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

Episode Date: January 16, 2024

Iowa caucusgoers kick off 2024 presidential campaign; State of emergency as U.S. faces arctic blast; Search continues for Navy SEALs missing in Gulf of Aden; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Breaking news tonight, the results rolling in and NBC News now projecting Donald Trump has won the 2024 Iowa Republican caucuses. Iowa caucus goers braving record cold to cast the first votes in the 2024 presidential race. The GOP frontrunner appearing to cruise to victory. Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis locked in a battle for second place. How the results could shake up the race. And that brutal Arctic blast across much of the country. Driving dangers. Semis overturned.

More than 3,000 flights canceled. Snow emergencies in the south. Pushing into the northeast tonight. The Buffalo Bills calling on fans to shovel out the stadium for today's game. We're tracking it all. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin out of the hospital after more than two weeks and after keeping it secret from the White House. The new attack, an American-owned ship hit by a Houthi missile days after U.S. strikes in Yemen. The standoff at the border, a migrant woman and two children drowning

after Border Patrol says Texas officials blocked them from responding. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome, everyone. As we come on the air, the 2024 presidential election season is officially underway and the first results are in. Tonight, NBC News is projecting former President Donald Trump the winner of the Iowa caucuses. Take a look at where the numbers stand. Mr. Trump leading at this hour, hovering at around 55 percent of the vote. Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis far back, both getting under 20 percent of the vote. Forty delegates are at stake tonight in Iowa, the start of the long road to the GOP

nomination. Mr. Trump showing early dominance at the same time he deals with his legal troubles. Our team is in place covering it all. Hallie Jackson starts us off. And Hallie, what message are Iowa voters sending tonight? It is a consistent message, Lester. As the caucuses have wrapped up here at my location, they are packing up the tables. They are packing up the boxes from all the paperwork that was here. They actually just shut down the bleachers, too, that were filled with people here in these two precincts not too long ago. Remember, Donald Trump has dominated the race in this state for months. Polling was extremely consistent on that front.

Here's one of the questions that we still don't know tonight, even as we are projecting Donald Trump the winner. What is the margin? Does he hold on to 50 percent plus of Republican caucus goers here, which would be symbolic of his key grip potentially on the Republican Party? Does he slip below that number? Does he make history by getting 13 points or more ahead of his next closest competitor? We haven't seen that happen for a non-incumbent Republican ever in this state. Second big question, of course, is that race for second place. Suspenseful. I will tell you that at the locations that I'm at, just anecdotal, Donald Trump took both of these precincts. Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis both got the next closest number of votes. Let's see how that plays out across the state. We've been talking a lot about the weather. How would that affect turnout? The people that we spoke with who were here said that they braved those roads. They braved the cold to

be able to come out and make their voices heard after delivering speeches and talking through who they want to support, talking to friends, neighbors, community members about where this goes, Lester. All right. Hadley Jackson tonight starting us off. Thanks. Let's get right to Garrett Haik now. He joins us live from Trump election headquarters. Garrett, how does the Trump campaign see tonight's landscape as these numbers work their way across the screens? Well, the Trump team feels vindicated by the results that are coming in, even as we speak. This is a result they've been working towards for the last three years and hoping for. And when you step back and remember that since the last time Donald Trump was on a ballot, he has been impeached, facing four different criminal indictments in four different jurisdictions,

several other civil cases piling up against him. They have long believed that when given the chance, Republican voters would resoundingly say that he is still their candidate. And tonight, at least here in Iowa, they have. Lester? And Garrett, talk about how the landscape is going to change moving into New Hampshire roughly a week from now. Yeah, Lester, this was always a much friendlier state for Donald Trump,

just demographically, with evangelical voters, more conservative voters, a truly consistently red state over the last several years. New Hampshire is a different ballgame, with far more independent and Democratic-leading voters who will be voting in the state's Republican primary. Trump has already begun attacking Nikki Haley much more aggressively on the stump in recent days and running ads going after her on the airwaves in New Hampshire, hoping to soften up her support in that state before he arrives for a first rally there tomorrow night. Lester. All right, Garrett, thanks very much. I'm joined now by Kristen Welker,

moderator of Meet the Press. Kristen, good to have you. We're watching very carefully to see if the former president leaps over that 50 percent thing. That would be, of course, bragging rights for him. But how significant is it going forward? It would be significant. It would give him a lot of momentum heading into New Hampshire, Lester. Look, so far, this is the kind of night that Trump's campaign was hoping for, an easy victory in tonight's caucuses. According to the entrance polls, the former president dominating this contest among evangelical caucus goers, non-college educated caucus goers, and two thirds of caucus goers say Mr. Trump would be fit to be president,

even if he's convicted of a crime. And of course, his legal battles have been a fixture of his campaign. He's been arguing, of course, that he's been unfairly targeted. Lester. And Kristen, we're still waiting to find out the important second place finish. One of those candidates is going to have to make a tough call. Absolutely. All eyes are on the race for second place. It's critical for Ron DeSantis. He has focused almost exclusively on Iowa, pouring resources into his ground game, which could make a big difference in that weather tonight. For her part, Nikki Haley has risen in polls and is looking for a strong showing in Iowa to set her up in New Hampshire, where she appears

to be within striking distance of Trump. Those same polls show Trump and DeSantis voters much more enthusiastic than Nikki Haley's voters. Lester, so the question is, did her caucus goers, her supporters, turn out tonight in the same force? We're still getting those numbers in and we're going to see. Kristen, thanks very much. We want to go live now to a super caucus site in Ottumwa, Iowa, where we find NBC's Jacob Soboroff. Jacob, how did this evening play out there? Lester, good evening. As a matter of fact, the evening's still playing out. Let me show you a little bit of what's going on. A super caucus location is a location where more than one

precinct is caucusing at the same time. So here you see one this way. If you take a look over at this part of the gymnasium here, excuse me, the cafeteria at Ottumwa High School, you see other people here. About a thousand people have showed Otomo High School. You see other people here. About a thousand people have showed up tonight here to participate in the caucus, which, as a matter of fact, is still ongoing. That it is an important night. It is a critical night. But it's not the first decision that folks had to make here. With the windchill factor making it feel like 40 degrees below zero in parts of the state,

the first decision Iowans face tonight is whether or not to venture out to their caucus site. 100 percent, this is Iowa. The real supporters will come out tonight and the weather won't be an issue. If you're from Iowa, you should be used to this weather. Potentially counteracting the frigid conditions, Iowans pride in going first. In recent years, GOP caucus turnout when there's been no incumbents in office has been growing. Iowans we met like architect Ben Foote want their say. You're going to caucus tonight?

I'm planning on it, yeah. You ever caucused before? I haven't. Never? No. And you know who you're going to caucus for? I do. Who?

Trump. The former president's legal challenge is a non-issue for this Iowan. There's a chance he may not even get to run. But you'll caucus for him anyways. Tonight I will, yeah. Iowa Republicans will head to schools and community centers across the Hawkeye State's more than 1,600 precincts. Even those who aren't registered can sign up today to vote as long as they register as Republicans. First, there's some business to take care of, electing precinct captains and secretaries. Supporters of candidates are invited to speak, and once that's over, they vote by secret ballot with the results typically announced in the room.

I can't even remember the last time we did it. In Clinton County, Shira Zimda plans to caucus tonight for Nikki Haley. She says there are too many distractions with Trump. It's time to move on to somebody new. The Republican Party really needs to move forward. And I feel we'd be going backwards with him. But she also knows that in Iowa, the polls and signs indicate she's in the minority. Who do you think? President Trump. How come? Immigration and all the inflation, everything, just everything. Iowa and its voters, the center of the political universe for one last night. Jacob Soboroff, NBC News, Ottumwa, Iowa.

Let's turn out of that brutal winter chill felt far beyond Iowa with tens of millions of Americans dealing with frigid, cold, icy roads and high winds. Jesse Kirsch reports tonight from Michigan. Tonight, an Arctic blast still marching across the country, fueling storms that are believed to be responsible for at least 10 deaths nationwide. Almost 80 percent of the U.S. below freezing, making it treacherous for many to be outside. Vehicles stranded and flipped over. Hundreds of flights canceled. 90 million people are under windchill alerts, with some areas feeling like 50 degrees below zero. The bitter freeze stretching across much of Texas, where tonight officials are asking residents to conserve electricity if it's safe amid record-breaking demand. Meanwhile, the typically snowless south pelted today

as the Great Lakes keep getting hit with feet of accumulation. The wind chill, when it hits you, it gets to your bones. Snow falling in Grand Rapids, Michigan for a week straight. Over the last seven days, how many times have you had to do this to the car? Oh man, probably six. You've been out here six times in the last seven days, how many times have you had to do this to the car? Oh, man, probably six. You've been out here six times in the last week. Yeah, in the last couple of days, actually. With so much snow piled up and temperatures this cold,

drivers don't just need to wipe off their vehicle. Some of them also need to navigate getting out past several inches of ice. And near Buffalo, New York, even after fans helped dig out the Bills' stadium, today's playoff game against the Steelers kicking off with some seats still buried in snow. Here in Grand Rapids, the chances for snow continue into Wednesday. Meanwhile, tonight, it feels like roughly negative 10 with the wind chill, and that's actually a warm-up from earlier today. Lester? All right, Jesse, thanks. Bill Cairns is tracking this storm sweeping across a pretty wide stretch of the country.

Bill, what are we looking for tonight? Yeah, good evening, Lester. We don't need a lot of snow and ice for significant impacts. Just ask any of our friends in Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, even Louisiana with some freezing rain. But now the snow is on the move heading through the mid-Atlantic region. Tonight, towards the northeast, we will be seeing the snow picking up, especially in New England during the overnight hours. We have about 95 million people, a lot of winter storm warnings all the way down in the Texas and Louisiana. These winter weather advisories in the northeast will be for a period of snow tonight

through ending tomorrow. It does look like about 8 a.m. Roads will be treacherous around New York City to Boston, and then the storm exits. It's not the amounts of snow. It's the timing with everyone going back to school and back to work Lester. One to three inches and treacherous roads tomorrow. Bill Kerens, thank you. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from Walter Reed Medical Center today after being treated for complications that follow prostate cancer surgery. His treatment and complications had been kept secret for days, prompting widespread criticism. The Pentagon said Austin will continue to recuperate and perform his duties from home. In the Middle East, a tragedy at sea tonight in the Gulf of Aden, where two U.S. Navy SEALs are missing as hostilities increase in the waters near Yemen. Courtney Kuby is following it all for us.

Courtney, what more do we know? Yeah, Lester, U.S. military ships and aircraft continue searching for those two missing Navy SEALs. Last Thursday, the SEALs were part of a team sent to search a small boat for weapons. It was nighttime, the seas were rough, and as one sailor was boarding, he was knocked overboard, according to two U.S. defense officials. A second sailor jumped in to save him, and they are both still missing tonight. The boat was carrying missile parts from Iran, ultimately intended for the Houthi rebels in Yemen, according to three U.S. defense officials. The crew were detained, the cargo seized, and the boat sank, the officials said. Now, the Houthis have now carried out at least 30 attacks on ships in the Red Sea in the past

two months. In retaliation, U.S. and British warplanes and ships struck more than 60 targets in Houthi-controlled Yemen last week, according to the Pentagon. But the Houthis not slowing down their attacks. Sunday, firing an anti-ship cruise missile towards a U.S. Navy destroyer, the USS Laboon, a U.S. F-18 shot down that missile. And just today, striking a U.S. owned container ship with a missile causing minor damage. Lester. All right, Courtney, thank you. In 60 seconds, the death of three migrants, two of them children in the Rio Grande as the fight over who controls the border heats up. Plus another window scare on a Boeing plane. Back now with the showdown of the border where the tragic drowning of a migrant woman and

two children is fueling the latest feud between the Biden administration and Texas officials. Morgan Chesky with more on the fallout. Tonight, tragedy on the Rio Grande escalating a border battle between the Biden administration and Texas, centered around federal authorities' access to the border. The Department of Homeland Security issuing a letter to the state's attorney general demanding Texas immediately cease and desist any actions that block Border Patrol's full access to the U.S.-Mexico border in and around the Shelby Park area. That eagle-passed park, near where a migrant woman and two children drowned late Friday. The rescue response, highly disputed. The White House stating Texas officials blocked U.S.

Border Patrol from attempting to save the migrants. Texas authorities calling that wholly inaccurate. Sharing by the time Border Patrol requested access, Mexican authorities were already recovering the bodies. It's devastating to imagine that state officials would know that people were drowning in the river, particularly children, and block Border Patrol from going and saving them. Just hours before the drownings, the state's governor defending its border presence. Texas has the legal authority to control ingress and egress into any geographic location in the state of Texas. Back in Eagle Pass, 700 white crosses, marking the estimated migrant deaths over the last year. And tonight, DHS is giving Texas the deadline of this Wednesday to stop blocking Border Patrol

or they will further matter to the Department of Justice. Lester. Morgan Chesky, thank you. Another scare aboard a Boeing plane. All Nippon Airlines says a crack was found in the cockpit window of a Boeing 737-800 during a flight over Japan this weekend. The airline says cabin pressure was normal and the plane safely returned to the airport. It comes just a week after the door plug blew off a Boeing 737 MAX 9 plane over Oregon. And in Arizona, a deadly hot air balloon crash. Police say the balloon was carrying a group of skydivers who made a successful jump on Sunday. But afterwards, the aircraft experienced a problem and crash, killing four people and injuring a fifth about 65 miles southeast of Phoenix. The NTSB is investigating the cause of the crash.

And up next, 100 days after the Hamas terrorist attack, the harrowing new details about the four-year-old who was the youngest American hostage. As the Israel-Hamas war surpasses 100 days, new details are emerging about the horror some of the youngest hostages have endured at the hands of Hamas terrorists who just released a new hostage video. Richard Engel reports from Jerusalem. We're learning more tonight for the first time about the youngest American hostage held for weeks by Hamas, four-year-old Abigail Idan. On October 7th, Hamas executed her parents in front of her. Neighbors Avi Hai and Hagar Braduch pulled Abigail into their home for shelter.

I didn't recognize her. You know, I just, you know, she was so pale, but she was, she was red with blood, smeared with blood. And I remember thinking to myself, this is not Abigail, it's someone else, but I knew it was her. Hagar took Abigail and her own three children to the safe room, but Hamas later kidnapped all of them. It's an indescribable fear, the fear of someone coming to kill you, she says. They were held for 51 days in Gaza, in homes, at times with Palestinian families, including children, before they were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Today, Hamas released a new video.

It claims to be proof of life of another hostage, Noah Arghamani, kidnapped from a music festival and speaking under duress. Hamas claims two other hostages are dead. Israel says Hamas is making cruel use of innocent hostages in the video. Hostage families are suffering as days of captivity now drag into months. I met relatives of the Bibas family today. Khafir Bibas is the youngest hostage still in Gaza. He turns one this week.

He was kidnapped along with his brother, mother and father. His grandparents were murdered. Just look at this table. It's just a table of tragedy. Three generations, yeah. She's supposed to start walking. She's supposed to start saying this first word. And we don't know if we have a chance to do that. I want this to be over, really.

I want them back. I want them back. We've been screaming this from the day one. It's awesome. Israeli officials believe more than 100 hostages are still alive in Gaza. The White House says at least six of them are Americans. Lester. All right, Richard, thank you. That's nightly news. Thank you for watching, everyone. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.