NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Sunday, March 3, 2024

Episode Date: March 4, 2024

Winter storm brings dangerous conditions to roads in Mountain West; Trump and Haley make final push ahead of Super Tuesday; Israel-Hamas war: Vice President Harris calls for cease-fire as talks begin in Cairo; and more on tonight’s broadcast. 

Tonight, the blizzard battering parts of the West right now with snow totals set to top 10 feet. The unrelenting snow creating dangerous whiteout conditions as the storm stretches from California to Colorado. One hundred miles of this highway shut down, cars abandoned, snowdrifts almost burying homes. It kind of felt like we were like swimming through the snow. And now another storm right behind it.

The strongest words yet from the White House ramping up pressure on Israel and Hamas. There must be an immediate ceasefire. As we get new images of the U.S. military airdropping aid into Gaza. Reversing course, Nikki Haley tells our Kristen Welker that she may not support Donald Trump in the general election. And tomorrow, the Supreme Court will likely decide whether Mr. Trump can be kept off the Colorado ballot. The University of Florida fires all its diversity, equity and inclusion staff as diversity programs face new backlash across the country. The first American woman to brave the nearly impossible round-the-world solo sailing competition, how she's already endured rough

seas like this. This is NBC Nightly News. Good evening, I'm Peter Alexander. Tonight, the most powerful blizzard of the season is still pounding parts of California and the Mountain West, where a wind gust topped 190 miles an hour and snow totals there could reach upwards of 10 feet when all is said and done. Long stretches of major highways are shut down to avoid spinouts and collisions. And tonight, avalanche warnings remain in place. And check this out. This is the weekend scene in Salt Lake City

where a major league soccer game went on despite the punishing storm and below freezing temperatures. The visiting coach there calling it an absolute disgrace. There is a brief lull forecast for tomorrow, but then a new system packing another foot of snow is expected. And we begin tonight with the very latest on the historic blizzard with NBC's Steve Patterson near Lake Tahoe. Steve. Peter, the hope is that we are finally in the last gasp of this storm, which is little relief, frankly, to residents that are dealing with stuff like this. I mean, look at this. This is a 10-foot snowdrift in somebody's front yard. But despite that, the danger remains where it always has been on the roads. Tonight, the storm of the season slamming wave after wave of wind driven snow on the mountain

west. Earlier today, an avalanche crashed down on several cars south of Lake Tahoe. Thankfully, no one was hurt. The snow spawning life-threatening whiteout conditions on the roads. The region's major thoroughfare, Interstate 80, still shut down indefinitely for miles. Video from Saturday shows semis completely stranded. Massive snow throwers brought in to clear the roads, while huge tow trucks pull stuck tractor trailers out of drifts piled up to the windows. This is one of the exit ramps to Interstate 80 shut down now for days for about 100 miles. Crews say it is simply too dangerous.

You got crews, of course, and trucks that are being allowed to come through to try to get supplies or, of course, authorities trying to move people away. But for everybody else, it's a no-go. The region's rare blizzard warning, originally set to expire today, now extended to midnight, bringing snow totals anywhere from 5 to 10 feet in some areas. And even more high up in the peaks. Down Mountain, the digout is at several ski resorts. Madison Condon works at Palisades Ski Resort, but says she hasn't left her home in days. With this amount of snow, the high winds, low visibility, the roads are not necessarily safe everywhere to drive on.

Right now, our resort is closed. Our operations team, they've been working around the clock since this storm has hit. For Andy and Maya Ellsmore, it's been a surreal experience. I saw some of the video that I think you sent from the road. Tell me what that experience of driving through that was like. I thought we were going to get stuck a few times. It kind of felt like we were like swimming through the snow almost. Back now with Steve and Steve, people, they're only going to get a short break before more snow arrives. Peter, almost as soon as this system moves out, another smaller system moves in, which means within a day or two, some of these communities could see an additional one

to two feet on top of what is already obviously an impossible amount of snow. Peter? Just enormous drifts there behind you, Steve. Thank you. And while the West digs out, we are seeing record highs in other parts of the country with temperatures 30 to 40 degrees above average across the plains in the Midwest. We saw record highs today in New York and Connecticut, and those above average temperatures are expected to stick around for much of this week. Now to the war in the Middle East and some of the toughest words yet from the White House toward Israel and Hamas.

Vice President Kamala Harris tonight calling for an immediate ceasefire, ramping up pressure on both sides to accept a deal to pause the fighting in Gaza. Ali Rafa has the very latest. Tonight, the Biden administration's sharpest criticism yet of Israel's handling of its war with Hamas. What we are seeing every day in Gaza is devastating. Vice President Kamala Harris today in Selma, Alabama, laying the blame for Palestinians' desperation in part on Israel.

As I have said many times, too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. Harris doubling down on the administration's calls for a pause in fighting to allow for the release of hostages and more humanitarian aid into Gaza. There must be an immediate ceasefire for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table. Her comments come as ceasefire talks kicked off in Cairo today between Hamas officials and mediators who discussed the framework of a six-week deal. U.S. officials saying Israel has more or less accepted if Hamas agrees to release sick, elderly and women hostages. The war has slowly become a political vulnerability for President Biden

as he runs for reelection and faces growing pressure from within his own party and even campaign. The policy of bear-hugging Netanyahu has not worked. And tonight, we're also getting new images of the first American airdrop of food relief into Gaza on Saturday. The huge pallets with nearly 40,000 ready-to-eat meals loaded up inside C-130s then rolled out the back. Crowds gathered on the ground, swelling as they wait for them to land one by one. And Ali joins us now from the North Lawn at the White House. Ali, do we know when more U.S. aid will go to Gaza? Well, officials won't say when the next airdrops will be, but they're pushing the Israelis to open more land routes while also exploring the option of delivering aid by sea. Peter.

Ali Rafa with the latest from the White House tonight. Ali, thank you. And now to politics and the battle for the Republican nomination. Just two days until Super Tuesday. And tonight, former President Trump is inching closer to securing that rematch with President Biden. But he still needs to overcome new divisions within his own party. Ali Vitale reports from the campaign trail in Dallas. What a great crowd. Thank you. The final sprint to Super Tuesday. Now let's talk about what you need to do on Tuesday. And what could be Nikki Haley's final stand. Yes, I'm going to keep on fighting.

I need you to go Tuesday and vote. On the trail today in Vermont and Maine, two of the 15 states set to vote Tuesday when more than 800 delegates will be doled out. Next up, as you know, Super Tuesday. It comes after yet another sweep for Donald Trump, who notched caucus wins in Idaho and Missouri this weekend. Now barreling into Tuesday with his mind already on a general election rematch. This November, Virginia is going to tell Crooker Joe Biden, you're fired, you're fired. Get out of here. And glancing blows at his sole GOP rival, Haley. You know who Burt Brown is, right, Nikki?

Haley, for her part, reversing course on Meet the Press, now saying she may not keep a pledge she took to support the eventual Republican nominee. I think I'll make what decision I want to make. And Trump saying at his rally he doesn't want moderate Republican voters in his party. We're getting rid of the Romneys of the world. But Trump also stumbling at times. Did you just see Maduro Venezuela? Mispronouncing Venezuela and seeming to say Barack Obama is the current president, not Biden.

And Putin, you know, has so little respect for Obama that he... Still, Super Tuesday all but sure to install Trump as his party's standard bearer once more. Supporting that is Donald Trump. Even as he escalates and outright lies about immigration. They're pouring into our country in addition to everything else. It's so crazy. Who would want this? Biden's conduct on our border is by any definition a conspiracy to overthrow the United States of America. That's what's happening. And Ali joins us now from Dallas. Ali, we may get that Supreme Court ruling on Mr. Trump's eligibility to be on the ballot tomorrow. Yeah, that's exactly right, Peter.

As soon as tomorrow, the Supreme Court might rule on whether or not Trump is booted from the ballot in Colorado. That, of course, a response to his actions on January 6th. But based on oral arguments, it's unlikely the Supreme Court will keep him off the ballot there. Colorado, one of those states set to vote on Tuesday. Peter. Ali Vitale, thank you so much. And by the way, join us for full coverage of Super Tuesday on our streaming network, NBC News Now, and right here on your NBC station. At the University of Florida, cutting its entire staff-dedicated diversity on campus. Why other colleges are now looking to do the same. Plus, with a wind at her back,

the sailor doing what no American woman has done before, her epic test of endurance. We're back now with controversy on campus at the University of Florida after the school eliminated all diversity, equity and inclusion positions due to a new state law, a new state rule that prohibits those programs, and now other states may soon follow suit. Our Marissa Parra is there. The University of Florida slashing all diversity, equity, and inclusion roles across campus. Quite disappointed by it. I think that the university administration has let us down in this regard. The school announcing it will reallocate the $5 million initially used for DEI expenses, adding it will also eliminate roughly 30 jobs.

I've seen people saying, you know, thank God we can save $5 million a year. And then I've seen other people saying, you know, this is like horrible. The school's director of African American studies says this decision goes much further than the university. So it might be a long-term impact in terms of recruiting high-end talent based on the fear that, you know, this state isn't welcoming to diversity and inclusion. The University of Florida joining other schools in the state that have also cut their DEI programs. This has basically been used as a veneer to impose an ideological agenda. All of this comes nearly a year after Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law banning Florida's

public universities from spending federal and state money on DEI initiatives. DeSantis reacting to the Gainesville University's decision, tweeting, Florida is where DEI goes to die. But critics of his say they think the push to end DEI comes from a fundamental misunderstanding on what DEI really is. Governor Sanders sees DEI as toxic. People love to think that DEI is only for African-Americans, which is not true. It also applies to white women, Asian-Americans, LGBTQ, disability students. An NBC News analysis shows GOP lawmakers across more than 30 states have introduced measures to either limit or eliminate DEI initiatives altogether during this legislative

session alone. In Texas, a sweeping new ban on DEI across all state universities took effect at the start of the new year. While the future is unclear how many other GOP-led states will follow suit, one thing is certain, the battle for control over higher ed just beginning. Marissa Parra, NBC News, Gainesville, Florida. And we're back in a moment with a history-making journey for this sailor who is breaking barriers at sea. Now to an incredible story about history at sea this week the first american woman is set to complete a solo sailing race around the entire globe our emily akata caught up with her from the mid-atlantic about her thrilling but treacherous journey I love you! Here we go! aboard this 40-foot racing boat named First Light. Woo!

29-year-old Cole Brower has spent four months at sea, surviving terrifying moments like this. When massive waves tossed her across the cabin, badly injuring her rib. All this is is just some sailing solution. She even put in her own IV when dehydration took hold. As I said, pretty big waves. And now she's closing in on becoming the first American woman to race nonstop around the world alone, competing in the Global Solo Challenge.

She's the only woman and the youngest of the 16 skippers who started the race last year. More than half already dropped out. She zoomed with us from the middle of the Atlantic. You wear so many hats on this journey. Solo sailors, you have to be able to do everything. You need to be able to get up even when you're so exhausted and you have to be able to fix everything on the boat. The last like 24 hours, I've been so angry. The journey grueling, no stops on the roughly 30,000 miles from Spain down the west

coast of Africa over to Australia and around the Cape of South America before returning to the starting point. A finish line Brower is expected to hit just days from now. Have you ever been really scared in a moment? I can feel the boat is deteriorating. I can just feel that things are starting to break down. Okay, okay, okay, it's okay. For the 100-pound powerhouse from New York, sailing is a career she's been chasing since college. I push so much harder when someone's like, no, you can't do that. And I'm like, well, okay, watch me. An attitude she hopes will inspire young girls in a male dominated sport. It would be amazing if there was just one, one other girl that saw me and said, oh, I can do that, too.

One woman now navigating a new chapter in history. Emily Ikeda, NBC News. Just a few more days to go. When we come back, there is good news tonight about this boy's red carpet moment and the teacher who helped make it happen. If you hadn't noticed, Mason is a very hot... There is good news tonight about how one person can make a difference by helping to deliver a dream. And sometimes all it takes is a pair of scissors and a big heart.

Growing up in California, Claire Hall always knew what she wanted to be. My original dream is it was to be a hairstylist to the stars of Hollywood. She graduated from cosmetology school, but then life took a turn in a different direction. I am a proud teacher and I teach special education. So what we're going to do today... In her first year at Akilani's High School outside San Francisco... All right, are you ready? Claire met Mason Zollner.

Oh my gosh, he's a doll. What does this say? Funny and sweet. Kangaroo? How do you know that says kangaroo? But he also has his own challenges. Mace, mace, mace. Like his mom Karen says, sitting still for a haircut.

What was it like when you were in charge of the haircuts? There was no style. It just was always a little bit traumatizing for him. He didn't want to go to a barber. But when Mason got invited to a celebration for students with special needs. Okay, you ready? Karen knew she needed help and Miss Hall was ready to step in. I was ready. I was like, that's my guy. Mason, can you come up? Let's get your haircut. So she turned it into a lesson about life skills. All right, so I'm going to use the clipper on Mason. Trimming Mason's hair in front of the whole class.

It was a collision of both of my loves. Then the big night. Ladies and gentlemen, let's give a warm welcome to Mason. Mason is confident as ever, looking like a million bucks. He, you know, was strutting down the red carpet in his little tuxedo and his gorgeous new haircut. This was a whole new Mason. You see, what Claire gave Mason was much more than just a haircut. And for Claire,

much more than she ever could have imagined. I'm living the dream. They don't have the opportunities that everyone else does. So, excuse me. So, I just, to be able to put my love into, you know, Mason for now, is a dream. Claire tells us, by the way, that she has a new dream now to open a hair salon for those with special needs. And by the way, how good did Mason look? That's NBC Nightly News for this Sunday.

Lester Holt will be in tomorrow. I'm Peter Alexander. For all of us here at NBC News, we hope you have a great night.