index for the first time today after 139 years of history, just seconds to go before the close and the lead with jake tapper starts now ladies and gentlemen, two presidential debates have been sets. the lead starts right now president biden and former president trump, putting it in writing, saying that they will face off in two debates, one and just weeks here on cnn. the political jams already are flying okay, really seriously, where is rudy giuliani? the onetime trump attorney is still missing nearly three weeks after word of an indictment and officials in arizona trying to serve him with papers, charging him in alleged election scheme and their states. so how extensive has this search been plus the charges that could soon beyond the way for boeing? one of the biggest plane manufacturers in the world after all those investigations into deadly crashes of 7307 max airplanes this is breaking news welcome to the lean. i m jake tapper. we are starting with breaking news in
blitzer in washington. i ll be back in two hours, 6:00 p.m. eastern in the situation room. starts right now cnn s breaking news. and welcome to the lead. i m jake tapper and we continue to follow the breaking news out of manhattan and where the man at the center of the hush money payments scandal is testifying right now in donald trump s criminal trial, michael cohen is detailing exactly how he came to pay $130,000 to adult film star in director stormy daniels, who came forward about an alleged episode with donald trump in the days before the 2016 election cohen testified, not only did trump know about the uh, hundred $30,000 payment, but trump directly approved it and said that he would pay cohen back and the prosecution is using cohen s testimony to present both an offensive and defensive case offensively by establishing the cohen was the man behind the payments, not just to stormy daniel s, but also to 1998 playmate of the year, karen mcdougal and defensively by trying t
defense for donald trump and spent a whole lot of time asking questions about what they originally objected to. the details of her alleged trust with the former president of the united states. now, the crescendo of this hours-long stint on the witness stand. all led up to this trump s attorney, susan necklace, heavy handedly, the asserting that the adult film actress had made it all up necklace& you ve bragged about how good you are about writing porn movies and writing really good stories and writing really good dialogue, right daniels? yes. necklace. and now you have a story you ve been telling about having sex with donald trump, right? daniels. and if that story were untrue, i would have written it a lot better. there was laughter in the courtroom daniels hover of course, is not the only headline witness to take her turn under the oath. the jury also heard from madeline western out that s a former for gatekeeper really to the president and the head of oval office operati
the move the judge made today. also tonight, a tornado watch up for several states in the midwest, including the entire chicago metro area after a deadly tornado strike in oklahoma. israeli forces entering rafah, seizing a critical border crossing as a possible ceasefire deal hangs in the balance. new crackdowns on pro-palestinian protesters, as president biden condemns what he calls the ferocious surge of anti-semitism in the u.s. tiktok firing back. the lawsuit filed today to block a law that could ban the popular app nationwide. and our trip to the new wonderland, where classic childhood books come to life. announcer: this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. good evening and welcome. a star prosecution witness in the criminal trial of donald trump appeared on the witness stand here in new york today. the former president coming face-to-face with adult film actress stormy daniels as she testified, at times graphically, about a sexual liaison she says she h
word . the 11th hour starts now. storms on the stand, what the adult film star said about donald trump and the cross- examination from defense. biden condemns anti-semitism as israel seizes a key border crossing in gaza. marjorie taylor green, backing off her immediate threat to house the speaker as the 11th hour gets underway on this tuesday night. that evening, once again. we are now 182 days away from the election and it has been six years, three months, and 25 days since the first report that stormy daniels was paid to keep quiet during the 2016 election about her alleged sexual encounter with donald j trump. today, stormy daniels herself took the stand and told her story to a jury, while donald trump sat watching 10 feet away. here is laura jarrett with moore. reporter: donald trump was seated just 10 feet away as the woman at the center of his hush money cover-up trial testified in vivid detail about their legend sexual encounter nearly 20 years ago. prose