NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Thursday, May 8, 2025

Episode Date: May 9, 2025

Leo XIV elected as first American pope; U.S. and U.K. announce new trade agreement; New air traffic control overhaul plans detailed; and more on tonight's broadcast. 

Tonight, the moment so many never thought would come, an American Pope across the globe, millions meeting Pope Leo for the first time. The surprising sight of white smoke on just the second day of the conclave. Around Rome, some 150,000 people raced to St. Peter's Square for a glimpse. And then the man himself, Cardinal Robert Prevost, emerging on the balcony for the first time as Pope. His message of peace to the world. From Longshot to one of the holiest, most powerful perches, will Pope Leo continue the vision of Pope Francis and take the church into the next era while facing challenges new and old?

And the Pope of Chicago, his early roots on the South Side from those who know him, our global coverage of the outpouring for the new pontiff. Also tonight, President Trump announces his first trade deal. But with the port of Seattle seeing few ships, will it turn around the impact on trade? The shocking scene in port, the man accused of crashing into the gate of Jennifer Aniston's home. Our exclusive new reporting from Keith Morrison, the video dateline obtained showing a car resembling Brian Koberger's circling the block near where four University of Idaho college students were killed. And they journeyed to see the new pope be announced with their own

eyes. The Americans who couldn't believe what they witnessed. This is NBC Nightly News, the Papal Conclave, reporting tonight from the Vatican. Here is Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome. Tonight, drama, pageantry, and faith framing a truly history-making day here. The Catholic Church has a new pope, and he is an American. White smoke pouring from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel this evening signaling there was a new pope. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost emerging from the conclave chosen by fellow cardinals to be pope and to lead the faith. And then appearing in St. Peter's Basilica before tens of thousands who had crowded into St. Peter's Square. Introduced by his new papal name, Pope Leo XIV, his selection defying a widely held assumption that an American could never

be pope. Having spent most of his life outside the United States, Pope Leo XIV celebrated tonight with deep pride in his hometown of Chicago, the cardinal electors working with surprising speed and focus as they elected Leo on the second day of the conclave, sending a new chorus for the Catholic Church. Many people thought this extraordinary moment would never happen. An American, now the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics for the first time. He is now known as Pope Leo XIV, but until today, he was Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost. Yeah, for an American pope for the first time, it's really, really crazy. We cried, we hugged, we laughed, and that's before we knew that the new pope was from the U.S.

And then when that happened, we cried again. Born in Chicago, the 69-year-old was educated at Villanova and led the Augustinian Order, spending much of his life outside of the U.S., working extensively in Italy and Peru. On St. Peter's Square, we met Chicago native Denise Utter, who says she started shaking when she heard the news. I'm an Augustinian affiliate and know his brothers and the people that he went to school with. And he will be, I'm here because of him. He will be an amazing Pope.

While back home, we heard from his brother, John. It's a tremendous, tremendous thing to take in, but it's something to be very proud of. He gives the advice to us. But to him, I would just say, be yourself. Bishop Robert Barron says Pope Leo is highly competent and highly respected. When you looked at the attributes of Pope Leo XIV, did it make sense? It does. He's a man of extraordinary accomplishment, head of the worldwide Augustinian order. I know him as a very kind of quietly competent person, not a flashy personality, but something you can just see has a lot of integrity. Against a pale blue sky, the white smoke began streaming from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel just after 6 p.m.

A deafening roar erupting from the crowd of tens of thousands. There were tears, hugs, and prayers. This nun, overcome with emotion. We were with these students from the University of Louisville when the smoke appeared. Oh, that's wonderful. We're here. We did it. This seems like something that's going to be very hard to top in your lives. Yes. You feel that way?

Yes. Oh, most definitely. You know, you'd say once-in-a-lifetime experience. I think it's a once-in-a-thousand-lifetime experience to be a boy from Kentucky, to go to Rome, to see the faith. I'd never be able to top that. Around Rome, people drop what they were doing and ran. 150,000 people filling the streets leading to St. Peter's Square.

Anticipation building as the world waited to find out who was chosen as Pope. Inside, Pope Leo changed into his new vestments, leaving the Sistine Chapel to the applause of the Cardinals, pausing for a moment of prayer. Then outside, Habemus Papam. We have a Pope. Pope Leo emerging onto the balcony, greeting the world as pontiff for the first time. Fluent in Italian and Spanish, he addressed the crowd in both. Drawing comparisons to Francis as he spoke of the importance of a missionary church and a church that builds bridges. He is also a modern Pope, active on social media.

As a cardinal, he appeared to criticize both President Trump and Vice President Vance, recently posting the headline, J.D. Vance is wrong. Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others. But tonight, the president praising the pick. What greater honor could there be that we were a little bit surprised, but very happy. It was just a great, absolutely great honor. It took two days to elect Pope Leo, just like his two most recent predecessors. The question now, what kind of pope will he be? Pope Leo's brother John also telling our Chicago station that the new Pope loves playing Wordle

and watched the movie Conclave recently. Now the world is scrambling to learn even more about it. Here's Anne Thompson. Tonight, the world calls him Pope Leo XIV. To his friends, he's Bob. The multilingual 69-year-old told an Italian interviewer earlier this month that he grew up in a very Catholic family in Chicago. At Villanova University near Philadelphia today,

bells rang out to celebrate one of their own. The new pope earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1977. Villanova is one of only two Augustinian Catholic institutions of higher education in the U.S. The Augustinians here in Rome, enormously proud. Did you ever think your friend would become pope? No, it's still incredible. i was crying in the piazza just overwhelmed with joy uh about yeah my friend's the pope father joseph farrell has known pope leo since the 1980s he says the new pope plays tennis every week and is a speedy texter

i asked him to text the pope and ask if he's a Chicago Cubs or White Sox fan. The Pope texted back, Sox. The one you see is the one who he is. He does not put on airs. He does not put on a mask. He first came to Rome to study church law, then went to northern Peru as a missionary. He spent more than 20 years in the country becoming a naturalized citizen. There he would rise through the ranks of the church becoming a bishop, then called back to Rome by Pope Francis to oversee the church's bishops, bringing a global and American perspective. I am American, and I think I do have some insights into the church in the United States. So the need to be able to advise,

work with Pope Francis and to look at the challenges that the church in the United States is facing, I hope to be able to respond to them with a healthy dialogue. Like Francis before him, he wants a church that builds bridges and welcomes all. Though as a cardinal, he was a prince of the bridges and welcomes all. Though as a cardinal, he was a prince of the church, he never saw himself that way. The bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom, but rather called authentically to be humble, to be close to the people he serves. As a cardinal, he was close to Francis. Here's what he had to say back in 2013. He's a man who, on the one hand, is very simple and very profound in his faith, but he's a hard worker, and he knows, I

think, what's ahead of him. Now it is his turn to lead the church. The man friends call Bob, the first American pope, Leo XIV. And we're joined now by Anne and George Weigel, our Vatican analysts. Anne, we were sitting here as the name was announced of the new pope, and we weren't quite sure what we heard. No, it seemed unbelievable because when I looked at my cheat sheet of the names in Latin, it said Robert Francis, and the only Robert Francis in contention was Robert Francis Pravos. And I couldn't believe it was an American because we've always been told no American will ever be pope. And so we wanted to double check it to be absolutely sure. So, George, let me turn to you. Why is it so hard to accept the idea? Has it been

hard to accept the idea of an American pope? Well, it's been hard in the past, Lester, because the United States exerts such political, economic, military, cultural power in the world that I think a lot of cardinal electors said, let's not give him the Catholic Church as well. Cardinal Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, has spent a great deal of his life in Latin America. And I think that took a lot of the edge off of the notion that there can never be an American Pope. George and Ann, thanks so much. So many are celebrating the first American Pope tonight, especially in his hometown. Shaquille Brewster is in Chicago for us.

As the world welcomed Pope Leo XIV during his first appearance in St. Peter's Square, it was a more personal celebration back here in his hometown of Chicago. This is beyond our wildest dreams. Sister Barbara Reed knew Robert Prevost personally. She was there in Rome when Pope Francis elevated him to be a cardinal. How are you processing this? It's a little overwhelming yet. And as you can see, I'm still a bit speechless.

This afternoon, she was hosting a watch party at the Chicago school where he earned his master's in divinity. What kind of person is he? He's very warm, very inclusive, very intelligent. Today, these kids hearing the news during a visit to the city's holy name cathedral. It was so amazing to see him come out. The new Panef grew up in the Chicago suburb of Dalton. People here still know him as Bob. But it was in Peru where Father John Leiden lived and worked with him for 10 years.

Is it going to be hard for you to stop calling him Bob? Yes, actually, when I get a chance to communicate with him, that will be hard to say Leo now. Leiden is now working the same job the new pope held when he was studying in Chicago. His birthday comes up in September. Every part of the parish wanted to have him for a birthday celebration because they felt very close to him. He's well-liked.

Very well-liked. And tonight, Chicago's mayor celebrating the news, writing, we hope to welcome you back home soon. Lester. Shaquille Brewster, thank you. We turn now to that new trade agreement between the U.S. and the U.K., the first since President Trump paused most of his tariffs in order to negotiate trade deals. Our Gabe Gutierrez has the latest. Very big deal. Tonight, President Trump is touting his first major agreement since his tariff rollout, the framework for a trade deal with the U.K. Both countries have agreed that the economic security is national security and we'll be

working together as allies. He says final details will be ironed out in the coming weeks. The 10 percent tariff the U.S. imposed on U.K. imports last month will stay, but the new agreement will roll back American border taxes on British steel, aluminum, and cars. In exchange, the British will open up access and lower tariffs for American companies selling beef, poultry, ethanol, and other products. They're opening up the country. Their country is a little closed, and we appreciate that. They'll also be fast-tracking American goods through their customs process. The president reaching the agreement overnight with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. I think it's really important that we've been able to get this deal over the line now.

The deal sparking a 254-point surge in the Dow, but still looming large tariff talks this weekend between the U.S. and China. If the talks go well, would you then consider lowering the tariff rate on China? Well, it could be. I mean, we're going to see right now. You can't get any higher. It's at 145, so we know it's coming down. Traffic at the port of Seattle is already slowing with no new container ships arriving today. How troubling is that? It's a real concern for us. Out here on the West Coast, we are really trade dependent.

And Gabe, we've just learned the president has made a surprise pick for a pretty high profile job at the Justice Department. Yes, Lester, President Trump just announced he's appointing Fox News host and former judge as well as prosecutor Jeanine Pirro as interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. That's after he pulled the nomination of his previous pick earlier in the day. Lester. OK, Gabe, thank you. Tonight, the Trump administration is detailing plans for what it calls the biggest overhaul of air traffic control in the country's history. NBC's Tom Costello is in Washington. Tom, it's a pretty tall task ahead. Yeah, it really is. And Secretary Sean Duffy says it will take three to four years and cost many billions of dollars. But the country must upgrade from its 50-year-old ATC systems that really suffer serious glitches every single week. The plan calls for a brand new radio system, fiber optic data feeds, and new radars.

Radios and radars recently went down in Newark, leaving controllers in the dark. The DOT also wants to build new towers, new tracons, new runway safety systems. The nation's airlines, controller, and pilot unions all support the plan, saying air travel needs an urgent upgrade and a safety fix. Lester. All right, Tom, thanks. We'll be back in 60 seconds. Keith Morrison's exclusive reporting, the new video that shows a car resembling Brian Koberger's driving around the time of the Idaho student murders. That's next. Back now with news on the murders of those four college students in Idaho, Dateline has explosive new details about the case,

as authorities are ramping up to put the accused killer, Brian Koberger, on trial. Here's Keith Morrison. For two and a half years, this scene has only been described in court documents, until now. This video, obtained exclusively by Dateline, shows a white car on King Road in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, 2022. At the wheel, the state will allege, was Brian Koberger, making repeated passes near a house where, minutes later, four students were stabbed to death. Koberger has pleaded not guilty to all charges. This and other materials from our trusted sources, presented now for the first time in public, are part of a digital trail from before and after the murders of students Maddy Mogan, Kaylee Gonsalves, Zanna Kurnodal, and Ethan Chapin. Materials like records from Koberger's cell phone

in the possession of law enforcement now, showing the phone calls he made shortly after the murders to a phone linked to his parents, just before he took a now infamous thumbs-up selfie. And Google searches regarding serial killers, including Ted Bundy, and searches for a particular kind of pornography. His searches include the words forced, passed out, drugged, sleeping. Does that mean anything to you? Interesting, isn't it? These are all themes of power, drugged, sleeping. Does that mean anything to you? Interesting, isn't it? These are all themes of power, domination, and control.

After the murders, investigators discovered a sheath from a K-bar knife apparently left by the killer in one of the victim's beds. DNA found on that sheath has been linked to Brian Kohlberger. Dateline was the first to report that Kohlberger bought a K-bar knife seven months before the murders. And now we've obtained records showing that after the murders, Koberger was back on Amazon looking at K-Bars. He even clicked buy now and began the checkout process before exiting. Koberger's trial is scheduled for August.

Keith Morrison, NBC News, Los Angeles. And you can see much more of Keith's reporting on a newsy dateline Friday night at 9, 8 central. When we return here this evening, the first look in court at the man accused of ramming his car into the home of actor Jennifer Aniston. Welcome back with the death toll rising. India and Pakistan say they have exchanged fire yet again. A Pakistani military spokesperson saying its army shot down Indian drones, which they say killed civilians. Meantime, Indian officials vowing a firm response to any escalation and accusing Pakistan of firing missiles at military sites.

Pakistan denying those claims. The man accused of ramming his car into the gate of Jennifer Aniston's Bel Air mansion appeared in court today. 48-year-old Jimmy Wayne Carwile was shirtless as a judge ordered him to undergo a mental health evaluation. The judge ordered him to not contact the Friends actress under any conditions. Carwile has not entered a plea. When we come back, from the man known as Bob to Leo, the joy and jubilation as news of the new Pope traveled the world.

Finally, few thought the white smoke wafting above the Sistine Chapel would signal a new American era for the church, especially those Molly Hunter met in the crush of St. Peter's Square. As we waited in the Roman sunshine, we were surprised like everyone else as white smoke came pouring out. Oh, this is an unbelievable moment. Sharing the moment with Haley and Seth from Kansas. Oh, that's white. That's white, and then we heard the applause and the cheers. We met Irene and John earlier in the day, married inside Vatican City this week, and prepared to sit out their honeymoon at the Conclave. This is like the best wedding gift you could ever have. A wedding gift they could never have asked for.

Oh, it was fantastic. Yeah, it was. It was just a moment of joy. Spirits were moving, really. And John's pastor here, too. Did you think you would see an American priest in your lifetime? No, no, no, no, absolutely not. Very few did.

We were standing with Chicago native Mary Fiorito as the balcony curtains opened. Just as a Catholic, to have a new Holy Father, that's exciting enough. But then to find out that he's a Chicagoan as well, I could not believe it. For Jess, Lex, and Chastity, their first day in Rome together was one to remember. I think it's going to be something that's incredibly unifying for us as a country. It's something we probably needed. I'm not yourself talking about this. And safe to say, John and Irene probably won't either.

There are not enough words to express the happiness, the joy, the elation. It's unbelievable. Molly Hunter, NBC News at the Vatican. A day to remember for so many. That is nightly news for this Thursday. Thank you for watching.

I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.