NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, May 21, 2024

Episode Date: May 22, 2024

Multiple tornadoes are reported in the Midwest as severe weather moves across the U.S., strong turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight killed one person and injured at least 30 others, the defense has rested in former President Donald Trump’s hush money case without calling him to the stand, and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Breaking news tonight, the deadly tornado outbreak underway in the central U.S. as we come on the air. The dramatic images, swirling debris as multiple tornadoes are reported in the Midwest. The view from above showing major damage, homes destroyed. A neighborhood level, 50 million at risk from Texas to Michigan, and the threat lasting into the night. Also tonight, the deadly turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight out of London. Oxygen masks hanging down, debris in the aisles, blood on the seats, at least one dead, 30 injured. What caused it? Donald Trump's defense resting its case in the hush money trial without calling him to the stand. And the former president under fire after a video appearing to reference

Nazi Germany was posted to his social media account. President Biden accusing Mr. Trump of using, quote, Hitler's language. The battle over Graceland, Elvis's granddaughter accusing creditors of trying to steal the property away through fraud. The new turn in the investigation into the death of Friends star Matthew Perry. Scarlett Johansson taking on open AI, what she's accusing the tech giant of doing after she turned them down. And the portal connecting two cities across the world reopening, as long as everyone behaves. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome.

Breaking as we come on the air tonight, the radar maps lighting up with tornado warnings from yet another severe weather outbreak. A line of storms making their way across Iowa this afternoon, where at least 12 tornadoes have been reported today and already one death. Early major damage reports coming in from Greenfield, Iowa, where as you can see, homes have been demolished. Iowa, along with parts of Minnesota and western Illinois, facing what the weather service is calling a particularly dangerous situation. Flood watch is in effect for some of those same areas tonight. Maggie Vespa and her team are in the storm zone.

Maggie, there is destruction across Iowa tonight. Yeah, Lester, the strength of these storms was once again striking. And we've just learned, as you said, authorities say one person here in Iowa was killed. Meanwhile, our team here in Des Moines took shelter in our hotel's basement for the better part of the last hour as this latest round of violent tornadoes tore through. That thing is growing. Tonight, the onslaught continues of violent tornadoes tore through. That thing is growing. Tonight, the onslaught continues with more tornadoes barreling across America. Late today, at least 12 twisters reported and counting, all in Iowa.

Everybody take cover. Tornado warning. Everybody take cover. Unfortunately, it may have just hit a farm as well down here. And again, this just highlights the fact that you need to take these warnings very seriously. This one with potentially multiple vortexes touching down near Greenfield, southwest of Des Moines. Storm chasers also hitting torrential rain and hail as they drive, alarms blaring. Minutes later, coming upon jaw-dropping damage with homes shredded, pieces of them tossed on top of cars, an entire neighborhood is gone. And for millions, the threat is just beginning. Tonight, 50 million people from Texas to Michigan are once again in Mother Nature's line of fire for

severe storms, including wind gusts up to 90 miles per hour, large hail and possible tornadoes. A danger all too familiar amid a relentless spring. As the supercell storms that spawn tornadoes become more common, close to 300 tornadoes have been reported this month. April had close to 400, twice the average. Tonight, another round unleashing as we speak. Maggie Vespa, NBC News, Des Moines, Iowa. And Bill Cairns is watching it all, Bill. Another dangerous night ahead. Last year, we've already had two violent tornadoes, and the fear is that we could have a couple more. Conditions are ripe for that. So we had the Greenfield one, the one we showed you the pictures of, where just the neighborhood is just

destroyed. We also recently had a very strong tornado just north of the Des Moines area. As we go throughout the next couple hours, we're going to take this line of storms through eastern Iowa. We're talking about areas like Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, the Quad Cities. These are all locations where we could deal with strong tornadoes later on tonight. A wider view shows isolated tornadoes are possible up to midnight in southern Wisconsin and all the way down into Oklahoma till about 11 p.m. this evening. Tomorrow, the tornado risk is lower, but it's not zero. From areas from Dallas to Little Rock, we have an isolated chance of a strong tornado or two, large hail and damaging winds. This threat tonight, though, Lester, very scary. All right, Bill Kerens, thank you.

Harrowing stories from aboard a Singapore Airlines jet that killed one passenger and injured dozens after a rare encounter with severe turbulence so violent it sent people who weren't belted in hurling into the ceiling. Senior correspondent Tom Costello reports. On the tarmac in Bangkok, a mass casualty response to a terrifying high-altitude flight. Singapore Airlines says at least 30 injured, some critically. A local hospital says it's treating 71 passengers. One person died. The airport general manager says a 73-year-old British man apparently suffered a heart attack. It happened when the Boeing 777 flying from London to Singapore hit sudden turbulence on the edge of

a powerful storm over Thailand. Flight radar 24 data shows the plane bucking like a bronco at 37,000 feet, climbing and falling. Then a controlled emergency descent to 31,000 feet. Photos from inside the cabin show the damage and chaos. Overhead panels ripped off, food and bottles scattered on the floor, bloodstains on the ceiling. Multiple victims evacuated on backboards. It was an incredibly scary experience, seeing the people in the clouds for about a year. Atmospheric researchers report clear air turbulence has only gotten worse with climate change. So we know that the amount of wind shear in the jet stream is now 15 percent stronger than it was when satellites first began observing it in the 1970s. Heat makes the jet stream more volatile and difficult to predict.

Pilots do rely on other pilots to report turbulence that they encounter. It happens every day, 5,500 times a year. Seven were injured in March of 2023 when a Lufthansa flight hit severe turbulence over Tennessee. In December 22, three dozen injured on a Hawaiian air flight. Broken backs, broken skulls, brain injuries, a severed limb. And these are very serious conditions. And Tom, unpredictable turbulence is why the airlines always say, wear your seatbelt. That's right, and infants should be in car seats on planes. Parents need to know that. The NTSB is sending a team to assist in the investigation. The airline

says four Americans were also on board this flight. Lester. All right, Tom Costello with that. Thank you. The testimony is over tonight in former President Trump's hush money trial with closing arguments not scheduled until next week. The defense wrapping its case without calling Mr. Trump to testify. Laura Jarrett reports. Tonight, the defense resting its case with former President Trump choosing not to take the stand in his first criminal trial. Jurors left today hearing only from Robert Costello, a lawyer who briefly advised Michael Cohen. Prosecutors today again trying to paint Costello as a Trump-allied emissary, dispatched by Rudy Giuliani to prevent Cohen from flipping on Mr. Trump. Confronted with emails suggesting he was frustrated Cohen refused to hire him, including one where he wrote, Cohen, quote, continues to slow play us and the president.

Is he totally nuts? He's playing with the most powerful man on the planet. Costello suggested Monday Cohen's entire story that former President Trump plotted to silence Stormy Daniels to protect his campaign was all a lie. Costello telling jurors that Michael Cohen said numerous times that President Trump knew nothing about those payments and that Cohen said he did this on his own. Costello, only one of two witnesses called by the defense team. The testimony all told running just over 90 minutes.

There's no crime. There's no crime. It's a kangaroo court. There's never been anything like this that I've ever seen. The judge working with both sides for hours today to hash out critical instructions jurors will receive next week to aid their deliberations witness to testify that Mr. Trump directed the payoff to Daniels and then disguised his reimbursements to Cohen, all of which Mr. Trump denies. The defense spent three days grilling Cohen, who's been convicted of lying under oath and was disbarred. If found guilty on the low-level felonies here, Mr. Trump faces anywhere from four years in prison to just probation. And Lori, in a separate case, there's a headline today about former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani. Yes, Lester, Giuliani pleaded not guilty when he appeared virtually in Arizona state court today in a case where he's been tried for his efforts to try to overturn the last election, including

by submitting fake documents to Congress saying that Mr. Trump falsely won. Now, Mr. Trump has not been charged in that case, but he is listed as an unindicted co-conspirator. Lester. Laura Jarrett, thank you. And President Biden went after Donald Trump today for sharing a video that invoked Nazi language. The president called it un-American on a day when he reached out to the country's military heroes in New Hampshire. Here's Peter Alexander. President Biden tonight is touting his commitment to those who served, announcing more than one million health care claims approved as part of the bipartisan PACT Act he signed to expand benefits for veterans exposed to toxic

chemicals. Veterans, you are the solid steel spine of our nation. The camouflage colored appeals have become familiar for both President Biden and former President Trump, who's repeatedly slammed the Biden administration's chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. He failed on every single thing, including Afghanistan. Mr. Trump has won the military vote twice, but that support has eroded. Gulf War veteran Jeff Zamoida says President Biden is a more unifying commander in chief. Joe Biden is the person that I identify with more clearly as a candidate. Because?

Because of his staunch commitment to bipartisanship. Vietnam War veteran Lou Chipola argues President Biden is leading the military in the wrong direction. Downhill, they brought in the woke. It'll kill the military. Meantime, the former president is facing fierce criticism for this video shared on Mr. Trump's social media accounts. What happens after Donald Trump wins? The 30-second clip uses a term associated with Germany's Nazi government, referring to the creation of a unified Reich among fictionalized newspaper headlines covering a Trump victory in November. The Trump campaign telling NBC News the video was created by a random account and reposted by a staffer who they say did

not see the word. The posts were removed this morning. A unified Reich? That's Sittler's language. That's not America's. Tonight's response, the latest example of President Biden trying to seize on any Trump misstep, looking to warn voters about what he views as the dangers of a second Trump term. Lester. Peter Alexander, thank you. In Iran today, thousands turning out as funeral services for the country's president got underway two days after he was killed in a helicopter crash. Keir Simmons now with the nation in mourning and new details in the investigation. Tonight, after day one of a three-day funeral with huge crowds,

the procession inching past mourners holding up posters of President Raisi, clamouring to touch the coffin. Iran is hearing more about the helicopter crash that killed him. This video capturing the moment rescuers arrive at the scene. Found it, found it, one shouts. Then the grim reality takes hold. They cry, pray and sob. On Iranian state television, his chief of staff, who was in an accompanying helicopter, describing turning back to search and hours of desperate calls with one of those who had been on board, now one of the dead. Criticism of the late president is dangerous. A hardliner who the US says had blood on his hands. Iran's prosecutor warning people not to celebrate his

death. But as Iran's state TV broadcast rolling coverage of the funeral today, Iranians opposed to the regime spoke out to NBC's partner Sky News. Their identities concealed to protect them. People have been handing out sweets and in many other Iranian cities, people celebrated the news by fireworks. I'm not upset at all, even though I never wish death on anyone. Tonight, the precise cause of the crash remains unclear. Iran says it's investigating. Lester.

Keir Simmons, thank you. In 60 seconds, the legal fight over Graceland. Is Elvis Presley's landmark home about to be sold? To satisfy a debt, his granddaughter's fight next. We're back now with a battle over Graceland. Elvis Presley's famous actress granddaughter suing to stop the sale of the late superstar's mansion. Stephanie Goss now on the dispute over the landmark. Graceland has long been a cherished piece of Americana, the Memphis home of music legend

Elvis Presley. The late Lisa Marie Presley talking about her childhood home. I feel like I'm connected to something here more than anywhere else. Now in a lawsuit, her daughter, Danielle Riley Keough, claims a false investment firm is trying to illegally sell Graceland. According to the suit, the Missouri-based Nausony Investments says Lisa Marie borrowed $3.8 million before her death, putting up her father's home as collateral and never repaid the loan. Now the firm is attempting to sell Graceland this Thursday. But in court filings, Keogh says the documents of the alleged deal are forgeries, including this one signed by a notary who denies meeting Presley or notarizing anything,

according to an affidavit included in the lawsuit. This is a lawsuit, but isn't what they are alleging a crime? The allegations are civil in this complaint, but the underlying facts seem to make out criminal activity. Earlier this month, the Tennessee court put a hold on the sale. Kurt Nausini, who was named in the lawsuit, told NBC News he has not worked for the firm since 2015 and did not handle loans to Lisa Marie Presley. NBC News attempted to get further comment from Nausini Investments, but did not hear back. Even if this transaction was made in secret, those leave records. So that would be the obvious first place to look. With the mystery around Graceland deepening, the hearing is tomorrow morning.

Stephanie Gosk, NBC News. And up next, the new criminal investigation launched into the drug overdose death of actor Matthew Perry. And actress Scarlett Johansson fights back over an AI voice that she says sounds just like hers. More than six months after the passing of Friends star Matthew Perry, the LAPD says it's working with the DEA to find the source of the ketamine that authorities say contributed to his death. People close to Perry said he was being treated with ketamine for depression. But the coroner's report raised questions about why there was so much in his system. showdown between a Hollywood superstar and a tech giant, Scarlett Johansson, speaking out,

saying OpenAI's latest chatbot voice is way too close to her own, and she didn't give permission. Liz Kreutz has details. Hollywood megastar Scarlett Johansson is taking on one of the biggest names in tech, OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman. Hey, how's it going? Hey there. The actress saying one of the five voices for OpenAI's new AI chatbot sounds eerily similar to her own. I'm really excited about teaming up with you. Johansson, who famously played the voice of an artificial intelligence system in the 2013 movie Her. Hi. How you doing? Saying in a statement that Altman had reached out twice wanting to hire her for the OpenAI project, an offer she declined. But she says when she heard the demo for the voice named Skye, she was shocked, angered, and in disbelief over the resemblance to her own. In response,

Altman says the company has paused the use of Sky's voice, but denies copying Johansson's, saying in part the voice was never intended to resemble hers. But Johansson points to a recent post by Altman on X where he simply wrote her, referencing the movie he's spoken about publicly. I think her got something deeply right on the interface. The controversy highlighting concerns over online fakes and the growing copyright concerns posed by artificial intelligence. There seems to be a transparency issue here. There definitely seems to be a transparency issue here where OpenAI is clearly

trying to make their AI models better. But that also means that they have to use data from somewhere and they are not always transparent about where that data comes from. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGBT, is now facing several copyright infringement lawsuits, including from The New York Times, claiming unauthorized use of content to train AI language models. OpenAI has said its training is based on fair use, calling the time suit without merit. And OpenAI says prior to ever reaching out to Johansson, it cast actors to create the voices of its new chatbots. The company has yet to release the identity of those actors. Lester.

All right, Liz, thank you. Coming up through the looking glass, the art of making it a smaller world through portals connecting people thousands of miles away. Next. Finally, two cities thousands of miles apart and the virtual link bringing them together across the ocean. Emily Akeda and Megan Fitzgerald tried it for themselves. I'm here in New York, home to Times Square, Broadway, the Empire State Building. And I'm in Dublin with typical Irish weather. The two cities are more than 3,000 miles apart now coming together here on Fifth Avenue in downtown Manhattan. And O'Connell Street in the heart of Dublin. All through something called the Portal.

A public art installation bringing the cities together in real time with a live stream. You can just dance your way over here and say, what's up my fellow Sigmas? The portal bridges strangers, friends, and even colleagues across continents. Hi! There's no audio, so we have to be creative. Okay, ready? Rock, paper, scissors, shoot. The connection between New York and Dublin follows portal projects in Poland and Lithuania, all designed by artist Benedikt Daskilis. I think people really need a sense of connectivity.

I think this is the true purpose of the portal. The portal between New York City and Dublin was briefly shut down after bad behavior on both sides, but it's now open again with some added security. It's like FaceTime. The giant round monitors helping loved ones not feel so far away, like these friends who haven't been together in more than a year. I saw you got a little emotional. What does this mean for you? It's just, it's wild to know that at the same moment in time, we were having like a meetup. It's so special. It's so cool. And this father and son separated by an ocean.

For a moment, they feel just around the corner. A window into another place. Reminding us that we're not that far apart after all. Megan Fitzgerald. Emily Ikeda. NBC News. New York. Dublin. Nice job, guys. Megan Fitzgerald. Emily Ikeda. NBC News. New York. Dublin.

Nice job, guys. That's nightly news for this Tuesday. Thank you for watching. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.