the environment, immigration, and more, and how will he work with the white house? and from chicagoland to peru, we travel to trace pope leo's roots. our team reporting from across the planet tonight. newark airport losing radars again. the urgent air- traffic radio call demanding more pressure on officials as delays stretch to four hours. the showdown at an i.c.e. detention facility as democratic lawmakers say they are doing oversight and dhs says they have broke in. a major city mayor arrested. plus, a federal judge orders a tough student to be released. records showing bryan kohberger looked up photos, videos, and news days after the idaho student murders. and from bulls to wildcats, cubs to the bears, how the pope's american roots set the internet ablaze. this is nbc nightly news, reportingtonight

from the vatican, here is lester holt. >> good evening and welcome from a city is still aglow after yesterday's electrifying introduction of the new head of the catholic church. pope leo quickly endearing himself among the faithful, leading his first mass as pope this morning in the sistine chapel where only hours earlier, the conclave that saw him elected as pope ended. born in the united states, a first for a pope, a surprise choice to many, but not for the cardinals who elected him. many revealing it was barely a factor in their discussions that preceded the votes. tonight, we are getting glimpses surrounding the largely secretive conclave process, including what guided their decision-making and how they got to know each other. >> [ singing ] >> pope leo the 14th presiding over his first mass as

pontiff today in the sistine chapel. beginning with aew words in english. >> i know i can rely on each and every one of you to walk with me as we continue as a church. >> today, there has been a slow pulling back of the curtain about the conclave and the days leading up to it, specifically the mealtime breaks and coffee breaks are critical discussions took place. the archbishop of chicago told me in those conversations, the cardinals zeroed in on the qualities they were looking for. the chicago native and villanova grad who worked for yeaears as a missionary in peru emerged. >> they wanted people who were multilingual, who lived on more than one continent, who had pastoral missionary experience, as he did, so he seemed to check all the boxes. and then the votes came in and they just seemed to move in the direction to elect him. >> he knows pope leo well. >> we hear people slip into calling

him bob, obviously very familiar, but talk to us about what kind of person he is. >> well, he is an individual who is just very real, what you see is what you get. he is authentic, he cares about people, and it has been said he doesn't pick a fight, but he won't run from it either. >> but there is one thing the cardinals say wasn't a big factor. >> i don't think the fact that cardinal prevost was from the united states had much weight. >> reporter: cardinal joseph reflected on the weight of the moment for his friend of 30 years. >> after one of the ballots, i went back and i took a look at bob, and -- because his name had been floating around. and he had his head in his hands. and i was praying for him, because i couldn't imagine what happens to a human being when you're facing something like that. and then when he accepted it, it was like he was made for it. >> and pope leo's

first night as pontiff was a busy one, reading the faithful, signing autographs, offering a blessing. today, the vatican releasing the official document announcing his election. pope leo's older brother, louis, says it is all pretty surreal. >> it is just mind blowing that my brother was elected pope. we used to tease him about being pope when he was six years old. >> in pope leo's hometown today -- >> let us pray for pope leo the 14th. >> a special mass honoring the new leader of the catholic church. what are you hearing from back home? >> lots of things. the culture of chicago and the midwest produced a pope. that is terrific. i think it is something that people are going to take pride in, being from chicago. >> i see you choked up there. it touches deep. >> very deep, yeah. >> another question tonight, how will the first american pope handle the thorny political issues on the world stage? we are already

getting some clues. with more on that, here is molly hunter. >> reporter: when pope leo the 14th spoke of reaching out to the world in his first mass as pontiff, it came as no surprise to father tony banks. >> he is going to try to bring into dialogue different viewpoints on different things. >> reporter: the fellow augustinian describes issues that his friend, the first american pope, cares deeply about, like migrants, issues that may put him on a collision course with president trump. >> why can't these people who are in these afflicted countries actually share in the riches of the countries? >> and go in search of better lives. >> reporter: in february, an x account t for foer cardinal prevost reposted: jd vance is wrong, jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others. and back in 2018,

the account shared criticism of the family separation policy under president trump. even still, the president and vice president congratulating and praising the new pope. >> to have the pope from the united states of america, that is a great honor. >> reporter: back in 2012, he criticized popular culture for promoting sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel, referring in part to the homosexual lifestyle. >> very much with the marginalized, those who have been on the periphery of the church. there is no reason for that exclusion. >> reporter: according to voter registration records, the new pope voted in republican primaries in illinois in 2012, 2014, and 2016. >> will he want to build bridges to donald trump? i suppose. but he would want to build bridges with the leader of every nation. >> no, cardinal dolan says the pope will start those meetings with world leaders within days, and president trump says he lookoks forward to meeting the new pope. >> molly, thank you very much. as we trace the pope's roots, our journey led our team to south america where leo was bishop and a missionary, a journey that paved

his way to the papacy. stephanie reports in peru. >> reporter: not long after leo the 14th, the chicago born pope, appeared on the vatican balcony, church bells rang in lima, peru. the president proudly declaring: >> [ speaking in a global language ] >> reporter: the pope is peruvian, god loves peru. for catholics in peru, leo the 14th is their first pope, too. social media lit up with memes. the pope in the national soccer jersey, eating ceviche, drinking the cola. what is the feeling in this city today? >> it's like a party. i think the people are very excited. >> reporter: robert prevost spent more than two decades working in this south american country, first as a missionary, then a priest, and ultimately as a bishop in the city. this is terrific, i am at a restaurant

right across from the cathedral and they are serving up the pope's favorite lunch. goat with rice and beans. among bishop prevost's most beloved causes, helping immigrants. we visited a shelter he helped build with president juan carlos, who tells me when bishop prevost saw people in need, he wanted to help them. gabriella has been here for three years and met the future pope. i asked her if she had a message for him. >> [ speaking in a global language ] >> reporter: she says i'm grateful for everything he has done for us, for venezuelans. prevost's tenure in peru did not escape controversy, he was accused of mishandling an investigation into pre-sexual abuse, allegations the diocese has denied. here today, it is about celebration. people here say both things could be true, pope leo the 14th is the first u.s. pope, and he is the first peruvian pope, too. perhaps that's what the cardinals in the vatican were thinking. lester? >> stephanie, thank you. back at home tonight, newark airport is once again dealing with hours long delays after air traffic controllers yet

again lost radar displays early this morning. here is tom costello. >> reporter: it happened at 3:55 a.m. the faa says for 90 seconds, newark controllers lost several radar scopes. one controller checking in with a fedex pilot. >> went blank again. if you care about this, try toget some pressure for them to fix this stuff. >> reporter: transportation secretary sean duffy tells nbc's kristen welker, unstable deadlines and software glitches are to blame. >> the system is old, right? this is a system that is 25 at best, sometimes 50 years old. we have to fix this, because what you see in newark is going to happen across other ples in the country, it has to be fixed. >> reporter: duffy says old radar feeds from newark up to long island and onto philadelphia where control is managed newark airspace. they have lost

radars and radios many times since last august. while air traffic at 4:00 a.m. is mostly limited to cargo planes and some charter flights. any hour of the day is dangerous if you lose radar. >> all new hardware, on the software, it is going to be built into this brand-new air traffic control system. >> reporter: on thursday, duffy detailed plans to completely rebuild america's air traffic control system. new towers, radios, radars, and radar centers amid a push to hire more controllers. but it will cost billions of dollars and take three to four years. are we looking at a really difficult summer because of all these atc challenges? >> if our controllers can't control a really busy airspace, we are going to bring in less airplanes, and that can cause delays, that can cause cancellations. >> reporter: duffy tells me he thinks the data line from new york to controllers in philadelphia should improve within a few days, hopefully improving the radar signal for controllers. lester? >> tom costello, thanks. you can see more of kristen welker's exclusive interview with the transportation

secretary only on meet the press. also in new jersey tonight, an arrest outside an i.c.e. detention center during a protest by newark's mayor and members of congress upset over the trump administration's crackdown on undocumented migrants. gabe gutierrez has late details. >> reporter: tonight, a new showdown over immigration. the mayor of newark arrested outside this i.c.e. detention facility in new jersey for alleged trespassing. after a protest also attended by three democratic members of new jersey's congressional delegation. monica mciver, bonnie watson coleman, and robert menendez jr. >> we were assaulted by multiple [ inaudible ]. >>reporter: but the trump administration says there was no assault, and members of congress stormed

the facility and broke into it. a dhs spokesperson calling it a bizarre political stunt and illegal breaking and entering. >> members of congress also have to follow the law. >>for weeks, democrats have slammed president trump over deportations, saying he is ignoring due process rights for undocumented immigrants. some democratic members of congress also traveling to el salvador demanding the trump administration return kilmar to the u.s. after he was deported to a prison there. the administration says he is a gang member, which he denies. >> the second we try to deport them, the radical democrat party is racing to the defense of some of the most violent savages on the face of the earth. >> reporter: the white house is now considering suspending the right to challenge a person's detention by the government. >> the constitution is clear. the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus can be suspended at the time of invasion, so it is an option we are actively looking at. >> and gabe, today, the release of a tufts university student who has been detained since march. >> yes, and just

breaking, the turkish student just walked out of the detention facility in louisiana. the federal judge ruled her continued detention could potentially chill the speech of millions of noncitizens. the trump administration has said student visas are a privilege, not a right. lester? >> gabe gutierrez, thanks. a show of strength tonight in russia by president vladimir putin appearing at a massive military parade with china's leader in what appeared to also be a direct message to the u.s. keir simmons is there for us. >> president putin and president >> appearing side-by- side, sending an uncompromising message to the u.s. from moscow today at a russian parade marking victory over nazi germany in the second world war, just as china prepares for tariff talks with the trump administration, and russia refuses to agree to trumps 30 day cease-fire proposal in ukraine. president xi says he

and president putin are friends of steel. president trump says putin wants peace. this could be putin's answer. >> reporter: the parade included fighters from the front line, and for the first time, drones used to target ukraine. after vice president vance this week accused the kremlin of not going far enough towards a peace deal. >> we think they are asking for too much. >> reporter: after the parade, putin's close ally, the belarusian president, telling nbc news putin doesn't owe anyone anything. more than 20 world leaders are here. putin meeting with each one, including brazil's president. >> are you not concerned that standing in red square next to president putin strengthens the russian leader, doesn't push him to bring peace? >> translator: no, it won't, because brazil's position continued to be the same, it has not changed. brazil is critical, it has made a critique on ukraine's occupation and that we have to find peace. >> reporter: tonight, the kremlin says peace talks are moving forward,

while president trump is again threatening sanctions if a cease- fire is not reached. lester? >> keir simmons, thank you. we will be right back. in 60 seconds, what we have learned about bryan kohberger the days after the university of idaho murders. the britney spears song he listened to just hours before he was arrested. ♪

we have gripping new details tonight from dateline's investigation into the murders of the four college students in idaho, providing the most comprehensive look yet into the actions of accused killer bryan kohberger after the murders. here is keith morrison. >> reporter: 48 hours after the middle of the night stabbing deaths, bryan kohberger was on amazon, shopping for a knife and sheath, the same brand of sheath investigators had found in the bed of one of the victims left behind, they believe, by the

killer. that and the rest of what we are reporting comes from records in the possession of law enforcement and from multiple sources with direct knowledge of the case. that same week, the week after the killings, kohberger began viewing or saving on his phone photos, videos, and news updates about the murders. he did that at least 60 times. >> he was collecting everything, all of the reporting about the incident. >> that's very common, he has been watching all these things. >> reporter: a month after the murders on december 16th, kohberger collected videos that included this quote: something is wrong with me, i can't be who i need to be, something is wrong with me, will last for eternity? >> he doesn't fit into society. >> reporter: in late december, six weeks after the murders of records show kohberger , a

criminology student, was again on his phone playing a clip from a youtube program called ted bundy: the essence of a psychopath. within 24 hours of that, two selfies. kohberger dressed the same way bundy is pictured on that program. and finally, two days later on thursday, december 29th, bryan kohberger pulled up a song on his phone by britney spears. the title? criminal. ♪ >> tactical teams arrested kohberger less than two hours later. he has pleaded not guilty to all charges. keith morrison, nbc news, los angeles. >> and you can see it much more of keith's reporting tonight on dateline on 9/8:00 central. we are back in a moment with big news about the future of the menendez brothers. ♪

we are back with news, the menendez brothers will finally have their new day in court next week. now, their long- awaited resentencing hearing is on the books. it comes after attorneys for the brothers withdrew their motion to remove la's district attorney from the case. erik and lyle menendez are serving life in prison for the murders of their parents. former supreme court justice david souter has died. appointed by president george h.w. bush in 1990 as a conservative, souter then forged an unlikely path as a moderate, eventually becoming a reliablble beral vote. a court says he died peacefully at his new hampshire home, he was 85. >> whene come back, pop culture embraces the new american pope. the memes and teams all claiming leo as their own. ♪

finally tonight, the crowds here at the vatican have certainly embraced pope leo, but so has the internet, not to mention chicago sports fans. here is anne thompson. >> reporter: holy smokes. >> let's have a conclave. >> reporter: the conclave was a smash. >> a brand-new season of the pope games starts may 7th. >> reporter: and i'm not talking about the movie. >> we are in a conclave right now. >> reporter:

launching a new american star on social media and late-night tv. >> pope sa, pope sa! >> reporter: pope leo's chicago roots, irresistible. >> [ singing ] >> reporter: even to journalists. >> the chicago sun- times put on its front page, da pope. is that sacrilegious? >> oh no, no, i mean, in the same way that a bears fan is going to get excited about their team, why shouldn't we american catholics get excited about da pope? >> reporter: online, sports and faith are joining forces. >> first call i make to god, let's get the bears together. >> reporter: the new york knicks have three villanova stars. their fans say leo's villanova diploma makes him one of theirs. >> bronson, bridges, hart, pope leo, it is all a sign. reporter: as for leo's baseball loyalties? >> oh, you thought we were insufferable before. >> reporter: the pope is a white sox fan. >> anything that

grabs somebody's attention and stops them from scrolling is an opportunity for us to say there is something more here. >> reporter: because where there's smoke, there's fire. anne thompson, nbc news, rome. that is nightly news for this friday. thanks for watching, i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night. ♪