NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Episode Date: March 20, 2024

The Supreme Court allows Texas to enforce a controversial immigration law, former Trump advisor Peter Navarro surrenders to federal prison, the head of the FAA speaks exclusively with Lester Holt, and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the Supreme Court allowing Texas to enforce a controversial new immigration law, at least for now. The court's saying the Texas law allowing local authorities to arrest and deport migrants can take effect while legal battles over it play out. The Biden administration arguing it's unconstitutional, that only the federal government can set immigration policy. The question is, when will the arrest start? Also tonight, former Trump adviser Peter Navarro, after defying a subpoena from the January 6th committee, surrendering to federal prison. Two of six former deputies, members of a self-described goon squad, sentenced for the brutal torture of two black men, how long they will spend in prison. The race for 2024 primary night in five states,

former President Trump casting his ballot in Florida as he draws fire for what he said about Jewish voters and lawmakers. Our nightly news exclusive after a series of scares involving Boeing planes, my conversation with the head of the FAA. You feel confident that Boeing will get its act together? I don't think they have a choice. The problems with Boeing's safety culture, he says, he witnessed firsthand. And the little tree that could Washington's beloved fixture being celebrated for one final spring. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome.

The U.S. Supreme Court has delivered a major ruling broadening, at least for now, who has the authority to enforce immigration laws at the southern border. On a 6-3 vote, the conservative majority court backed a controversial Texas law that empowers local police with the authority to arrest migrants who illegally cross into the U.S. from Mexico. It also allows state judges to order deportations. The ruling is a major defeat for the Biden administration, which had asked the court to block the Texas law known as SB4, arguing the federal government, not states, has the sole authority to legislate

on immigration. In a statement, the White House expressing its disagreement with the court, calling SB4 unconstitutional, while Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the ruling is clearly a positive development. But the battle over the issue doesn't necessarily end here. Gabe Gutierrez reports. Tonight, a seismic shift at the southern border. The U.S. Supreme Court ruling that a controversial Texas law can take effect, allowing local and state police to arrest migrants suspected of crossing into Texas illegally and state judges to deport them. What will this law mean for federal border patrol agents? I think this is going to be a huge

benefit to border security. Anytime you apply a consequence to a violation of law, you see the number of illegal border crossers drop exponentially. The Supreme Court did not rule on whether the law, known as SB4, is constitutional, instead leaving that up to lower courts. But the six conservative justices did decide the Supreme Court should not stop the law from taking effect. The three liberal justices dissented. Justice Sonia Sotomayor writing, the court gives a green light to a law that will upend the longstanding federal-state balance of power and sow chaos. The ruling is a major blow to the Biden administration, which has argued immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility. But Texas officials, including Governor Greg Abbott, say they're

taking action because the White House has not stopped a record number of migrants from crossing into the U.S. When did he put up this wire? Texas had already placed razor wire and buoys along the border to deter migrants from crossing illegally, moves challenged in court by the Biden administration. The governor telling us earlier this month that SB4 did follow the Constitution. What the Constitution does, it gives authority to states to be able to act when the federal government refuses to act. Civil rights groups worry the law will lead to racial profiling. Today, the White House said we fundamentally disagree with the Supreme Court's order. SB4 will not only make communities in Texas less safe,

it will also burden law enforcement. It's just another example of what we have seen from the governor of Texas, Governor Abbott, attempting to politicize what's happening at the border. So, Gabe, what happens now? Do Texas officials plan to start making arrests now? No, Lester. A spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety tells me that there is no start date yet for enforcing this law. While Mexico says it will not accept deportations from Texas, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear arguments on SB4 in about two weeks. Lester. Gabe Gutierrez, thank you.

Peter Navarro, a former top advisor in the Trump White House, surrendered today to begin a four-month prison sentence for his contempt of Congress conviction. Navarro refused to comply with a subpoena from the House committee investigating the January 6th attack. He was involved in attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. In Mississippi, they were known as the Goon Squad, and today, long prison sentences handed down for two of six former law enforcement officers in the beating and torture of two black men last year. Antonia Hilton has late details. Tonight, two former Mississippi deputies sentenced to federal prison for torturing two black men last year. One sentenced for 20 years, the other for 17 and a half. Both members of a self-proclaimed six-person goon squad,

known in the area for their use of excessive force and aggressive tactics. This is a message to all racist police officers in every department in Mississippi and throughout the United States of America, that beware, that justice will be coming your way. According to court documents, Hunter Elward, Jeffrey Middleton and four other officers broke into a home without a warrant. They shouted racial slurs physically and sexually assaulted their victims, Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Parker, and planted fake evidence on them. All six entered guilty pleas in August.

The two victims survived, but the torture that night culminated with Elward shooting Jenkins in the mouth. Jenkins is still in pain, but today he feels safer with Elward off the street. It feels somewhat safe, like the sun coming out. For many in Mississippi, the case is reminiscent of a frightening racist past. Goon squad, your day has come. Today in court, Elwood addressed the men directly, saying, I am so sorry for what I did. I forgive that poor boy. He still did, you know what I'm saying? The other four officers will be sentenced later this week.

Meanwhile, the local district attorney is now reviewing cases involving the goon squad. But that process can take months or even years. Antonia Hilton, NBC News, New York. In Nashville, the mystery is only deepening over the disappearance of a Missouri college student 11 days ago. And tonight, there is new video of Riley Strain just before he was last seen. Kathy Park is in Nashville for us tonight. Tonight in Nashville, a desperate plea from family

searching for their missing son, Riley Strain. He's my best friend. He's everything. The 22-year-old college student disappeared the night of March 8th after visiting Music City with his fraternity. Officials say he seemingly vanished after being escorted out of Luke Bryan's bar around 9.30. Moments later, this new video from Nashville police shows Riley walking past an officer, not appearing distressed, even exchanging a few words. How you doing, sir? I'm good. How are you?

Good. Other security videos show Riley stumbling through downtown Nashville. Ten days later, police still saying there's no sign of foul play or evidence of a crime. There was no indication that he was running from anything or he was in fear. The focus of much of the search efforts have centered around the embankment near the Cumberland River, the area police say Riley was last seen. On Sunday, that's where two volunteers went searching and came across a huge clue. We found his credit card. We got to hang up.

They found Riley's bank card. I don't really know how we found it. I would love to say just dumb luck, divine intervention. It was just sitting there. Tonight, Riley's family and friends remain hopeful he'll be found alive. We're still here, bud. We're looking for you. We want to take you home for graduation. More volunteers, including the United Cajun Navy, will be mobilizing in the coming days,

working closely with authorities to ramp up their search efforts on the ground and along the river. We're told the biggest challenge will be navigating the rugged terrain. Lester. All right. Kathy Park, thank you. Now to the backlash tonight over those comments by former President Trump about Democratic lawmakers and Jewish voters who support them. Garrett Haik reports on Mr. Trump's reaction late tonight to the criticism. Tonight, former President Trump casting his primary ballot in Florida, doubling down on remarks Democrats are slamming as anti-Semitic.

Democrats have been very, very opposed to Jewish people. That's true. And to Israel. All you have to do is look at Senator Schumer. What he did with Israel is a disgrace. After top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer blasted Mr. Trump earlier today. The former president's comments were utterly disgusting and a textbook example of the kind of anti-Semitism facing Jews, pushing the dangerous anti-Semitism trope of dual loyalty. The firestorm began overnight when Mr. Trump was asked about Schumer's recent rebuke of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who Schumer said should be replaced in new elections. Why do the Democrats hate Bibi Netanyahu?

I actually think they hate Israel. Mr. Trump saying Democrats are being swayed by protests over President Biden's policy on Gaza. Even I am amazed at how many people are in those marches. And guys like Schumer see that, and to him it's votes. I think it's votes more than anything else. Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion. They hate everything about Israel and they should be ashamed of themselves because Israel will be destroyed.

The remarks quickly condemned by the Anti-Defamation League, whose CEO called them defamatory and patently false. The Biden campaign saying, quote, the only person who should be ashamed here is Donald Trump. The former president touts his pro-Israel record, including moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and helping the country forge peace deals with some of its Arab neighbors. President Biden has criticized Israel's actions in its war against Hamas, including the impact on civilians, something Mr. Trump has largely avoided, while offering few substantive policy differences. Well, I think you have to finish it up and do it quickly and get back to the world of peace.

Garrett, we're also learning more tonight about that recent phone call between President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu. That's right, Lester. Two U.S. officials tell NBC News the conversation between the two was intense, constructive and very candid. Netanyahu. That's right, Lester. Two U.S. officials tell NBC News the conversation between the two was intense, constructive, and very candid. Netanyahu brought up that criticism from Senator Schumer, and the president, who has publicly praised Schumer's speech, told Netanyahu the White House is not looking to oust him from power. Lester. Garrett Haig, thank you. It's the first day of spring, but it hasn't felt like that for many of us, especially in the south, where freeze alerts are in effect for millions in Alabama and Georgia. Temperatures will drop into the 30s by tomorrow morning, but will rebound by the afternoon. In 60 seconds, my eye-opening exclusive interview with the head of the FAA, why he says Boeing is emphasizing production over safety after that dramatic door plug failure in flight.

And the rash of incidents impacting United flights is a concern right after this. The head of the FAA is speaking out about what troubled him during a recent visit to the Boeing factory. The FAA has expanded its oversight of Boeing and its 737 MAX planes following a harrowing incident that sent a chill across commercial aviation. Today, I sat down with FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker for an exclusive interview. It's been two months since a door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9, leaving Boeing once again under a microscope. What we saw was not the safety

culture that we were looking for. I spoke to FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker today at Reagan National Airport about his recent visit to the Boeing factory floor. There are issues around the safety culture in Boeing. Their priorities have been on production and not on safety and quality. And so what we really are focused on now is shifting that focus from production to safety and quality. What were some of the things you saw that gave you concern? Well, really looking for that indicator of a safety culture. So before going out on the floor of a manufacturing floor, you would expect a thorough safety briefing that wasn't part of the process.

And then reviewing the floor, expected a lot of conversation around quality assurance and safety. And again, that wasn't there. It was all about production. And there's nothing wrong with production, but it has to follow safety. Were you a bit surprised that this would be happening? You, the top FAA person visiting, and something as simple as staging a safety briefing didn't take place? I think it really shows how the mindset has been on production. And I think you would have expected at least more of a show of focus on safety, and that was lacking. In a statement, Boeing says, We are taking significant action to strengthen safety and quality at Boeing.

We are focused on demonstrating change and building trust one airplane at a time. This increased scrutiny, whether from ourselves, from the FAA, or from others, will make us better. Have you seen anything that indicates that bad airplanes are leaving the factory, planes with safety of flight issues related to production? There are not unsafe airplanes leaving that factory. If you saw something that concerned you about the safety of planes leaving the factory, would you shut it down? Absolutely. Is Boeing too big to fail, in your opinion? Economics isn't part of my portfolio, but I would say they're too big to not make a

good airplane. They have all the resources they need. There's no reason they can't make a good airplane, and that's our focus right now. You feel confident that Boeing will get its act together? I don't think they have a choice, so I am confident they will. Whitaker is also concerned about a series of aviation incidents, many involving United Airlines, from this older 777 that had a tire fall off in takeoff to this incident last Friday when a panel ripped off the fuselage of a jet. Whitaker says he spoke to United CEO Scott Kirby over the weekend. I know that they're taking some heightened measures and looking at these issues. We're going to look at each one of these incidents and see if we see a pattern. Did you express your concern? He's concerned,

I'm concerned. No one likes to see this spike of incidents. So we're both doing our jobs to look at where those risks might be. In a letter to passengers, United says safety is our highest priority and is at the center of everything we do. What's your message to the flying public right now as they read some of these disturbing headlines we've been covering? Well, they should know that the system is safe. It's still the safest way to travel.

But we are working vigilantly to make sure it stays that way. This is an ongoing task. We're always looking for risks and addressing those risks. Part of my conversation with Michael Whitaker, head of the FAA. Up next for us tonight with more Americans turning to medication abortions, the coming showdown over access to the pills. We're back now with the battle over the abortion pill. A new study revealing use of the pill has soared since Roe v. Wade was overturned, just as the Supreme Court

prepares to hear another case that could limit access to it. Here's Dasha Burns. Tonight, new data revealing there were more than a million abortions in the U.S. last year, the highest number in more than a decade. A big part of that, medication abortion. Research from the Guttmacher Institute shows they accounted for 63 percent of abortions in 2023, up 10 percent from 2020. Dr. Cherise Felix has witnessed this trend firsthand at this Planned Parenthood clinic in Miami. You're able to schedule that around your job, around other family obligations,

and then there's also the whole added benefit of it not being an invasive procedure. The FDA has approved the drug for use at up to 10 weeks of pregnancy and under current rules allows for providers to prescribe it via telehealth and to send it to patients in the mail. That's exactly how CEO and podcast host Erin Gallagher was able to access the abortion pill. It arrived in my mailbox and from there it was up to me to decide when and if I wanted to take it and as I made the decision to do it, it removed so many barriers. But all that could soon change because of a case before the Supreme Court that could restrict the mailing of abortion pills,

require that the drug be provided in person at a doctor's office, and limit its use up to seven weeks of pregnancy. Most of our patients are finding out that they're pregnant around seven or eight weeks. The group behind the lawsuit, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, which is against abortion rights, believes the FDA exceeded its authority when it made the drug more accessible. What do you intend to argue before the Supreme Court next week? We're going to explain to the court and show how the FDA has unlawfully

and recklessly removed common sense safeguards for women and girls who take abortion drugs. In particular, we're going to highlight the dangerous nature of what FDA did in 2021 to authorize mail-order chemical abortion without any medical intervention or screening. In court filings, the government states this drug has been deemed safe and effective since 2000 and says the FDA updated the drug's approval as decades of experience have further confirmed the drug's safety. The high court now holding the future of this in-demand drug in its hands. Dasha Burns, NBC News, Miami, Florida.

We will take a short break here. Up next, the nation's capital says farewell to a beloved cherry tree in the twilight of its final bloom. Finally, as we welcome a new season, a small wonder in our nation's capital is enjoying one last springtime in the sun. Here's Hallie Jackson. As far as cherry trees go, it's not the prettiest. But as far as stumps go, it's spectacular.

It's famous. It's stumpy. Every year, I have to come at least one day. Just to see stumpy? Just to see stumpy. Meet Stumpy, the unexpected star of the cherry blossom season. A D.C. mascot, a social media sensation, and honestly, relatable. Not quite thriving, but surviving.

Sure, it's kind of crooked, but hey, this is Washington. It looks so decrepit, but it's not. It's full of life. So how did Stumpy get so stump-like? Blame climate change. The National Park Service says rising sea levels mean too much salty water floods the tidal basin every day at high tide. That kills trees along the shoreline. To rebuild the seawall here, the Park Service will need to cut down 140 of the nearly 2,000 cherry trees along the tidal basin, meaning, yes, Stumpy's on the chopping block.

Now, a short tree's long goodbye, a bottle of whiskey, and some flowers at its base. It shouldn't exist in this way, blooming, right? It's a miracle. It's amazing. Sad it's going, but I understand why. Its fate may be mulch. Its destiny, the wood chipper. But not before arborists use Stumpy's cuttings to create clones that will eventually grow into new cherry trees. Stumpy and all the other trees that are coming on will at least, we think, have a beneficial and useful second life. This spring, Stumpy's last stand, but not its final bow. Hallie Jackson, NBC News, Washington.

And that is nightly news for this Tuesday. Thank you for watching, everyone. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.