NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Thursday, April 2, 2026

Episode Date: April 3, 2026

Pam Bondi ousted; Florida sheriff releases video showing Tiger Woods’ DUI arrest; Hawaii doctor claims self-defense in attempted murder trial; and more on tonight’s broadcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tonight the major shakeup at the Justice Department, President Trump firing his Attorney General Pam Bondi, the second cabinet member, acts by the president in less than a month. Our new reporting tonight the heated confrontation between the president and Bondi just last week, why sources say he grew more frustrated with her, and how her handling of the Epstein files may have been the final straw, plus who's replacing her for now. The top general forced out Pete Higgseth ousting the top army leader, less than a day after the president's primetime address on the war with Iran. The Tiger Woods arrest videos released police body cam showing him handcuffed for an alleged DUI, the moment police find pills in his pocket, the sobriety test he was given, and this revelation that he says he was just getting off the phone with President Trump. Taking the stand, the doctor accused of trying to kill his wife in Hawaii, testifying in his own defense, saying she hit him, his cross-examination happening right now.

Amazing new pictures from Artemis looking back at the earth and the critical maneuver for the crew tonight firing up their engines in space and blasting towards the moon. The major legal defeat for Blake lively, Wyatt Judge, is throwing out most of her sexual harassment lawsuit against Justin Baldone. A shocking case out of Florida, a rising politician found dead in her home, her husband, now facing murder charges. Two suspects accused of a tragic fatal shooting crashing their moped into a car in New York. The heart-stopping video, the hammerhead shark just under the surfer off the coast of Hawaii. And there's good news tonight about this Marine veteran returning home, all of his daughters racing into his arms. Nightly news starts right now. This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yomas.

And good evening. We begin tonight with that major shake-up at the Justice Department after President Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi from her post, marking the second time the president fired a member of his cabinet in less than a month. Here you can see Bondi with the president just yesterday leaving the White House before they attended arguments at the Supreme Court. NBC News learning today that the president had not been satisfied with her just. performance and does not believe she executed on his vision the way that he wanted. Bondi has been one of the president's top enforcers, leading the Justice Department when it launched investigations into the president's political enemies. But many of those prosecutions have failed or stalled. And she has also faced intense criticism for how the DOJ handled the release of the Epstein

files. Now the president's former personal lawyer, you see him there, Todd Blanche, has been elevated from deputy to interim head of the department. Our Kelly O'Donnell picks up the story from there. Tonight, loyalty was apparently not enough to save Pam Bondi's job. We are so proud to work at the directive of Donald Trump. According to sources, the president vented his frustration to allies. Then a heated confrontation with Bondi last week. That led to today's shakeup.

He fired the attorney general, posting, we love Pam. As he announced, she has transitioned. positioning to a much-needed and important new job in the private sector. An unspecified role where Bondi said she is thrilled to continue fighting for President Trump. From two-term Florida AG to the Trump administration. The partisanship, the weaponization will be gone. The president raised expectations and pressure publicly. She's going to go down as a great attorney general.

I may change my mind about that. I don't know. Maybe someday I'll set call and say, I was only getting. Missteps caused political pain. On the Jeffrey Epstein files, Bondi claimed DOJ had the late sex offenders' client list. It's sitting on my desk right now to review. Later reversing course with a memo and testimony before Congress. Our memo on Epstein clearly points out that there was no client list, our July 6 memo. Bondi was caught in a tight corner with Maga, Epstein survivors, and bipartisan lawmakers demanding more Epstein disclosures. The president.

President blasted the Epstein attention as distraction, all while Mr. Trump expected her to prosecute his perceived adversaries. And we're looking at Pam, because I hope something's going to be done about it. These people put our country at great danger. The president posted his complaints to Pam, writing, all talk, no action, nothing is being done. We'll be taking all available legal action. Tonight, reaction about Bondi from the family of Epstein accuser, the late Virginia Jufray. We hope she has the courage to testify and actually do right by survivors this time. All right, Kelly joins us now live, and Kelly, we now know that Bondi's deputy, Todd Blanche, will take her place at least temporarily.

And that means Blanche moves up at DOJ from deputy to acting attorney general. You may also remember he served as the president's personal defense lawyer during the hush money trial in New York. And he said at a conference just last week that DOJ cleaned house firing agents and lawyers who had investigated President Trump. Blanche also praised Bondi today for her strength and conviction. Tom? Kelly, our thanks to you now to another shakeup in the Trump administration. This one, though, at the Pentagon. Garrett Hake joins us now live from the White House. And, Garrett, this involves the removal of the Army's top general in the midst of the war with Iran. That's right, Tom. Defense Secretary Pete Higgseth has forced out the Army's chief of staff. four military officials tell NBC News. General Randy George had previously been a top advisor

to Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. The officials say his ouster was not related to the Iran war. Meanwhile, the president posting video of this U.S. strike on a major bridge and threatening, quote, much more to follow if Iran's leaders refuse to make a deal, and Iran unleashing this strike on Israel. Also, tonight, leaders for more than 40 countries met to discuss options for reopening the Strait of Hormuz after President Trump said last night it would, quote, open naturally at the war's end, or could be seized by allies who depend on the oil that passes through it. Tom? OK, Garrett, thank you.

We have new video tonight to show you of Tiger Woods' DUI arrest. The footage released by the sheriff shows the moment deputies discovered pills in the golfer's pocket and the sobriety tests he was given. Here's Jesse Kirsch. Left. The newly released video shows Tiger Woods performing a series of sobriety, tests. You understand? Perfect. And the moment deputies handcuff him. So at this time, I do believe your normal faculties are impaired, okay, and you're under the unknown substance. Okay, so at this time,

you're under risk for DUI, yes sir. Allegedly finding two opioid pills in his pocket. Yeah, that's a narco. That's a narco. Yeah, okay. Tonight, Florida's Martin County Sheriff releasing hours of footage from the star golfer's DUI arrest. This is fun. Here he describes the moment he hit a truck's trailer. I'm down, my phone, and all of a sudden, boom. Then there's an apparent phone call with President Trump. Thank you so much.

All right, you got it. All right, thank you. Bye. Say it good? I just keep you down here with us, please. Yeah, I was talking to the president. In the videos, Woods has constant hiccups and repeatedly shakes his head. During those fueled sobriety tests, at times, he struggles with the deputies of the deputies of the

deputies instructions. Try not to move your head, okay? You have the hiccups. Earlier, Woods' manager asked investigators for help retrieving the star golfers' clubs, including his priceless putter. I've won 14 meters, really. Are you golfing in the Masters here? It depends on y'all.

Don't have been on me. First responders later smashing his SUV's window to retrieve that putter. Woods' manager showing it off. That's piece of history right there, huh? history right there. Once handcuffed in the back of a squad car, Woods yawns, closing his eyes. He since pleaded not guilty and said he's stepping away for treatment. All right, Jesse Kerr joins us now live. Jesse, in that video, you also hear police speak to the other driver. What does he tell them? Yeah, Tom, at one point that driver tells investigators that Woods was approaching, quote,

so fast, but later that driver says Woods was coming up at a, quote, normal speed. Tom. Okay, Jesse, thank you. Now to the dramatic testimony unfolding in front of a Hawaii jury. The doctor, accused of trying to kill his wife, taking the stand in his own defense, and right now he's facing cross-examination. Steve Patterson has more. Grueling testimony from Dr. Gerhard Koenig, now taking the stand in his own defense. Do you blame him? Konig telling the jury it was his wife Ariel, who dealt the first blow, striking him in the head with a rock during a birthday hike on this Shawahoo Trail.

Conig says he hoped the trip would help save the couple's marriage after he learned of what they called Ariel's emotional affair with a coworker. Garrow, did you have a plan to kill your wife on the mountain that day? No. Did you try to throw her off a cliff? No. You try to stab her with syringes? No. When you hit her with the rock twice, why did you do it?

In self-defense. Tonight, prosecutors pushing back in cross-examination, starting with quizzing Koenig about spying on his wife's texts. You were mad, right? I was not mad. You were not mad when you confronted your wife about these messages. I was upset. And digging in to their turbulent relationship. After you confronted Ariel, called her a lying bitch, called her a whore.

You wanted her to move out of the house. Is that right? That's right. And last week, Ariel testified the encounter had nothing to do with self-defense, describing a deliberate, vengeful attack. He takes a deep breath, and then he just starts. hitting my face in my head with a rock. Witnesses for the state also included Gerhardt's 20-year-old son from a previous marriage,

testifying his father facetimed him immediately following the attack. What did the defendant tell you during that call that Ari, my stepmom, had been cheating on him, and that he tried to kill her? Connick, testifying he was contemplating suicide during the call, but denied the confession, saying his son misunderstood. He saved my life that day, but I... I put him in his position where he is now, where he thinks I try to kill her. Jury deliberations expected to begin early next week.

If convicted, Koenig could be facing life behind bars. Tom. OK, Steve Patterson for us. Tonight, the next big step for the four astronauts on the Artemis Space Mission. They've been given the order to fire up their engines, and once that happens, they're committed to the round-trip journey to the moon and back. Tom Costello has more from the Kennedy Space Center. Tonight, the first images of home from Orion flying high above Earth as mission control sends the order to the four astronauts on board.

We are go for TLI.I. Orion approved for the transluner injection burn firing their engine for five minutes, 49 seconds to head to the moon. A four-day journey traveling at 24,000 miles per hour. Good news as their Artemis launch Wednesday night is still going viral. Wow, so fast. How cool is that? From a Florida beach to a college softball game. Everyone is really interested in this.

To a spectacular view from a plane flying high above. You don't see this every day. They're going around the moon. Even astronauts on the space station. Godspeed Artemis 2! The docking camera is showing the crew inside Orion. O'Brien. Overnight, the astronauts practiced manually flying

and docking their spaceship named Integrity. That is a good-looking American flag. Then, after two four-hour sleep cycles, Mission Control woke them up this afternoon to John Legend's green light. But then an unexpected order to start storing water in plastic bags in case problems with the ship's water system suddenly reappear.

All right, Tom joins us now live. Tom, let's pick it up right there. concerned is NASA about this water issue and walk our viewers through the timeline for heading to the moon? They think they've got the water system issue fixed, but they don't want to have it break down again as they're on the way to the moon, and then they wouldn't have any water. That's why they're storing the water. They leave tonight, and listen to this number here. Right now, the crew is 17,000 miles above our heads. They have to go 234,000 miles out into space just to get to the moon, Tom.

A trip of a lifetime. All right, Tom, we thank you for that. Tonight, the latest chapter in the real-life legal drama surrounding Blake Lively. A judge in federal court dismissing many of the claims in the actress's lawsuit against her former co-star Justin Baldoni. Emily Aketa has the latest. Tonight, a major blow to Blake Lively's sexual harassment lawsuit against her. It ends with us co-star Justin Baldoni. I would never lie to you.

I know it's nothing. It's nothing? Yeah. Lively's lawyer said she was kissing. nuzzled and touched without her consent, and that Baldoni was consistently inappropriate. But a federal judge today dismissing 10 of her 13 claims, including harassment, defamation, and conspiracy over key legal requirements related to classification as an employee. She was not an employee who could bring those claims that only an employee could.

She was an independent contractor. So she had no chance of winning on those claims at trial. The pair have been locked in a headline-grabbing legal battle since 20. that at times has drawn in famous names in text exchanges with her husband Ryan Reynolds and pop star Taylor Swift. Last year, a judge dismissed Baldoni's $400 million counter suit against Lively alleging defamation and civil extortion. Lively's team praising the move then. It was a sham lawsuit designed to retaliate against Ms. Lively for speaking up against what she experienced on set and to silence others who might come forward.

But tonight, a win for Baldoni's team, saying they are very pleased as a narrower set of allegations against Baldoni's production company now head for trial. All right, Emily, let's pick it up right there. You said a narrow set of allegations. What claims are headed to court?

So remember Lively also alleges that Baldoni waged a smear campaign, a retaliatory campaign against her in social media, in the press, after she raised concerns of sexual harassment. Well, those retaliation-related claims are moving to trial. And tonight, her lawyer tells NBC News she's looking forward to testifying, Tom. Okay. Emily, we thank you. When we come back in 60 seconds, a rising politician

murdered. Her husband now under arrest and the shock across the political world tonight. We are back now with a shocking murder case in Florida. A rising politician found shot to death in her home. And now her husband has been arrested for first-degree murder. Here's George Solis. Tonight, a rising star in Florida. Florida politics is dead and her husband charged with her murder. Stephen Bowen was arrested Wednesday after police say they found the body of his wife, Nancy, at their home. Nancy Bowen was the vice mayor of Coral Springs, Florida.

After she missed city meetings, officers went to her home for a wellness check, according to the affidavit, which says her body was found wrapped in blankets along with three spent shotgun shells. That same day, Stephen Bowen knocked on an unidentified person's door, according to the affidavit and asked that person to hold on to a shotgun for him. He then admitted that he shot his wife three times with a shotgun the previous night and then slept downstairs. Nearby, a pillow with burn marks fashioned as a makeshift silencer.

Asked why, Stephen Bowen said that he couldn't take it anymore. Today, Bowen appearing before a judge who ordered him to be held without bond. Who court does find probable cause for the charges? Tonight, Nancy Mateer Bowen is being remembered as a trailblazer. The 38-year-old was the first black and Haitian-American woman elected to the Coral Springs Commission. She was always smiling, always smiling. Wanda Tima was a close friend. She was one of the good ones because she cared.

She cared, and she didn't just care about the community that she came from. She cared about everyone. She cared about making a difference. Bowen was said to be eyeing a run for Congress tonight remembered by her family as a sister, a daughter, and a friend whose laughter filled every room. Tom. George Solis, we are back in a moment with the manhunt after a deadly shooting. One suspect caught after crashing a moped, the other on the run, and shadows in the water.

Look at this one. The massive hammerhead, a surfer saw when he looked down. That's next. We're back now with the urgent manhunt after a terrible shooting. The dramatic new video shows two suspects crashing their moped into a car in New York City. They were on the run after the shooting of a seven-month-old baby. killed by a stray bullet at a bodega nearby. One of those suspects hit the pavement and was taken into custody.

Police are still searching for that other suspect. And an Amtrak train carrying about 100 passengers smashing right into a garbage truck. Look at that. This happened in South Carolina. Video shows the truck crossing over the tracks before getting clips, sending dust and debris into the air. Once the train passes, you can see the body of the vehicle completely ripped off. Luckily, nobody was hurt. Also tonight, take a look at this orange sand.

sky on the Greek island of Crete, that orange haze blanketing the island thanks to a dust storm that traveled from the Sahara Desert in northern Africa across the Mediterranean. The dust is so thick, it caused some flights to divert to other airports. And check out this video from the coast of Hawaii, a surfer riding the waves and take a look below. He notices something swimming just under him, a giant hammerhead shark. You can see it there as he whips by it. The surfer said, quote, I tried my hardest to not panic. I wouldn't fall. Nice job. When we come back tonight, this is the airport welcome dreams are

made of. The dad just back from Iraq and his five girls rushing into him. There's good news tonight. That's next. Finally, there's good news tonight out of Knoxville. A father and a marine veteran reunited with his wife and five daughters after months overseas working in Iraq. This is a hug this family has been waiting months for. The five Kendrick sisters. sprinting to their dad, jumping into his arms, practically tackling him to the ground, unable to contain their excitement. Their dad, Marine veteran Harrison Michael Kendrick, surprising his daughters by coming home a week early after four months in Baghdad. I was so excited just seeing them, being able to hold them, being able to hear them. They always want him all the time. They don't want him to leave.

Just being able to hold them, being able to tuck them in at night, being able to read them a book. fixing boo-boos or just picking them up. I mean, it's those are those are the best things. That's that's what helps my heart. And for five little girls, a priceless gift, a chance to spend time with their dad. As for how much they love him. I mean, I'm getting emotional right now. I mean, just hearing them say how much they love me, it really, I mean, that's all,

that's all it's about. It's really important to kind of remember that if you have people that love you and support you, that's what life is about. Could watch that video a million times. Glad Dad is back home. That's nightly news for this Thursday. I'm Tom Yamis. Thanks so much for watching.

Tonight and always, we're here for you. Good night.