NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Episode Date: April 3, 2025

When new tariffs are going into effect; Source: Trump told Cabinet that Musk will leave government role in coming months; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight the trade war is on from the Rose Garden. The president ratcheting up a range of tariffs against trade friends and foes alike. 34% on China, 20% on Europe. Will it work or backfire? Now the response as the U.S. digs in. Tornadoes and the rare high risk forecast for 59 million already. Multiple tornadoes reported and why some areas could see 16 inches of rain. The intense storm and flood threat were on the ground tracking it all. Lessons from election night, despite Elon Musk pouring millions into a local Wisconsin race, Democrats emerged victorious. Plus, President Trump's message to Cabinet members about why Elon Musk may soon be leaving. It comes as backlash to Musk hits Tesla sales, delivering far fewer cars than a quarter ago. A salacious false rumor went viral, first on social media, then all the way to some of the biggest names in sports talk. Team Mary Kate Cornett's first TV interview about the devastating chapter in what she is doing next.

The last minute bid to acquire TikTok, why Amazon is now in talks over the popular platform. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome. New shots have been fired in the trade war. President Trump today taking aim at friends and foes, announcing sweeping new reciprocal tariffs against countries he describes as foreign cheaters and foreign scavengers, slapping a baseline 10 percent levy on every country and everything, and promising more for those he calls the worst offenders, citing Cambodia, for example, which the president

says will face a 49% tariff. Mr. Trump also stoking a sense of imminent peril, calling it a national emergency. The president promising American jobs and factories will come roaring back. The announcement coming after U.S. markets closed for the day, many economists warning Americans could face soaring prices on many products as a result of today's action. The immediate question tonight, will other countries retaliate? Gabe Gutierrez starts our coverage. Just minutes after the day's market closed, President Trump walking into the Rose Garden.

My fellow Americans, this is Liberation Day. Announcing a new 10% tariff on every American trading partner. But that's not all. China, 67%. That's tariffs charged to the USA. So we're going to be charging a discounted reciprocal tariff of 34%. The U.S. will also now charge half the tax on foreign goods that dozens of countries charge on American products to level the playing

field, he says. This is not full reciprocal. This is kind reciprocal. If they complain, if you want your tariff rate to be zero, then you build your product right here in America. The president saying he's fulfilling a key campaign promise. Jobs and factories will come roaring back into our country and you see it happening already. We will pry open foreign markets and break down foreign trade barriers, and ultimately more production at home will mean stronger competition and lower prices for consumers. The White House touting hundreds of billions of dollars in new investment in the U.S. from companies looking to avoid tariffs, including Hyundai announcing a $5 billion steel plant in Louisiana and Apple saying it will create 20,000 jobs expanding U.S. facilities. All after the

president previously announced 20 percent tariffs on Chinese imports, 25 percent on aluminum and steel, and 25 percent on certain goods from Mexico and Canada. Starting tomorrow, he'll also impose 25 percent tariffs on imported cars. Tariffs a policy Trump has promoted for decades, saying free trade deals destroyed American workers. They come over here, they sell their cars, their VCRs, they knock the hell out of our companies. Democrats now furious. This is not liberation day, it's recession day. Some Republicans are worried. Our consumers, our manufacturers, our potato farmers will pay the price. Economists estimate the tariffs could add an extra $2,500 to $5,000

for the lowest cost American cars and up to $20,000 for some imported models. What would you say to Americans who worry that they'll have to pay more in the short term? Well, I'm not sure why they would have to pay more in the short term. We don't know what the price effects are going to be. Will there be a one-time price adjustment? Could be. Stephen Capone's steel company employs 100 people in Massachusetts. He strongly supports Trump's tariffs to stop Canadian competition from decimating his business. Since NAFTA, I've seen Canada, Quebec in particular, just keep getting stronger and stronger as the New England steel industry has dwindled away. Jenna Dick runs a bridal shop in Kansas. She says the vast majority of wedding gowns are made in China, meaning tariffs hit hard. It'll raise costs for myself and for our

clients because we do have to pass some of that on to them. And Gabe, it looks like the president pulled his punch a little bit, making an adjustment going smaller on some of those tariffs than he originally indicated. Yes, Lester, the president had repeatedly said the tariffs would be completely reciprocal, and he's gotten a lot of criticism over those plans. Now he'll only charge half of what other countries tax the U.S. One White House official saying, quote, the president is lenient and he wants to be kind to the world. Lester. All right.

Gabe Gutierrez at the White House. Let me bring in senior business correspondent Christine Romans. Talk, if you can, a little bit about the new tariffs, how they'll be implemented and what reaction we're already seeing. Yeah. So the White House says that Customs and Border Protection will start to collect those tariffs at ports of entry. The fees on auto imports, those begin at midnight tonight. The baseline 10 percent tariff on everyone, that's later this week. And then next week, these substantial what the president calls reciprocal tariffs, those are on about 60 select nations. And tonight we are seeing stock markets fall sharply.

Dow futures down by more than 1,000 points right now after the president's announcement. Big importers like Apple and Nike so far being hit hard in after-hours trading. The White House has said it expects these tariffs to raise hundreds of billions of dollars a year. But some economists tonight are disagreeing. And it remains to be seen if other countries now target U.S.-made goods in some form of retaliation. All right, Christine Romans, thank you. We turn now to a powerful storm system threatening dangerous weather for days. Millions are in the risk zone from Texas to Michigan, and tornadoes are already being reported.

Kathy Park joining us now from Memphis. Kathy, that area is at risk tonight. Lester, that is absolutely right. Conditions are expected to deteriorate during the overnight hours. Here in Memphis, we are in the danger zone, bracing for strong tornadoes and the possibility of catastrophic flooding. Tonight, dangerous and potentially life threatening weather on the move with millions caught in the crosshairs from Oklahoma to Kentucky, where

neighborhoods have been ripped apart by violent winds, thunder cracking and trees falling everywhere. I've seen trees down on his vehicle down on his house and his whole yard in a total mess. In Missouri, reported tornadoes shredding roofs from homes and businesses, leaving behind widespread destruction and travel chaos. More than a thousand flight delays in and out of Chicago. Now portions of the Midwest and South are in the bullseye of what forecasters fear could be a generational storm. Arkansas and Missouri deploy the National Guard to help with the emergency response,

and Kentucky declaring a state of emergency. The system coming at us is as bad of a forecast as I've seen as governor, and that's saying something. Hail, tornadoes, and flash flooding all in the forecast, with the impact likely lasting days. Make sure that I got my flashlight charged up, phones charged up. THE TORNADOES ARE PUSHING THEM TO THE TORNADOES AND THEIR FAMILY IS PUSHING THEM TO THE TORNADOES. THE TORNADOES ARE IN THE FORECAST WITH THE IMPACT LIKELY LASTING DAYS.

MAKE SURE THAT I GOT MY FLASHLIGHTS CHARGED UP, PHONES CHARGED UP. MEMPHIS COULD BE IN FOR A DOUBLE DISASTER. SEVERE SORMS WITH TORNADOES FOLLOWED BY CATASTROPHIC FLOODING.

THIS IS NOT OUR FIRST ROLE WITH THIS. WE HAVE SEVERAL FLOODS THAT CAME THROUGH OUR CITY AND THESE SANDBAGS HAVE BEEN LIKE SAVING GRACE. THE URGENT MESSAGE TONIGHT, PREPARE NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE. It's been like saving grace. The urgent message tonight, prepare now before it's too late. Kathy Park, NBC News, Memphis.

And with that, let's get straight to Bill Cairns. These warnings are very serious, and this is really just the beginning. Yeah, all evening long, Lesher, meteorologists are going to be trying to save as many lives as possible. We are expecting a tornado outbreak with strong tornadoes. We've already had a few, and we expect many more. The tornado chances go from Texas-Louisiana border all the way up just south of Chicago. But it's this area of Memphis to Paducah here. This is a particularly dangerous situation. Not just a chance of tornadoes, but long track strong tornadoes

right through the evening. We do have one big tornado now just to the east side there of Memphis. We'll be watching that as it tracks through Tennessee over the next couple hours. And then this evening after dark, we watch this threat into areas of the Ohio Valley, all the way down here towards Nashville, southern portions of Arkansas. And then once the tornado threat's over, it's going to be all about the water. We are going to have major water issues, especially in this high-risk area here. And the rainfall totals could be in excess of a foot, somewhere between Memphis and Paducah, Lester. All that water has to collect.

It's over the next three to four days. We're going to be talking about flooding right through the weekend. And I know you and the climate team will keep a close eye. Bill, thanks very much. We have new reporting tonight about when Elon Musk may be leaving the Trump administration. It comes after he played a central role in an election last night. Here's Ryan Nobles. Tonight, Elon Musk's role in the Trump administration could soon be coming to an end. A senior White House official tells NBC News President Trump told cabinet members last week Musk would be leaving his government role in the coming months, something the president suggested Monday, saying Musk has done a good job slashing government spending.

Well, I think he's amazing, but I also think he's got a big company to run, and so at some point he's going to be going back. This, all as Musk's company Tesla's sales have dropped 13%, and it's become a target for vandalism and violence. It's wide-scale domestic terrorism with the purpose of intimidation, and it's harming innocent people. Musk is a special government employee, an appointment that lasts 130 days. What do you think of my hat?

Musk just went all in on the Supreme Court race in Wisconsin, spending millions of dollars backing a conservative judge, lost to a liberal candidate that turned the race into a referendum on Musk. I never could have imagined that I'd be taking on the richest man in the world. And we won. Today, mixed reviews from Republicans. I don't follow what Elon Musk does, believe it or not. I'm glad he's on my side.

And in Florida last night, Republicans picking up two double-digit victories in House races, though those margins of victory were smaller than President Trump's in November. Those two Republicans just sworn into office, expanding the slim GOP majority in the House to seven seats. Lester. Okay, Ryan Nobles, thanks. Now to the big news in New York City, where the corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams were permanently dismissed with prejudice. Adams was indicted last year, accused of getting plane tickets and hotel stays from the Turkish government. The judge in the case wrote it ensures that going forward, the charges in the indictment cannot be used as leverage over Mayor Adams or the city of New York. Adams has denied any

wrongdoing. The FAA says it's increasing oversight for the air traffic control team at Reagan National Airport in Washington following January's midair collision that left 67 people dead. The FAA says it is increasing the number of supervisors as well, as well as reviewing staffing levels and the aircraft arrival rate. In 60 seconds, an NBC News exclusive, our Tom Yamas speaking to a college student about the viral rumor she says destroyed her life, how she's now fighting back. Now to our NBC News exclusive with a college freshman who says her life was completely ruined when a salacious false rumor about her recently went viral. Mary-Kate Cornett shared

her story with our Tom Yamas. Having the entire internet, half of the country hating you and calling you disgusting things, telling you to kill yourself, telling you that you're a horrible person, that you deserve to die, that's a really hard thing for a girl to go through. In her first TV interview, Ole Miss freshman Mary-Kate Cornett told me how she became famous on the Internet and social media in the worst possible way. In February, an online rumor went viral claiming an Ole Miss sorority sister slept with her boyfriend's father. Then someone attached Cornett's name and photo to it. Do you know why the rumor started? No clue. No clue. I had zero, zero, zero knowledge of this. This disgusting rumor was a top trending topic on Twitter. Within two and a half hours. Later that night, around 7 p.m., I was

number one trending in the United States. Cornette's phone number was also shared online. She was overwhelmed with harassing texts and voicemails. I was having thousands of calls come through, thousands of texts coming through, calling me a whore, calling me a slut, telling me I deserve to die. All because of an internet rumor. All because of an internet rumor that has zero truth to it. Zero. Cornette says she could barely leave her dorm room, had to switch to online classes. Someone even sent police to her mother's house in a fake 911 call. Some old miss frat bro. Yep.

Okay. Had a KD girlfriend. Soon, the rumor was picked up by ESPN host Pat McAfee, though he didn't use her name. This is what is being reported by everybody on the internet. That had sex with Son's girlfriend. I'm not a public figure that you can go talk about on your show to get more views. Cornette says she hit rock bottom when she realized her name would forever be linked to the rumor spread online.

I don't think that these boys realize what they're doing to people. It's awful. It's awful. And having your life ruined by people who have no idea who you are is the worst feeling in the world. It makes you feel so alone. Cornette now wants justice. Her lawyer says she's been defamed and is a victim of cyberbullying. The rumor is false. People promoted it without looking into it. You can't lie for money.

Cornette says no one has apologized. ESPN and Pat McAfee declined NBC News' request for comment. For now, she says she's leaning on her friends and family, including her father. I just wonder why. Why my daughter? She wasn't looking for any of this. She never asked for any attention. She's trying to be a freshman in college. Instead, she's been tested like never before. This has affected me in such an awful way and has practically ruined my life.

Tom Yamas, NBC News. We're back in a moment with the future of TikTok and Amazon's new bid to buy the social media giant. We're back now with the latest efforts to keep TikTok available here in the United States. Savannah Sellers is here. What can you tell us? Lester, today, a source familiar with the matter with these White House led discussions about finding a non-Chinese buyer for TikTok told NBC News that Amazon made a late bid to buy the platform just ahead of what is supposed to be a deadline for parent company ByteDance to sell TikTok by Saturday or risk it being banned in the U.S. But the source also said that the bid was not being taken seriously within the White House. Today in the Oval Office, according to a person familiar with the meeting, President Trump did discuss with top officials in his administration potential

buyers for TikTok. A lot of attention has focused on tech company Oracle, chaired by Larry Ellison, in a possible arrangement with private equity firm Blackstone and other investors. Lester. All right, Savannah, thank you. When we come back, there's good news about the rising star who painted that famous portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama. There is good news tonight about Amy Sherrill, the celebrated artist whose work has received national attention. She has a new exhibit that's opening next week here in New York at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Antonia Hilton got a close look. More than 40 stunning paintings of contemporary black American life.

Colorful, graceful, and composed. To have this moment in the Whitney, how does it feel? It feels like everything that I imagined. The first major museum survey for Georgia-born artist Amy Sherald, a realist best known for portraits of First Lady Michelle Obama and Breonna Taylor. You know, they can erase the murals, but they can't unpaint this portrait. The show American Sublime solidifies Cheryl as living legend. She sees her work as destiny, recalling a museum field trip as a child where she saw a painting of a black man for the first time.

I just remember staying back and looking at that and realizing that that's what I want to do too. As a kid, she found representation in family photographs. It was those photographs that I went back to when I couldn't find myself in art history. How do you select your subjects? I'm looking for soulmates. It's energetic. She meets many by chance, like this cool Brooklyn couple. The skin always in shades of gray to create universality. The portraits displayed lower than most museums.

He's looking directly at you. What is he thinking about you while you're standing here? As much as Sherald's work battles erasure, she also wants visitors to feel at rest. I want them to feel the grandeur, the excellence, the beauty. And the splendor. Antonia Hilton, NBC excellence, the beauty. And the splendor. Antonia Hilton, NBC News, New York. And that is nightly news for this Wednesday.

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