NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Episode Date: January 18, 2024

Trump attends court as critical NH primary looms; With Boeing 737 MAX 9 fleet still grounded, FAA completes first group of inspections; Palestinian American college student paralyzed in Vermont shooting speaks out for the first time; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the drama in the courtroom for Donald Trump with the New Hampshire primary just six days away. The former president in a New York court for the second defamation trial brought by writer E.G. Carroll. Why the judge threatened to throw him out. Mr. Trump responding, I would love it. And the new poll in New Hampshire, is he maintaining his lead over Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis? Just in, the new U.S. strike on the Houthis in Yemen

after designated the Iran-backed rebels a terror group. The health concerns for the royals. Princess Catherine hospitalized after abdominal surgery. Why we may not see her in public for months. And King Charles' health battle, why he's expected to be hospitalized too. The new cross-country storm, a falling power line killing three people.

And why the deep freeze is hitting some electric vehicle owners extra hard. Our NBC News exclusive, the Palestinian-American student paralyzed after he and his friends were shot in Vermont, speaking out for the first time why he believes they were targeted. The new alert about rising deaths among younger Americans from a certain form of cancer, the signs to watch out for, and the extraordinary art exhibit, nearly 400 portraits that tell the story of Chicago in a way you've never seen before.

This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome, everyone. Donald Trump on the attack tonight, both as a presidential candidate and as a defendant, the latter appearing in court here in New York for the defamation trial against him, reacting angrily during the testimony of plaintiff E. Jean Carroll. She's the writer who is seeking millions in damages for Mr. Trump, who has already been found liable for sexual abuse and defamation.

In court, the ex-presidents' animated and vocal behavior drew a warning from the judge, who told Mr. Trump he had a right to be present, but that right can be forfeited if he disregards court orders. Tonight, Mr. Trump speaking outside the court in a news conference complaining about the judge. But candidate Trump not taking his eye off New Hampshire, but rather taking aim at opponent Nikki Haley, who polls show is his closest competitor as we head toward Tuesday's primary. Garrett Haik now with late details. Tonight, the campaign sprint to the New Hampshire primary, taking a detour through a New

York City courtroom. Donald Trump there for a second defamation lawsuit by writer E. Jean Carroll, who testified today. The judge threatening to kick out the Republican frontrunner for talking too loudly to his attorney. Trump saying, I would love it. The judge replying, I know you would because you just can't control yourself in this circumstance. On social media, Trump attacking the judge as, quote, a seething and hostile Clinton-appointed judge who is abusive, rude and obviously not impartial. I'm leaving right now for New Hampshire. We just got a poll in that shows me leading by a lot. And I think we'll do there maybe similar to what we did in Iowa. It comes after Trump's rally in New Hampshire overnight. Nikki Haley is a disaster. Looking for another landslide win and going after Nikki Haley. A new poll shows Haley in a distant second here, trailing Trump by 16 points. She's not tough

enough to deal with these people, I will tell you that. She's not tough enough. Your time is Tuesday. The Granite State widely seen as make or break for Haley, with its mix of more independent voters and moderate Republicans like Haley supporter Jude Blake. Well, I think Trump doesn't believe in my version of democracy, and I'm just looking for an alternative, plus younger. We need younger, and we need women. Haley campaigning overnight. I voted for President Trump twice, but rightly or wrongly, chaos follows him. You know I'm right.

Chaos follows him. I'm the only one that's not running a basement campaign. While Ron DeSantis calling out both Trump and Haley for refusing to debate before the primary here. Donald Trump won't debate. He's not willing to defend his record. And Nikki Haley won't debate because she's not willing to defend her record. What does that say? But that's not swaying Trump supporter Bob Swan. What put Trump over the top after you looked at everybody else? The previous administration and just the fact that he has an actual record forceful and

willing to fight against the establishment and garrett former president trump will be off the trail tomorrow that's right lester off the trail and away from a courtroom he will be in florida attending his mother-in-law's funeral but his campaign is planning a series of large-scale rallies here this weekend hoping to send a signal that this race is over if he can score another big win here on Tuesday. Lester? All right, Garrett Haig, thank you. Now to breaking news. The U.S. military struck another target in Yemen this evening. Pentagon correspondent Courtney Kuby has late details. Courtney, what's the latest? That's right, Lester. Today, the U.S. military striking multiple missile sites in Yemen, according to two U.S. defense officials.

The officials calling these strikes preemptive, saying U.S. Navy ships launched Tomahawk missiles, taking out Houthi missiles and launchers before they could target more ships in the Red Sea. Meanwhile, another U.S.-owned commercial ship was hit by an attack drone from the Iranian-backed militia today. It's a near-daily tit-for-tat. The Houthis keep attacking ships. Despite the U.S. military striking Houthi targets, the hostilities driving the Biden administration to redesignate the Houthis a terror group. It's a designation originally made by former President Donald Trump. President Biden came into office and removed the designation amid humanitarian concerns, Lester. Courtney Kuby with the breaking news tonight. Thanks. Now to the surprising health news about the royals.

The Princess of Wales is hospitalized and recovering after abdominal surgery and King Charles will soon undergo a procedure. Here's Molly Hunter. Tonight, serious health concerns within the royal family. In a surprising announcement today, Kensington Palace says Kate, Princess of Wales, is recovering from a successful planned abdominal surgery. They don't say why, only that the 42-year-old was admitted to the London Clinic Tuesday and will likely remain in the hospital for 10 to 14 days, a rare lengthy stay. A source at Kensington Palace confirms her condition is non-cancerous, providing no additional details.

The palace says she'll cancel all public appearances until after Easter, her husband, the future king, also taking a time out. We know that Prince William will also not be carrying out public engagements in the coming weeks. He very much plans to be at home with the children in their mother's absence and at her side when he can be. And also today in a surprise second statement, Buckingham Palace announced 75-year-old King Charles will have a procedure next week for an enlarged prostate like thousands of other men, the palace notes. His Majesty's condition is benign, the statement says, calling it a corrective procedure. Apparently, the king was very keen to publicize the fact that he'd sought treatment for this

because he wants to inspire other people, so other men of his age and possibly younger, to look for the symptoms and to go and seek treatment. Lester King Charles has also been advised to postpone his engagements until after his recovery. A double shot tonight for the royal family. Key members out of sight dealing with serious health concerns. Lester. Molly Hunter in London. Thanks.

We're tracking a new cross-country storm threat tonight already proving dangerous. In Oregon, three people were killed when a power line fell on their car. At least 10 people have died in the area from winter conditions. It's part of a system slamming the northwest with a mix of rain, snow and ice as it moves east. The front pushes into the central U.S. tomorrow. By Friday, it could bring more snow to the mid-Atlantic and northeast. Brutal cold is still gripping the eastern half of the U.S. and for many electric vehicle owners causing a lot of headaches.

Adrienne Broaddus explains. Electric vehicles may save drivers on the cost of filling up, but this winter, growing frustrations for drivers stuck waiting at charging stations. But you still have to wait for those other cars to get through charging, to even get to the charger. Uber driver Marcus Campbell says he spent hours this week charging his car after freezing temperatures swept across Chicago. I'm not making no money and time is money. The problem? The cars run on lithium batteries, which can take longer to charge in cold temperatures. You may even need to charge more often. According to AAA, the average electric vehicle's driving range decreases by 41 percent

when the temperature outside dips to 20 degrees and when the car's heater or AC is on. For each electric vehicle model, the EPA lists the mileage, but experts say that number can be misleading. We've seen that that is wrong on day one and doesn't account for weather variants. So EVs get less range in the extreme cold and they get a little bit less range in the extreme heat. Experts say especially when it's cold, drivers should keep their vehicles charged overnight, ideally in a garage. And don't let your car's charge fall below 20 percent. If the battery drops to zero, the car will have to be towed and possibly repaired. In Chicago, some tow truck businesses getting a boost. David Burt says he's been busy in the cold. We have seen an increase

in calls from a lot of different owners that have electric vehicles. While some learn to weather the inconvenience for others, the challenges are too much. I'll be getting a gas vehicle ASAP. Because it's not it for you? It's not it for me. Adrienne Broaddus, NBC News, Chicago. Tonight, the first Boeing MAX 9 inspections by the FAA are complete, but with Boeing now fighting for its reputation, one of its most loyal airline customers, Alaska Airlines, is sending its own inspectors. The FAA said today it's now reviewing data from the first 40 MAX 9 inspections before inspecting the rest of the grounded fleet. Underscoring the loss of airline trust in Boeing, Alaska Airlines is now sending its own inspectors to Boeing plants.

Adding more experienced professionals to the teams that validate work and quality on the production line for the 737. The production line is where Boeing's reputation is on the line, five years after two fatal MAX 8 crashes overseas. The MAX 9 fuselage is made by Spirit Aerosystems, which has struggled with quality control for years. The FAA is now investigating both Boeing and Spirit production practices. Boeing CEO David Calhoun told Spirit employees today,

we're going to learn from it and then we're going to apply it to literally everything else we do. As the NTSB lab in Washington analyzes the critical evidence, the door plug that exploded was supposed to cover an unused emergency exit secured with four bolts. The NTSB says it was made at a spirit plant in Malaysia. The question is whether bolts were ever attached. Alaska and United Airlines say they've since found loose bolts on other grounded MAX 9s. Boeing, meanwhile, has also hired an outside audit team led by a retired Navy admiral to review Boeing's quality control program.

Still no word on when the MAX 9 might return to service. Lester. All right, Tom Costello, thanks. And from China, news that the country is falling behind with a population drop for a second year and new signs of a slowing economy. Janice Mackey-Frayer is in Beijing for us. Janice, this came as surprising news. Lester, China is looking to show strength on the global stage, but there are new signs of trouble at home. The economy here is still growing, but not the way it used to. And the bigger problem is demographics, today revealing this steep decline in the country's birth rate. The government has been offering incentives to couples to have more kids, things like tax breaks and cash. China's leader, Xi Jinping, even urging women to fulfill

a patriotic duty. This is all a sharp reversal of a policy that for decades punished couples for having more than one child. India recently overtook China as the most populous country. Lester. Janice Mackey-Frayer in Beijing. Thank you. In 60 seconds, our exclusive with the Palestinian college students who were shot in Vermont. One paralyzed speaking out about the attack for the first time, why he thinks they were targeted. Next. In the Middle East, a shipment of medicine arrived in Gaza late today for the hostages still held by Hamas. Under the first agreement between Israel and Hamas since a week-long ceasefire in November, a three-month supply of medicine will go to 45

of the hostages. The Red Cross will also distribute medicine and other aid to Palestinians. That brings us to our exclusive with two Palestinian college students who were shot and wounded in November while walking down the street. Our Tom Yamas talked to them about why they believe it happened. I just remember gunshots and falling down. For the first time, Hisham Awartani, the Palestinian-American college student who was shot and paralyzed, is telling his story. How he and his two friends were ambushed on a November night in Burlington, Vermont, he says, because of racism. Growing up in Palestine, this is something that I'd already,

I'd always thought was possible. But did you think it happened here? Not really, no. I definitely expected it would happen to me in the West Bank, in Palestine, but not in Vermont. Hisham and his two best friends, Kinan Abd alalhamid and Tasin Ali Ahmed, all grew up together in the West Bank, doing everything together, including going to college in the U.S. With the war raging, the friends decided to stay with Hisham's family in Burlington during the Thanksgiving break. Hisham's uncle was driving us from Bowling Alley,

and before we went into the house, we decided to walk around the block, so we usually do. Tahseen and I were both wearing the kufiyah, like the traditional Palestinian headscarf for a variety of reasons. Practically because it was really cold, but on a more like, you know, meaningful sense it's because that we felt as Palestinians

during this time period, it's important for us to show our identity and to show that we exist and that we're human. Just walking along the street, you know, this man comes down the porch, approaches us, pulls out a pistol. That scene was screaming when he was shot first. He shamed, didn't make a sound while he was running. As soon as that scene started screaming, I was running. Did you know you were shot? I didn't quite process the fact until I like looked at my phone and I saw my phone had blood on it.

I was like, oh, I've been shot. All units be advised, the shooter is unaccounted for. The next day, federal agents arrested 48-year-old Jason Eaton, who lived steps from the shooting and had an arsenal of weapons in his apartment. He allegedly told the authorities who arrested him, I've been waiting for you. Eaton has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder charges. Why do you think he shot you? Systematic dehumanization. People would like to focus on him as an individual. Oh, he's just this one evil guy. But the truth is he's a symptom of

a larger issue. The bullet that hit Hisham struck his spine. Now paralyzed, he's learning how to navigate his new life. When they told you what your future may look like, or at least what the immediate future would look like, what was that moment like? I mean, yeah, it's definitely something that's hard, but I take solace in the fact that I'm able to receive this care. It makes me think of other people in Gaza who have been disabled by bombings, and they are not able to receive that. I know that my life will continue, but I don't know about theirs. Tom Yamas, NBC News, Boston. Coming up as we continue tonight, the urgent manhunt for a serial stabbing suspect, and what's behind the alarming rise in cancer in young people. We're back now with an urgent manhunt in New York City for a

serial stabbing suspect. Police releasing surveillance video of the suspect and images, including a photo appearing to show a man holding a knife. The suspect is wandered in connection with five unprovoked stabbings over nine days. All the victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries. We turn now to the alarming new report finding that more younger Americans are dying from a certain form of cancer. Ann Thompson now and the mystery behind it and the signs to watch out for. Sierra Fuller was just hitting her stride, building a trauma therapy practice and closing on a house with her husband, Steve. Then at 32 years old, she was diagnosed with cancer,

stage 3B, requiring radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery. Did you have any family history of colorectal cancer? No. No. And I got genetic testing done, and I have no genetic markers for it either. Sierra's story, part of what the American Cancer Society says is an alarming trend. Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer deaths in men under the age of 50 and the second among women of the same age. We do suspect it's something in the environment, but what that is, we don't know. Likely it's a combination of things that's

affecting our microbiomes or our immune systems that may be leading to why this is happening younger and younger. Dr. Kimmy Ng is an oncologist at Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and is seeing a dramatic increase in patients in their 20s and 30s. Younger people tend to have more advanced cancers, correct? Yes. The majority of our young patients who are diagnosed, unfortunately, are diagnosed with either stage 3 or 4 colorectal cancer. Dr. Ng says screening is crucial, especially with a family history of colorectal cancer. If not, colonoscopies begin at 45.

And be aware of symptoms, including blood in the stool, abdominal pain, and unintentional weight loss. Now healthy, Sierra is not wasting a minute traveling and thinking about a family, her eggs preserved before her treatment. Now, yes, it would have to be surrogacy. It would be a completely different way to become a parent. Finding the right pieces in the puzzle of life together. Ann Thompson, NBC News, Boston. And up next, the changing face of a Chicago neighborhood,

the community that wants us to see how they see themselves. Finally, a part of Chicago that's experienced tragedy time and time again, that's decided to reframe its story one portrait at a time. Here's Maggie Vespa. In a church in Chicago's Roseland neighborhood on the city's south side, there is a celebration of the people who call this place home. Long known for shootings and violence, Roseland is now reframing its own narrative. It began with Andre Taylor. Dre was a wonderful grandchild, great-grandson. The 16-year-old star athlete was killed in 2016. Police telling his great-grandmother

Betty Johnson the shooter thought he was someone else. To go out there and look at him laying there on the ground, bleeding in the rain, it's a feeling that you never, ever will forget. I just remember seeing young people walking around in a little bit of a daze. In a place used to memorials, the pastor thought this one needed to be different. It needed to honor the neighborhood that loved Dre. What better way to show the beauty of the neighborhood than to show people's faces? Enter local artist John Baker. People submitted their own photos.

Yeah, it's important that people control how they get represented. For the next five years, Baker painted members of the community, nurses and cops, musicians and kids, Betty and Dre. 500 years ago, the only people who got their portraits painted were kings, and each of us are worthy of that kind of attention. This is the Roseland Portrait Project, 397 faces later. When I go out there and look at all of them, they see my grandson, does my heart really good. Roseland, the whole picture. Maggie Vespup, NBC News, Chicago.

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