NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Sunday, May 12, 2024

Episode Date: May 13, 2024

Michael Cohen set to testify as key witness in Trump hush money trial; Tornado rips through Western Pennsylvania, leaving trail of destruction in its wake; Manhunt in Ohio for man who allegedly ‘ambushed,’ shot and killed a police officer Saturday; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the star witness in the Donald Trump hush money trial set to take the stand tomorrow. What will Michael Cohen reveal? The former president's one-time ally turned adversary, Cohen, expected to testify with his former boss just feet away. The whole case could hang on what he says. New reporting on how he's been preparing. A tornado tearing through western Pennsylvania. Look at that. Ripping the steeple off this church with worshipers inside. We've got the new video as the twister hit and the lights went out. An all-out manhunt for whoever killed an officer. The suspect broadcasting live on Instagram, now considered armed and dangerous.

Police surrounding an apartment complex late today. Protests erupting just as Jerry Seinfeld started giving the commencement address at Duke. Some students walking out. We'll explain. One on one with the commissioner of the WNBA. What people said to her before women's basketball took off. Was that offensive to you? Well, it was not shocking to me. And the Beatlemania mystery 60 years in the making. Paul McCartney and the search for Adrian from Brooklyn. Paul McCartney, if you are listening, Adrian from Brooklyn loves you. This is NBC Nightly News with Hallie Jackson. We're coming on the air tonight ahead of what may be the biggest moment in one of the biggest trials in American history. The former president's former fixer set to take the stand to testify against Donald Trump.

To the prosecution, Michael Cohen's a linchpin, the star witness, the one who can connect the dots back to Mr. Trump himself. To the defense, Cohen's an unreliable narrator with no credibility, motivated by revenge once described as a rat by his former boss. The reality? Cohen was one of Mr. Trump's closest confidants, an advisor now turned antagonist. And tomorrow, under oath, Cohen will share what he knows about the cover-up scheme Mr. Trump's accused of in the unprecedented case against a former and potentially future president. Dasha Burns starts us off.

Just hours from now, former President Trump set to face off in the courtroom with his fixer turned foe, Michael Cohen. Cohen paid adult film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 as part of an alleged catch and kill plot to prevent her story of sex with Mr. Trump from getting out before the 2016 election. And he's the key witness who could potentially tie the alleged scheme to the former president and link him to the crime of falsifying business records when he repaid Cohen that money. Mr. Trump denies the relationship and pled not guilty. His team now looking to undermine Cohen's credibility using his own criminal past and history of lying under oath. NBC News has learned that prosecutors have been working with Cohen

and preparing for his testimony for an entire year, and his time on the stand is expected to last several days. Cohen unleashing on his old boss in his book and on social media, spotted online this week wearing a T-shirt depicting Mr. Trump behind bars. This case is a sham. The former president railed against the trial at a Jersey Shore rally last night. Al Capone was so mean that if you went to dinner with him and he didn't like you, you'd be dead the next morning. And I got indicted more than him

on bull. His attacks getting personal. The gloves are off. off mocking the weight of the district attorney who brought the case and escalating his attacks on president biden he's a moron i would have never talked with that kind of disrespect for president this weekend biden and trump both on the trail with president biden slamming mr trump in-door fundraiser, saying he's obsessed with losing in 2020 and calling him clearly unhinged. Dasha's at the courthouse where it'll all go down tomorrow. And, Dasha, we may be getting close to the defense making its argument.

Yeah, Hallie, the prosecution says they could rest their case as soon as the end of this week. Then the big question is, will the defense call former President Trump himself to the stand? Hallie? We'll see. Dasha Burns, thank you very much.

It's a stunning new video tonight of a tornado ripping through western Pennsylvania and the terrifying moment it slammed into a church with worshipers inside. George Solis has the latest. Watch as this tornado rips through western Pennsylvania, shredding rooftops. The National Weather Service preliminarily says the twister was an EF2, with wind speeds of up to 118 miles per hour, leaving some residents forced to seek shelter, including about 100 members of this local church, some infants. I go out and I see debris flying all over the auditorium, so I immediately

tell everybody down in the basement. The tornado striking in the middle of church services. Watch as the lights go out as the pastor's wife was in the midst of a song. I thought I heard the windows start to shatter and then the sound was like a train coming through. That's the church steeple that flew off the building and damaged several cars. The pastor says, amazingly, no one was seriously hurt. The severe weather continuing a trend of tornadoes over the weekend, with four preliminary ones reported yesterday across the Ohio Valley and three potential ones in southwest PA. The National Weather Service reports there have been a staggering 746 preliminary tornadoes year to date.

Some that have recently decimated through the heartland. But back in Pennsylvania, cleanup is still underway tonight. I heard the winds, like real strong winds at my house a half a mile away. Many also thankful they survived. There's no way we should be here. I'm telling you that God was with us. George Solis, NBC News. It's a breaking news in Ohio and the urgent manhunt for an armed and dangerous suspect after a police officer was shot and killed near Cleveland last night.

Jesse Kirsch is there. Tonight, shots ringing out in the Cleveland suburbs. Heavily armed law enforcement teams swarming the Shaker Heights, Ohio, neighborhood. A truck marked explosives. An emergency phone alert warning people to shelter in place. So far, authorities have not publicly shared why they converged on this area. But the scene comes as police urgently search for this man, considered armed and extremely dangerous after allegedly shooting and killing a police officer last night. One officer down, two gunshot wounds. We have the front secured. Authorities say late Saturday,

police were investigating a disturbance in Euclid, Ohio, when an officer was, quote, ambushed, shot and taken to the hospital. Ohio's attorney general says Euclid police officer Jacob Durbin, on the job less than a year, did not survive. Apparently, CPD is receiving info that this male's on Instagram Live saying he's going to kill himself. After the shooting, this video shared on an Instagram account belonging to the suspect, 24-year-old Deshaun Anthony Vaughn. In it, he says that he could not go back to jail. Posts made repeatedly.

One sharing the police alert about Vaughn with laughing emojis. Another post promising he'd be okay. Meanwhile, Vaughn had sparked an overnight, hours-long manhunt. Jesse's joining us now from near that standoff with police. And Jesse, it's still happening now? Yeah, it appears so, Hallie. We're trying to get some latest information from authorities. You can see that this area is still blocked off by police, but it appears that some traffic is resuming in this neighborhood. We're about 15 miles from where

authorities say that deadly shooting occurred last night. But at this point, authorities have not made clear if that scene and this one are at all connected. Hallie. Jesse Kirsch live for us there in Ohio. Thank you. A sharpsch, live for us there in Ohio. Thank you. A sharp message to Israel tonight from the Secretary of State, concerned the Israelis have no credible plan to keep civilians in Gaza safe ahead of a possible invasion of Rafah, an invasion the U.S. has warned against. But now, new signs it may be imminent. Hala Gharani has the latest from Cairo.

Hala Gharani has the latest from Cairo. Hala? Hali, renewed Israeli strikes in Gaza are causing alarm among the hundreds of thousands of civilians fleeing Rafah, many saying there is nowhere left for them to go. On Meet the Press this morning, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the Israeli military had not provided, quote, credible assurances on civilian protection ahead of that planned assault on Rafah. And meanwhile, the Israeli military is operating on multiple fronts inside of Gaza, including in the north and Khan Yunis. The IDF had withdrawn from some of those areas, but is now having to confront regrouped Hamas fighters in various parts of the besieged enclave.

Hallie. Hallie Garani, thank you. Another anti-war protest at a college graduation today, but this one directed at a billionaire Jewish celebrity. Jerry Seinfeld was just about to give his commencement address at Duke when it happened. Elwynn Lopez explains. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld today taking the stage at Duke University, where he was scheduled to deliver the commencement address and receive an honorary

degree. Soon after he was introduced, students walked out, some waving Palestinian flags, losing chants erupted. It comes after weeks of protests at colleges nationwide against the Israel-Hamas war. Seinfeld later delivering his speech. Again, a lot of you are thinking, I can't believe they invited this guy. Too late. I say, use your privilege. I grew up a Jewish boy from New York. That is a privilege if you want to be a comedian. The sitcom creator taking to Instagram after the Hamas attack on Israel October 7th, stating in part, I will always stand with Israel and the Jewish people, later visiting Tel Aviv. The university saying in part, we respect the right of everyone at Duke to express their views peacefully. It's the latest in a series of

weekend interruptions at graduations across the country. At UC Berkeley, the student body president's speech was interrupted by chants. This wouldn't be Berkeley without a protest, so I get it. In Wisconsin, a handful of students turned their backs on the chancellor, some wearing graduation caps

with messages like Free Palestine. And at the University of Texas, dozens protested on campus Some wearing graduation caps with messages like free Palestine. And at the University of Texas, dozens protested on campus after the ceremony concluded. The tension on campus is nationwide, coming to a boiling point, just as universities and colleges break for the summer. Elwynn Lopez, NBC News. A major development in that deadly Baltimore Bridge disaster, with part of the bridge set to be blown up tomorrow.

Remember, that bridge collapsed back in March after a cargo ship slammed into it, killing six men, blocking the port, and trapping the ship underneath. Take a look at this animation. It shows how officials will try to use explosives to destroy key sections of the wreckage. You see it there. The goal? To get the port back open and to get the ship safely back to shore. Still ahead tonight, a new front in the fast food wars.

How McDonald's is trying to win customers back by giving their budgets a break. And we'll go one-on-one with the WNBA commissioner as the league's most anticipated season ever begins. So, can it live up to the hype? All eyes on the WNBA. Kaitlyn Clark set to shake up the game and the league's commissioner sharing more about what's really behind that pay gap between the men and the women. If you haven't been able to see those amazing northern lights that everybody's been talking about, the show's not over yet. Look at this.

This weekend's solar storm has created some of the most spectacular aurora borealis of our time across America, even down south. And tonight, for millions, an encore. Take a look. If you live above that green line right there, you have the best chance to see the northern lights, although cloud cover could make it a little trickier in some parts of the Midwest. Good luck to women's basketball now definitely having a moment. And while a lot of folks may be hoping superstar Caitlin Clark can take the WNBA to the next level, it's not all on her. We sat down with the league's commissioner who's been planning for this moment for years, hoping for just this kind of momentum. And she says this season, which tips off this week,

is just the beginning. Kaitlyn Clark's historic college run, the most watched women's college hoops game ever. A record number of WNBA draft viewers for women's basketball. Did you ever think that this sport would be where it is today? Never. A winning streak the WNBA commissioners committed to keeping alive. So much of this seems to be about momentum. Yeah, the momentum around followership, around these generational players coming into our league. So it is taking that momentum, capitalizing on marketing around it. This year, a far cry from when Kathy Engelbert took over in 2019. There's no doubt when I came into the league,

a lot of people did view it. Someone asked me whether we were a charity. And I said, like a 501c3. Was that offensive to you? No, well, it was not shocking to me. No one thinks the W is a charity now. Their commissioner likes to say in sports, you need big games, big names and big rivalries. And this season, they'll have Kaitlyn Clark and Angel Reese, who battled in the college playoffs, set to face off again now as professionals. I'm a big studier of history, and I look back to the Bird Magic moment in the NBA in 1979, and it really put the NBA on the map. Another NBA comparison one Engelbert argues is unfair? The salaries. Like when last month, a firestorm erupted over Clark, the top draft pick,

only making $76,000 a year in base pay, not counting what's likely to be millions more in endorsement deals. The minimum pay for any NBA player, a million bucks. You've called that a false narrative. Why? I appreciate the conversation around it. But as I joined the league when we weren't even in our 25th season and the men's leagues in their 75th and 105th and 110th season, I know for any startup business, any business in its infancy, maybe now we're an adolescent or a teenager. You need to build a revenue model that funds all the things like higher pay, better travel. And that's why I was hired to come in and do. We're growing the league so that in our next media rights negotiation, all of our corporate partners stepping up and paying us more. Her pitch to partners now backed up with record ticket sales and with more revenue, she hopes, more investment in salaries and in travel, with teams this year flying on charter jets instead

of mostly commercial planes like they used to. And the league set to get even bigger. Engelbert's hoping to expand from 12 teams to 16 in the next four years. At this scrimmage between the Washington Mystics and Minnesota Lynx, players are feeling the energy. I think the moment that we're having with this league right now is special. I think it's about time. It's nice for a woman in sports, but let's get the ball rolling. I'm happy that they're a little late to the party, but I'm really happy that everybody's coming along and enjoying the ride. These days, it's all about the long game.

This is a decades-long process that you see. Well, and I definitely think we have this moment and this momentum to turn it into setting this league up for decades. When we come back, a mystery finally solved after more than half a century. How one family's Mother's Day feels a little brighter because Paul McCartney just couldn't let it be. And Paul McCartney, if you are listening, Adrian from Brooklyn loves you with all her heart. There's good news tonight on this Mother's Day about a long-lost film clip and how Paul McCartney helped one family reconnect with memories of their mom who could never hide her love away.

The Beatles touching down in New York City 60 years ago as the most popular band on the planet. A dream come true for one teenage fan, skipping school to send this message to her fab four faves. And Paul McCartney, if you are listening, Adrian from Brooklyn loves you with all her heart. Even when I'm 105 and an old grandmother, I love him. A film clip long forgotten, long before there was such a thing as a viral video.

But then, a couple weeks ago, this happened. Hey, Adrian. It's Paul. Listen, I saw your video. I'm in Brooklyn now. I'm in New York. I finally got here. We've got an exhibition, photo exhibition. Come along and see it. Paul McCartney giving that Adrian a social media shout out, inviting her to his new Beatlemania exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum. But who was Adrian from

Brooklyn? Turns out her family saw that Paul shout out. Hey, Sir Paul, I hear you're looking for our mother. Adrian from Brooklyn was Adrian D'Onofrio. And while she passed away in 1992, this new chapter in her Beatles fandom is a special new memory for her four kids. I'm going to be emotional. The favorite thing about my mom was that she was my friend. She was the best mother. When we saw Paul McCartney call out, hey, Adrienne from Brooklyn, we were like, OK, this is a sign from my mom. That's how she played her music.

A mom described by her daughters, Nicole and Ursula, as larger than life. What do you guys think of these hairstyles? Now, on Mother's Day, the family thrilled to share her story with the world. She'd be jumping up and down. She'd be like, oh my God, it's me, Adrian. She always had music in the background, especially the Beatles, dancing around the house. She was fun. She was caring. She was amazing as a mom. And Paul McCartney, if you are listening, Adrienne from Brooklyn loves you with all her heart.

Millions have now seen it, bringing back joyful memories of the mom who opened her heart and home to everyone, and where music always took center stage. All you need is love and you'll get through everything. All you need is love. Yeah, that's the way she was. With so much love to moms out there tonight. I'm Hallie Jackson. For all of us at NBC, we'll see you right back here next week.