NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Friday, May 16, 2025

Episode Date: May 17, 2025

Urgent manhunt for Louisiana escaped inmates; Devastating tornado hits St. Louis; Commuter chaos as NJ Transit engineers go on strike; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Breaking news as we come on the air tonight. Reports of tornadoes and intense severe storms. And in New Orleans, the manhunt for 10 escaped inmates. In Louisiana, the inmates had made it out of jail overnight through a giant hole. Their escape not detected until hours later this morning. New surveillance video showing them running out of the facility and then running across an interstate in the dark. Police capturing one of the men in the heart of the French Quarter. Why, the sheriff says there are indications they had help from the inside. Plus, severe storm damage in St. Louis.

The damage reports coming in. A man being rescued from the rubble. That's on top of 11 tornadoes reported just a day before. That toppled silos as ranchers herded cattle to safety. Intense hail making driving dangerous and piling up delays on travel boards at major airports. The cross-examination of Cassie Ventura, the defense trying to raise issues with her romantic life with Sean Diddy Combs, and the twists and turns of their relationship over the years, Diddy passing notes to his defense attorney

during another intense day in court. Off the rails, the transit strikes, stranding tens of thousands of commuters in one of the busiest travel corridors in America. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome. Breaking news tonight, the New Orleans manhunt after nearly a dozen prisoners escape a jail near the city's French Quarter. Officials say the breakout took place overnight, though it took over two hours before the public was made aware. Their absence discovered during a headcount this morning. The sheriff's saying the prisoners received assistance in their escape from individuals inside our department. The early

investigation revealing they may have also taken advantage of low staffing, inoperable surveillance cameras and defective locks. And new surveillance video shows the men escaping from the facility. Five of the men were being held on murder charges, one convicted. Officials tonight retracing their escape route. Let's get right to Priya Shrader now with the breaking news in the case. Good evening, Lester. Just moments ago, the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office telling us that they captured another one of those 10 inmates, which means that now eight of them are still on the run. Tonight, an urgent manhunt ramping up for inmates considered by authorities as armed and dangerous,

still on the run, escaping from a jail two miles from New Orleans' popular French Quarter. Five charged, one convicted of murder, most awaiting trial on serious felony counts. There is no way people can get out of this facility without there being some type of lapse in security. The sheriff revealing that Orleans Parish Justice Center was placed on a lockdown at 10.30 p.m. Ten inmates were able to exit their cells because of defective locks breaking through a door at 12.23 a.m. They then exited the jail at 1.01 a.m. through a hole in the wall behind a toilet seen in these photos. One photo showing writing that appears to say too easy. Authorities saying the inmates used toiletries to remove some of the bolts. New surveillance video released by

the sheriff late today of several inmates trying to break open a door. You can see here the inmates escaping the facility through a dock door and running across the interstate. This morning after investigators became involved, they subsequently found clothing that they shed in that neighborhood. Seven and a half hours later, sheriff's deputies discovered the inmates missing at a routine morning headcount, according to the sheriff. Tonight, the sheriff saying short staffing in the jail and inoperable security cameras contributed to their escape. We have indication that these detainees received assistance in their escape from individuals inside of our department.

The first inmate captured, Kendall Miles, was found earlier today. The sheriff's office saying deputies found him hiding beneath a car in a hotel parking garage in the French Quarter. Now the sheriff's department facing scrutiny about how this could have happened. There were supervisors on duty. There were lower level folks on duty and they all had a job to do. The state attorney general calling for a full investigation, writing on X, quote, someone clearly dropped the ball and there's no excuse for this. Authorities also scouring the public for any information and also offering this warning. If there is anyone who is harboring or helping these escapees, you will be charged. The authorities just released new video of the escape. What does it show?

The sheriff saying late tonight that three of their employees have been placed on administrative leave. Authorities are also offering up to a $5,000 reward for any information that will lead to the inmates capture. The police chief also said earlier today that she's offering protection for any of the victims of these men's alleged crimes and also any witnesses who may have been preparing to testify in their upcoming trials. Lester. Pretty sure either tonight. Thank you. And there's breaking news out of Missouri tonight where reports of severe damage are starting to come in after a tornado

touchdown inside the city of St. Louis. Maggie Vespa now with late details for us. Hey man, it's a tornado, man. We're in a tornado. Oh! s***. Tonight, a new round of explosive storms. With Missouri in the bullseye. Hail pummeling the area around St. Louis. And late today, at least one suspected tornado tearing through the heart of the city, wrecking homes, damaging a church, and downing trees. Firefighters saving a man from the basement of this collapsed building to cheers from his family. He was up under two stories of house, so we didn't really know if he was going to be okay, and we were just really worried about him, and we're just relieved to know that he's alive.

Staff huddling in the basement of City Hall. Elsewhere, the twister leaving utter devastation. Everything started falling. The roof just fell in, the lights, the ceiling, all that stuff just fell down. This tap room in St. Louis torn to pieces. People inside telling our St. Louis affiliate, KSDK, they barely escaped with their lives.

This man says someone at the last minute told him to move out of harm's way. If he wouldn't have told us to move, we would still be sitting there. We'd have been probably dead. Meanwhile, this apparent tornado crossing a highway in Kentucky and flash flooding sweeping across the Northeast. With wild weather wreaking havoc at airports across the country, temporarily delaying or grounding flights in New York, D.C., even Minneapolis, all of it adding to a chaotic week. Overnight in Michigan, sparks flying along power lines as violent storms knocked out power for hundreds of thousands. Yesterday's tornado outbreak spawning at least 11 reported twisters across the Midwest.

Homes and buildings today left torn to shreds. It's just a mess. I don't know what I'm going to do. At this farm near Milwaukee. We got one. We got one. Dozens helping to move this herd of cows away from the damage as cleanup gets underway and more storms fire up tonight. And Maggie, as we say, things are developing as we're on the air here. We're getting word of injuries in St. Louis. Lester, injuries and deaths.

St. Louis' mayor just confirming four people have died. Also, a hospital spokesperson telling us ten children have been admitted. One is in critical condition. Lester. Maggie Vespa, thank you. Let's get to Bill. Karen's already a very volatile knife of weather. This could get worse. Lester, we've already had tornado warnings in seven different states, including metropolitan areas of Baltimore.

And, of course, we saw what just happened in St. Louis. This threat will continue through the afternoon, well into this evening, and even after midnight. The area of greatest concern is going to be here heading through Kentucky, Indiana, and eventually even northern Tennessee. This hatched area is where we could see additional strong tornadoes. And we're especially watching these storms that just exited Paducah heading towards Bowling Green. As far as tomorrow goes, isolated severe storms. A break for the area is getting hit today. But watch out in Dallas-Fort Worth.

We could have strong storms, maybe isolated tornadoes later on tomorrow afternoon. And then on Sunday, we do it all again. Things ramp right back up and we're going to have another severe weather outbreak with tornadoes likely in the plains as we head towards Sunday and Monday. All right, Bill Kerridge, thank you. New Jersey is home to the third largest public transit system in the country, but a strike today has driven all of its trains, including in New York City, to a screeching halt. Emily Akeda has details. With hundreds of train engineers off the job and now on the picket line. Tonight, commuter chaos in the country's most populated region. So how much longer is your commute now?

Like 40 minutes. Tens of thousands who rely daily on New Jersey transit trains left scrambling today as the sprawling train system that stretches into Philadelphia, across the Garden State and New York City came to a standstill. Train scheduling boards today blank, parking lots outside of stations completely empty and platforms eerily quiet. Now my husband is going to be skipping work to pick me up, drive me home. The strike is the first of its kind in New Jersey in more than four decades and the culmination of a years-long battle over wages. The union contends their engineers haven't

received a pay bump in more than five years and make at least $10 less per hour than their counterparts at other train services. We'd rather be running trains. We'd rather be working, to be perfectly honest with you. The governor, alongside New Jersey Transit's CEO, says they support wage increases that won't blow up the agency's budget, calling on the union to negotiate in good faith. It is frankly a mess of their own making, and it is a slap in the face of every commuter and worker who relies on NJ Transit. But between the finger pointing, commuters are caught in the chaos as travel throughout the already congested New York City area is derailed. The union tells me negotiations

are expected to resume on Sunday. If an agreement is not reached, you can expect those commuter woes to worsen since more people tend to work from home on Fridays. Lester. Okay, Emily, thank you. Lawyers for Sean Diddy Combs questioned Cassie Ventura again today, trying to paint the music mogul's ex-girlfriend as a willing participant in their often toxic relationship. Chloe Malas reports from the courthouse. In her final day on the stand, Cassie Ventura spoke again about the day Combs brutally beat her in a hotel hallway in 2016. Ventura, who is potentially days away from giving birth, testifying that Combs was blackout at the time of the assault from drugs and alcohol. At one point reading a text she sent him after the violent attack, I am not a rag doll,

I am someone's child. Following 20 hours of testimony this week, her attorney Douglas Wigdor speaking outside the courthouse, reading a statement from Ventura. I hope that my testimony has given strength and a voice to other survivors and can help others who have suffered to speak up and also heal from abuse and fear. Today's cross-examination focusing heavily on Ventura's allegation that Combs raped her in 2018 after they had ended their relationship, which he denies. The defense showing text messages between the former couple the day after the alleged rape, including one in which Ventura sent a heart emoji to Combs.

Combs' team also trying to poke holes in Ventura's timeline. That is not the gotcha moment that defense attorneys think it is. I mean, at the end of the day, witnesses are not great on specific dates, particularly when they go back years ago. The defense also pointing to a text exchange between Ventura and Combs from 2012, in which she wrote, I don't want to freak off for the last time. I want it to be the first time for the rest of our lives. At times today, the defense appeared to struggle to maintain momentum, facing frequent objections by prosecutors and regularly stopping Ventura's questioning to whisper together. Combs appeared to be actively involved, passing his lawyers notes.

In a striking exchange with Combs' lawyers, Ventura's saying, despite it all, I don't hate him. I have love for the past and what it was. We also saw musician Dawn Richard take the stand. She says that she saw Combs be violent with Ventura. Combs denies all of the allegations against him. Lester. Chloe Malas, thank you. Former FBI Director James Comey facing an investigation tonight after he posted a now deleted photo that Trump allies say calls for the president's assassination. Gabe Gutierrez is at the White House. Gabe, the Secret Service is now involved. Yes, Lester, a law enforcement official confirms James Comey will be interviewed by the Secret Service in person tonight. The agency says it takes rhetoric like this very seriously. While President Trump said today the former FBI director was calling for his assassination and knew it. This is the image Comey

shared on social media, what he described as a shell formation on a beach that formed the numbers 86-47. Trump allies saying 86 meant not just getting rid of, but assassinating the 47th president. Comey, of course, was fired during Trump's first term and became an outspoken Trump critic. Comey explains he thought it was a political message, not a violent one, adding, quote, I oppose violence of any kind. So I took the post down. Lester. OK, Gabe, thank you. The death toll is rising after Israel launched a new series of strikes in Gaza. It comes as President Trump is on the way home from his Middle East trip and says many civilians in Gaza are starving.

Here's Matt Bradley. Tonight, a new wave of Israeli strikes in Gaza. Israel's military says it struck over 150 terror targets. An effort, it says, to defeat Hamas and pressure the group to release more hostages. But for Ghazans, it's one of the bloodiest days in months. The Hamas-run health ministry says the airstrikes killed at least 250 people in 36 hours, about half of them children, with thousands displaced.

All of it as President Trump wraps up his Mideast trip, receiving lavish welcomes in three countries aimed at strengthening ties with the Arab world. We have to help also out the Palestinians. A lot of people are starving on Gaza, so we have to look at both sides. Israel has blockaded all outside aid for the past 10 weeks. Aid agencies warn the population is on the verge of famine. In addition to the relentless

toll of Israel's offensive, this was once a family home in southern Gaza. Wednesday night, an Israeli airstrike destroyed it, killing 10 members of the Zanati family, including the entire family of Reem's uncle. My cousin's name is Mina. She said she was one year younger than me. Just yesterday, she was with me. And tonight, we've learned the Trump administration is working on a plan to potentially relocate up to a million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Libya. Five people with knowledge of the effort have told NBC News. But the details are still murky and no agreement has been reached yet.

Lester. All right, Matt Bradley, thanks. We'll be back in 60 seconds. A massive multi-vehicle fire that temporarily shut down the airport in Jacksonville. Was a pregnant mother on life support and required to have her baby. Her family's emotional appeal over a controversial law coming up. Back now to a case in Georgia. A mother there is saying her brain-dead daughter is being kept alive because she's pregnant, raising new questions about the state's strict abortion law.

Laura Jarrett reports. It started with headaches. April Newkirk says her 30-year-old daughter, Adriana Smith, was pregnant with her second child when something started to go terribly wrong. They did a CT scan and she had blood clots all over her head. Speaking to NBC affiliate WXIA, Newkirk says soon after that, Adriana was declared brain dead by Emory doctors. That was back in February.

But she's still in the hospital, Newkirk says, on life support. The doctors haven't withdrawn. Because that would mean the unborn fetus Adriana still carries would also die, a potential violation of Georgia's strict abortion law. It's torture for me. I come here and I see my daughter breathing. I ventilate her, but she's not there. The law bans most abortions after roughly six weeks of pregnancy, with narrow exceptions. Emery says it doesn't comment on patient cases, but the hospital uses, quote, individualized treatment recommendations in compliance with Georgia's abortion laws. It's all raising fresh questions about the reach of the law.

Republican State Senator Marty Harbin says he still supports it. We have already determined that she does not have life, but yet the baby does have life. The current plan, Newkirk says, is to keep Adriana alive until doctors can deliver the baby safely via C-section. For now, her mother waits. I'm not saying that we would have chose to terminate her pregnancy. What I'm saying is we should have had a choice. Laura Jarrett, NBC News. We'll take a short break when we're back in a moment. The home that became historic overnight, the Pope's Childhood House, now up for sale. Why it may take a lot to win the auction. We're back now with a huge fire that temporarily shut down Jacksonville International

Airport. The airport reopened this evening after this multi-vehicle fire in the parking garage closed the airport entirely and grounded flights for a few hours. Fire officials say the blaze spread to about 50 other vehicles. They say the situation there is now under control. And it's been a week since Pope Leo was elected, and now his childhood home is up for auction. The Pope's former home in the Chicago area was listed for less than $250,000 before it was taken off the market when he was elected. According to its listing, the three-bedroom, three-bathroom home is being advertised as a piece of papal history. And that's nightly news for this Friday.

Make sure to watch a newsy Meet the Press with Scott Bessant and Mike Pence. Thank you for watching. I'm Lester Hull. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.