tv ABC World News Tonight With David Muir ABC May 13, 2024 5:30pm-6:00pm PDT
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trial. the key witness, michael cohen, on the stand, and what he reveals. also breaking, the controlled explosion. a huge part of that baltimore bridge comes crashing down just moments ago. you'll see it. first tonight, the high stakes testimony in the criminal trial against donald trump. his former fixer michael cohen telling the jury that trump said, "just do it," when talking about paying stormy daniels for her silence. michael cohen saying he took out
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a home equity loan on his own home to pay for it. he says trump promising to pay him back. the jury listening intently. [ sound of artillery ] just a short time ago, the explosion, the demolition of that remainder of the bridge in baltimore with the massive cargo ship still right there. and with the crew of that ship still onboard 48 days later. the harrowing moments inside a church. dozens of families and children. a 16-year-old boy armed with a gun interrupting mass. the priest ducking behind the n possible tornadoes, and damaging winds. ginger zee with the new forecast. and now the smoke moving in from the fires in canada yet again. the race for the white house tonight. and president biden taking aim at china, announcing major new tariffs he says to protect american industry and jobs. and tonight here, the new polls, where this race stands in the key battlegrounds, where donald trump is ahead.
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overseas, the fierce fighting in northern gaza tonight, as israeli forces also move deeper into the southern city of rafah. and the american doctors trying to get out. back in the u.s. tonight, authorities searching for a boater wanted for killing a 15-year-old girl while she was wakeboarding with friends in the water. the boater never stopping. in new york city tonight, the well-known actor, steve buscemi, randomly attacked while walking in manhattan. what we now know about this case. lighting up the skies over the u.s. the beautiful images from viewers from spokane, washington, all the way to portsmouth, new hampshire. and where you'll get another chance tonight. why judge judy is now suing the parent company of "the national enquirer" and "in touch weekly." and we remember a musician who famously performed with david bowie and the rolling stones. ♪ >> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "world news tonight" with david muir. >> david: good evening and it's high stakes testimony in donald trump's criminal trial today.
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his former attorney and fixer michael cohen testifying donald trump told him to "just do it" when they were discussing paying stormy daniels for her silence. cohen leaving his home this morning to face his former boss in court. cohen then telling the court today that at trump's direction, he helped make stories from women go away. and just weeks before the 2016 election, when the "access hollywood" tape came out, cohen's surprising testimony today about what he says was melania trump's suggestion how to handle it. he says it was later used for damage control. michael cohen testifying he took out a home equity loan on his own home to pay stormy daniels and that trump promised he would then pay cohen back. here's our senior investigative correspondent aaron katersky leading us off at the chief white house tonight. >> do you have any messages for donald trump today? >> reporter: he once said he'd take a bullet for donald trump. but today, michael cohen heading to court to testify against his old boss as the prosecution's star witness. >> he's got no evidence, and i'm innocent. >> reporter: inside, the two men who spent a decade attached at the hip didn't even look at each
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other. cohen told the jury that as the 2016 campaign got under way, trump warned him, "be prepared. there's going to be a lot of women coming forward." the first, former "playboy" model karen mcdougal. when cohen informed trump that mcdougal was shopping her story of their alleged affair, he said trump responded, "she's really beautiful. make sure it doesn't get released." trump has denied the affair, but cohen testified that at trump's direction, "the national enquirer" bought mcdougal's story. the jury heard this secretly recorded conversation between trump and cohen allegedly discussing the deal. >> when it comes time for the financing, which will be -- >> listen, what financing? >> we'll have to pay him something. >> pay with cash. >> reporter: as the election approached, the crises piled up. first, the "access hollywood" tape, trump bragging about groping women. >> when you're a star, they let you do it. you can do anything. >> reporter: cohen said trump told him to "spin" it as "locker room talk," words allegedly suggested by his wife melania. days later, cohen testified he received word stormy daniels was trying to sell her story of a tryst with trump. cohen felt it would be "catastrophic" for the campaign,
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and he told the jury trump agreed. "he said to me, this is a disaster, a total disaster. women will hate me. guys may think it's cool, but this is going to be a disaster for the campaign." cohen testified trump ordered him to make sure the story didn't get it out, saying, "push it out past the election, because if i win, it has no relevance. and if i lose, i don't even care." cohen told the jury trump didn't seem to care how it would affect his marriage, saying, "how long do you think i'll be on the market for? not long." "he wasn't thinking about melania," cohen said. "this was all about the campaign." trump claims he never had sex with the porn star, but cohen insisted trump gave him clear directions, pay daniels to keep quiet, saying, "there's no reason to keep this thing out there. just do it." cohen said he took out a home equity line of credit to cover the $130,000 payment and told trump, "i was going to front the money for it, to which he was appreciative. he stated to me 'don't worry about it. you'll get the money back.'" and cohen testified he fully expected to be reimbursed, saying, "i would not lay out
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$130,000 for an nondisclosure agreement needed by somebody else." on the very day he wired the money to daniels, 12 days before the election, he said he called trump for final sign-off. "i wanted to ensure that he approved what i was doing because i required approval from him on all of this," cohen testified. "everything -- on top of that, i wanted the money back." as soon as they got off the phone, cohen said he walked across the street to the bank and wired the money. jurors today seeing phone records showing the moment the call took place. prosecutors said trump did reimburse cohen and illegally falsified business records to cover it all up by making it look like a legal expense. david, cohen is the only witness who can affirmatively tie trump to the crime. so, his recollections about things trump said are key. when it became evident stormy daniels was going to come forward, cohen said trump told him, just pay it, just do it. cohen fronted the money. he said he fully expected to be paid back, and he took out a home equity line of credit, he said, so his own wife wouldn't find out. he told the jury she would not understand if $130,000 went
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missing from their joint bank account. david? >> david: aaron katersky leading us off tonight. aaron, thank you. we turn now to the controlled explosion just a short time ago at the site of that massive and deadly bridge collapse in baltimore. look at the images tonight. it was late today, they demolished the remainder of the francis scott key bridge, with that massive cargo ship still right there in the shadow of what was left of the bridge. and the crew of that ship still onboard, 48 days after the collision. terry moran on the scene again tonight. >> reporter: tonight, in baltimore, a spectacular feat of demolition engineering. using scores of small precision explosives, crews cut apart the largest remaining section of the key bridge that crashed down on that cargo ship, the "dali." those giant steel trusses plunging into the water in a massive plume of smoke. >> it's actually the safest and most efficient way to achieve this number of cuts and then have that wreckage fall out and away from the vessel. >> reporter: that ship has been trapped ev
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nearly two months ago, killing six construction workers. for 48 days now, the ship's crew has remained onboard, including during today's demolition. >> they are necessary to keep the ship safe and operational. if something were to happen, they're the -- in the best place to actually fight a fire on board the ship. >> reporter: authorities are now planning to move that ship and clear the remaining debris. was it a success? >> yes. absolutely. today was an important step. >> reporter: david, officials say they will move the "dali" back into the port of baltimore within 48 hours and reopen the entire channel to all shipping by the end of the month. and david, during the weeks of this very dangerous salvage operation, not a single worker has been injured. >> david: terry moran tonight. terry, thank you for your continued reporting. we turn now to the harrowing moments inside a louisiana church. dozens of families and children were inside when a 16-year-old boy armed with a gun interrupted mass. the priest then ducking behind the altar. here's abc's mireya villarreal tonight.
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>> reporter: tonight, this church livestream capturing chaos inside the sanctuary after a first holy communion ceremony was disrupted by a 16-year-old gunman. the incident unfolding on saturday at st. mary magdalen catholic church in abbeville, louisiana. dozens of families in attendance. video showing a parishioner approaching the priest in the middle of mass, the priest then urging everyone to sit and join him in prayer. while the suspect never appears in the video, the church says he opened a back door. parishioners confronting him quickly and calling police. as officers race to the scene, panic erupting in the church. parents fleeing with their children. >> calm down and just get next to your child and go slowly. >> reporter: clergy crouching behind the altar. tonight authorities say there were no injuries reported and that 16-year-old suspect
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arrested and taken to a mental health facility for evaluation. david, so far, police have not released a motive in this case, but we do know the suspect is being charged with terrorizing and possession of a firearm by a juvenile. meanwhile, the church says they will continue to have uniformed police officers at all their future masses. david? >> david: mireya villarreal tonight. mireya, thank you. at this hour, we're tracking severe storms, possible tornadoes, damaging winds across several states. also at this hour, air quality alerts, smoke from more than 140 wildfires in canada drifts once again into the u.s. in fact, the minneapolis skyline tonight barely visible. all of minnesota in the red category, parts of wisconsin and iowa, also on alert tonight. let's get right to chief meteorologist ginger zee tracking it all for us. hi, ginger. >> hi, david. we've got an ugly-looking line moving across southern louisiana, toward baton rouge, lafayette going to get hit next. this has imbedded tornado warnings within it. and we've seen a severe
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thunderstorm warning pop up from new orleans to pass ka gu la, mississippi. going to be a big night. want to time it out for you. it's late night when it gets to new orleans, especially south of lake pontchartrain. we're going to end up with severe thunderstorms with winds in excess of 65 miles per hour. it marches right across the panhandle of florida. mobile, watch out, too. into the early morning hours. and then charleston by 11:00 a.m. tomorrow. let's talk smoke quickly, because we've had air quality alerts sink into iowa, and that includes fort dodge, mason city, but look what happens. it slides down into topeka into sioux falls. david, another night with smoke. >> david: dealing with it all over again. ginger zee with us to start another week. thanks, ginger. now to the race for president tonight, and the new move from president biden, taking aim at china, announcing major new tariffs, he says to protect american industry and jobs here. it does come amid new polls in the key battleground states that show donald trump leading president biden in several of those states. let's get right to our chief white house correspondent mary bruce on this move, when it comes to china tonight. and mary, it also comes amid these new numbers. >> reporter: it does, and david, the biden campaign is certainly
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aware of these new numbers. donald trump now leading president biden in several critical battlegrounds among registered voters, including arizona, nevada, and michigan, where manufacturing is key. donald trump leading in michigan by seven points. and tonight, the president is trying to send a message on the economy, that he, too, is tough on china. the president tomorrow expected to announce that he is quadrupling tariffs on electric vehicles from china from 25% to 100%. he's also targeting other imports like semiconductors, solar panels, and batteries. the president is vowing to protect american workers from foreign competition and hoping to gain ground on the economy in the process. the issue also pivotal in states like pennsylvania and wisconsin, where those polls show trump and biden are much closer, david. >> david: mary bruce with us tonight. mary, thank you. overseas tonight, there is fierce fighting now in northern gaza, as israeli forces also move deeper into the southern city of rafah. and tonight we have learned there are american doctors trying to get out. abc's marcus moore from tel aviv.
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>> reporter: fierce battles in gaza tonight, as idf troops ere aid groups say famine has taken hold, comes at the same time israeli forces are expanding their operation in the southern city of rafah. images show tanks moving into the city, and new numbers reveal the staggering exodus of nearly 360,000 people fleeing the area since the first evacuation orders a week ago, many of them families. the white house, against any large-scale invasion of rafah, is adamant israel does not have a plan to protect the more than 1 million people there, even suggesting israel has no exit strategy for this war. >> if israel's military efforts are not accompanied by a political plan for the future of gaza, the terrorists will keep coming back and israel will remain under threat. >> reporter: and david, there is word tonight that a number of american doctors and medical staff are stuck in gaza because the rafah crossing is closed. it's one of the many reasons the
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u.s. and other countries are urgently trying to get that crossing reopened. david? >> david: marcus moore in tel aviv for us. thank you, marcus. there's also been a major move in the war in ukraine. russian forces attacking and now retaking some villages in the northeast. the warning tonight from president zelenskyy about where this war stands now, and tonight, the major news from moscow. vladimir putin has replaced the man who was running the war. abc's james longman back in kyiv for us tonight. >> reporter: tonight, ukrainian forces are desperately trying to stop russia's new offensive in the northeast, launching a drone strike on russian troops taking cover along this tree line. but the bitter fighting leveling the town of vovchansk just three miles from the border. rescue crews pulling out victims, thousands fleeing towards nearby kharkiv. it's ukraine's second largest city, now at risk. more than a million are still there. president zelensky today with a stark warning -- russia is stretching ukrainian forces thin, he says, with offensives on multiple fronts. ukraine says some 50,000 russian
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troops have been massing on the northeastern border for months and that 30,000 are now deployed to fight. and pressure also building tonight in other key areas across the country, like chasiv yar in the east. we were at this community center in july last year. now look. almost completely destroyed. the new russian onslaught comes as president putin shocked kremlin watchers by replacing his defense minister of 12 years, sergei shoigu. in his place, an economist with no military experience, possibly a signal of putin's concern over russia's troubled war economy. vladimir putin changing his defense minister suggests he knows his military is in bad need of modernization and improved economic efficiency, but it also shows his confidence. russia is fully committed to this war. putin knows the same cannot be said of the west. david? >> david: james longman inside ukraine for us tonight. james, thank you. back here in the u.s. tonight, authorities in florida are searching for a boater who is wanted for killing a 15-year-old girl while she was wakeboarding with friends.
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she was floating in the water, authorities say the boater her and never stopped. victor oquendo in florida. >> reporter: tonight, the search for a south florida boater wanted for killing a 15-year-old girl on the water. authorities say ella adler was wakeboarding with friends off the coast of key biscayne saturday afternoon. she was in the water with the board attached to her feet when she was fatally struck by a passing boater who never stopped to help. >> we're hoping that somebody saw something and would come forward with some information. >> reporter: witnesses describing the boat as light blue, center console with two to four outboard engines. her family sharing this video of adler, a talented ballerina, saying, "the world lost a star this weekend. ella was beautiful and shined brightly. in her 15 years, she gave us more light than we could have ever dreamed." today, loved ones gathering for her funeral. loren pearson says his daughter was best friends with adler. >> you know, it's a tremendous loss. she had such a bright future. it's very sad.
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>> reporter: authorities are asking for the public's help. a reward of up to $20,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest. david? >> david: all right, thank you, victor. when we come back here tonight, in new york city, the well-known actor, steve buscemi, randomly attacked while walking in manhattan. what we know about the case. and we remember a grammy-winning musician, in a moment. vere rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. with my psoriatic arthritis symptoms. but just ok isn't ok. and i was done settling. if you still have symptoms after a tnf blocker like humira or enbrel, rinvoq is different and may help. rinvoq is a once-daily pill that can rapidly relieve joint pain, stiffness, and swelling in ra and psa. relieve fatigue... and stop further joint damage. and in psa, can leave skin clear or almost clear. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections and blood clots, some fatal; cancers, including lymphoma and skin;
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he says he was repeatedly punched while walking on third avenue and 27th street in midtown manhattan. police tonight releasing surveillance images of the suspect. no arrests have been made. tonight, judge judy sheindlin filing a lawsuit against the parent company of "the national enquirer" and "in toparents' murder. she calls the story a fabrication. no comment tonight from the publisher, accelerate 360 media. when we come back here tonight, remembering a grammy-winning sax player, who famously performed with the stones and so many others. and then the stunning display in the skies across america. your images right here in a moment.
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famously performing "young americans" with david bowie in '74. ♪ all right ♪ ♪ young american ♪ ♪ >> david: he had been battling prostate cancer for several years. he performed rock and jazz with bruce springsteen, billy joel, stevie wonder. david sanborn was 78. when we come back here tonight, where you're going to get another chance this evening, and the images you've sent in already here, the northern lights over america. ( ♪ ♪ )
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atmospheric association says the skies over wisconsin, minnesota, michigan, maine, and upstate new york all tonight could see those lights again in the overnight hours. your best chance, if it's clear, around 3:00 a.m. all weekend long, so many of you witnessing the lights. these spectacular images from spokane, washington, to storm lake, iowa, wendover, utah, to portsmouth, new hampshire. the strongest solar storm in more than 20 years to reach earth. time lapse video highlighting the remarkable displace. york, maine, the green sky there dancing above a lighthouse. right here tonight. >> good evening, david, and welcome to maine. >> david: photographer rob wright, one of the many who captured incredible images, taking us back to that lighthouse. >> just witnessing it in person, it is more vivid, dynamic, detailed. it was a night i will never, ever forget. >> david: we love it. good luck tonight. let us know if you see it. i'll see you tomorrow. good night
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intelligence. the newest, fastest, smartest version yet. >> san francisco could soon face more budget cuts. what's on the chopping block? >> we're looking at more gray mornings and a downward temperature trend. i'll have the forecast. >> we're really proud of being able to showcase local artists and what makes a good jigsaw puzzle image. >> the oakland puzzle company knows a good fit always live. >> abc seven news starts right now. >> star wars had c-3po. now we
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have gpt four zero. >> hey, chatgpt. >> hey there. how's it going? >> sounds pretty real. so step closer to what experts call a perfect ai. good evening. i'm ama daetz and i'm dan ashley. >> thanks for joining us. openai. the makers of chatgpt, announced today a new ai model called gpt four designed to be smarter, faster, and easier. check out what it can do. >> so i just shared some code with you. could you give me a really brief, the code? >> this code fetches daily weather data for a specific location and time period, smooths the temperature data using a rolling average. annotates a significant weather event on the resulting plot, and then displays a plot with the average minimum and maximum temperatures over the year. >> all right, i got all of that from the code on the screen and got it right. the code creates a graph of temperatures. >> abc7 news reporter suzanne fawn joins us live to
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