maybe pandas will return to the national zoo at some point. tom, thanks. that s going to do it for us. katy tur reports starts right now. good to be with you, i m katy tur. it might have been a rocky week for president biden in the polls, but democrats are doing just fine at the ballot box. so what gives? in virginia, republican governor glenn youngkin failed to get gop control of the state house. democrats there held on to the senate chamber and regained the house. how much of it had to do with youngkin s bet on a quote, reasonable 15-week abortion ban. in deep red kentucky, democratic governor andy beshear was able to win a second term, beating out his trump-backed rival, daniel cameron. was it abortion that helped keep beshear in office or was it trump who helped keep cameron out? in reddening ohio, it is clear voters roundly rejected republican efforts to restrict abortion, voting to enshrine the right into the state s constitution. all of it great news for democrat
good morning. it is 11:00 a.m. eastern, 8:00 a.m. pacific. i m jose diaz-balart. breaking overnight, big democratic wins in several key states on this off year election cycle. abortion rights proving to be the main driver of their success. what this means for 2024 and how that could affect the republican candidate s strategy tonight during the third gop debate. we ll have a preview. inivanka is now on the stand in her father s $250 million fraud case. overseas, israel says its troops are in the heart of gaza city as its military steps up its ground offensive against hamas. the white house warning israel about its plans to take over security in gaza. we ll talk to senator mark warner of virginia, chairman of the intelligence committee, about that and more. and we begin this hour with big victories for democrats and abortion rights. yesterday s elections. in ohio, voters added the right to an abortion to the state constitution. seven states voted to protect abortion rights
inside the room, along with the transcript of his testimony, donald trump on the stand sounds a lot like donald trump everywhere else. the judge will rule against me because he will always rule against me, quote. he called me a fraud, and he didn t know anything about me. quote. people don t know how good a company i ve built because people like you are going around demeaning me, and i think it s hurting america. quote. you and every other democrat coming after me from 15 different sides, all haters. quote. this is a very unfair trial, very unfair. i hope the public is watching. quote. roughly half an hour into donald trump taking the stand, judge engoron repeatedly admonished the president, asking him to stop rambling and answer the questions. he s gone to trump s lawyers and told them to get a handle on their client. they declined. alina habba said she wouldn t dare violate a client s free speech. when donald trump did answer questions, our legal analysts in the courts say
demeaning him and his company. just moments ago the former president walked out of court for lunch break. his scorched earth political playbook is very familiar and has been successful in the court of public opinion. but could trump s behavior spell the end of his business empire in new york? the staggering financial stakes. the bloodiest part of the war between israel and hamas may be happening right now. israeli engaged in what s described as close quarters urban warfare, trapping hamas fighters inside along with thousands of desperate civilians. so what s next? a lot to get to, but we start in new york city where just a short time ago donald trump s testimony went from combative to, in the ends of our nbc news producer inside the courtroom, completely out of control. the former president ranting on the witness stand, attacking the judge for finding him guilty of committing fraud saying, quote, the fraud is on the court, not me. it follows several hours of repeated clas
trump following soon after. going head to head tonight in a showdown filled with political land mines that could be hazardous to both campaigns. we will have full team coverage with live reports from atlanta. a detailed review of the last showdown. a look back at presidential moments with michael beschloss. the supreme court releasing that idaho abortion case, similar to restrictions in six other states that was mistakenly posted online yesterday, confirming the court will not decide yet whether hospitals have to provide emergency abortions preserving the current federal requirement they do for now, but sparking a furious dissent from justice sotomayor. a damage settlement overturned, meaning years of negotiations have to start over. good day, everyone. i m andrea mitchell in washington. we are just hours away from what could be a turning point. until now, it has been a closely fought race between president biden and former president trump. that could change tonight. t