NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Friday, January 15, 2024

Episode Date: January 18, 2025

Supreme Court upholds law that could ban TikTok, though its future remains uncertain; Trump's inauguration moved indoors because of cold weather; Kristi Noem, Trump's Homeland Security pick, questioned at Senate confirmation hearing; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the Supreme Court upholding a law that could ban TikTok in the U.S., but will it actually be enforced? The unanimous ruling allowing the ban to take effect just days from now for TikTok's 170 million users in the U.S., unless its Chinese owner sells it, citing national security concerns. But the Biden administration saying it will leave TikTok's ultimate fate in the hands of President-elect Trump. What he's saying tonight and what happens to your phone Sunday if the law takes effect. Also tonight, the winter storm sweeping from the plains to the northeast.

An arctic blast bringing the coldest air of the season to tens of millions. And that deep freeze forcing Monday's inauguration to be moved inside for the first time in 40 years. The last minute scramble. The confirmation hearing for President-elect Trump's homeland security pick, Kristi Noem, when she revealed about the immigration overhaul he plans on day one. The battle against California's wildfires, new tonight, many of the 31 people still missing, now identified. Moments ago, Israel's full cabinet approving the Gaza ceasefire deal.

New details on how and when the hostages will be released. And it started as a way to help her friends displaced by the fires. After a boost by some big names, the overwhelming response. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome. The future of a wildly popular social media app that has helped define a younger generation of Americans is being decided at the country's highest levels tonight. First, the Supreme Court today upheld a law that would ban TikTok from operating in the U.S. That ban was set to go into effect Sunday, but there is now growing uncertainty as the Biden administration, which in the past has called the Chinese-owned app a national security risk,

now says it will let the Trump administration deal with it all. Their decision will impact a creative online community of some 170 million American TikTok users. What is unclear is what happens in the meantime. Savannah Sellers is covering that for us tonight. In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court said the TikTok ban stands, rejecting the company's free speech argument. The court upholding the law passed in April that says the video sharing app had to divest from its Chinese-based parent company ByteDance or effectively be shut down in the U.S. as of this coming Sunday. Always remember this moment when you think of the future. Oh, is the government going to do the right thing? No, they're not. Some TikTok users quick to make their feelings known.

All nine Supreme Court justices, you guys are mean bullies. But the Supreme Court said TikTok's very popularity is part of what makes it a threat to national security, noting a foreign adversary's ability to leverage its control over the platform to collect vast amounts of personal data from 170 million U.S. users. And while the court's ruling was clear, what actually happens next is anything but. Today, the Biden administration saying TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership. With a sale by Sunday seemingly all but impossible, the administration says now it won't

implement the very law President Biden himself signed. Rather, it will punt next steps to the Trump administration. That move giving TikTok hope. The company's CEO posted this message today. I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States. As president in his first term, Trump tried to ban TikTok, but has signaled support for it more recently. Today, Trump says he spoke by phone with China's President Xi about the app and posted to social media that his decision on TikTok will be made in the not-too-distant

future. And Savannah and our legal correspondent Laura Jarrett joining me now. Savannah, what are your sources telling you about what could happen on Sunday? Yeah, Lester, one source just told me, it is totally up in the air. There is a chance it could look exactly like it does right now. No change. TikTok is in active conversations with all the companies that essentially make the app work to see if they're willing to continue providing those services. And going dark would be a last resort. And Laura, that gets back to the idea of this legal jeopardy for those who do business. Absolutely. They're still at risk. As of today, we're talking companies like Apple and Google that actually host TikTok. Now, the president elect President Trump could decide not to enforce this law.

But as of today, they are still legally on the hook. Should the political winds change on the hook for massive fines, Lester? All right, Laurence, Savannah, thanks to both of you. Also tonight, a winter storm hitting North Dakota and Minnesota today with the mid-Atlantic and northeast expected to get a few inches or more starting tomorrow. And most of the country is in for a bitter blast of Arctic air with temperatures 20 to 40 degrees below average starting tomorrow and going into next week. That includes Washington, where today the decision was made to move President-elect Trump's inauguration on Monday indoors. Kelly O'Donnell joins us. And Kelly, this is exceedingly rare. Lester, it's been 40 years since weather caused

this kind of major adjustment to the iconic ceremony. The traditional parade is changing, too, with parts of it going inside. And officials are encouraging the public not to congregate here in order to stay warm. Tonight, frigid weather becomes the first clear threat to safety for Monday's inauguration. President-elect Trump on social media, I don't want to see people hurt or injured. As he announced, I have ordered the inauguration address, prayers and other speeches to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda. Noting the same move inside happened for Ronald Reagan. So help me God. Mr. Trump said the ceremony could be watched inside Washington's 20,000 seat Capitol One arena. Contingency planning prepared for changes, including weather. The threat environment obviously changes as we move along.

So we look at all of those different areas and we plan from the ground up. The U.S. Secret Service is leading this national special security event involving more than 25,000 responders. A secure perimeter includes a record 30 miles of anti-scale fencing. Drones deliver expansive visibility from above. Police robots ready to check packages and places for dangerous materials. Washington's special agent in charge, Matt McCool. There's no stone unturned.

There is no threat that is not mitigated. What happened? Shaped by real world crises like the summer assassination attempt. You'll see people on roofs. You'll see lots of officers and agents on roofs. And the deadly New Year's car attack in New Orleans. Starts with no vehicles. Then it starts with checkpoints. And then it gets a little bit tighter as we get closer. Here, NBC News has exclusive access to this multi-agency communication center where teams of experts from across government, 40 agencies, track and triage any issues

with all levels of law enforcement out on patrol. Securing the city also means guarding the water. Local authorities out on the Potomac to detect anyone using the river to get close to official events. Also at the ready, air support. Fairfax County is able to keep watch and fly in, life-saving medical services if needed. We have to get it right. It's a no-fail operation, and I believe we're as well-prepared as we ever have been. Tested by brutal cold and varied threats to safeguard Washington's biggest stage. Kelly O'Donnell, NBC News. And we are getting a better sense tonight of President-elect Trump's day one immigration plans from South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem,

his pick for Homeland Security Secretary at her Senate confirmation hearing. Here's Garrett Haig. Tonight, a high-stakes confirmation hearing for one of the key officials President-elect Trump will turn to on immigration. Border security must remain a top priority. Homeland Security pick Kristi Noem promising to bring back the Trump-era Remain in Mexico policy, which keeps migrants out of the U.S. while they make asylum claims. The president and I have talked extensively about this and will 100 percent partner with him to reinstate the remain in Mexico policy and make sure that it's in place. And previewing Trump's controversial mass deportation plan. We would

work every day to make sure people are safe and that those with criminal convictions are immediately removed. With Trump's second inauguration now just three days out, his day one priorities coming into focus. Trump looking to bypass Congress with dozens of executive orders expected on issues ranging from cutting climate regulations to issuing tariffs on adversaries and allies. Trump telling senators last week the border tops his agenda for his first few hours back in the Oval Office. He's going to do everything he can to get the border secure. Some prominent Democrats have said they'll skip Trump swearing in, including Nancy Pelosi and Michelle Obama. But President Biden will be there and was asked today if he plans to talk to Trump. And while Donald Trump skipped President Biden's inauguration four years ago, all the

living former presidents, plus President Biden, are planning to be in attendance Monday. Lester. All right, Garrett Haig, thank you. Join me and our entire NBC News team for all-day coverage of the inauguration Monday, starting at 10 a.m. Eastern, live from Washington, D.C. In California tonight, more progress reported in containing the wildfires, but there's a grim search underway for more than 30 people still missing and growing questions about what sparked the fires. Our Liz Kreutz has details. Tonight, a search and rescue crews continue the grim and painstaking process of looking for human remains. Officials overnight releasing some of the names and photos of the more than 30 people

still missing. Men and women ranging in age from 49 to 93. Devastation that we're seeing with completely incinerated homes is tremendous. This, the staging area for the cadaver dogs that go home by home in the burn zones. The death toll from the Palisades and Eaton fires now 27, but expected to rise. The fire was so random, right? And tonight, the CEO of Edison International, Pedro Pizarro, speaking out to NBC News amid lawsuits alleging SoCal Edison's utility equipment sparked the Eaton fire.

At this point, can you say with 100% certainty that your equipment did not play any role in this fire? What I can tell you is that for sure we did not see any sort of electric signature that would be typical when you have a spark like that. But of course, we want to learn more. We'll investigate more. So it's possible? It's always a possibility that there's something out of the ordinary, something very atypical here.

Videos and photos from Altadena residents show flames at the base of the transmission equipment minutes after the fire began, as winds gusted nearly 60 miles per hour in the area. We don't want to just arbitrarily turn off power. And right now, we're hearing from customers. We're hearing questions like yours about, well, should you have turned off the transmission lines? And the answer is no, based on what we knew at the time. Tonight, 10 days after the fire started, roughly 80,000 remain evacuated, so many struggling with what to do and where to go next to meet a housing crisis throughout L.A. County. We worked so hard to get here and now to see it this way. Tonight, some evacuation orders have lifted in areas surrounding the fire zone.

We're very thankful our house is standing. And I thought of all the families who would not be able to do that. I started to cry. And as families prepare to return home, new warnings about the widespread health hazards for homes still standing, but covered in toxic ash. When these fires burn, they're burning everything. Paint, electronics, batteries.

The main things we're concerned about are heavy metals, toxins, and asbestos. Another layer of anxiety as the fallout from this disaster grows. And Liz, we know people are anxious to get home, but even if they can get to their homes tonight, many can't stay. Yeah, that's right, Lester. Many of the folks crossing this checkpoint here will be grabbing essentials and leaving again. That is because so many neighborhoods still don't have power and water. In addition to those concerns about toxic debris. In fact, experts say that if you are repopulating, you should be very careful. You should wear an N95 mask, wipe down your house, especially if you have children and consider throwing things out like toothbrushes. That's because even if your home is standing tonight, it might not be habitable.

Lester. All right, Liz Kreutz, thank you. And just breaking, in the Middle East tonight, Israel's full cabinet voting to approve the Gaza ceasefire deal as we learn new details about plans to release the hostages. Richard Engel is in Jerusalem. It has been more than 15 months of war, sorrow, and destruction. Gaza obliterated nearly 47,000 people dead. And Israel reeling after a savage Hamas terrorist attack killed 1,200 people, 250 taken hostage.

Tonight, it may be ending. Israel's cabinet agreeing to the ceasefire and hostage deal to go into effect Sunday. But it will be a slow process. Israel will end its assault on Gaza and release Palestinian prisoners. But a permanent ceasefire is still to be negotiated. And Hamas has agreed to release 33 of its hostages in the first phase, but only three are expected to be released Sunday, according to Israeli media. Daniel Lifshitz thinks he'll wait several weeks before he sees his 84-year-old grandfather, Oded. What's going through your mind? First of all, I'm really happy.

Of course, until it's done, I'm trying to stay calm until it's done, because we are dealing with the worst people on planet Earth. The worst terrorist exists. We visited Oded's house just after October 7th. Here the whole roof collapsed. Hamas shot Oded, kidnapped him and his wife, and burned their house down. Tonight, Daniel telling us he's been desperately waiting for a deal. So why now, do you think? Trump being elected.

In Gaza, at a soup kitchen, eight-year-old Aboud Abouzaidi is waiting too. Here for hours with his pot to take home to his family. The crowds are so big, he says he often leaves empty-handed. When I heard there was a ceasefire, I was happy. Here, there's no food, he says. When the distribution begins, the chaos is total and tragic. Abud manages to get some rice and runs off. This is what Gaza has been reduced to after 15 months of war and siege. With a deal, fragile as it is, there's a chance for relief. As for the hostage release, families tell us they've been told to expect the first three will be women.

Lester. Richard Engel, thank you. In 60 seconds, the explosion of that SpaceX rocket and how it created emergencies for planes whose landings were delayed by falling debris. We'll have details right after this. One day after that SpaceX Starship blew up during a test flight, raining debris down over the Caribbean, the FAA is ordering SpaceX to pause operations as the agency investigates what went wrong. Tom Costello is here. Tom, what can you tell us about this? Well, the debris from Starship fell out of the skies and over the Turks and Caicos Islands.

And while nobody on the ground was injured, there are reports of property damage in the region. With falling debris, air traffic controllers had to quickly declare a large section of airspace off limits to planes. Hundreds of flights had to detour around the area or hold on the ground, including some that had been in the air for a long time and were then short on fuel. They were forced to declare a fuel emergency to fly through that airspace at their own risk. Listen to this Iberia pilot coming in from Madrid, Spain with 238, make that 283 people on board. Headed to San Juan, Puerto Rico. All planes, in fact, did land safely. Elon Musk has said that they are now looking for a cause, the FAA requiring SpaceX to conduct a mishap investigation before

there's another launch attempt. Luster? Boy, some nerve-wracking moments there, Tom. Thanks. Coming up, it's one of the worst flu seasons in years, and hospitals are being strained with severe cases. We're in one of them next. Flu cases are surging as less than half of Americans get the vaccine. And as Ann Thompson reports, this season's flu strain is pushing some hospitals to the limit. In the ICU at Vanderbilt's Medical Center, a third of the 35 beds hold flu patients.

This is the worst flu season we've seen in probably a decade. Dr. Todd Rice leads this Nashville intensive care unit. We're seeing more patients that have it and more patients that have severe illness from it. What's the biggest misconception about the flu? I think the biggest misconception and the biggest risk is folks thinking that it's just a mild illness. Deb Clark learned three weeks ago just how serious it can be. Her 28-year-old daughter, Sydney, rushed to the hospital. She had the flu and acetaminophen poisoning from trying to get better. She's coded twice.

Machines now do the work of Sydney's heart and lungs as she looks at pictures of her two children for inspiration. How much has this scared you? Oh, I'm terrified. I've never had a flu shot in my life, but I promise you I'll have one from now on. Across the country, flu activity remains elevated, says the CDC. So far this season, there have been at least 12 million illnesses and 6,600 deaths, including 27 children. Increases that can impact everyone's care.

More flu patients in the ICU means it's harder to attend to other patients. And the contagious nature of the flu puts nurses, doctors and other caregivers at risk. But there are things you can do. It's not too late. Go get the vaccine. Wash your hands and cover your cough to defend yourself against a potentially lethal virus. Ann Thompson, NBC News, Nashville. And coming up, after the wildfires, this teenager wanted to help, but no one imagined the outpouring that followed.

There is good news tonight in Altadena, California. Barely a week after the Eaton fire changed everything, one local girl's idea to help other teens is inspiring others in a big way. Here's Morgan Chesky. At a warehouse in East Los Angeles, the donations are nonstop. And behind every gifted good is a 14-year-old doing something great. We are moving so incredibly fast, faster than I could have ever imagined. When Flames took her beloved Altadena school,

then left dozens of friends homeless, Avery Colvert knew she had to help. These girls don't have anything, and I want them to feel confident in themselves again. So she launched Altadena Girls on Instagram, seeking donations for clothing, makeup, skincare, and shoes. And within 24 hours, watch donations pour in. I got new pants and a jacket that's super soft. And so one jacket means the absolute world when you have zero jackets. Avery's efforts not lost on anyone.

Paris Hilton sharing the cause. The 14-year-old even meeting Meghan Markle who encouraged her to keep going. It's so easy to share things and I mean, that's how I think we got so big. Her Altadena Girls page so successful, she inspired a sequel. So this

is what Altadena Boys is all about. Yeah. It's counterpart now up and running too, offering team guys a one-stop shop from body wash to ball caps, all free of charge. You always see like all the debris or like still like the ashes around, and it's kind of like sad, but seeing like everyone like happy in one spot kind of just like brings me up a bit. A cause bringing the comforts of home exactly where they need to be.

Morgan Chesky, NBC News. That is so great to see. That is nightly news for this Friday. Playoff football between the Rams and the Eagles kicks off Sunday night here on NBC. Thank you for watching. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.