NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Friday, February 16, 2024

Episode Date: February 17, 2024

Donald Trump ordered to pay over $350 million in civil fraud trial; Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny dies in prison; Fani Willis' father takes the stand at Georgia hearing; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, a massive penalty for Donald Trump, the former president facing major consequences for lying about his wealth. The judge ordering Mr. Trump to pay over $350 million plus millions more in interest in his civil fraud trial, barring him and his oldest sons from running his famed real estate company for years. The judge's harsh words for the former president, and now he's firing back. Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin's fiercest critic, dead in a Russian prison. Novani, seen on court video just yesterday, smiling and joking. How did he suddenly die in Siberia? Tonight,

President Biden putting the blame squarely on President Putin. Charges filed against two juveniles in connection to that deadly Kansas City shooting as one of the youngest survivors speaks out about his own terrifying ordeal. Plus, Chief Superstar Patrick Mahomes visiting fans still in the hospital. The West in the bullseye for another double punch of dangerous storms can already saturated areas handle more flooding. The groundbreaking new treatment for the deadliest form of skin cancer, just FDA approved. How doctors are using a patient's own cells as treatment and could it work against other

cancers? And the stunning new AI technology blurring the lines over what's really real. Can you tell the difference? This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome. It was a case that cut straight to the heart of Donald Trump's brand as a high-flying, successful real estate mogul. But tonight, the business empire he built and rode to fame is teetering on a judge's decision, ordering him and the Trump organization to pay more than $350 million in civil penalties, plus millions more in interest for lying about his wealth for financial gain. The suit was brought by New York Attorney General

Letitia James. It names Mr. Trump, his close associates and the company itself. The judge had previously found the former president liable for falsely inflating his net worth by billions of dollars in order to land favorable bank loan terms. Trump has denied the accusation. The judge also banning Mr. Trump from running a business in New York state for a period of three years. His sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, banned for two years. The Trump organization calling today's ruling a gross miscarriage of justice. Laura Jarrett has details. Tonight, a crushing blow to the Trump family's real estate empire. A judge in New York handing down a more than $350 million civil penalty against Donald Trump, plus interest for lying about his wealth for financial gain, barring him from obtaining loans in the state for three years, banning Mr.

Trump's adult sons from running any company for two years, ordering they pay more than $4 million each. Today, justice has been served. Today, we prove that no one is above the law. The former president tonight assailing the decision and slamming the suit brought by New York's Democratic attorney general. These are radical left Democrats. They're lunatics. And it's election interfering. If I weren't running, none of this stuff would have ever happened. With no jury at trial, today's ruling left solely in the hands of Judge Arthur N. Gorin, who decided the heart of the state's fraud case months ago, finding the Trump family wrongly exaggerated the value of some of its most iconic properties on financial statements to receive better deals on bank loans.

This trial was to sort out the penalty. Mr. Trump and his adult children all took the witness stand in the hopes of fending off a decision with massive consequences for their real estate portfolio and family legacy. I became president because of the grant. Mr. Trump's defense team arguing there was no victim. The banks were repaid and testified they did not rely on Mr. Trump's valuations. The former president's attorneys had implored the judge not to impose a fine akin to the corporate death penalty. But today, the judge writing, quote, Donald Trump is not Bernie Madoff. Yet defendants are incapable of admitting the error

of their ways. Instead, they adopt a see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil posture that the evidence belies. And Laura, Mr. Trump making it clear he will appeal. That's right, Lester. But if that appeal should fail, Mr. Trump is facing not only a massive penalty, but the number itself could balloon with all the interest. A real question for the company. Will it be forced to sell off some of Mr. Trump's most prized assets to pay for this judgment, Lester? All right, Laura, thank you. Now overseas to the shocking news that Alexei Navalny, a longtime crusader against Russian President Putin, has died in prison suddenly. Richard Engel has more on the mystery surrounding his death and who President Biden is blaming. 47-year-old Alexei Navalny was looking healthy, joking with a judge via video link from his Arctic prison just yesterday.

Navalny's mother saw him Monday and said he was in good spirits. Yet somehow, Alexei Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin's fiercest and most energetic critic, dropped dead suddenly at a penal colony in Siberia. Prison officials say Navalny went for a walk but felt unwell and quickly lost consciousness. They said medics could not revive him. President Biden blamed President Putin. Make no mistake, Putin is responsible for Navalny's death. Moscow supporters laid flowers to honor Navalny, despite a warning from the state prosecutor that protests would not be allowed. When a woman tried to unfurl a sign,

she was taken away by authorities. Navalny started out as an anti-corruption blogger, exposing on his YouTube show the lavish lifestyles enjoyed by Putin and his inner circle. Navalny was a central figure in massive protests against Putin in 2012. He was jailed and harassed and attacked with a green dye that damaged his right eye. In 2020, while on a flight in Moscow, Navalny suddenly fell ill. He was poisoned by a nerve agent and flown to

Germany to recover. He blamed Putin for the assassination attempt. The Kremlin denied responsibility. And then came the most consequential decision of his life. Navalny returned to Russia after recovering from his poisoning. He deliberately put his life on the line and his principles first until his death today, which is not confirmed by his family, but who don't seem to doubt it. Navalny's wife, Yulia, in Munich, called for President Putin to be punished. We should come together and fight against this evil, she said. In 2021, President Biden warned Putin of devastating consequences if anything happened to Navalny in Russian custody. NBC's Peter Alexander pressed him on that today.

What consequences should he and Russia face? That was three years ago. In the meantime, they faced a hell of a lot of consequences. And we're contemplating what else could be done. Richard, what is the Kremlin saying about all this tonight? Well, the Kremlin is calling Western accusations unacceptable and says it doesn't yet know how Navalny died. But critics point out that many of Putin's opponents have died just like this, mysteriously, either falling out of windows or poisoned or, in this case, dropping dead in jail.

All right, Richard Engel, thank you. More courtroom drama today in Georgia to determine whether D.A. Fannie Willis could be removed from the Trump election interference trial. After fiery testimony from Willis yesterday, her father took the stand in her defense today. Blaine Alexander was there. In the Georgia election interference case against former President Trump, this Fulton County hearing could determine the future of that case. For a second straight day, Judge Scott McAfee heard evidence on allegations that D.A. Fonny Willis financially benefited from a personal

relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, who she hired on the case. Now, Trump and several co-defendants are trying to have her removed. It is a lie. It is a lie. After more than two hours of surprise, fiery testimony yesterday, today, the state declined to call Willis for cross-examination. I have one daughter, Fannie Willis. On the stand, Willis's father, John Floyd, pressed on what he knew about her relationship with Wade. At issue, when that relationship began, before or after she hired him. Wade and Willis said it was after. Did you ever meet Mr. Wade in the year 2019? Absolutely not. How about in the year 2020? Absolutely not. Also a focus, the issue of cash, which became central yesterday when Willis said that's how she would reimburse Wade for their

vacations. It's a black thing, okay? You know, I was trained and most black folks, they hide cash. And I've told my daughter, you keep six months worth of cash always. Now the question for Judge McAfee, will Willis be allowed to remain on the election interference case? What's at stake here? Well, what's at stake is that I'm pretty sure that if the DA is disqualified, I think the case is pretty much dead in the water because the chances that any new DA is going to be appointed to the case before the election is almost nil. And Blaine, with testimony wrapped now, when would we be likely see a decision on whether Willis will be taken off the case? Well, Lester, the evidence has all been presented now, but the

judge now has to hear summaries from both sides. That's set to happen either late next week, if not the week after. So it could be sometime in March before we know the judge's decision. Lester. All right. Blaine Alexander for us. Thank you. President Biden is weighing in tonight on the indictment of a longtime FBI informant at the heart of the House Republicans impeachment inquiry. Peter Alexander here. He joins us. Peter, you asked the president about that today. Lester, that's right. President Biden is now joining top Democrats in demanding House Republicans abandon their impeachment inquiry after the indictment of that longtime informant. Here is our exchange on that earlier today. Should the inquiry be dropped? He is lying and it should be dropped.

And it's just been an outrageous effort from the beginning. Alexander Smirnov was arrested Wednesday, charged with lying about financial ties between the president, his son Hunter, and the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, allegations that have been central to the Republicans impeachment push. Burisma, as you know, had hired Hunter onto its board, but the Justice Department says Smirnov falsely claimed that the company paid the Biden's five million dollars each in bribes. Tonight, the top House Republican says the impeachment inquiry does

not rely on that informant's accusations, but on a, quote, large record of evidence, and that they're going to continue to follow the facts, Lester. All right, Peter, thank you. Overnight, the Northeast, including Philadelphia and New York, are preparing for snow, but in the West, potentially dangerous flooding tonight and into tomorrow, from Oregon down to central California. And a second storm not far behind will start pouring heavy rain on the California coast Sunday afternoon, raising the risk of floods and mudslides next week. The first charges have been

filed in the deadly mass shooting in Kansas City at the Chiefs Super Bowl victory celebration. And Maggie Vespa reports we are learning more about the children injured in the shooting. 48 hours after the mass shooting at Kansas City's Super Bowl celebration, two unnamed teenagers now facing gun-related and resisting arrest charges. Juvenile court officials saying additional charges are expected. Wednesday's mass shooting that police say started with a fight left one woman dead and 22 injured, most of them children, including 10-year-old Samuel Arellano. I was happy and then when it ended, that's when everything happened. We're going for that three-piece. The Kansas City area fifth grader went to the parade to see his favorite

player Patrick Mahomes. Minutes after the rally, gunshots rang out. Samuel ran behind a trash can, an instinct honed in active shooter training at school. At one point, raising his arm, that's when he felt a sharp pain. What did it feel like? Like something burnt, like a knife burnt with a lighter. Stabbed, like stabbed, like someone stabbed me. And did you know right away I've been shot? Yeah. Samuel ran, trampled in the crowd, leaving a shoe print on his jersey, inches from where the bullet grazed his ribs. We hear five juveniles down.

I go. Yep. I go. I go to it. And that's what we're trained to do. Doctors Erica Carney and Jennifer Watts were on site treating wounded kids. How are you responding? Not well.

You know, it's been a couple of nights since I've slept. A community's pain shared by their championship team. Tonight, Patrick Mahomes and his wife visiting kids in the hospital. And for Samuel, who wants to play for the Chiefs someday, a message for his role models. Anything you would say to them? Be kind to them. Stay safe. Maggie Vespa, NBC News, Kansas City. We're back in 60 seconds. The groundbreaking new treatment to fight a deadly form of cancer. How it uses patients' own cells to battle back.

Today, the FDA approved a groundbreaking new treatment for advanced melanoma, a type of skin cancer. Ann Thompson reports it may one day be used to fight other cancers as well. How'd you work out? It was good. Dan Bennett gave his daughter Faith life. She saved his 13 years ago. I had a brown freckle on my neck, and she told me I should go get that checked out. That freckle was melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer, starting three years of surgery and radiation as it spread through Dan's body. Nobody can tell if something's going to move from your right armpit to your left armpit to any other lymph node. It also went to his brain. I was stage four

melanoma and at that point in time I didn't even know what that meant. What did you think you would miss? Everything. Graduation, being a grandparent. He would live because of a treatment called TIL, tumor infiltrating lymphocyte therapy, approved today by the FDA. It was developed in labs like this at Tampa's Moffitt Cancer Center. Here's where we take the tumors. Using a patient's own immune cells taken from inside the tumor, multiplied and stored in these vats. The immune cells are in there, says Moffitt CEO Dr. Patrick Hu. We would take out a tumor and then send it immediately to the lab, where the lab would grow out the immune cells from the tumor, expand them to billions, and then give them back to the patient ultimately. In clinical trials, 30 to 40 percent of patients

saw their cancer shrink or disappear. Now called MTAGV, it will be produced by drug maker Iovance with a $515,000 list price for the one-time treatment. The goal of till therapy is to get rid of the cancer and have it stay away. Since getting till in a clinical trial 10 years ago, Dan has had no new tumors and the lesion on his brain is in check. Now he's planning to dance at Faith's wedding. I get to watch her grow up. Such exciting potential here. So back to that question, could this be applied to fight other cancers? Well, scientists are working on that question right now because they are hoping that they can use this treatment in other cancers. It could be years away, but they think, Lester, that this treatment could be used perhaps for a solid tumor,

lung, colon, bladder, and any other types of cancer. I know you'll be following it for us. Thank you. Still ahead, our special report inside Gaza on the thousands of starving people, why aid trucks are struggling to reach them. Up next. Tonight, the war between Israel and Hamas has thousands of civilians in Gaza facing starvation. Molly Hunter reports aid trucks loaded with desperately needed food are not getting through. Tonight, desperation growing. A crowd of displaced Palestinians in Rafah descending on an aid truck. These are familiar scenes now as hunger grips the entire population. Thousands lined up every day to bring food back to their families. Magdi Hussain stands patiently above the crowd.

For God's sakes, Magdi says, every time we come, we leave with nothing. Please, he says, I have 25 people at home. But on this day, the food at this distribution point runs out. The World Food Program warns one in four Gazans are facing emergency levels of food insecurity and an additional half a million are at risk of famine by May. People are so scared that they don't know where the next meal is coming from. Children scrape at the bottom of the empty pan, straight into their hungry mouths. And one little kid saving each tiny fingerful to share with his family.

Magdy walks two and a half miles home. There's nothing today, he tells his his family. Magdy walks two and a half miles home. There's nothing today, he tells his waiting family. Elsewhere, people are resorting to eating animal feed. We're forced to do this, he says. There's no alternative. Tonight, the Red Crescent says 158 trucks are lined up waiting to get into Gaza. Only 75 entered today, not even close to what's needed. Aid agencies say it's a combination of a lengthy Israeli inspection process, a lawless, chaotic situation inside, and continued Israeli attacks that prevent the aid from getting to the people who need it most.

Molly Hunter, NBC News, Jerusalem. Up next tonight, is it real or really fake? The new AI technology leaving people doubting their own eyes. Finally tonight, Stephanie Gosk reports on a new AI video tool that you have to see, but shouldn't necessarily believe. The podcast, No One they needed. Just a couple of dogs sharing stories on a mountaintop. This looks like a sleek commercial for an SUV. Or here's a sweeping opening shot to an old-school Hollywood western. All three are text-generated AI videos. New technology announced by the Microsoft-funded company OpenAI, and just the

latest way AI could rattle the world. It's called Sora. The company says the videos it's released are generated with a text prompt, like woolly mammoths, snow-capped mountains, wispy clouds, and there it is. It is not available to the public yet, but the company wants feedback to help test capabilities, according to a statement. OpenAI says safety is also a concern, testing Sora with experts and building tools to help identify misleading content. This ship has it. We are never going to be able to know what's true, what's not. That is true. And we have to learn to deal with it. For a lot of people people that's kind of terrifying but it's what's happening and like other forms of ai the more advanced the technology gets the more likely it could eliminate jobs hollywood is probably paying attention for now it's definitely

not perfect but some of the videos are incredibly realistic both of these clips show Big Sur. One was shot on a camera, the other created by Sora. Can you tell which is AI? It's this one. OpenAI says it cannot predict all of the beneficial or harmful ways Sora could be used, which means that just like the AI that's already out there, Sora is both incredibly exciting and deeply unsettling. Stephanie Gosk, NBC News. Amazing potential. That's nightly news for this Friday. Thank you for watching, everyone. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.