NBC Nightly News Full Episode - June 4

[0:01] Tonight, the first legal victory in President Trump's push to target his enemies. [0:06] Ex-National Security Advisor John Bolton agreed to plead guilty for mishandling classified documents. [0:13] He could get five years in prison. [0:15] Plus, the president announcing his former personal attorney is his new nominee for attorney general. [0:22] Also tonight, the track meet murder trial igniting a racial debate. [0:26] A black teen on trial accused of killing a white student. [0:30] What surveillance video of the stabbing reveals? [0:33] The NTSB report just out on that United plane that struck a light pole, which then hit a truck. [0:39] Why was it flying so low? [0:41] And what the pilots said to each other? [0:44] Highway explosion of bomb squad descending on an expressway outside of Chicago. [0:49] A car with windows blown out. [0:51] So what happened? [0:52] Karen Reed's bombshell lawsuit, the disturbing text messages revealed between an investigator and police officer before she was found not guilty in the death of her police officer boyfriend. [1:04] Miracle on Mount Everest, the incredible story of survival after one man fell down a crevice and went missing for days. [1:12] The shocking plane gear collapse sending crews jumping out of the way. [1:17] The dramatic explosion out of Mexico sending a fireball into the sky. [1:22] Children running in fear. [1:24] What set it off? [1:25] Our series tonight, Business in America. [1:27] We go one-on-one with the CEO of General Motors. [1:31] How AI is pushing their production line into overdrive. [1:34] This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamez. [1:42] Good evening. [1:42] Great to have you tonight. [1:43] We begin with the first legal victory against one of President Trump's perceived enemies, John Bolton, one of his strongest critics, now facing up to five years in prison and a $2 million fine. [1:56] Bolton was national security adviser during Trump's first term, then became a fierce opponent of the president. [2:02] Now, sources tell NBC News he plans to plead guilty to one count of retaining national security information. [2:10] For a year and a half now, the Justice Department has been pursuing cases against the people you see here, those the president believes have wronged him. [2:18] Most either failed to get an indictment or thrown out or stalled until now. [2:22] And we have new reporting tonight on the man the president just announced he'll nominate to lead the Justice Department, his former personal attorney, Todd Blanche, [2:31] who, in just a few weeks as acting attorney general, has already jump-started investigations against the president's enemies. [2:39] Garrett Haake is covering it all for us tonight from the White House. [2:41] And, John, I want to thank you. [2:42] Tonight, a major reversal for a former top Trump official charged with mishandling classified information. [2:49] Two sources familiar with the matter tell NBC News President Trump's former national security adviser, John Bolton, [2:55] will now plead guilty to one count of retaining national security information in a deal with federal prosecutors. [3:02] Bolton, a fierce critic of the president... [3:04] I think it is a retribution presidency. [3:07] ...will now pay more than $2 million in restitution and faces up to five years in prison. [3:13] President Trump had blasted Bolton after his October indictment. [3:16] I think he's a bad guy. Yeah, he's a bad guy. He's too bad. [3:22] The plea deal marks a first legal victory in the administration's multifaceted campaign against Trump critics [3:28] and comes after President Trump announced he'll nominate acting attorney general Todd Blanche, [3:33] once his personal defense attorney, to become the permanent AG. [3:37] Todd is very popular. He's doing great. [3:40] That announcement meeting with stiff opposition from Democrats. [3:43] Todd Blanche should not be attorney general. He is the personal attorney of the president. [3:49] But Republicans predicting he'll make it through a confirmation battle. [3:53] He's honest. He's ethical. I think he'll do a good job. [3:55] And amid bipartisan pushback to his pick of housing chief Bill Pulte to be acting director of national intelligence, [4:02] the president saying today that posting will be temporary. [4:05] It's not a permanent position. We're looking at... We're interviewing people right now. [4:10] Garrett Hague joins us live from the White House. [4:12] And Garrett, President Trump also making news on another renovation project he has going on in Washington, [4:18] this one involving the Lincoln Memorial. [4:21] Yeah, Tom, the president says he next plans to build a pedestrian bridge, [4:24] which he calls a promenade, that would allow people to walk from the Lincoln Memorial [4:28] down to the Potomac River. [4:30] It would cross over those roads you see there behind the memorial, [4:33] a major construction project in the heart of D.C. [4:36] And it comes on the day the president's been touting the completion of a plan to rebuild, [4:40] reseal, and repaint the reflecting pool on the memorial's other side. [4:45] Tom? [4:45] Several projects happening now. [4:47] All right, Garrett, we thank you for that. [4:48] Now to the explosive racially charged case rocking a Texas community. [4:53] A teenager on trial for murder after stabbing another teen at a high school track meet. [4:58] Ryan Chandler is there. [4:59] Tonight, tensions boiling over outside the courthouse as a teen's murder trial begins in North Texas. [5:07] The racially charged trial drawing crowds outside. [5:10] 19-year-old Carmelo Anthony pleading not guilty to murder [5:13] after fatally stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf in the chest at a high school track meet last year. [5:20] Prosecutors calling Anthony's actions unjustified, provoked murder, [5:24] alleging he goaded Metcalf into pushing him, then killed him. [5:28] The defense argues Anthony acted in self-defense when Metcalf made physical contact first. [5:34] In the courtroom today, jurors shown surveillance video of the stabbing, [5:38] Metcalf's mother wiping her eyes as jurors watched. [5:41] Reporter Maria Guerrero from our NBC Dallas station in the courtroom. [5:46] You can see someone pushing someone. [5:48] Then you see the figure that is identified as Carmelo Anthony moving up into the bleachers farther up [5:54] before running down, and you can see him running away, then walking away before he is apprehended. [6:00] The prosecution says the case has nothing to do with race. [6:02] But the trial, now sparking backlash, the pool of 12 jurors and six alternates [6:11] is made up of five women of color and 13 white men and women. [6:15] There are no black jurors. [6:17] Some say it raises concerns for fairness. [6:21] We are tired, and we're saying enough is enough. [6:25] Not one black. [6:27] The trial expected to run two weeks. [6:30] Ryan Chandler joins us now. [6:32] Ryan, take us inside that courtroom. [6:34] Metcalf's coach took the stand today. [6:38] Well, Tom, that's right. [6:39] We heard from Coach Robert Starr, his emotional testimony, [6:42] recounting the moment he found Austin Metcalf dying in his team tent. [6:46] Metcalf's family weeping as they listened in. [6:49] He's just one of the many, many witnesses. [6:51] The jury will lean on to paint a picture of what exactly happened that day. [6:55] Tom. [6:55] Okay, Ryan, we thank you for that. [6:57] Tonight, for the first time, we are learning what the pilots said to each other last month [7:01] when that United plane collided with a light pole on the New Jersey turnpike, [7:06] smashing into a bakery truck. [7:08] Tom Costello with the NTSB report that's just been released. [7:12] New NTSB photos show the deep gashes to the belly and tire of a United Airlines plane. [7:18] After hitting a light pole on the Jersey turnpike while landing at Newark Airport last month, [7:24] dash cam and surveillance video captured the moment the pole crashed through the windshield [7:29] of a tractor trailer. [7:30] The driver suffered minor injuries. [7:35] Now, a new NTSB report says as the plane was coming in for a landing in gusty winds, [7:40] the first officer warned the veteran captain, hey, you are slow. [7:44] Then moments later, you're still slow and a little low. [7:47] The captain told investigators he looked outside and I thought we were low, [7:51] but the warning came seconds before landing. [7:53] That's when he heard a thump. [7:55] Flight attendants reported a loud bang as the Boeing 767 crashed into a 15-foot pole. [8:02] They should not have been that low, no question about it. [8:04] On this graph, this line shows what the plane's descent slope should have been, [8:08] while this red line shows its actual descent. [8:11] Pilots on approach look to a runway's landing or pappy lights like these. [8:16] Two white and one or two red mean they're lined up properly. [8:20] But the NTSB reports the United crew would have seen four reds, a big warning they were too low. [8:26] If you see all red, it says that you're going to land and touch down the forehead of those lights, [8:33] and that is not good. [8:34] United has said it's cooperating with the investigation and has told the NTSB it's [8:39] reminded pilots not to undershoot a runway. [8:43] Tom? [8:43] Okay, Tom Costello. [8:45] Now to some new shocking allegations from Karen Reed, who was cleared of murder last year, [8:49] you'll remember. [8:50] She's now suing police over investigators' apparent racist and sexist messages [8:55] that we should warn you contain offensive language. [8:58] Our Emily Akeda reports. [9:01] A year after Karen Reed walked out of a Massachusetts court acquitted of murder, [9:05] The 36-year-old is leveling her own bombshell allegations against the police departments [9:15] that investigated her for her police officer boyfriend's 2022 death, unearthing decade-old [9:21] vulgar voicemails that Reed's lawyers say demonstrate a culture of bias and corruption. [9:27] You want a filthy pig that you just do dirty things to. [9:32] You don't want some, like, dope baby to get a whine and dine. [9:36] That was the case's eventual lead investigator, Michael Proctor, according to the complaint, [9:41] who you can hear also used racial slurs describing a multi-car accident. [9:45] Take your time. [9:46] I saw a n***er was involved, so I wouldn't rush if you're working. [9:51] Let them die. [9:52] While Proctor's attorney says years-old comments had no bearing whatsoever on the investigation, [9:58] Reed's lawyers say they show an embedded culture of bigotry, misogyny, systemic failures, [10:03] and institutional rot within Massachusetts State Police and Town of Canton Police, [10:08] which they allege ultimately led to Reed being wrongly accused. [10:11] She was drunk, she hit him, and she left him to die. [10:18] The new lawsuit also lists a trove of disturbing texts from Proctor and Canton Police Sergeant [10:23] Sean Goode. [10:24] Goode allegedly calling the Boston mayor a little C-word and writing the governor can suck my [10:29] Goode, who did not respond to our request for comment, resigned from his position this week, [10:34] and Proctor was fired last year. [10:37] And tonight, the town of Canton says the department has made significant strides in recent years, [10:41] while Massachusetts State Police tells us the disturbing messages do not reflect their values. [10:47] Tom? [10:47] Emily, thank you. [10:48] And you can see Karen Reed in an exclusive interview tomorrow morning, only on Today. [10:53] We want to share with you an incredible story of survival on Mount Everest. [10:57] A Sherpa missing for nearly a week is rescued while crawling to a base camp. [11:02] And tonight, he's speaking out about how he survived. [11:05] Here's Janice Mackey-Frayer. [11:06] Tonight, a miracle on Mount Everest. [11:10] A Sherpa guide found crawling back to base camp six days after he went missing. [11:16] Dawa Sherpa seen here moments after he was found. [11:20] I fell from a ladder into a crevasse, he says. [11:23] For two days and nights, I survived on ice. [11:26] The 52-year-old seasoned guide was last seen around 23,600 feet, the so-called death zone, [11:33] where conditions are harsh and oxygen too thin to sustain human survival. [11:37] Search and rescue teams scoured the mountain for days before he appeared around the Khumbu icefall, [11:43] frostbitten but alive, and swiftly airlifted from the mountain. [11:48] At the hospital, his wife and daughter were overwhelmed. [11:51] We asked for photos, and only then were we sure, she said. [11:55] They had already started his funeral ritual, convinced he was gone. [12:00] This climbing season, a busy one on the world's highest peak, [12:04] after a massive chunk of ice blocked the route to the top. [12:07] A record 274 people summiting Mount Everest in a single day last month, [12:13] causing concerns about garbage and over-tourism. [12:16] But this is also one for the history books, a remarkable story of survival. [12:22] Janice Mackey-Frayer, NBC News, Beijing. [12:26] And when we return in 60 seconds, nosedive, the landing gear in a massive plane, [12:30] look at this, fails while it's at the gate. [12:33] So why did this happen? [12:34] Plus, the massive explosion, what sparked this fireball, sending school kids running? [12:40] And tonight, our one-on-one with the CEO of the biggest carmaker in America, [12:45] what she says about the road ahead with AI, gas prices, and more. [12:54] In our series, Business in America, we're talking to CEOs of the biggest and best-known companies in the country. [13:00] Tonight, Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, sits down with our Christine Romans, [13:05] getting into everything from high gas prices to competition with China, [13:08] to how AI is revolutionizing the very way cars get made. [13:12] In the world's largest automotive wind tunnel, decades of aerodynamic vehicle testing is shifting into the future. [13:21] General Motors CEO, Mary Barra, says artificial intelligence is moving car design into the fast lane. [13:28] Just a click, making small tweaks to the roof here with instant results. [13:32] We have an AI tool that allows us to do and estimate what the aero is going to be on a concept, [13:39] really dial it in, and then when we get the design, then we take it into the actual wind tunnel and do the final work. [13:45] Barra is a 46-year veteran of GM. [13:48] At 18, she started as a quality inspector. [13:51] She rose to chair and CEO, a position she's held for 12 years. [13:55] She's the only woman to lead a major global car company. [13:58] To dream, to design, to style for you. [14:01] Celebrating its 70th anniversary, GM's design center sits just outside Detroit. [14:07] This is where we literally design what the vehicle is going to look like inside and outside. [14:12] Here, old school clay modeling side by side with modern machines. [14:16] And sketches from automotive artists transformed using AI prompts for a realistic rendering of a new Corvette, [14:23] even envisioning it on the road. [14:25] This is something that used to take weeks and now is being done in minutes. [14:30] Wait, from weeks to minutes? [14:32] Weeks to minutes. [14:33] It allows us to explore more concepts, more ideas to make sure we get the right one. [14:37] Is AI going to allow you to make cars with fewer people, do you think? [14:41] I think it's how we give the tools to the people to be able to do better work. [14:45] And to me, it's how do we do more with the people that we have because we're using AI tools. [14:50] She says higher gas prices aren't denting demand. [14:54] The GM is squarely focused on affordability with six models starting at $30,000 or less, [15:00] including its all-electric Bolt, a price on par with Chinese EVs from manufacturers like BYD. [15:07] Tom recently test drove one of those cars while reporting in China. [15:12] If you could buy this car in America, how much would it cost? [15:14] So $25,000 here, you add about $10,000, $35,000, still a pretty good deal. [15:20] But Barra is among American auto execs saying that deal shouldn't be an option in the U.S., [15:26] citing unfair Chinese government subsidies and the connected technology that could lead to spying on Americans. [15:33] General Motors needs to have a level playing field and then we need to compete. [15:37] I think we have to look at it and the jobs that are provided from an economy perspective [15:40] and then also look at it from a national security perspective. [15:44] What would the level playing field look like for you? [15:46] You know, equivalent tariffs and not being subsidized. [15:49] In an industry changing faster than ever, Barra says GM is poised to win. [15:54] I'm confident that we can compete and we're working every day to continue to make our business more efficient [15:59] so we can give the customer more. [16:01] After more than four decades with GM, Barra still excited for the road ahead. [16:05] Christine Romans, NBC News, Warren, Michigan. [16:07] And you can watch the extended sit-down interview with an NBC News subscription on the NBC News app. [16:14] When we return here on Nightly News, what triggered this explosion and the fireball that followed in Mexico? [16:20] And big problems for the big screen? [16:23] Did fan fervor to see the Odyssey crash movie ticketing websites? [16:27] That's next. [16:29] Welcome back. [16:31] A scary moment at a German airport. [16:33] Look at this Lufthansa plane parked at the jet bridge when all of a sudden the nose gear retracts and the front of the plane crashes down. [16:41] You see a member of the ground crew there jump out of the way just in time. [16:45] According to local media, several staff were injured, but passengers hadn't boarded yet. [16:50] The plane is massive. [16:51] A 787 Dreamliner can weigh nearly 280 tons at takeoff. [16:55] Tonight, the bomb squad is investigating a blown-out SUV on a busy Chicago highway, snarling traffic for hours. [17:02] Police and ATF agents quickly arrived on the scene looking for any evidence you can see. [17:07] Officers cautiously approaching the vehicle. [17:09] Law enforcement sources tell NBC Chicago the SUV was being tracked by federal drug agents, [17:15] but there is no evidence this was a targeted attack. [17:17] In Mexico, a massive fire filling the sky. [17:21] First one explosion and then a tower of flames follows. [17:24] Local police say four gas tanks combusted, forcing thousands to evacuate. [17:29] Local kids can be seen hurrying away with the flames in the background. [17:33] Look at that. [17:34] No word yet on what caused it. [17:36] And so many people tried to score tickets to Christopher Nolan's new film, [17:39] The Odyssey, from NBC's sister company, Universal, [17:42] that it appeared to crash the AMC app today. [17:45] The movie doesn't hit theaters for another six weeks, [17:48] but it's already causing a frenzy. [17:51] Today, people say they encountered technical glitches when trying to buy the tickets. [17:54] We reached out to AMC for comment, but did not immediately hear back. [17:58] Right now, though, the app seems to be up and running. [18:01] That's Nightly News for this Thursday. [18:02] I'm Tom Yamas. [18:03] Thanks so much for watching. [18:05] Tonight and always, we're here for you. [18:07] Good night.