Friday, March 20, 2026

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1:01Tonight our exclusive new reporting, the Pentagon, presenting President Trump with plans to send ground troops into Iran as the stock market tumbles on fears this war will drag on. The explosion inside Jerusalem's old city as part of an Iranian missile nearly crashes near some of the holiest sites on Earth and new details on thousands more U.S. troops now rushing to the region. The options presented to the President to possibly sending ground troops to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the new threat to American tourists tonight. Stock market meltdown, Wall Street in a free fall as not only gas prices rise again, but mortgage rates as well. An astrophic flooding in paradise, thousands told to evacuate in Hawaii, cars underwater, roads washed away, and the urgent warning that a dam may be about to break. The worst day yet for long lines at airports, passengers forced to wait as long as three

2:01hours and will tell you which major airports have private security and aren't affected at all. Plus, the flight crew carried off in stretchers after extreme turbulence on a Delta plane. Campus in fear, an 18-year-old student shot and killed just steps from her Chicago College, the killer still on the loose. The war hits the heartland hundreds lining the streets in Iowa for two fallen soldiers, the shattering images in Kentucky, a family clinging to a flag-draped casket and the Ohio father grieving his only son, what he's revealing about his private moment with the President. Nightly news starts right now. And good evening. Last night we broke the news that the Pentagon was rushing more U.S. troops to the Middle East, including ground forces, and tonight we have exclusive new details that the Pentagon has laid out options for President Trump for boots on the ground inside of Iran.

3:06The President has repeatedly said he will not send in ground troops, while also saying he wouldn't reveal that even if he was. And in Jerusalem today, take a look at this, Iranian missile fragments hitting the old city, landing just mere yards from some of the holiest sites in the world. And as the U.S. hits Iran with a new wave of strikes, this chilling warning from Tehran, that tourist centers around the world will not be safe. We've got it all covered from the White House to the Middle East, and we begin tonight with our Pentagon correspondent, Courtney Cuby. Tonight the potential boots on the ground. For 21 days, the U.S. has been hitting the Iranian regime with airstrikes. We can have dialogue, but I don't want to do a ceasefire. You know, you don't do a ceasefire when you're literally obliterating the other side. Now, in an effort to quickly end the war, NBC News Learning President Trump is weighing whether to send hundreds or even thousands of ground troops into Iran, according to five people familiar with the discussions.

4:07Several options are under consideration, though sources tell us. In an aimed at opening the Strait of Hormuz, includes deploying troops to several small islands in the Persian Gulf to stop Iranian attack boats from targeting oil tankers. Another option, take the oil facilities on Carg Island, depriving the Iranian regime of revenue. And potentially the most dangerous option, sending troops to secure and retrieve Iran's highly enriched uranium. President Trump overnight saying he would not send ground troops. No, I'm not putting troops anywhere. Tonight, he was pressed again. And if I told you the answer to that question, my military people would be very happy. But we have a lot of troops. We have unlimited ammunition. We have the greatest equipment in the world. And we are decimating Iran, it's about time. And frankly, it should have been done long before me. And just moments ago, the President posting, we are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great military efforts in the Middle East. And Courtney joins us now live. Courtney, how many troops could be involved here?

5:08Potentially hundreds or even thousands, depending on the option selected, though no decisions have been made. Now, none of the options involve large-scale deployments like Iraq or Afghanistan. The White House telling us tonight, President Trump's has no plans to send troops anywhere. Tom? Courtney Cubi with that new reporting tonight. And the war today took a dangerous turn, with a stri-kitting Jerusalem's old city near some of the holiest religious sites in the world. Chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel is there for us tonight. This was the moment when this war with Iran was just meters away from escalating perhaps to a point of no return. Around 4.10 pm, an Iranian missile launched in Israel broke apart in mid-air, apparently hit by an Israeli interceptor. The warhead, according to Israeli police, dropped on the old city in Jerusalem, blasting a hole. Israeli police recovered pieces of the warhead, saying it was filled with dozens of kilograms of explosives. This is exactly where the explosion took place, and if ever there was a symbol of how difficult

6:12wars are to control and predict once they begin, this is it. This is only a few hundred yards from the holiest sites in the world, luckily none of them were damaged, but had they been destroyed, this would be a totally different conflict. The crater is 300 yards from the wailing wall, the most sacred place for Jews, and the al-Aqsa mosque, which sits on top of the wailing wall, and tonight is Eid, a Muslim holiday. And it was very close to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Christians believe Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead. A single broken missile could have escalated this war into a religious one of global proportions, and as oil fields continue to burn, a spokesman for the Iranian armed forces directly threatened new targets, saying to American and Israeli military personnel that recreational areas, resorts and tourist centers around the world will not be safe for you. A chilling threat there in Richard joins us now live, overlooking Jerusalem's old city

7:16and Richard explained to our viewers if one of those holy sites had been hit, it would have really changed things in this war. This was a very close call, no one was even injured, but it shows how uncontrollable these wars are, and how little it takes for there to be an emotional event that takes the war in a whole new direction. All right, Richard, we thank you for that back at home. The stock market today took another big hit with Wall Street fearing this war could drag on. Christine Romans covers business for us in Christine. Anyone who looked at their 401k today is likely seen some real damage. Atom, it's been a four week losing streak for markets, and the worst since last spring when tariffs dominated the headlines here, the Dow, the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 all lower here today, and all down nearly 10% from their recent highs, that would be called a correction. It was just last month that the Dow topped 50,000, it's down 5,000 points since then. The shock to the world's oil supply, driving prices up for both oil and gas, gas prices

8:20now up 93 cents a gallon since the war began, and Tom, it's also mortgage rates now affected by all of this. Now above 6.5% for a 30 year mortgage, it was less than a month ago, they were below 6% for the first time in years, Tom. And we reported that when it happened that night. All right, Christine, we thank you for that. We're tracking a potential catastrophe unfolding right now in Hawaii, thousands forced to evacuate. Our homes are flooded and waters are sweeping through the island of Oahu right now, Billy V of Hawaii News now is there for us. From above, you can see the devastation, entire street blocks on the Hawaiian island of Oahu completely underwater, stalled cars submerged and stretches of farmland gone. Below, a desperate scramble to safety, the water here rising above the windows. Tom attempting to wade through chest high flood waters, and across the North Shore, thousands forced to evacuate in the dark.

9:23The Coast Guard will be out there to do search and rescue, if God forbid any of our loved ones have been washed away with housing. It's going to be a very, very touching go day. Tonight, the Wahiowa Dam at risk of failure, hundreds of homes below it forced to evacuate. The dam, which has been safe, was getting close to 85 feet, that's why we sounded the alarms and made sure people could get over the farms way. The rain has been relentless, part of a second storm system pounding the islands this week, months worth of rain causing dangerous conditions and significant damage. This home ripped away in heavy winds, crashing into the stream below. Tanner Moral woke up to the sirens, he had minutes to choose what to save. It was pretty much what you could fit in your arms and then go. It's definitely just been kind of harrowing, I mean, we're not used to bad weather. I mean, Hawaii's famously one of the sunniest places in the world.

10:23And Billy Vee joins us tonight from a Wahoo, Billy, those evacuations are underway right now. Yes, they are, as a matter of fact, Honourable Police Department is here to make sure that people don't go into Hollywood, but town, there are trucks and other apparatus that's being staged in this area. But once again, those evacuations continue with the rain. It's supposed to continue Saturday and Sunday. All eyes on that dam or I Billy Vee, we thank you to those long lines now at TSA checkpoints which today grew even longer. Just as a new round of spring break travelers hit the nation's airports this weekend, Tom Costello's tracking it all for us. At critical choke point airports, those long TSA lines are going from bad to worse to even worse. We're all way back to the food court, so this is a lot. Three hour lines in Atlanta. I'm not even waiting in line. I think it's been like forever to my seat. NBC's Aaron Gilchrist is there. The advice has been to check online for TSA wait times, but they don't take into account

11:25the line before the line which could double your weight. Two to three hour lines at both Houston airports, NBC's Priscilla Thompson. Here at Bush Intercontinental, the line's making it through the terminal downstairs almost of a parking garage. Same in New York and Miami, 35 days without a full paycheck, 5,000 of the 50,000 TSA officers are calling out, often working second jobs, more than 30% calling out in Atlanta and Houston, trying to pay the rent, mortgage, car loans, food, gas and meds. Couple of days ago, I had to ask my 15 year old daughter for gas money. Tatiana Finley and her husband are both TSA officers. I shouldn't have to go and ask my child to use her birthday money for gas. In Atlanta, the world's busiest airport is under stress. What is your advice to travelers who are going to be flying out of Atlanta? Try to get to the airport. At least three hours in advance, you'd rather be there too early than to be too late and

12:31increase your risk of missing a flight. Meanwhile, four Delta flight attendants take them to the hospital in Sydney, Australia, after hitting turbulence on a flight from LA. No serious injuries. Meanwhile, 20 US airports use private security, not the TSA, they're not seeing the problems. That includes San Francisco, as well as Kansas City, as well as Sarasota. And right now, things are moving pretty well at those airports, Tom. Okay, Tom Costello, we thank you. We want to turn out of the impact of the war in Iran, here at home, where more than a dozen families are paying the ultimate price and planning funerals for their sons and daughters who signed up to serve one father sat down with our Maggie Vespa. Tonight, America's troops are coming home as the cost of war hits the nation's heartland. 28 year old master sergeant Tyler Simmons was quarterback for his Columbus, Ohio high school football team and a lifelong aviation enthusiast. His father Charles says he loved being an airman.

13:33Tyler should have been burying me instead of the reverse. Instead of you burying your correct your only child, my only child, yes, my only child. Simmons was one of six crew members killed when their refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq last week during Operation Epic Fury. He knew no strangers. I mean, literally he could walk into this room and his presence just illuminated. His remains were returned to the U.S. and a dignified transfer ceremony this week. Tyler's father met with President Trump. We embraced and he told me I was a strong man. I said, my son was a strong man. And he said that he could respect the man that could look the president. I tell him exactly what he thinks. President said that to you. Yes. 13 U.S. service members have been killed in action since the war began. The majority hailing from or deployed with unit stationed in the Midwest, including

14:3626 year old staff sergeant Benjamin Pennington finally back with his family in Kentucky. In Iowa, crowds lined the streets as the bodies of major Jeffrey O'Brien and sergeant Declan Cody were driven to local funeral homes. The feeling of loss that those family members are experiencing right now is what really really gets me in the heart. In the crowd, many military families that could have been me. There's really nothing that is stopping that it could have been us. Tonight 13 American families are grieving unimaginable loss. We all give something that Tyler gave everything. I'll never be a grandfather. And remembering their loved ones who made the ultimate sacrifice. I want everyone to know Tyler Simmons wasn't just an enlisted person. He was an individual. He was a great American. And not just one of the casualties, but he was my son.

15:42Maggie Vespa NBC News Columbus, Ohio. And we are thinking about those 13 service members and their families tonight. When we return in 60 seconds, a college campus on edge, the hunt for a killer after a student was shot seemingly at random. What happened? That's next. United Health Group is simplifying health care by investing in tools to help patients know more and pay less. These tools help patients find providers and compare costs and save hundreds of dollars annually. Learn more at UnitedHealthGroup.com slash commitment. Critics and audiences agree only three letters describe they will kill you W T F You say today calls it bloody and bunkers are you ready to die? UGN declares it's electrifying action cinema and punk or an entertainment to the max. How many of you are there? It begs to be seen in a pack theater. Please remember to clean up the blood. They will kill you.

16:43Only in theaters March 27. I made it. Under 17. Not admitted without parent. It's tournament time. And this March, when that exports book has 10 times the rewards. Starting round one, we're giving you 10 profit boost every single tournament game day. We're back now with a desperate search in Chicago to find the person who shot and killed a college freshman out with friends near campus. New Sam Brock. Tonight Chicago police on an urgent man nod for the person responsible for the shocking slaying of 18 year old college student Sheridan Gorman. Police say Gorman was out with three friends around 1.30 a.m. minutes from Loyola Chicago

17:46on Lake Michigan when a man approached them by the peer of this beach and fired a single shot. Miss Sheridan Gorman was kind of just the first in the group. And the person they ran into shot her. Police say no one else was injured and they have not identified a motive as a campus finds itself on edge. This student who wanted to remain anonymous describing what he heard early Thursday morning to NBC Chicago. I got out of bed and I just heard the screaming they were saying come help us were over here. You gravitated to her. She had just this inner glow about her. And Paglisi is a neighbor of the Gorman family in Yorktown, New York. His daughter telling him about the moment her high school heard the news. She goes, Dad, you could just hear the cries and the screams down the hallways. Gorman's family says Sheridan made people feel seen safe and loved sharing in a statement we trusted that she would be safe. That trust was broken.

18:47This her father tonight conveying one message. Tell everyone to go hug their kids. Sam Brock and BC News. Before you begin your road trip, ask yourself, do you really need five full suitcases? With the 2026 Kia Sportage X Pro's class leading cargo space, you'll have room for what you need. Find out more at your local Kia dealer today. Keep the adventure going. Kia, movement that inspires. 800-3334, Kia for details, always drive safely and obey all traffic laws. Comparison space on second row legroom and cargo space behind second row seats in the subcompact SUV class, according to Kia's segmentation as of October 2025. Padaday presents, in the red corner, the undisputed, undefeated, weed whacker guy. Champion of hurling grass and pollen everywhere. And in the blue corner, the challenger, extra strength, Padaday! Idrofs and work all day to prevent the release of histamines that cause itchy allergy eyes. And the winner by knockout is Padaday!

19:53Padaday, bring it on! Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile, with a message for everyone paying Big Wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop. With Mint, you can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying no judgments, but that's weird. Okay, one judgment. Anyway, give it a try at MintMobile.com slash switch. A front payment of $45 per three month plan, equivalent to $15 per month required, intro rate for three months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra, see full terms at MintMobile.com. And we're back now with a judgment just in against Elon Musk, the billionaire found liable for misleading investors when he bought Twitter in 2022. The jury finding that Musk deliberately drove down the company stock price, but that he did not scheme to mislead those investors. That's nightly news for this Friday, I'm Tom Yamas, thanks so much for watching. Tonight, and always, we're here for you, goodnight.

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22:14Zepbound and its delivery device base in QuickPin are registered trademarks owned or licensed by Eli Lilly and Company. It's subsidiaries or affiliates.