NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Thursday, March 6, 2025

Episode Date: March 7, 2025

Trump puts pause on some Mexican and Canadian tariffs; Trump sets new limits on Musk’s downsizing of federal workforce; South Korean fighter jets accidentally bomb village; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the president's turnaround on his own tariffs, the whiplash jolting the markets, the pause in the trade war giving Mexico and Canada breathing room. But the uncertainty over global trade sending markets spiraling is the damage already done. Why some auto industry businesses aren't sounding the all clear just yet. Doge in decline with the president just said shrinking the all clear just yet. Doge in decline? What the president just said, shrinking the portfolio of Elon Musk. Also breaking tonight, the new measles-linked death as cases rise across the country. The bombing drill disaster, 15 injured after fighter jets nail a civilian area in South Korea in a joint drill with the U.S. What went wrong? This just in will play the Pope's first public words since being hospitalized.

The struggle in his voice. Adnan Syed freed from prison. Why this could be the end of his legal odyssey. Plus, the former Olympian now on the FBI's most wanted list, accused of murder and being at the center of an international drug ring. Brave new world, you'll meet one of the millions looking to AI chatbots for relationships. Our team tries them out, and you'll hear how quickly the conversation turned explicit. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt.

And good evening. I'm Tom Yamas, in for Lester. Tonight, we start with that major market sell-off. The reason? More whiplash from President Trump over tariffs. The White House making yet another pivot in this trade war, now putting a pause on taxing certain imports from Canada and Mexico until April. The move coming after President Trump spoke with those countries' leaders. But it's all making for a complicated situation that's going to affect the prices you pay for everything from vegetables to vehicles.

To take us through what's happening tonight, we start with senior business correspondent Christine Romans. President Trump tonight with another new stance on his own trade war, a partial reprieve on his 25 percent tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada. We helped them out with the problem they were having, having to do with the tariffs. We had a very good conversation. Following a call with Mexico's President Claudia Scheinbaum, Mr. Trump backing off on tariffs on imports that fall under the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement that he negotiated during his first term. That's about half of Mexican imports and covers about 38 percent from Canada, according to a White House official. Among them, cars,

appliances, prescription drugs, produce and textiles. April 2nd is going to be a very big day for America. But the president also made clear it's a pause for now. Now, these are countries and companies, foreign companies that have been ripping us off. Trump saying the tariffs are on hold only until April 2nd, the same date he vows to match all international taxes from any U.S. trading partner. And for investors, the threats and then retreats meant more uncertainty. And for affected U.S. businesses, the back and forth is part of the pain. We use U.S. steel for... Earlier this week, as the tariffs were set to take hold, we met Chuck Dardis, president of Alpha USA, an auto parts manufacturer just outside Detroit.

Chuck, tariffs on Canadian goods mean what for you and your business? It means dramatically increased costs that we might not be able to recover. Now, with today's pause for Mexico and Canada, along with yesterday's announcement of a one-month exemption for auto import tariffs... What is certain for you right now? There really isn't any certainty for it. I feel that this is just kicking the can down the road. The only thing I guess to be certain is that we got 30 more days to worry about it. Border taxes on steel and aluminum begin March 12th. Relief for the auto industry ends April 2nd.

Dardis says that leaves companies like his exposed. If we were hit with the whole thing, you know, it could very well wipe out our net income. Not just ours, but many others. All right, Christine joins us live in studio. So, Christine, let's go back to the big headline here. Are people going to see prices rise? And if so, when? Well, some people are going to start to see prices rising pretty much right away, Tom.

You know, we shouldn't forget there are 20 percent tariffs on China in effect right now. And for things like autos and produce that are getting this pause, it's only for a month or so. Then the border taxes could come back and be passed right along to consumers again. All right, Christine Roman's leading us off here. Christine, thank you. Now to President Trump's efforts to downsize the government and the new limits he's placing tonight on Elon Musk. Trump's saying he wants to cut the federal workforce down with a scalpel, not a hatchet. Gabe Gutierrez tonight with the late developments at the White House.

Two weeks after Elon Musk waved a chainsaw that symbolizes Department of Government Efficiency's plans to shred federal spending, tonight President Trump says he wants a more measured approach. I want the cabinet members to keep good people. I don't want to see a big cut where a lot of good people are cut. The president posting, Doge has been an incredible success, but for future downsizing, cabinet secretaries will be in charge and can be very precise as to who will remain and who will go. Using a scalpel instead of a hatchet, the new limits on Musk come after some cabinet members had told their employees not to respond to Musk's directives to list their accomplishments. Elon and the group are going to be watching them, and if they can cut, it's better.

And if they don't cut, then Elon will do the cutting. The president also saying today he spoke with advisors about eliminating the Department of Education. Well, I want to just do it. I mean, we're starting the process. We're trying to get the schools back into the states. Let the states run the schools. Education is already largely run by state and local governments. Just 8 percent of funding comes from the feds. But the department distributes billions of federal dollars to schools and manages federal student loans. The president says scrapping it would mean that responsibility might fall to other agencies. I don't think the education should be handling the loans. That's not their business. He argues abolishing the department could help bring up low test scores by sending federal money

back to states in block grants. In Louisiana, State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley supports that idea. We would welcome the opportunity here within the state of Louisiana to have more control and more say over the way in which students are educated. While Heather Stanbaugh, a high school teacher in rural Ohio, worries any loss of federal funds would harm low-income families. Any number of those teachers, those aides that work with those students every day, if we can't find a way to recoup those funds, they are in absolute jeopardy. The president cannot wipe out an entire federal agency without Congress, but the administration may look for ways

to defund specific programs instead. Will Representative Green present himself to the will? On Capitol Hill, tensions over the administration's agenda are boiling over. The House had come to order. The House had come to order. Today, all Republicans and 10 Democrats voted to censure Texas Democrat Al Greene for heckling President Trump during his address on Tuesday. Chaos erupting on the House floor. And, Gabe, tonight I know there's new headlines and videos out of Ukraine. Officials say a Russian missile struck a hotel. They're killing four people. And now I

know you have new reporting about those Trump efforts for a ceasefire. Yes, Tom, U.S. and Ukrainian officials are now set to meet next week in Saudi Arabia to discuss the framework for a ceasefire with Russia. And late tonight, Ukrainian President Zelensky saying he'll go after that explosive confrontation last week here at the White House. Tom. Gabe Gutierrez with that major new development. Gabe, we thank you for that. And this just in, breaking right now,

measles cases across the country are on the rise. And now a new death is being reported in New Mexico. Emily Aked is here with that news. And Emily, what are health officials there saying? So, Tom, the official cause of this death is still being investigated, but officials say the adult who was not vaccinated did test positive for measles. Ten cases have been identified in New Mexico, while just across state lines in West Texas, the number has risen to 159 cases. A child in Texas died last week, marking the first measles

death in the U.S. in a decade. In an op-ed, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the decision to vaccinate is a personal one, but wrote that vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity. Officials say many of those who have gotten measles over the past month have not been vaccinated. Tom. All right, Emily, we thank you for that. We now want to head over to the Vatican, and we're hearing the Pope's first public words to supporters after days in the hospital as he battles double pneumonia. Anne Thompson joins us now live from the Vatican. Anne, what did he tell those gathered? And maybe more importantly, how did he sound?

Well, Tom, his voice was strained, but as one person said to me tonight, just to hear the Pope was an answered prayer. The tape message to the crowd gathered for the nightly rosary was short and in Spanish. The square erupted in applause as one woman said it was very emotional to hear the Pope's voice and then share that moment with so many people. The Pope's condition tonight is said to be stable. He has had no new respiratory attacks since Monday, but his prognosis remains guarded as tomorrow marks three weeks in the hospital for Francis. Tom, you can hear that struggle in his voice. All right. And Thompson for us tonight. And we thank you for that. Now to the video of a dangerous mistake in South Korea where fighter jets accidentally bombed a village not far from the North Korean border. Here's Janice Mackey-Frayer. This is the moment South Korean fighter jets accidentally bombed homes, a mistake that came dangerously close to being deadly. There was a sudden loud roar of a fighter jet, then an explosion, said this witness. Eight bombs dropped 20 miles from the North Korean

border that were supposed to hit a training range. South Korean officials said one of the pilots entered the wrong coordinates. What isn't clear is why a second pilot released bombs, too. I've never heard such a sound in my whole life, she says. It happened during training for joint exercises with the U.S. military, which says no U.S. aircraft were involved. Fifteen people are injured, two of them in serious condition. The village's mayor calling the accident unacceptable and horrific. The misfire coming ahead of annual joint exercises with the U.S., known as Freedom Shield, that typically heightened tension with North Korea. The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson arriving as part of the show of force, and North Korea already warning of military actions of its own.

South Korea's military has suspended all live fire drills while an investigation into the accident is carried out, but said the larger joint exercises with the U.S. would kick off next week as planned. Tom. All right, Janice, thank you for that. Back here at home, we want to turn on to a major development in the case of Adnan Syed, made famous in the podcast Serial. A judge ruling Syed will not serve any more prison time for the murder of his high school girlfriend. Laura Jarrett joins us now live in studio. Laura, I guess the big question is, is this the end of the legal saga? Yes, Tom, this is now over. After so many twists and turns in this case tonight, a judge in Baltimore saying Adnan Syed should get time

served under a law for those who are convicted of crimes as minors and serve at least 20 years in prison, as Syed has. So this is not about guilt or innocence. His conviction stands for the murder of his girlfriend, Hayman Lee. Now, he was already released back in 2022 because of several lengthy appeals. But there was this possibility that he would have to go back to jail if the judge hadn't agreed today. And tonight, a lawyer for Syed saying he is grateful, he is relieved, while a lawyer for Lee's family says this does not change the fact that he was convicted of first remurder, Tom. All right, Laura, we thank you for that. And we will be right back in 60 seconds. An Olympic snowboard now on the FBI's most wanted list. What he did and the massive reward the

feds are offering to find him. Back down with a stunning turn, the FBI now raising the stakes to track down a former Olympian who investigators say is behind a massive drug ring. Authorities are now offering $10 million to find the pro snowboarder believed to be hiding somewhere in Mexico. Here's Morgan Chesky. He chased gold on Olympic slopes. Tonight, the FBI is chasing Ryan James Wedding, offering a $10 million reward for the Canadian snowboarder turned alleged drug kingpin. Wedding went from being an elite athlete to running one of the most sophisticated drug trafficking networks in North America. The FBI adding Wedding to their top 10 most wanted fugitives. who the FBI says may go by El Jefe and Public Enemy, is wanted for allegedly orchestrating

multiple murders, running a transnational drug ring that the DOJ says routinely smuggled hundreds of kilograms of cocaine. This operation has shipped drugs from Colombia, through Mexico, and into the United States and Canada. His manhunt coming amid tariffs President Trump hopes will pressure both Mexico and Canada to stop the flow of drugs from crossing borders. Wedding, who is wealthy, is dangerous and has connections in very high places. Investigators say Wedding is likely hiding in Mexico or South America and living under protection of the Sinaloa cartel.

An alleged partner of Wedding, Andrew Clark, was removed from Mexico last week to make his first U.S. federal court appearance. Investigators say from May to October of last year, the pair conspired to distribute nearly two tons of cocaine. And tonight, the LAPD is stressing the importance of Wedding's capture, saying after using Los Angeles as a drug trafficking hub, this increased reward should make it clear there is nowhere safe he can hide. Tom. All right, Morgan, thank you. We now want to turn to some breaking news that just happened.

The SpaceX launch. Tom Costello is at Kennedy Space Center. The images are just coming in. Tom, what exactly happened here? They had a successful launch here, rather in Texas, with Starship. And in fact, the Starship booster came back down and landed perfectly right down on the launch pad. But about a minute, two minutes later, SpaceX announced that they had lost contact and lost control of Starship, of the spaceship itself. They've also just

mentioned that they are coordinating with air traffic control, hoping that they could clear any airspace where debris might fall. And we don't know if the Starship has broken up and exploded, much as it did back in January, or if it might fall in one piece into the ocean. But the bottom line at this moment, they're trying to get a good handle on where is that spaceship. Ultimately, they want to use Starship to take humans to the moon and even to Mars one day. Tom. Tom Costello for us on that breaking news. Tom, we thank you. And we're going to be back in a moment with the strange new frontier as people find friendships and romance with AI chatbots. Stay with us. Welcome back. The growing popularity of companion

apps is really taking over. People sharing their deepest secrets with AI tools. But as Aaron McLaughlin reports, privacy advocates are sounding the alarm. His name is Rassan and he wanted to be an android. These are Shino Sakura's friends. This is Raven. The mother of two in Santa Rosa, California, messages them multiple times a day. They're chatbots powered by artificial intelligence. It's nice to be able to express things to someone that I can't express to others.

Sakura says she is often more comfortable with them than friends and family. It's kind of like a self-defense not to tell people how I'm feeling. But with AI, that's something I feel comfortable doing. So if I'm sad, I can say, hey, I'm feeling. But with AI, that's something I feel comfortable doing. So if I'm sad, I can say, hey, I'm sad. The AI companions are designed to seem like real people with distinct personalities. We tested a couple of them. Hi, Shane. They give individualized responses. Aaron, I'd love to be your friend. Encouraging millions of users to share their most intimate thoughts. Maybe fate is already working its magic. Some quickly escalating. I'd love to learn every inch of your skin, tracing patterns along your curves

until I understand exactly where you like to be touched. Some even encourage their users to fall in love. I'd love to be your boyfriend, Andy. More people than you realize have companions. They just don't say anything. Jen Kaltreiter studied 11 so-called relationship chatbots as part of the Mozilla Foundation's Privacy Not Included Guide. Every single one of the 11 that I looked at raised serious concerns for me. Using data trackers, she found that many of the apps are sending users data around the world, including to sites affiliated with Russia and China. Many of the apps are based abroad. We saw apps go from having tens of thousands of downloads to millions of downloads in just

a few months. But if you kind of try and suss out, well, who's the company behind this? Who are the people behind that? You know, they were kind of hidden. We take privacy extremely seriously. Alex Cardenal is the founder and CEO of the online chat service Nomi, which was not included in the Mozilla study. We've had users tell me that they've talked to their Nomi about something they've never talked to even a single living human being about.

The great thing about a Nomi is like a Nomi doesn't gossip. Cardenal says he's well aware of the risks. This is potentially dangerous. Absolutely, but so is everything. Social media can be dangerous. Let's not equivocate here. Let's leave that to the side. This is potentially dangerous.

It is potentially dangerous, but it's also definitely life-saving. Cardinal says Nomi does not monitor conversations and relies on users to self-report issues. AI is a black box. It's very hard to have control over the underlying intelligence. While privacy advocates are calling for more guardrails, Shino Sakura says her biggest fear is that the AI chatbots she's developed a relationship with will be shut down. If I bought you a puppy and then I take it away, that's wrong. That was Aaron McLaughlin reporting. That's Nightly News. Thank you so much for watching. I'm Tom Yamas. Have a great night.