retaliatory strikes against iranian-backed militant groups. the latest on the rising tensions in the region, plus, trump s christmas message lashing out at special counsel jack smith as the former president tries to get his election interference case thrown out. so, is the former commander in chief immune from criminal prosecution? we ll see. we ll talk about that coming up. and later on, the presents opened and the cookies devoured, millions of americans set to travel today in the post christmas rush. i m going to speak to a travel expert about some travel tips to help you survive the misery. hey, everybody. good morning to you. merry post christmas. we begin this hour with the breaking news out of the middle east. president biden ordering retaliatory strikes against iranian-backed militia groups in iraq after three u.s. service members were injured in a drone attack in northern iraq on monday. since october 17th, there have now been at least 103 separate attacks on u.s.
appeals court to toss his 2020 election interference case arguing that he was carrying out white house duties at the time and therefore immune to prosecution. this move coming one day after the supreme court declined to rule on the immunity question for now. it is a blow for special counsel jack smith who sought a speedy decision. that trial like trump s three other criminal cases might play out while voters are casting ballots in the 2024 election meaning trump s political future could be determined before the juries decide his criminal fate. also new, trump s team is planning to challenge the colorado supreme court decision to disqualify the former president from the 2024 ballot for allegedly inciting the insurrection. a source with knowledge of trump s plans tells nbc news they intend to file an appeal after the christmas holiday. that could have implications far beyond colorado especially in the 16 other states with open legal challenges to trump s eligibility for offic
chief of the faa i asked him why do these near misses seem to be happening so often. and the bakery helping young chefs rise to their full potential and inspiring america. announcer: this is nbc nightly news with lester holt good evening, and thank you for joining us we ll get to that major weather news in a few moments. but first, we want to bring you the latest in what we know about a dangerous aerial encounter in the sky today between the united states and russia the pentagon saying a russian fighter jet poured fuel on an unmanned american drone, then collided with it over the black sea. it sent the american aircraft into the water the confrontation escalating already high tensions between the countries which are telling different versions of today s event. courtney kube has the latest for us from the pentagon. reporter: the stunning showdown happening over the black sea near ukraine and russia when an unmanned american drone like this one called a reaper was c
good to be with you. i m katy tur donald trump says he will absolutely stay in the presidential race if he is criminally indicted. one-time fixer and now key witness, michael cohen, will be back in front of a manhattan grant jury tomorrow to continue his testimony against his former boss after that we could quickly see a decision on whether manhattan d.a. alvin bragg will bring charges against the former president for his role in the 2016 hush money payment to stormy daniels and others. last night in front of a crowd of 2,000-plus supporters in iowa, donald trump did what he always does in the face of political or legal trouble he leaned right into it. our enemies are desperate to stop us because they know we are the only ones who can stop them. i will totally obliterate the deep state i will fire the unelected bureaucrats who have weaponized our justice system look at what they ve done to our justice system so we are going to see if that line still works broadly, that at
announcement about his future in the nfl. announcer: this is nbc nightly news with lester holt good evening after suffering a dehumanizing death helplessly beaten in the street, the life and the person that was tyre nichols was celebrated in a memphis church today a funeral that portrayed nichols as more than a victim of a shocking act, but also a father, a skateboard enthusiast, a photographer the service, however, was also a public outcry for police reform, attended by other families who have lost loved ones to police. also in attendance, vice president kamala harris who said this violent act was not in pursuit of public safety on that note, we have learned more about the five officers charged with nichols death, including the disciplinary histories for four of them as an apparent disconnect emerges between police accounts of the confrontation with nichols and what is seen on video recordings priscilla thompson leads us off tonight reporter: tonight, songs of sor