questioning the fairness of the judge and jury. mr. trump claiming without evidence that the new york court acted in conjunction with the white house and the doj in a rigged trial. president biden in his first comments calling the claims dangerous, but will it change the political landscape with the election rapidly approaching. mr. trump raking in campaign donations in the hours after the verdict and what about voters as a nation makes sense of a historic moment. our team coverage ahead. also tonight, the new legal defeat for abortion in texas. the state supreme court rejecting the latest challenge to one of the country's most restrictive abortion laws. president biden urging hamas to accept a new israeli peace proposal saying, it's time for the war to end. why there is new optimism tonight. just in, the sentence for michelle troconis convicted of helping her boyfriend plot to kill his estranged wife. o.j. prices at record highs. what's driving them up. the long shot baseball team chasing extra innings after their college closed for good. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening, and welcome. donald trump today unrepentant, defiant, and casting himself as the aggrieved one as newspapers across the country proclaim the new york jury's finding of guilt against the former president in his falsified documents trial. today at trump tower, the very place the crimes at the heart of the case took place, mr. trump stood before gathered reporters and some supporters in what appeared to be an unscripted monologue, he railed against the judge calling the trial unfair and rigged and without evidence accused president biden of being behind it. complaints picked up by many of mr. trump's supporters tonight. president biden in his first post-verdict comments pointed out the jury's unanimous verdict and warned it is reckless to say the system is rigged. it's where we begin tonight with hallie jackson. >> reporter: donald trump defiant as ever railing against the dubious history he's made as the first former president convicted of felonies. >> if they can do this to me, they can do this to anyone. >> reporter: as supporters outside trump tower flew a flag reading, trump or death, inside, mr. trump insisted he wanted to take the stand in his own defense. he had the choice and chose not to. >> i wanted to testify. the theory is you never testify because as soon as you testify, anybody, if it were george washington, don't testify, because they'll get you on secret -- something that you said slightly wrong. >> reporter: then a laundry list of false claims, grudges, and grievances including against the democratic prosecutor, who brought the case against him. >> it's a very sad thing that's happening in our country, and it's a -- it's a thing that i'm honored in a way i'm honored because somebody has to do it, and i might as well keep going and be the one. >> reporter: the verdict galvanizing the gop behind him, the trump campaign saying they raised a massive $34 million online in the hours after the conviction came down, and with republicans rallying around him, there's virtually no chance he'll be kicked off the presidential ticket. >> this was a political smear job. this was an attack job. this is what you see in banana republics. >> i think trump benefits from this. i think they elected their president last night. >> i do believe the supreme court should step in. >> reporter: very few breaking ranks, not even mike pence who's refused to endorse his former running mate calling the conviction a disservice to the nation. democrats disagree. >> the american principle that no one is above the law was reaffirmed. >> reporter: president biden, who's kept his distance from mr. trump's legal problems, speaking today from the white house. >> it's reckless, it's dangerous, it's irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don't like the verdict. the justice system should be respected, and we should never allow anyone to tear it down. >> one new york democrat dancing in celebration on tiktok after the verdict. others arguing the conviction shows the system worked. >> i've felt some relief and vindication per the rule of law. >> reporter: the verdict, unprecedented. its impact unclear in a race already unpredictable. >> do you think this conviction helps trump in the election? >> i have no idea. >> reporter: only about three in ten voters in key battlegrounds say they've been following mr. trump's legal issues closely. >> i don't even know what he got convicted for. >> reporter: some 10% to 20% of independents suggest they'd be less likely to vote for mr. trump if convicted even as two-thirds of all voters say a guilty verdict wouldn't make a difference, a hypothetical before, but a reality now for voters in battleground states. >> my immediate response was, finally accountability. i believe mr. trump has broken the law. >> i think it's been a witch hunt since the very beginning. >> hallie joining me here in the studio. the former president's sentencing is going to come at a very critical moment. >> that's right, lester, just four days before the start of the republican convention where he's expected to accept the nomination, and once he does, a u.s. official tells nbc news despite mr. trump's conviction, he is still likely to receive those intelligence briefings traditional for presidential nominees. >> all right. we're also joined by our senior legal correspondent laura jarrett and had a day to absorb all this. where does it go from here? >> a lot of focus on the gag order, that's the one that bars him from attacking witnesses and others. the judge has not lifted that order even though the trial is over, and while a verdict came swiftly, any appeal likely taking months, if not more, to resolve. 24 hours after the historic verdict, a vow to challenge it. >> we're going to be appealing this scam. we're going to be appealing it on many different things. >> reporter: former president trump's attorney, todd blanche, telling nbc's savannah guthrie he's confident they'll win on appeal, arguing the case was doomed from the start pointing to the jury pool in deep blue manhattan. >> we didn't think we were going to get a fair shake in manhattan, and we didn't. >> reporter: blanche today also taking aim at judge juan merchan for not recusing himself. merchan contributed $15 to president biden's 2020 campaign, and his daughter is a democratic political consultant. >> we felt very strongly that there was an actual bias that this judge had, and even if not an actual bias, that there was certainly a perception of bias. >> reporter: a new york appeals court recently upheld merchan's decision to stay on the case, perhaps the most fruitful possible grounds for appeal, legal, not political. including the fact prosecutors relied on a novel legal theory to escalate what would normally be a misdemeanor books and records charge to a felony, and the defense also zeroing in on the credibility of star prosecution witness, michael cohen. >> i do not think michael cohen should ever be somebody who can be relied upon to convict somebody. >> reporter: but the jury reached their verdict after being instructed twice they could not convict on cohen's word alone. cohen today reacting to the verdict. >> i let out a -- just a gasp of air. this has been a long time coming for accountability. >> reporter: the former president expected back in court for sentencing on july 11th facing the possibility of up to four years in prison, but probation more likely given the low level nonviolent felony conviction, his age, and lack of other criminal convictions, nothing in the constitution preventing him from running or winning re-election. laura jarrett, nbc news, new york. also tonight, texas' restrictive abortion law will stand after a legal challenge. it came from women who were denied abortions even though they had serious pregnancy complications. marissa parra on the legal fallout. >> reporter: tonight, the texas supreme court unanimously rejecting the toughest legal challenge yet to the state's strict abortion law, getting rid of a temporary injunction that allowed texans with complicated pregnancies to get an abortion if their doctor made a, quote, good faith judgment. >> it's gut wrenching. >> reporter: amanda and her husband were devastated when they learned their unborn baby would not survive. >> i thought what they would do is go in and intervene immediately, but she told me they couldn't because the baby's heart was still beating, and i wasn't sick. >> reporter: nbc spoke with her exclusively last year. >> because of the law, i very nearly died. nothing about this is pro-life. >> reporter: amanda was forced to wait until she was diagnosed with a life-threatening case of sepsis before being provided an abortion and says vague state law surrounding exemptions put her health and the health of many others at risk. she is 1 of 22 women represented by the center for reproductive rights who sued the state last year. >> doctors are facing a prison term of 99 years in prison, and what is not clear is under what circumstances, how close to death do the women need to be to be able to be eligible for an abortion? >> reporter: today's unanimous opinion from the state's republican justices says, the exceptions, to prevent a woman's death or serious bodily injury, are clear as written. amanda disagrees. >> disappointing is not the right word for how i feel about the opinion. i am infuriated in the justices' decision. >> reporter: the president of texas right to life who helped craft the act heartbeat agrees withes court. >> the court really was faithful to the law and clarified what it says. >> reporter: the ruling marking yet another chapter in post-roe america and a tricky road map surrounding pregnancy. marissa parra, nbc news. almost eight months since the hamas terror attacks that started the war in gaza and president biden is calling on hamas to accept the latest israeli proposal for a cease-fire and tonight a somewhat positive reaction from hamas. kelly o'donnell has more. >> reporter: today president biden made a new unexplicit call for peace in gaza. >> it's time for this war to end. >> reporter: endorsing an israeli-backed three-stage proposal that would return hostages, release palestinian prisoners, and lead to an immediate six-week cease-fire. the president said israel's military has accomplished a key goal after the hamas terror attack. >> hamas no longer is capable of carrying out another october 7th is one of israel's main objectives in the war and, quite frankly, a righteous one. >> reporter: the plan would withdraw israeli forces from populated areas and ultimately include a major reconstruction of gaza. the president with a blunt message to hamas. >> hamas says it wants a cease-fire. this deal is an opportunity to prove whether they really mean it. hamas needs to take the deal. >> reporter: late today israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said he authorized negotiations but will not stop until hamas is completely defeated. against a backdrop of intense political pressure including for the president with protests around the world, today mr. biden asked for help. >> everyone that wants peace now must raise their voices and let the leaders know they should take this deal. >> reporter: in a statement hamas said, it views positively president biden's support for a permanent cease-fire. lester. >> all right, kelly, thank you. and just in, michelle troconis was sentenced to 20 years in prison for helping her boyfriend plot and cover up the murder of his wife, jennifer dulos. emilie ikeda has details. >> reporter: five years since connecticut mother jennifer dulos' disappearance, tonight the woman convicted of helping plan and cover up her killing alongside dulos' estranged husband now knows her fate. the judge sentenced michelle troconis to 20 years in prison. 14 1/2 years, 5 years probation. >> reporter: following heart-wrenching statements from dulos' family. >> for years we searched for her remains, tracking down every lead. >> reporter: troconis appearing emotional as the victim's family spoke. >> michelle is the reason i feel lost and alone on nights when i cannot sleep. she's the reason i blocked out my childold and that day so much i can barely remember it. >> reporter: she went missing in may of 2019 and police zeroed in on her estranged husband, troconis' before, who sat down with nbc's "dateline" before he was charged with murder and later died by suicide. >> fotis, did you have anything to do with her disappearance? >> i did not but would like to leave it at that. >> reporter: addressing their relationship. >> i deeply regret ever being in a relationship with fotis dulos and bringing my daughter, my family, and myself into our life, into his life. >> reporter: still tonight, her attorney vowing to appeal in a case that's gripped the country. emilie ikeda, nbc news. police in canton, ohio released body cam video showing a police dog attacking a man during an arrest. and we should warn you, the video is disturbing. you can see the man already on the ground with his hands behind his back before the dog pounces and appears to bite him with people screaming in the background. it's unclear why the dog was let loose on him. the officer handling the dog has been put on paid leave. in 60 seconds, remembering michelle obama's late mother. and later, finally some relief for people with asthma who struggle with the soaring price of inhalers. the new price caps set to take effect this weekend. smile! you found it. the feeling of finding psoriasis can't filter out the real you. so go ahead, live unfiltered with the one and only sotyktu, a once-daily pill for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, and the chance at clear or almost clear skin. it's like the feeling of finding you're so ready for your close-up. or finding you don't have to hide your skin just your background. once-daily sotyktu was proven better, getting more people clearer skin than the leading pill. don't take if you're allergic to sotyktu; serious reactions can occur. sotyktu can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections, cancers including lymphoma, muscle problems, and changes in certain labs have occurred. tell your doctor if you have an infection, liver or kidney problems, high triglycerides, or had a vaccine or plan to. sotyktu is a tyk2 inhibitor. tyk2 is part of the jak family. it's not known if sotyktu has the same risks as jak inhibitors. find what plaque psoriasis has been hiding. there's only one sotyktu, so ask for it by name. so clearly you. sotyktu. we're back with sad news from the obama family. michelle obama's mother, marian robinson, passed away peacefully this morning at age 86. robinson moved to the white house from chicago to help take care of her granddaughters, malia and sasha, during the obama administration. president obama has credited her with keeping them grounded growing up in the white house. also tonight, relief for millions of americans who struggle with asthma and the chance for a dramatic price drop for inhalers this weekend, but as anne thompson report, for many, more help is needed. >> teresa. >> yep. >> reporter: teresa can't remember when she didn't struggle with chronic asthma. >> i can't catch my breath. >> reporter: inhalers deliver medicine to her inflamed lungs, but the yo-yo in prices from $4 to $150 a month even with insurance means this health care worker can't always support it. >> how often have you gone without refilling your inhaler? >> i went, like, months, and i just try the best i can to use my breathing machine. >> reporter: rationing isn't an option for this woman's son. her 6-year-old son lucas needs his inhaler twice a day no matter the cost. >> the last one he was on, they wanted $500 a month. >> when you started this, how much was his inhaler? >> when he first started, it was $10 a month. easy, simple. >> reporter: following government pressure, on june 1st, two. the four largest inhaler manufacturers will cap co-pay prices at $35 a month. a third will join by next year. >> hi, ms. ricks, how are you? >> reporter: dr. alan baptist says it will help the 30% of patients he sees in the detroit area who can't afford the cornerstone of their care. >> i think this is a great step in the right direction, but it's in some ways just a band-aid on the bigger problem that we have, the outrageous costs of pharmaceutical and drug prices in the united states. >> reporter: high prices that he says play a role in the racial disparities in asthma care with black americans 30% more likely to have asthma than white americans. to take advantage of the new price cap, make sure your doctor is aware. check to see if your inhaler is included, and if you can't get it for $35 at the pharmacy, go to the manufacturer's website for help. but for families like the ricks, it is not enough. >> i wish i could go back to the price we were paying for it. >> $10. >> yeah, i can't really control that. >> reporter: for medicine that is priceless. anne thompson, nbc news, detroit. we are back in a moment with why the cost of orange juice is soaring and why it might be here to stay. be if you have moderate to severe ulcerative colitis or crohn's disease... put it in check with rinvoq... a once—daily pill. when symptoms tried to take control, i got rapid relief... and reduced fatigue with rinvoq. check. when flares kept trying to slow me down... i got lasting steroid—free remission... with rinvoq. check. and when my doctor saw damage,... rinvoq helped visibly reduce damage of the intestinal lining. check. for both uc and crohn's: rapid symptom relief... lasting steroid—free remission... and visibly reduced damage. check. check. and check. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections and blood clots, some fatal; cancers, including lymphoma and skin; heart attack, stroke, and gi tears occurred. people 50 and older with a heart disease risk factor have an increased risk of death. serious allergic reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you are or may become pregnant. put uc and crohn's in check... and keep them there with rinvoq. ask your gastroenterologist about rinvoq and learn how abbvie can help you save. ( ♪ ♪ ) start your day with nature made. the #1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand. salonpas lidocaine flex. a super thin, flexible patch with maximum otc strength lidocaine that contours to the body to relieve pain right where it hurts. and did we mention, it really, really sticks? salonpas, it's good medicine. want to get the most out of one sheet? grab bounty. (♪♪) bounty is made to be stronger... ...and more absorbent. so, while ordinary brands can't hold up, one sheet of bounty keeps working, even when wet. (♪♪) now that's the sound of value. bounty. the quicker picker upper. for people who feel limited by the unpredictability of generalized myasthenia gravis and who are anti-achr antibody positive, season to season, ultomiris is continuous symptom control, with improvement in activities of daily living. it is reduced muscle weakness. and ultomiris is the only long-acting gmg treatment with the freedom of just 6 to 7 infusions per year, for a predictable routine i can count on. ultomiris can lower your immune system's ability to fight infections, increasing your chance of serious meningococcal infections, which may become life-threatening or fatal, and other types of infections. complete or update your meningococcal vaccines at least 2 weeks before starting ultomiris. if ultomiris is urgent, you should also receive antibiotics with your vaccines. before starting ultomiris, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions and medications. ultomiris can cause reactions such as back pain, tiredness, dizziness, limb discomfort, or bad taste. ultomiris is moving forward with continuous symptom control. ask your neurologist about starting ultomiris. there is a growing problem in the groves that fill america's orange juice glasses, and it's leaving the beloved breakfast staple more expensive than ever. here's christine romans. >> reporter: in florida this fourth generation citrus farmer is smack in the middle of an industry in crisis. >> we try to be optimistic. we're farmers. we're optimists by nature. >> reporter: but he's all too aware of the problem. orange juice prices this week hitting all-time highs, up 56% just this year with little relief in sight. production in florida challenged by extreme weather events like hurricane ian in 2022. harvests have been declining in recent years. >> we face a lot of challenges beyond our control, weather being the main one. just here in recent months, we've had a severe drought in most of the state. >> reporter: and the even bigger squeeze comes from further south in brazil. the largest orange producer in the world where volatile warmer weather means this season's crop will be the smallest since 1989's and down 24% from last year. >> is it an overstatement to say there's a crisis in orange juice production? >> well, to put it bluntly, this problem is not going to go away for -- in the short term. it's here to stay. >> reporter: during lean seasons, manufacturers rely on frozen stockpiles to meet demand. now industry experts say juicemakers may need to adjust their blends with other fruits as growers are hoping to get orange production levels back to normal. >> we're focused on deploying the proper therapies in the groves to make the trees as healthy as we can, so that we can produce not only quantity, but we want to produce the quality that we know we have. >> reporter: and hopefully help make those prices at the supermarket a bit easier to swallow. christine romans, nbc news. when we come back here tonight, with their college closed for good, we're going to talk about a baseball team that is taking their fight for survival all the way to the world series. here's my pride and joy. [ romantic music plays ] ♪♪ beautiful stair renovation, sir. and they're covered with your home and auto bundle with progressive, so you get round-the-clock protection. so, is gabby coming down? oh, she said she'll meet you at the prom. breathing claritin clear is like... [♪♪] feeling the breeze instead of feeling congested. [♪♪] fast relief of allergies with nasal congestion, so you can breathe better. claritin plus decongestant. live claritin clear®. (vo) struggling with moderate to severe crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis? claritin plus decongestant. talk to your doctor about #1 prescribed entyvio, offering two maintenance options, including the entyvio pen. infusion and serious allergic reactions can happen during or after treatment. entyvio may increase risk of infection, which can be serious. pml, a rare, potentially fatal brain infection cannot be ruled out. tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms, sores, or are prone to infections. liver problems can occur. entyvio. relief. remission. for real. ♪ entyvio, entyvio, entyvio ♪ (fisher investments) at fisher investments we may look like other money managers, but we're different. (other money manager) you can't be that different. (fisher investments) we are. we have a team of specialists not only in investing, but also also in financial and estate planning and more. (other money manager) your clients rely on you for all that? (fisher investments) yes. and as a fiduciary, we always put their interests first. (other money manager) but you still sell commission -based products, right? (fisher investments) no. we have a simple management fee structured so we do better when our clients do better. (other money manager) huh, we're more different than i thought! (fisher investments) at fisher investments, we're clearly different. new centrum menopause supplements help unpause life when symptoms pause it. with a multivitamin plus hot flash support. (♪♪) daily zz for quality sleep. (♪♪) and enxtra for focus and clarity. centrum, powered by clinically studied ingredients. i brought in ensure max protein with 30 grams of protein! those who tried me felt more energy in just two weeks. -ugh. -here, i'll take that. woo hoo! ensure max protein, 30 grams protein, 1 gram sugar, 25 vitamins and minerals. and a new fiber blend with a prebiotic. (♪♪) for millions of college students school is out forever. at a small school in birmingham, school is out forever, but as jesse kirsch explains, their baseball team is still playing for pride. >> the doors may be closing, but the final chapter has not been written. >> reporter: if you ask what it's like to make it to the college world series, the birmingham-southern panthers might toss you a cliche. >> what's motivating you guys now? >> we got nothing left to play for. why not try to win the whole dang thing. >> reporter: tonight their 168-year-old alabama college officially shuts down tonight, a casualty of financial challenges, but the school's baseball team is still swinging for the fences. >> i said, the one thing i want to challenge you to do is not quit, is to finish strong. >> reporter: and they have, going 19-4 after getting the bad news earning a spot at this week's division 3 championship tournament. along the way they gained national attention, adding a documentary crew to their entourage inspiring a topps trading card and bringing in enough donations to charter their own plane. guaranteed games tonight and tomorrow. birmingham-southern baseball will outlast birmingham-southern itself. >> we ain't done. >> reporter: meanwhile, some players still don't know where they'll study next. >> what's it like balancing that with trying to win the world series? >> i've put it on the back burner, honestly, just completely focusing on what we have left. >> what are they playing for? >> for me? one more day. i mean it's just as simple as that, just be able to do it one more day with these guys, be able to wear the jersey one more day. >> reporter: tonight thanks to a group of unflinching athletes their school now rejoicing in extra innings. jesse kirsch, nbc news, east lake, ohio. and that's "nightly news" for this friday. thank you for watching. i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night. have just arrested three people in connection with the murder at pleasant hill park santiagoja