Nightly Files Elephantine Broadcast – April 22

tonight the opening statements and the first witness taking the stand in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial the former president back in a New York Court as both sides laid out their cases prosecutors accusing Mr Trump of a criminal conspiracy to cover up a payment to adult film actress stormmy.

Daniels just before the 2016 election to keep quiet about an affair the defense calling it merely a legal expense saying it's not illegal to try to influence an election and the first witness the former publisher of the national Inquirer the key role prosecutors said he plays in the case also tonight clashes on college campuses nearly 50.

Pro Palestinian protesters arrested at Yale as another ivy league university Colombia moves classes online citing safety concerns after a campus Rabbi warned Jewish students to go home the Senate poised to pass a bill that could ban Tik Tock Nationwide what it means for Tik tok's 170 million users in the US that Tik Tock Bill part of a $95.

Billion foreign aid package passed in the house after the speaker Mike Johnson put himself on the line will Democrats help him keep his job not NBC news reports The Surge of the Southern border of migrants from China and the legendary Barry malalo we backstage at Radio City for his record-breaking night this is is NBC Nightly News with.

Lester H good evening and welcome the prosecution in Donald Trump's hush money trial drew the sharp outlines of its case against the former president today telling the Manhattan jury Mr Trump orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt during a 40-minute opening statement a prosecutor told the panel.

Hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels to assure her silence over an alleged Affair and were illegally disguised as legal expenses were part of a plan long running conspiracy to influence the 2016 election in his opening statement a lawyer for Mr Trump firing back saying there was nothing wrong with trying to influence an.

Election the prosecution putting on the stand as its first witness the former publisher of the national Inquirer who the state says was Central to an effort to quash negative stories about Mr Trump during the 2016 presidential race Donald Trump denies having had an affair with Miss Daniels and has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges Laura Jarrett.

Was in the courthouse and has the latest tonight prosecutors painting a stark portrait of former president Trump in their opening statements during his hush money trial a case Mr Trump has argued is designed to derail his campaign this is done as election interference everybody knows it but today prosecutors said it is Mr Trump who is guilty of.

Election interference by paying off an adult film star to silence her before the 2016 election telling the jury this case is about a criminal conspiracy to bury a story that could have cost him the presidency and then lying in his business records over and over again to cover it all up the alleged scheme stretches back to 2015 a meeting at.

Trump Tower between Mr Trump his former fixer and attorney Michael Cohen and David pecker the longtime publisher of the national Inquirer this is where prosecutors say the trio hatched a plot for the T ly to buy and bury any damning stories about Mr Trump a tactic known as catch and kill prosecutors say it was the release of the Access Hollywood tape.

That turned the campaign upside down in October of 2016 lead prosecutor Matthew coangelo reading Mr Trump's most incendiary remarks from that video for the jury today arguing the former president was so desperate to contain the damage with female voters he directed Cohen to pay off Stormy Daniels so she couldn't go public about an.

Alleged sexual encounter which Mr Trump denies but it is not the hush money itself that he's charged with in this trial it's how then president Trump documented his monthly reimbursement payments to Cohen on internal company records as legal expenses prosecutors telling the jury of seven men and five women today it was election fraud pure.

And simple but Mr Trump is not facing conspiracy or campaign Finance violations something the defense sought to highlight today in opening statements Mr Trump's attorney describing him as a husband and a father a person just like you and me and is innocent saying the payments to Cohen were for legal expenses arguing there is nothing wrong.

With trying to influence an election it's called democracy not a crime the alleged crime he is facing a low-level felony carrying up to four years in prison if convicted but the judge could sentence him to probation Mr Trump today know the previous da and federal prosecutors looked at this case and did not charge him he got indicted for.

That people in the court you said to me I can't believe it this is the case so we did nothing wrong Mr Trump's attorney casting Cohen as the prosecution's only Real Witness out for Revenge saying he's quote obsessed with Mr Trump and wants to see him in an orange jumpsuit because Cohen's entire Financial livelihood depends on Trump's destruction Cohen has.

Pleaded guilty to campaign Finance violations and lying under oath the prosecutors preemptively defending him today saying he made mistakes in the past to protect his boss and Laura is here with me on the set alongside Hy Jackson Laura let me begin with you the first witness on the stand right now does it give us any hint where all this.

Is leading yes tabloid Mogul David pecker is at that 2015 meeting in Trump Tower as we mentioned he's useful for prosecutors because he puts Mr Trump in the room for this alleged plot he's also useful because his name is not Michael Cohen and his testimony will continue tomorrow less all right Laura thank you and hi this is a partisan prosecution in.

The opinion of Mr Trump yeah that's what his campaign's been saying and in some ways what we just heard in court what Laura has laid out Echoes what we have also heard from Mr Trump himself on the campaign Trail his defense casting him as a fighter aggressively attacking Central players in this case familiar themes now the Trump campaign is trying.

To show that the former president can kind of walk and chew gum at the same time by setting meeting with the former Japanese prime minister after court wraps tomorrow but for Mr Trump remember he's a person who used to run his own business he ran the country from the White House one thing has been clear in this trial he does not run this.

Courtroom he is now finding himself in a position he really doesn't like to be in a position where he has to give up control Lester hiy and Laura thank you both Pro Palestinian protests spreading to more college campuses Across America tonight prompting new restrictions and more arrests classes moving online at one major campus amid Rising concerns.

Over safety Aon mcglaughlin has late developments tonight tension across major American college campuses if you do not leave you will be arrested students setting up encampments from University of North Carolina to MIT Harvard's yard closed until Friday we shall not all of it as Fury over the Israel Hamas War boils over with.

Students expressing fear for their personal saf safety and concern for anti-semitic hate speech raising new questions about the line between hate speech and the First Amendment we're asking for the school to uh call for a ceasefire in Gaza this morning police say at least 45 Pro Palestinian protesters were arrested at Yale.

University for violating Yale's policies and instructions police say they were later released in a statement the university adding that Yale does not tolerate behavior that threatened harassed or intimidated others meanwhile at Columbia today's classes were online only with the University's president calling for a reset to deescalate the.

Ranker while also adding more than 100 safety personnel to campus after more than 100 protesters were arrested last week but with videos like this emerging online and another showing a young woman holding a sign pointing in the direction of Jewish students saying alam's next targets hamas's military Wing students Andrew Stein and Alicia.

Baker said they don't feel safe it was the most terrified i' probably been in my entire life on Saturday night Stein says he was on campus for a pro-israel counter protest when this happened you see him in the white sweatshirt filming as a group of pro Palestinian protesters yell expletives against Israel they started saying in arabicas Kamas our.

Beloved please bomb Tel Aviv and then they started saying we're coming for you no Zionist on this campus like get off campus Stein alleges the situation escalated me and my friend had water poured and physically report in our face um my friend was actually abused in the middle of Campus on campus Monday faculty from Bernard and columia came.

Out in support of the pro Palestinian students who were arrested and suspended last week we were calling for divestment we're calling for a ceasefire students inside the encampment told NBC news they were unaware of any physical or verbal threats toward students on Saturday night anyone who makes any threat to any Jewish student we oppose you we do not.

Associate with you meanwhile at rugers University Police announcing a man has been charged with a federal hate crime for breaking into the University's Center for Islamic life and destroying property earlier this month tonight on college campuses across the country students saying they don't feel safe and Aon tonight the White.

House is weighing in on all this that's right Lester tonight President Biden saying he condemns both anti-semitic protests and those who quote don't understand what's going on with the Palestinians Lester all right Aaron thank you in Washington the future of Tik Tock is very much up in the air tonight after a bill passed by the house.

Could result in an eventual ban of the platform Savannah sers reports on what could happen next tonight Tik Tock the closest it's Bend to a national ban becoming a reality the Senate expected to vote as soon as tomorrow on the bill the house passed over the weekend the bill is pass without objection it appears likely to pass in the Senate too.

And President Biden has said he will sign the bill which would require Tik tok's Chinese parent company bite dance to sell its stake in the platform within a year or face a national ban an earlier bill would have required a sale within 6 months Tik Tok is really built as a massive data collection machine Congress looking to address National Security.

Concerns with worries China could access the sensitive data of the app's 170 million American users according to the apps privacy policy they automatically collect geolocation related data and browsing history the problem is that when bite Dan decides to create a wall to block us data from leaving the United States it's like asking the wolf to.

Build a safer Hen House Tik Tok has denied sharing data with the Chinese government in a statement Tik Tok said the bill would trample the Free Speech rights of 170 million Americans and devastate 7 million small businesses vowing in an internal memo obtained by NBC News to fight the legislation in court if passed encouraging employees to.

Stay composed and its users to fight hard against a possible ban Deborah mayor relies on Tik Tok for her business selling handbags she says it's added upwards of six figures in sales the numbers just keep growing uh month over month what percentage of your sales would you lose if Tik Tok were to be banned in the US overnight probably bet.

60% one of millions of users who will be watching this week's vote very carefully Savannah sers NBC News and at the same time Congressional leaders are working to get billions of dollars in American Aid to Ukraine Israel and Taiwan as quickly as possible Ryan Nobles is tracking this Force Ryan what can we expect lesser the Senate could vote on.

This package as soon as tomorrow it is expected to pass it is a $95 billion total package more than $26 billion in funding for Israel that includes more than $9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza and it comes at a time when Israel is facing increased pressure for its prosecution of the war with Hamas now the package also allocates more than $60.

Billion for Ukraine this despite protests from house conservatives who felt that money should be spent here at home they are now threatening to remove speaker Mike Johnson from his job if they try house Democrats have said that they will consider helping Johnson remain in the speakership ler all right Ryan Nobles thank you and we'll talk.

More about the potential risks of international domestic security threats Tick Tock and much more when I sit down with one-on-one with the FBI director Christopher Ray tomorrow on Nightly News we'll turn now to Minnesota and the house explosion that rocked the neighborhood just outside Minneapolis First Responders rescuing a woman.

Trapped under the rubble though her condition this hour is unclear fire officials say the debris is consistent with a natural gas explosion in 60 seconds the surprising vote to unionize by workers at at a major car assembly plant is it a sea change moment for how cars are made Across America right after this the United Auto Workers are.

Claiming a major victory after workers at a Volkswagen assembly plant in Chattanooga voted to unionize Prius shrier reports from Tennessee on whether it's a sign of things to come tonight the United Auto Workers Union has its eyes on the south after a major victory at a Volkswagen Assembly Plant in Chattanooga where workers voted.

To unionize on Friday the UAW won in a stunning 73% vote after losing elections here in 2014 and 2019 it's the Union's first win in a Southern assembly plan owned by a foreign automaker we hugged each other we cried I got on my knees I thank the Lord in three weeks UAW is taking their fight to Alabama where workers at two Mercedes-Benz plants in.

Tuscal looza will vote to unionize when we started this campaign we kind of that that little bit of a pride you know we wanted to be the first you know we're we're now a shining example to these other plants experts say this wind could be a watershed moment in the labor movement which has already picked up momentum in the last year in Industries.

Like healthcare and Hollywood UAW won major contracts in Michigan last year with the country's big three automakers President Biden who stood alongside Auto Workers in Michigan during their strike congratulated the workers in Tennessee and critized ized six Republican Governors including.

Tennessee governor Bill Lee who tried to convince workers not to unionize I think it was a mistake but that's their choice in a statement Volkswagen thanked its workers for participating in the election and said they're waiting for the results to be certified that could come in a matter of days as UAW rallies across the South priia Shri NBC News.

Chattanooga Tennessee and coming up for us as we continue tonight why Chinese migrants are increasing crossing the southern border will ask DHS secretary aleandra mayoras how the Biden Administration is responding next Republicans say we're back now with the crisis at the border we have reported on the.

Record number of migrants from across the world illegally crossing into the US and now there is a spike in migrants coming across the border from a place that may surprise you here's David Nora tonight among the unprecedented number of migrants illegally crossing into the US from Mexico a dramatic surge in people from China we're on the border.

East of San Diego this is a group that crossed a few minutes ago border patrol just directed them to the open air detention site they tell us they're fleeing poverty and political repression including the aftermath of Co why did you leave China freed them was there something specific that happened.

Yes covid-19 my work is gone what did you used to do engineer Electronic Engineer 3 years ago 689 Chinese migrants crossed the southern border last year that number soared to over 37,000 part of an explosion of migrants coming here from all over the globe currently most migrants are released.

Into the US to wait often years for Asylum hearings critics say that encourages migrants to come and president Biden should change course through executive action the system has been broken for decades why not take executive action right now why not do more right now to address this what executive action are you suggesting that.

We take that we haven't taken that would survive Court scrutiny Homeland Security secretary Alejandra mayorca is telling us he's working with China which currently refuses to take back Chinese migrants who are deported from the US well that may be changing we have been working with the People's Republic of China to actually receive individuals.

Whom we have determined are not eligible to remain in the United States and do you expect that to change soon we are hopeful that it will back on the border we meet this father and son who say their Journey was facilitated by a Chinese Smuggler they call a snakehead the snakehead would contact him through WeChat and give him.

Directions on where to go and where to stay how did you pay pay this person everything was done online we obtained exclusive private messages from one Snakehead who claims to have brought more than a 100 people to the us this year on social media he posts these proof of life videos of Chinese clients traveling toward the border with help.

From Mexican smugglers they serve as ads for his concierge service ticket price $10,000 ahead once they set foot on American soil The Smuggler work is done with many more customers ready to go David Nora NBC News Haka California and after a short break we're behind the scenes with.

Music legend Barry Manalo on his record setting night finally the legendary Barry Manalo and his record-breaking performance at one of America's greatest venues Radio City Music Hall Chloe Moss has your backstage pass at 80 years old Barry Manalo is still breaking records I just love making.

Music I love creating holding the title of the most performances by an artist at Radio City after his 4C show over the weekend what does it feel like every time you walk out on this stage can you imagine this is what I see when I walk out you think you think it would it would uh Panic me but it doesn't anymore it's exciting I never even thought I.

Would have any kind of career in music because where I come from nobody ever wound up in music or theater or anything like that but the music was coming out of my ears Manalo has sold more than 85 million records when do you know that this song is a hit I I never do you never do I never do no I just write them and if I'm lucky I you know make a great.

Record out of it but there was one song he didn't think would take off we never thought it would ever get played on radio but we took it to a disco when there were discos and we asked the uh DJ to play it and everybody ran to the dance floor and started to dance like they were back in the 1940s he has no plans on slowing down with a.

London residency and Arena tour planned for this summer every night when there's an audience out there I say to Ken my stage manager I say is there anybody out there and I mean it and I'm so grateful that they still have a good time with me oh I'll just keep going until I can't do it anymore this is just PlayOn now Chloe Mass NBC News New.

York and that is Nightly News for this Monday thank you for watching everyone I'm Lester Holt please take care of yourself and each other good night thanks for watching stay updated about breaking news and top stories on the NBC News app or follow us on social media.

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