NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Episode Date: April 16, 2025

Trump administration freezes more than $2 billion after Harvard rejects demands; A shooting at a Dallas area High School leaves students shaken; Judge demands answers on what Trump admin. has done to return deported man; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the Trump administration and Harvard going toe-to-toe. The $2 billion funding fight. The administration accusing the school of ignoring anti-Semitism on campus. Harvard pushing back. President Trump's new threat tonight. And the rare comments from former President Obama. Terrifying moments at a Dallas high school. Multiple kids injured.

Teachers locking doors, hiding with students as they heard gunshots. The gunman now on the loose. Our team is there. A growing deportation clash. That Maryland man whose family says he was wrongfully deported to that maximum security prison in El Salvador. Now a federal judge demanding to know what steps the Trump administration has taken to bring him back.

This just in new details and body cam footage from inside the home of Gene Hackman after the actor and his wife were found dead. We'll tell you what investigators found in Hackman's wife's Internet search history. Also tonight, the new drone hunters. You'll see the FAA's expanding drone detection technology, how they're meant to help with aviation safety. Plus, the new CDC report on autism. One in 31 kids diagnosed. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. calling it an epidemic. But we speak with a doctor who disagrees. And the good news tonight, talk about a lending hand. We'll introduce you to an incredible community stepping up for their beloved bookstore. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. And good evening. I'm Tom Yamas in for Lester. Tonight, the Trump administration is taking on one of the most powerful institutions in the world, Harvard.

The president today further threatening the school's financial foundations after the Department of Education put a freeze on more than $2 billion worth of federal funding. All of it a reaction to the university's refusal to comply with a list of wide-ranging demands on DEI, leadership, governance, and more. The White House saying Harvard didn't do enough to address anti-Semitism on campus. But the university tonight is pushing back, saying the Trump administration is violating their First Amendment rights. And now, former President Obama is getting involved. It's the most high-profile school to stand up to the administration so far. Stephanie Gosk starts us off.

Tonight, it's an all-out battle between Harvard University and the Trump administration. The White House accusing the school of not addressing anti-Semitism on campus. We unfortunately saw that illegal discrimination take place on the campus of Harvard. There are countless examples to prove it. The Department of Education freezing more than two billion dollars in federal money after Harvard refused to accept a long list of demands taking aim at its culture and curriculum. The school's defiance being embraced by some on campus. I think it was so important because this attack on Harvard wasn't just an attack on Harvard, it's an attack on higher education and in that sense it's an attack on Harvard. It's an attack on higher education. And in that sense, it's an attack on a pillar of American civil society.

Today, President Trump also threatening to revoke the university's tax-exempt status, accusing the school of pushing political, ideological, and terrorist-inspired sickness. Harvard University's president says the school has taken steps to address anti-Semitism on campus and calls the federal government's tactics a violation of the school's First Amendment rights. Former President Barack Obama weighing in today, applauding Harvard's decision. Harvard has set an example for other higher ed institutions, rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom. Federal funding has been paused for schools around the country, including Columbia, Penn, Princeton, and Northwestern, the money being used as a cudgel to try to force cultural change.

Harvard has the largest endowment of them all, over $53 billion, but there are restrictions over how that money can be spent. So pulling federal grants will still hurt, and the whole country will feel it, according to the president of the American Council on Education. This freeze will hamper Harvard's ability to produce new technologies, new biomedical discoveries, new outreach in public health. We will be in worse shape as a nation because of these freezes. All right, Stephanie joins us now in studio. And Stephanie, Harvard is luring up and they're getting attorneys with conservative credentials. Yeah, they are. They haven't filed a lawsuit yet, but they've hired these two high profile Republican attorneys, one,

the former deputy counsel for President George W. Bush, the other, the former special counsel who investigated Joe Biden and his handling of classified documents. So it seems like they're getting ready to go to court, Tom. All right, Stephanie Goss leaving us off tonight. Stephanie, we thank you for that. We're also following that breaking news tonight, a shooting at a Dallas area high school. The gunman identified, but still on the loose.

Students shaken as so many are asking about security tonight. Jay Gray has the late details. We've got an active shooter over Hutchins High School. Tonight, panic and chaos inside a Dallas high school. Oh man, the kids were just running out, all of them. They were running out in floors, man, just hundreds of kids running out. Teachers rushing to lock doors and hiding with students as the gunshots ring out. I saw him walk by and then like two seconds later I heard like six shots

and then the teacher ran to the door and closed it and told us to hide in the corner. Parents getting heartbreaking messages from their kids trapped inside. She texted us and telling us that she loved us like that if anything happened to her that she would just let us know that she loved us. This shooting just a year and three days after a shooting at the same high school last year injured a student. This is going on too much at this school. Last year my oldest son was a senior here and it was a shooting. Now he's here. Same thing going on. It's ridiculous. Four students were injured, three with gunshot wounds. Officials say the school is now secure, but students are still overwhelmed. I heard one of my classmates say that they saw a bullet had came through our door window. So, like, that's when my heart really sunk.

And I'm sorry. And asking questions. I feel like the security, they weren't really like doing their job at the moment because like what, like how would the gun get in the school in the first place? Jay Gray joins us now live from the scene and Jay, I know a news conference just wrapped up. What can you tell our viewers? Tom, what I can tell you is that the campus is still locked down at this point. Police say they do have a suspect in this shooting, but that they have not been able to find that suspect at this point. He's still on the run. They also say that the weapon used did not come in through a main entrance here today and that

the metal detectors were at those entrances and were fully operational. Tom. OK, Jay, great for us, Jay. We thank you for that. We want to turn out of that ongoing standoff over the deportation of a man from El Salvador living in Maryland. At a hearing late today, a federal judge demanded to know what steps the Trump administration has taken to bring him back. Here's Gabe Gutierrez. Tonight, a new escalation in the fight between the Trump administration and the federal court system. I will not stop fighting until I see my husband alive. Late today, the wife of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the father of three deported to a mega prison in El Salvador, walked into a Maryland courthouse where a judge demanded to know what the federal government has done to abide by a court order to return him to the U.S., saying there will

be no tolerance for gamesmanship or grandstanding. The White House is arguing that Abrego Garcia was not mistakenly deported. That contradicts earlier statements from a Justice Department prosecutor and the Solicitor General, who acknowledged his deportation had been an administrative error. He's from El Salvador, so that's a decision up to El Salvador. Legal experts say the case is about much more than just one deportee and raises questions about due process for anyone in the U.S. Abrego Garcia was a foreign terrorist. He is an MS-13 gang member.

He was engaged in human trafficking. He illegally came into our country. And so deporting him back to El Salvador was always going to be the end result. But Abrego Garcia has never been criminally convicted in either country. He did enter the U.S. illegally in 2011. But in 2019, an immigration judge determined he should not be deported to his native El Salvador because he might face danger. Another judge agreed evidence showed Abrego Garcia was a member of MS-13, but his attorneys argue that was based on questionable testimony from a confidential informant. No evidence has been submitted about this allegation, proving this allegation.

The Supreme Court has ruled the Trump administration must facilitate Abrego Garcia's return to the U.S., but the Department of Homeland Security said today if he does show up at a port of entry, the U.S. would either deport him to another country or remove his protected status and send him back to El Salvador. The legal fight is quickly becoming a test case for the limits of presidential power and the country's system of checks and balances. They need to comply with the Supreme Court's directive

or the Supreme Court needs to enforce its order aggressively, which should include contempt. And, Gabe, the judge was pretty clear today. She wants to move quickly. What are the next steps here? Yes, Tom. She wants Trump administration officials to submit evidence and depositions within two weeks. Attorneys for Obrego-Garcia are asking for the administration to be held in contempt for its inaction. And today, the judge suggested that she would consider that.

Tom. All right, Gabe Gutierrez at the White House. We want to head to Chicago now, where former President Joe Biden made his first public appearance since leaving the White House. Kelly O'Donnell joins us. And Kelly, Biden firing back against the current administration? Yes, Tom. And he's doing that just 85 days after the former president left office. Tonight, Joe Biden is stepping back into the political arena with a very specific purpose, to take on the Trump administration and defend Social Security. Now, he's at a bipartisan conference in Chicago. And there, Mr. Biden is laying out what he sees as a threat to Social

Security, overcuts to staff, phone services, local offices that he says could affect seniors' access. Fewer than 100 days, this new administration has made so much, done so much damage and so much destruction. It's kind of breathtaking it could happen that soon. They've taken a hatchet to the Social Security Administration. And tonight's speech also highlights that this is a political divide that feels very familiar to us from the Biden years, but it's also right at the front lines of where Democrats are today as they try to define their own message in the Trump era.

Tom? Okay, Kelly O'Donnell first. Kelly, thank you. where Democrats are today as they try to define their own message in the Trump era. Tom. OK, Kelly O'Donnell first. Kelly, thank you. We want to turn out a newly released body cam video inside the home of where actor Gene Hackman and his wife were found dead in February. We're also learning more about rodents found on the property. Dana Griffin has the late details. Yeah, he's down.

He's been down for a while. Gene Hackman, the actor. Tonight, for the first time since the shocking death of legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa, we're seeing the moment officers, at times with guns drawn, checked every room of the couple's Santa Fe, New Mexico home, making the grim discovery. So I think this is where he was sleeping because there's blood on the pillow and on the mattresses and on the bedspread. Hackman, who investigators say died of heart failure February 18th, lived nearly a week inside the home with his wife's body.

He's guarding her. Arakawa was in a bathroom guarded by the couple's German shepherd. The dog growled at him. Along with their deceased dog, Zinna, who was still in her kennel. They've been dead for a few weeks. It only takes three days without water for a dog to die. An autopsy later revealing Arakawa died of the rare hantavirus, a respiratory illness spread through infected rodents.

That don't make sense because she was young. She took care of him. According to an environmental assessment, no rodents were found in the main house, but rodent droppings were found in several other buildings of the property. We're also seeing surveillance video the last time Arakawa was seen in public. Here, she's shopping and wearing a face mask. New case reports revealing Arakawa also sent an email that morning to cancel her massage appointment, writing, Soji woke up today with cold flu-like symptoms. Did a COVID test. Negative. And on her laptop, an investigator says she Googled breathing techniques and on Amazon purchased boost oxygen canisters.

No, that's strange. Dana Griffin, NBC News. In 60 seconds, why another major airliner is dropping flights from their schedules. Plus, the drone hunters will give you an inside look at a new drone detection system to help with safety just months after those mysterious drones were spotted in the skies along the East Coast. The busy summer travel season is coming, but United Airlines says it plans to cut about 4% of U.S. flights in the next few months. While bookings for international trips are still popular, it says demand for domestic travel is down. Today's economic uncertainty

also a factor, something both the airlines and travelers are watching closely. Also tonight, the FAA is conducting testing of new drone detection tech along the New Jersey coast. And this comes just months after, how could anyone forget, those reported mysterious sightings of flashing lights in the skies. Sam Brock has more. For the first time in months, drones are back on the public radar and hovering over New Jersey skies. As the FAA studies drone detection systems on the Jersey Shore, a project the government says it launched years ago with airports around the country, but now is expanding to off-airport locations like this ferry terminal to ensure safety between an increasing number of drones and aircraft. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says it's all about national security. The FAA is doing this to ensure we can properly detect drones in our airspace and make sure they don't interfere with aircraft navigation systems. The FAA says the work has no direct connection to the swarm of drone sightings that recently

prompted national hysteria. So that's the airplane, but look at that. When they blanketed the skies from Maryland to New Jersey. There's a lot of panic in the area. Causing consternation at diners. Do you get the impression the federal government knows way more than what they're revealing to people? And frustration from lawmakers. Then in the first days of the Trump administration, this revelation. The drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the FAA for research and various other reasons. With this off-airport testing, the FAA says it's using about 100 of these off-the-shelf drones,

in addition to a couple of larger drones, too. Now, it's only taking place during daylight and weekday hours, with all the communities involved being alerted. As for why the off-airport testing, the FAA says that's to make sure the drones don't impact law enforcement and medevac services. More testing will be held at sites in New Mexico, North Dakota, and Mississippi later this year. Sam Brock, NBC News, Maplewood, New Jersey. All right, we're back in a moment with an incredible scene caught on camera. Elephants racing to protect their young during that earthquake. Plus, the new details just out about the rise in autism rates.

Which groups are seeing the highest? That's next. Did they post that for anything? We're back now with this stunning moment caught on camera. Look closely as these African elephants at the San Diego Zoo. This is during that earthquake when the ground rumbles. You see the elephants gathering, instinctively forming what's known as an alert circle to protect their young. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but a pretty amazing moment of animal instincts on display

there. Also tonight, the CDC just released new data on autism, reporting a rise in the rate of autism cases over the last two decades. But our Anne Thompson explains why all doctors aren't agreeing on the findings. The CDC says one in 31 eight-year-olds were identified with autism spectrum disorder in 2022, up from one in 36 two years earlier. Boys were more than three times as likely as girls to be identified with autism, minority children more than three times as likely as girls to be identified with autism. Minority children more than whites. Almost 40 percent of the kids also have an intellectual disability. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. today calling autism an epidemic.

This whole generation of kids is damaged by chronic disease. Dr. Alex Culveson of New York's Seaver Autism Center disagrees with Kennedy's diagnosis. Is this report an accurate representation of how prevalent autism is in the U.S.? No, I don't think it is. I don't think we have an epidemic of autism. I think that there are a number of factors that are driving the increase in prevalence. Such as? Such as broadening diagnostic criteria, perhaps younger age of diagnosis, and getting the diagnosis is a means of getting services, which are important for kids. And he vehemently disagrees with Kennedy's past attempts to link autism to vaccines. The one thing we know with certainty is that vaccines do not cause autism.

This has been studied extensively across multiple continents, and it's been well established in the scientific community. Science shows genetics is a factor. Eileen Lam blogs about raising two children with autism while being on the spectrum herself. It's not just a statistic to us. It's more like a call to action. As parents and science try to unlock the mysteries of the mind. Anne Thompson, NBC News. All right, when we come back, what if the supply chain was human? We'll take you to a community quite literally lending a hand to help their local bookstore. That's next. Finally, there's good news tonight about a small Michigan community, a beloved local shop, and a whole lot of books. When Michigan's Serendipity Books was preparing to move to a

new home, owner Michelle Toplin faced a daunting task. To put all the books into boxes probably would have taken us two or three days. Her collection, nearly 10,000 books. So she came up with a novel idea and put out a call for volunteers to act as a conveyor belt. That's an incredible supply chain. You know, it really was. People really consider independent bookstores theirs. Shoulder to shoulder, the community formed a line 300 feet long from the stock room of the old shop around the corner and into the new store there was a 91 year old woman there was somebody with their six-year-old child and we figured if we just did it book by book everybody could be involved what began as a single human chain doubled with 300 people and one dog turning out to help, including Donna Zak.

It was just a joyful experience passing the books and noticing and commenting to each other about, oh, have you read this one? Have you read that one? I really enjoyed this one. New friends were made as covers of bestsellers were passed from neighbor to neighbor, moving an entire inventory in just under two hours. And yes, in alphabetical order. People started clapping and cheering and singing, and it was just overwhelming. Now, Toplin is getting ready for the next chapter, a bigger location opening later this month.

And for someone who has read more words than most, when she thinks about her community, she simply has two. Thank you. We thank you for sharing that story. That's nightly news for this Tuesday. I'm Tom Yalness in New York. Have a great day.