NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Sunday, February 2, 2025

Episode Date: February 3, 2025

Flames erupt from wing of United Airlines flight before takeoff; Family members visit site of deadly crash at Reagan National Airport; Backlash to Trump's new tariffs; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, another frightening plane incident. The evacuation after a fire on a United flight, while in Philadelphia, a search for answers after that medical plane crash. Terrifying videos from on board a United flight during takeoff from Houston. A fire near the wing. Look at that. Then the evacuation. We hear from passengers on board. Seeing the smoke off the wing was really scary. The emotional visit for families of victims to the site of the American Airlines crash as the military now identifies the full crew of the helicopter that collided with it. One crew member sometimes worked White House events and the

parents of another share their son's story with us. In Philadelphia, investigators searching for answers after that medical jet crashed, killing seven. And the up-close video tonight, the crater it left behind. New retaliation after President Trump launched a massive trade war, hitting goods from Canada, Mexico, and China with tariffs as high as 25 percent. Plus, what it means for the price you pay. Smartphone costs could spike $200. And where Canadians are now booing the U.S. national anthem. Secretary of State Marco Rubio touring the Panama Canal on his first foreign visit. What he says about the U.S. taking it back.

Our Andrea Mitchell is there. This is NBC Nightly News with Hallie Jackson. Good evening. We are coming on the air with a scary moment for passengers on board a United flight in Houston, which had to be evacuated before takeoff because of an engine problem. I want to show you here. Passengers could see smoke and flames. Look at that through the windows before being told to get off the plane.

You saw some folks sliding out those emergency chutes that deployed. No one was hurt. And while statistically speaking, commercial air travel is considered very safe, it is yet another incident putting passengers on edge. It comes as we're learning more tonight about the victims of the deadly medical plane crash that sent fiery debris into northeast Philly. And then here in Washington, on that very same runway where that American Airlines regional plane was supposed to land Wednesday, instead, tonight, family members gathering to honor their loved ones. We have it all covered with our team on the ground in each of those cities, but we begin with Priscilla Thompson in Houston. Harrowing moments in Houston when a United Airlines flight caught fire just before takeoff.

Please, please, please get us on this. This This video a passenger shot showing flames coming out of the aircraft's wing. The New York bound passengers appearing frantic as flight attendants urged calm. First responders racing to the scene. Percussion right now, request fire correct. United Airlines says that during takeoff, United Flight 1382 received an indication about one engine and halted the takeoff. Which engine was it? There's engine two. There's an indication it's the right engine. More than 100 passengers and five crew members were on board, United Airlines says, including Daria Amai Shelton. You know, we had a big popping sound that was loud enough to startle me out of my sleep.

And then the plane actually jolted to a stop. She and fellow passengers seen here sliding to safety. Seeing the smoke off the wing was really scary and then seeing the intensity of everyone just trying to get off the plane orderly was a lot. Passengers left waiting on the runway with the plane before officials say they were bused back to the terminal. The FAA says they will investigate. Tonight, those United Airlines passengers finally in the air after an early morning takeoff scare. Priscilla joins us now live from George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Priscilla, what are the next steps in this investigation?

Yeah, Hallie, this plane will be taken out of service in order to be inspected and repaired before it can fly again in the hopes that something like this does not happen again. Hallie. Priscilla Thompson, thank you. New details tonight on what exactly an American Airlines flight did just seconds before that crash over the Potomac River on Wednesday. Erin Gilchrist has the latest from Washington, where victims' families today gather to honor the lives lost. A somber gathering on runway 33 today. Dozens of loved ones of the 67 victims of the Potomac plane crash attending a memorial service at the river's edge. Parents and children, siblings and spouses all in mourning near the crash site of an army helicopter at American Airlines flight 5342. Tonight officials laying out a plan to salvage the aircraft wreckage

with a massive crane already in position on the water. I think we've done everything to set the conditions for a successful lift starting tomorrow morning. Our goal is to really lift as much as we can, given the fact that we are also accounting for the human remains component. This, as we learn new details about the plane's cockpit recording, captured moments before the collision. At 8.47.58, the crew had a verbal reaction. NTSB officials say the airplane crew heard directions to the chopper to pass behind them and tried to pull up at the last second.

Sounds of impact were audible about one second later, followed by the end of the recording. Investigators have flight data and voice records from the regional jet. They also have data from Reagan National's control tower, one showing the collision at 325 feet, the other at 200. They still need to read the data from the helicopter recorder. Between those three, whenever we have those data points finalized, we feel that we'll be very comfortable in saying exactly what altitude this occurred at. We're also hearing more about the soldiers killed in this tragedy.

28-year-old Staff Sergeant Ryan O'Hara, a Hilo repairman, had served since 2014. He leaves behind a wife and a one-year-old son. Our Priya Shraithar spoke to his parents in Georgia. It's just so surreal to see them actually take that body bag out with the flag on it and the officers all saluting and knowing my little boy is there. And 28-year-old Captain Rebecca Lobach from Durham, North Carolina, joined the Army in 2019. Earlier this year, as a White House military social aid, she escorted Ralph Lauren as he received President Biden's Medal of Freedom Award.

She's constantly pushing herself to be better, to exceed the expectations, to exceed the standard. Erin is joining us now. And Erin, we understand crews are expected to start pulling the wreckage out of the river tomorrow. How long will that take? Hallie, the Army Corps of Engineers says it should take about three days to remove the plane wreckage from the river. After that, they'll focus on removing the helicopter, ultimately turning everything over to the NTSB. Hallie? Aaron Gilchrist for us at Reagan tonight. Aaron, thank you.

In Philadelphia tonight, a major break in the investigation into the crash of a medical jet into a neighborhood there. Investigators say late tonight they have found the so-called black box, the plane's cockpit voice recorder, which is so important to any accident investigation. Emily Aketa is there. Tonight, new images of the force of impact from the deadly plane crash in northeast Philadelphia. Investigators standing in the crater left behind. That's where they found a key piece of evidence, the cockpit voice recorder, that looks similar to this. The medevac plane nosedived less than a minute after takeoff before exploding Friday night. Officials now reporting that furious blast injured 22 people. Five of the victims remain hospitalized currently, and three of them are in critical condition.

Andre Howard's 10-year-old son remains in the hospital after he was struck in the head by metal while in their car. The way it landed, it was only because he laid on his sister. It landed right on the right side of his head. He was protecting his sister? Yes. And he's my superhero. He's your superhero? He's my superhero.

Officials say seven people died, including all six Mexican citizens on board the Learjet 55. A family friend remembering Lizeth Maria Osuna as a warrior for her daughter Valentina. The young girl was receiving treatment at Shriners Children's Hospital for four months and finally returning home on jet rescue air ambulance. The company says it flies six to 700 flights a year and has had one other fatal crash in its 27 years of operating. Any accident is cause for concern, but in terms of medevac airplane accidents over the past few years, it's been fairly stable.

They're very safe. That's why they get a lot of attention when they do occur. Emily is joining us now from Philly. So Emily, what else are we learning now tonight about this cockpit voice recorder they found? Hallie, that cockpit voice recorder was recovered just beyond those police cars behind me in the crater eight feet deep. The NTSB also found both of the plane's engines and a warning system that they say could provide additional important information. Hallie. Emily Akeda with that late breaking news tonight from Philly. Emily, thanks. New backlash tonight to President Trump's tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China, all set to go into effect within days. Critics warning the move will spark a trade war and force Americans to pay more for things they need. We'll get to the impact on your budget in just a minute.

But first, Yamiche Alcindor has more on the fallout today. Tonight, President Trump's new tariffs blasted by foreign leaders and Democrats here at home. It's going to just do one thing. It will raise prices for American consumers. Even as Republicans rush to the president's defense for imposing 25 percent tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada and 10 percent on items from China. If prices go up, it's because of other people's reactions to America's laws. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau retaliating with his own 25% tariffs on U.S. imports and speaking directly to the American people. Tariffs against Canada will put your jobs at risk. They will raise costs for you, including food at the grocery store,

gas at the pump. And it's getting personal. Last night in an NHL hockey game in Ottawa, Canadian fans booed the singing of the U.S. national anthem. This morning, President Trump writing on social media that Canada should become our cherished 51st state. The president, who campaigned on promises of lowering costs for Americans, also acknowledging prices could go up, posting, Will there be some pain? Yes, maybe, adding it will all be worth the price that must be paid.

White House officials said the tariffs will help with border security and accused Mexico of having an alliance with drug traffickers. Mexico's president pushing back, saying we categorically reject the White House's slander against the Mexican government of having alliances with criminal organizations. Mexico also says it will now implement its own new tariffs on the U.S. And China says it's going to file a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization and take countermeasures of its own. Yamiche is joining us now from West Palm Beach in Florida, where she's traveling with the president. Yamiche, it's possible President Trump isn't done yet when it comes to tariffs, right?

That's right. Yesterday, White House officials said if any country tried to retaliate, the U.S. could increase President Trump's tariffs even more. So this trade war could just be getting started. Hallie. Yamiche Alcindor, thank you. Let's bring in senior business correspondent Christine Romans. All right, Christine, translate the politics into the everyday budget of it all, because there's a lot of stuff we import from these countries and a lot of it will probably get more expensive. You know, that's right, Hallie. I mean, you look at these tariffs. They hit America's three biggest trading partners. Mexico, China and Canada exported

more than one point two trillion dollars worth of goods into the U.S. just in the first 11 months of 2024. So let's start with energy. Canadian crude exports will have a smaller 10 percent tariff. But experts say even that is enough to add 15 to 25 cents a gallon to the cost of gasoline for U.S. drivers. Now let's look at autos. This trade war could add an estimated 3,000 bucks to the cost of a new car here in the U.S. Why? Because 42 percent of auto parts are imported from Mexico, 13 percent from Canada. All of those are about to face new costs. As for groceries, the margins on food are so razor thin that shoppers could be looking at paying the full 25% of cost increases on everything like avocados, beer and beef from

Mexico and chocolate, pork and vegetable oil from Canada, Ali. How about consumer technology, Christine? So much of that is made in China. What happens to those costs? So look at these estimates. These are from the Consumer Tech Association. If the full tariffs are passed on to consumers, price increases could be as much as $213 on a smartphone, $357 on laptops, and $246 more for video game consoles. Hallie? Christine Romans, thank you. Also tonight, it seems like dramatic changes are happening at USAID. That's the agency responsible for providing help to developing countries and those in crisis. Vaughn Hilliard joins us now.

So, Vaughn, what's going on here and how is Elon Musk involved? Right, Hallie. This amounts to a gutting of this key agency. NBC News has learned from several sources that in the past week, more than 1,000 senior civil workers and contractors were fired, furloughed, or placed on leave. USAID's website has been offline for more than 24 hours now. And I'm also told that this weekend, the director and deputy director of the agency's security office were put on leave after refusing access to secure

files to Elon Musk's Doge office. In just the last hours, Musk calling the agency criminal and saying it's time for it to die. USAID is the backbone of the U.S.'s humanitarian assistance around the world. And the Trump administration has also frozen billions of dollars of foreign aid that runs through it. Several Democratic lawmakers tonight are saying the crippling of USAID undercuts America's national security. Vaughn Hilliard, thank you very much. Still ahead tonight, Secretary of State Marco Rubio touring the Panama Canal today as President Trump argues the U.S. should take it back. Our Andrea Mitchell is there. President Trump has made clear he believes the U.S.

should reclaim the Panama Canal. Now, his Secretary of State Marco Rubio is sending an unmistakable message with his first foreign trip in that role to Panama. Our Andrea Mitchell is there. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Panama, his first stop as America's top diplomat. Of all the agencies out there, there was none I would rather be in charge of and lead. Flying into a storm of controversy over President Trump's threat to take over the Panama Canal, claiming China controls it, a threat Rubio relayed to Panama's government today. Panama's President Molina rejected the Trump claim, saying the canal is Panamanian and will remain so. For Panama, the 51-mile passageway between the Atlantic and

Pacific is a source of enormous pride and an economic lifeline, billions of dollars paid by global shippers to cut the distance by more than 9,000 miles. Rubio said the U.S. has to take steps to protect its rights to the canal unless changes are made to prevent the risk of China shutting it down, because Chinese companies operate ports at both ends. This pagoda proclaiming China's presence here in Panama, along with this bridge being built over the canal by Chinese-led companies, is partly why President Trump is sounding the alarm. But the canal itself is run by Panama, with ports along the way operated by companies from all over the world, including the U.S.,

even Taiwan. Canal officials also reject President Trump's claim that U.S. ships are charged more. Are you overcharging U.S. ships? All the Panama Canal clients or users, they're paying the same. Many Panamanians see the U.S. threat as bullying. I think that a lot of Panamanians can agree, most of all of us, that it belongs to us. Late today, Rubio touring the canal for himself. Panama and the U.S. do agree on cracking down on illegal migration. So before he leaves tomorrow, Secretary Rubio will witness the deportation of dozens of Colombians back to their country.

Hallie? Andrea Mitchell in Panama, thanks. That's nightly news for this Sunday. Lester will be in tomorrow. I'm Hallie Jackson. For all of us here at NBC, thanks for watching and have a good week.