NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Friday, February 21, 2025

Episode Date: February 22, 2025

LA District Attorney opposes new trial for Menendez brothers; Luigi Mangione appears in New York court; Trump administration cuts protections for Haitian migrants; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Breaking news tonight, the new twist in the Menendez brothers bid for freedom. LA's district attorney saying he opposes a new trial for Eric and Lyle Menendez. The brothers serving a life sentence for the murders of their parents speaking out from behind bars. We asked the DA what it all means for their future in prison. Plus... How can we be represented by you if you don't have a voice in Congress? Backlash to mass firings in the federal government grows in town halls across the country, and just in, more than 5,000 Department of Defense workers on the chopping block.

The sweeping crackdown on immigration, NBC News learning the Trump administration is searching for new places to detain undocumented migrants. And what's behind the reassignment of a top ICE official? The worst day of the year for the Dow, dropping over 700 points over new concerns about the economy. Accused killer Luigi Mangione wearing a bulletproof vest faces a judge after being accused of that brazen murder of a top health care CEO. His supporters lined up at dawn. Deaths from a brutal flu season hit a new high, and the rising numbers of an alarming outbreak of measles.

The new tipping point for the minimum wage, the debate over paying tip workers less, and why some servers say they'd rather keep their wages low. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome. The Menendez brothers' bid for freedom took a hard turn today when the Los Angeles County DA publicly spoke out against their bid for a retrial, arguing the evidence the brothers have put forward does not meet the legal standard. The Menendez brothers have emerged as pop culture icons decades after murdering their parents in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. Their plea for freedom thrust into the headlines last year after streaming documentaries and other

programs highlighted the brothers' claim of being sexually abused by their father. Eric and Lyle Menendez have been serving a life sentence for their crimes, pinning their hopes on a retrial, clemency from the governor, or resentencing. Liz Kreutz is in L.A. with late details for us. Tonight, a major setback to the Menendez brothers and one of their bids for freedom. What we found out is that Eric and Lyle Menendez had told five different versions of the events of what had happened. DA Nathan Hockman, who took office in December, says the court should deny a habeas petition filed by Eric and Lyle, one of the three paths the brothers are taking to try to get out of prison for the 1989 shotgun murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty,

in their Beverly Hills mansion. The petition, which is separate from the brothers' high-profile resentencing effort, includes evidence laid out in a 2023 Peacock series about the brothers, which Eric and Lyle say proves they acted in self-defense after years of abuse at the hands of their father. Sexual abuse in this situation, while it may have been a motivation for Eric and Lyle to do what they did does not constitute self-defense. RCA. In that doc, a former Menudo band member alleges Jose Menendez, then head of RCA Records, also molested him. That's the man here.

That's Ramey. There's also a letter Eric allegedly sent his cousin, writing, I've been trying to avoid dad. I stay up thinking he might come in. If they had evidence that would show that that sexual abuse had been communicated, not just six years before the events, but nine months before the 1989 killings, that it would it would absolutely have come out during one or both of their testimonies. In a new interview from prison on TMZ's Two Angry Men podcast, co-hosted by their own attorney, Margarigos, the brothers acknowledge the Netflix series about them has helped boost public support for their case.

It really did actually move a lot of people to understand the childhood trauma that Eric and I suffered. But tonight, the DA casting doubt on some of the evidence he's reviewed. Is it fair to say that based on everything you've laid out, you may not be recommending a resentence for the brothers? Again, we haven't decided what to do with respect to resentencing other than to bring this forward as well. Whatever the DA says to the judge in connection with resentencing, the judge ultimately makes the call. And Lester, just in tonight, family members of the Menendez brothers who support the brothers' release have released a joint statement. In it, they say they are profoundly disappointed by the DA, that he didn't listen to them,

that he has effectively torn up new evidence and discredited the trauma that the brothers say they experienced as boys. Lester. All right. Thank you. Laura Jarrett is here. Laura, can you glean anything based on what we just saw there about where this case is going? Well, at first glance, Lester, it may seem like this does not bode well for the brothers push to get out of prison today. But remember, there are different legal paths with different legal standards. Today was about new evidence, potentially getting a new trial. And even if the D.A. doesn't go for that, he may still ultimately support resentencing since that's about rehabilitation. But at the end of the day, it's going to be up to a judge, Lester. OK, Laura, thank you very much. Late word tonight from the Department of Defense that thousands of

civilian workers will soon be fired. It comes as a backlash to President Trump's reduction of the federal workforce is growing. Here's Garrett Hick. Tonight, the Pentagon announcing it will eliminate the jobs of some 5,400 employees beginning next week, the latest and one of the deepest known cuts to any one federal department. A DOD statement saying the termination of as much as 8% of the civilian workforce is to, quote, produce efficiencies and refocus the department on the president's priorities. Late today, President Trump pressed to defend the deep cuts being pushed by ally Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. He's doing something that a lot of people wouldn't have the courage to do. We want to streamline our country. It comes amid a backlash to the cross-country cuts now showing up

at congressional town halls. Constituents confronting Republican lawmakers from Georgia. We are all freaking pissed off about this. To Wisconsin. How can we be represented by you if you don't have a voice in Congress? Robert McCabe was fired from his job at the IRS in Philadelphia on Thursday. He says he was a Trump supporter who applauded the president's search for wasteful government spending. I thought that someone with like his business acumen would have come in with a fine tooth comb

and actually found it instead of coming in with a wrecking ball and destroying people's lives for no reason. A new Washington Post poll shows the president's early actions are unpopular, supported by just 43 percent of Americans. Fifty seven percent of respondents telling the Post they believe the president has exceeded his authority. The president dismissing concerns about the cuts without providing evidence. We've polled it and people are thrilled. They can't even believe it's happening. Earlier, the president speaking to a bipartisan gathering of governors at the White House, offering this update on his efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

I've had very good talks with Putin, and I've had not such good talks with Ukraine. They don't have any cards, but they play it tough. The president also butting heads with Maine's Democratic Governor Janet Mills over her state's refusal to comply with the president's executive order seeking to ban transgender women from women's sports, threatening the state's refusal to comply with the president's executive order seeking to ban transgender women from women's sports, threatening the state's federal funding. You better comply because otherwise you're not getting any federal funding. Every state, good, I'll see you in court. I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one. And enjoy your life after governor because I don't

think you'll be in elected politics. And Garrett, President Trump also said today he's considering major changes to the Postal Service. Lester, the president said he'd like his new Commerce Secretary to take a look at the Postal Service, which he described as in need of a turnaround. White House sources say there are no immediate plans for an executive order affecting Postal Service. Any kind of takeover would likely require an act of Congress. Lester. All right, Garrett, thank you. The Defense Department now considering other options besides Guantanamo Bay to house migrants. As the Trump administration makes a major change that will affect more than half a million Haitian immigrants. Our Gabe Gutierrez reports. Tonight, the Trump administration is looking for new places to house migrant detainees.

Two sources familiar with the matter say the Defense Department is considering Fort Bliss in Texas. It comes after NBC News was first to report migrants had been abruptly cleared out of Guantanamo Bay, most sent to Honduras. The president today urging governors to help with deportations. But federal, state and local cooperation has to be the backbone of border security. Other countries also feeling the fallout. Nearly 100 migrants recently deported by the U.S. to Panama were locked in a hotel for days, then moved to a detention camp on the outskirts of a notorious jungle. Now, despite the ongoing violence in their home country, the trump administration is canceling an

extension of temporary protected status for half a million haitians that means they'd lose their work permits and could be eligible for deportation by august homeland security secretary christy gnome writing president trump and i are returning tps to its original status temporary in springfield ohio which became a flashpoint during the campaign. They're eating the dogs, the people that came in. They're eating the cats. Tonight, there is widespread concern among the roughly 15,000 Haitian immigrants there who came to the U.S. legally under the TPS program.

We work hard, really hard, and we help the community. We work hard to put food and people plate. Haitians have had temporary protected status since that massive earthquake in 2010. The Department of Homeland Security says about 57,000 Haitians were eligible for TPS the following year. By 2024, that number had climbed to more than half a million, including a large community in Miami. How cruel can we be, America? How callous can we be about the lives of individuals who have contributed to this community? Also tonight, three sources tell NBC News the acting ICE director has been reassigned

amid frustration over the pace of deportations. Lester? Gabe Gutierrez, thanks. Luigi Mangione appeared in court in New York today for the first time since he was arraigned on charges for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson late last year. Stephanie Gosk was in the courtroom today. Luigi Mangione shackled and silent making his way into New York State Court today. The defense asking he be uncuffed

for the brief procedural hearing, but the judge declined the request. He's being treated differently because he's being held in federal custody than any other person who would be facing serious murder one charges in New York State Court. In December, Mangione pleaded not guilty to murdering father of two Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. He also faces federal murder charges. One count could carry the death penalty. Today, demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse to support the accused killer, others to protest the health care system. This is going to be a murder trial. Is that the right venue to make a larger point about health care? You know, I'm very reasonable,

but I think the American people have been pushed really, really far. The brazen murder in Midtown Manhattan left New York City stunned. This was a senseless act of violence. It was a cold and calculated crime. After a five-day manhunt, Mangione was arrested in a Pennsylvania McDonald's. Prosecutors say he was found with a ghost gun that matched bullet casings found at the crime scene, along with writings critical of the health insurance industry. Public frustration with the health care system, in some cases, turning to support for Mangione. A defense fund has raised more than half a million dollars. In a statement posted by his defense team, Mangione writes,

I am overwhelmed by and grateful for everyone who has written me to share their stories and express their support. Mangione is facing three cases, one in Pennsylvania and two here in New York, on state and federal charges. The legal process could take years. It's only just beginning, Lester. Stephanie Goss here in New York. Thanks. We'll be right back in 60 seconds. We have the dramatic video falling concrete on the mass turnpike.

Plus, doctors saying it's the worst flu season they've seen in years. Which part of the population is being hit particularly hard? We're following some breaking news out of Boston tonight. Shocking video from the mass turnpike inside the Prudential Tunnel. Part of the ceiling fell as cars were driving through. That's concrete you see there shattering all over the road. The Department of Transportation said no one was hurt, but it did cause damage and significant delays. Now to the latest figures on the brutal flu season, deaths climbing across the country, even as federal health agencies are losing hundreds of workers. Maggie Vespa with that story. Amid America's monster flu season, tonight, new CDC data showing an increasingly deadly toll,

with now 19,000 deaths from the flu overall this season and 18 pediatric deaths reported just last week. While test positivity rates fell slightly, the vast majority of states reporting high or very high flu levels. Definitely the most intense flu season in my career. At Chicago's Rush University Medical Center, Dr. Nicholas Cozy says kids infected with the flu are getting secondary pneumonia infections, a combo typically reserved for older patients. Kids are coming in with difficulty breathing. They're not able to drink. They're not able to eat. It's making their heart rate elevated. Twelve-year-old Taylor McGinnis flew from New York to Arizona for a soccer tournament only to get sick for a week. It felt like I just like was very tired and like couldn't really move very much.

Meanwhile, chaos rocking federal health agencies with the CDC's wild to mild campaign promoting flu vaccines appearing to have been wiped from the agency site. It comes roughly a week after famous vaccine skeptic RFK Jr. was sworn in as Health and Human Services Secretary. HHS not responding to NBC's request for comment on the campaign. We have health care workers out here. That agency facing heated protests earlier this week outside its D.C. headquarters after the Trump administration terminated hundreds of CDC employees, according to two sources at the agency. HHS saying in response to NBC News' questions about the firings, they're following the administration's guidance and taking action to support the president's broader efforts to restructure and streamline the federal government.

And Maggie, the country's health agencies are also now dealing with a growing measles outbreak in the southwest. What's the latest? Yeah, Lester, that's right. New state data shows Texas now has 90 confirmed measles cases, that number nearly doubling in the last week. And it comes on top of the nine confirmed cases just across the state border in New Mexico. Lester. Okay, Maggie, thanks. Breaking news from Los Angeles today.

Mayor Karen Bass announced a shake-up at the top of the city's fire department. Bass removed Chief Kristen Crowley from that role amid tensions over her department's response to those recent deadly wildfires. Late today, the mayor's office said Crowley will stay with the department, but at a lower rank. We're back in a moment with a debate over the minimum wage, not how much it should be, but why it's different for workers who make tips. In Michigan today, the state minimum wage rose by nearly $2 an hour, unless that is the worker makes tips. Christine Romans explains what is happening with a renewed debate over tipping

in our series, The Cost of Living. At Shields Pizza in Troy, Michigan, Megan Hendren says her tips mean she earns well above minimum wage. I'm making over $20 an hour, no matter what. Consistently. Consistently, yeah, $20 an hour. In Michigan, the new minimum wage as of today, $12.48 an hour. For tipped workers, though, it's less than half that. And Hendren had been worried that a new state law could lose her money. So these changes, what's that going to mean, do you think, for how much money you bring home? Oh, it'll be a drastic change. I mean, I own a house now. Now I probably won't be able to own my house.

Michigan had been on the cusp of joining seven states that mandate tipped workers get the same minimum wage as everyone else. Hendren's fear that higher wages would mean lower tips. Her boss, restaurant owner Paul Andoni, says higher wages for tipped workers would cost him $90,000 a year. I just don't have a slush fund sitting there that I can go raid to pay for this. I have to get it from the customers. But critics say the tipping system allows businesses to have customers pay their workers for them. Labor attorney Saru Jayaraman has been pushing for states to adopt a single minimum wage. We need to go back to what tips really were always meant to be, an extra or bonus for a job well done on top of a fair wage

from your employer like every other business. But in Michigan today, after intense lobbying from the restaurant industry, the two-wage system held. Governor Whitmer signing legislation that says tipped wages will rise only two percent a year and max out at 50 percent of the state's regular minimum wage. Back at Shields, customers we met say they'll continue to tip regardless of what their servers are paid. You might feel strongly about giving a server extra money and what they deserve. And Christine is here. Why have you? Let me ask you about the markets. Another down day. Is this a signal about the future of the economy? It was a combination of things today, Lester. There was an existing home sales report from January. It fell almost 5 percent. There was a consumer sentiment index that fell 10 percent. People there concerned about inflation, maybe from

potential new tariffs. But context is really important when you're talking about the stock market up and down every day. You know, the S&P 500, it made a record high on Wednesday. So that's some context. All right, Christine, we appreciate it. Well, that is nightly news for this Friday. Thank you for watching. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.