NBC Nightly News Full Episode - Dec. 22

Tonight, the dangerous weather pounding the West Coast just as holiday travel ramps up, and the major storm taking aim at the East right before Christmas. The flooding disaster out West, dramatic rescues caught on camera, firefighters using a ladder to save children, the race to reach trapped drivers, and we're tracking the snow and rain maker set to hit the East Coast tomorrow. High seas pursuit, the U, the US Coast Guard,

chasing down an oil tanker near Venezuela, the President's new threat against the Maduro regime. New questions about the Epstein files. Why did this photo of President Trump disappear from the files only to be reposted as victims and lawmakers say more needs to be released?

The battle at 60 minutes going public. CBS News' leader halting a story right before air. The correspondent blasting the decision as quote, political. Chilling new body cam video, the terrifying moment a shoplifting suspect pulls a gun on police, then tries to pull the trigger, what the officer did next.

Mass burglars targeted a house with children still at home. gun on police, then tries to pull the trigger. What the officer did next mass burglars targeted a house with Children still at home, the mother speeding home to help, then ramming into the crooks car with them inside that brave mother telling us what happened. The Kansas City chiefs moving stadiums leaving their home state. So where are they heading next? And the holiday like display powered by compassion, hundreds gathering

outside of children's hospital night after night to wish sweet dreams to the little ones inside nightly news starts

right now.

And good evening we begin with a new warning just announced

life threatening flooding is possible across parts of And good evening, we begin with a new warning just announced.

Life-threatening flooding is possible across parts of California. Communities now bracing for evacuations as millions prepare to travel for the holidays. Take a look at this. Firefighters climbing a ladder over rushing floodwaters to reach children that were trapped inside that home. The water rising fast beneath them.

And across the West neighborhoods underwater, first responders swimming out to submerged vehicles, trying to reach drivers.

Look at that.

Plus, we're tracking another storm system on the move tonight. Rain and snow expected to pound the East Coast. You see it there on the radar, right as the travel rush really picks up. We're timing out both storm systems

and how it could impact your holiday travel we begin tonight with Liz Kreutz on those deadly floods out West.

Tonight, the wrath of Mother Nature impacting travel coast to coast. Parts of the West Coast slam with torrential rain and flooding in Reading California authorities say a driver died after their car got stuck in rising waters. The mayor saying in the car. The victim was in the car. In California, authorities say a driver died

after their car got stuck in rising waters. The mayor,

saying that person had called 911 for help, but their phone died by the time police officers arrived. It was too late. We had our police swimming through the water,

breaking the glass of the vehicle, pulling the victim out make it across the region. Making multiple water resc swimming out to a submerg also responding to trap r by jet ski, where in some

there's probably about a foot of water.

safety.

122 million Americans are estimated to travel this holiday season on the roads and in the air, hoping to get out in time. All right, Liz joins us now live from LAX. Liz, we'll get to those delays in a moment, but I know you have some breaking news tonight. LA is now announcing evacuation orders ahead of the storm. Yeah, Tom, the city has announced isolated evacuation orders ahead of the storm. Yeah, Tom, the city has announced

isolated evacuation orders starting tomorrow for some of the areas impacted by the fires earlier this year. As for airports across the country, while today there have been just scattered cancellations and delays

with that storm moving in, it could be a much different picture tomorrow, Tom.

Alright Liz, we thank you for that. As tens of millions are under flood alerts as this life threatening atmospheric river intensifies. Bill Cairns is here tonight and build more serious flooding to come as we hit the peak holiday travel. Horrible timing. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Southern California by far will get the worst storm they've ever had on this holiday. So let's get there first. Minor snow event tomorrow morning, New York City northward through New England, plowable Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine in the west. The storm comes in Tuesday night on Christmas Eve is when

it's going to be its strongest high wind gusts on the coast. Power outages, rock slides, mudslides, landslides. We will see trees coming down. This is all from about central California southwards, and this high risk is for all the mountainous areas just to the north of LA. As we get to Christmas Day itself, we're still watching another batch, a round two, coming into California. Everyone else is pretty fine. The rest of the country, by the time we get to Friday, a heads up, a little mini snowstorm

for the northeast. But all of our attention, Tom, will be on Southern California. Extreme weather all week. All right. Well, thank you for that, Bill. next to the US pursuit of an oil tanker happening right now as President Trump amps up his pressure campaign against Venezuela.

Garrett Hake has the details.

Tonight, President Trump ramping up his pressure campaign against Venezuela with new US efforts to seize oil tankers loaded with Venezuelan oil that's under sanction.

We're keeping it, we're keeping the ships also.

Tonight, the Coast Guard remains in what two US officials call an active pursuit of the Bella one a tanker placed on a U.S. sanctions list last year currently flying a false flag. It's seizure approved by a federal judge according to one of the officials and over the weekend Coast Guard teams

boarding a tanker DHS says was last docked in Venezuela after that seizure earlier this month, also approved by a federal judge, of this tanker, the Skipper, off the Venezuelan coast. The interceptions of oil tankers come after President Trump announced a blockade on Venezuelan oil and after months of deadly strikes against alleged drug smuggling boats, part of President

Trump's war on drug cartels.

If they want to come by land, they're gonna end up having a big problem. They're gonna get blown to pieces because we don't want our people poisoned.

The president calling Venezuela's authoritarian leader, Nicolas Maduro, an illegitimate narco-terrorist.

If he plays tough, it'll be the last time he's ever able to play tough.

But sparking a clash over the U.S. response. I am all in the camp for regime change.

We should not be waging war against Venezuela.

Maduro's regime accuses the U.S. of hijacking and theft of 4 million barrels of oil. While in communist Cuba, which depends on cheap Venezuelan oil, they're worried about potentially blocked shipments. Cuba's president saying recently its economy is already quote partially paralyzed.

Garrett joins us now live and Garrett, President Trump also just gave an update on that tanker that the U.S. is pursuing.

Tom, the president said tonight the U.S. is still pursuing that ship, part of the so-called dark fleet of vessels used to transport sanctioned oil around the globe.

And he predicted the U.S. will ultimately seize it too. Tom. OK, Garrett Haig tonight for us. There's new criticism of the Justice Department tonight after its release of thousands of documents that are part of its files on Jeffrey Epstein. Tonight survivors saying that DOJ is not making enough of it public. Here's Ryan Nobles.

Tonight the Justice Department under pressure after critics say it did not release enough of its files on the late sex offender Jef

now they are defying the Congress. They have not m very simple standard laye

that was bipartisan. Top Schumer threatening to su officials insist they fol hundreds of thousands of documents Friday. The Epstein files existed for years and years and years and you did not hear a peep out of a single Democrat for the past four years. 15 photos were taken down from the DOJ website, including one of President Trump. Though that one was reposted, the DOJ

says, after confirmation there were no victims in it. President Trump has never been accused

of wrongdoing related to Epstein.

What this whole thing is with Epstein is a way of trying to deflect from the tremendous success that the Republican Party has.

Former President Bill Clinton was seen in many of the photos in the initial release, including this one taken in a hot tub with an unidentified person and seen here swimming with Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell and an unidentified woman. The documents do not give any context or imply criminal activity. Tonight, a Clinton spokesperson

calling on the DOJ to release all documents connected to Clinton, saying selective releases imply wrongdoing by individuals who have been repeatedly cleared. I think Bill Clinton's a big boy, he can handle it. And now an Epstein survivor says the DOJ is redacting too much information in the files. The department says it took out details including victim information. Are you kidding me? There's so much there that has been redacted. Ryan joins us now live. Ryan, what happens now with this potential lawsuit against the DOJ by Senate Democrats?

Well, Tom, it will take some time. Congress does not even return until after the new year. And at this point, there's no buy-in from GOP leadership. In order for this to move quickly, Republican leaders will have to be involved. Tom? All right, Ryan, thank you. Tonight, a 60 Minutes correspondent is slamming CBS News' editor-in-chief for shelving a report that was supposed to air last night about a notorious prison in El Salvador.

The correspondent calling the decision political at a time when President Trump has been critical of the story broadcast. Here's Stephanie Gosk.

Tonight, a battle at CBS News spilling into the public with flagship broadcast 60 Minutes and new editor-in-chief Barry Weiss right at the center.

Did you think you were gonna die there?

This segment on the inhumane conditions at a maximum security prison in El Salvador, where the US government deported some undocumented immigrants, was supposed to air Sunday night. The promo even

released on social media. But Weiss told show leadership to pull the segment late Saturday, in part because there was no interview with the Trump administration, according to a source at the network. Angry with the decision, correspondent Sharon Alfonsi emailed her fellow 60 Minutes colleagues a copy of the email obtained by NBC News. Alfonsi writing in part, the segment is factually correct. In my view, pulling it now after every rigorous internal

check has been met is not an editorial decision, it is a political one. The veteran 60 Minutes correspondent says the story was cleared by editors after multiple screenings and the Trump administration declined requests for an interview, adding in her email to colleagues, the public will correctly identify this as corporate censorship. Weiss responding today, writing, holding stories that aren't ready for whatever reason happens every day in every newsroom. 60 Minutes has been in the crosshairs of the Trump administration, the president mentioning the show as recently as Friday.

Sixty Minutes has treated me worse under the new ownership than they just keep treating me to just keep hitting me it's crazy.

Tonight, why says she looks forward to this important story airing quote when it's ready. Stephanie gosk NBC News New York.

Tonight, a police officer in Ohio is lucky to be alive a shoplifting suspect pulled a gun on him and tried to shoot him, all of it captured on the officer's body cam. Here's Jesse Kirsch. This is the moment Ohio police say a shoplifting incident devolved into an attempted murder. In Canton, Ohio, police say 21-year-old Shane Newman and 23-year-old Katerina Jeffrey were suspected of shoplifting at this Walmart on Thursday when a police officer led them to

the store's loss prevention office. The incident shown on police-edited body camera footage.

Come here, guys.

Why do you have to be so strong?

Because that's the way it is.

Inside, the officer checks Newman for weapons.

You got anything on you I need to know about? Why'd you hand me your pocket?

It's not falling.

I'm gonna pat you down real quick, all right?

Ice cold.

Watch minutes later as Newman turns.

No, no, no, no! No, Shane, please!

Police say Newman tried to shoot the officer, but the handgun did not fire.

Shane, please stop!

Police say the officer and a Walmart employee secured Newman, who later said this. Tonight Newman is facing multiple charges, including attempt to commit murder, while Jeffrey is charged with complicity to commit robbery. Newman's attorney declined to comment on the allegations. Jeffrey's lawyer did not respond to NBC News' request for comment. Jesse Kirsch, NBC News.

We wanna show you now some wild video of a mother's bravery in California. What she did when she realized her home was being broken into with her children inside. Dana Griffin spoke to the mom and has the dramatic video.

A California mother's desperate attempt to stop burglars at her home caught on camera. I see the the guys and I was in panic I was in shock you know and I like hit their car unintentionally. She was on the phone with her mom who

was inside watching her three young kids when all of a sudden. My mom is screaming

my kids are in the house she's screaming like I don't know how like crazy. My mom screaming. the house. She's screamin

how like crazy. The mom w her identity due to safet home from getting coffee. the parked sedan that tur

getaway car. What was goi I don't know. In my mind

my family. Two burglars take off running. Moments later, a third man, believed to be the driver, emerges from the right side of the car and takes off too. The collision's so intense, the driver's side door jammed closed. Her G-Wagon damaged too.

Video shows LAPD collecting evidence, including handheld radios that appear to be monitoring police activity. As for this frantic mother, she's got one parting message for the men who terrorized

her family. Next time, I'm going to kill them. Don't come back. Yeah, don't come back to my house.

Dana Griffin, NBC News.

Welcome back. It looks like the end of an era for one of the most storied stadiums in America. The Chiefs announcing they will move from Kansas City, Missouri just across state lines to play in Kansas starting in 2031. Arrowhead is famed for its electric atmosphere, three Super Bowl winning teams there, and of course,

appearances by Taylor Swift. All right, when we come back, the holiday lights. Why this group comes every night with their flashlights to say good night to some incredible kids. That's next. Tonight, a special and unique

holiday tradition, a Midwest community rallying together to make this time of year a little brighter for some very deserving

children.

In the middle of Detroit, this holiday display isn't just about the music. Or the cheer. It's about the children. Outside, hundreds of people from the community gazing up with flashlights in hand to simply say goodnight to the patients at Corwell Health Children's Hospital. And as the lights begin to flicker, these faces light up.

The children inside marveling at the holiday lights and decorations as they wave their own beams back.

How's it going?

Good? Good.

Yeah.

Including four-year-old Zoe, diagnosed with a neuroblastoma. Her favorite part, the massive fire truck. Its ladder extended higher than her fifth floor room.

That's pretty cool.

How big was the ladder?

It was so big.

The Moonbeams for Sweet Dreams program takes place for two weeks every December at the hospital.

You're crazy.

You're crazy.

It's a lie. It's a lie.

With signs, costumes, and plenty of lights.

I'm kidding.

Brightening the spirits of the patients and their parents.

Just so beautiful. And when it happens to yourself, like I'm getting choked up, like what happens to you, you're like, oh my gosh, like, I don't, I don't know if we, if we deserve this, but it doesn't, it's not about what you deserve,

it's about what other people are willing to give. And they're willing to give a lot.

And that's, it's really, really beautiful. Simplest acts can bring a glimmer of light. Santa Claus is coming! And spread some much needed holiday joy. Such a great tradition. That's Nightly News for this Monday. I'm Tom Yamas. Thanks so much for watching.

Tonight, and always, we're here for you.

Good night. Good night.

We thank you for watching, and remember, stay updated on breaking news and top stories of the year.