tom costello, thank you. >>> there is another major showdown over the mueller report. house democrats wanting william barr to give the fullre cted report by tomorrow or they will try to force him to. kristen welker has details. >> reporte tonight, house democratic judiciary chairman jey nadler demanding bill barr turn over the full report tomorrow or facing a subpoena. if barr doesn't turnover the entire document the attney neral undermines the work and integrity of the department. the growing utdown after barr promised a redacted version of 400-page document by april well after the deadline. it comes after president trump has declared total vindication. >> the collusion si de is over. >> reporter: tweeting today no matter what information is given to the crazed democrats from the no collusion mueller rt reit will never be good enough. the white house caed it all political theater, noting barr is redacting grand jury material, which by law is secret. house democrats zeroing in on security clearances after a career official said 25 security clearance denials were revers

skies again. >> tom costello, thank you. >>> let's turn to the record-breaking measles outbreak we've been following. the cdc reports the number of confirmed cases is 704 across 22 states. that's the highest in 25 years. the cdc also recommended today that anyone flying internationally be fully vaccinated at least two weeks before their trip. >>> now to the road to 2020 going through the key battle ground of pennsylvania today. joe bihon 2016. at we independents who have the same view have to choose hope over fear. unity over division. maybe most importantly, truth over lies. [ cheers ] >> nbc's kristen welker joins us from the white house. that audience biden was talking to could play a very big role in 2020. >> reporter: indeed, lester. former vice president biden was speaking to a firefighters union that just endorsed him. it's a part of biden's argument that if he's the nominee, he can win back working class voters in rust belt states prompting president trump to fire back. many union members are trump supporters and tweeting welcome to pennsylvania, sleepy joe enjoy the trump eco

nbc's tom costello has the latest. >> reporter: within seconds of taking off, ethiopian flight 302 was in trouble. one of the plane's external sensors seemed to fail, possibly after a bird strike sending data suggesting the plane was nose up and could stall. the pilot's control column began shaking with a stall warning and the plane's system kicked in pushing the nose down and two and a half minutes into flight, the pilot's followed boeing procedures and cut the power to mcas. >> the crew performed all the procedures but was not able to control the occurrence. >> reporter: turning off mcas turned off the plane's electric a the plane was flying so fast they struggled to fly the plane manually and turned the system back on, which then re-engaged mcas putting the plane into a fatal nosedive. >> the fact they turned it back on again, was that the final nail in the coffin. if so, they should have followed procedure. >> reporter: the crew never reduced their speed. if they had, they might have been able to fly manually. were they overwhelmed by the on board emergency? >> the environment in t

tom costello has been covering this story for us. what's the latest, tom?> the faa says pilots will be required to undergo additional training before they're allowed to fly the max, but boeing still hasn't formally submitted the software update for faa approval, and when that happens, the plane will still have to be recertified. but the faa now telling airlines the pilots will be required to undergo new training on the mcas anti-stall system blamed for crashes in ethiopia and indonesia. that's the software fix boeing is working on. the pilot training can be completed on an ipad or a computer. simulator time will not be required. however, some airlines may still require it. with the max grounded, there will be fewer planes for the upcoming summer travel season, so watch your schedules closely. >> tom costello, thank you. >>> tonight former first lady i president. the comments sure to raise eyebrows in the white house where officials are bracing for impact from the redacted mueller report, now less than 48 hours away from release. here is kristen welker. >> r

tom costello, nbc news. >>> coming up next, miracle rescue. how two hikers lost for five days were found alive. >>> back now with the miracle on the mountain. two hikers rescued after five days lost in the wild. nbc's gadi schwartz on how they were found alive. >> reporter: tonight, a tale of survival from the wilds of one of southern california's highest mountains. >> we just lost the trail. >> reporter: eric and his girlfriend gabrielle wallace went missing saturday while hiking in the snowy mountains. >> we tried to descend through a valley but that valley was more treacherous than we thought. >> reporter: for five days, volunteers scoured 30 square miles of rough terrain eventually finding two sets of footprints and sending a chopper to look and spotting a fire and the couple. whose rescuers hoisted to safety. eric and gabrielle veteran hikers found themselves fighting for survival in treacherous terrain and freezing temperatures. >> rationed our food. drank water through a life straw and kept as warm as possible. >> reporter: miraculously

it's the first deadline out of the new tax law and tom costello has the price you pay. >> reporter: it'seen a season of surprises for many americans, just 6% of taxpayers actually owe more this year. 65% of taxpayers paid lower taxes on 2018 earnings, but because typical paychecks rose by just a few dollars, many americans never noticed it. and lower tax rates mean many people aren't getting the refunds they got last year. >> people unfortunately think about their taxes just once a year. they really should be thinking about them more often. >> reporter: the irs says refund amounts haven't changed much. $2,833 on average. $31 less than last year but millions of americans who lost deductions are facing big tax bills. an unexpected $10,000 bill for gina's family now adjusting their budget. >> i've basically sat the family down, my husband and my children, and we've discussed, you know, ways that this is going to change our lives going forward. >> reporter: if you don't have the cash to pay the tax man, experts advice use a credit card, though, you'll pay a processing fee and credit card int

here is tom costello. >> reporter: the nose of american flight 300 was just lifting off the runway at jfk when suddenly the plane unexpectedly banked hard today left scraping the wing tip hitting a light, sign and tearing a gash in the wing. the pilots climbed to a higher altitude and radioed to controllers. >> we would like to return to kennedy, have them check it out. >> reporter: the plane and airbus with 110 people headed to los angeles. >> we were banking uncontrolled bank, 45 degrees to the left. >> reporter: sources close to the investigation say the plane could have crashed.e pilots stabilized the plane and returned safely to the airport. jeff toller was a passenger. >> suddenly the plane is out of control. people are screaming. the guy next to me had fear in his eyes. >> reporter: john cox is a veteran airbus captain. >> the investigators have got to determine conclusively what happened here. this is extremely serious and could have been catastrophic. >> reporter: tonight, the ntsb has joined the investigation into why flight 300 took a sudden dangerous dip. tom costello, nbc

. >>> this is tom costello. it would likely only take a few weeks before americans would notice a border shutdown in the grocery aisle. nearly half of all imported vegetables and 40% of imported fruit are grown in mexico. from the cucumbers and tomatoes in your salad to the avocados in your guacamole and raspberries in your smoothie, and beer, wine, and tequila. most of it comes from mexico. if the border closes, americans could find themselves short on key ingredients they've come to love. avocados could be gone within three weeks. because of the growing season, california would not be able to pick up the slack for another month or so. >> we might not even be able to find them. number two, if we can find them, they're going to be very expensive. they could go up two to three times. >> reporter: america's appetite for made in mexico has increased with the country demanding fresh foods rather than processed foods. a complete border shutdown could mean no travel by car, bus or foot. bad news for u.s. border states

or a reasonable expectation. >> reporter: tom costello reporting there. kelly says if the oddsed were 50/50 of coming back, he would go to mars but he wouldn't definitely go there on a one-way mission. >>> a live look at the falcon nest at pg&e headquarters in san francisco. just a few hours, researchers will put tracking devices on three of the chicks ahead of theirs flight from the building's 33rd floor. they can track the species of birds which was at one time close to extinction. you can see over to the right corner there, you can see a bird there. we saw some of the little chiclets outside. left of the box. you see there? >> yeah. >> every year this time we're on bird watch. see if they have some babies. >> if they did anything today, it will be a great time to get outside. >> reporter: sunny and temperatures are warming up. finally we can say it feels like spring. you may be making beach plans. that's a look at our ocean beach camera. looking also from tiberon, the temperature at 61 degree. it's still cool but we're going to have it warming up over

as tom costello explains, all of us end up paying the price. >> reporter: the raids began before dawn. agents arresting 24 people across the country, among them doctors and executives from medical equipment and telemedicine companies charged with medicare fraud totaling $2 billion. in rochester, new york, neale sweetman received a box full of back and knee braces from a medical supply company in florida, prescribed by a doctor in another state. >> the order was written by a doctor in north carolina. my father lives in rochester, new york. he's never seen or heard of this doctor. >> reporter: medicare was charged nearly $3,000. today hhs and the department of justice alleged the kickback scheme involved overseas call centers targeting the elderly, and using doctors to prescribe medical supplies they didn't need. >> these doctors are alleged to be paid kickbacks in order to write these prescription orders for this equipment. and they're not seeing these patients. they may be talking to them over the phone, but as alleged, these conversations are minimal at best. >> reporter: sweetman's

here's nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: the nose of american flight 300 was just lifting off the runwaywhen suddenly the plane unexpectedly banked hard to the left, scraping the left wing tip on the runway, hitting a light, a sign, and tearing a gash in e wing. the pilot's climb to a higher altitude, then radioed controllers. >> we'd just like to return a check it out. >> reporter: the plane, an airbus a 321 wh 110 people headed to los angeles. >> we were banking, uncontrolled bank, 45 degrees to the left. >>eporter: sources close to the investigation say the plane could have crashed. the pilots stabilized the plane, then returned safely t the airport. jeff tahler was a passenger. >> people are screaming. the guy next to me had fear in his eyes. >> reporter: aviation analyst john cox is a veteran airbus captain. >> the investigators have got to determine conclusively what happened here. this is extremely serious and it could have been catastrophic. nedreporter: the ntsb has j the investigation into why the flight took a sudden dangerous dip. tom costello, nbc news, washington. >>> just

>> all right, tom costello at reagan national. ppy with the way the attorney general william barr portrayed their findings. according to the "new york times," those investigators feel the nearly 400-page mueller report is more troubling than barr suggested in his four-page summary. nbc news has not independent confirmed the times about the team. barr told congress mueller did not reach a conclusion whether the president obstructed justice but did clear him of collusion. if necessary, forcing the attorney general to provide the entire report. >>> federal i.c.e. agents in texas arrested more than 280 people in what officials are calling the biggest workplace immigration raid in a decade. it took place in a tech repair company north of dallas and i.c.e. officials say they investigated many tips the company may have knowingly hired undocumented immigrants. cve based in new jersey could not be reached for comment. >>> police in brazil are searching for bandits who robbed a radio host and his guests while they were live on the air. the s

nbc's tom costello covers aviation. he joins us live from chicago. tom, first, the latest revelation now involves southwest airlines. what is it? >> reporter: yeah, good morning from a city with a driving rainstorm and dark clouds this morning that will be greeting ceo dennis mullenberg. southwest was not told by boeing that the angle of attack disagree light wasn't activated on the brand new 737 max. what that feature is, is telling the pilots that one of your two angle of attack sensors doesn't agree with the other one. that could activate the software system that's believed to have put the nose of the plane into a nose dive both in ethiopia and also in indonesia. that's an issue. the other issue facing the shareholders and ceo mullenberg today is why did boeing not tell their own pilots, the pilots who fly the plane with various airlines, tell them about the anti-stall system that was in the plane? he still has not answered that question on the record. this will be the first opportunity for news media to ask those questions and then in addition you

that was tom costello reporting. and he also tells us that once regulators receive the boeing software update, t it coulde weeks for approval. that means the max jets will remain grounded until everyone is 100% sure that the planes are safe. > well listen here if you plan on traveling anywhere on the east coast soon. amtrak is having a flash sale. those are two words i love to hear. that is going to be happening on service through the northeast region, that means all trips booked this spring and summer will be 30%. fares have been as low as $39 each way from d.c. to new york. amtrak said there arebl no kout dates but the special is only good forg rid coach and the sale ends tomorrow. >>> you've probably experienced distracted driving byne someone you. but now there is a new app called travel safely to kee your focus on the road. transportation reporterss adam is in the passenger seat for a test ordrive. >> repter: getting an alert -- >> get ready for green. >> reporter: when is the light is about to turn green. going

. >> joining us now tom costello. lawsuits out there against them. but in the case of boeing, we're in a very different situation. today marks six months since the lion air flight accident. we know they have been working on a software update. where do they stands on that for the millions of people every day who fly the friendly skies? >> reporter: the free-throw shooter have been grounded. all of the contingent upon boeing pushing out an update to the anti-stall software. they expect the final test flight within the next week or two. then submit this for formal faa approval. around may 23rd the faa will be meeting with regulators from around the world to discuss how they are going to systematically approve this plane to fly again. we're probably, therefore, looking at the end of may, maybe into june before the plane is approved to fly, but then you got to train all the pilots on the new system and that could take weeks or even months. so we really are looking at the mid to late summer period before the max is flying a

tom costello has been on this story from t verybeginning. hey, tom, what can you tell us? >> r here are the bullet points. ethiopia investigators are now calling on boeing toew re the 737 max controls.dy boeing alrs. also ethiopian authorities say that the crew had a normal takeoff but then very quickly found themselves struggling to keep the plane in the air as the nose was pitching down. keep in mi this accident happened five months after that and the investigators say the crew followed boeing' instructions of what to do in a simir emergency. this morning the first official details on the crash of that ethiopian airline 737 max that went down just s minutes after takeoff nearly four weeks ago. all 157 pele on board died. early this morning, ethiopia's transport minister told journalists the crew was qualified and followed boeing's emerge. >> the crew performed all of the procedures repeatedly provided by the manufacturer. t was not able to control the aircraft. >> reporter: but many questions remain unanswered. >> is there a structural design problem that we kkt predict

here is tom costello. >> reporter: look closely. until today, no one had seen this before, some 55 million light years away. what albert einstein predicted 100 years ago is in fact true. >> there are real monsters. they are real beasts. it's the one place in the universe where we can go but not come back. that's terrifying. >> reporter: surrounding the black hole is a swirling disk of super hot plasma. the blackness is a point of no return where gas, stars and even light are sucked inside and no one knows what lies beyond. to find m87 scientists linked telescopes around the world to portray a massive array the size of earth itself. the black hole nearly the entire size of the solar system. their findings part of a smithsonian documentary friday night. >> it was an astonishment and a wonder. a distant part of the universe once science fiction, now fact. >> reporter: now science fact. >> tom, forgive me, a lot of my perspective on this is from the movies. it's hard to comprehend what happens inside a black hole. how do experts break i

here is tom costello. >> reporter: the black boxes from flight 302 show the pilots followed boeing's emergency instructions on how to cut power to the mcas anti-stall system, suspected of forcing the plane down, but as the crew struggled to save the plane, they were unable to pull the nose back up manually and instead turned the system back on again 157 people died when the 737 max crashed just six minutes into flight. >> it appears to me that they may have turned off mcas but the thing that concerns me is it appears they turned it back on why would they have turned it back on? >> reporter: why was the plane flying at 320 knots, much faster than normal. it would make the plane harder to control in a statement today, boeing says we urge caution against speculating and drawing conclusions on the findings prior to the release of the flight data and preliminary report meanwhile, the faa inspectors who certify the ma are in the spotlight after whistleblowers tol congress some of those inspectors were not properly trained or certified. >> the allegations themselves are troubling, and they

nbc's costello covers aviation and joins us with details. tom, what can you tell us? >> reporter: phillip, good morning. the faa says pilots will be required to undergo additional training before they are allowed to fly the max again. buoeing still hatzant formally submitted the software update for faa approve. when that happens, the plane willtill have to be recertified. the faa right now telling airlines pilots will be required to undergo new training on that mcas system blamed for the crashes in ethiopia and indonesia that killed 346 people. th software fix is what they have been working t on. the piloaining can be completed on a computer. with the max grounded, there will be fewer planes flying for the upcoming summer travel season. so watch your schedules closely to ensure that your fligh is, in fact, taking off when they say it is going to. back to you, phillip. >> tom costello for us, thank you, sir. >> there is a new bombshell in theussie smollett saga. messageseased text from cook county state attorney kim foxx reveal that she called him a, quote, washed up c

here's nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: on the ground in dallas, the captain of a united express flight announcing he just made an emergency landing because two of the six screens in the cockpit instrument panel had gone dark. >> we lost two of our screens. now, if we kept flying, we lose them all. >> reporter: flight 4390 was flying from knoxville to houston when the screens went black. the apparent problem, the fans behind them to keep them cool failed and there was a risk of losing more screens. >> there is tremendous heat behind those screens. this dictates we land as soon as possible. because if we had continued eventually we would be flying blind. >> reporter: in a statement, express jet tells nbc news customers deplaned normally and we are working to get them on their way to to their destinations as soon as possible. >> tom, while we have you, we know there's been some late breaking news about that grounded 737 max. what can you tell us? >> reporter: that's right. boeing is temporarily reducing production of the max by almost 20% since new planes are rolling off the assembly line

nbc's tom costello, of course, covers aviation for us. tom, good morning. >> good morning, guys. i think this is now going to stretch well into may and maybe beyond that. boeing has been working for months to come up with a software upgrade, but now it says it needs more time, and it could be weeks before boeing can submit its final approval or its final submission to the faa for approval. and that means hundreds of planes worldwide will remain firmly on the ground for now. it's the fatal flaw suspected of taking down two 737 max flights overseas, a software glitch impacting the plane's automated stall prevention system known as mc mcas. boeing has been working on a fix, hoping to have it ready as soon as this week. even as it invited hundreds of pilots and airline execs to its seattle headquarters last week to brief them on the upgrade. >> we're working with customers and regulators around the world to restore faith in our industry. >> reporter: but now boeing says the final package of software enhancements won't be ready for weeks. the faa saying in a statement more week is nee

our tom costello has details. >> reporter: tonight amid multiple investigations into how the faa approved and certified boeing's 737 max, a senate committee has sent this letter to the acting head of the faa, saying the committee has received information from multiple whistle-blowers alleging insufficient training and improper certification of faa safety inspectors. the concern, that poorly trained inspectors may have led to an improper evaluation of the mcas anti-stall system suspected in those two fatal max crashes. jeff guzzetti is the former chief of faa accident investigations. >> you would hope the pilots for the faa that evaluated the airplane had already been experienced in 737 operations, had already been type rated in a 737. >> reporter: meanwhile, the max fleet is likely to remain grounded for weeks, even months. boeing was expected to release a software update for the mcas software system this week, but now says it will take several more weeks. the faa says additional time is needed to ensure that boeing has identified and appropriately addressed all pertinent issues. but a fo

tom costello in d.c. thanks. >>> also this mo ling, thed says it has a suspect in the murder ofap star nipsey hussle. rumors of g sts caused pandemonium senedng terri crowds running for their lives. gadi schwartz has the lat t thrning. good morning. >> reporter: that's right. officials say 1jupeople were d in the chaos. some critically overnight. the lapd also releasing a photo of the man who they believe may have ended hussle's life. hundreds gathered outside the store where belov raphussle was. but mourners were sent running that left five people in critical condition. a short time later the lapd s releasing t photo of a suspect in hussle's murder. police asking anyone with information about thean eric holder to come forward. this videoea a to show the shooting and the gunman leaving the scene. police have not commented on the video which has not beenfi ve by nbc news. lapd chief michael moore says he believes the shoer knew hussle. >> this was not a chance encounter. ♪ i had a vision nobody else could

here's nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: a vaping cloud is threatening today's teens.igarette use amo high schoolers up a stunning 78% last year. among middle schoolers, up 48%. 12 states and d.c. lready raised the smoking and vaping age from 18 to 21. now senate majority leader mitch mcconnell from battle-producing kentucky says the law onal.ld go na >> tobacco won't be in most high schools, presenting fewer opportunities for children to ge their hands on vaping devices. >> reporter: with their flavors, vee-cigarettes ha exploded in popularity with teenagers. but w theyarn against high nicotine that can cause addiction. >> it can affect mood and impulse control. >> reporter: tobacco co anies support raising the age to 21. alth officials say it's critical s totop thisrend now. >>> we're back in a moment with that new look inside a dramatic rescue in an underground cave. >>> the silverware, the bathrooms, stay with us.st go. that insurance . [ ding ] -oh, i have progressive, so i just bundled everything with my home insurance. saved me a ton of money. -love you, gary! -

tom costello, thank you. >>> just ahead tonight, our nbc news exclusive, the north korean soldier caughtn camera making a desperate dash for g freedom revew details to us about his dramatic escape. >>> then just weeks before her graduation, the college nior who fell 30 feet to her death. a campus mourning tonight. stay with us. by a heart valve problem. so if there's a better treatment than warfarin, i'll go for that. eliquis. reliquis is proven touce stroke risk better than warfarin. plus has significantly less major bleeding than rfarin. ro eliquis is fved and has both. what's next? sharing my roots. don't stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to as stoppinhaincreases your risk ong a stroke. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve bl or abnormal ding. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer than usual for any bleeding to stop. seek immr iate medical care dden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis eey increase your blng risk if you take certain medicines. t

tom costello, nbc news, washington. >>> just ahead, put the squeeze on your wallet with a bottle of the most expensive wine. >>> speaking of money sinks, why the internet is going wild over kim kardashian's bathroom fixtures. er. most patients who saw 90% clearer skin at 28 weeks stayed clearer through 48 weeks. tremfya® mayer infections. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. tell your doctor if you have an infection or have symptoms such as: fever, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough. before starting tremfya® tell your doctor if you plan tremfya®. stay clearer. janssen can help you explore cost support options. found one! ♪ ( laughter ) found one! ♪ found one. ♪ ♪ living well do you often wake up with chest congestion? or suffer excess mucus? try mucinex 12 hour. the bio layer tablet immediately releases to thin and loosen excess mucus. and lasts for 12 hours. mucinex 12 hour. ok i'll admit. i didn't keep my place as clean as i would like 'cuz i'm way too busy. who's got the time to chase around down dirt, dust and hair? so now, i use heavy d

here is tom costello.>> eporter: they are commonly referred to as z drugs, taken by six million amerans. and among the most dely prescribed sleep medications on the market, including lunesta, sonata. ambien, and zolpamist. while they may help you catch some zs, the fda says z drugs also carry serious risks, including sleepwalking, sleep driving, even sleep cooking. now the fda says it will require its most d serious boxerning on the drugs' label. neurologist runs the georgetown hospital sleep center. >> interesting somehow patients won't have any recollection of the events, because they are not really back to their conscious state. n > reporter: the fda's concerabout an increase in patients who overdose, fall, wander out into the cold, even burn or shoot themselves. the pharma industry declined to comment, though. in the past drug makers have said the side effects are rare, and insomnia medications should be taken under a doctor's supervision. tonight, the fda warns not to combine z drugs with other meds, avoid drinking alcohol and avoid driving, even erthe morning aft taking an insomni

tom costello has those new details. >> reporter: as max's continue to roll off the assembly line, u.s. airlines are unsure when their maxes will fly ain. southwest now says it won't schedule the max through august 5th anthat will force it to cancel 160 flights a day. american is canceling 90 flights a day through june 5th but says it's also reexamining its summer schedule. united says it sees a minimal impact. the airlines all wa ing for boeing's software fix for the system suspected of bringing planes that enger killed 346 people. >> the update will make the 737 max even safer. >> reporter: that software update expected later this month. we're taking a comprehensive, disciplined approach and taking e the time to make s that we get it right. >> reporter: that alone won't get the max flying again. today the faa met with airline pilots about what steps they want to see before t plane is recertified for flight. >> not using the calendar, not using a wah. when it's right, we'll know it and that's what our passengers deserve. reporter: experts recommend regularly checking your summer trave

tom costello, nbc >>> coming up next, miracle rescue.two hikers lost for ve days were found alive. including nasal congestion, which most pills don't. it's more complete allergy relief. and all from a gentle mist you can barely feel. flonase sensimist helps block six key inflammatory substances. most pills only block one. and six is greater than one. flonase sensimist. and six is greater than one. welcome to fowler, indiana. one of the windiest places in america. and home to three bp wind farms. in the off-chance the wind ever stops blowing here... the lights can keep on shining. thanks to our natural gas. a smart partner to renewable energy. it's always ready when needed. or... not. at bp, we see possibilities everywhere. to help the world keep advancing. investment opportunities beyfirsthand, like biotech.ne because your investments deserve the full story. t. rowe price invest with confidence. ♪ the house, kids, they're living the dream ♪ ♪ and here comes the wacky new maid ♪ -maid? uh, i'm not the... -♪ is she an alien, is she a spy?

nbc's tom costello explains. >> reporter: it wouldy lik only take a few weeks before americans wouldotice a border shutdown in the grocery nearly half of all imported vegetables and 40% of imported fruit are grown in mexico. from the cucumbers and tomatoes in your salad to the avocados in your guacamole, even t blackberries and raspberries in your smoothie, not to beer, wine, and tequila for your margaritas. most of it comes from mexico. if the border closes, americans could find themselves short on some key ingredients they've come tolove. avocados could be gone within three weeks. and because of the growing season, california would not be able to pick up the slack for so.her month or >> we might not even be able to find them. number two, if we c find them, they're going to be very expensive. they could go up two to three eptimes. >> rter: america's appetite for made inexico has increased with the country demanding fresh foods rather than prossed foods. a complete border shutdown could mean no travel by car,bus,r foot. bad news for u.s. border states that rely on the relationship wi

we'll go to tom costello. >> reporter: good morning.re telling congress that the very people who should have been inspecting and certifying the max for flight, that they themselves may have been uncertified improperly. we get new information about the final seconds on board the ethiopian airliner. at boeing field near seattle, 737 maxes stack up on the ramp with nowhere to go. now with the global fleet grounded, congress is demanding answers about the faa inspectors who helped certify the max. telling the acting head of the faa, congress has received information from multiple whistleblowers alleging insufficient training and improper certification of faa safety inspectors. the concern, that poorly trained inspectors may have led to an improper evaluation of the mcas anti-stall system suspected in the fatal crashes. the faa chief and information secretary were grilled about why it took so long to ground the max. >> the faa didn't feel they had any information which would warrant the grounding. >> reporter: and the multiple investigations

nbc's tom costello is covering both of those stories for us this morning. tom, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. let's start with ethiopia. we are expecting the preliminary report on exactly what caused the crash any day or any minute now. 346 people killed between the ethiopian crash and the indonesia crash. information on the dire emergency the ethiopian jetliner faced. in the wreckage of flight 302, data from the plane's black boxes suggested the pilots were dealing with stall warnings soon after takeoff. sources tell nbc news, the pilot's control column, or stick shaker, activated violently 450 feet off the ground. sources confirm the new mcas, anti-stall system triggered. pushing the nose down as the pilots struggled to pull it back up. the same scenario forced lion air into the java sea last october. the critical question this morning is, what the ethiopian airlines angle of attack sensors torn off? then unable to feed accurate information about the plane's pitch to the mcas anti-stall system? in indonesia, investigators say the sensors have fai

tom costello is on this story for om again. hey, . >> reporter: good morning. these arele whilowers telling congress that the very faa employees who should been certified for max flights, they were n trained properly and they themselves may not have be readyor flight. new details about the ethiopian airline's final seconds. overnight, new details about the boeing j737 m that crashed last month. "the wall street journal" reporting the pilots at the controls of the ethiopian airlines flight initially followed emergency procedures laid out byboeing. according to people briefed on the probe's preliminary findings, the pilots turned off the flight control was pushing the nose of the pl. when that didn't work, they reportedlyd it back on, but sti control of the aircraft. meanwhile, bloomberg is reporting that accident investigators in indonesia are inokg at florida. according to investigative documents obtained by bloomberg, that shop did trepair work on so-called angle of attack sensor on the lion air d jet theay before it went down in the java sea. it's believed ba

nbc's tom costello. thanks for joining us.ou keep it here for more of tos reportinghead with le lester lo lester holt at 7:00. >>> hold on to your hats and cats and dogs. it'sou blustery there. >> the winds were really strong toy. to 53 miles an hour inf portions oontgomery county. even in parts of the districthae reports of wind damage out there. we continue to get some storm reports in. here's one of the storm reports saw today. this one coming out of broslyn. we'll continue to track strong winds until about 8:00 p.m. tonight. after that the sun goes down and the winds subside. hhat that means, a chilly start tomorrow morning wight winds, clear skies and dry area in place. we're starting off our tuesday with temperatures in the mid 30s to low 40s. as we look ty, wednesda a chance for shower. it's really friday. we're really keeping a close eye on the forecast, because strongs stor even severe storms are possible on friday. mainly during the evening and overnight hours. we could be tracking ver heavy rainfall, gusty damaging

nbc tom costello has the latest from reagan national airport. tom? >> stephanie, good morning. are whistleblowers inside faa saying some people who should have been certifying the max for flight may not have been properly trained or certified. all of that as we have more information inside the final seconds of the ethiopian airliner. new details of the boeing 737 max jet that crashed last mumon. the pilots at the controls followed emergency procedures laid out by boeing. according to people briefed on the probe's preliminary findings, the pilots turned off the control system that was pushing the nose of the plane down. when that didn't work, they reportedly turned it back on but still failed to gain control of the aircraft. meanwhile, bloomberg isert roing that accident investigators in indonesia issic looi is looking maintenance shop. that shop did repair work on the so-called angle of attack sensor the day before it went down in the java sea. it's believed bad signals from that sensor contributed to the indonesian crash. now with the global fleet grounded, congress is demandi

. >> tom costello, thank you for an alarming report. >>> that does it for andrea mitchell reports todayhere's ali velshi and stephanie ruehl. >> have an excellent afternoon. >> it is thursday april 4th, ali's got a brown suit on, let's get smarter. >> we will put tariffs on -- if they don't apprehend and ultimately, we're going to give a period of time but if in a year from now, drugs continue to pour in, we're going to put tariffs on. >>> new concerns from robert mueller's team. the attorney general painted too broad a picture. >> it makes the point we've been making for two years, despite all the media reports about how holy and sanctimonious the mueller team is. >> have you had occasion to

tom costello has the latest on this. >> reporter: within seconds of taking off ethiopia ran flight 302s external sensors seemed to fail possibly after a bird strike sending data to suggest the plane was nose up and could stall. the pilots control column began shaking violently with a stall warning. then the plane's new mcas anti-stall system pushed the nose down. two and a half minutes into flight, pilots followed boeing's procedures and cut the power. >> the crew followed april procedures but of not able to control the aircraft. >> reporter: turning off mcas turned off the plane's electric trim feature that keeps it level and the plane was flying much faster than it should. so fast the pilots struggled to fly the plane nahinu ally. they turned the automatic system back on which re-engaged mcas putting the plane in a fatal nose divisive. >> the fact they turned it back on was that the final nail in the coffin? if so then they should have followed procedure. >> reporter: the crew never reduced speed. if they had they might have been able to fly manually. >> the environment in that cockp

tom costello is joining us now. what can you tell us about this? >> reporter: well, there is a couple caveats here. and i think it is important to point this out. first of all, these ethiopian investigators are saying that the crew when they took off, they had a normal takeoff, but then very quickly the nose was pitching forward. in other words, that anti-stall system that we've talked about was engaging pushing the nose down and they were putting to pull it back up. boeing's instructions were just disabled system, cut the power to it. they did that. however they were then faced with bringing the plane back up to a normal pitch, trying to manually adjust and they couldn't do it. they were in an extreme emergency. and so they then reactivated the anti-stall system, mcas. that clearly is not part of the boeing instructions. sodisabling it, they were following the instructions but reenabling it, that was not part of the protocol. authorities are calling for boast to conduct a full review of its systems which boeing is already doing. and they are revie

tom costello blowing our minds on this wednesday with another reminder of just how small we are hererd rock from the sun. >> yes indeed. >> thank you so much. thank you for joining us for this hour of msnbc live. we'll continue to keep a very close eye on that hearing room there in washington, d.c. as attorney general william barr wraps up day two of his grilling there by senators. we're keeping a close eye as well on the irs hearings. i'll see you tomorrow morning on today. for now andrea mitchell reports starts now. >>> right now, president trump escalating his charge against the mueller probe as his attorney general agrees to look into republican charges that it was politically motivated. >> this was an attempted coup. this was an attempted take down of a president. what they did was treason. >>> solo act. overnight the acting deputy at the homeland security department is also ousted leaving no confirmed officials in charge of the nation's most important department to defend the homeland. >> frankly, there's also one person that's running it. you know who that is, it's me. >> join

tom costello has been on this story since it broke. and tom, is this starting to look like bigger issue with this plane, the max 737 than we first believed? >> reporter: well, that's what accident investigators are looking at. i can tl you boeing has already identified another software fix it needs to make in addition to anti and now the ceo ofhe company is coming out issuing a very blic statement. aimed at the world's airlines and regulators. for you and me for theasnger who is fly every day and the people who hopes will one day fly on that plane again. >> we at boeingor are for the lives lost in the recent max tragic accident. >> reporter: dennis muilenburg responding to one of theiggest crises in boeinghistory. two fatal crashes involving the newest best selling 737 max. lion air flight 610 in indonesia and ethiopian airlines flight 302. all, 346 people dead. in bothrs cases investigaay a damaged sensor that monitors the plane's pitch sent bad data to mcas. mcas then pushed the noses of both planes down to pick up speed. as the pilot