NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Episode Date: April 2, 2025

High-stakes election in Wisconsin tests Musk’s influence; Trump administration cuts 10,000 HHS jobs to downsize bureaucracy; Businesses brace for new tariffs as Trump is set to unveil details; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the first test of this Trump era, election night again, from Wisconsin to Florida, the high-stakes matchups with millions of dollars pouring in, what it could reveal about voters' thoughts on the president's performance amid Elon Musk's steep doge cuts, the mass layoffs hitting health care workers at CDC, NIH, and more as doge cuts 20,000 jobs. And Mr. Booker takes on Washington, the Democrat whose marathon Senate speech opposing the White House is smashing records. Rising uncertainty on the eve of a massive new wave of Trump tariffs. Why people are rushing to buy everything from couches to cars before prices could go up. Breaking news as a truck crashes into a Boston sidewalk, injuring at least four.

What happened? The new risk for severe weather, the threat rising tomorrow for 70 million. We're tracking it. Inside the deportations to a notorious El Salvador prison. The Trump administration admitting one father was mistakenly sent there. And our exclusive interviews with two women who say they were wrongly taken there as well. The stunning details of an anesthesiologist accused of attempting to kill his wife

at an iconic Hawaiian lookout, what she says he tried to do. And chairman of the board, one man's lifetime collection of misquotes, malaprops and strange things his co-workers said. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome. Tonight, polls are closing on an election night stress-testing the mood of the country like we've rarely seen. Just five months after the presidential election, a state Supreme Court race in Wisconsin is dominating the national political conversation with the potential to tip the ideological balance of Wisconsin's high court, pitting Republican and Democratic-backed candidates in a race that has generated tens of millions of dollars in spending and viewed by some on the left as a referendum on billionaire Elon Musk.

Musk and his Doge efforts also figuring large in a pair of congressional special elections in Florida. Shaquille Brewster is following it all for us tonight. Tonight in Wisconsin, a key election showdown in a swing state that gave President Trump his most narrow victory in November. I don't remember it ever being like this for a non-presidential election. Liberal Judge Susan Crawford facing conservative Judge Brad Schimel for an open seat that could tip the balance of the state Supreme Court, which may consider hot-button issues from abortion to congressional redistricting. Tonight, Democrats trying to put the focus on top Trump ally Elon Musk. What do you think of my hat? Musk doing million-dollar giveaways to people who signed his petition opposing what he calls

activist judges, using his super PAC to spend more than $12 million to back Schimel, who also has the endorsement of the president. We have to stop the politics on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. We've got to go and vote to restore objectivity to this court. More than $80 million of records spent so far by candidates in outside groups, most of it by Crawford, who has the backing of liberal billionaire George Soros. It's the first statewide test of Democratic messaging against Musk. You said this is a campaign essentially against Elon Musk that you're fighting.

Well, it sure feels like it some days. Messaging that drove some voters to the polls. So you normally wouldn't come out, but Elon Musk got you out here? Pretty much. Yeah. While in Florida, Republicans looking to boost their narrow congressional majority in two special elections. President Trump dominated these districts, but it's a question of if the GOP can energize its voters when he's not on the ballot. I just hope that the other Republicans out there aren't too lax. So Shaq, Elon Musk says he's trying to energize Republican voters with President Trump not on the ballot. That's right, Lester.

Musk is trying to boost turnout among those Trump voters who would normally stay home during a local election. But the risk of grabbing the spotlight is that it could also mobilize the Democratic base here. Lester. All right, Shaq, thank you. Now to President Trump's new moves to downsize the federal bureaucracy, laying off tens of thousands employees at the Department of Health and Human Services. One Democratic senator protesting the cuts in a marathon speech lasting nearly 24 hours. Here's Gabe Gutierrez.

Outside federal buildings in Maryland this morning, growing lines of confusion. Employees turned away, told they no longer had jobs. This is all part of the administration's effort for a mass reduction in force in the federal bureaucracy here in Washington, D.C. to save American taxpayers money. In today's cost cutting, about 10,000 jobs slashed across the Department of Health and Human Services, which includes the CDC, FDA, the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The deep cuts hitting divisions responsible for tackling HIV and improving minority health. With demonstrators today outside the CDC in Atlanta, on Capitol Hill, one HHS worker fired

in February confronted Indiana Republican Senator Jim Banks. Are you going to do anything to stop what's happening? You probably deserved it. I deserved it? You probably deserved it. I deserved it. Wow. Yeah, that's great to hear.

Why did I deserve it? Because you seem like a clown. That former worker, Max Schroeder, is protesting the cuts. It was really alarming and discouraging to hear that he would say something like that to people who were just giving their time to really serve this country. Meanwhile, as Democrats face criticism from their base for not effectively countering the cuts, a symbolic effort by New Jersey Senator Cory Booker criticizing the president at the Capitol for over 23 hours.

This president is wrong. And he's violating principles that we hold dear. Tonight, an HHS spokesperson says the new cuts won't impact critical services like Medicare, Medicaid or drug approvals. Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says some agencies may have their roles shifted to the newly created administration for a healthy America. Lester. Gabe Gutierrez at the White House. Thank you. President Trump says his mind is made up on the tariffs he is set to announce tomorrow. Hundreds of U.S. trading partners and businesses are now bracing for impact. Our Christine Romans

has more on the uncertainty of it all. On the eve of President Trump's efforts to reshape the global economic order, the White House is offering only breadcrumbs. He's with his trade and tariff team right now, perfecting it to make sure this is a perfect deal for the American people and the American worker. The White House says the specifics of the president's tariffs plan will be announced tomorrow in a Rose Garden event and go into effect immediately. Tariffs already in effect include 20 percent on Chinese imports, 25 percent on aluminum and steel, and 25 percent on certain goods from Mexico and Canada. And scheduled to start tomorrow, 25 percent fees on auto imports.

In Skokie, Illinois, Jeremy Gleason says over the past week at his Subaru dealership, the pace of sales has more than doubled from what's typical as people rush in. What were customers asking you or telling you when they came into the dealership this weekend? Just with, yeah, so much uncertainty. They'd like to just get it over with and get the car locked in at current pricing prior to anything changing. In Pomona, New York, Stuart Leventhal owns this outdoor furniture store that imports from around the world. You're ordering for Christmas already. It's ordered already.

It's ordered. But you don't know what it's going to cost. Doesn't that sound stupid? In January, he ordered inventory that won't arrive until July under a new set of rules. It's an uneasy time because there seems to be no certainty, no certainty with respect to what the cost of goods are and no certainty as to where the policies are taking us. An uncertainty weighing on both business and consumers. Christine Romans, NBC News, Pomona, New York. And now to a shocking scene in Boston today after a truck crash into multiple people. Officials there say it appears to be an accident. Sam Brock has more. In the middle of the day, a jarring sight in downtown Boston, an upturned Penske box truck.

Chaos on the streets with several people injured. Upon the officer's arrival, they observed a box truck turned over on its side, as well as multiple people who were struck by the vehicle. In what law enforcement is calling an accident, witnesses describing those initial moments. Oh my God. And my first thought was, is everyone okay? Like, are they alive? Boston PD says one person is critically injured while three others are at least in stable condition, including the truck's driver. The fire department posting it used extrication tools to remove the trapped driver. Multiple law enforcement officials telling NBC News they're looking into whether the driver had a medical issue that led to the crash

as the DA weighing in on an active investigation. At least at this preliminary juncture, we don't have any reason to believe that this was an intentional act. Penske noting in a statement they are fully cooperating with authorities, adding, based on our records, the truck involved was out on rent to a commercial trucking company. Now a street covered in debris and residents shaken as officials try and unpack what happened. Sam Brock, NBC News. It has already been a deadly week of weather with tornadoes and severe storms accounting for seven deaths. Millions more are under threat tonight and tomorrow.

Let's bring in meteorologist Michelle Grossman. What are you looking at? Lester, we are looking at a tough week ahead because we are looking at a sphere risk tonight from the south central plains into portions of the Midwest. 14 million people at risk for severe storms. Could see some strong tornadoes, large hail, also winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour. Look how this grows tomorrow. We're looking at 71 million Americans under the risk for strong storms, winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour. Look how this grows tomorrow. We're looking at 71

million Americans under the risk for strong storms. Winds gusting over 75 miles per hour. Could see some large hail as well. The likeliest spot where you see this hatched area from Indianapolis, Paducah down to Little Rock. And heavy rain will be a big deal as well. We're looking at 33 million people impacted by flood watches from the Great Lakes all the way down to the south central states. Lester, we could see 15 inches of rain. All right, Michelle Grossman, thank you. Sure. Turning now to an update on Luigi Mangione,

who is facing charges for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Attorney General Pam Bondi says she has instructed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty. Mangione has not yet entered a plea in the federal case. He'll stand trial first on New York state charges. Now to the legal showdown over President Trump's deportations of alleged gang members to El Salvador. Tonight, two women who say they were wrongly taken on those deportation flights are speaking out in an exclusive interview with our Julia Ainsley. The images sparked a legal showdown over President Trump's

mass deportations, alleged gang members arriving on flights to a notorious prison in El Salvador. And tonight, two women who say they were on those planes speaking exclusively to NBC News. We were lied to when we arrived at our destination. that's when they told us we were in El Salvador. Hey, Maramoya Tones tells us she was arrested by ICE and was expecting to be deported home to Venezuela. Scarlett Rodriguez says she used the Biden administration's CBP One app to get across the border. We are from Venezuela. We know that airport. And we were like, no, we are not in Venezuela. Both women say they have no criminal history and are not part of a gang. Consistent with court declarations, she said she witnessed an official push three men to sign papers claiming they were gang members.

And there was a man who said no, that he wasn't going to sign it, because he had nothing to do with that. And the official came and said whether we sign or don't sign the paper, they were going to leave us there. The women are now back at a U.S. detention facility after El Salvador's president refused to take female prisoners. Moya Tone says she's worried about her two-year-old son, left with a relative in Pennsylvania. I am very afraid because I've always been with my son. There's now a legal battle over the Trump administration's use of wartime powers for some deportations. Just today, the administration said it mistakenly sent a Maryland man to El Salvador, despite an immigration judge's order saying he could not be deported there.

His attorney says he was not a gang member. Vice President Vance posted, this man is an illegal immigrant with no right to be in our country. It was an administrative error. This individual who was deported to El Salvador and will not be returning to our country was a member of the brutal and vicious MS-13 gang. The Trump administration touts its handling of border security, with illegal border crossings now the lowest ever recorded. A new poll shows 58 percent of Americans approve of the president's deportation efforts. But an ACLU attorney says mistakes have been made.

Whoever heard of sending someone potentially for a life sentence in El Salvador without giving them any due process to show they don't belong. We spoke to Rodriguez's mother back in Venezuela, who said her daughter hoped for a better future in the U.S. Now both women just want to be deported to their own country. What will you do the moment you see her for the first time? My God, it is going to be the happiest day of my life, she said. And Julia, you reached out to the Department of Homeland Security. What do they

say about the cases of these two women? Lester, DHS says they will not comment, citing ongoing litigation. Meanwhile, this Thursday, lawyers will argue they did not violate a judge's order by deporting immigrants to El Salvador using those wartime powers. Lester. Julia Ainsley, thank you. We'll be right back in 60 seconds with chilling new details. The brazen attempted murder case, what an anesthesiologist is accused of doing to his wife at a scenic Hawaiian overlook. We turn now to new details in the case of a doctor in Hawaii accused of trying to murder his wife by pushing her off a cliff. The wife now sharing her side of the story, including an alleged confession on FaceTime. Here's Liz Kreutz. Tonight, the Hawaii woman whose doctor husband

is accused of attempting to murder her on a popular Oahu hiking trail, sharing chilling new details about the terrifying ordeal. In a petition for a restraining order, Ariel Koenig says while attempting to take a selfie with her near the edge of a cliff, her 46-year-old husband Gerhardt pushed her, trying to make me fall off. She says while fighting back, Gerhardt then grabbed a syringe with an unknown substance and attempted to inject her with it, stating Gerhardt is an anesthesiologist and has access to several potentially lethal medications. The 36-year-old says she then bit Gerhardt before he began repeatedly hitting her with a rock. She says Gerhardt finally stopped and ran off after two

women witnesses appeared on the trail and began shouting and calling 911. Ariel taken to a hospital in critical condition. Those who know the couple stunned. It's hard to grasp the severity of this tragic incident. According to the restraining order petition, Ariel says she learned that after the altercation, Gerhardt, covered in blood, FaceTimed his adult son, allegedly telling him, I just tried to kill Ari, but she got away, and that he wanted to kill himself by jumping off a cliff. NBC News has reached out to both Gerhardt's attorney and his son for comment, but have not heard back. Now, Gerhardt has been charged with attempted murder. He is being held in Hawaii jail without bail. He's expected to

enter a plea in a court hearing scheduled for next week. As for Arielle, according to her attorney, she is now recovering back home in Maui. Lester. Liz Kreutz, thank you. We're back in a moment with the thefts creating a buzz. What's behind people stealing bees from their hives? We'll talk about that next. Tonight, we have a warning about the decline in honeybees across the nation and the stinging impact it could have on consumers. Dana Griffin got a look inside the growing problem and one

surprising culprit, bee thieves. Tonight, beekeepers are raising the alarm about a stunning decline in honeybees. What's a life without honeybees? I think we'd be very hungry. All these are work with bees. Bees are the backbone of our ecosystem, pollinating 75 percent of the world's food. But there's trouble ahead as a nationwide survey reveals catastrophic honeybee deaths. More than a million commercial colonies were lost in just nine months. Several contributing factors are to blame, including, believe it or not, thievery. This orchard near Sacramento uses Trevor Talser's bees to produce almonds. Some of his bees dead and stolen. It feels violating.

You put all of your effort into keeping the bees healthy and then somebody picks up and disappears with them. Why are people stealing hives? Hive theft revolves around almond pollination. We rode along with Deputy Rowdy Freeman, who is on a California crime prevention task force working to stop those sticky fingers. These are hundreds of stolen hives his team has recovered. I often describe it as a perfect crime because it's beekeepers stealing from other beekeepers. Most thefts happen at night,

so beekeepers are getting creative, hiding tracking devices deep in the hives. Bee thefts in California skyrocketing 87% since 2013, with 10,000 stolen hives valued at over 3.5 million dollars. UC Davis professor Dr. Alina El Nino warns this trend could have economic impacts. For beekeepers having to recuperate those losses, it will definitely trickle down to the consumers. If beekeepers can't find a solution, it'll have a stinging effect on us all. Dana Griffin, NBC News, Sacramento. And when we come back here tonight, it's on the tip of my tongue, the lifetime of mixed metaphors and strange turns of phrase one man has collected

from his co-workers for years and years. Good news tonight, man And of all the lists that circulate in an office, this one has to be one of the most entertaining. An accounting of a decade's worth of hilarious verbal flubs and blunders. Here's Emily Aketa with our good news tonight. When Mike O'Brien retired from Ford. Okay, that is a serious list. Oh my gosh, wow. He kept an unusual workplace memento.

This is the board word shrine. An exhaustive list of every time someone at the office flubbed a phrase. He's not the smartest knife in the drawer. More than 2,200 entries over the past decade. Some off by a single word. I heard it through the grapefruit. I don't want to be a dead horse. Too many cooks in the soup. There are also metaphorical mix-ups, a sheep in wolf's clothing, and then just the totally far-fetched, like the slowest elk in the jungle.

What was behind this effort? What happened was there was multiple fumbles, or as somebody once said, flumble. And so I'm going to write that on the board. And somebody did it the next day, and we did it again, and it just took off. And no one spared. You'll find O'Brien's name listed more than 100 times, even Ford's CEO. These little moments within the day of levity, it just brought everybody together. Since the Wall Street Journal first profiled O'Brien, his list of verbal blunders has gone

viral, inspiring book inquiries. I think it speaks to the relatability factor here. Yeah, everybody does it. He's now passed the torch to several co-workers, though in their words, O'Brien is forever unbackfillable. Emily Ikeda, NBC News, Novi, Michigan. Wondering if some of those things may have ended up on the list with my name on them. That's nightly news for this Tuesday. Thank you for watching. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.