NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Sunday, March 16, 2025

Episode Date: March 17, 2025

Deadly storms ravage South, Midwest as millions prepare for severe weather; Vatican releases first photo of Pope Francis since hospitalization; Tensions rise in Middle East after U.S. strikes in Yemen; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, deadly storms ripping through the South with millions at risk right now. The massive system spawning dozens of tornadoes, at least 36 people killed. Look at this bus overturned on top of a school, hundreds of thousands without power, gusty wind, flipping trucks, and triggering a dust storm that led to this 50-car pileup. We're tracking it all. Breaking tonight, a new photo of Pope Francis, the first since his hospitalization. We're live from Rome with the latest on his recovery.

Growing tensions in the Middle East. Houthi rebels claiming retaliation against a U.S. warship after American strikes in Yemen. New signs of growing frustration over how President Trump's handling the economy. And new questions after the president invokes a wartime act New signs of growing frustration over how President Trump's handling the economy. And new questions after the president invokes a wartime act to target Venezuelan gangs. The father of a University of Idaho murder victim speaking out tonight.

His reaction to newly released 911 calls from the night of the murders. An American tourist facing questions about a missing college student in the Dominican Republic. What he's now telling our team. The space swap begins. New video of that astronaut greeting that means Butch and Sonny are now one step closer to home after nine months in orbit. And there's good news tonight about a special surprise for this high school senior and the shot that had both teams jumping for joy. This is NBC Nightly News with Hallie Jackson. Good evening. We are coming on the air with millions of people under weather alerts tonight as a huge and deadly storm system barrels east, spinning off dozens of tornadoes across the south. Take a look at this scene from Mississippi. Trees stripped bare, the roof of this house totally torn off, the devastation stretching

across the south from Mississippi to Alabama, where the wind was so strong it flipped a bus onto the high school here. We know in all, at least 36 people have been killed in the region already. And while this system is moving off the coast overnight, the middle of the country will still face threats from strong winds and dry air, fueling fears of new wildfires. We've got the forecast in just a minute, but we begin tonight with Kathy Park in the storm zone. Tonight, violent storms striking the South,

as some residents watch the destruction in real time. At least 67 preliminary tornadoes reported by the National Weather Service since Friday, tearing across seven states. The death toll climbing into the double digits. The destructive winds lifted the school bus onto a high school in Alabama, leveled entire neighborhoods in Arkansas, and ripped homes to shreds in Mississippi. In hard-hit Tylertown, All this stuff here was in that shed out there. Charles Rushing survived by taking cover in the hallway.

The roar got louder, and then all of a sudden that wind busted through that door and all that stuff came down the hall. The loss of his lifelong home, too much to bear. How did you react when you walked out and saw this? Devastated. Because, you know, you put your life into a place and then, you know, it's destroyed in just a matter of minutes the multi-day outbreak of severe weather stretching into the carolinas and georgia there it goes extreme winds friday toppling semis on the interstate in texas a severe dust storm in kansas being blamed for a 50 car pileup that killed at least eight in missouri more than a dozen dead, including 43-year-old Jennifer

Brewington, remembered by her fiance, Ethan, as a loving and caring person. Shock, numb, don't know what to think, don't know what to say anymore. Damage like this seen in communities across Missouri. Our Adrienne Bronis is in the storm zone. Take a look at these houses, roofs missing, walls gone, and cars crushed. Wind speeds here reaching up to 130 miles per hour. And for some families, rebuilding could take months. And the extreme weather threat isn't over, with the Northeast next in line for powerful storms. And Kathy Park joins us from hard-hit Magnolia, Mississippi, where two confirmed tornadoes hit back to back. Kathy. Allie, that's right. That's why the damage is so widespread in this area. A woman tells us she was actually inside the middle of this home when the roof collapsed.

And, Allie, the winds were so destructive. Take a look at this. It actually pulled pieces of metal directly into this tree. Allie. Kathy Park, thank you. Let's bring in WNBC meteorologist Matt Brickman. And Matt, this has been a particularly dangerous system. Yeah, Hallie, since Friday, we have seen an outbreak of tornadoes first across the Midwest and then

over the Southeast. Give you a look at all the preliminary reports, and it's 68 tornadoes since Friday. Now, the system not quite done just yet. Cold front pushing east tonight and into the day tomorrow. Heavy rain, but not expecting a widespread flooding concern with some gusty winds that will linger through the night and that rain hanging around through St. Patrick's Day on Monday. As that clears out, we shift our attention out west where there is very dry air and gusty wind from South Dakota south through Texas with a high fire danger that could be through Monday and Tuesday as well. Holly. Matt Brickman, thank you. Also tonight, our first look at the pope since his weeks long hospitalization began as the Vatican releases a new photograph. Claudio Lavanga joins us now from Rome.

Claudio, good evening. Holly, this is the first photo of Pope Francis released by the Vatican since it was taken to hospital more than a month ago. Now, it was taken from behind, but you can still see clearly the Pope is conscious. His eyes are open and he's not bedridden. Also, it doesn't look like he's on oxygen, another sign the Pope is stable and he's responding well to treatment, just as doctors have said for days now. Also, there is no doubt that this photo will come as a relief to the many people around the world who've been praying for the Pope's recovery. But despite this positive sign, there is still no word from doctors on when he may be released. Hallie.

Claudio Lavanga in Rome. Thank you. To the Middle East, where Houthi rebels backed by Iran are claiming they've targeted an American warship as retaliation for U.S. strikes. Danielle Hamamjan is with us. And Danielle, there are concerns about the potential for escalation now. That's right, Hallie. That's the warning from the leader of the Houthis in his speech tonight.

Over the past 24 hours in retaliation for those strikes in Yemen, the Houthis say they targeted the USS Harry Truman and its warships in the northern Red Sea. They claim to have used 18 ballistic and cruise missiles as well as a drone. NBC can't independently verify these claims, and the Defense Department has yet to comment. For the Houthis, disrupting global trade is about solidarity with the Palestinians. They say they'll only retreat when Israel allows humanitarian aid back into Gaza. For the U.S., this is about sending a clear message to Iran

as President Trump seeks a nuclear deal with the Iranians. Hallie. Danielle Hamamjan, thank you. New questions tonight over the Trump administration's push to deport Venezuelans, including alleged gang members, and a possible legal fight ahead, all as new numbers show just how Americans feel about the way the president is handling another key issue, the economy. Yamiche Alcindor reports. We're going to make America rich again.

Tonight in a new interview, President Trump defending his chaotic tariff strategy after the Dow had its worst week in two years. I think our economy is going to roar. I think our stock market is going to do great. Members of his cabinet treading carefully. Mr. Secretary, can you guarantee the American people here and now that there will be no recession on President Trump's watch? You know that there are no guarantees. Who would have predicted COVID? With critics blasting the president. Donald Trump and House Republicans promised that they were going to lower the high cost of living. But instead, costs haven't gone

down. They've gone up. And amid fears of a possible recession, President Trump also saying this. Oh, people are loving what I'm doing. But a new NBC News poll shows 54 percent of voters disapprove of the president's early job performance on the economy and 44 percent approve of it. The president had better numbers on immigration. The poll showing 55% of voters approve of his handling of border security and immigration. That comes as the president invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 on Saturday to target Venezuelan gang members, saying they unlawfully infiltrated the U.S. and are conducting irregular warfare and undertaking hostile actions against

the nation. The rarely used wartime law could allow them to remove unauthorized immigrants with little due process. But late Saturday, a federal judge temporarily blocked the president from using the law in this manner and stopped deportation flights taking Venezuelans out of the country, ordering them to return mid-flight. But the president of El Salvador posted this video, which he said showed some of those deported immigrants being taken into custody there. The White House arguing they did not defy the court order with this flight because it was already in international airspace. Still, the Justice Department is appealing the judge's ruling. Yamiche Alcindor is traveling with the president in Florida tonight.

And Yamiche, our new NBC poll also gives a sense of how Americans feel about Elon Musk's Doge. That's right. While 46% of voters say the idea of Doge was good, 47% said they hold negative views of its ongoing work. Even more, 51% said they have negative views of its ongoing work. Even more, 51 percent said they have negative views of Elon Musk. Hallie. Yamiche Alcindor, thank you. New developments tonight involving the American tourist at the center of the search for a missing college student in the Dominican Republic. Our Jesse Kirsch is there. In Punta Cana overnight, Joshua Reby was back on the beach. Around 1.30 a.m., the 22-year-old and investigators walk in the same general area

where he may have been the last person seen with Sudiksha Kunanki, the University of Pittsburgh student who vanished more than 10 days ago. Meanwhile, in a statement first reported by NBC News, Reby's attorneys allege his passport has been confiscated. He is permanently escorted by the police anywhere he goes. The country's national police have said no suspects have been identified. Meanwhile, Reby speaking exclusively to NBC News at the resort where he's allegedly confined. It's the same hotel where Kunanke was staying before her disappearance on March 6th.

I'm just trying to help them out, he said, adding the ocean is a dangerous place. NBC News also obtained this transcript from one of Reby's interviews with investigators, which we translated from Spanish. Reby telling authorities he and Kunaki both almost drowned before he helped get her back to shore, but they were still in knee-deep water. I asked if she was okay. I didn't hear her answer because I started vomiting all the seawater I'd swallowed. After vomiting, I looked around and didn't see anyone. I thought she'd grabbed her things and left. I felt really bad and tired. I laid down on a beach chair and fell asleep

because I couldn't go far. Meanwhile, the search for Kunanke appears far from over. Jesse Kirsch joins us from Punta Cana now. Jesse, any word from the State Department on next steps for Ribi? The U.S. State Department wouldn't even confirm if an American is being detained here. Meanwhile, Dominican prosecutors told us they couldn't confirm any information because this case is still under investigation. Hallie. Jesse Kirsch, thank you. Now to the start of a space swap to get two NASA astronauts home as soon as this week after a 10-day mission turned into nine months in orbit. Here's Marissa Parra. Vehicle supersonic. A 28-hour journey through space and a reunion months in the making.

254 miles above Earth, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams and the rest of Crew-9 hugged their relief. It comes after a picture-perfect launch Friday night from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. SpaceX Crew 10 climbing through the skies above a Falcon 9 rocket. We wish you well on your journey and give Crew 9 our best. Traveling at over 17,000 miles per hour to the ISS, a Japanese astronaut, a Russian cosmonaut, and two NASA astronauts, including Commander Anne McClain. Well, we're from different parts of the world. We are brought together in this bold endeavor and we represent all of humanity. Among those waiting for them, Butch and Sonny, the two test pilots for Boeing Starliner, whose mission aboard the ISS turned from 10 days to over nine months. Their ride home with Crew 9

docked at the ISS in September, but their return pending this moment just after midnight. The outgoing crew proving zero gravity doesn't mean zero humor, greeting their replacements with laughs and smiles. And I cannot tell you the immense joy of our crew when we looked out the window and we saw the space station for the first time. And after nine long months, Butch, Sunny and the rest of Crew 9 one step closer to their return to earth. It was a wonderful day. Great to see our friends arrive. So thank you so much.

Marissa Parra, NBC News. Still ahead for us tonight, the father of a University of Idaho murder victim now speaking out after the release of 911 calls from the night of the murder. We're back with a new reaction tonight to those newly released 911 calls from the night four University of Idaho students were murdered. Now the father of one of the victims, speaking one-on-one with our own Camila Bernal. 911, location of the emergency. Hi, something is happening. Something happened to my house. We don't know what. Tonight, Kaylee Gonsalves' father is speaking out after the release of 911 calls from the day his daughter and three other University of Idaho students were fatally stabbed.

Two and a half years later when you're still here and things for the very first time, it's just like the very first day. It's like you've got to relive that day all over again. The family listening to the call before it was released. One of the roommates has passed out and she's drunk last night and she's not waking up. Okay. Oh, and they saw some man in their house last night. What was your reaction to listening to that phone call? There was just a lot of pain. There was a lot of horror in those girls' voice, the breathing. There was the relief of knowing that it was a horrible event, but we were truly getting the truth. Brian Koberger charged with four counts of murder in the deaths of Zanna Cornodle, Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogan, and Kaylee Gonsalves. At his arraignment in 2023, Koberger declined to enter a plea.

The judge entering not guilty on his behalf. It's like a slow torture where just a little comes out, a little more comes out. The family now looking forward to the August trial. Do you think you'll have some closure? As long as we truly give the community a chance to hold this person accountable, I feel there will be closure. Camila Bernal, NBC News. We are back in a moment with how grocery stores are preparing for possible price hikes over tariffs. Back now with what grocery stores are doing to prepare for tariffs, some bracing for price hikes.

But as Yasmin Vasugian reports, hoping not to pass those higher costs on to you. At this Connecticut supermarket, they're bracing for price hikes. Everything is more. I mean, everything goes up. With those tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada now in effect. Now, these are Vancouver. OK, lots of people make grow tomatoes all over the world. So probably if these go up 25 percent again, we'll have to look for another source. Stu Leonard Jr. is the president and CEO of Stu Leonard, a family-owned grocery chain on the East Coast with eight locations. The tariffs making keeping prices low a financial and logistical challenge.

So right now your salmon is $9.99 a pound? Yeah. Farm-raised from Canada? Yes, ma'am. But if we're looking at a 25% tariff, then we're looking at an increase up to $12, $13. Yes. He's trying to keep those 25% increases from hitting his customers. We are a little concerned about what's going on, but we're doing our best.

We're talking to the suppliers. We're trying to keep the price down. We are anticipating a higher cost in the next couple of days. Those tariffs on almost all goods likely to be felt by Americans at the grocery store first. These are two for five dollars right now. Right. And these are coming straight from Mexico. Yeah. This one is tough because I know this.

I can't source. I can't go to somewhere else and get avocados. I got to raise the price. You got to raise the price. I got to raise it. I have to. I can't get them anywhere else. And those price hikes could change buying habits. So if you're seeing a 25% increase in avocados, for instance, does that mean you're going to be buying less of some of that produce?

Definitely. No question. And it's not just food, but booze with prices on beer from mexico the bullseye as far as raising the price 25 percent and tequila seller i can't buy this anywhere else in the world i gotta go to mexico set to jump though those prices may go up only once the product already imported to the u.s runs out for. For Leonard and his business, they're bracing for volatility, unsure how much the trade war will affect prices and for how long. It's like tariffs is a dartboard. Our thanks to Yasmin Vesugian for that report.

When we come back, there's good news tonight about the shot that had both teams celebrating and the moment this senior will never forget. There's good news tonight about a high school student's big moment on the court and the shot that made him the team's MVP. This was the swish heard across western Missouri. The bleacher clearing moment near Kansas City when Summit Christian Academy senior Patrick McCarty, that's him, number 33, made the basket that had both teams jumping for joy. The show me stage showing up in a big way for Patrick and his parents, Julie and Michael. I think a lot of people watching it got emotional just seeing it.

And there you were in it, in the middle of it. I got in my car after the game and I almost cried. Like I was so thankful for coaching the team for allowing me to do it. Like it was really exciting. Exciting because that was his very first time in the game with the Varsity Eagles. Patrick, who was born with cerebral palsy, hasn't been able to play ball. But his passion for sports got him the job as the team's manager. Who's 33?

Does anybody know what 33 is? And so when the school's senior night rolled around, coach Telus Truesdale had this surprise. We're going to have you be one of our captains tomorrow night. Is that all right? What do you even say to these kids for showing you, Patrick, and your family how valued you are? Like they're, you know, literally and figuratively putting their arms around you in this really incredible way. Watching them just protect him. I mean, they have always just tried to include him and help him. So it's just been a blessing that they have had open hearts to do that.

It's the teamwork, the positivity, and it takes everybody to win. That's sportsmanship, a shining example of inclusion. I can tell, Coach, it is still emotional for you. What was it like when you saw Patrick make that basket? Well, I was already emotional. Pat's not one of my kids, but he feels like one of my kids. When they introduced him and he came over and gave me a hug, I started tearing up then.

Everyone loves Patrick and everyone wanted to support Patrick. And he got to have his moment, which, you know, I hope we all get that at some point in life. And that is nightly news for this Sunday. Lester will be back tomorrow. I'm Hallie Jackson. For all of us here at NBC News, thanks for watching and have a great week.