hi, everybody. good to see you. i am yasmin vossoughian. we are following some extreme weather impacting millions of people right now. a storm system wreaking havoc in the northeast. the same system leaving tennessee reeling today from the impact of terrifying tornadoes. the funnel clouds caught on camera, the damage is extensive, six people killed, including a two year old. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> we took a tour this morning of the affected neighborhoods. and there is devastation everywhere. but one thing i love about this city, when there is a need, we rally around that need. also this hour, the president of the university of pennsylvania resigning after congressional testimony and antisemitism and calls for her to step down. now, pressure is growing on the other president to appear. and we just a day away from donald trump taking the stand again in his new york fraud trial, this time, testifying in his own defense. this amid growing concerns about what a second trump term would look like. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> certainly, what he is trying to do, and what do you think is gonna do in the future go well beyond any conceivable conduct by prior american presidents, no matter how much they were considered. richard nixon looks -- right next to donald trump. all that, plus republicans in one state proposing a 15-day ban. 15 days. i'll get reaction to that coming up as well. we want to begin with a difficult d a deadly weekend of rough weather. right now, in the northeast, residents are bracing as heavy rain, wind, snow has already begun, expected to batter the region through tomorrow morning. 52 million people from delaware all the way up through maine, flood watches, with torrential downpours continuing overnight as well. new york city, where i am right now, is under a travel advisory. wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour expected a flash flood watch for the city, also going into effect starting in two hours. meanwhile, the northernmost region of new york, get this, it is set to see up to one foot of snow. the same storm has knocked the power out for more than 42,000 customers in tennessee, including some 22,000 in nashville. the mayor says outages in some areas could last all day. and another 70,000 customers are without power in alabama. this is some of the devastation that you are seeing here on your screens in madisonville, tennessee. very small town southwest of knoxville. first responders there, assisting survivors and surveying the damage from the deadly tornado that tore through the states middle region killing at least six people including a two year old child. and that is where we find nbc's priscilla thompson out with more on this. priscilla, if you will, take us, what you are seeing, devastation the community has faced? >> reporter: yes, yasmin. let me give you a sense of that. you can see the devastation behind me. there's actually a tractor here that's getting ready to come through and clear all of this out. but let me give you a sense of where we are standing. there were three people who tragically lost their lives in these tornadoes here in madison, tennessee. last night, 37 year old joseph dalton, 31-year-old perez, and her two-year-old son anthony mendez. and this is where that happened. so, dalton's trailer, right there where you see those steps, actually rolled on to the perez home and that is how that two year old and that woman were killed. and this is sort of what is left of their home. and i just spoke to the husband of that woman and the father of that two year old. he says that there was a bunch of people in this home when that happened. they heard a lot of screaming, a lot of noise, as all of this happened. and he told me that the moment he realized something wasn't right was when he could no longer hear his wife screaming. and so, we met him here today, actually, as he was trying to get into the hall, looking for his life savings in their. and you can see the fire department here, trying to help him find what he was looking for before these structures come in. again, he told me that his wife loved playing with her two-year-old son, that she was a happy person. she had actually only been in the united states for a few months. they are originally from guatemala. and so, right now, he is working with some advocates. there's a lot of family over there, actually, and he is working with advocates to try to get the remains of his wife and his son back to guatemala. but this is some of the tragedy that we are hearing coming out of these tornadoes. there are reports of some 23 tornadoes, 13 in tennessee, and then others across other states. we do know that there was other damage. there was a church in this community also where 13 people had to be taken to the hospital after that building collapsed. and also not far, in clarksville, there were three people who died. we have not received identification on those three people. but certainly, a tragedy, six people in all here in tennessee lost their lives due to these tornadoes. there were some 60 people who were taken to the hospital in clarksville as a result of this. and so, folks just really trying to clean up the downed power lines. people are coming back to see scenes like this, trying to figure out where things go from here. there are around 40,000 people throughout the state who are still without power. officials are saying that it's likely going to be days, not hours, before that power is able to be restored. and so, folks are just trying to figure out what they are going to do, if they are coming home to scenes like this, and how to begin to move forward. yasmin? >> gus, coming for and you live from guatemala, and then your life being cut so tragically short. my heart is breaking for that man right now. priscilla thompson, thank you. appreciate it. i want to switch gears. i want to talk about the new information on the latest court filing from special counsel jack smith in former president trump's election interference case. the motions that were filed last night, they are arguing that trump is attempting to attack the investigation by the man whose witnesses office is calling, quote unquote, unprecedented discovery that resulted in special treatment and delaying the case. i want to bring in msnbc's legal analyst and federal prosecutor glenn kirschner, along with nbc news justice reporter ryan reilly. is also the author of sedition hunters, how january 6th broke the justice system. if you will, ryan, walk us first what the former presidents team is asking, and jack smith and his team's response so far? >> the president's team wants to see any information that the government has, really, sort of doing as the getty on the wall requests here for anything about foreign interference. and the special counsel's team is especially trying to, basically, trying to separate this notion that any election interference from a foreign government, or any attempt at interfering in an election is something that should really be part of this trial. they really want to keep the focus, obviously, on donald trump himself, and say that, you know, the words and actions that he took, and the impact that that had on his supporters is what led to january 6th, not any of these other side issues that trump team is trying to bring into this. they want to simplify this and keep this going forward, and they said explicitly, in fact, they believe that donald trump is just on a fishing expedition here to try to bring something up that will derail this. because ultimately, they know this is really just all about clock management at this point, frankly. this trial is set to go forward in march, barring any action from the appeals court. so, there we want to get this going before the general election actually takes place. >> glenn, tell me -- >> yes, this is the very definition of what they're trying to do, just as ryan said, trying to delay. they know that they don't really have winning arguments. why? because jack smith and his team are keenly aware of their discovery obligations. and what we have seen from past filings is they have given over things that they weren't even required to give over under the rules of discovery. for example, all grand jury transcripts of witnesses who testified, whether or not jack smith intends to present them at trial, that goes beyond the rules of discovery. they have also given over what we call greedy evidence, evidence that could be exculpatory, or it could be helpful to donald trump. so, i don't think that these, you know, these missions that donald trump's lawyers are going on will either produce any additional evidence or will derail the trial date. and i was interested to see that footnote in a recent district of columbia -- the federal circuit court opinion saying listen, if donald trump continues to complain about election interference, this trial in d.c. will be over well in advance of the 2020 presidential election. >> i want to move from d.c. up to new york, ryan, if you will. take us there. looking at images that we were playing, i just want to loop them. the former president saying to the press on thursday when he was in court, when they saw a star witness, essentially, they thought what was a star witness testifying on the defense we have. this and why you accounting professor, he has taken the stand now. what are you gonna be watching for? >> you know, he thought of doing this against the advice of his counsel. in fact, standing right next to him there, she said she doesn't think that he should really be testifying because this sort of gag order is still in place, and she doesn't believe it is fair. but basically, i think this is all about sort of donald trump creating a public sort of spectacle because there doesn't seem to be a ton of reason for him to actually be testifying in this trial. and it could backfire on him potentially. but on the other hand, you know, being in court and making a spectacle out of it is a great fundraising opportunity for him. and he can say, here, look, here i am being prosecuted. get the ball rolling especially as we head to this new year, when he will be in a lot of different courtrooms, including that trial here in d.c., that is scheduled for march. you don't, i think that that is a big opportunity here. he sees it as a media opportunity to try and get more attention and make sure to make a spectacle out of himself, being persecuted in this deal. >> glenn, is the gag order inhibiting his testimony at all? >> it does to the extent he shouldn't be permitted to testify in a wayhawould violate the gag order, talking about the judge's staff, but i think this is a real danger zone. look, donald trump can't command public attention anytime he wants in any form. but when he is placed under oath at trial, and most importantly, he is cross-examined by tish james team, you know, everything he says is potentially an admission that could be used against him in any ongoing criminal investigation in new york. and i'll tell you, what i would grill donald trump on, the intersection between his accounting practices, his valuations, his statements of financial condition, and the 15-year criminal scheme to defraud in the first degree that his organization was convicted of, and that his chief financial officer, allen weisselberg, pled guilty to. and what did you know about that? and why did you not do anything about it? of course, if you did not know about it, that shows that you are perhaps the poorest business leader ever. so, there is a lot of danger here in donald trump being cross-examined under oath, and all of that information being delivered appropriately to district attorney alvin bragg. >> two things i want to drill down on with you, glenn, and that is the expectations of what we are gonna hear from him when it comes to the defense in this new york civil fraud trial. and you brought up one of those kind of statements of financial conditions. are you expecting to hear the same type of defense that we heard from his two sons, which was i wasn't the final sign off on these financial statements? and also, about the valuation, the name that we heard from the nyu accountant professor in which valuations of properties is oftentimes subject, subjective. if you talk about how mar-a-lago is valued, much higher than it is set to be in his financial statements, his apartments, and so on, and so forth. >> i would be interested to know the accounting expert that the trump attorneys put on the stand, who there was a rover revelation was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars by the save america super pac -- >> upwards of half 1 million dollars, i think it was around $800,000. >> and i think you got $900, 000, several hundred thousand from something called the save america back. i couldn't help but cross examine donald trump about whether it's the time to change the name to trump back. all kidding aside, that rotation by jeff mcconney who said all final approval goes through donald trump, that's gonna be an area right for cross-examination. but i think you are exactly right, yasmin. we are gonna hear more denial, more deflection, more failures of memory. and i'm sure he'll walk away from having any responsibility for the financial statements or the valuations of his own properties. >> glen gardner, thank you. ryan riley, thank you as well. we are back in just 60 seconds, folks, with a stunning resignation. the president of the university of pennsylvania stepping down in the wake of anger over the congressional testimony about antisemitism on campus. and she may not be the last college president to go. we'll be right back. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ jen x is planning a summer in portugal with some help from j.p. morgan wealth plan. let's go whiskers. jen y is working with a banker to budget for her birthday. you only turn 30 once. and jen z? her credit's golden. hello new apartment. three jens getting ahead with chase. solutions that grow with you. one bank for now. for later. for life. chase. make more of what's yours. the university of pennsylvania is looking for a new leader today, after president liz magill resigned along with the chairman of the board of trustees. it is coming in the wake of a contentious congressional hearing this week on antisemitism on campus. >> i am asking, calling for the genocide of jews, does that constitute blatant harassment? >> if it is directed and severe and perceived pervasive, it is harassment. >> the answer is yes? >> it is a context dependent decision. >> it is a context dependent decision, that is your testimony today, calling for the genocide of jews is dependent upon the context. joining me now, capitol hill correspondent julie tsirkin to talk more about this. i know congresswoman elise stefanik, who was in that video, asking those questions, part of the reason why this went viral. it was her exchange with university's president. what is she saying now? >> reporter: she swiftly took to, the social media platform, to accept the resignation of president magill, but also saying that this is not over. remember, because of her exchange in part, the committee on the house education committee that held this hearing has launched an investigation. they promised to enforce their full subpoena power to get to the bottom of what stefanik in her tweet said, quote, was the pervasive rock of antisemitism that has destroyed the most prestigious, in her words, high education institutions in america. she said it's time for her to go, meaning magill has left. but for the presidents of harvard and m.i.t., who also sat before the panel, that their time is coming. and i should note, yasmin, stefanik got a shout out because of her interaction with these three presidents by former president donald trump just overnight. >> what are we hearing when it comes to leaders of harvard and m.i.t. as well, who are also part of that congressional testimony? >> reporter: they are certainly being pressured to resign as well. and we know, for example, harvard president claudine gate, there hasn't been any clear direction when it comes from the board, in regards if they want her to resign, unlike what we heard from university of pennsylvania board, who swiftly took the resignation. nonetheless, though -- >> some connectivity issues, julie. we're gonna try and get that fixed for you so we can have you back on in our next hour, certainly, some problems happen when it comes to live television. julie tsirkin, thank you. we're gonna be following that story, obviously, in our two hours ahead. still at, the biden administration responding to criticism over the u.s. veto on the u and push for a cease-fire in gaza. plus, new hampshire republicans are imposing a 15-day abortion ban, yes, 15-day. i want to speak to one of the state legislators about the possibilities of the bill's passage. and a continued look at the dangers of a second trump term. what it could mean for international order to have an american leader who is doubling down on those dictator comments? 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[dog barks] no it's just a bunny! only pay for what you need. ♪liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty.♪ the power goes out, and we still have wifi to do our homework. only pay for what you need. and that's a good thing? great in my book. who are you? no power? no problem. introducing storm-ready wifi. now you can stay reliably connected through power outages with unlimited cellular data and up to 4 hours of battery back-up. plus, now through december 31st, eligible xfinity rewards members can get 25% off welcome back. a storm ready wifi device. new reaction today over the u.s. being the only member nation to veto a u.n. resolution calling for an immediate cease fire between israel and hamas. here is secretary of state tony blinken responding with a reasoning behind that decision. >> when it comes to a cease-fire in this moment with hamas still alive, still intact, and, again, with this state of the intent, repeating october 7th again and again and again, that would simply perpetuate the problem. and so, our focus is on trying to make sure that civilians are protected to the maximum extent possible, that humanitarian assistance gets into the maximum extent possible. and, again, if hamas were to put down weapons tomorrow, surrender tomorrow, this will be over tomorrow. >> joining me now is nbc's hala gorani tonight tel aviv. good to talk to you. the health care situation on the ground in gaza is being called catastrophic. and the pressure is mounting at the rafah border crossing as well. walk us through what is happening on the ground they are right now? >> reporter: yeah, in fact, oxfam, which is another aid organization operating inside the gaza strip, as well as a can with the limited resources has said that the situation has gone, in fact, from catastrophic to apocalyptic, that people are rationing dirty water, and that people are now suffering from common diseases and illnesses and elements that they cannot get treatment for, whether it's diarrhea, skin conditions, people with diabetes unable to access medicine. people with just very common conditions like a cold or developing into pneumonia, et cetera, not able to get medical treatment because the hospital system has collapsed entirely in the north and in the south. it has been put under such intense pressure from the continued bombardment of smaller and smaller enclaves into which the gaza population is being squeezed. many of our viewers know that in the beginning of the conflict, the israeli military told about 1 million gazans to move south into pr