NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Monday, February 24, 2025

Episode Date: February 25, 2025

Deadline looms for federal workers over Musk’s demand; Delta flight makes emergency landing after ‘haze’ reported in cabin; Pope in critical condition but ‘resumes work’; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the mass blast email and midnight deadline that has left federal workers in limbo. Elon Musk posting an ultimatum for workers to justify their existence or resign. The email calling for five bullet points explaining what they accomplished last week. The growing power struggle as some top Trump cabinet secretaries tell their staff not to respond. Now, Doge is poised to use AI to evaluate the responses they get. And federal workers furious. The flag hung upside down in Yosemite Park. The haze-filled cabin of a Delta flight forced to return to the busiest airport in the world. What happened and why they had to deploy the slides from the jet? The Pope in critical condition as the Vatican says he shows positive signs

of improvement. Three blood-soaked years of war in Ukraine, alarm bells ringing in Europe as President Trump angles for a deal, including Ukraine's minerals to end the war. Catching fire, can the music festival synonymous with chaos make a comeback are questions for the founder about the upcoming sequel. Why millions of women at high risk for breast cancer are increasingly having to fight their insurance to get the screenings their doctors say they need. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome. With the clock ticking and their government jobs potentially on the line, many federal workers tonight are feeling like they are left in an uncomfortable squeeze between

Elon Musk and leaders of some of the agencies that he's looking to downsize. Hours before a self-imposed deadline, the Trump administration now says its controversial directive over the weekend asking federal workers to list their accomplishments is voluntary. But President Trump is calling the idea genius and doubling down in his support for the billionaire advisor as affected workers try to sort through conflicting instructions. Gabe Gutierrez has late details. Tonight, just hours from a looming deadline, President Trump is defending an ultimatum from billionaire Elon Musk aimed at slashing the federal bureaucracy. There was a lot of genius in sending it.

But there are also new signs of a potential power struggle within the administration over how to carry out the president's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOJ, posted on X over the weekend that federal workers needed to explain what they got done this week, saying he was acting on the president's instructions, adding failure to respond will be taken as a resignation. Then the Office of Personnel Management sent an email to more than two million federal workers titled, What Did You Do Last Week? It asked those workers to respond by midnight tonight with five bullet points detailing what they accomplished. What he's doing is saying, are you actually working? And then if you don't answer, like you're sort of semi-fired or you're fired, if people don't respond, it's very possible that there is no such person or they're not

working. But late today, the Trump administration changed course, telling heads of federal agencies responding was voluntary and that a non-response to the email does not equate to a resignation. Still, three sources with knowledge of the process tell NBC News the bullet points from those who do respond will be fed into an advanced AI system to determine whether someone's work is mission critical or not. There had been growing confusion after some agency heads, including Trump's cabinet picks, issued conflicting guidance to workers. Some agencies, including the state, justice, and defense departments, told employees

either to delay responding or not respond at all. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard writing, given the inherently sensitive and classified nature of our work, employees should not respond. Today, Trump downplayed any conflict. That was done in a friendly manner. Only things such as perhaps Marco at State Department, where they have very confidential things, or the FBI, where they're working on confidential things. And they don't mean that in any way combatively with Elon. Amid mounting protests, including this upside-down flag at Yosemite National Park, the president and Musk keep slashing the size of the federal workforce, today laying off more than 1,600 foreign aid workers at USAID.

In Missouri, Liv Alvarado is among thousands of workers let go from the IRS. The fact that there's going to be even less workers here now, you know, stuff's going to take even longer. And these were real people with real jobs. And Gabe joining us now. Gabe, Elon Musk is now responding again to all this. Yes, Lester. Musk says no AI system was needed and that the email was just meant to make sure workers had a pulse. Also late today, the Department of Health and Human Services warned employees their responses could be read by hostile foreign actors. Lester. All right, Gabe, thank you. Now to another emergency landing, this time a Delta flight returned to Atlanta

after the crew reported a haze detected in the cabin mid-flight. NBC News' Emily Aketa has the latest on the investigation. Breathe through your pores, Nana. Scary moments aboard this Delta flight today as a haze filled the plane after taking off in Atlanta. Passengers seemed covering their faces. The Boeing 717 was only in the air for a few minutes, looping back around for an emergency landing at the world's busiest airport around 9 a.m. Slides were deployed and first responders helped people deplane. We are being evacuated off of the plane.

Kristen Morris was among the 94 passengers on the flight bound for South Carolina. So soon as we took off, the plane was filled with smoke. Delta says two people received medical attention, adding in a statement, nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people. The FAA now investigating what went wrong. Aviation analyst John Cox says it looks more serious than it is. This is likely an air conditioning or pressurization issue, and that would not have these people in danger at all. On Sunday, fighter jets escorted this American Airlines plane to Rome after it was diverted

because of an emailed bomb threat, later found not credible, according to a source familiar with the situation. And last week, a Delta regional jet crash landed on a snowy Toronto runway, even flipping upside down. As today's smoky scene in Atlanta further fans concerns over flying. Emily Ikeda, NBC News. Let's turn out of the Vatican and word that Pope Francis has shown slight improvements in his health, but tonight remains in critical condition. Here's NBC's Anne Thompson. In a damp St. Peter's Square, a rosary prayed for Pope Francis tonight. Though still in critical condition, the Vatican says the 88-year-old leader of the Catholic Church showed slight improvement. After a weekend of a respiratory crisis with double pneumonia and mild kidney failure, the Pope felt well enough to resume his nightly call to the

Catholic Church in Gaza. He is still on supplemental oxygen, but the levels are reduced. Tonight, there is no prognosis. As a physician, that usually means that we are at a stage where his condition can improve rapidly or could deteriorate just as rapidly. That uncertainty drew American seminarians Jake Snyder and J.D. McEwing to St. Peter's tonight to pray for the man who is a role model. He was really trying to emphasize the pastoral aspect of the priest, reaching out to people. And that's something that I reflect on often. How can I become a better leader? At the White House, both President Trump and French President Macron wished the Pope the best.

While across the globe, in many different languages, one thought. I pray to God that he comes out of this. I really do. As Francis battles double pneumonia, the celebration of this jubilee year in the church goes on. The Vatican welcoming pilgrims to pray, especially for their leader. And joining us now from Vatican City, after days of bad news, this is certainly a little better, Anne. It is, Lester. The Vatican says that the Pope has suffered no new respiratory crisis since Saturday and that mild kidney failure over the weekend. Well, they say doctors are no longer concerned about it. Lester. OK, Anne Thompson, thank you. Today marks three years since Russia invaded Ukraine and a peace deal remains elusive. At the White House today, President Trump

and France's President Macron saying Europe will now play a leading role in defending Ukraine. Richard Engel is in Ukraine tonight. Three years after Russia invaded Ukraine, President Trump tonight met with France's President Macron. He announced a peace deal could be imminent. I think the war could end soon. How soon? Within weeks. In many ways, today's meeting was the passing of the baton for Ukraine from the U.S. to Europe. President Trump mainly focused on recouping billions of dollars in U.S. aid to Ukraine. He invited Ukraine's President Zelensky to the White House to sign an agreement this week or next that would use Ukraine's natural resources as collateral to pay the U.S. back for support. I think getting very close to getting an agreement

where we get our money back over a period of time. President Zelensky has so far rejected that deal. Macron briefly corrected Trump when he said, unlike the U.S., Europe was already getting repaid. Europe is loaning the money to Ukraine. They get their money back. No, in fact, to be to be frank, we paid. While Macron said this is a moment for Europe to take more responsibility for security. Europe is willing to step up to be a stronger partner. Saying Europe would provide peacekeepers, but that American security guarantees were also critical. In Ukraine, troops at the front lines are watching with concern, fearing President Trump is forcing a deal that would require Ukraine to surrender territory to Russia and pay the United States hundreds of billions.

When he became president, he started to set conditions that we don't accept, said Valentin Bohdanov, a tank commander in the 127th Brigade. If we tried to follow it all, we'd give up, he said. But if we give up, we lose everything. Also in a major diplomatic shift, the U.S. voted alongside Russia at the U.N. against a resolution condemning Moscow for starting the war in Ukraine. Richard Anglin, Ukraine Tonight, thanks. And this evening, remembering one of the most famous secret service agents in history. You might recall this moment when Clint Hill leapt into President John F. Kennedy's limousine after the president was shot in Dallas in 1963.

He retired early, haunted by the assassination. He died on Friday at 93 years old. In 60 seconds, an NBC News exclusive. Our one-on-one interview with the founder of Fyre Festival as he gears up to do it again, why he's saying this time things will be different. Tickets went on sale today for Fyre Festival Part 2 after the first ended up being a nightmare. In an exclusive interview, Savannah Sellers asked the founder why this time will be different. Fyre 2 is real. My dream is finally becoming a reality.

Eight years after the disaster, Fire Festival made Internet history. Its founder, Billy McFarlane, who spent four years behind bars for fraud, spoke exclusively with NBC News and says it's back and will actually happen. May 30th to June 2nd on Isla Mujeres in Mexico. There are festival operators, there are hotel partners, there are concierge groups, there are ticket companies. That is a market change from 2017. When attendees slept in emergency relief tents and ate viral cheese sandwiches. Why do you think those partners agreed to partner with you given what happened the first time? So I think Fire 2 really isn't about the past and it's not really about me.

It's about taking the vision, which is strong. Tickets on sale today range in price from $1,400 to $1.1 million. An experience McFarland says includes yacht accommodations and access to artists performing, though no artists have been announced yet. We're going to have artists across electronic, hip-hop, pop, and rock. However, it's not just music. We might have a professional skateboarder do a demonstration. We might have an MMA champion teach you techniques in the morning. You say we might have. Are any of these for sure haves? Are they booked? So I think what makes FIRE so cool is that we are selling the experience of FIRE.

I want to be one of the first festivals that can sell out with no artists. But whether McFarlane will see any of this firsthand, an open question. In addition to owing $26 million in restitution, McFarlane's penalty includes travel restrictions. Can you go to Mexico? So I don't know. I'd have to ask for international travel. McFarlland says he knows the experience might not be for everyone. Is it a risk to buy a ticket to Fyre Festival too?

I think it's always a risk. You're taking a risk because I made a lot of bad decisions and messed up the first festival. The question is, will people take it? Savannah Sellers, NBC News. We're back in a moment with our NBC News investigation. Inside the insurance battle over breast cancer screenings, why some are not being covered even when doctors recommend them. Millions of women are at high risk for breast cancer, but their insurance companies don't cover additional screenings that are often recommended to detect the disease. Stephanie Gosk explains.

Regular breast cancer screenings for women over the age of 40 save lives. But over half of those women need more than just the annual mammogram because they are considered high risk, according to the American Cancer Society. And that's when the battle with health insurance begins. How many women in your family have gotten breast cancer? Four. Four. Four. My grandmother, my mother, my sister, and then we recently had another person in the family diagnosed.

Given that history, what do doctors advise you do for screenings? I am supposed to have a mammogram every six months. Molly Smith's private insurance, like many plans, only covers the annual. A second mammogram, she says, could mean hundreds of dollars out of pocket. It's a similar story for women with dense breasts. Last year, the FDA ruled that mammogram providers need to tell women if they fall in that category because they should consider getting additional screenings as well, including ultrasounds. We're seeing a lot of patients now where insurance isn't covering, and so these patients are stuck. Dr. Madhavi Raghu is a radiologist in Connecticut. Some of her patients are on Medicare. Medicare covers mammograms, but the ultrasound is not covered. Is that a change? It is a change because, you know, prior to that, it was not an issue as it is now. She provided NBC News with patient records showing their

reimbursements for the newly recommended procedure were declined. Medicare says ultrasounds are covered when provided as a diagnostic test, meaning if something suspicious has already been found. But for women with dense breasts, Dr. Raghu says the test is needed to see if something is suspicious. It's disheartening because sometimes I've seen patients develop cancers that you know you could have caught, that we could have caught, you know, that are aggressive. And it's a very different conversation at that time. What else do you need? When Smith went in for her first mammogram, she had to get multiple additional tests and says she ended up paying roughly $1,000

even though no cancer was found. Worried she would go through it again, she just didn't go back for two years. If you want people to be able to take care of themselves, you've got to make it easier. You've got to make it so that it's affordable and something that you can do on a regular basis. Stephanie Gosk, NBC News, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. And when we come back, on a cold winter day, what could be warmer than talking with a grandmother, even if she's not your own? That story is next. It looks like a lemonade stand, but at the grandma stand, something very different is on the menu.

Here's Zincley Essimoire with good news tonight. On a frigid Tuesday in New York, a simple question led people to pause their busy days and reflect. What experience helped shape who I am? It's a really deep question. It is. This is the grandma stand. I'm Pam. A pop-up project where strangers share their stories and grandmothers listen. Once a week you go out of

your way and take out the grandma stand. Why'd you get it started? My grandma turned 94 and she couldn't travel anymore. Mike Matthews started it in 2012 with dreams of connecting his grandma Eileen virtually to his community in New York. I bought a lemonade stand and I put a laptop and headphones in a chair and let anyone talk to my grandma. Were you shy as a young man? Thousands followed the project online for years. But the stand stalled in 2018 after Matthew's grandmother died at 102 years old. She wanted to be seen. She wants, in her years old. She wanted to be seen.

She wants, in her own words, old people to be seen. Now, the project is back. Matthews calls on strangers to nominate their grandmothers and vote on a prompt. Janae Roberts suggested her grandma. Everybody needs a grandma. I'm willing to share mine. Grandma Flo retired from teaching five years ago. Now, the 77-year-old is looking for more opportunities for connection.

Be empathetic because that goes a long way. I strive to be the type of person that sees good in everyone. We need to show more love. And on her day at the grandma stand, that's exactly what she did. Can I give you a hug? Yes! And on her day at the grandma stand, that's exactly what she did. Can I give you a hug? Yes! Zinclair Samoa, NBC News, New York.

Just some terrific moments there. That's nightly news for this Monday. Thank you for watching. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.