NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Friday, March 28, 2025

Episode Date: March 29, 2025

Hundreds feared dead in catastrophic earthquake; Trump holds call with Canadian PM amid escalating trade war; Wildfires and deadly flash floods batter the South; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, breaking news, the catastrophic earthquake. Thailand's capital rocked. The images of buildings crumbling, sending people running for their lives. Still, so many trapped. The 7.7 magnitude quake likely killing hundreds and the toll expected to climb. We talked to the American medical student who jumped into action. Also breaking tonight, markets tumbling on renewed fears of inflation, plus President Trump's auto tariffs poised to kick in as Canada says it will fight

back in an escalating trade war. Vice President J.D. Vance in Greenland, his message to the people of the Danish territory about why they would be better off under U.S. protection. The growing fires in the east and the deadly floods in Texas. Three dead there and hundreds rescued. In South Carolina, the Table Rock fire, now the highest priority blaze in the country. 10,000 acres burned and no containment. We're on the fire line. And with the nation's capital hitting peak cherry blossom season, our Hallie Jackson with the good news update on everyone's favorite low-begotten tree. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt.

And good evening. I'm Tom Yamas in for Lester tonight. We are tracking two major breaking stories. Here at home, the shock on Wall Street, the second worst day of the year for the stock market. All three major indices down since President Trump took office. But we want to start tonight with the unbelievable scenes of devastation in Thailand and Myanmar. Watch as this skyscraper comes tumbling down, workers sprinting as a dust and debris cloud surrounds them. The 7.7 magnitude quake doing heavy damage in Bangkok, the business hub and tourist destination home to some 17 million people.

And you can see right here, water cascading off a high rise pool. At least 150 people have died. But the question is not if the death toll will grow, but by how many. Janice McEfrayer starts us off. And Janice, a desperate situation as the sun is coming up. Tom, it is a race in two countries for rescuers to find survivors. They have been working all through the night. The military junta ruling Myanmar has openly appealed for international humanitarian aid, a sign that they expect the death toll to be high, as the situation is now shifting from panic to despair.

Tonight, moments of terror as the earth shook. Crumbling buildings reduced to dust and rubble. Sending people fleeing for their lives. The 7.7 magnitude earthquake striking the heart of Myanmar and felt as far away as Bangkok, Thailand, where this building's swimming pool turned into a waterfall spilling onto the street. At the top of this building, this woman from Atlanta. I'm scared right now. Fearing for her life.

Inside Myanmar, a state of emergency and the death toll expected to rise as survivors rush the injured to hospitals. People digging through the rubble with their bare hands. The damage catastrophic to roads, bridges and homes. Families seeking refuge at Mandalay's airport, terrified that more aftershocks would hit. The full scale of the earthquake is still unclear, though experts fear economic loss in the billions of dollars. In Bangkok, emergency workers are getting help from Thailand's army. After a 33-storey building under construction collapsed in a cloud of dust, trapping dozens of workers in the debris, Sky News correspondent

Cordelia Lynch is there. Well, here you can see the scale of the problem up close, just how much rubble they have to clear, and they're using heavy machinery to do it. The nearby Siriraj Hospital was forced to evacuate patients. Shivani Dayal is an American medical student working there. A lot of chaos, uncertainty, and fear. Patients are being treated under a highway overpass, with temperatures hitting 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I was concerned that even though I was outside, that the whole, you know, 10-story-plus building might collapse

and that I might still be crushed by it. The rescue operation continues into the night. This woman waiting for her niece, who's 23 years old and missing. She's the hope of her parents, she said. I never thought something like this could happen. A desperate mission here and the chance of finding survivors fading. Janice McEfrayer, NBC News, Beijing. We're also tracking other breaking news here at home.

We're following that stunning plunge on Wall Street as the S&P 500 fell 2% and the Nasdaq lost 2.7%. Brian Chung is here tonight live in studio. So, Brian, so many Americans worried about their 401k. Walk our viewers through what's happening. Yeah, Tom, it breaks down into three things, some of which are showing signs of cracks in the economy. First, a key measure of inflation rising 2.8 percent, just a slight rise over last year, but worse than expected. Second, survey data now shows consumer sentiment over the economy dropping for the third month in a row. And finally, it's that growing concern about President Trump's impending tariffs that have investors worried. T-minus five days to what could be

President Trump's most sweeping and wide-ranging round of trade action yet, reciprocal tariffs, where the U.S. will charge the same tax on goods imported to the U.S. that countries charge on American products sold overseas. We have Liberation Day, as you know, on April 2nd. I think you're going to have a country that's going to boom. At nearly the same time, imported cars and auto parts will get slapped with 25 percent tariffs. The president speaking with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney today after public clashes over the trade war. I think things are going to work out very well between Canada and the United States. Carney calling it a very constructive conversation, but still vowing to slap retaliatory tariffs on the

U.S. Our response to these latest tariffs is to fight, to protect, and to build. The auto tariffs taking effect next week could add up to $8,000 in cost for even domestic vehicles. Still, the United Auto Workers Union supports President Trump's tariffs. Auto worker Jeff Booth hopes they'll bring back jobs. Even if it costs a little bit more, you knew you got better quality. When something said made in America, it made you feel proud. But tonight, a new question. If tariffs dry prices up and inflation remains stubborn,

would the Fed look to change course on interest rates as Wall Street and Main Street brace for what's next? Brian Chung, NBC News. Now to Vice President Vance looking to break the ice during that rare trip to Greenland, all after plans for his visit were scaled back following significant pushback. Molly Hunter is there tonight for us. Today in the remote northwest of Greenland, J.D. Vance became the first American vice president to visit the world's biggest and least populated island. Arriving with his wife, Usha, they flew directly to the BGF space base to chat with U.S. military personnel. During Vance's three-hour visit here

back in Washington, President Trump reiterated his desire to take over the Danish territory. We need Greenland, very importantly, for international security. We have to have Greenland. It's not a question of do you think we can do without it? We can't. But Vance says they want to convince Greenlanders to join the U.S. We do not think that military force is ever going to be necessary. We think we're going to be able to cut a deal Donald Trump style. As China and Russia ramp up their Arctic influence, Vance took direct aim at NATO ally Denmark. Our friends in Denmark have not done their job in keeping this area safe.

But the message from Greenlanders, they're not interested in this kind of deal with their longtime U.S. ally. We joined two young women watching Vance's remarks from a cafe. It's so disheartening. If you could meet the vice president today, what would you say? We are not an object. We are people. Patrick Abramson has lived here his whole life. Nobody at the Trump administration is talking about Greenlandic people. How did you used to feel? Always close. Always close. For now, it's a different story. Vance also said that if

the U.S. doesn't take the lead right now in the Arctic, Russia and China will fill the void. Tom. Molly Hunter for us tonight. Molly, we thank you for that. Back here at home now to extreme weather, wildfires ravaging the Carolinas and deadly flash floods battering Texas. Our Marissa Parra is on the fire line tonight where the largest blaze is still zero percent contained. Fires raging across the Carolinas tonight. The Table Rock Complex fire in South Carolina, now the highest priority fire in the country. Over 10,000 acres scorched, but containment at zero percent. It's a beautiful place. Unfortunately, it's on fire right now. Crews taking aggressive measures,

a tanker dropping fire retardant for the first time in the state's history. The region under red flag warnings, homes at constant risk of new flare-ups. We've faced some really difficult conditions, but we are making progress. The inferno took several properties from Andrew Reed. It's like a war. Fireballs. It would just, the flames would just jump. Roughly a dozen homes here lost, but countless others have been spared. This pinpoint water drop, the reason Mike Marsteller's home still stands today. Basically, the water dropped and God's hand saved it because it was imminent, as you can tell. The wild weather, not just in the Carolinas. At least three dead in Texas as the Rio Grande Valley saw 15 inches of rain in 36 hours. Streets swamped in standing water and the McAllen Medical Center flooded.

The rain drenched in Texas, desperately needed in the Carolinas. But hope isn't drying up. Where do you start that process of rebuilding? Waking up. And then just saying, what is the highest and best use of my life for that day? Marisa Parra, NBC News, Flat Rock, North Carolina. And California wildfires are at the heart of a new lawsuit. The L.A. Times is suing the city of Los Angeles, accusing officials of deleting or withholding

Mayor Karen Bass's text messages and other public records from those deadly wildfires. The city has turned over some of the exchanges between Bass and other officials, but argues it is not required under the law. Some of the country's most powerful law firms are scrambling to figure out how to handle President Trump's recent executive orders targeting them. Laura Jarrett reports some are fighting back while others are opting to make deals. Tonight, among America's top law firms, a deepening divide. The future of the legal industry is at stake. Major firms now facing a dilemma after President Trump revoked some of their lawyers' security clearances and threatened

to cancel the government contracts of companies that work with them. They behave very badly, very wrongly. Some firms now taking the Trump administration to court, others opting to cut a deal with the White House, agreeing to tens of millions of dollars of pro bono work in line with Trump priorities. The president targeting firms employing lawyers who previously investigated him, including Wilmer Hale, for decades the legal home of former special counsel Robert Mueller. The firm blasting what they say is the president's personal vendetta, retaliation for employing lawyers he dislikes. A Justice Department spokesman saying these law firms don't need or deserve taxpayers subsidize access to national security secrets.

The president's actions drawing sharp condemnation within the legal community. A federal judge this week blocking the president's executive order against another top firm, saying Mr. Trump's actions send little chills down my spine. He's just picking on big law to kowtow to him so that they don't have the ability to represent those people who might oppose his policies. Rachel Cohen, a junior attorney, says she was so disillusioned she quit, firing off a blistering letter criticizing firms that's gone viral. I'm hoping it inspires those law firm leaders to do the right thing. While partners privately fear the president's actions could result in financial ruin if clients flee. Firms are running scared of the administration

right now. One partner telling NBC News the situation is completely demoralizing. Another saying it ultimately comes down to profits over principle, all putting a new focus on the big business of big law. Laura Jarrett, NBC News. All right, we're back in a moment with a warning about senior living communities, why prices at some are skyrocketing, what you need to know. Now to the growing senior living industry and the residents who say their community's new owner priced them right out of their own homes. Here's Maggie Vespa.

You don't live here anymore. No, it's the first time I've been back. They say you can't go home again. Few know that better than Susan French. How do you feel being back? Sad. A sadness dating back to 2016 when Susan, to be near family, moved to River Glen of St. Charles, a senior living community west of Chicago. Neighbor Marty Bray and her husband chose River Glen, then owned by Northwestern Medicine, because of promised assisted living and nursing home options. Both women bought in, Susan putting down an entry fee of $242,000, Marty $314,000, plus monthly maintenance fees. They say the contracts were clear. Neither would own their home,

but they say they were promised 85% of the current entry fee at whatever point they chose to move out. That didn't happen. How many of you planned on living the rest of your lives in River Glen? Meet the Glen girls. How many of you lost money leaving river glenn five former and two current residents we spoke with who in the summer of 2023 learned river glenn had been sold to iowa-based private equity firm jaybird capital and chicago based real estate investor citrine investment group The women say they learned their monthly maintenance fees, which had risen moderately over the years, were about to skyrocket. Marty's, she says, quadrupling to $6,000. If they wanted out, the women say, they'd now get

75% of their original entry fee, a far cry from the old deal, which promised 85% of the updated entry fee based on the townhome's appreciated value. How much money do you estimate you lost? About $100,000. Say you lost $70,000. You believe you lost $70,000. Some say the stress exacerbated health issues. I used to play golf. I used to go bowling. I haven't done that since. Some consulted lawyers, only to be told the new deal was completely legal. Their old contracts nullified by the sale. Multiple legal and financial experts telling NBC News these destabilizing events are happening across America as private equity and other financial firms hunt for profits. Last year, 78 percent

of institutional investors surveyed said they planned to increase their holdings in senior care facilities. NBC News reached out to Jaybird Senior Living, an affiliate of Jaybird Capital, now operating River Glen, as well as Citrine multiple times. Neither provided comment for this story. Jaybird has previously said its rents were based on fair market rates for properties in the area. What they did was not illegal, but it was most definitely immoral, unethical, and cruel. The Glenn girls now urging others to be vigilant when considering senior living arrangements and hoping lawmakers take steps to protect people from having their end-of-life plans sold out from under them.

They got away with it, but the laws don't really protect people in our situation. Maggie Vespa, NBC News, St. Charles, Illinois. We thank Maggie for bringing us that story. When we come back, the giving tree, how science is helping a beloved stump branch out for its second life. Finally, there's good news tonight about a beloved but undersized tree whose legacy is blooming along with the cherry blossoms. Hallie Jackson explains. Peak bloom and 3,800 stars of the show with one notable absence. A little like sad that Stumpy's not here this year. Stumpy, the scrawny selfie

star stunted by seawater flooding its roots, a resilient little cherry tree turned symbol of strength. But the site where Stumpy once stood, if not tall, at least proud, now plowed. Stumpy, chopped down to make space for a new seawall. That's to keep the water in the tidal basin, out of the roots of the cherry trees, and essentially going to make sure that we have healthy trees, and not ones that are famous because they look like they're dead. There was something to it, though. Absolutely. It caught the city's

imagination. Still, while the iconic tree is R.I.P., its memory lives on in the first annual Stumpy Memorial Boat Race and in the hearts and camera rolls of visitors. I do have a picture of Stumpy before Stumpy's demise last year, which is unfortunate. But don't cry for Stumpy. Turns out there's a second act after arborists used cuttings with the same DNA to propagate four seedlings, or their more common name, stumplings, sprouting last summer and this spring a few inches taller. In a couple years, they'll be planted near where Stumpy once stood. Hopefully they'll put a little name on it so we know which one is going to be baby Stumpy. A D.C. family tree, proving there's something else blooming at the Tidal Basin this year.

Hope for what's to come. Hallie Jackson, NBC News, Washington. We're going to miss Stumpy. Glad the legacy will live on. That's nightly news for this Friday. Thank you so much for watching. I'm Tom Yamas. Have a great weekend.