Transcripts For KNTV NBC 20240703

At least eight are dead, dozens injured. Now the truck driver accused of dui and facing charges. Just out, the First Ntsb Report on that baltimore bridge collapse. What happened on that ship before impact . President biden announcing sweeping new tariffs on chinas goods, including raising the tax on their electric cars to 100 . Nbc news investigates the battle between the church and a library in a place known as the hometown of superman. And superstar Caitlin Clark making her pro debut as the new wnba season tips off. Announcer this is ester h. Nbc nightly news with lester holt. Good evening and welcome. The gloves came off today in the criminal trial of donald trump, as the defense got its chance to question former trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen. Trump attorney todd blanche confronting cohen with his history of lies, peppering him with questions designed to expose potential holes in his credibility, painting him as a disgruntled former Employee Bent on revenge. Cohen is a key witness against the former president , who has testified that mr. Trump directed him to buy the silence of Adult Film Actress Stormy Daniels about an alleged affair, and was in on a scheme to disguise the payments as legal expenses. Mr. Trump has denied an affair and pleaded not guilty to charges of falsifying business records. Under crossexamination,e was obsessed with donald cohen pressed about his relationship with mr. Trump. Asked if he was obsessed with donald trump, cohen responding, i admired him. Laura jarrett on one of the most dramatic days in the trial so far. Reporter tonight, trumps defense team tearing into the prosecutions star witness, suggesting mr. Trumps selfdescribed fixer turned fierce trump critic Michael Cohen is out for revenge on his former boss. Do you want President Trump to get convicted in this case . Trump attorney todd blanche asking. Sure, cohen acknowledged. Cohen confirming he recently said the former president belongs in a cage, like an animal. The defense trying to cast cohen as motivated to lie, that he previously fed prosecutors dirt on mr. Trump to get out of prison early, and that now his financial livelihood, including Media Appearances and podcasts, centers on trashing mr. Trump. Cohen acknowledging he has made more than 3 million off his books, disloyal and revenge, and that he had been going on tiktok six days a week to slam his former boss to paid subscribers. Saying of his past praise of mr. Trump, quote, at that time, i was kneedeep into the cult of donald trump. The defense getting cohen to admit he previously described himself as obsessed with mr. Trump, insinuating he was jilted once pushed outside the trump orbit. The states case largely depending on jurors believing cohens word, as he is the only witness who said the former president knew his internal records were falsified to cover up cohens payment of an Adult Film Actress before the 2016 election. Mr. Trump has pleaded not guilty to those lowlevel felony charges. We had a very good day. I think were exposing this scam for what it is. Thank you very much. Reporter earlier today, the prosecution questioning cohen, who told the jury these invoices seeking repayment for Services Rendered in 2017 were false records, and that the Retainer Agreement he references never existed. Prosecutors guiding cohen through check after check with the retainer language included, all false statements, he said, because they werent for valid legal fees, but reimbursements for the hush money. Cohen describing a meeting with mr. Trump at the white house in 2017, where he posed for this picture. Cohen says they discussed mr. Trump reimbursing him for paying off Stormy Daniels, an arrangement developed by Trump Organization cfo Allen Weisselberg months earlier. I was sitting with President Trump and he asked me if i was okay. He asked me if i needed money, and i said, no, all good. He said, because i can get a check. I said, no, im okay. He said, all right, just make sure you deal with allen, cohen testifying. Later saying he was frightened when the fbi raided his home and office in 2018, saying mr. Trump told him, dont worry, im the president of the united states. Stay tough, which cohen took to mean dont flip. But cohen says he turned against mr. Trump after consulting with his family. My wife, my daughter, my son all said to me, were supposed to be your first loyalty. Cohen has been disbarred and convicted of lying under oath. And tonight, the Defense Zeroing in on his motives. Trump attorney blanche asking cohen if he was cohen suggesting thats not fair to say. Blanche then quoting this excerpt from cohens book, quote, i wanted it all, power, the good life, public acclaim, fame. Cohen suggesting, thats not fair to say. Blanche then quoting this excerpt from cohens book, quote, i wanted it all, power, the good life, public acclaim, fame. Those are my words, cohen said, yes. Meantime, laura, there is a defeat tonight for former President Trump regarding the gag order he calls unconstitutional. Reporter yes, lester. An Appeals Court has refused to overturn that gag order that bars him from attacking witnesses at trial, but now the attention has turned to what his allies are saying. Many showing up here to the courthouse in recent days, including today, the House Speaker mike johnson attacking the prosecutors case. Lester . Laura, thanks very much. In central florida, the scene after the collision of a pickup truck and a Bus Carrying Dozens of migrant farm workers. Now eight people have died. Sam brock joins us. And sam, the driver of the pickup truck is under arrest tonight. Reporter lester, good evening. Thats right. The driver of the truck, you see in the ditch over my shoulder that is right now about to be towed, faces eight counts of Dui Manslaughter after police say it veered in the path of the bus and sent it careening into the field over my shoulder. This morning in florida, a deadly crash on a country road. Obviously were here because of a tragedy. Weve got eight dead people. Reporter just after 6 30 in the morning, a Retired School Bus carrying more than 50 Migrant Workers to a Marion County Watermelon Farm sideswiped by a pickup truck. The school bus traveled off the roadway onto the grass shoulder, where it went through a fence, First Responders dispatched in force. More tha struck a tree and overturned. Reporter First Responders dispatched in force. More than 30 ambulances rushing 38 people to area hospitals. At least eight of them died at the scene, several more in lifethreatening condition. So there is high probability this may be beyond eight fatalities. Reporter florida Highway Patrol identifying the driver of the pickup truck as 41yearold Bryan Maclean howard, with a lengthy criminal history, now charged with eight counts of Dui Manslaughter. Locals in this largely agricultural area say over the past several years, its been eve these back roads can be dangerous. This road seems to have a lot of traffic incidents. Over the past several years, its been even worse. Reporter Authorities Say that weather might have been a factor, and promised a full investigation into exactly what caused the fatal crash, but say that review could last six months. Im confident we will have answers for the family to be able to get them closure of why we had this crash. Reporter for now, this wreckage offers only questions and inconsolable heartbreak. Sam brock, nbc news, ocala, florida. And late today, the National Transportation safety board released its preliminary report of what went wrong aboard the dali, the massive Container Ship that crashed into the Francis Key Scott Bridge in baltimore. Ryan nobles is there. Ryan, what did they find . Reporter well, lester, they determined the ship lost power twice that night. The second power loss coming when it was just 350 yards away from the base of the bridge. And while crews did alert authorities immediately, it was not enough time to anchor the massive vessel or for tugboats to get there to steer the ship to safety. One crewmember onboard the ship actually had to abandon anchoring river. Now the report also revealing that the the vessel in order to avoid being hit by the bridge as it collapsed into the river. Now the report also revealing that the ship lost power just ten hours before this accident. It all comes a day after crews used controlled explosives in order to remove part of the bridge that was still resting onboard the ship. That ship still remains stuck in the river here behind me. They are hoping that can begin the process of moving the ship out of the river as soon as tomorrow. Lester . Okay, ryan nobles, thank you. Now to what some economists worry is anbiden escalating trade war. President biden announcing higher tariffs today on about 18 billion worth of products from china, including Electric Vehicles. Gabe gutierrez is at the white house. Reporter with China Revving up to 10,000, tonight the Biden Administration is slapping higher sell government subsidized Electric Vehicles for as low as 10,000, tonight, the Biden Administration is slapping higher tariffs on evs and other chinese goods to fight what it calls unfair trade practices. Its not competition. Its cheating. Reporter the price to import Electric Vehicles from china will now quadruple from a 25 tax to 100 steel and aluminum, lithiumion batteries, semiconductors, syringes and needles, and personal protective equipment. China heavily subsidized all these products, shing the president is also announcing hikes on a slew of other chinese products, including t unfairlw prices. Steel and aluminum, lithiumion batteries, semiconductors, syringes and needles, and personal protective equipment. China heavily subsidized all these products, pushing Chinese Companies to produce far more than the rest of the world can absorb, and then dumping the excess products onto the market at unfairly low prices. Reporter it was the Trump White House that started charging more for chinese imports. Even that as a candidate he promised to reverse what he called trumps senseless policies on chinese tariffs, President Biden has kept most of them. The biden denies the new moves will lead to more inflation because theyre more targeted. But today the former president saying they dont go far enough. The Trump Campaign has floated a 10 tariff on all imports. China is eating our lunch right now. Reporter the president fired back. He says china is eating our lunch. Thats what trump said today. Hes been feeding them for a long time. Reporter in wisconsin, this car dealer believes the administration is pushing evs too hard, but supports what President Biden did today. Leveling the Playing Field across the board is important, especially when we have the Chinese Government subsidizing their ev production. Reporter in response, chinas Commerce Minister said today the u. S. Is weaponizing trade issues, calling it political manipulation. Lester . All right, Gabe Gutierrez at the white house, thank you. Secretary of state Antony Blinken made an unannounced visit to ukraine today, with a strong message of american support, as russia mounts a new offensive. Andrea mitchell has late developments for us. Reporter tonight, the russians advancing from ukraines northeast border. A desperate race to evacuate thousands of ukrainians on the outskirts of kharkiv. She says, they are shooting from everywhere. Yesterday there was a hit, and the front of our house burned down. Ukraine forced to retreat in recent months, waiting for congress to approve weapons. Now trying to hold the line in villages north of kharkiv. Secretary of state blinken arriving in kyiv today, even taking time to jump on stage with a local band. Playing rockin in the free world. President zelenskyy expressing gratitude, but saying his country still needs air defense against the russian barrage, specifically Patriot Missile batteries. Air defense the biggest deficits for us the Kharkiv Region because the people are under attack. Reporter Secretary Blinken saying the assistance is on its way. Some of it has already arrived. More of it will be arriving. And thats going make a real difference. Reporter but the u. S. Says it doesnt have enough Patriot Missile launchers, and is working with other countries to send theirs. While russia is getting critical support from iran, north korea, and china. Putin is ramping up yet another offensive against ukraine in kharkiv and across the east, sending wave after wave of russian soldiers, iranian drones, north korean artillery, and tanks. Reporter and this week, President Putin Riding The Wave of recent advances in ukraine, will meet with President Xi In Beijing and will discuss the war. Lester . Andrea mitchell, thanks. Lester . Seconds, whats behind a wild run in the Stock Markets . How a post on social media sent some stocks rocketing higher today. Well explain right after this. Media sent some stocks rocketing higher today. Well explain right after this. But my time to enjoy it. But now, i can open up my world with vabysmo. vabysmo is the first fdaapproved treatment for people with wet amd that improves vision and delivers a chance for up to 4 months between treatments, so i can do more of what i love. vabysmo works differently, its the only treatment designed to block 2 causes of wet amd. Vabysmo is an eye injection. Dont take it if you have an infection, active eye swelling, or are allergic to it. Treatments like vabysmo can cause an Eye Infection or retinal detachment. Vabysmo may cause a temporary increase in eye pressure after receiving the injection. There is an uncommon risk of heart attack or stroke associated with blood clots. Severe swelling of Blood Vessels in the eye can occur. Most common eye side effects were cataract and broken Blood Vessels. Open up your world with vabysmo. A chance for up to 4 months between treatments with vabysmo. Ask your doctor. They are back, the socalled meme stocks that shook up the market a few years ago, surging again. Amc up more than 30 , gamestop up 60 , all because of one cryptic post on social media. Christine romans explains. Reporter this picture on social media posted by a guy called Roaring Kitty after nearly three years of silence did this on wall street. Gamestop, which is soaring another 57 this morning, over 7 million shares of volume. Reporter this afternoon, amc and blackberry joining stop in an gamestop in an eyewatering surge. There is no fundamental reason for these stocks to suddenly move 60 , 70 . Its a speculative run. Absolutely. There is no fundamental reason even for some of them to have been worth what they were worth last week. Reporter an echo of 2021, when unloved stocks like gamestop soared as much as 1,000 , propelled by an almost cultlike social media following of this guy. The first stock im going to talk about is gamestop. Reporter thats keith gill, aka Roaring Kitty, featured in the movie dumb money, who told the story of those amateur investors sticking to it the wall street pros. How much did we make today . 5 million. How much did we lose today . A billion. Reporter it wasnt just a get rich quick scheme. Amateur investors online championed what they saw as a revolt against wall street. But experts says the real way to beat wall street is to get rich slowly. What wall street actually hates isnt a meme stock. What they actually hate is people buying and holding index funds, kind of being very passive, doing the financially smart things that work over decades. Reporter for most investors, boring is better. Chose lowcost index funds. Keep Management Fees to a minimum. And check your retirement accounts twice a year. Christine romans, nbc news. When we return, the next chapter in the battle over the role of a Public Library in a town called metropolis, next. Called metropolis, next. The wayfair vibe at our place is western. My thing, darling . Shine. Gardening. Some of us go for the dramatic. How didnt i know wayfair had vanities in tile . [ gasps ] this. Wow do you have any ottomans without legs. Sure. Youll flip for the poof cart. In the wayborhood, theres a place for all of us. Wayfair. Every style. Every home. Ugh, when is my Allergy Spray going to kick in . You need astepro. Astepro . Its faster, bro. 8x faster than flonase. Its faster, bro its faster, bro its faster, bro its mom to you. Astepro starts working in 30 minutes. Astepro and go when enamel is gone, you cannot get it back. But you can repair it with Pronamel Repair. It penetrates deep into the tooth to actively repair acid weakened enamel. I recommend Pronamel Repair. With new Pronamel Repair mouthwash you can enhance that repair beyond brushing. 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Reporter rhonda james never imagined being president of this smalltown Library Board would be controversial. She says, i did not bring my children to the library for religious indoctrination. Reporter in the winter, she started receiving letters saying her Library Director prayed with children, pushed christianity, and had quietly removed computers and thousands of books with themes about sexual identity, other religions, and even halloween. In all the years that youve been on the Library Board, have you ever received letters like these . No. Reporter the board confronted the Library Director, who answered nbc affiliate wpsd when asked if the library censored materials. Absolutely not. Reporter Board Members say they asked her to sign a form promising to end prayer in the library. When she refused, the board terminated her, further fueling a smalltowns battle over its library. The libraries have things that come straight out of sodom and gomorrah. Reporter this Brian Anderson, a town councilman and pastor, preaching to his congregation, which includes the mayor, that satan was in the library. These children that you see here, the enemy hates them. And the enemy wants to kill them. Reporter typically, baptist pastor glenn coram says he agrees with other conservative ministers on moral issues, but not this one. You have someone who is pushing to enforce religious agreement on a public institution. Reporter should the local library reflect the views of the majority . No, i dont think so. The library opens up the world to entirely different ways of thought. Reporter in march, metropolis mayor don canada sided with Pastor Anderson and announced hed remove Library Board members, a step the illinois Secretary Of State called unacceptable. The mayor paused his plans. Do you think prayer is appropriate in the Public Library . Well, now, it depends yeah im going to say this. If youre asking me do i think its all right if it was approved by everybody involved, then i dont see what the problem is. Reporter at a public town meeting, councilmember and pastor Brian Anderson declined to speak with us. Wonder what no comment means. Anybody know that . Reporter but people there had plenty to say about him. His behavior has consequences that go on beyond the library. Reporter the mayor now has until june to make a decision about the Library Board. Rhonda james left worried about her fate and her community. We want to have freedom to practice whatever religion we want or to not practice religion. We want to have the freedom to gather information and learn things. Reporter for the love of the library, she says shell stand her ground. Antonia hylton, nbc news, metropolis, illinois. And coming up, hardwood history. The anticipation couldnt be higher as Caitlin Clark makes her wnba debut. Well speak with the rookie sensation next. 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I just gave it a lift. Ask about vraylar and learn how abbvie could other cities follow suit also . Were live at uc berkeley, where just weeks after leaving her recordbreaking College Career behind, Caitlin Clark is beginning her next chapter tonight as the wnbas newest superstar. Here is stephanie gosk. Reporter as Caitlin Clark gets ready to play her first regular season game in the wnba in front of a soldout arena, there is a buzz among the fans. Scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you to see her play tonight . 10 out of 10. Reporter 10 out of 10 and among the players. Everyone is excited, everyone is pumped. Reporter while the star herself is as cool as ever. What does it feel like to be in this soldout crowd tonight . Yeah, i think it will be good. I dont think its any different than college. Clark for three reporter the Preseason Games drew huge crowds. Lets go reporter since she joined the Indiana Fever, Ticket Prices have skyrocketed. Clarks number 22 jersey is one of the top selling jerseys in any sport. What a slick pass reporter it comes as the wnba announces the addition of a new team, The Golden State valkyries, and teams have started flying private charters to games. Clarks recordbreaking time in the ncaa has fans sticking around to see what the 22yearold can do in the pros, hoping for a few more of those logo threes. Whats a logo three . Well, this is the logo in the middle of the court. She shoots from here all the way to there. Makes it all the time. Reporter clark went first in the draft just last month. The Indiana Fever select Caitlin Clark, University Of Iowa reporter tonight, her pro career officially begins, bringing in new fans and transforming the league. Stephanie gosk, nbc news, uncasville, connecticut. A real gamechanger. Thats nightly news for this tuesday. Thank you for watching. Im lester holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night. Clark, gets away with a little push. Fallaway buries it. Breaking down their encampment. Were live on campus. Also. When is the Recall Election of Alameda County District Attorney pamela price . The key decision tonight . Plus, why are uber and lyft drirs