♪ this is "nightline." >> tonight, nipsey hussle. ♪ the victory lap rapper. ♪ i'm the type that's gonna go get it ♪ hometown hero whose life was tragically cut short. the trial of his accused killer under way. how nipsey paid it back to his los angeles neighborhood and how they're finding justice by continuing his legacy. >> i live my dreams through ni nipsey. he saved a lot of lives. liz cheney, the vice chair of the january 6th committee, speaks exclusively to abc news jon karl in her first interview with the hearings began. as trump supporters question that bombshell testimony from a former white house aide. >> do you have any doubt at all

in anything that she said to you? >> i am absolutely confident in her credibility. i'm confident in her testimony. and supreme history. after 233 years, ketanji brown jackson now the first black woman ever to serve on the nation's highest court. >> so help me, god.

♪

thanks for joining us. tonight, on the verge of superstardom, the brutal murder of rapper nipsey hussle stunned so many, especially in his beloved neighborhood in l.a. the hip-hop artist wanted his crenshaw community to rise with him. now as the trial of his accused killer wraps, his neighborhood is focusing on his legacy. here's abc's ashan singh. >> reporter: crenshaw district in south l.a., known to many as the harlem of los angeles. ♪ watch out mother -- ♪ >> reporter: famous for the movie "boys in the hood" and home to some iconic names. one name rings louder in these streets than others. >> nipsey hussle. >> nipsey. >> nip hussle. >> he was somebody special. >> he was always smart, speaking about economic development and things that ain't really, like,

the usual conversation where we come from. >> he can move in an intellectual way, articulate himself in his music, represent his culture, and still elevate his community. >> reporter: rapper nipsey hussle. real name early yus oskadon. gunned down in march 2019, shot by an acquaintance after she exchanged words. >> outpouring of grief, rapper nipsey hussle. >> a suspect is in custody. >> 29-year-old eric holder. >> reporter: a life cut short. the father of two on the earn of superstardom with hits like "hustle and motivate." ♪ i'm the type that's gonna go get it ♪ >> reporter: and "victory lap." his sound, regal. his lyrics, undeniably raw. rapping about the trappings of gang life and the realities of growing up in crenshaw.

hussle was a hometown hero. as the 33-year-old got richer and more famous, he didn't leave his neighborhood behind. instead, he invested in it, opening businesses like the marathon clothing store. he was killed right in front of it. >> for me to watch the ones that really could make a difference die, that's what hurts. herman "cowboy" douglas was the manager of the marathon clothing store and an eyewitness to the aftermath of nipsey's murder. >> the day that nipsey hussle was killed there were there. how do you remember it? >> it remays in my mind constantly every day. "come in the back." i took him to the store room, showed hem all the shirts all lined up, he was like, wow. i was like, "you finally made it." shook his hands, less than an hour later, less than that, he was gone. >> reporter: cowboy was one of the first witnesses to testify at the trial of eric holder, the man accused of nipsey's murder. the courtroom just six miles from crenshaw. feels like a world away. today closing arguments began. more than three years after the

rapper died. >> here we are now. to mete out justice for what happened that day. >> reporter: many of those who knew nipsey best have largely avoided the courthouse. skeptical whether any real justice can be found. instead focussed on continuing his work in crenshaw. >> first of all, they took too [ bleep ] long with the trial. they convict us in two weeks out here. we need our own court system, that we can get the justice we might want to see. >> whatever the courts decide, it is what it is. from a street standpoint, i'm probably not going to like it. whether he get 25 years to life or not. >> reporter: cowboy took the witness stand as a service to his slain friend, sending a message to his alleged killer. >> i said, i looked at him, stared him down. >> did he look back at you? >> he looked for a second and he cut, the coward that he is. i wanted to jump over and choke him out. i thought about it. i thought about my kids, i thought about my businesses. and i said, i'm not going to let this guy ruin two lives.

>> reporter: for more than two weeks, prosecutors have argued that eric holder jr., an acquaintance of nipsey's, planned to shoot and kill him after a verbal confrontation over allegations that holder was a snitch. >> there's a range of consequences for people who snitch, but no gang member wants to be considered a snitch. >> reporter: both nipsey and holder belonged to the same gang, the rolling 60s of the crips. in the last years of his life, nipsey had worked to stop the violence and broker peace between gangs. holder's defense lawyers not denying he killed the rapper, but saying it was a crime of passion, not premeditation, and arguing that the charges, including first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder, are excessive. >> so enraged and triggered by this emotional response that he acted without premeditation. >> reporter: holder has pleaded not guilty. in a statement to abc news, his attorney saying holder has always been willing to accept responsibility for the charge of voluntary manslaughter for the

life he took. for cowboy, testifying wasn't so much about pointing fingers as it was about setting the record straight. >> i need the world to know that nipsey never called the man a snitch. that was my main focus. >> do you have any regrets from that day, the day nipsey was shot? >> oh, yeah. i regret that i left his side. i regret that i just left his side. >> reporter: the irony of nipsey being shot outside his clothing store is not lost on cowboy. not long ago, the two and nip's brother sam were slinging t-shirts and cds across the corner to make a buck. >> eventually the parking lot. eventually rented one store. eventually rented the next store, the next store, then nipsey bought the shopping center. >> reporter: even at a young age, nipsey stood out. he was just 20 in this video with hard knock tv. >> you're trying to get land?

>> exactly, a real asset, take care of my people. >> reporter: nipsey became the poster boy for buying back the block. naming his marathon clothing store after his motto, that has turned to gospel in south l.a., "the marathon continues." >> nipsey was a giant in the community. >> reporter: l.a. city councilman dawson worked with nipsey on projects like "destination crenshaw," a 1.3 mile long public works project dedicated to art and the community. now well under construction. >> nipsey was very clear. if you want to hear the stories that i'm talking about and you want to consume the culture that i'm talking about, you've got to come to the place where it happens. you've got to spend money here. we want you to eat here, we want you to hang out here. so that our economy benefits from the products that we're creating. >> reporter: nipsey's message spreading across rival neighborhoods and gang lines. an imprint few had seen since tupac. latonya ward is from neighboring

baldwin village, aka the jungles. it's a five-minue drive from slauson and crenshaw, but it's blood territory. >> bloods and crips don't get along in general. but especially ones that are your neighbors. >> reporter: after nipsey's death in 2019, latonya organized a peace march in crenshaw, inviting local gangs from all over los angeles. >> why was it important for you to put that march together? >> to make what happened to him not happen again. or at least to attempt. you know, people talk about, oh, it's never going to end. well, why wouldn't i try? who wouldn't try if they think it's a chance? >> reporter: these days, latonya organizes healing circles for gang members and those affected by gun violence. how did nipsey's death change you personally? >> i guess more inspiration. people's energy is stronger in death. you think about your own life, it just -- it lit a fire under me. >> reporter: that keeps her focused on her work and not the verdict awaiting nipsey's

alleged killer. >> it's a loss either way. i still feel a loss, a void of him. so whatever happens from the trial don't really suffice. >> they called him "neighborhood nip." >> reporter: the fate of nipsey's kilner the hands of a jury. holder visibly bruised with stitches in his head after being beaten up by inmates earlier this week. >> in this situation with nipsey and the other brother, we lost on both ends. they're still black. i don't care about who did what, where, when, why. all i know is there's two families suffering with an entire community around the world. >> reporter: nipsey's friend cowboy called by the defense to testify one more time yesterday. by he and the rest of crenshaw remain focused on 9sy. nipsey. finishing the work he began. >> i life my dreams through nipsey. through nip's death, he saved a lot of lives.

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♪ for the first time since former white house aide cassidy hutchinson's testimony sent shock waves through washington, congresswoman liz cheney speaking out, talking exclusively with abc's chief washington correspondent jonathan karl. as abc learns tonight, hutchinson told the january 6th committee that she was pressured by trump allies before she testified.

>> good to see you. >> you too. >> reporter: republicans in washington call her a traitor. but liz cheney got a warm reception in reagan country, especially when she brought up this week's star witness against donald trump, cassidy hutchinson. >> her superiors -- men many years older -- a number of them are hiding behind executive privilege, anonymity, and intimidation. but her bravery and her patriotism yesterday were awesome to behold. >> reporter: in her testimony this week, hutchinson did what no other trump insider would, told her story under oath about what she saw in the west wing on and before january 6th. giving a devastating portrait of an unhinged donald trump desperately trying to stay in power. >> cassidy hutchinson, i saw you went and gave her a hug after she testified. why did she go where so few have gone before? >> look, i think that what

cassidy hutchinson did was an unbelievable example of bravery and of courage. and patriotism. in the face of real pressure. >> as you know, there's an active campaign under way to destroy her credibility. do you have any doubt at all in anything that she said to you? >> i am absolutely confident in her credibility. i'm confident in her testimony. and the committee is not going to stand by and watch her character be assassinated by anonymous sources and by men who are claiming executive privilege. >> reporter: hutchinson recounted what she said deputy chief of staff tony oar naught t ornato, a secret service agent, told her about trump's actions, that trump demanded to be taken to the capitol where trump's supporters were already breaching barricades, and what

he did when the secret service re refused. >> the president reached up towards the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel. mr. engle grabbed his arm, said "sir, you need to take your hand off the steering wheel, we're going back to the west wing, we're not going to the capitol." mr. trump then used his free hand to lunge towards bobby engle. >> did you see testimony from tony ornato or robert engle to corroborate or refute what she said? >> i don't want to get into too many details. the committee has spoken to both mr. ornato and mr. engle. and we welcome additional testimony under oath from both of them and from anybody else in the secret service who has information about any of these issues. >> do you expect that that testimony will be live testimony, under oath like her testimony, and for the world to

see? how is that going to happen? >> look, we have been working with the secret service, we've interviewed a number of individuals in the secret service. we will continue to do so. and i think it is important that their testimony be under oath. and i understand very much the difficulty and the challenges that are presented when you are trying to protect somebody and the relationship that exists there. but that they have an obligation to testify truthfully to the committee, as does anybody else. >> reporter: hutchinson also testified about white house counsel pat cipollone's desperate effort to keep trump from going to the capitol. >> mr. cipollone said something to the effect of, please make sure we don't go up to the capitol, cassidy, keep in touch with me, we're going to get charged with every crime imaginable if we make that movement happen. >> has he said anything to the committee that refutes anything that cassidy hutchinson said at the hearing?

>> he has not. mr. cipollone's discussions with the committee so far have been informal. and we look forward, again, to his on-the-record testimony. the american people deserve to hear his testimony. >> reporter: the january 6th committee subpoenaed cipollone to formally testify before the committee. pat cipollone was there for it all. there was probably nobody outside of mark meadows who had closer access to donald trump on january 6th and in those days before. do you think we will see pat cipollone testify? >> i really hope we will. i think this is an instance where the presidency, the american people, where we've been through something we've never been through before, where the very real and significant chance that there was behavior under way about which mr. cipollone expressed significant legal concerns, and i think he has an obligation to testify. >> he said some remarkable things to cassidy hutchinson,

according to hutchinson. how can that be executive privilege, his conversations with an aide in the white house? this is not conversations with the president. >> correct. and executive privilege is also, you know, not absolute. and when you have a situation like the one we have where the president himself was attempting to overturn an election and the president himself was attempting to stay in power, you know, the interests of making sure the american people understand what happened certainly outweigh the interests of that privilege. >> reporter: we asked cheney about the explosive allegation she made at the close of this week's hearing. that witnesses coming before the committee have been threatened by people close to trump. abc news has learned that cassidy hutchinson was one of those witnesses subject to intimidation. do you know who was doing it? >> i don't want to comment on that. but it's very serious. it really goes to the heart of

our legal system. and it's something the committee will certainly be reviewing. >> so you think some of the testimony you received wasn't truthful because people were threatened? >> the way that i would put it is that it gives us a real insight into how people around the former president are operating, and to the extent to which they believe that they can affect the testimony of witnesses before the committee. it's something we take very seriously. and it's something that people should be aware of. it's a very serious issue, and i would imagine the department of justice would be very interested in and would take that very seriously as well. >> our thanks to jonathan. former president trump denies hutchinson's claims. you can catch more of jon's interview with liz cheney on the future of the gop, the potential for criminal referral for trump, and cheney's own presidential ambitions on "this week" sunday. up next, an historic up next, an historic milestone at the supreme court. .

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♪ finally tonight, justice ketanji brown jackson making history today, becoming the

first black woman to serve on the supreme court in its 233-year history. >> so help me god. >> so help me god. >> justice brown jackson sworn in. >> i'm mealsed to welcome justice jackson to the court and to our common calling. >> she joins three other women, the first time four women will serve together on the nine-member court. and that's "nightline." you can watch all our full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here on travel purchased through chase with chase freedom unlimited. i earn 5% on our cabin. hello cashback! hello, kevin hart! earn big time with chase freedom unlimited with no annual fee. how do you cashback? chase. make more of what's yours.