NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Episode Date: January 24, 2024

Haley says she won't drop out even if she loses N.H. primary; Young Democratic primary voters voice reason for Biden campaign concern; 24 Israeli soldiers killed in deadliest day in the war against Hamas; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the showdown in New Hampshire. NBC News now projecting that Donald Trump has won that state's first in the nation Republican primary. The former president going head-to-head with Nikki Haley, the only other Republican still in the race. Haley had been hoping for a surprise upset. Where does she go from here? We have reaction from both campaigns. Our team in New Hampshire tonight. Also this evening, the deadliest day for Israeli forces since the Gaza offensive began. 24 soldiers killed while in Gaza were inside one of the last major hospitals in operation. Just in, the U.S. launching new airstrikes in Iraq. What we're learning. The state of emergency in San Diego after the city got a month's worth of rain in a single day. The mother

of a Michigan school shooter on trial herself. The unprecedented case. Our exclusive, the CEO of Alaska Airlines. His first interview since that mid-air door plug emergency is heated words for the planes maker Boeing. I am angry. This happened to Alaska Airlines. It happened to our guests. It happened to our people. The alarming thing, he says, inspections reveal. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome, everyone. The polls are now closed in New Hampshire and NBC News is projecting that former President Donald Trump has decisively won the first primary of the 2024 election season. Take a look at the numbers. Mr. Trump is leading at this hour at around 53 percent of the vote.

Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley trails with just about 45 percent. The former president, who also won an overwhelming victory last week in the Iowa caucuses, looking to clear the field of his final competitor for the nomination six months before the Republican convention. Haley was counting on an upset win, or at least to keep it close, and she vowed earlier today to stay in the race no matter what. She took to the podium moments ago to thank her family and supporters and congratulate President Trump at saying, quote, while New Hampshire is first in the nation, it is not last.

Hallie Jackson starts us off in New Hampshire tonight. Hallie, set the scene for us. Lester, we're here at a bar where folks are gathering to watch those returns come in with NBC News, of course, now projecting that Donald Trump will win the state of New Hampshire here. The question is going to be this. And you see the headline on some of the screens behind me here. Nikki Haley is pledging that the fight will go on, that she will carry her race, her campaign further into the country. But what will the margin be here in New Hampshire?

Her allies have suggested that a strong second place finish would be the equivalent, essentially, to them of a win, casting the expectations as such that a victory wasn't what she needed. That was not what she needed to continue this race. What you will be looking for tonight, single digits or double digits. Where does this end up? Senator Tim Scott, fellow South Carolinian, told me earlier today that he thinks a good night for former President Trump is winning by roughly 10 points. A great night is roughly 15. If it's less than that, I think you will start to see some movement, perhaps, especially from Haley allies, that this is the moment where she should continue to fight on. Her campaign is already talking about not just Haley's home state of South Carolina, which votes in just about a month from now,

but even beyond that, Super Tuesday, looking at the makeup of some of these states like Virginia and Vermont, where there may be an electorate that is more similar to New Hampshire, more of those perhaps undecided, independent voters who would be part of her demographic. Lester, back to you. Hallie Jackson, thank you. I'm joined now by Garrett Haik in Nashua, New Hampshire, at Trump headquarters. Garrett, how is the Trump campaign reading the returns so far tonight? Well, Lester, the Trump campaign is very pleased with these results. They never felt like this state was in doubt for them. And one senior Trump advisor told me that when they're voting, when the vote counting is done, they still think they're going to end up winning

this state by a comfortable double digit margin. And that same Trump advisor responding to Nikki Haley's speech vowing to continue, calling her efforts to find a path to the nomination delusional. Lester? And Garrett, the night is young, but what happens next in the Trump campaign's eyes? Well, the Trump campaign goes next to Nevada, where there's a caucus in early February in which he's the only participant. The rules in Nevada had changed. They hope to rack up another win there. And then they want to spend that time between now and South Carolina's primary a month from now, really isolating Nikki Haley. The Trump campaign advisors have told me their goal is to make her life miserable, to remind her of all the other Republicans who are now united, they say, in defeating Joe Biden and in putting this primary

behind them. They have two new Senate endorsements just as this race has been called, Lester. Garrett Haig, thank you. I'm joined here by Kristen Welker, moderator of Meet the Press. Kristen, what's the path for Nikki Haley right now? Clearly, she and the Trump campaign are looking for the margins. Absolutely, Lester. And Nikki Haley was defiant in her remarks tonight. She said this race is far from over. The margin will matter. Again, if she can keep this to single digits, she'll make the case that she had a strong night in New Hampshire. But New Hampshire is really tailor made for Nikki Haley because of the large

number of independent voters. And if you look at the exit polls, it shows that about 45 percent of voters describe themselves as independent. So looking forward, look, it gets more uphill in her home state in South Carolina, where the former president already has a double digit lead, where he has secured the endorsements of a number of top officials. And the two M's are at play here, Lester, the math and the momentum. Donald Trump has both right now on his side. It's uphill for Haley. All right, Kristen Walker, good math and the momentum. Donald Trump has both right now on his side. It's uphill for Haley. All right, Kristen Walker, good to have you tonight. Thank you. As people in New Hampshire headed to the polls, our Jacob Soboroff boarded a bus with a group of college students and came

away with a glimpse of their thinking beyond today. Here in Durham, New Hampshire, it's express service from college campus to the polling site. If you want to know what young people feel like at the University of New Hampshire, there's no better place to be than on this voter shuttle bus. On board, troubling signs for President Biden. When you're in there, you could choose Biden. You have to write him in or you can pick another candidate. You're going to pick Biden or another candidate? I'm definitely going to pick a different candidate, yes.

Neither Trump nor Biden are speaking to you? No, that's really it for me. Mr. Biden, not on the ballot today, but can be listed as a write-in candidate. Did you write in President Biden's name today or did you vote for somebody else? Okay, go for it. Tell me who. I wrote in ceasefire tonight. Ceasefire. There's a campaign to write in ceasefire in support of the ceasefire in Gaza. Did you all write in ceasefire? I did. Like 72 percent of young voters nationwide, many students we met disapprove of how President Biden is handling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. What is it about Biden that's got young Democrats

looking elsewhere? Mostly his age and his foreign policy. We just want somebody younger and new. And while Democrats aren't questioning if Mr. Biden will be the party's nominee, the young voters we met are issuing a warning about November. I'm not happy with Biden's term in office. He's filled out a lot of empty campaign promises. Indeed, NBC's latest national poll among voters shows President Biden trailing former President Trump. We also rode this bus during 2016's admittedly more competitive primary, encountering a far more enthusiastic crowd. Anybody else on the bus, Bober Bernie? But today, is there a lack of enthusiasm amongst young people about this race? I guess so. I mean, I've talked to some other kids. They're not really

like into it. Jacob, as we've been reporting, NBC News projecting President Biden has won New Hampshire tonight. But for those young Democratic voters who didn't go for him today, what did they say to you about November? They say, Lester, if it is a general election matchup between former President Trump and President Biden, they will vote for President Biden. But their lack of enthusiasm sure is telling, Lester. Jacob Soboroff, thank you. In the Middle East, mourning in Israel tonight after two dozen soldiers were killed by Hamas as the fighting in southern Gaza grows even more intense. Here's Raf Sanchez.

Tonight, the first of many military funerals after Israeli forces suffered their bloodiest day yet in Gaza. 24 soldiers killed on Monday, 21 of them in a single incident. Ambush with rocket-propelled grenades like those shown in this Hamas video, which Israel says triggered explosives the troops were using to rig a building for demolition. Meanwhile, new accounts of the horrors faced by hostages. Israel has accused Hamas of weaponizing sexual assault. In parliament today, former hostage Aviva Siegel testifying she witnessed Hamas sexually abusing young female hostages.

The terrorists bring inappropriate clothes, clothes for dolls, and turn the girls into dolls on a string that you can do whatever you want with, she says. While in Gaza, bodies piled into mass graves on the grounds of Al Nasser, one of the last major hospitals still functioning in the Strip. It's too dangerous to take them to the graveyard. Anyone who moves outside the complex will be targeted, this man says. Outside the hospital, fighting in the streets. While in the emergency room, staff overwhelmed by waves of the wounded. Seven-year-old Dunya is treated for shrapnel wounds after an

Israeli strike, her family says. Her ponytail cut off by doctors lying on the bloody floor. Her life saved, her childhood lost. The Israeli military says it's now encircled the city of Han Yunis, causing thousands of Palestinians to flee south. Lester. Raf Sanchez, thank you. And late today, the Pentagon said the U.S. military has conducted new airstrikes on three facilities in western and central Iraq used by an Iran-backed militia and other groups. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the strikes were in response to a series of attacks on U.S. and coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iran-sponsored militias. Two militiamen were reported killed. Here at home, people in San

Diego are recovering tonight from historic winter rains, the storm destroying homes, flooding neighborhoods, and leading to hundreds of rescues. Steve Patterson is there. Tonight, San Diego shell-shocked by sudden, unrelenting rainfall, sparking widespread devastation, loss, and hundreds of high-water rescues. My husband and I, we helped rescue about 10 people. The sudden deluge, historic. The city struck with more than a month's worth of rain in just six hours. We're used to rain, but not this much rain. Today, residents in flooded neighborhoods digging out. And it is easy to see the strength of this storm, how powerful it was. Just by walking

around this neighborhood, you can see behind me, neighbors say it came through like a river, able to pick up these trucks just like they were matchsticks. My dog was in here. We had to break the window to rescue my dog. That was, look at the, look how high the water is, almost four to five feet. What is it like to stand in here now to see it like this? Oh, it's surreal, man. My daughter's played right here. They're not going to have our memories here no more. The Hernandez family waded through eye-level floodwater to escape, some of them seeking safety on the roof, their home gutted.

Heartbroken, tears. Just couldn't believe what was just happened. Even the city's infrastructure upended. Ravaged roads and shuttered interstates, trolleys at a standstill. Tonight, relief is in the forecast as the storm pushes east, leaving residents with ruin in its historic wake. Steve Patterson, NBC News, San Diego. In 60 seconds, the mother of a school shooter on trial. Why prosecutors brought the case in the first trial of its kind right after this. In upstate New York, a verdict today in a deadly shooting that began with a wrong turn. Kevin Monaghan was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of 20-year-old Kalen Gillis last April. Gillis was in a car with

friends looking for a party when they mistakenly turned down Monaghan's driveway. He fired a shotgun, fatally striking Gillis. And jury selection began today for an unprecedented trial in Michigan. The mother of the Oxford High School shooter facing charges herself for the four classmates her son killed. Adrienne brought us now on what makes this case so unique. Tonight, inside the Oakland County Courthouse of First, a parent facing criminal charges for a mass shooting carried out by their child. Jennifer Crumbly, on trial for her alleged role in the mass shooting her son, Ethan, committed in Oxford, Michigan in 2021, with jury selection

beginning today. Her husband will be tried separately. They are charged with involuntary manslaughter, claiming that they had a duty of ordinary care to protect against their son getting his hands on the weapon. Prosecutors say Ethan Crumbly used a semi-automatic handgun bought by his dad as a gift days before the shooting to kill four classmates. They also say his parents overlooked warning signs pointing to a teacher who saw Crumbly searching for ammunition online days before the shooting. After the school called his parents to express concern, prosecutors say Jennifer sent Ethan a text saying, quote, LOL, I'm not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught. Ethan Crumbly was sentenced to five life sentences without parole last month.

Vin Johnson represents families of several victims and says they want Ethan's parents held accountable. Those parents sat in that room with the administrators and didn't tell them about the gun, didn't tell them about all the problems that this kid was having at home. Do your clients feel this is a form of justice? They do, yes. And Jennifer Crumley's attorneys have asked the

judge to compel Ethan to testify in her trial. But lawyers representing Ethan say that's something they'll advise against. Lester. Adrian brought us. Thank you. Coming up, our exclusive interview with the CEO of Alaska Airlines. We go on board one of those grounded Boeing jets, plus why he says he is angry at the company. Next. Back now with our NBC News exclusive, the CEO of Alaska Airlines expressing his anger at Boeing after a door plug blew off one of its brand new 737 MAX 9 planes mid-flight. Today, he took our Tom Costello aboard one of the grounded planes to show us the plug at the center of the investigation. In an Alaska Airlines hangar in Seattle, CEO Ben Minicucci took us on board one of the grounded Boeing MAX 9s to see the type of door plug that blew out of an Alaska plane over Portland. So when all these bolts are in, they're against these stops, that door's not going

anywhere. The NTSB now examining whether Boeing or Spirit Aerosystems ever bolted the door plug in place. In an exclusive interview with NBC News, CEO Minacucci says Alaska technicians have found more loose bolts on grounded planes. We found, you know, some loose bolts on many of our MAX 9s. Many? Yeah. So those are things that are going to be rectified through the inspection process. Flight 1282 was a new Boeing MAX 9. The door plug covers an unused emergency exit in planes with fewer seats. It makes you mad. It makes you mad that we're finding issues like that on brand new airplanes.

Thankfully, no one was sitting next to the plug when it exploded. Looking at that video and those photos, did you think, my God, what if somebody were sitting there? There were only seven open seats, and we had a guardian angel, honestly, on that airplane. And I just want to take a moment here to say how sorry I am for our guests on flight 1282 for what they experienced. It was just a terrifying flight. And also to thank our crew, the amazing professionalism and skill of our crew. The MAX 9 is flown by both Alaska and United, which is also found to lose bolts around its door plugs. All MAX 9s remain grounded, hundreds of flights canceled,

as the FAA reviews data from the first round of inspections. The FAA chief today would not say when the MAX 9 might be cleared to fly. Well, we're not putting a timeline on it. Our focus is making sure that it's safe. In a new statement, Boeing today said, we have let down our airline customers and are deeply sorry for the significant disruption to them, their employees, and their passengers. The close call came five years after two MAX 8 crashes overseas killed 346 people. Boeing promised it would double down on quality control. Now Alaska is sending its own inspectors into Boeing plants to double-check Boeing's work. But Minicucci says Alaska will continue to fly an all-Boeing fleet.

It makes me angry, Tom. Boeing is better than this. And Flight 1282 should never have happened. Should never have happened. And meanwhile, Tom, United's CEO said his airline will consider buying from companies beyond Boeing. That means Airbus, and Airbus is already outselling Boeing. Meanwhile, here in Seattle today, Boeing announced a safety stand down on Thursday for everybody working on the 737 production line to drill down on quality control and safety as it tries to focus on getting better.

Lester. All right. Tom Costello, thank you. That's nightly news. For more from New Hampshire, tune into NBC News and NBC News Now all evening. I'm Lester Holt. Good evening.