NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Episode Date: February 20, 2025

Trump calls Zelenskyy a ‘dictator’ as Russia continues attacks; Hegseth considering firing top military officers; Farmers nationwide impacted by federal funding freeze; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, escalating tensions between the U.S. and Ukraine. President Trump calling President Zelensky a dictator and blaming Ukraine for the Russian invasion. The Ukrainian leader slamming him for disinformation. The rapidly deteriorating relationship between once key allies and what it all means for the war. Our Richard Engel is on the front lines. At least two killed when a pair of single-engine planes collided in

the sky in Arizona. Charred debris left scattered on the runway, what we're learning about the latest fatal aviation accident. Elon Musk's Doge employees now working inside the Pentagon as NBC News reports the defense secretary may dismiss top military generals. The showdown and fallout over mass firings one month into Trump's presidency. The dangerous winter storm sending temperatures plunging below zero. Cars out of control in Tennessee. Rescues from freezing water in Virginia, parts of the South, under states of emergency. Just in, the new ruling in the Idaho college murders, the evidence allowed in. The arrests and a string of burglaries targeting celebrities and pro-athletes,

including Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelsey and Patrick Mahomes. And there's good news tonight, the mother-son duo making history on the basketball court. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome. The world has been virtually turned upside down in the long-running war between Ukraine and its Russian invaders, with American President Trump sharply turning against Ukrainian President Zelensky. In a social media post, Trump labeling Zelensky, who is the democratically elected leader of Ukraine, a dictator and inaccurately accusing Ukraine of starting the war, which even Trump's former vice president publicly called out as untrue. The U.S. has spent billions

in military assistance helping Ukraine fight back against the Russian aggressors. The U.S. now engaging Russia in high-level peace talks, looking to reset relations, with Zelensky now accusing Trump of being in a Russian disinformation bubble. Our Richard Engel visited the front lines of the war today and reports now from Ukraine. President Trump went on the attack today against Ukraine's President Zelensky. In a social media post, Trump called Zelensky a dictator without elections,

continuing with what seemed like a naked threat. Zelensky better move fast or he's not going to have a country left. In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating an end to the war with Russia. It's a pattern. On Tuesday, President Trump blamed Zelensky for starting the war, even though it was Russia that invaded Ukraine three years ago. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal. President Zelensky isn't taking it quietly. He said President Trump is in a disinformation bubble,

suggesting he's following Russian propaganda. Former Vice President Mike Pence weighed in, posting, Mr. President, Ukraine did not start this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. The road to peace must be built on the truth. This is far more than just a war of words or a clash of personalities. Ukrainian troops depend on American support to defend against daily Russian attacks. Without U.S. help, Ukraine would struggle to keep the Russians back. Out here in eastern Ukraine, the fighting is relentless, with Russian drone and missile

attacks coming almost constantly, especially when the weather is clear like today. But now Ukrainian troops say they have perhaps an even bigger problem, wondering whether they still have support from Washington. Ivan, who under army rules only gave his first name, commands a tank brigade on the outskirts of Kharkiv. Does it feel like decisions are being made about ukraine without ukraine's input yes yes this is exactly the feeling we have he said adding it does influence the mood it's very demotivating and richard joining us now from ukraine richard has president putin weighed in on this at all he did for the first time today, and Putin seems to be very happy with the way things are developing. He described the negotiations with the Trump

administration so far on Ukraine as friendly and going well. He said it would be a pleasure to meet with Donald. That's how he referred to him. So far, no date has been announced. Lester. All right, Richard Engel, thank you. Tonight, federal authorities are investigating another deadly aviation incident, this time a collision between two small planes in midair that left at least two dead. Jesse Kirsch now with late details for us. This was the scene in rural Arizona today. Charred debris littering this airport outside Tucson after a deadly midair crash this morning. Small aircraft fully involved in fire.

According to the NTSB, just before 8.30 a.m. local time, two small private planes, a Lancer and a Cessna, were flying near the Marana Regional Airport when they collided midair. The FAA says two people were on board each aircraft. And while federal investigators say the Cessna landed uneventfully, the Lance Air crashed, catching fire. Local officials confirmed two people are dead. Both planes were flying over what's known as an uncontrolled field that has no air traffic control tower. Small airplanes go in and out of uncontrolled fields frequently. They depend on radio positions to tell each other where the airplanes are and also visually to watch out for other airplanes. Similar to driving a car,

you look outside to make sure you don't hit anything. This has been a troubling year for American aviation. Last month, 67 people were killed when an American Airlines jet and a military chopper collided over Washington, D.C. Then earlier this week, a Delta airliner flipped over as it landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday. At least 18 people were injured. And tonight, officials say efforts have begun to remove the plane from the runway, which should improve traffic delays at one of North America's busiest airports. Jesse Kirsch, NBC News. In Washington, the Pentagon is expected to be the latest target as the Trump administration works to reshape the federal workforce. Here's Peter Alexander. Tonight, NBC News has learned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is considering

firing military generals in some of the department's most senior officers as early as this week, according to two defense officials and three congressional sources. Most of those targeted have been closely associated with former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who served under former President Biden, and have worked on DEI initiatives or have voiced opinions that Trump allies view is politically out of line with his agenda, the officials said. Late tonight, the Pentagon said Hegseth is looking to cut 8% of next year's defense budget, totaling around $50 billion. It comes as Elon Musk's Doge employees are now working inside the Pentagon, according to senior officials, eyeing staffing cuts there. Overnight, President Trump, alongside Musk, dismissed concerns about conflicts of interest with Musk's businesses, even though the tech billionaire's companies, like SpaceX, have massive contracts with the federal government. If there's a conflict, he won't be involved.

I mean, I wouldn't want that, and he won't want it. First, the mass firings. Now, the fallout. Hey, hey! Hey, hey! Across the country, growing protests opposed to the president's efforts to rapidly shrink the federal workforce. Jonathan Kamens was fired just days ago from his job overseeing cybersecurity for the VA's website. Your firing has the potential to have a direct

impact on the benefits American veterans receive, right? So many veterans rely exclusively on VA.gov for accessing their benefits because it's difficult for them to get out of the house and get to a VA medical center. If VA.gov goes down, then those people can't get to their benefits. Still, the president and his top lieutenant, both appearing today at a Saudi investment conference in Miami, are defending their reshaping of the federal government. I think what we're seeing here is the sort of the thrashing of the bureaucracy as we try to restore democracy and the will of the people. Musk also insisted the majority of federal workers are anti-Trump, noting D.C. is largely Democratic. But more than 80 percent of federal workers are not in D.C.,

spread throughout the rest of the country. The acting FAA administrator revealing in a letter to staffers today obtained by NBC News, special government employees who work for SpaceX have now visited the FAA's command center and will be going to other FAA sites to engineer solutions. While the administrator says the agency is keeping employees who perform safety-critical functions, its union says some FAA jobs already eliminated supported safety and airport operations. And Peter, the administration is also pushing forward with its plan to kill New York City's traffic congestion pricing. Lester, that's the controversial program that charges drivers to enter parts of Manhattan.

President Trump today posted, congestion pricing is dead. Long live the king. One of the president's top aides then shared this image of President Trump as a monarch. New York's governor quickly responded. We are a nation of laws not ruled by a king. We'll see you in court, Lester. All right, Peter Alexander of the White House, thanks. Meanwhile, with the president's freeze on certain federal funding, some farmers aren't getting critical government grants that they were counting on. They tell Emily Akeda they're struggling to pay their bills. There's about 100 of them out there. Kevin Levitt hoped these solar panels would help his main farm flourish. The hope here is that these panels

will produce enough electricity that the farm needs all year long. He was only able to move forward with the pricey project because of a federal program that promised to shoulder roughly a third of the cost after completion. But the panels have been up and running for weeks and no sign of the $45,000 he's been counting on from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Could you have ever imagined finding yourself in this position after taking on that agreement? No. Everything is in writing. Everything's signed. You're stressed out. You're on edge. It has a toll on you. President Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders pausing federal funding for review,

including the Inflation Reduction Act, the climate initiative passed during the Biden administration. That has grant money built in for farmers like Levitt to conserve soil, water and energy. I can't get any answers. Coast to coast, farmers who overwhelmingly supported Trump in November are voicing confusion and concern. I've already done a bunch of the work, already paid for the material, already paid for the labor, so I'm out all that cost. It's going to reach into every state and every community nationwide. That's how far the reach of the Department of Agriculture is. A USDA spokesperson says Secretary Rollins is aware farmers have been waiting on

payments during this government-wide review and is working to make determinations as quickly as possible, citing plans to share information later this week. Until then, what do you want people in Washington to know? Enforce the contract that they gave to us, that they gave to everybody else, and do what it says. Or else what? Or else there might not be farms. Emily Ikeda, NBC News, West Gardner, Maine. The string of brutal winter weather continues to sweep across the country tonight. NBC's Kathy Park reports millions of Americans are feeling some of the coldest temperatures we've seen all season. Tonight, a fierce snowstorm clashing with a brutal blast of Arctic air, gripping more than 75 million people from the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic.

Southeastern Virginia bracing for their biggest snowstorm in years. We are going to close if the weather becomes too much. Icy roads creating hazardous conditions. A snowplow accident in Topeka, Kansas, mangling this SUV, hurting both drivers. Tow trucks at the ready. I went out and bought heated gloves and a heated jacket because with regular work gloves, it's like frostbite almost. Temperatures dipping dangerously low in downtown St. Louis, where officials say a homeless woman was found dead on the streets Tuesday morning. Roads so slick in Tennessee, cars spinning out. Dozens of reported wrecks and injuries.

If they don't have to be on the roadways, stay off the roadways. Safest place that they can be is at home. And as a storm pushes east, a state of emergency in North Carolina. Roads prepped with more than 3 million gallons of brine. 1,200 crews ready to respond as parts of the state race for up to nearly a foot of snow. Tonight, as eastern Kentucky recovers from this week's historic floods, another blow from Mother Nature. Cars losing control on the interstate in Lexington. And officials say the next 12 hours will be critical, warning millions in the storm zone to be on high alert.

Lester. All right, Kathy, thank you. To Idaho now, where a judge has just refused to toss out key evidence in the case against Brian Koberger. He's the man accused of murdering those four college students in 2022. Laura Jarrett is here. Laura, what does this mean for Koberger's defense? Lester, this is a huge blow to the defense team. All of the most damning evidence against him is now going to come in a trial. We're talking about cell phone records, surveillance footage, most specifically the DNA evidence tying him to the crime scene. He had tried to argue that the investigators had violated his constitutional rights with this search, the judge not buying it, a lengthy decision. This

means he is now set to go to trial this summer, Lester. All right, Laura, thank you. In 60 seconds, the new details about that international burglary ring targeting professional athletes. We are learning more about the case against seven men accused of breaking in the homes of well-known athletes. As Liz Kreutz reports, authorities say a single crime group from South America is at the center of it all. Tonight, federal prosecutors announcing charges against seven people allegedly behind the rash

of several high-profile home burglaries targeting pro athletes, including Kansas City Chiefs stars Travis Kelsey and Patrick Mahomes. Authorities say the alleged burglars are all from Chile and part of what officials describe as a South American theft gang. They say they broke into at least six different homes between October and December of last year across five different cities, stealing a total of roughly $2 million worth of valuable items. Investigators say they used cell phone data to track the group's movements, even finding this photo posing with items stolen from Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis. Four of the suspects were arrested earlier this year during a traffic stop when police say they found a Louis Vuitton bag and this LSU shirt

belonging to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. Some of the things that they're taking are very identifiable. I think that's where the miscalculation was. If you didn't rob Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow, would anyone really have put it on the news? Probably not. The latest high-profile burglary happening Valentine's Day night at the L.A. home of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban. But officials have not named a suspect or said that they

believe it may be connected to previous break-ins. Now, the men arrested have been charged with conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property. They've convicted. They each face up to 10 years in prison. Lester. Okay, Liz, thank you. We are back in a moment with a battle against bird flu inside a lab on the front lines as the disease threatens entire ecosystems. Since 2022, a severe form of bird flu has been circulating among wildlife in the U.S., leading to outbreaks among poultry and even some human cases. NBC's Anne Thompson has more on scientists' race to get to the bottom of it. Even on a frigid winter morning, you can see why the Finger Lakes are central New York's environmental heart

and not immune to the bird flu. Here on Cayuga Lake, masked and gloved, Cornell University's Dr. Jenny Bloodgood tests for bird flu. And those swabs are going to tell us if they have a current avian influenza. Just swirl it around a few more times. That's great. Yep. I got to help with the swabbing. Back in Bloodgood's lab, initial tests show three of the four ducks swabbed have the highly contagious virus. We have found many different positive species ranging from waterfowl to raptors like eagles and hawks. In fact, since the outbreak began in 2022, this strain of the virus has been

detected in wild birds in all 50 states. There are reports of birds falling out of the sky and washing up on beaches. What mammals have tested positive for bird flu? In New York state, it's primarily been red fox. We've seen a skunk, an opossum, a bobcat. Does that suggest that the flu is mutating? It could, yes. A mutation caused this massive die-off of elephant seals on the Argentinian coast in 2023. The beaches are still covered with bones. UC Davis scientist Dr. Marcella Uhart says in just weeks, the mutated virus spread, killing 17,000 of these top ocean predators. She estimates it will take the species 10 to 70 years to recover. So the bird flu has the potential to really upset an ecosystem? Absolutely, because the bird flu impact is also

adding to climate change and in lineo events and other dramatic changes in the ocean ecosystems. Increasingly deadly to wildlife, threatening ecosystems here and around the world. Anne Thompson, NBC News, Ithaca, New York. We have more to tell you tonight, including the mother-son duo trying to make history on the hardwood and a pregame ritual that has become their recipe for success. Finally, there's good news tonight about a mother-son duo whose love of the game of basketball is taking their team on a tournament run. Here's Sam Brock. At home, Linda Martindale is mom. Is this your pop culture class? Yeah. But on the court. It's ridiculous. Put a body on him. She's coach, guiding the high-flying

Lincoln-Sudbury Warriors outside Boston. How rare is it for you to see another woman coach in men's high school basketball? I won't see it. And for their 17-year-old senior shooting guard, Nolan, she basically wears two hats. When you're out here, do you call her mom or coach? Actually depends. Like if I'm on the court, coach, 100%. After the game, probably call her mom, mama. The state's athletic association says it believes they're the first mother-son duo in their tournament's history. We have rules. We don't sit down and discuss the game right after. We give it some time, but I love to talk about the game. And so when I get home, like, he's the perfect audience. And the perfect partner for a pregame ritual, a hug between mother and son before every single game. It's a beautiful way to just connect for one

second. I know who I am. I'm your mother. Linda played college ball at Arizona and coached all four of her children over nearly a quarter century. But Nolan is the baby. Just don't think she's taking it easy on him. She's definitely the hardest on him. You know, as you could expect, she's picking out one of our best players. So that happens to be her son as well. How proud are you of your son and of this team? Oh my gosh, beyond. We make them work really hard and they rise up and they do it. The Warriors just held senior night and Linda sported her son's 33 jersey. While the team doesn't know how their upcoming postseason will end, one thing is for certain. Everybody knows how their last game together will start.

It'll be just me and her for a second. Love you, Mom. Let's do this. Sam Brock, NBC News, Sudbury, Massachusetts. 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.