NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Episode Date: May 29, 2024

The jury hears closing arguments in former President Trump’s hush money trial, severe storms leave more than a million without power, Israeli forces are entering the heart of Rafah as outrage grows over an attack on a tent city that killed 45 people, and more in tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the jury in Donald Trump's hush money trial on the verge of getting the case after hearing closing arguments. The former president back in court along with three of his children as both sides made their final cases. The prosecution accusing Mr. Trump of trying to illegally influence the 2016 election by covering up a payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. The defense attacking star witness Michael Cohen as, quote, the greatest liar of all time.

And the chaos outside the court, actor Robert De Niro clashing with pro-Trump protesters. Also, tonight, severe storms slamming Texas, flash flooding on the highway in Dallas, vehicles trapped, a church and homes possibly hit by lightning. Hurricane force winds pushing a plane away from the gate. More than a million without power on the heels of a deadly holiday weekend. The massive explosion at a Chase Bank in Ohio. Debris blowing across the street. Multiple injuries reported. Israeli forces entering the heart of Rafah for the first time.

And deadly news strikes as outrage grows over the attack on a tent city that killed 45 people. The new study on preventing peanut allergies in children, what parents need to know, and the needle in a haystack search, the divers on a mission to reunite a couple with a wedding ring lost 25 years ago. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome. After 21 days of trial, the opposing lawyers in the Donald Trump hush money trial have spent today appealing directly to the jurors. Today's closing arguments, the last chance for each side to convince 12 everyday New Yorkers of Donald Trump's guilt or innocence.

A former president facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. And what the state alleges was a scheme to conceal hush money payments to an adult film star in an effort to suppress damaging information in the days before the 2016 election. Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass telling jurors it could very well be what got President Trump elected. The defense, in its summation, saying there was no crime, that the state had failed in its burden to prove Mr. Trump's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. And blasting key witness, former Trump fixer Michael Cohen as the MVP of liars. Laura Jarrett was in court today. Tonight, the first trial of an American president soon in the hands of seven men and five women.

Prosecutors closing their case, arguing former President Trump orchestrated a criminal conspiracy to influence the 2016 election. To pull the wool over voters' eyes, they say, by ordering the payoff of Stormy Daniels and then covering it all up. Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass trying to establish a pattern of Mr. Trump burying damaging stories that could derail his 2016 campaign, pointing to a key conversation secretly recorded by Mr. Trump's then-attorney, Michael Cohen, the star prosecution witness, where Mr. Trump's then attorney, Michael Cohen, the star prosecution witness, where Mr. Trump discussed an alleged payoff of a different woman,

Stein glass calling it jaw dropping funding. Yes. And it's all the stuff. But much of closings today focused on the credibility of Cohen. Quote, We didn't pick him up at the witness store. The defendant chose Michael Cohen, Steinblas said, acknowledging Cohen's criminal history and admitted lies under oath, but telling jurors you don't need Michael Cohen to connect these dots. But as the ultimate insider, he can do just that. The defense has also tried to discredit Cohen as motivated to lie, desperate to put Mr. Trump behind bars, pointing to Cohen's own podcast. Revenge is a dish best served cold. And you better believe I want this man to go down and rot inside for what he did to me and my family. But Stein glass

took that head on, arguing today Cohen is understandably angry because Mr. Trump dropped him like a hot potato after the feds came calling in 2018, urging jurors to see this case not about Michael Cohen, it's about Donald Trump. In his closing arguments, Trump attorney Todd Blanch tore into the prosecution's case and its reliance on Cohen's testimony, blasting Cohen as the human embodiment of reasonable doubt, branding him the gloat, the greatest liar of all time, and the MVP of liars, saying he lied to Congress, judges, prosecutors, bankers, his family, adding he came in here, raised his right hand and lied to each of you repeatedly, pointing to one of the trial's most dramatic moments when Cohen was confronted with phone records suggesting

he never spoke to Mr. Trump about Daniels in an October 2016 phone call lasting just 96 seconds, but instead had called Mr. Trump's bodyguard to complain about a teenage prank caller. Blanche arguing today, he told you he spoke to President Trump. That was a lie. And he got caught red-handed. That is perjury. Blanche striking at the heart of the 34 low-level felony counts Mr. Trump faces for allegedly falsifying his business records, arguing none of the invoices, vouchers, or checks were false, saying the legal retainer language on the records wasn't criminal or sinister, but merely generated by accounting software at the Trump organization. And there was nothing wrong with it. President

Trump is innocent, Blanche said. There is no crime, period. This is not a trial that should happen. It's a very sad day. This is a dark day in America. Laura, let me ask you about the length of the prosecution's closing argument. It's a bit unusual. Yeah, Lester, it's rare to see closing arguments stretch on in a case like this. The prosecution going over four hours at this point, at times the jury appearing attentive, other times less so. But we do expect that this jury will finally get the case tomorrow morning. Lester. All right, Laura, Jared, thank you. And it was a chaotic scene outside the courthouse, with the Biden campaign holding its first event there, including an appearance by a Hollywood star.

Gabe Gutierrez has the latest. You think by yelling and intimidating, you're not going to intimidate. Outside the Manhattan courthouse, the drama took another tumultuous twist. That's actor Robert De Niro in a different role, surrogate for the Biden campaign, clashing with pro-Trump protesters. We're trying to be gentlemen in this world. You are gangsters. You are gangsters. Also on hand, first responders who were at the Capitol on January 6th. Donald Trump is the greatest threat to our democracy. This event, a sharp change for the Biden campaign,

which has largely avoided the trial since it began six weeks ago. If Trump returns to the White House, you can kiss these freedoms goodbye that we all take for granted. With many Democrats nervous about the state of the race less than a month before the first presidential debate, NBC News was first to report the Biden campaign is deploying a more aggressive strategy to define Mr. Trump to voters as a threat to democracy and the architect of repealing Roe v. Wade. The former president's family firing back, blasting the Biden team for holding an event near the courthouse. Right across the street tells us exactly what we all knew all along, that it is a political persecution. It is a witch hunt. The White House is considering whether the president would speak publicly here after the trial ends. Sources familiar with the discussions tell NBC News that has yet to be decided. Lester. Gabe Gutierrez, thank you. Yet another destructive storm in Texas today

after a deadly weekend of tornadoes in 14 states. An astounding number of tornadoes, more than 1,000 reported so far this year. Maggie Vespa has late details. Tonight, Texas in the bullseye again with flash floods stunning drivers in Dallas and lightning potentially setting a suburban church and multiple homes on fire, say authorities. Heavy rain and winds flipping semis, mangling metal buildings, and authorities say killing one person. Hail piercing the roof of this Walmart. And at DFW, incredible video of nearly 80 mile per hour gusts appearing to push a plane from its gate. American Airlines saying there were no injuries and its maintenance team is conducting thorough inspections. Hundreds of flights canceled.

Today, more than one million Texas customers without power. All of it capping a harrowing holiday weekend with more than 60 tornadoes reported across 14 states, including Kentucky, where Clara Rice's worst nightmare repeated itself. This is not the first tornado that you've been through. No, ma'am. The mother and grandmother became famous back in 2021 when a tornado destroyed her home and sent her bathtub flying, her two baby grandsons inside, clutching her Bible.

I had no clue at all where these babies was. We need help. We got someone in this debris. Miraculously, the boys were found alive and Rice rebuilt. My mama made that. Sunday, her home was obliterated again. Authorities say Memorial Day weekend storms killed five people in Kentucky, close to two dozen nationwide. With more than 1,000 tornadoes reported, 2024 is now the second busiest start to a year ever recorded.

Rice's family, this time taking cover in a neighbor's storm shelter. Will you rebuild here again? Yes, ma'am. You will? Yes, ma'am. If you can afford a tornado shelter any way at all, get you one. Get in it and use it. Just use it. God's put it there. It's a pretty incredible story. Maggie Vespa joining us now live in Dawson Springs, Kentucky. Maggie, we're learning more about the power of the tornadoes that tore through there. Yeah, Lester, we're now talking about four confirmed tornadoes. The National Weather Service says the one that swept through here and obliterated this home was an EF3. Packing winds up to 165 miles per hour.

They say it was on the ground for 37 miles. Lester. My goodness. All right, Maggie Vespa, thank you. It was an incredible scene today in Youngstown, Ohio, where a massive explosion at an office building injured seven people, one of them critically. The first floor of the building was occupied by a bank and apartments are on the upper floors. Authorities said a gas explosion may have caused it. In the Middle East, Israeli forces pushed farther into Rafah in southern Gaza today, and authorities there say more than 20 people were

killed in a new Israeli attack. Raf Sanchez is in Israel with late developments. Tonight, Palestinian families fleeing Rafah any way they can as an NBC News crew saw Israeli forces pushing into the heart of the city for the first time. But the White House says it hasn't seen evidence of Israel crossing President Biden's red lines. We still don't want to see the Israelis, as we say, smashing to Rafah with large units. And we still believe that. And we haven't seen that at this point. While just outside the city, at least 21 people killed in an Israeli strike on tents along the coast, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The IDF denying they attacked

a safe zone. It comes just two days after an Israeli airstrike ignited this firestorm at a different camp, killing dozens of civilians. Facing international criticism, the IDF tonight revealing results of a preliminary investigation, saying it used small bombs to target two Hamas commanders, but that a secondary explosion started the enormous fire. Our munition alone could not have ignited a fire of this size. The IDF says hidden Hamas weapons might have caused the blast, but offered no firm evidence.

An Israeli official earlier said a gas tank could have sparked the flames. Meanwhile, NBC News has learned the U.S. military has been forced to halt aid deliveries into Gaza by sea, after three officials said bad weather damaged its temporary pier. This video showing part of the causeway floating away from the beach. It's the latest setback for the American aid effort after military boats washed up on the coasts of Israel and Gaza over the weekend, while a U.S. service member remains in critical condition after an accident on the pier last week.

Now, that temporary pier had only been operational for two weeks, and the Pentagon says it'll take another week to repair. That's a major blow to the humanitarian effort in Gaza at a time when the Rafah crossing, the main lifeline for food and aid from Egypt, remains closed. Lester. All right, Raph, thank you. Just in tonight, a U.S. military aircraft crashing in New Mexico. The images of a fiery wreckage on a hill after the aircraft went down outside Albuquerque's Sunport Airport. Fire officials say the pilot was able to escape and was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. In Los Angeles, police are releasing new details about the fatal shooting of a former general hospital star. His family speaking out to Morgan Chesky about his tragic final moments.

We should find these killers, you guys. Tonight, emotional pleas from loved ones of Johnny Wachter. The So Proper star gunned down in Los Angeles after police say he walked up on a group of car thieves. Wachter's ex-fiancee, speaking directly to the suspect, now wanted for murder. You don't have to steal, you know, especially take a life over it. Investigators tell NBC News they are trying to pull prints from Wachter's vehicle and scouring the area for videos. LAPD sharing Wachter arrived at his car after work to find it raised up with a floor jack by three suspects

who were in the process of stealing the catalytic converter, adding one suspect then shot Wachter without provocation. Those three suspects were last seen here on Hope Street, but details are still few. Police only saying the group wore dark clothing and was last seen heading north in a dark sedan. Wachter's mother said he was with a co-worker at the time of the attack. Thankful that that person is okay and that when he died he wasn't alone. She says her son drove a Toyota Prius, one of the most targeted models nationwide for this kind of theft due to the high levels of valuable metals inside the hybrid's converter. I think they are cowards. I think they are very sad, excuse of humans, especially the

one that pulled the trigger for no reason. A split second decision, robbing a family of a beloved brother and son. Morgan Chesky, NBC News, Los Angeles. In 60 seconds, essential information for parents, a new study out. When is the right time to introduce peanuts to small children to reduce the risk of dangerous allergies? Next. We are back now with a new study that parents need to know about on preventing dangerous peanut allergies in children. Our NBC News medical contributor, Dr. Natalie Azar, is here. And Dr. Azar, the guidance on this issue for parents has changed over time. Yeah, that's right, Lester. The guidance really changed in 2017. And today, we have even more evidence from an NIH study that says this is a simple and safe

strategy that could prevent tens of thousands of cases of peanut allergies each year. Researchers found that introducing peanut products from infancy to age five reduced the risk of peanut allergy by as much as 71 percent in adolescents. The key is to follow the guidelines. If your infant has severe eczema or egg allergy, it may be possible to introduce peanut-containing foods at four to six months at home or in a doctor's office to reduce the risk of developing the allergy. And of course, always, Lester, consult with your pediatrician. All right, Dr. Azar, thank you. Up next, the disease on the rise because of the spread of mosquitoes. Why scientists are concerned about new cases of dengue fever before summer has even started. What's being done to stop it next. Now that summer is unofficially underway,

we want to tell you about a growing risk for millions of Americans, a tiny threat that could be outside your home right now. Anne Thompson with tonight's health alert. A quarter inch long and alive up to a mere 25 days, mosquitoes carrying dengue can inflict enormous pain. The severe pain started in the evening, and then soon after that, the high fever started. Dr. Deborah Haney got dengue fever vacationing on the Caribbean island of Curacao. Initially, I thought that I had broken my ribs. She had all the symptoms, including the hallmark pain, why dengue is also called breakbone fever. It just sounds like your whole body was breaking down. It was. This year,

dengue is breaking records in the Americas. 7.8 million suspected cases reported so far, up more than 230 percent from last year, with severe outbreaks in Brazil, Argentina, and Puerto Rico. Scientist Mike Vaughn freaking tracks the bug's global reach at the University of Florida. How is dengue transmitted? It's transmitted through the bite of a female 80s mosquito. And how rare are 80s mosquitoes? We've got them in your backyard from Pennsylvania all the way to Florida. Transmission aided, he says, by climate change. It's a simple numbers game. If you have a shorter winter season, peak mosquito activity is going to be much longer. And the longer they're biting,

the more likely you're going to have that exposure event and infection. We're on the hunt for those dengue-carrying mosquitoes. And one of the weapons, this bugzooka. Scientists say their motto is know thy enemy. Mike, the remnants of someone's lunch, is this the kind of environment 80s mosquitoes prefer? Yeah, so they do really well in non-biodegradable trash, as long as it can hold water, and it's enough water for about six or seven days. To fight, the city of Gainesville uses mosquito-eating fish and insecticides. Dr. Haney wants to arm the medical profession with knowledge. The second time you get dengue, it can be much more serious. You have a higher risk of getting dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue septic shock syndrome. Information and science,

weapons to stop a deadly disease. Ann Thompson, NBC News, Gainesville, Florida. Add up next for us here tonight, Lost and Found, the remarkable recovery of a wedding ring a quarter century later. Finally, a story of love lost and found, along with something else that went missing a quarter of a century ago. Here's Stephanie Gosk. David Allen's wedding ring slipped off his finger 25 years ago, right on his brother's dock in Georgia. And it bounced off the dock and fell in the water. But back then, rescuing it was just not a priority. He and his wife Lisa were getting a divorce. The college sweethearts couldn't make

it work. David had to get a handle on his drinking. Losing his family was the kind of shock he needed. That was like somebody pulled the rug out from under my life, you know, my wife and my three kids. He managed to get his life together. Two decades later, Lisa noticed something new. We just start slow dancing and I just saw a different person at that moment. A changed man with a second chance. David wanted that ring. So the Lake Hartwell divers went looking. They helped reunite owners with missing belongings. Four days sifting through the lake mud. It means so much to him and his family. So it meant a lot to us to help him get it back. And sure enough, the ring was still there.

I got your ring. What? I got it. Now Lisa and David have a love story with a happy ending, and the ring to prove it. Stephanie Gosk, NBC News. And 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.