NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Saturday, May 10, 2025

Episode Date: May 11, 2025

Pope Leo XIV makes surprise appearances on Saturday; 4.1 earthquake rocks southern states; U.S. China negotiators meet in Switzerland for trade talks; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the new pope surprises the world, stepping outside of the Vatican for the first time since his election. The first ever U.S.-born pontiff making two unexpected appearances, one of them at the tomb of Pope Francis, plus his message to cardinals today, the latest from the Vatican tonight. An earthquake rattles the south from Tennessee to Georgia. Did we just have an earthquake? Why this one caught people off guard and why one expert tells us a quake like this is relatively rare. Critical talk's underway to find an end to the trade war between the U.S. and China, where the negotiations stand tonight. Breaking news.

A shaky ceasefire between India and Pakistan after a week of fighting. But will it hold? We're tracking late developments. And the Pope of Peru. We're in the city of Chiclayo to find out more about Pope Leo's special connections to the people there. This is NBC Nightly News with Jose Diaz-Balart. Good evening. What was supposed to be a quiet day for Pope Leo XIV, with few public events, turned into one full of surprises. The Pope starting his day, meeting with the cardinals, outlining his goals. Then, an unexpected visit to a shrine to the

Virgin Mary outside of Rome. And then, it was back to Rome and a stop at the Basilica where Pope Francis was laid to rest to pay his respects. All of this could be a potential sign of what we could expect from the new pontiff. Molly Hunter is following it all at the Vatican and starts us off tonight. On his third day as Pope, Leo XIV, the new American pontiff, made two surprise visits outside of Vatican City. Seen riding shotgun, waving to ecstatic crowds. About an hour from Rome in Genozzano, Leo visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel, a special place for the Augustinians, but especially for the new Pope. When we heard that the Holy Father, Pope Leo,

wanted to go to Genizano, it was obvious that he wanted to go back to offer a prayer of thanksgiving to our Mother of Good Counsel and a prayer of help. He prayed there back in 2001, on the day he was elected as the head of the religious order. And with him today on his first journey, as Father Joseph Farrell described it, his fellow Augustinian brothers. We had an opportunity to sit down at a table after his visit and prayer in the in the basilica. And I was texting another Augustinian back in the States and I said, it felt like we were on a movie set and he was wearing a pope costume. A costume, but he was dressed up. It just did not seem real.

On his way out, Leo addressed the crowd, explaining his attachment to the shrine, offering his blessing. People are now seeing him out in the world, and they're going nuts. Yeah, they really are. They really are. Multi-generational. There were young children screaming, Papa Leone! Old older men, older women coming in, really struggling. Also with him today, his older brother, John Prevost, who flew in from

Illinois this morning, speaking to our Chicago station here in Rome. I think the country, the world has to be praying for him. And on their way back to the Vatican, another unannounced visit. They went to Santa Maria Maggiore, Leo pausing to pray in front of Pope Francis's tomb. For Pope Leo's closest friends, it's been an overwhelming three days. Overwhelmed with joy, sometimes to the point of tears, but surprised by joy. Molly Hunter joins us now at the Vatican. And Molly, the Pope is scheduled to make a major appearance tomorrow. Jose, that's right.

We will see Pope Leo tomorrow offer an Easter season blessing to the faithful in St. Peter's Square just behind me. And Father Farrell says he expects the crowds to be huge and the atmosphere to be electric. Jose. Molly Hunter at the Vatican. Thank you. Back here in the U.S., an earthquake rattled states across the South this morning. While quakes are not rare in that region, this one caught people off guard. Priya Sridhar has more.

Across the South. Breaking news this morning, an earthquake hit parts of East Tennessee. People waking up to this question. Security cameras catching a rare 4.1 magnitude earthquake rattling the southeastern United States. Do we have an earthquake? I believe so. People trying to make sense of what exactly was going on. I still feel it rumbling. Tabitha Carney felt the shaking in Atlanta. All of a sudden I felt something shake like rumble and I thought it was I didn't know what it was and I almost jumped out of the bed. The U.S. Geological Survey says the epicenter was near Greenback, Tennessee about 30 miles southwest of Knoxville, shortly after 9 o'clock

this morning, with people as far away as Charlotte, North Carolina, saying they felt the shaking more than 250 miles away. No injuries or major damage have been reported, according to officials. How uncommon is it for an earthquake of this magnitude in this region of the United States? So earthquakes of this size are pretty infrequent here, but they're not uncommon. We see one about this size about every decade or so. Residents across the South tonight shaken but grateful the outcome wasn't worse. Priya Shrether, NBC News, Atlanta. Critical negotiations are underway this weekend between the United States and China as they work to reach a deal to end the escalating trade war between the two countries. Yamiche Alcindor has the latest.

Tonight, the U.S. and China holding high-level tariff negotiations. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and Trade Representative Jameson Greer both meeting with top Chinese officials in Switzerland. A source briefed on the talks, saying they went late into the night and will continue tomorrow. On Friday, President Trump sounding optimistic. I think we're going to come back with a fair deal for both China and us. And saying he would be willing to lower his 145 percent tariff on China, posting online 80 percent tariff on China seems right. Alex King owns a restaurant in Virginia that uses ingredients and supplies from China. He is hoping a deal will come together quickly as costs for food and packaging for him

have already begun to rise. Yeah, I'm definitely frustrated about it. I'm slightly disheartened that, you know, like I have little to no influence over, you know, things that will decide the fate of my business and the fate of my livelihood. Is this back and forth crippling to your business? I've talked to five or six vendors for, you know, bowls and lids. They don't want to, you know, negotiate deals because they're worried that, you know, the numbers won't make sense in like two weeks or three weeks. China is among the top three trading partners for the U.S. Last year, more than $582 billion worth of goods traded between the two countries. But already, cargo ships are grinding to a halt, with once major exports of U.S. soybeans and pork to China now plunging. That comes as President Trump, who rolled out a framework of a new agreement with the U.K. this week, says more deals are on the way and that some tariffs could be permanent. We have four or five

other deals coming immediately. We have many deals coming down the line, and ultimately we're just signing the rest of them in. But we always have a baseline of 10 percent. Yamiche Alcindor is at the White House. And Yamiche, there are new legal challenges in President Trump's plans for mass layoffs at federal agencies. That's right. The Trump administration says it will appeal a ruling by a federal judge last night that temporarily blocked the president from moving forward with the largest phase of his push to dramatically reduce the federal workforce. Jose? Yamiche Alcindor at the White House, thank you. Tonight, there are questions about a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after a week of fighting between the two nuclear-armed countries.

Matt Bradley is following it for us tonight. Matt, good evening. Good evening, Jose. Well, President Trump said today that India and Pakistan had agreed to that ceasefire. Now, it looks as though that's holding, but only just. India's foreign secretary said today that Pakistan had repeatedly violated the terms of the agreement. Now, these sorts of violations are typical in the early hours of a ceasefire. They don't necessarily mean that the two sides are going to be going back to the escalating conflict we saw earlier when it looked as though all-out war was inevitable. For now, it looks as though these two nuclear-armed states have stepped back from the brink, but it's still too early to tell whether or not this peace will hold.

Jose? Matt Bradley in London, thank you. Breaking news out of Russia. President Vladimir Putin says he is proposing direct talks with Ukraine to begin on May 15th in Turkey. Kir Simons is in Moscow for us tonight. Tonight, President Putin with a dramatic counteroffer, rejecting Western demands for a sustained ceasefire and proposing direct talks with Ukraine. It comes after Europe's leaders spoke on the phone with President Trump. The so-called Coalition of the Willing, led by the United Kingdom and France,

travelling to Kiev this weekend for discussions with the Ukrainian leader, calling for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire that they say could begin as early as Monday. British Prime Minister Zakir Starmer giving Putin an ultimatum. That if he turns his back on peace, we will respond. Working with President Trump, with all our partners, we will ramp up sanctions and increase our military aid for Ukraine's defence to pressure Russia back to the table. Zelensky saying in a post on X afterwards, Ukraine is ready for meetings and negotiations in any format. But both Russia and Ukraine say a shorter three-day ceasefire,

unilaterally called by the Kremlin for its victory day, has been violated hundreds of times. And these injured Ukrainian troops near Zaporizitsia say Russian mortars and drones haven't stopped firing. This medic saying they said they would not shoot, but in every case, somehow, they always violate something. President Putin's late-night news conference here in the Kremlin follows frustration in the Trump administration after hours of talks and little progress. Jose. Keir Simmons in Moscow tonight. Thank you. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security suggested today the Trump administration could arrest members of Congress after an incident at an immigration facility in New Jersey on Friday. The mayor of Newark, New Jersey, was arrested yesterday and

charged with trespassing. Three members of Congress were also there. The DHS spokesperson said on CNN Today that the government is in possession of body camera footage showing those House representatives allegedly assaulting ICE officers. Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, who was at the ICE facility on Friday and is 80 years old, denied the allegations, calling them absurd. Still ahead for us, from Chicago to Chiclayo. The reaction in Peru as Catholics there celebrate the new pope and their close connections to him. The election of Pope Leo XIV led to excitement around the world,

especially in Peru, where the Pope spent much of his career and where he gained citizenship in 2015. Stephanie Goss reports from Chiclayo. In Chiclayo, Peru tonight, preparations for a special late night mass to celebrate Pope Leo XIV, their pope. He touched the lives of so many people in this community, even the men who raised the banners in his honor. How does it feel to know the pope? I asked him. I'm so proud, he says, because he's from here. Robert Prevost lived and worked in this country for more than 20 years, first as a missionary during the 80s when Peru was fractured by internal violence. In 2015, Pope Francis named Prevost the Archbishop of Chiclayo,

a northern city on the Pacific coast. What was your reaction when you heard that he was named the Pope? Oh, it was so exciting. I didn't believe it. While Kiria Garcia was 14 years old when she met the bishop, he made regular visits to her school. He always was like a very nice person, so friendly. I never feel like he's an authority. I feel him like a friend. People we speak with here say Prevost didn't just live in this country. He connected with it personally, often devoting his attention to help those who needed it most, setting up a shelter for Venezuelan immigrants fleeing violence, walking the streets during COVID to connect with people because he couldn't deliver mass. At Garcia's house today, three generations of the family cooked together,

among them Garcia's grandmother, a former journalist. She says Bishop Prevost always had time to take reporters' questions, but it wasn't just reporters. Here in Chiclayo, it seems Pope Leo XIV had time for everyone. The mass will be held inside the cathedral, but they've set out these screens outside because it will fill fast. All of Chiclayo is expected to pour into this square tonight to celebrate Pope Leo. Jose? Stephanie Gosk in Chiclayo, Peru, thank you so much.

And that's NBC Nightly News for this Saturday. The great Hallie Jackson will be here tomorrow night. I'm Jose Diaz-Balart. Thank you for the privilege of your time. And good night.