NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Episode Date: May 30, 2024

Jury deliberates charges against former President Trump in hush money case; Alito declines to recess himself in cases involving Trump and Jan. 6; China to send two new pandas to National Zoo; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the trial of former President Trump now in the hands of the jury. The deliberations just wrapping for the day after four and a half hours so far. In the case, it could dramatically impact the race for the White House. The critical instructions the judge gave jurors, will it help the prosecution or the defense? And what they asked for today from inside the jury room. Plus, what could happen when they reach a decision. The flap over flags. Conservative Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito tells Congress he won't step aside from Trump-related cases before the high court.

What's behind the call for him to recuse and what he said about his wife's central role in the controversy. Emergency landing. The moment a plane landed on a busy highway as drivers filmed it all. How the MLB is rewriting the record books to honor the hits, home runs, and milestones of some of history's greatest players. The pan-diplomacy breakthrough inside the new effort to bring the furry favorites back to the National Zoo. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome. And now we wait. The fate of Donald J. Trump, former president of the

United States and now criminal defendant, is tonight in the hands of a Manhattan jury. The seven men and five women deliberating for four and a half hours today on whether Mr. Trump was part of an unlawful scheme to falsify business records to cover up hush money paid to an adult film star. He is charged with 34 counts. Late this afternoon, the panel rang a bell summoning a bailiff to the deliberation room, not to say they had reached a verdict, but rather with questions about those instructions and a request to have a readback of testimony from two major prosecution witnesses. Tonight, lawyers on both sides can only wonder what the jury could be telegraphing about its process and progress.

Senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett has the latest. Tonight, jury deliberations wrapping up for the day in former President Trump's hush money case, the first trial of an American president. Seven men and five women deliberating for roughly four and a half hours after sitting through more than an hour of complex instructions from the judge, who told the Manhattan jury to set aside any bias for or against Mr. Trump and to not ignore any evidence simply because you want the trial to end. Judge Juan Merchan walking jurors through each of the 34 counts Mr. Trump faces for allegedly falsifying his business records to cover up Michael Cohen's payoff of a porn star on the eve of the 2016 election, which Mr. Trump denies. The charge normally a misdemeanor raised

to a low-level felony here because prosecutors argued the allegedly doctored records were meant to cover up another crime, in this case a conspiracy, to promote Mr. Trump's candidacy in 2016 through, quote, unlawful means. At trial, prosecutors raised possible violations of multiple other laws that could qualify as those unlawful means, including campaign finance violations Mr. Trump was never charged with. The judge instructing the jury today to reach a guilty verdict, they need not be unanimous about which unlawful means triggers that felony, a major advantage for prosecutors. It's a disgrace. And I mean that mother to race, it could not beat those charges, but we'll see. I just want to say it's a very unfair trial.

The jury asking for a readback of certain testimony from the very first witness, tabloid boss David Pecker, as well as Cohen. And jurors instructed today not to consider the possible sentence Mr. Trump could receive if convicted. He faces anywhere from four years in prison to just probation. And the presumptive GOP nominee can still be elected president, even if he's found guilty. So, Laura, what happens now with this testimony that the jurors have asked to hear again? Well, Lester, the prosecution, the judge, the defense team all need to finalize exactly what portions of the transcript are going to be read back to the jury. The judge suggesting it could be substantial as much as maybe a half an hour of testimony. Court's going to pick up tomorrow morning at 930.

Lester. All right, Laura Jarrett, thank you. Also this evening, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito responding to calls by Democrats to recuse himself from cases involving January 6th. The issue, those controversial flags that flew at his homes. Here's Kelly O'Donnell. A defiant judgment from Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito today. Refusing Democrats' demands that he recuse himself from pending cases related to January 6th and former President Trump

over flags flown at his Virginia home in 2021 and New Jersey vacation house in 2023, flags frequently used by MAGA followers who deny the 2020 election results, the incident sparking national attention just this month. Today, Alito repeatedly blamed his wife Martha Ann as solely responsible for the controversial displays and distanced himself in a pair of detailed letters to Congress. I had nothing whatsoever to do with the flying of the flag. I asked my wife to take it down, but for several days she refused. The conservative justice said his wife was greatly distressed over a very nasty neighborhood dispute, noting she is a private citizen with full First Amendment rights. Alito contends the events do not meet the threshold for recusal,

so he is duty-bound to reject the request. Democratic leaders have expressed outrage. It's totally inappropriate. Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas are totally out of control. Justice Thomas' wife, Ginny, backed efforts to overturn the 2020 election outcome, but has recently said she and her husband don't discuss their work with each other. Alito is among the most conservative jurors on the court, yet he asserted ignorance that the flags have been associated with conservative anger.

And January 6th, I was not aware of any connection between this historic flag and the Stop the Steal movement, and neither was my wife. Today, 18 Democrats from the House Judiciary Committee signed a letter to Chief Justice Roberts asking him if these events violate the court's code of conduct adopted last November and urging him to enforce that code. Lester. Kelly O'Donnell, thank you. Now to new developments in a case that captivated the nation. Convicted killer Scott Peterson was back in court today pushing for another trial and a new shot at freedom. Here's Liz Kreutz. Tonight, Scott Peterson appearing in court from prison 20 years after being convicted of killing his pregnant wife, Lacey, and their unborn child, Connor. Despite what investigators say is

overwhelming evidence against him, the now 51-year-old, who was serving a life sentence without parole, has the backing of the Los Angeles Innocence Project as he makes yet another attempt for a new trial. There is absolutely no forensic evidence in this case implicating Scott Peterson. His new attorney is asking a California judge to allow for new DNA testing on several pieces of evidence they say was suppressed, including a burned out orange van that was found in Modesto

the day after Lacey disappeared, but not made known during the initial trial. His attorney is saying inside the van was a bloody mattress, and they want to know if that blood was Lacey's. Should Lacey Peterson's DNA be found anywhere, that would be irrefutable, expulatory evidence supporting Mr. Peterson's claim for innocence. But the prosecution pushing back, saying testing done in 2019 showed no blood on the mattress and only male DNA. These are claims that have been previously litigated. Peterson's trial captivated the nation, a jury finding him guilty after a trove of

circumstantial evidence, including that Lacey and Connor's bodies washed up in the San Francisco Bay, the same place he had gone fishing the day they vanished, and his affair with a woman he had told his wife had died. And a judge must now decide whether to grant that new DNA testing. If that happens and Lacey's DNA is found on evidence, it could lead to a new trial. Lester. All right, Liz, thank you. We're getting new details tonight about an explosion that rocked a Wisconsin neighborhood. Two people died when a house exploded northwest of Madison last night. Authorities now say they believe flames inside the home may have touched off ammunition stored

there. Neighbors reported hearing sounds of gunfire. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation. Both President Biden and Vice President Harris made a critical stop in Battleground, Pennsylvania, part of a new bid to reach out to black voters. Gabe Gutierrez is in Philadelphia. In a rare joint appearance on the campaign trail, President Biden and Vice President Harris turned up the heat on former President Trump. Now he's running again and is clearly unhinged. Their campaign launching a renewed effort to court black voters in this critical swing state. Joe Biden gave his word that we would fight to address

some of the biggest issues facing the black community, and we have delivered. It comes as Mr. Trump is making his own push, including in the South Bronx. Joe Biden is not getting the job done for the Bronx. Recent NBC News polling shows that President Biden's support among Black voters has dropped since 2020. Back then, exit polls showed Black voters supported Biden over Trump by 75 points. Now that Biden advantage has narrowed to 58 points. Perhaps more concerning for Democrats? Less enthusiasm. Four years ago, 74 percent of black voters had high interest in the election. Now, it's just 59%.

Is the campaign worried about that? I think it's important for each and every one of us to go out and make the case and show black America that this is an administration that sees us. This is an administration that is willing to fight for us. Democratic Maryland Governor Wes Moore is helping lead the outreach. You've got to continue to believe in an administration that's actually doing the work. But it's a tough sell for Eugene Thomas, who runs a nonprofit in Philadelphia. Has President Biden earned your vote? Not yet. After voting for Biden in 2020,

he's considering voting third party or not at all. For him, inflation is a top issue. People are struggling. We have to help people extra with groceries, gas prices. The Trump campaign argues the former president's economic policies benefited black families. Calling President Biden's speech today. All right, Gabe, thank you. In 60 seconds, a dramatic highway landing caught on camera, plus the reverse migration why some who fled to Florida are now saying they've had enough of the Sunshine State. It certainly wasn't the typical scene on a highway today near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Yes, that was a small plane making an emergency landing because of engine failure. The highway patrol said two people were on the plane. No

injuries were reported. As millions of Americans picked up and moved during the pandemic, few states saw a bigger boom than Florida. But for some transplants, the Sunshine State has lost its luster. Shannon Pettypiece explains. I mean, I agree. This is beautiful. You know, you can't ask for a nicer setting. Months into the pandemic, Dennis Cole sold his Connecticut home and like hundreds of thousands of Americans headed to Florida, many drawn by the state's lower taxes and sunny skies. It's not the panacea that I had in my head. But now he's preparing to put his Florida house on the market and move back north.

We have political issues in Florida that are just ugly. We have costs skyrocketing. Florida has been among the fastest growing states in the nation since the start of the pandemic. In 2022 alone, more than 700,000 people moved there. But at the same time, nearly 500,000 left, the largest number since the Great Recession. We spoke with dozens of former Florida residents who have recently left the state, among the reasons they gave, a soaring cost of living. Florida has had one of the nation's highest rates of inflation. Last year, car insurance was up 24 percent and homeowners insurance jumped 42 percent. Home prices have risen 60 percent since 2020. They love the blue skies and the dolphins in the water, but this comes at a price.

John Desitel has spent two decades selling Florida real estate. Are you getting a lot of calls from people who moved down here during COVID who are now looking to leave? Yeah, we are. And what's the number one reason they're giving? Politics. Politics. Politics. Florida has recently enacted some of the most conservative legislation in the country,

including a near total ban on abortions and restrictions on how race and sexuality are taught in schools. My in-migration people want to move here due to politics. My out-migration people want to move out of here due to politics. A spokesperson for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that under his leadership, Florida led the country in domestic in-migration in 2022 and saw the highest population growth rate in generations. Look, this has always been a transient state. People come and go. That's normal.

I think our policies have attracted folks. For Cole, who considered himself a moderate conservative when he moved to Florida, the state's political shift to the right has contributed to his decision to leave. Whether it was fighting with Disney, whether the whole LGBTQ thing, it's just that there are so many things that make it uncomfortable for a lot of people to be here. Leaving him and others looking for a brighter future outside the Sunshine State. Shannon Pettypiece, NBC News, St. Pete Beach, Florida. And up next for us, ignored by pro baseball for decades,

why the lineup of all-time greats now includes legendary names from the Negro Leagues. A big change about Major League Baseball. It's updating the record books to honor at long last the milestones of some of history's greatest players. Here's Shaquille Brewster. It's a dramatic shift in the recorded history of Major League Baseball. For the first time, MLB is including data from the Negro Leagues in official stats. Josh Gibson, who went pro in 1930, now has the league's number one career and single season batting average and slugging percentage, surpassing Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and Barry Bonds. This is a great day not only for the Gibson family, but all the family members of

Negro League Base baseball players. Gibson's great-grandson says the honor is meaningful. This will change how other people view him, but does it alter how you view him? No. If Josh Gibson played in the Negro League or the major leagues, he was still one of the greatest of all time. The recognition coming after an independent committee spent more than three years reviewing a patchwork of available data, including thousands of box scores, with more than 2,300 players from the Negro Leagues now entered into the public database. We have a whole lot of black baseball players who are great, but for the color of their skin, would be competing with Ty Cobb,

would be striking out Babe Ruth. In a statement, MLB says this initiative will ensure that future generations of fans have access to the statistics and milestones of all those who made the Negro Leagues possible. Last week, the league and its Players Association also announcing expanded financial assistance programs to support players from the Negro Leagues. But few are still alive. We've caught up with our past. We've made it right. This is sort of reparations. Reparations come to Major League Baseball. Official records honoring some of baseball's greats. Shaquille Brewster, NBC News.

And coming up for us tonight, the special delivery coming from China as pan-diplomacy returns. How the National Zoo is getting ready, next. Finally, with heightened tensions between the U.S. and China, there was fear that when the pandas left the National Zoo, it would be a while before they returned. But as Tom Costello was first to report, good news is on the way. They're 7,500 miles away, but Washington, D.C. is already excited about two two-year-olds who spend their days devouring bamboo and tumbling down hills. The Smithsonian National Zoo now upgrading its panda exhibit for Bao Li,

a male panda with a teenager's energy, and Jing Bao, a more reserved female, relocating to D.C. by the end of the year, part of a new 10-year loan. It is proof positive of the success of our giant panda program. For five decades, they were the biggest stars at the zoo, part of a global conservation program that helped grow the wild population from 1,000 to 1,900 pandas today, plus another 800 in zoos worldwide, moving from endangered to vulnerable.

If you want to save a species, you have to make more of them. But last November, pandamania came to an end when the agreement expired just as U.S.-Chinese relations became strained. All U.S. zoos have been returning their pandas until this new pandaplomacy breakthrough. That's great that they're coming back. And with a family twist for the male, Bao Li. This is very full circle for us because his grandparents came here in 2000. His mom was our only female cub born here at National Zoo. I encourage everyone to care for China-U.S. relations just as you care for pandas and jointly usher in a peaceful and prosperous future.

Perhaps a little panda detente isn't all bad. Tom Costello, NBC News at the National Zoo. And that is night. I love him rolling down that hill. That's nightly news for this Wednesday. Thank you for watching. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.