NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Episode Date: April 17, 2024

The first jurors have been selected to serve in Trump's hush money trial; more than 20 tornadoes reported in the Midwest; the House has delivered articles of impeachment against Mayorkas to the Senate; and more on tonight's broadcast.

Tonight, the first group of jurors selected in Donald Trump's hush money trial as the judge scolds the former president. The first seven jurors now seated. What we know about them, including a teacher, a nurse, and a software engineer. And the dramatic moment, what Mr. Trump did in the courtroom and why it led the judge to warn him not to intimidate the potential jurors. Our team at the courthouse. Also, tonight, dangerous weather on the move.

The tornado outbreak in several states across the central U.S. Al Roker is here. The articles of impeachment against DHS Secretary Alejandra Mayorkas delivered. The stage now set for a trial in the Senate. House Speaker Mike Johnson under fire. His defiant message as the push from fellow Republicans to oust him gains momentum. The Middle East on edge, new images of a missile used in Iran's attack on Israel, and our new reporting on how and where Israel could hit back. Our NBC News exclusive, the Boeing whistleblower speaking out on the eve of his testimony before Congress. I think it's as serious as I have ever seen in my lifetime.

The potentially fatal flaw, he says, could cause the 787 Dreamliner to break apart in midair, Boeing's reassurance it's safe to fly on. And heart and soul, the kind cobbler has become an unlikely TikTok sensation. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome. Anyone who has ever served knows jury duty can be tedious,

sometimes interesting or emotional and often forgettable. But for seven people selected today to sit in judgment at the criminal trial of a former president of the United States, the experience will likely be hard to forget on so many levels. Today, in the second day of jury selection in Donald Trump's New York hush money trial, the seven anonymous individuals, the first of an eventual 18 jurors to be impaneled for the case, have been sworn in. They are a salesman, an oncology nurse, two attorneys, an IT consultant, a teacher, and a software engineer selected in a process that has confronted some prospective jurors with their past actions and remarks over hints of potential partiality.

Laura Jarrett is covering the trial for us. Tonight, seven jurors have now been chosen to sit in judgment of former President Trump, who left for the courthouse this morning, then closely watching what one juror who was dismissed described as a surreal selection process. It's like, oh, this is just another guy. And also he sees me talking about him, which is bizarre. Of those selected so far, a salesperson, an oncology nurse, two attorneys, an I.T. consultant, a teacher and a software engineer. The slow moving vetting process springing into an animated focus group like atmosphere with today's pool of nearly two dozen Manhattan residents offering their unvarnished views of the presumptive GOP nominee to his face under questioning by the prosecution and defense. One man calling Mr. Trump, quote, fascinating and mysterious.

One revealing he was a big fan of The Apprentice in middle school. A woman saying, quote, President Trump speaks his mind. And I'd rather that than someone who's in office who you don't know what they're thinking. And a fourth prospective juror telling attorneys, I'm a Democrat, so there you go. But I walk in there and he's a defendant and that's all he is. The defense team raising successful objections to a handful by pointing out past social media posts, including one who said, lock him up. While the judge fumed at Mr. Trump for appearing to mutter something, warning, I will not have any jurors intimidated in this courtroom. Jury selection is ongoing until 12

people and six alternates are selected. The former president is accused of falsifying business records, a low-level felony, by mischaracterizing a hush money payment he allegedly directed Michael Cohen make to Stormy Daniels as legal expenses on his company's books. Mr. Trump pleaded not guilty. It's called legal expense. That's what you're supposed to call it. Nobody's ever seen it. Nobody has ever seen anything like it. Meanwhile, in Washington, the Supreme Court's conservative majority appearing skeptical of a federal obstruction law that could affect some charges Mr. Trump faces in a different criminal case. The case in front of the justices about a former police officer who wants charges stemming

from his participation in January 6 dropped. The same law Mr. Trump has been charged with in his election interference case. But some of the justices today pressing the government to explain whether the law could unfairly sweep up those engaged in legitimate protests. What happened on January 6th was very, very serious. But we need to find out what are the outer reaches of this statute under your interpretation. And Laura, if we could turn back to today's trial, the former president, a lot of focus today was on the prospective jurors' social media posts about Mr. Trump. Yes, Lester. And clearly the defense team had done a deep dive on these prospective jurors. Several of them were brought in for additional questions pressed on what they had said as long

as six years ago. But most of them had said that today they can be fair, Lester. And in many cases, the judge agreed. The questioning will continue on Thursday. Lester. All right, Laura Jarrett, thanks. Tonight, tens of millions are under threat of severe weather, and it's already hit parts of the Midwest hard with more than 20 tornadoes reported. Priya Shrether has late details. The severe storms ripped across the plains with at least 22 reported tornadoes across four states, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, and Missouri. Residents capturing these terrifying images as menacing funnel clouds approached. The suspected tornadoes leaving a trail of damage in their wake. Scary moments for drivers in Iowa who filmed the moment a possible twister crossed a highway.

That's a big old tornado. Near Smithville, Missouri, several roofs were torn off buildings and this camper flipped over. Debris now scattered throughout the town. At least two people have been injured in the storms. The area was also hit by strong thunderstorms with golf ball-sized hail and wind gusts of up to 60 miles an hour. Tonight, the region bracing for

more severe weather with millions still under tornado watches. Priya Shrether, NBC News. The severe weather threat continues right into tomorrow. Al Roker is tracking it all. Al, what are you looking at? Lester, right now we've got severe weather going on. Tornado watches and thunderstorm watches from Illinois all the way into Iowa. Tonight, we're looking at 22 million people at risk for damaging winds, hail, and the possibility of strong EF2 or stronger tornadoes. Des Moines, Davenport, on into parts of Missouri.

Tomorrow, that moves further to the east when we're looking at anywhere to about 17 million people, Detroit, Indianapolis, Columbus, and Akron. That moves further east on Thursday. In the meantime, about one to two inches of rain, especially around the Great Lakes. Lester? Mr. Roker, thank you. In Washington, the Senate now has those articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the border crisis, as House Speaker Mike Johnson faces a new threat to his job from fellow Republicans.

Here's Ryan Nobles. Tonight, a trial in the Senate set to begin with House Republicans formally sending over articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The Senate has a clear obligation under the Constitution and 200 years of precedent. We need to hold a trial. Republicans accusing him of willfully refusing to comply with immigration laws, with a record 9.3 million migrant border crossings since President Biden took office. Mayorkas and Democrats call the charges baseless. Senate Democrats poised to quickly dismiss them. All of it as drama also builds back in the House, with Speaker Mike Johnson preparing to defy his most conservative

House colleagues and call votes on a series of aid packages for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. This despite running the risk, conservatives may attempt to boot him from the speakership through what's called a motion to vacate. Johnson defiant. It is, in my view, an absurd notion that someone would bring a vacate motion when we are simply here trying to do our jobs. It's the same threat that allowed a small number of Republicans joining with all Democrats to take out former Speaker Kevin McCarthy last year. It's going to happen. Though only a small group of Republicans seem open to another round of speaker drama.

And some Democrats have suggested that this time they are willing to help save a Republican speaker. I have the ability to table that, which would be to pour water instead of gasoline on this place. Yeah, then of course that's what I'm going to do. Meanwhile, tonight, Johnson's path to pass that foreign aid package is far from perfect. He wants to call separate votes. The bills would have to go back to the Democratic Senate, where there is no guarantee they would pass. National security leaders in the House are imploring their colleagues to pass Ukraine aid this week, saying a classified briefing today revealed the need there is critical.

Lester. Ryan Nobles, thank you. In the Middle East today, Israel's military saying Iran will pay for its massive barrage against Israel. And we have new reporting on what that response might be. Richard Engel is in Israel. Israel's military tonight is vowing that Iran will pay for its attack. Iran will not get scot-free. Four U.S. officials tell NBC News they expect Israel's response to be limited

and likely involve strikes against the Iranian military and Iranian-backed proxies outside Iran. But caution, Israel's plans may change. The unprecedented Iranian attack included more than 100 ballistic missiles. Today, we visited a military base where weapons recently used against Israel are collected and analyzed. What Iran fired was in a different league. This is the tail end of one of the ballistic missiles that Iran fired at Israel over the weekend, where the engine was. It broke off when this missile was intercepted. And it's only when you're standing right up next to these do you understand how big they are. That's where the warhead was. It also broke off

carrying 800 pounds of explosives. Had these gotten through, it would have been catastrophic. Gazans are living in an ongoing catastrophe. Today, our camera crew filmed the casualties from an Israeli airstrike on a market. Medical officials say at least 11 people were killed and more than 20 injured. Israel accuses Hamas of hiding among civilians. A senior Arab diplomat with direct knowledge of the negotiations to free Hamas's hostages and reach a ceasefire in Gaza tells NBC News tonight the talks are almost frozen. Lester.

All right, Richard Engel, thanks. And those tensions in the Middle East creating major ripples here at home on America's college campuses. Liz Kreutz has more now on the firestorm at one major university over a now-canceled graduation speech. Tonight, controversy on campus after USC canceled the valedictorian's commencement speech citing safety concerns. Asna Tabassum was chosen by the USC provost to be this year's valedictorian, selected from nearly 100 qualifying students who applied. But at least two pro-Israel and Jewish groups complained to USC about the choice, pointing to DeBassem's social media activity,

specifically a link to a free Palestine slideshow on her Instagram, which calls for the complete abolishment of the state of Israel. The university has to make the decision about whether this valedictorian and her propagation of anti-Semitic vitriol online is worthy of being the representative of the class of 2024. Tabassum said she is shocked and profoundly disappointed that the university is succumbing to a campaign of hate meant to silence my voice. Unfortunately, it is clear if you're a Muslim student today,

you don't expect the university, your administration to stand by you. The university's provost says the issue here is how best to maintain campus security and safety, period, and that the decision has nothing to do with freedom of speech. USC's commencement typically draws 65,000 people. University leadership has not shared details about potential threats. It kind of makes a lot of people uncomfortable, the fact that they're like putting it under safety concerns, but aren't willing to then elaborate on any of those safety concerns. The commencement controversy at USC, just the latest example of heightened tensions

related to violence overseas spilling over on college campuses. Liz Kreutz, NBC News, Los Angeles. In 60 seconds, our exclusive NBC News interview with a Boeing whistleblower who claims there could potentially be a fatal flaw in a popular model of the company's planes. What he and Boeing are saying right after this. Now to our NBC News exclusive. A Boeing whistleblower who claims a widely flown airplane could break apart because of a production flaw. Boeing says the claims are without merit. The Boeing engineer will testify in Washington tomorrow. Tonight, he's only talking to senior correspondent Tom Costello. Boeing 787 Dreamliner has been flying since 2011, made of a lightweight composite material and stronger than a typical aluminum fuselage.

But a current Boeing quality engineer has told the FAA he believes the plane has a potentially fatal flaw. I think it's as serious as I have ever seen in my lifetime. 15-year Boeing veteran Sam Salipour will tell Congress Wednesday that the gaps between big pieces of the fuselage are too big. And even though they're fastened together, the stress could create fatigue failure in the fuselage after thousands of flights. What would happen if you had a fatigue failure in a 787 at altitude? The plane will fall apart at the joints where we're talking about. Once you fall apart, you're going to descend all the way to the ground. You think the plane could literally break apart in air? Absolutely. But Boeing tells NBC News we are fully confident in the 787

Dreamliner because of the comprehensive work done to ensure the quality and long-term safety of the aircraft. These claims about the structural integrity of the 787 are inaccurate. These issues do not present any safety concerns. In 2020, Boeing worked with the FAA to tighten paper-thin gaps, pausing plane deliveries for two years, stress-testing the plane to 165,000 takeoffs and landings, more than three times a typical 787's lifespan, and inspecting 689 planes already in service. Boeing says it found zero evidence of fatigue. Even if these cracks would form, which there's no evidence of, the airplane is so resistant and so structurally robust, according to Boeing, that they're not going to break apart.

Salipour was moved from the 787 project in 2022. He claims in retaliation for raising these concerns internally. Boeing insists retaliation is strictly prohibited. Salipour admits he does not have access to all of Boeing's test data. Still, with 1,100 planes in service, he'll tell Congress the 787 should not be flying. Should Boeing ground the 787 right now to check the gap sizes? I would say they need to. The entire fleet worldwide? The entire fleet worldwide, as far as I'm concerned right now, needs an attention. On Monday, Boeing gave reporters a detailed briefing on its extensive stress test, its reputation on the line after two fatal MAX 8 crashes overseas,

and the MAX 9 door plug blowout in January, the subject of Wednesday's congressional hearing. Salahpour's attorney says she's heard from more than half a dozen other potential whistleblowers with similar concerns. Have any of those whistleblowers agreed to come forward yet? Not yet. I think some of them will come forward, but frankly, they're terrified. I'm at peace with myself because this is going to save a lot of people's life. That's what's at stake. That's what's at stake. Tom, these are really serious allegations. What is the FAA saying about them? Yeah, the FAA says it investigates every whistleblower complaint and it inspects every new 787 that comes off the assembly line to make sure it complies with an error-worthy misdirected. And Boeing, by the way, says its employees speak up program, encouraging employees to come forward with concerns, has led to a 500 percent increase

in employee tips and feedback. Lester? All right, Tom, thank you. Coming up, the high prices we pay for concert tickets inside the legal battle against the massive company that does ticketing for the biggest acts at the major venues. Next. We're back now with the price you pay at a company that's already angered a lot of Taylor Swift fans out there. Now it may face even bigger problems from the Justice Department.

Brian Chung is with us. Brian, what do we know? Well, we all remember the Ticketmaster debacle during a pre-sale for Taylor Swift's Heiress Tour. Tonight, the fallout continues as the Department of Justice is reportedly preparing to sue Live Nation 14 years after allowing it to merge with Ticketmaster to control more than 80% of the market. The Wall Street Journal reporting the antitrust lawsuit will allege Live Nation has undermined competition for ticketing live events, citing people familiar with the matter. DOJ and Live Nation declining to comment tonight, but a Live Nation blog post last month took up the issue saying promoters don't set prices, artists do.

Experts saying the hope here is to make tickets more accessible and cheaper for consumers. Lester. All right, Brian, thank you. Up next for us tonight, the unlikely TikTok star who puts his heart and soul into his work. Finally tonight, the unlikely TikTok star with a job that is good for the soul here's sam brock what we do is we take a like a heel popper and we pop that off for anyone looking for a nice new soul there may be no finer option than america's cobbler, Jim McFarland. How would you describe your job to someone who doesn't know what a cobbler is? A shoe cobbler is someone that takes your shoes and recrafts them back to the original factory condition.

The family business built on buffing, stitching, and gluing beloved footwear goes back to 1900. We're in our 124th year. But Jim initially resisted the craft. I didn't want to be in this business. I saw how hard my dad worked. Still, he found himself back in the shop when his father got sick. Now his videos are captivating people around the world. His social media secret weapon, his daughter, Tori. Our first video that we posted got over two million views over the course of a week, but I think we were like, that was just like a stroke of luck. Millions and millions of views on future posts proved it wasn't.

Now he's making people smile. She's so pretty. And some. A lot of people will send us letters. Are making him cry, like this father, who recently lost his 16-year-old son. He passed away four weeks ago, and they wear the same size boot. You take every ounce of love you have inside, and you put them into those boots, and you hope when he puts those on it gives him some kind of band-aid on his heart he's touching souls for sure the ones on our feet and those in our hearts sam brock nbc news lakeland florida and that is nightly news tomorrow don't miss my report on nationwide police shortages. I interview the interim police chief here in Los Angeles about the problem and join the Today Show

tomorrow as they celebrate 100 days out from the Paris Olympics. Thank you for watching, everyone. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.