with the boomers going viral for being glued to their phones. That's coming up. Here's something you may not know. Only 14 % of cancers in the U.S. are caught through routine screenings. PreNuvo's whole body MRI may help close that gap, screening for over 500 conditions, including most solid tumors, all in under an hour. PreNuvo's body panels also test over 80 biomarkers for a deeper understanding of your health. No radiation, no contrast. Book your scan at prenuvo.com. That's P-R-E-N-U-V-O dot 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.

20:08Because 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, and that's too late. SimpliSafe is changing that. Stop. This is SimpliSafe. Police are on the way. We don't just alert.

20:43We help stop crime before it starts. Plan 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 sad update on one of the men that was seriously hurt during the 2024 assassination attempt on President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. The family of James Copenhaver announcing he died on Wednesday while surrounded by his loved ones. I spoke with him after the assassination attempt, and he told me about the ongoing health problems he suffered because of the gunshot wounds.

21:24It is unclear tonight if those issues were the cause of his death. In South Florida, an investigation underway after a driver shot a man who had just fought the woman who was in the passenger seat of his car. You see it here, the man in a white tank top getting into a fight with a woman in an SUV, the man who fought her later returning, and that's when the driver shot him. Authorities tell our NBC station in Miami the man is in critical condition. It's unclear if the shooter will claim self-defense. And take a look at this, the moment a rhino attacks a Jeep during a safari. You see it here, the animal ramming the vehicle, causing parts of it to break off.

21:57Onlookers reporting on social media say the incident happened at a national park in Namibia. All right, when we come back, it's not just kids glued to their screens. The seniors going viral for spending so much time on their phones. We'll show you. That's next.

22:17Finally tonight, you know you're in trouble when your parents tell you to put down the phone. But what happens when the people doing the lecturing are just as deep down the rabbit hole as the rest of us? Here's Anne Thompson. Guys, breakfast. They are often the tech police. No, that's it. Everybody gadgets down now. All right, here we go. But for some older Americans, it's do as I say, not as I do. When she's on her iPad, she might as well be up in the room. She's in another world. I'm stuck. Turns out there's not much of a generation gap. They're just as addicted as we are. I'm telling you. While some may feign ignorance about social media.

22:57Posts on my face or whatever. AARP says 9 in 10 Americans over the age of 50 use it. 99 % own at least one tech device. Smartphones are the most common. And texting is their favorite way to communicate. Your light's on. Sorry. elliot nathan documented his parents maggie and doug for tiktok again you're you're just a little close there you go i think you know i'm aggressive and i'm into it devices that bridge the more than 200 miles between them who's on their phone more oh that's a tough one i'm gonna have to say Elliot, but I think it's close. My wife says I'm chronically online, so I think I could maybe take the cake, but just barely.

23:51You may get an argument. Different generations, both letting their fingers do the talking. Anne Thompson, NBC News. A good reminder for all of us. All right, That's Nightly News for this Thursday. I'm Tom Yamas. We thank you so much for watching tonight and always. We're here for you. Good night.

24:21Hi, 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.