NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Sunday, April 20, 2025

Episode Date: April 20, 2025

Severe storms bring deadly floods, tornadoes across the South; Report: Hegseth discussed attack details in second Signal chat; Tensions escalate after Supreme Court temporary pause; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the deadly flood emergency in the South as tornadoes rip through the region. High alert in the Midwest, intense storms and dangerous conditions as tornadoes tear through, bringing heavy rain, a lot of wind, even flash floods, trapping people in their cars. It's an elderly couple and they're unable to get out. Take a look at this hotel torn apart, the millions of people still at risk, and where are the storms heading next? A new report tonight of another Trump administration signal chat allegedly involving the defense secretary sharing military information with family members and his personal lawyer.

The escalating standoff over deportations, new developments on a Supreme Court split with the deportation of dozens of accused gang members now on hold. And the warning from the president's critics about a possible constitutional crisis. The Easter Sunday surprise from Pope Francis. His words to the world and his message on migrants. Ukraine and Russia with nonstop fighting despite that Easter ceasefire. And now new concerns over whether peace talks could collapse. Major lawsuits tonight after the devastating L.A. fires.

How some homeowners say big insurance companies allegedly colluded against them. Millions of dollars raised for organ transplant recipients now gone. Officials asking tonight, where did the money go? And new questions over AI in youth sports and whether it could be a game changer in more ways than one. This is NBC Nightly News with Hallie Jackson. Good evening. We are coming on the air tonight with a new round of tornadoes ripping through the Midwest with 10 million people under severe weather alerts. That deadly storm system now moving east and a dangerous mix for travelers heading home this holiday weekend. The flooding washing out roads in Oklahoma where at least two people have been killed. More than two dozen reported tornadoes

have left behind damage in Texas. You can see the funnel cloud here, houses ripped apart. Now this sprawling storm is on the move, but slowly with millions more in its path. Marissa Parra has made her way to Oklahoma tonight and starts us off. Weather whiplash slamming America's heartland. Funnel cloud spotted in Missouri amid an Easter weekend marked by unrelenting weather. The National Weather Service estimates 16 tornadoes tore through Texas and Oklahoma, bringing severe rains, violent winds and historic flash flooding. Serious call going on with multiple drowning victims.

In Moore, Oklahoma, this video showing a car caught in rushing floodwaters. Authorities there say a woman and a 12-year-old child were killed after their vehicle was swept away. Further east, homes and businesses ripped apart by an EF1 tornado. Here in Ada, Oklahoma, we have city officials condemning buildings like this one behind me as we speak. Christopher Rogers was in this hotel room at the Quality Inn when he first heard the sirens and ran for cover. Where were you? I was in the tub, the mattress, a sign of his desperation to shield himself. You're either thinking about life or you're thinking about death, which everyone's gonna come first. You know, residents

desperate for relief after an already record breaking storm season. It's devastating. Karen Ames has worked as a housekeeper here since 1983. It was her first job. Now she and all her coworkers will need to find a new one. I'm sure you were not planning on spending your Easter Sunday with us.

No, no. Sure wasn't the storm tonight, now setting its sights east and putting 10 million people in the impact zone. But survivors who have weathered the storms already balancing heartbreak with gratitude. It's kind of one of those things that I'm grateful that everybody is still alive. Marissa Parra is joining us now live from Ada. And Marissa, it is clear that the storm threat still is not over. Yeah, you can see this damage and destruction behind me. Now,

even though Ada, Oklahoma is out of the storm zone threat, millions still remain under threat across the central plains. The tornado watch in effect until 11 tonight. Hallie. Marissa Parra in Oklahoma tonight. Thank you. We are following breaking news now on the Pentagon tonight with the new report. The defense secretary shared military information about a U.S. strike in a private signal group chat with family members and his lawyer, among others. Yamiche Alcindor is following this story for us. Yamiche, good evening. That's right, Hallie. According to The New York Times, the defense secretary shared detailed military information about that strike, which happened back in March in a separate private signal chat that included his wife and about a dozen other people, including some Pentagon

employees. The Times says he allegedly shared in this new chat similar information that he shared in the first signal chat when the editor of The Atlantic was added by mistake. According to the Times, the information shared in this new chat includes flight schedules that were similar to the first chat that came to light. An administration official told The Times there was no national security breach and no new classified information was shared in this new chat. So NBC News, though, has not confirmed the existence of this new signal chat. Hallie. You may, Shelsendor. Thank you. tonight, new divisions in that escalating fight over the president's controversial immigration policies, with one Supreme Court justice now blasting the court's decision to temporarily

press pause on deporting some Venezuelan detainees. Von Hilliard reports. Tonight, tensions escalating between President Trump and the Supreme Court, the administration asking the court to end its pause on their planned deportation of at least 28 Venezuelan detainees at a Texas ICE facility. The court temporarily stopped the White House's plans this weekend to deport the men under the Alien Enemies Act. The administration says the men are gang members, but lawyers representing the detainees say they're being denied their due process. President Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, has previously said that doesn't apply. The length of due process is not the same under the Alien Enemies Act. That's why the Alien

Enemies Act was created. While seven justices agreed on the order, Justice Samuel Alito, writing his dissent, joined by Justice Clarence Thomas, that the court issued unprecedented and legally questionable relief without giving the lower courts a chance to rule. In an Easter message on social media, the president writing, Happy Easter also to the weak and ineffective judges and law enforcement officials who are allowing this sinister attack on our nation to continue. Meanwhile, Kilmar Abrego Garcia remains in El Salvador after more than a month, despite the Supreme Court ordering the administration to facilitate his return. Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen met with Abrego Garcia last week. This is not about one man. If you deny the constitutional rights of one man,

you threaten the constitutional rights for everybody. Republican Senator John Kennedy saying Abrego Garcia should not be in El Salvador. The administration won't admit it, but this was a screw-up. I don't see any pattern here. I see a screw-up. Vaughn Hilliard is joining us now from the White House. Vaughn, what is the status of those Venezuelan detainees? Hallie, they now await further direction

from the Supreme Court. An administration official confirms to me tonight that the detainees were on a bus destined for a deportation flight on Friday night when DHS was told to cancel the trip and turn their bus around back to that ICE facility. Ali. Von Hilliard at the White House, thank you.

To the Vatican now and the Easter Sunday surprise from Pope Francis weeks after he was released from the hospital, delivering a message calling for better treatment of migrants. Claudio Lavanga is in Rome for us tonight. Claudio, good evening. Holly, it was an Easter surprise many people around here had been hoping for. Pope Francis appeared in St. Peter's Square right after Easter mass. He blessed the crowds, he wished everyone a happy Easter, and he even jumped on the Popemobile to tour St. Peter's Square to greet the ecstatic crowd. Now, in his Easter message, he, of course, called for peace in the world, but he also warned against contempt towards migrants,

a message that must have been in the air in that room where, earlier in the day, Pope Francis met privately with J.D. Vance. The Vatican said that that meeting only lasted a few minutes just to give them an opportunity to wish each other Happy Easter. Holly? Claudio Lavanga at the Vatican tonight. Thank you. President Trump, late today, saying he hopes to see a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine this week as a temporary Easter ceasefire is ending in that region. Raf Sanchez is watching all of it for us tonight.

So, Raf, where do things stand now in this push to try to get to some kind of a truce? So, Hallie, that Easter ceasefire expired just over an hour ago officially, but the reality is it never really set in, both sides accusing the other of carrying out widespread attacks. But President Trump tonight in a post on Truth Social, massively raising expectations, saying he hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough in the coming days. But just last week, the White House threatened to end peace talks if progress wasn't made. Now, we are expecting U.S. negotiators to meet Ukrainian

officials here in London this week, and then it'll be up to U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to sit down with Vladimir Putin and see if the Russian leader really wants a deal. Hallie. Raf Sanchez, thank you. A showdown on the streets of New York as the state's governor ignores today's deadline by the Trump administration,

demanding New York stop tolling drivers who enter midtown Manhattan, a congestion pricing standoff watched by cities coast to coast. Maya Eaglin has more. Tonight, a looming battle between New York state officials and the Trump administration. New York Governor Kathy Hochul ignoring demands to end congestion pricing today, a deadline set by the federal government. The governor's office telling NBC News the program

is working, traffic is down, business is up and the cameras are staying on. Hochul says the tolls will raise billions of dollars for city projects and lower traffic. But it's unclear how the Trump administration will respond if congestion pricing continues in New York City. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy responding to Hochul's defiance on X, saying, your refusal to end court in pricing and your open disrespect towards the federal government is unacceptable. Tolls like this one on West 61st Street charge drivers up to $9 every time they travel into midtown Manhattan. And the drivers we spoke to had mixed feelings about it. What are your thoughts on congestion pricing? Absolutely the worst idea ever.

I think it's solving a problem of too many cars in Midtown. Traffic in some of the busiest parts of Manhattan was down 11% in February compared to the same time last year. Boston, Los Angeles, and Chicago have also contemplated some form of congestion pricing. If this fails in New York City because the federal government intervenes, it could fail across cities and states across the United States. The future of congestion pricing in New York stuck in gridlock with a bumpy road ahead. Maya Eaglin, NBC News.

Also tonight, new allegations of collusion being made against major insurance companies in California. The accusations coming in lawsuits from homeowners who lost everything in the L.A. wildfires. Here's Ryan Chandler. Tonight, two new lawsuits stemming from the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, with plaintiffs alleging they were victims of an illegal scheme by California insurance companies to deny coverage to high-risk homeowners. The suits which the plaintiffs lawyers say they filed Friday claimed the state's largest insurance companies engaged in a nefarious conspiracy to eliminate competition before the fires broke out and forced plaintiffs to obtain fire

insurance from the state's insurer of last resort a program known as the California Fair Plan. They knew that they could force people by dropping insurance into that plan, which had higher premiums and far lower coverages. I don't know how long I'm going to be out of my home for. Alicia Calvin was dropped by her insurance company last July. I called every company that I've heard of and everyone said, no, you're in the fire zone. You don't qualify for insurance through us. So I was told by an agent, you have to get California fair plan. She's not part of the lawsuit, but one of the thousands left drastically underinsured. Her home is standing, unlivable, contaminated, she says, by toxic ash. And the fair plant has left her in limbo. I don't know when I can start the repair process.

I don't know if my insurance is going to cover me any rental. They were supposed to pay me on April 7th and they did not. NBC News reached out to the major insurance companies named in the suit. So far, none have commented. But for the residents here in Altadena, they still have a long road home. And as they celebrate Easter elsewhere, there's so many next steps that are still uncertain. Hallie. Ryan Chandler, thank you. Still ahead tonight, millions of dollars for organ transplant patients now disappeared. And officials want to know, where did that money go? A critical update now in a story we've been following for the past year. The Tennessee Attorney General now making new moves tonight after an organ transplant foundation

suddenly shut down, leaving some patients struggling to pay their bills. The question now, where did that money go? Zinkley Esselmois reports. Tonight, one year after its sudden closure, the National Foundation for Transplants is facing a lawsuit from the Tennessee Attorney General's office. The National Foundation for Transplants can't get its story straight. The National Foundation for Transplants. For decades, the Memphis-based charity provided a fundraising platform for organ transplant patients. But last year, NFT abruptly shut down, and many patients and donors say the

money they raised was gone. AG Jonathan Scrimetti's office says it received 47 complaints that NFT represented donations would be earmarked for specific transplant patients. There are real concerns about misrepresentations being made to raise money. Concerns about fraud? Yes. It's an issue of life and death for people like Kathy Ernest, a double lung transplant recipient we met last year. I couldn't walk from here to there without gasping for air. The roughly $13,000 she says she raised through NFT is now gone, but she still has medical bills. Did it alter anything about how you had to live? I had to change my eating habits like when I was going out to eat. So it's like,

no, I got to pay this bill. In a statement to NBC News, NFT states they were surprised by the lawsuit and significantly disagrees that it was engaged in any fraud or misrepresentation in terms of its fundraising and use of funds, adding that the organization disputes any wrongdoing but plans to hopefully work with the attorney general on a reasonable dissolution of the company. Announcing the lawsuit, the Tennessee AG says it wants government supervision over the dissolution and dispersal of any remaining assets. There's a discrepancy between representations that were made to donors and patients that funds were going to be raised for specific patients and representations that have since been made that there's just one big pool of money which is substantially smaller than the amount raised. Money Kathy worries she and others may never see. Whether it was $2,000 or $20,000,

you know, I feel bad that that was taken from them. Zinclea Samoa, NBC News. We are back in a moment with a possible game changer for youth sports. The new questions over how some coaches are using AI to help kids on the field. These days, it may feel like you're finding AI everywhere. And now that includes the kids' soccer field. Our Sam Brock has more on the questions around how this tech could affect the youngest players. Jog on your way back. Go. What might look like a typical youth soccer practice just outside new york city go boy is getting a brand new pitch cutting edge ai technology that can pinpoint

every kick pass or clear sean sims brings this high-tech 20 foot tall three-in-one camera to each game so the idea is it's so tall you're getting a full picture of the entire field. Full picture of the entire field along with the player focus AI. That is Sean's seven-year-old son SJ scoring a goal. The technology from a company called Trace identifies players based on their numbers and curates their every move. What did you see? So I was playing center mid. Allowing for film review sessions like this. father and son watching back SJ's key plays on the big screen. You think you did a good job there? Sean says SJ enjoys watching himself, and the tech helps him develop as a player.

Do you feel like you learned stuff? A lot of stuff. Balancing constructive criticism with positive reinforcement. Is the omeness on you to sort of strike a balance between things that will be constructive, but also not showing him something that might make him feel bad about himself? Yeah, definitely. You got to play your card the right way, if you will. Out of bounds, throw in. The tech for this age group at the elite FC Westchester club is optional. It's up to parents whether they want to spend the 300 bucks annually to use it.

The club's president says this is just one tool in a bigger picture of player training. Do you think some people are going to see this and say, wait a minute, you got eight, nine year old kids in film sessions? Well, I'm torn between that as well. Reluctantly, the ecosystem has forced us to start younger and younger to stay in the game. I prefer, you know, to let them just have fun and kind of support them, their enjoyment in the sport without taking it too seriously at that young of an age. Trace, one of several companies offering similar services, says it has more than 100,000 subscribers and more than 10,000 cameras in use.

A community of coaches, parents, and players looking to strike a balance. And you're a? Playmaker. There you go. While still having some good old-fashioned fun. Sam Brock, NBC News, Purchase, New York. When we come back, there's good news tonight, acts of kindness for all ages and inspiring others along the way.

There's good news tonight, proving it's not how old you are that counts, it's how you count your acts of kindness along the way. We're doing a beach cleanup for my seventh act of kindness. We're hosting a tips for change fundraiser. We're hosting a stuffed animal adoption fundraiser. This is Max. We reached our goal and got $1,000 more. On a mission.

From building a playhouse for a child battling cancer to shooting hockey pups to raise money for the victim's families from the D.C. plane crash. Max Racer spent more than a year completing 10 acts of kindness for his 10th birthday with mom Christina by his side. What inspired you to do this? I just think it's so important for somebody my age to do something like this. Sometimes in life, you get older, look back and say like, you know, I wish I should have done this, but I have to say like, you should get like an early start on it. There's been a lot of tears, a lot of happy tears. I've been so proud of him. Each act as meaningful as the last with community front and center.

It brought together a lot of people. All my friends and family want to come out and help me. And, you know, that really makes me happy that I've inspired people. Inspiring others just like he was. That's Brian Chiliacos with Max, who did 30 acts of kindness for his 30th birthday. Oh, Max, what's going on, man? And Brian joined Max for his first act

to make more than 200 sandwiches for a homeless shelter. Good job! Whether it's leading a beach cleanup, raising money for a dog rescue... All donations benefit the Golden Gate Lab Rescue. Max and Christina, learning compassion is a reward in itself. There was just a moment where he was pushing the cart, and he looked at me and he said,

Mommy, this feels really good. And we both just started crying. That's when we realized this is what life is all about. What do you hope other people learn from what you did, Max? I hope people learn that you can do anything you want at any age and don't let anybody stop you and follow your dreams. You don't obviously know the lives that you touch, but you know in your heart that you touch lives. And Max says he still plans to keep up acts of kindness even now that he's 11. That's nightly news for this Sunday. Lester will be back tomorrow.

I'm Hallie Jackson. For all of us here at NBC, thanks for watching and have a great week.