NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Saturday, January 18, 2025

Episode Date: January 19, 2025

TikTok may go dark on Sunday; NBC’s Kristen Welker’s exclusive interview with president-elect Trump; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

This is NBC Nightly News with Jose Diaz-Balart. Good evening. The battle over TikTok's fate is now going down to the wire. It's hard to overstate just how important TikTok is for so many Americans. It's not just a place for goofy dance videos, but it's a commerce site, a communications tool, and a source of income for many. But as the clock hits midnight tonight, it very well could shut down here in the U.S. 170 million American users shut out, billions of videos vanishing,

all due to a legal and political standoff that has no clear off-ramp in sight. Today, TikTok, the company, and the White House in a war of words. The Biden administration saying the app's fate is in the hands of the incoming Trump administration. But just hours ago, President-elect Trump spoke exclusively to NBC, weighing in on the standoff. Savannah Sellers starts us off tonight. Tonight, TikTok is demanding action from the Biden administration, saying that without necessary clarity and assurance, the app will be forced to go dark for its more than 170 million American users tomorrow.

It hurt like it hurts me. Users flooding the video sharing tool with farewell messages. I think it's time we say goodbye. It's a really sad day today, man. I'm not going to lie. In a phone call with NBC's Kristen Welker, President-elect Trump said delaying the need for a shutdown with a 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, and that he could have an announcement on his decision as soon as Monday.

But at issue right now, in the final hours of the the Biden administration are the service providers essential for helping TikTok operate. Companies like Apple and Google, which make TikTok available through their app stores, as well as tech giant Oracle, which manages the data centers where TikTok videos are stored. The law, based on national security concerns just upheld by the Supreme Court, demands TikTok divest from its China-based parent company ByteDance. Without that sale, there could be massive fines for the companies that enable TikTok to operate. Ahead of the law's midnight deadline, TikTok now says unless the Biden administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers

assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19th. The White House today calling that statement a stunt and saying its position has been clear, reiterating that actions to implement this law will fall to the next administration. TikTok CEO on Friday already publicly courting President-elect Trump. We are grateful and pleased to have the support of a president who truly understands our platform. Savannah Sellers joins me now. Savannah, is it possible that TikTok goes dark tomorrow, but then pops right back up in a day or two? Jose, my sources within TikTok tell me anything, including that scenario is possible. The company's CEO is expected to attend the inauguration of Donald Trump. He may feel more comfortable

bringing the app back online once Trump is in office. Jose? Savannah Sellers, thank you. Much of the country is bracing for brutal cold and snow starting tonight. More than 100 million under alert for life threatening extremes and temperatures that could feel like an astonishing 55 below zero for some. Emily Ikeda joins us now from New York City, where they're expecting snow, Emily. Yeah, that's right, Jose. New York City is bracing for potentially more snow than it has seen in several years, with up to five inches expected to fall tomorrow and eight inches outside of the city. There are more than 1600 snow plows at the ready across the state, as officials warn

of a one-two punch with frigid temperatures to follow. Wind chills forecasted to dip below zero degrees next week and the northeast is not alone. 80 million are under winter alerts and 110 million facing cold weather alerts stretching into Texas where temperatures could drop 30 degrees below average. In Louisiana and New Jersey, the governor is there declaring states of emergency in preparation for the winter weather. But the most extreme temperatures will freeze the northern plains, where it could feel like negative 55 degrees through Monday. Jose? Emily Ikeda in New York, thank you. In Los Angeles tonight, thousands of families are starting to return home after those devastating wildfires.

Evacuations now lifted in some areas, while in others, firefighters are still battling the flames. Morgan Chesky reports from hard-hit Pacific Palisades. Tonight, from the charred ruins of the Pacific Palisades to the now ash-laden altadena, an emotional return for those who fled homes as flames erupted. On this street, one of the only homes left standing was Mosangani's. First day back home made it through, he tells us smoke damage may leave nearly everything inside a total loss. For fire survivors, new challenges. Donald Kirkland's house still stands, but concerns over air quality from both smoke and charred debris means masking up anytime he walks outside. We don't know what chemical makeup it is, so we don't want that to

get into our lungs. On the fire line, hopeful progress. More than 5,000 firefighters are reinforcing crews that have reached 43 percent containment in the Palisades, and for the Eaton Fire, an encouraging 73%. Relief efforts also gaining steam. Our home's not okay, but we're okay. As victims flood donation sites for anything and everything. We expect to do this not just for weeks and months to come, but for years. Rebuilding and getting people back on their feet is going to take a long time.

The LA Rams doing their part too encouraging relief efforts in their beloved city before departing for Sunday's playoff game knowing they're part of something bigger than football. You're going to see the people that are selfless and are wanting to help and be able to step in other people's shoes and say how can I get my hands dirty and help people out? So I'm excited for that. And Morgan joins us from Pacific Palisades. Morgan, we're getting word President-elect Trump may be making a visit to the West Coast. Yeah, Jose, that's right. The president-elect told our own Christian Welker that he does plan to visit the fire zone by the end of this week,

but added he has yet to personally speak to California Governor Gavin Newsom. Jose. Morgan Chesky in Los Angeles. Thank you. And you can watch the Rams take on the Eagles tomorrow right here on NBC. Still ahead tonight, outrage over the damage from Elon Musk's Starship explosion. Debris now littering a tropical paradise more than a thousand miles away. Plus, emergency on the slopes after a ski lift collapses. The daring rescues to save the injured. We are back with the fallout from Elon Musk's SpaceX Starship explosion this week. The company not responding to our questions tonight after dangerous debris from that blast littered tropical island beaches more than a thousand miles away from the launch pad. Here's Marisa Parra.

New video shows the moment the world's most powerful rocket exploded in the skies Thursday evening, met with awe and fear below. Pieces of the SpaceX Starship on its seventh test flight rained down across the islands of Turks and Caicos, just east of Cuba. Reynaldo Rivera was playing and says was a close call. I hear the explosion. Something flew over my head and it was a piece of the rocket. It feels like a little hot, like if it just came out of the oven. Now remnants of man's biggest dreams for the stars are washing up on the sands. So I went on a morning walk in Turks and Caicos and found pieces of Starship 7. Island residents collecting debris by the bagful.

It was just along the beach what I picked up. Eight pounds of stuff this morning. If you're telling me it's hazardous, don't touch it. What does that mean for the coral reefs that are in the ocean? And that stuff is sitting on it. Elon Musk has captained SpaceX to take big wins, like this feat of engineering, at big risks that can come at a cost. Starship now grounded while the FAA oversees a new SpaceX-led investigation into Thursday's

mishap, while Musk fights for approval to launch the rocket 25 times a year. If this was to happen again, how do you make sure that you don't pollute the Earth? This is our planet. And to me, that's just more important. Brisa Parra, NBC News. And we're back in a moment with the medical controversy. Why these lifesaving devices don't always work for everyone. And a fire department baby boom.

A closer look at the next generation of little heroes. Just ahead. A terrifying accident on a ski slope in Spain today. A chairlift collapsed after a pulley came loose. Now, parts of the ski lift actually turned over, tossing skiers off and onto the mountain below. Helicopters were called in to help save the injured, and there are no reports of deaths. Meanwhile, those stranded were safely evacuated. The cause of the accident is under investigation. There's a warning tonight about one of the most

common medical devices on the market. They may not work well on many patients, and that is putting lives at risk. Erica Edwards on the urgent new efforts to make sure pulse oximeters are equally effective for everyone. Sample seven. In this lab. Almost there. Waiting to get to 20. A rare look at the race to make this life-saving technology. Keep that breathing up.

Keep that breathing up. Work for all patients. Everybody's response to low oxygen levels is different. Doctors here testing pulse oximeters. Those common devices put on your finger to measure oxygen levels in the blood. The problem, they are generally not as precise for darker skinned patients as they are for white ones. I think the question that everybody wants to know right now is

which devices work equally well regardless of skin pigment. The University of California, San Francisco's Dr. Michael Lipnick leading a massive effort to find that answer. We have about 50 devices that we're testing. Pulse oximeters work by shining lights through a person's finger. The more light that's absorbed, the more oxygen in your blood. But they also pick up pigmentation. Falsely finding people with darker skin may be healthier than they really are.

It's an issue known for decades, first revealed in a 1990 study and reignited during the pandemic. A matter of life and death, Tamisa Starr knows all too well. 14 years ago, she told doctor after doctor she was having trouble breathing. Did you ever have trouble getting oxygen? Yes, I did. The oximeters were showing normal oxygen levels. And so as far as they knew, everything was fine. Tamisa was finally diagnosed with a chronic condition and now needs oxygen wherever she goes. It's a problem the FDA has been looking into for years. The agency just releasing a draft of suggestions for manufacturers, including recommendations to widen the variety of skin tones when testing the devices. As those researchers at UCSF are hopeful they'll find a solution,

they say every second counts to make sure all patients get the care they need. Erica Edwards, NBC News, San Francisco. When we come back, there's good news tonight. An emotional reunion for two high school basketball players after one saved the other's life during a big game. There's good news tonight. You know, so often the good news doesn't get as much attention as the bad.

So every Saturday we highlight the many people who spread joy and love. These are just some of those stories this week. I got it! Across the country. Surprise. After surprise. Oh, my God. Bright futures ahead for high school students finding out they got into the colleges of their dreams.

I was over the moon. I was so excited and my family was so excited. At Jamesville Elementary School in North Carolina, a graduation party for beloved teacher Cassie Garrett-Barber, who got her degree in early childhood education after working her way up from being a bus driver at the school. Martin County School! The celebration so meaningful for Cassie, whose late mom Judy was also an educator. My mother passed away and she was my biggest supporter and my everything. This gave the students an opportunity to see that even as an adult, you can go back and finish your dreams and just be successful in life. And in Chandler, Arizona, a baby boom at the city's fire department.

19 new little ones, most of them getting together for a New Year's photo. Local heroes celebrating a new generation. There's just something in the water in Chandler. Pretty amazing. Bringing more firefighters into the world. And speaking of heroes, it was just minutes into this high school basketball tournament near Oklahoma City when Dover High sophomore Randy Vitalis collapsed on the court, going into cardiac arrest. That's when Magnus Miller, a player on the other team, who's also a trained lifeguard, jumped in to help with a defibrillator and CPR. What are you thinking when you get in there and you jump in to help? Thank Godibrillator and CPR. What are you thinking when you get in there and you jump

in to help? Thank God they had a working and functional new AED. And I got that on right away, got to him, checked his pulse, and then just got the AED working and started CPR right away. You saved my life. The two strangers finally meeting this week. There's no way you could die on that call. I wasn't going to let you. Magnus says faith helped them all that day. I love you. Yeah, I love you too. You said it was a greater presence there too.

God put us there for a reason, and it just shows that nothing's by chance, and we were put there that day to not really go play basketball, but go save Randy's life. Scott, how was it? I'll always be there for you. You need anything, I'm here. That's NBC Nightly News for this Saturday. I'm Jose Diaz-Balart. Thank you for the privilege of your time and good night.