engaging in insurrection. plus explosions across ukraine after what kyiv calls the biggest wave of russian air attacks since the start of the invasion. and the moment people ran for their lives as a rogue wave slammed into the california coast. good morning. i m kasie hunt. it is friday, december 29. happy friday. 5:00 a.m. in washington and in maine, 2:00 a.m. out in california. those two states have differing decisions on whether to remove trump from the primary ballot over the 14th amendment insurrectionist ban. in california the secretary of state opted to keep trump on the ballot despite pressure from the lieutenant governor to remove the former president. contrast that with maine where yesterday democratic secretary of state 1450sheena bellows disqualified trump writing that it was an insurrection at the behest of then president trump. it became clear that it was an attack on the rule of law, that it was an insurrection and that the u.s. constitution does not tolera
it has been said that the supreme court is like a family, a family composed entirely of in-laws. 42 years ago, i was assigned to help then judge o connor join that family. it was my first day in a new job at the justice department, and i was proud to be part of her team. i thought our group did a pretty good job. after all, the justice was confirmed 99-0, and we must have had something to do with that. only many years later was i told that she thought i had been slow in getting material to her. i should have learned that when she had a challenge or responsibility before her, her approach was simple and direct. get it done. the way she participated in oral argument at the court is a good example. justices have many different styles on the bench. some like the back and forth of debates. others pose unusual hypotheticals. some badger counsel to get concessions. others spell out a particular theory at length and ask for comment. all this is fine and good. but justice o connor
the u.s. turns up the pressure on israel. defense secretary lloyd austin in tel aviv. what he said about protecting civilians as gaza s reported death toll nears 20,000. the major shift from pope francis on same-sex couples. what the vatican announced today. the governor of texas signing a controversial new border bill, setting the stage for a major showdown with the federal government. the verdict in the trial of marvel star jonathan majors, charged with assaulting his former girlfriend. new developments in the investigation into lead-tainted applesauce that sickened dozens of children. was it done on purpose? and harry smith on the tradition dating back more than a century in a place they call the christmas city. announcer: this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. good evening and welcome, everyone. much of the east coast recovering tonight from a massive storm that brought heavy rain, coastal flooding and high winds from florida to maine, killing at least
former supreme court justice sandra day o connor honored today in d.c. as an american pioneer, on and off the bench. are there lessons the country can still learn from her remarkable life? speaking of high ranking women, vice president kamala harris with an extraordinary political challenge to be a game changer in next year s election. the biden campaign s bold plan to make abortion the pivotal issue for 2024 and putting harris in charge of making it happen. and what s it going to take to get rudy giuliani to stop lying about georgia election workers ruby freeman and shaye moss? after a $148 million judgment failed to stop him, freeman and moss are suing giuliani again, seeking a court order to stop his, quote, campaign of targeted defamation and harassment. so, what happens now? but we start in washington, where tears mixed with laughter and applause remembering a life well lived, a stirring and emotional tribute to sandra day o connor, known to history, of course, as
so you can go ahead, good evening. the prime minister has said he takes extremely seriously the allegations against the former conservative peer, baroness mone. he said the government was taking legal action against the company run by her husband ppe medpro. in an interview with the bbc, michelle mone admitted lying about her links to the medical clothing company and confirmed she and her family stand to benefit from the £60 million profit made during the pandemic. the couple apologised for denying their role in the deal for more than three years. and today baroness mone has hit back at rishi sunak, saying she was honest with the government over the contracts. 0ur poltical editor chris mason is in westminster this evening. it was an extraordinary interview. you can watch or listen to yourself on the iplayer or bbc sounds. it was the story of an emergency. human foibles, taxpayers money, making money, truth and lying. a pandemic strikes. suddenly, gowns and masks, pers