♪ this is "nightline." >> tonight, fighting for his name. johnny depp testifies in his defamation lawsuit against ex-wife amber heard. disturbing texts. why he says heard ruined him with the stroke of a pen. >> one day you're cinderella, so to speak. in 0.6 seconds you're quasimodo. plus it's electric. >> i figure you could use a little pick me up. >> all electric? >> all electric. >> with no gas and no noise, we're recharging on the road in the newest models of electric cars. why so many people are buzzing about evs right now. and magic man. >> i think you will understand the difference between earvin

an magic, because it is a difference. >> what is the difference between earvin and magic? >> magic is crazy. >> legendary baller magic johnson like you've never seen him before. >> i didn't do everything right in life. >> how he cast a spell on the world, both on and off the court.

good evening. thank you for joining us. in a nondescript courtroom in a washington, d.c. suburb, an explosive trial is under way. hollywood superstar generalny depp's defamation lawsuit against ex-wife amber heard. depp took the stand for a third day, answering questions about the cryptic texts he fired off to friends. >> one day you're cinderella, so to speak. then in 0.6 seconds, you're quasimodo. >> reporter: rarely are celebrities' private lives exposed as publicly as this. johnny depp in court under oath divulging disturbal personal details about his tumultuous relationship and marriage with ex-wife amber heard. the dirty laundry being aired. every sensational bit of evidence. >> you write, i got drunk and destroyed my room, there are hookers and animals in here. >> reporter: because depp filed a $50 million lawsuit against his ex-wife for defamation, taking the stand for the third

day, cross examined about messages he sent to family and friends in which he uses violent language, like this 2013 text to "avengers" actor paul bettany. >> you say, let's drown her before we burn her. you wrote that about the woman who would later become your wife. >> yes, i did. >> reporter: once one of the most highly paid stars in hollywood for blockbusters like "the pirates of the caribbean series." >> captain jack sparrow. >> reporter: the 58-year-old allege s his career was ruined after heard published a 2018 op-ed in "the washington post" where she describes herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse. depp was never named in the article, but his legal team argues the implications are clear. soon after, a new "pirates" film was put on hold and depp was dropped from the "harry potter fantastic beasts" franchise. >> what have you lost as a result of heard making these allegations against you?

>> nothing less than everything. >> reporter: depp has denied ever hitting or abusing the 35-year-old, claiming she was actual aggressor, testifying yesterday that in 2015 heard extinguished a cigarette on his face and threw a vodka bottle at him, severing his little finger. >> we went to the emergency room. the doctor asked me what happened. and i lied to him. i said that i had smashed it -- >> why would you lie about that? >> i didn't want to get her in trouble. >> reporter: but no matter the outcome in this trial, depp says his fate has long been sealed by the court of public opinion. >> when the allegations were made, i lost then. i will live with that for the rest of my life. switching gears now to take an electric vehicle road trip with abc's ginger zee. with gas prices rising and the

threat of climate change heating up, interest in evs is sparking. during earth week what could be a better time to dispel some of the myths by those powered by battery? >> reporter: you may not hear them as they cruise by you on the highway. but here at the new york auto show, it's the talk about electric vehicles that's making all that noise. like that, 16 cars and trucks relying solely on rechargeable batteries taking center stage at one of the country's premier motor exhibitions. they come in all shapes, sizes, and ranges. >> i figured you could use a little pick me up. >> all electric? >> all electric. >> reporter: with the threat of global warming intensifying and gas prices rising, evs are getting a closer look. and manufacturers are betting that it is a prime time for a sell, making sales pitches to millions during this year's super bowl and masters tournament.

>> john electrifies the crowd. the eqs is nothing if not electrifying. >> reporter: the big three -- general motors, chrysler, ford -- have all pledged to go all electric by 2035. saying, not only are evs helping the environment, but they're cheaper to maintain. >> by 2035, we will only offer zero-emission commercial vehicles to our customers in europe. >> reporter: more than 6.5 million evs were sold in 2021, and that doubled 2020's numbers. but that was around the globe. most of them weren't sold in the u.s. tesla has 60% of the market, and they've been leading the charge since 2008. "nightline" was right there at the factory even before their first car was on the road. yes, that's a younger elon musk. >> i really think that the right entry points in the market is the sports car. because there are people willing to accept a high unit cost. you get that into the market, then you continue to innovate

and optimize and go progressively higher volume and more affordable with each successive model. >> reporter: the company sold nearly 1 million last year, but just 300,000 in the u.s. why the hesitancy here? to understand the challenges and benefits of relying on battery power, i went on a week-long road trip across the eastern united states in a 2021 tesla y. i'm charged up. but before we headed out, we took a test drive around manhattan in the 2022 nissan aria. this automaker planning to launch a combination of 23 hybrid and electrified models by 2030. what would be the future of evs? what do people need to know with all of the new coming out? >> they just don't know how easy life is when you don't go to gas stations. >> reporter: ford is going big, adapting the best-selling model in america, the iconic f-150, now in the ev market.

the sticker price for the new lightning starting at just under $40,000, which is lower than the prices of many of the ev competitors. >> it's 775 foot pounds of torque, 563 horsepower, getting you 0 to 60 in a mid-4 seconds. >> reporter: since the beginning of the year around 200,000 orders have been placed and there's a waiting list. that's hard for people to imagine. no engine also means no maintenance. >> that's exactly right. >> reporter: the one thing about this being a truck is that, you know, it's really important that we made it durable and capable. >> the birthplace of the automobile is having a bit of a rebirth. i am inside ford's all-electric manufacturing facility. this thing has been moving on magnets by itself, is eerie quiet, like the ev itself. we saw up close how ford has retrofitted a plant for the

future at our first stop in dearborn, michigan. this f-150 has a 320-mile range. they've got a guarantee on the a lot wor about. this battean b a generator for your home or to boost another friend who's got an ev. after driving more than 1,200 miles and stopping eight times at charging stations -- >> 95% charged, it took 35 minutes. we got a workout in. we're ready to roll. >> reporter: we arrived in chattanooga, tennessee, at the world's first lead platinum certified auto assembly plant owned by volkswagen. yes, they're manufacturing gas and electric cars. but they're doing it with the planet in mind. 12% on production days of their energy is from the solar panels, and these guys, the sheep and the donkey, helping to graze the grass underneath it. volkswagen employs nearly 4,000 people here. some manufacturing traditional gas cars, but now electric vehicle production shares the space.

and how is the id-4 doing? oh! >> reporter: we got a preview inside vw's soon to open battery testing lab, where they make sure their batteries function in the toughest conditions. >> you're simulating movement, then you have to simulate temperature, one of the biggest questions people have. yeah, but i live in a cold climate. so they're let efficient when it's cold? >> we test everything here at the far extremes. so from minus 40 up to plus 70. to make sure that it's still able to perform as planned. >> reporter: one of the biggest worries people have about evs is they'll run out of the charge in the middle of nowhere. the leader of the pack in sales is naturally the leader in charging too. >> we have found tessa is beating everyone else. tesla has announced the super charger stations are going to be available to nontesla vehicles. >> reporter: there are over 46,000 ev charging stations across america. that compared to more than 150,000 gas stations. and while they are harder to

find in the middle of the country, that's changing. new apps like plug share, charge point, blink, and others, make finding the closest charging station easier on a road trip. at our third stop in georgia, a smaller city, tifton, population less than 17,000, we were able to find plenty of charging stations. most of the 46,000 charging stations in the nation are along highways like this one here along i-75 in tipton, georgia. they are investing in smaller towns to make the network easier. overall, without the engine noise, the ev just made for a quieter road trip. unless you count my singing. ♪ mamma mia let me go ♪ ♪ beelzebub has a devil of a son for me for me ♪ >> our thanks to ginger. up next, legendary nba star magic johnson, once unstoppable on the court, now discussing the one thing that had the power to bench him.

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♪ earvin "magic" johnson captivated the hearts of so many with his basketball skills and unmatched charisma. the nba legend now unveiling parts of himself never shared before. here's abc's robin roberts. >> i think you'll understand the difference between earvin and magic, because it is a difference. >> what is the difference between earvin and magic? >> magic is crazy. crazy on that court. i'll heat your heart out, i'd chop your neck off if i had to, to win that game. earvin is emotional. he cries. sometimes even at movies that

bring a -- touch my emotions. >> reporter: magic johnson, considered one of the greatest basketball players of all-time. >> well, they call him magic because of plays like this. >> among the men of the nba, earvin magic johnson is the man. >> reporter: three-time mvp. five nba championships. an olympic gold. >> i do everything but almost clean up the floor. >> reporter: his career on the court soared. the nba dubbed it "the magic era." that era was electric. >> yes. >> it was entertainment. what are your fondest memories? >> it was exciting times. it was a time that guys just -- they wanted to play every single night. that's what made it fun. >> reporter: now the living legend's latest project showcases him as you've never seen him before. >> my father called me up and told me, said, julian, you better marry that girl.

god blessed you with this woman, you're going too make a mistake, the biggest mistake of your life. >> reporter: chronicling the highs and lows of his life. marriage, career, a new four-part documentary series "they call me magic." >> it's real. it's our real life. we're not hiding anything. it's the truth with coming out saying, hey, we're an open book. >> reporter: earvin johnson was born in lansing, michigan in 1959. a kid with hoop dreams exploiting on the scene in the late '70s where he became magic. >> the los angeles lakers select -- earvin magic johnson, michigan state. >> reporter: magic was unstoppable. what one thing he reveals had the power to freeze him in his tracks. love. >> a young lady came in. >> we said hello. i ran into my other friends and, you know, danced and had a good time. >> she walked away. and i said, whoo, whoo!

i gots to get to know her. >> reporter: the series taking us deeper into their 12-year, on again, off again courtship. >> three times i got engaged, broke the engagement. i want everybody to i dn'to yt i >> reporter: then, just 45 days into their marriage came the moment that would change their lives and magic's career forever. >> because of the hiv virus that i have attained, i will have to retire from the lakers. >> reporter: cookie opening up about the hiv diagnosis in 2016. >> we both fell on our knees and we start the crying. he said, if you want to leave, i don't blame you, i understand. and then i said, are you kidding me? no, i love you. >> when you got up there with cookie and you talked about your diagnosis, hiv, and to see you now, 30 years later, what do you want your message to be to people who are facing that?

>> you got to have a great support system. and you just talked about cookie. my kids, my parents, my brothers and sisters, my laker family. they told me, you're going to be here for a long time. when everybody else was saying i was going to die. and look where i am. thank god, he put me in that position where cookie and i can grow old together. >> 30 years? >> 30 years. >> reporter: when magic first revealed his diagnosis, he was rejected by some of his fellow nba players. but he turned his personal tragedy into a powerful purpose. becoming an advocate for safe sex, especially among youth, pouring his energy into family and beginning his business empire. you have done so much. can you list out right now all your business ventures? >> yeah, part owner of the dodgers. we might win the world series this year. the sparks, wnba sparks. mls. lafc soccer team.

e-sports team liquid. our infrastructure company. our food service and procurement business. facilities management. and then a lot of investment. so that's just a little bit about my portfolio. >> just a little bit, a little snitch? >> just a little bit. >> reporter: a businessman using his influence to reshape and rebuild low-income communities of color. >> off the court, the lives that i touched, invested in earvin america, the inner-cities, giving people jobs. that's what i want to be known for. the scholarships. sending young people to college. that's what i want to be known for. the things that how we touched people. we always want to give back and help young people, help our community be better. >> reporter: now at 62 years old, helping young people is something he's still doing. >> i say that we bring a little magic into this classroom. >> reporter: speaking to a classroom of students at earl

monroe school in the bronx. they're all hoping to break into basketball and not just as players, but as camera operators, commentators, and agents. >> listen, don't let anybody define what you can become, okay? apply yourself here, get good gr grades, then go on and do great things. not just in college and high school, but also in your community. now i'm mentoring people. so i help you, you go back and help somebody else, okay? >> him coming to our school is a big thing. and i wouldn't expect magic johnson to just walk into our classroom. >> good luck, keep going, keep going, and keep going. >> earvin "magic" johnson! >> reporter: through it all, johnson hopes his latest project and his legacy will inspire others, especially future generations. >> i poured my heart and soul into this. and that you're going to feel like a winner, you're going to be inspired, you're going to see love at its highest level between cookie and myself.

i'm excited about, you know, the doc. i hope everybody enjoys it. >> our thanks to robihey cale d available april 22nd on apple tv plus. up next, the daredevil pilots taking flight with their gravity-defying stunt. before treating your chronic migraine, 15 or more headache days a month each lasting 4 hours or more, you're not the only one with questions about botox®. botox® prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine before they even start, with about 10 minutes of treatment once every 3 months. so, ask your doctor if botox® is right for you, and if a sample is available. effects of botox® may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness can be signs of a life-threatening condition. side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue, and headache.

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♪ finally tonight, the pilots looking to make history with the wild stunt. they'll intentionally send their planes into a nosedive before

leaving the controls to jump from one plane to another. what they're calling the first-ever mid-airplane swap. red bull air force pilots and cousins luke aikens and andy farington have been testing this maneuver for weeks and plan to execute the move over the arizona desert. you can catch the livestream of the aerial performance on hulu this sunday, april 24th, beginning at 7:00 p.m. eastern, 4:00 p.m. pacific. that's "nightline" for this evening. see you right back here same time tomorrow. thanks for the company, america. good night.