the showdown in the courtroom. the coldest blast of the season so far from texas to the northeast. we're tracking it. the delta pilot charged with pulling a gun in the cockpit why authorities say he threatened to shoot the captain midflight. and the marathon man running on the road to redemption >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt good evening, and welcome. a diplomatic breakthrough has cracked open the door that has left foreigners, including americans, trapped inside war-torn gaza tonight, americans are among a handful of people who were able to leave gaza after egypt partially opened a key border crossing. gaza has become an increasingly dangerous place for foreigners and residents since israel launched its assault on hamas tonight with israeli troops on the ground there taking their own casualties, a new communications outage is making life even more difficult israel is facing condemnation for yesterday's deadly strike on a refugee camp where israel says a senior hamas leader was killed, but palestinian civilians reported among the casualties president biden pledging the u.s. is working nonstop to get americans out of gaza as soon and as safely as possible while the war continues to fuel the deep divide here at home from alleged hate crimes to divisive behavior at college campuses. raf sanchez leads our coverage >> reporter: tonight, for the first time in three weeks of war, civilians making their way out of gaza to the safety of egypt. it's a diplomatic breakthrough after long negotiations, but today only around 300 lucky foreigners found their names on the list to pass through the rafah crossing. among them, a handful of americans, including 71-year-old aid worker ramona okumura, who came to gaza to make prosthetic limbs for children we spoke to her niece tonight. >> we are just so relieved and grateful that she is finally on her way to safety. >> reporter: hundreds more americans are still trapped. the u.s. says hamas has been blocking them >> we see more of this process going on in the coming days. we're working nonstop to get americans out of gaza as soon and as safely as possible. >> reporter: egypt is not accepting refugees from gaza, so for palestinians without a foreign passport, the only ticket out of the strip is a grievous injury this 8-year-old was wounded by an israeli strike his family tells us his father and grandparents were killed he's 1 of around 70 patients evacuated today for urgent medical care in egypt. earlier israel bombed the jabaliya refugee camp for the second time in two days today israel says it hit a hamas command center deliberately hidden under civilian homes. our cameras were at a nearby hospital as the wounded, including children, were rushed in, and israeli ground troops pushing deeper into the strip closing in around gaza city in their effort to crush hamas. the military says these weapons were used in hamas' october 7th massacre where 1,400 israelis were killed assault rifles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades like this, this is just a fraction of the firepower hamas has inside gaza. >> reporter: israel's prime minister repeating his pledge, no cease-fire until hamas is defeated, but as the death toll in gaza rises, so is international pressure on israel. dozens of aid trucks did cross into gaza today, but nowhere near enough, and israel is still blocking fuel deliveries saying the gas will be stolen by hamas, and with every hour fears for the hostages growing with hamas still refusing to release them. in new york, holocaust survivors holding photos of the hostages >> so, i feel very, very attached to all those innocent people who have been captured >> reporter: survivors of the jewish people's darkest hour sending strength to those being held in darkness in gaza. >> raf is joining us now. raf, do we know how many american citizens are still trapped in gaza >> lester, there are around 400 u.s. citizens, but when you include their family members, that's around a thousand people in total. we do expect the rafah crossing to be open again tomorrow lester >> raf sanchez tonight, thank you. the attorney general said today there's been a significant increase in threats against jewish and muslim communities, and college campuses are seeing it from coast to coast here's miguel almaguer >> reporter: not far from cornell university today, 21-year-old student patrick dai appeared in federal court facing charges that he threatened to kill or injure jewish students u.s. officials warn of a significant increase in threats against jewish and muslim communities nationwide >> for our democracy to function, we must all be protected and a right to live free from hate-fueled violence and the threat of violence. >> reporter: it comes amid growing concern over violence and safety at universities across the country >> it's heartbreaking. i don't feel safe on campus >> reporter: known for its history rooted in demonstration, tonight its leadership at the of california making headlines after the university president issued a statement calling the hamas attack, an act of terrorism, a group of 300 faculty members demanded school officials retract its charges of terrorism to uplift the palestinian freedom struggle, but monday regent jay sures, who is also vice chairman of united talent agency, called the counter letter appalling and repugnant adding, it seeks to legitimize and defend the horrific savagery of the hamas massacre. >> i think that we need to start treating other people as human beings instead of labels like israeli and palestinian. >> reporter: more than just a volatile flash point on campus, hate crimes against jews and muslims are both on the rise nationwide in las vegas, a man is charged with leaving a series of anti-semitic threats for senator jacky rosen. >> no one has the right to intimidate, to threaten, incite violence in the leadership, but all of our universities need to take that stance strongly against all of it, whether it's anti-semitism, racism, islamophobia, or other forms of hate. >> reporter: tonight, a war overseas and clashes here at home miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. here in new york, the first of donald trump's adult children took the witness stand today in the civil fraud trial against the republican front-runner senior legal correspondent laura jarrett has that story. >> reporter: tonight, the former president's eldest son inside a manhattan courtroom, donald trump jr., the first of his siblings to testify in a $250 million civil fraud lawsuit against the family's real estate business new york's attorney general accusing the republican front-runner, his sons, and his company of inflating assets to get better terms on loans and insurance, pointing to don junior's signature on documents certifying the accuracy of the company's financial statements, which include assets like mr. trump's apartment in manhattan listed as 30,000 square feet when it's actually a third of that size today he was pressed by the state about his role as executive vice president of the trump organization don junior saying he relied on outside accountants who prepared the financial statement. he's blasted the suit from the democratic attorney general and the judge, also a democrat, as a partisan kangaroo court. >> it doesn't matter what general practices in business would be it doesn't matter. they have a narrative. they have an end goal, and they'll do whatever it takes to get there. >> reporter: the judge has already ruled in the state's favor on the central fraud claim. much of the trial is to determine what, if any, punishment should be handed down meanwhile, the former president said he's done nothing wrong and again slamming the judge posting, quote, leave my children alone. >> so, laura, don junior will be back on the witness stand tomorrow meantime, you're tracking a pretty big headline in another legal case involving the former president. >> that's right, lester a federal judge in florida today signaled she might push the trial date in the case where he's been accused of hoarding those classified documents. now, remember, the case is currently set to begin in may of next year, but the judge noted mr. trump also faces a separate trial in march in that election interference case, that one in washington, d.c. today mr. trump's defense lawyer involved in both of these cases told the judge his team simply needs more time to prepare, lester. >> all right, laura jarrett, thank you. in minnesota today, president biden kicked off a new campaign to reach rural voters as he struggles to sell his economic message ahead of next year's election gabe gutierrez is there. >> reporter: at his iowa farm, dave struthers has been producing pork for decades, but these last few years, he says, have been a struggle >> we've had high costs, and our product we produce has not risen in value correspondingly. >> reporter: inflation has hit rural households harder than the rest of the country. according to researchers at iowa state university, rural households spent an extra $5,500 last year >> we're the people that produce the food and manufacture a lot of the goods, and we seem to be ignored just because we don't have the population. >> reporter: meanwhile researchers at cornell estimate that 94% of the nation's job growth has happened in urban counties since the year 2000. so, today here in minnesota, president biden literally barnstorming kicking off a two-week blitz of rural america >> it's about restoring pride to rural communities that have been left behind for far too long. >> reporter: the administration touting more than $5 billion in federal funding to help create jobs, connect more rural areas to broadband, as well as promote farming techniques that fight climate change the new push is urgent and could be critical to democrats in 2024 >> despite what everyone is saying, the economy has been humming along pretty well. >> reporter: dairy farmers, steven and jodi olson reed, think the president is on the right track. >> i don't blame biden for inflation. i blame corporate greed. >> reporter: but former president trump has kept widening his lead among rural voters, and according to pew research, republicans got 69% of the rural vote in the 2022 midterms. lester. >> all right, gabe gutierrez, thank you a blast of winter weather today in the eastern half of the country brought early snow to parts of the midwest and temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below average. 65 million people under frost or freeze alerts tonight through tomorrow morning from southern new england to the deep south including parts of texas. tonight, yet another confrontation in the cockpit being revealed a delta co-pilot facing charges of pulling a gun and threatening to shoot the captain during an argument here's tom costello. >> reporter: it happened on a delta air lines flight last year now, a federal grand jury has indicted first officer jonathan dunn with using a dangerous weapon to assault and intimidate the captain telling the captain he'd be shot multiple times if he diverted the flight due to a passenger's medical event. dunn was trained and certified to carry a gun as a tsa flight deck officer nbc news aviation analyst captain john cox was also certified. >> the people that were really heavily into the "i'm going to save the world" and "i've got a gun," those people didn't make it through. >> reporter: nbc has been unable to reach dunn. delta says he no longer works for the airline. the indictment comes after an off-duty alaska airlines pilot riding in a cockpit jump seat last week allegedly tried to shut down the engines on a passenger plane joseph emerson has pleaded not guilty to 83 attempted murder counts. he allegedly claimed he was in a mental health crisis and had consumed psychedelic mushrooms two days before the flight. >> he had no intention to harm himself or anybody on the airplane when he acted. >> reporter: the challenge for the faa and airlines screening pilots for signs of serious mental illness or aggression. >> it's really hard to predict violence, even if somebody is experiencing mental health symptoms. >> reporter: both pilots face federal charges of interfering with the flight crew, a felony that carries up to 20 years in prison lester. >> all right, tom, thanks. in 60 seconds, the blockbuster that could shake up the way we buy and sell homes front-runner back now with a big jury verdict rocking the world of real estate. the ruling could change the way americans buy and sell their homes. our senior business correspondent, christine romans, has more in our series, "priced out. >> reporter: a big win for homeowners as a federal jury in kansas city found a system rigged against them. the jury's verdict siding with plaintiff and against the national association of realtors along with two brokerage firms. the case argued that forcing home sellers to pay the commission for the buyer's broker is an anti-competitive restraint and requires those sellers to pay an inflated amount jared bright was a plaintiff in the class action suit. he understood he would need to pay a seller's commission, but the buyer's agent too? >> someone that i had never met, i will never meet, and did nothing for me >> reporter: the jury awarded plaintiff nearly $1.8 billion in a case led by attorney michael ketchmark. >> it's the only system, it's the only industry in the united states where two competitors get together, they set the compensation, and they split it >> reporter: here's how it works when you sell your home, you agree to pay a commission to your agent and the buyer's agent, usually 6% of the home price, but this case argued that the buyer should pay their own agent and be able to negotiate that fee. the national association of realtors says it will appeal the verdict and that its rules prioritize consumers, support market-driven pricing, and promote business competition, but with housing now the least affordable it's been in a generation, the industry is facing increased scrutiny >> and christine joining me now what does this mean now for how we buy and sell homes >> lester, we're talking about an awful lot of money here. the seller of a $300,000 home is paying $18,000 in commissions. that won't change overnight, but the very way real estate agents make their money, earn their money, and even whether or not sellers will continue to pay those commissions is now in question. >> all right christine romans, good to have you here, thanks so much. coming up, how a rise in fear over anti-semitism is prompting some in the jewish community to arm themselves for the first time as incidents of anti-semitism rise, fears of violence are hitting home in the u.s. for some in the jewish community, the concern for safety has prompted them to rethink whether to own a gun. our sam brock reports. >> let it go >> reporter: between the sounds of gunfire -- >> go ahead, whenever you're ready. >> reporter: -- and the gasps of what they produce -- >> i got pretty close. >> reporter: -- here in south florida, some members of the jewish community arming themselves following hamas' brutal attack on october 7th and the anti-semitic threats that have followed. >> graffiti inside of the neighborhood which says, free gaza, kill all the jews, and i'm jewish, and i have two little kids, and i just want to be able to defend myself >> reporter: this woman, one of many jewish mothers we met, now trying out firearms after seeing violent rhetoric creep onto their streets one mom, michelle, worries about her kids walking home from school. >> who isn't upset over everything that's happening, and any innocent life that's being destroyed is horrific, but screaming for the death, my death because i'm a jew, no. >> reporter: this firearm instruction class in the miami area is led by gun store owner, david kowalski. >> it's one of those things that you don't want to need and not have >> how many of you never thought you would ever personally own or use a gun >> reporter: the class featuring a profile of people you might not expect to find grandmothers and guns, not always an obvious pairing. >> i'm like having an out-of-body experience sitting here >> reporter: but as israel's campaign in gaza grows more deadly, so too does the fear of backlash >> every single country, every single town is demonstrating against our people we feel terrified. >> reporter: kowalski says his classes have gone from one or two a week to one or two a day. >> after the hamas invasion, did you see an immediate change in your business? >> yes, absolutely there was definitely an uptick in jewish americans wanting to learn how to protect themselves and their families. >> reporter: for many of the firearm newcomers we met, there are still reservations >> scary >> very good >> it's scary. >> reporter: but for others, there is no longer a choice. >> people who can't respect human life, how can you think that they're going to care about force? >> reporter: a concern that's growing in jewish communities all over the country sam brock, nbc news, south florida. and next, remembering a legendary college basketball coach, the fiery bobby knight just in tonight, the passing of a college basketball legend bobby knight, the coach famous for his 900 plus career victories, and his volcanic temper has died knight led the indiana hoosiers to three championships and later coached at texas tech he was 83. and finally tonight, he's a marathon runner, but when he competes this sunday, it will be a big step from where he started. kate snow explains >> reporter: for rahsaan thomas, running feels like freedom. the native new yorker training for the city's upcoming marathon after 22 years behind bars. >> my first marathon was in san quentin state prison it was 105 laps around a prison yard. >> reporter: in 2000 rahssan was locked up for shooting and killing a man during a drug deal, but while facing a life sentence, he turned his own life around. in prison rahsaan got an associate's degree and started writing for "the san quentin news." >> it's something to be really proud of. >> reporter: he even co-hosted a podcast about prison life that was a finalist for a pulitzer prize it's also where he met volunteer teacher claire gelbert. >> and we just sort of hit it off >> reporter: the two made a pact to one day run the new york city marathon >> so, you make this deal that if -- when you get out, if you get out, you are -- >> we'll do it together >> what's up >> reporter: rahsaan's sentence was commuted by california's governor for dedicating himself to his rehabilitation, and he was released this february. he and claire now running with a new mission, for empowerment avenue, a group rahsaan founded to help publish the work of incarcerated writers and artists. >> if you just treat people like human beings, you change their hearts you change their minds. >> reporter: his hope, to change the american prison system one step at a time. >> for people to hear you're running and hear your story and think, but, wait a second, he killed someone, what do you say to them? >> first i say i'm sorry, and then i would say, i can't pay my debt sitting in a cell if i can make people who once harmed society love society, that's the best way i can pay for my crimes. >> you can't ever undo the past >> there's no way to restore that justice. the only thing i can do is pay it forward >> reporter: kate snow, nbc news, new york. that's "nightly news" for this wednesday. thank you for watching, everyone i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night i'm raj mathai. next on nbc bay area news tonight, pg&e angering a whole lot of people. it's pushing to raise your power bill by more than 20%. >> we're continuing to see rate payers take responsibility for bad decisions by this utility, and we want accountability. >> we're talking to the former mayor of san jose who is now leading the charge against these pg&e rate hikes. also, criminals using