NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Episode Date: May 8, 2024

Stormy Daniels testifies in former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial; several states in the Midwest U.S. are under a tornado watch; Israeli forces have entered Rafah and seized a border crossing; and more in tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the riveting testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial as the jury hears from a star witness at the center of the case, Stormy Daniels, the adult film actress taking the stand just 10 feet from the former president, describing in explicit detail her alleged sexual encounter with him, which prosecutors say he tried to hide from voters in 2016. Daniels testifying about an imbalance of power between them and, quote, blacking out during the experience. Mr. Trump denying her claims. His attorney is demanding a mistrial, but the judge rejecting it. Then the tense showdown during Daniels' cross-examination.

Our team at the courthouse. Plus, the big news in Mr. Trump's classified documents trial. The move the judge made today. Also tonight, a tornado watch up for several states in the Midwest, including the entire Chicago metro area after a deadly tornado strike in Oklahoma. Israeli forces entering Rafah, seizing a critical border crossing as a possible ceasefire deal hangs in the balance. New crackdowns on pro-Palestinian protesters as President Biden condemns what he calls the ferocious surge of anti-Semitism in the U.S. TikTok firing back the lawsuit filed today to block a law that could ban the popular app

nationwide. And our trip to the new wonderland where classic childhood books come to life. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome. A star prosecution witness in the criminal trial of Donald Trump appeared on the witness stand here in New York today. The former president coming face to face with adult film actress Stormy Daniels as she testified, at times graphically, about a sexual liaison she says she had with Mr. Trump in 2006. He denies an encounter and wrongdoing, but is nonetheless accused of illegally altering business records to disguise hush money payments to Ms. Daniels, meant to buy her silence during his 2016 run for president.

The actress testifying that she understood it was Donald Trump who would benefit from the nondisclosure deal she ultimately signed. Later, Daniels sparring with defense lawyers under aggressive cross-examination. But there was major news in another Trump prosecution tonight. His federal documents case in Florida now on indefinite hold. But first, Laura Jarrett on the big day in court for Stormy Daniels. Tonight, Donald Trump seated just 10 feet away as the woman at the center of his hush money cover up trial, Stormy Daniels, testified in vivid detail about their alleged sexual encounter nearly two decades ago that prosecutors

say he was desperate to hide from voters before the 2016 election. The adult film actress speaking quickly at times, looking directly at the jury, recounting how she first met Mr. Trump at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe in 2006 and went up to a hotel suite where the pair ultimately had sex, which Mr. Trump says never happened. She told the jury she was not threatened and wasn't drugged, but her testimony about an imbalance of power and blacking out during the alleged encounter, prompting the defense team to ask the judge to declare a mistrial, arguing the lurid details were only meant to embarrass the presumptive GOP nominee, saying the testimony is impossible to come back from.

The judge refusing to declare a mistrial but agreeing some of Daniels' testimony would have been better left unsaid, all leading to a heated cross-examination. The defense zeroing in on testimony Daniels gave about an unknown man she says confronted her in a parking lot in 2011, a story she recounted to 60 Minutes. A guy walked up on me and said to me, leave Trump alone. And then he leaned around and looked at my daughter and said, a beautiful little girl, it would be a shame if something happened to her mom. The defense pressing her about why she didn't call police or tell her then-boyfriend at the time.

The testimony stretching far afield from the criminal charges the former president faces for allegedly disguising how he reimbursed Michael Cohen, his former fixer and attorney, who paid Daniels the $130,000 to stay quiet just before the 2016 election. The judge chiding Daniels to move it along at times. The case is totally falling apart. They have nothing on books and records. Daniels telling the jury today she was focused on selling her story, but my motivation wasn't money.

It was to get the story out. Adding she didn't feel safe after the parking lot threat. Mr. Trump's defense attorney taking direct aim at her credibility and past denials of their alleged encounter, grilling her. You are looking to extort money from President Trump, right? Daniels responding false. And Laura, at the top of the newscast, I mentioned a big development in another Trump case. This is the classified documents case in Florida. What happened?

Yes, Lester, the judge tonight making official what was already widely expected, putting that trial date officially on hold, wiping it away, saying essentially there are too many unresolved issues and complex motions left to resolve here, Lester. And one more federal case, the one focusing on election interference. Where does that stand? Lester, that one, too, also in limbo with no trial date as we await a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court about whether the former president is, in fact, immune from prosecution at all, making this case in New York, Lester, perhaps the only case that will be complete before the November election. All right. Lester? perhaps the only case that will be complete before the November election. Lester? Laura Jarrett, thanks.

Tonight, there is more dangerous weather ahead after a string of reported tornadoes hit the plains, including an EF4 in the same city that was hit by a tornado just a month ago. Sam Brock now with the unfolding dangerous weather situation. Barnsdall, Oklahoma, tonight is a sight that won't easily be forgotten. Homes twirled in the speckles of wood and mangled metal after a vicious tornado tore through the city of 1400. We need a lot of prayers. Claiming one life and prompting hours of search for a missing person,

yet the sheer force of Mother Nature. How did you survive? I guess the good Lord. Countered by the resolve of residents like Carl Kelly, who used his body to shield his 80-year-old mother. How long were you covering your mom for? However long it was. Five seconds, ten seconds, a minute. I don't know. Time stops.

It didn't stop for me. Are you okay? Barnstall's authorities say they rescued around 25 people. Get out of here. You can't get out? One of the stunning aspects of this storm is that the tornado could be so violent that it would shear the side off of a home, snap a tree in half, take an entire home and life possessions, and stack them like this on top of property,

and flip over a car which still has a headlight on. And to this point, the casualties are only a handful. Many here know that could have been different. Everything's literally like kind of exploding, blowing everywhere. Chase Short nearly drove into the tornado to reach his panicked girlfriend. The only thing that completely stopped me from completely going through the tornado itself was somebody coming out of it, flashing the lights at me. While feet away at Bartleville's Hampton Inn,

there was a partial roof collapse and families holding on for dear life. And we all just went running and the windows popped out of the hallways and the suddenness of the severity was shocking. Tonight, gratitude to be alive for loved ones, despite the physical destruction surrounding them. Sam Brock, NBC News, Barnsdale, Oklahoma. And the severe weather threat is far from over tonight. That brings in Dylan Dreyer, who's tracking it. What are you looking at? Well, Lester, we have a particularly dangerous

situation across southern Michigan. We've had reported tornadoes in Portage, Michigan, also moving through Sherwood and Union City, where we have seen tornadoes on the ground. So we do still have tornado watches in effect for that part of the country. And naturally, that's also where we are expecting our most severe storms tonight with this enhanced risk, not just for tornadoes, but for hail, egg size and diameter. Also, wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour. That could cause some damage. This whole cold front is moving east.

So those storms will move east through the night. We'll see another round of storms redevelop in a much larger area tomorrow, again with tornadoes and hail. And then finally on Thursday, it will approach the east coast and the Gulf Coast before exiting for Friday, Lester. All right, Dylan, thanks very much. A forceful condemnation of anti-Semitism today from President Biden, who invoked the Holocaust, the Hamas terror attack on Israel, and the wave of protests on American college campuses. Peter Alexander is at the White House with more. With an explosion of violent clashes and hateful comments directed at Jews on campuses nationwide, President Biden tonight is condemning what he calls a ferocious surge of anti-Semitism.

There's no place on any campus in America, any place in America, for anti-Semitism. There's no place on any campus in America, any place in America, for anti-Semitism or hate speech or threats of violence of any kind. With a bipartisan group of leaders holding photos of Holocaust victims, the president drew parallels between the horrors of the Holocaust and Hamas's terror attack on Israel on October 7th, the deadliest day for Jews since World War II. People are already forgetting, are already forgetting that Hamas unleashed this terror. It was Hamas that brutalized Israelis. It was Hamas who took and continues to hold hostages. I have not forgotten, nor have you.

President Biden's been facing intensifying pressure from progressive Democrats calling on him to stop sending arms to Israel. There are protests all over the country. We have a president that just refuses to talk. And from Republicans blaming him for not criticizing the protests sooner. Instead of protecting Jewish students, Joe Biden has pandered to the pro-Hamas wing of the Democrat Party. The latest flashpoint, the University of Chicago police in riot gear this morning sweeping in to clear a pro-Palestinian encampment, scuffling with demonstrators protesting Israel sending tanks into southern Gaza. Those protests amplify a politically

challenging issue for the president, who polls show is losing support among young voters. Meanwhile, the Anti-Defamation League reports anti-Semitic incidents, harassment, vandalism and violence are up 140 percent in the last year, surging nearly 900 percent in the last decade. This forceful condemnation of anti-Semitism comes as President Biden's also been highly critical of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's handling of the war in Gaza. But today, the president vowed that his commitment to Israel's security is, quote, ironclad, even when we disagree. Lester. All right. Peter Alexander at the White House. Thank you. Tonight, Israel calling a Hamas counteroffer a non-starter, but saying it will negotiate to try to reach a ceasefire,

all while Israeli forces target Hamas in Rafah, trying to pressure the group to release its hostages. Here's Richard Engel. The Israeli military today said the only language Hamas understands is force. And all day, Israel shelled the southern city of Rafah. Israeli tanks rumbled in, trampling over Palestinian signs, taking over a border crossing with Egypt it says Hamas uses for terrorist purposes, but also stopping the flow of aid. The White House says the operation is limited, not Israel's long-anticipated major offensive, which President Biden opposes because the city is packed with more than a million civilians ordered by Israel to come here for their safety.

Israel's defense minister says the operation is designed to pressure Hamas to free its hostages, but that Israel is also prepared to make concessions to bring them back. As we're learning more about Hamas's counteroffer, claiming it will free all hostages in stages in exchange for releasing Palestinian prisoners of Hamas's choosing and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Israel says the proposal doesn't meet its security needs. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dispatched a negotiating team to Cairo to discuss the proposal. But today, he sounded dismissive, calling the offer an attempt to sabotage the Rafah operation,

which he said is vital to destroying Hamas. In Rafah today, our crew filmed at one of the only remaining hospitals, where Mohammed Abu Amra cries for his nine sisters, brothers and niece, all killed in an Israeli strike today. He's wracked with guilt. He invited them to stay in his home because it's further away from Israel's new positions. Then he says, for reasons he doesn't understand, Israel bombed his house. No one is left, he cries. It's just me and the rest are here. The CIA director is in Cairo, along with negotiators from Israel and Hamas. The Israeli military says it will intensify

its operations in Rafah unless there's a deal. Lester. Richard Engel in Jerusalem. Thank you. In 60 seconds, TikTok goes on the offensive. Its Chinese parent company is now fighting in order to sell. So what happens next for the millions who love one of the most popular apps in America? TikTok is fighting back, filing a lawsuit to block a U.S. law that would force its Chinese parent company to sell the popular app or face a nationwide ban. We get more from Savannah Sellers. Calling a ban so obviously unconstitutional, today TikTok sued the U.S. government, trying to undo the legislation signed into law last month that would force its Chinese parent company to sell within a year or see it banned. TikTok and ByteDance arguing the law disregards less extreme alternatives and is simply not possible,

not commercially, not technologically, not legally. Adding the law will force a shutdown of TikTok by January 19th, 2025, silencing the 170 million Americans who use the platform. Do you think there's a chance here that TikTok successfully challenges this? I think TikTok has a chance. And if they can articulate that their First Amendment rights are being denied, then the government may have to show that the legislation was necessary to achieve a compelling interest. The Department of Justice declined to comment

on the lawsuit. But in a recent interview, FBI Director Christopher Wray telling Lester, TikTok is a national security concern because it is beholden to the Chinese government. It has to do with the recommendation algorithm. It has to deal with the software. We're talking about the ability to control or collect data on millions and millions of users. TikTok, arguing unspecified national security concerns, are not enough of a reason to restrict free speech and has previously denied it provides American user data to China. The TikTok finally fires back.

Some of the apps users today celebrating the lawsuit. They feel like they have a case. A case in which TikTok says it is being unfairly singled out and is ready to prove as much in court. Savannah Sellers, NBC News. Coming up, most of us take it for granted. So why is there a growing movement to get fluoride out of drinking water? The spreading battle and how it's impacting kids' teeth.

Coming up. It's been around for nearly 80 years. Fluoride added to drinking water to prevent tooth decay. The CDC calls it one of the most important advances of the 20th century. But as Erin McLaughlin reports, it's the latest front in the culture wars. Scrub, scrub, scrub. Ready? Abby Udy Smith is extra careful about brushing her son Teddy's teeth. Now that her local tap water no longer contains fluoride.

After community members in Union County, North Carolina, came forward to express concerns, the county commission voted 3-2 to remove it. I didn't even know that there was a fight against fluoride. She's now scrambling to figure out what to do next for her two small children. We're going to have to talk about possibly supplementing. Dentist Meg Lockery is alarmed. She says fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral, should be added to public water to help develop strong teeth,

especially for small children and those without access to a dentist. Toothpaste with fluoride, she says, is not enough because the fluoride needs to be ingested. We know that fluoride works. All the journal articles have shown that there's a 25% reduction in children and adult decay for people that are in community fluoridated water. Despite being the norm for decades in local debates, the nationwide fight over fluoride and water is reaching new heights in the wake of COVID and the anti-vax movement. Pitting dentists like Lockery. I hope you consider leaving the fluoride in the water for the most vulnerable of our population. Against activists.

How long can our society bear the cost of knowingly lowering our population's IQ? In Union County, the debate erupted when officials prepared to open a new water treatment plant. The local chair of the right-wing political group Moms for Liberty pointed to a controversial 2019 Canadian study that showed slightly lower IQ scores in children whose mothers had higher levels of fluoride exposure during pregnancy, though the study's author acknowledges more research is needed. Fluoride is actually the one substance that we add to our water that's not meant to address the quality of the water. County Commissioner Brian Helms voted to remove fluoride.

By putting a substance that's meant for a medicinal-type benefit into our water, it brings up a significant question about consent. Major health organizations, including the CDC, the American Dental Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, support fluoride in drinking water. But it's been rejected by dozens of communities throughout the U.S. in recent years, with activists determined to press further. The public is starting to become more aware and less blindly trusting of authorities. So is your goal to remove fluoride from public water sources nationwide? Absolutely, yes.

Leaving parents like Abby Udy like Abby Smith increasingly worried about the long-term impact of her tap water. It definitely will mean more avid teeth brushing and just keeping up on dentist appointments. Erin McLaughlin, NBC News, Union County, North Carolina. And up next for us tonight, down the rabbit hole and inside a magical new museum where some of the most beloved children's stories come alive. Finally, we want to tell you about the amazing new attraction where classic children's books literally leap off the page. Here's Maya Eaglin. In Kansas City, three generations of the Fetterman family gather for a story. That should tell us if we are

inside the marshlands of Frog and Toad. A big snake came out of the cave. Oh, the snake's over there. At the new Rabbit Hole Museum, the pages of beloved books are brought to life from Caps for Sale and Madeline to Good Night Moon and Where the Sidewalk Ends. 40 immersive exhibits in all. Visitors enter through the rabbit hole and are transported into some of the most classic childhood books. When I went into one of the rooms, it was really cool because it looked exactly like the book. It's the passion project of former bookstore owners Pete Cowden and Debbie Pettid.

It's one thing to buy a book, but it's another thing where that book is connected to a memory. Harry was a white dog with black spots. Why do you like reading? It like transports me to a different world. With so many stories to tell, Pete and Debbie say the rabbit hole will be in constant evolution. We've been working on it for eight years. It's never going to be finished. Nobody has seen my house. What if I never see it again? What are you hoping visitors walk away with from here? The stories that we have here have already been told and they can be experienced over and over again. We want every kid especially to know that they have a story that matters.

And wouldn't that be a happily ever after? Maya Eaglin, NBC News, Kansas City, Missouri. 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.