good morning, i'm frances rivera. senate democrats are reviving the battle over the border. senate majority leader chuck schumer says there will be a vote thursday on the bipartisan border security package that republicans blocked earlier this year. the bill would reform asylum rules and boost staffing at the border. schumer saying these are all issues the gop have said we must address. but republicans say they will block the bill again, even senator james lankford says he would vote no. he's accusing democrats of trying to score political points. >>> now, to the hush money trial of donald trump which is now in the final stretch. the prosecution has rested its case, giving the defense the chance to call their own witnesses. the week began with another day of dramatic testimony. here's laura jarret. >> reporter: former president trump's defense team launching a fiery start to its case, taking direct aim at the credibility of star prosecution witness michael cohen. calling robert costello, a former federal prosecutor and attorney for rudy giuliani, who advised cohen before a f

good morning, i'm frances rivera. we begin with the severe weather wreaking havoc across the south overnight. at least one person was killed in louisiana's st. martin parish where officials suspect a tornado tore through. a twister was also reported in the lake charles area, leaving a trail of destruction. trees were ripped from their roots, and power lines were toppled. tens of thousands remain without power this morning. several parts of the state are also under water after heavy rain. let's get to angie lassman, who's tracking the threat. >> we have a newly-issued tornado watch across that same region. the gulf coast is where we're waking up to thunderstorms, tallahassee and montgomery seeing rain at this hour. the tornado watch lasts until 9:00 a.m. it just barely includes parts of extreme southern georgia as well as florida. we'll see some general thunderstorms across the southeast, but i think the best chance for some of those stronger storms, tampa to jacksonville, just barely into portions of noflorida, gaines

. >>> good morning, i'm frances rivera. residents across the nation's heartland are reeling after a weekend of powerful storms devastated communities with heavy rain, hail, high winds and tornados. at least 24 people have died across six states. dozens more have been injured and countless homes, cars and businesses have been decimated. on monday, that same system bringing thunderstorms to parts of the east coast. in texas, a group of firefighters' homes were leveled after a storm tore through with wins winds up to 165 miles per hour. and one family had to be rescued by their neighbors. >> they are the emergency now. so, you know, we're responding to help them out. >> governors in kentucky and arkansas surveyed damage in hard-hit areas of their states monday. and another bout of severe weather has its sights set on the plains again today. here's angie lassman with what the region can expect. what a season this has been so far, angie. >> what a season. already we've had more than 400 tornado reports, and today we have another

i'm frances rivera. we begin with the latest onslaught of vicious weather. this time pummeling the south. at least two people were killed in tennessee, and another in north carolina. a possible tornado touched down south of nashville, leveling homes. multiple people were injured there. but officials say they don't have an estimate just yet. >> something you see out of a movie. the twister, i mean, metal wrapped around everything, your house is gone. you have nothing left. you have nothing left. i have my clothes and my crocs on my feet. that's it. it's all gone. just everything is gone. we had to scream for help. and finally they came with chainsaws and was able to dig us out. >> according to the national weather service, there were 13 reports of tornados in seven states wednesday. in huntsville, alabama, forecasters warned residents to seek shelter as a twister touched down. and millions remain in the path of more severe storms today. angie lassman joins us with the latest. this seem like a daily thing now. >> yeah, a repeat performance if you will. the goo

i'm frances rivera. we again with the severe weather wreaking havoc across the south overnight. at least one person was killed in louisiana's st. martin parish, where officials suspect a tornado tore through. a twister was also reported in the lake charles area, leaving a trail of destruction. trees were ripped from their roots, and power lines were toppled. tens of thousands remain without power this morning. several parts of the state are also under water, after heavy rain. angie lassman willtell us where those storms are head next in just a minute. >>> now to terrifying scenes in a church full of children receiving their first communion. church members confronted him and took him outside and called police. the church was evacuated and cops searched for an additional threat. and the scary scene in louisiana was caught on live stream. >> just get ahold of your child. go slowly. we did apprehend a young man. >> the sole suspect was pay rested and taken to the hospital for a mental evaluation. he was charged with terrorizing and two counts of juvenile gun possession. there were n

i'm frances rivera. donald trump will be back in court today, where his defense team will try to hammer away at michael cohen's credibility. a source with direct knowledge tells nbc news, trump's lawyers plan to focus on previous lies under oath during today's cross examination. meanwhile, there is another showdown in the works. president biden and his predecessor have agreed to two debates before the november election. nbc's peter alexander has more. >> reporter: the stage is set for the first tv confrontation between president biden and former president trump in more than three years. the agreement punctuating a dizzying day of deal making. >> donald trump lost two debates to me in 2020. since then, he hadn't shown up for a debate. now he's acting like he wants to debate pme again. well, make my deal, pal. >> reporter: the hush money trial has kept him in court four days a week. >> pick the date, donald. i hear you're free on wednesdays many. >> reporter: there are traditionally three debates. the pres

i'm frances rivera. have a great thursday.l in a better mood, because it will be friday. have a good one in the meantime. . a nice to meet ya. my name is david. i've been a pharmacist for 44 years. when i have customers come in and ask for something for memory, i recommend prevagen. number one, because it's effective. does not require a prescription. and i've been taking it quite a while myself and i know it works. and i love it when the customers come back in and tell me, "david, that really works so good for me." makes my day. prevagen. at stores everywhere without a prescription. >>> lapd ordering crowds to disperse at ucla. the protesters defiantly staying put overnight, as officials call for an investigation into earlier violence between the encampment and counter protesters. we have a live report from los angeles. >>> in wisconsin, a student shot dead outside a middle school after reports of a person with a gun. what police are saying today about th

i'm frances rivera. we begin with breaking news, as a severe weather outbreak plaguing the central u.s. continues, this time taking aim at michigan. several tornados tormented the state tuesday, leaving a trail of destruction. officials say there are multiple injuries, about so far no reported fatalities. the governor declaring a state of emergency for st. joseph, branch and cass counties. a twister tore the side off a fedex facility,trapping about 50 workers, as first responders worked to clear electrical wires blocking their exit. all workers are now accounted for, and there are no serious injuries. and nearby, a mobile home community sustained serious damage with many homes completely leveled. and the threat of dangerous weather remains for millions this morning. nbc meteorologist michelle grossman will have the latest for us in just a few minutes. >>> now to the latest in the trials of donald trump. a federal judge in florida has handed mr. trump the gift of time, indefinitely postponing his classifi

good morning, i'm frances rivera. breaking overnight, parts of the south battered by another round of deadly storms. water logged texas facing dangerously dangerously-high winds and flooding. the city was blasted by hurricane-strength winds reaching up to 100 miles per hour. the gusts tearing windowg win skyscrapers. the trees and power lines toppled. hundreds of thousands are still in the dark across texas and louisiana, which was also struck by severe weather. and the region is facingmore dangerous weather this morning. let's bring in nbc meteorologist michelle grossman, who is tracking the system for us. good morning, michelle. and we'll turn to her a little bit later. but, for now, we want to turn to donald trump's hush money trial. the former president will have a day off from court today to attend his son's graux of graduation. it's a break from his trial with michael cohen. trump's defense team confronting cohen about a history of lies. here's laura jarret. >> reporter: star prosecution witness michael cohen, f

i'm frances rivera. a nypd officer did fire a gun inside hamilton hall at columbia university on tuesday. the d.a.'s office confirms. it happened while cops were clearing the building of demonstrators. the d.a. says it was on accident and nobody was hurt. no students were in the immediate vicinity. the incident is under investigation. let's go to brie jackson in washington, d.c. president biden spoke out about the protests, so what did he have to say? >> reporter: he started his remarks off by praising peaceful protests before contrasting them with the recent scenes of chaos on campuses. take a listen. >> violent protest is not protected. peaceful protest is. it's against the law when violence occurs. destroying property is not a peaceful protest. it's against the law. vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations. none of this is a peaceful protest. >> reporter: now we should note that the only graduation that has been canceled so f

i'm frances rivera. donald trump's fate in his criminal hush money case will soon be in the hands of the jury. closing arguments lasted until about 8:00 p.m. last night. in just a few hours, the judge will give the jury their instructions and deliberations will begin. nbc's jay gray has more from the courthouse. >> reporter: a dynamic day, both inside and outside of the criminal courthouse here in lower manhattan. the defense and prosecution getting one last chance with the jury in this historic case. former president donald trump charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection to hush money payments made to adult film star stormy daniels in an effort to hide an alleged affair from voters. the former president once again blasting the proceedings as he entered the courthouse. >> but this is all election interfering. it's going after joe biden's political opponent, because he can't do it himself. and they're helping out. and we have a judge who's highly conflicted. he happens to

i'm frances rivera. we begin this morning in central texas, where severe storms brought heavy rain and flooding. hail and reports of tornados across the region. meanwhile, in iowa, officials say there have been at least five deaths from the tornado outbreak that tore across the midwest tuesday. there are also at least 35 people injured. nbc's jay gray starts us off. >> reporter: violent storms battering the midwest and upper immig great lakes. >> wow. that's a tornado, guys. >> reporter: tornados, hail and driving rain in some areas, striking so fast there was no time to get to shelter. >> i tried to run into the house. got hit with some debris, and it dropped me. so i just hurtled up behind the house and the whole garage came down on top of me and i got dug out. i was probably under it for half an hour. >> reporter: the worst of it in iowa. multiple people killed, dozens injured. search teams continued to work through the rubble alongside survivors, many still in shock. >> right here we're just going th

i'm frances rivera. we begin with that courtroom drama playing out in new york. testimony will continue in just a few hours in donald trump's hush money trial. sparks were flying as stormy daniels detailed an alleged sexual encounter with trump in 2006. brie jackson joins us now. things were tense in court, as the deechfense got a chance to question daniels about her story. >> reporter: that's right. there were a lot of heated exchanges thursday. mr. trump's attorney bringing up stormy daniels' experience in the adult film industry, saying daniels has experienced making up phony stories about sex. the defense also arguing that daniels had a financial stake in trying to take down trump. daniels said she was trying to sell her story, to get the truth out. but that she chose to take the non-disclosure agreement for her safety. now she told the jury the money was not her motivation, saying, we're all happy to take money. it was just a bonus. mr. trump wants to respond publicly to daniels' testimony, but the judge rejected a request to change the gag order. the former

. >>> good morning, i'm frances rivera. we begin with breaking news, as a severe weather outbreak plaguing the central u.s. continues, this time taking aim at michigan. several tornados tormented the state tuesday leaving a trail of destruction. officials say there are multiple injuries, but so far, no reports of fatalities. the governor declaring a state of emergency for kalamazoo, st. joseph and branch county. a twister tore the side off a fedex facility, trapping about 50 workers, as first responders worked to clear electrical wires blocking their exit. all workers are now accounted for and there are no serious injuries. and nearby, a mobile home community sustained serious damage. for more on where that threat is headed next, let's bring in michelle grossman, who's tracking the dangerous weather. >> the dangerous weather continues this morning. will continue throughout the day. and we're looking at thursday as well. this is what radar looks like this morning. where you see the pink boxes are tornado watches. also we hav

i'm frances rivera. we start with the dramatic showdown in a manhattan courtroom. donald trump's defense team getting the chance to question michael cohen, a friend turned foe of the former president. cohen is a key witness for the prosecution. mr. trump's attorneys hitting him with questions to attack his credibility. here's nbc's alice barr. >> reporter: the prosecution's star witness, michael cohen, put to the test. under blistering cross examination, former president trump's one-time fixer and personal lawyer sticking to his guns and rejecting the trump defense team's efforts to paint him as a lying, convicted criminal with an ax to grind. cohen's testimony ties together past witness accounts and documents, outlining payments right before the 2016 election to keep ex-porn star stormy daniels quiet about an alleged one-night stand all of which mr. trump denies. during questioning by the prosecution, cohen said he paid daniels $130,000, quote, to ensure that the story would not come out, would not affect mr. trump's chances of becoming president of the united sta

i'm frances rivera, have a great thursday. in police custody.

i'm frances rivera. we begin this morning with breaking news. at least 19 people have been killed and dozens more injured across texas, oklahoma, arkansas, and kentucky after devastating storms unleashed their wrath on the central u.s. over the weekend. the severe storms and tornadoes reducing homes and businesses to rubble. president biden issuing a statement that he and first lady jill biden were praying for those who tragically lost their lives. and as severe storms continued on sunday, in chicago, attendees of the suenos music festival were evacuated after lightning moved in. overnight kentucky's governor issuing a state of emergency after wind damage and tornadoes. this morning, hundreds of thousands remain without power from texas to pennsylvania. nbc's priscilla thomas starts us off. >> dangerous storms continuing a deadly tear across the country. >> and the fans have been told to exit the grandstands and seek shelter immediately. >> reporter: at the indy 500, severe weather delaying the start of

i'm frances rivera. we begin this morning in texas where devastating flooding wreaking havoc in the dallas and houston areas. on sunday a child was killed after the car he was traveling in was swept away. and today many residents remain in harm's way as more severe weather could strike the region. nbc's priscilla thompson starts us off. >> reporter: at least one person is dead as dangerous floodwaters rage across texas. body cam video shows houston police rescuing this man and three dogs after being trapped in at least 8 feet of water in a flooded trailer park. >> oh, that is floating. >> reporter: in dallas passengers struggling to escape rushing water on a roadway and this empty horse trailer floating away in hamilton, texas. since friday, hundreds of people and pets have been rescued across the state. a made a days' long deluge that has dumped more than 2 feet of water in some areas. >> this is the worst flooding i have ever seen in my career. >> reporter: this water swallowing an elevated roadway. th

i'm frances rivera. breaking overnight, the president of iran ebrahim raisi has died in a helicopter crash in the northwest part of the country. the stunning development confirmed by state media a day after uncertainty. rescue crews have reached the side in east azerbaijan province in iran, confirming the death of everyone on board, including the islamic republic's powerful foreign minister. let's turn now to claudio lavanga. claudio, good morning. what else do we know? >> good morning, frances. well, according to iranian state media, on sunday, the president of iran, ebrahim raisi was on a helicopter on his way -- on board of a helicopter on his way back to tehran after he inaugurated a new dam on the border between azerbaijan and iran. at some point, state media said that that helicopter was forced to make what it called a crash or hard landing in an isolated and forested area that triggered a massive search-and-rescue operation in which at least 40 rescue teams were involved. but they were hampered by

i'm frances rivera. breaking overnight, the president of iran, ebrahim raisi, has died in a helicopter crash in the northwest part of the country. the stunning development confirmed by state media after a day of uncertainty. rescue crews have reached the site in east azerbaijan province in iran, confirming the death of everyone on board, including the islamic republic's powerful foreign minister. let's turn now to claudio lavanga. claudio, good morning. what else do we know? >> good morning, frances. according to state media in iran, what we know is on sunday, the president of iran, ebrahim raisi was on board of a helicopter flying back to tehran after he inaugurated a new dam on the border between iran and azerbaijan with the president of azerbaijan. on the way back on that flight something happened and state media started reporting later on sunday that it was forced, this helicopter, to do a crash or hard landing in an isolated forested area not too far from the border. that sparked of course a massive

i'm frances rivera. we have breaking news this morning. the manhunt for the suspect in the fatal shooting of an ohio police officer has come to an end. authorities say that 24-year-old deshawn anthony vaughn was found dead inside an apartment in the cleveland suburb of shaker heights after an hours' long standoff with law enforcement. the manhunt began after an officer was shot in euclid, ohio on saturday. jacob derbin died at the hospital. after the shooting, vaughn posted a video to instagram saying he could not go back to jail. police have not said how vaughn died, but our cleveland affiliate reports hearing gunshots right before the standoff ended. >>> there can be a lot more drama in the hush money trial of donald trump this week. key witness michael cohen is expected to take the stand. prosecutors accused mr. trump of falsifying business records, and they believe cohen could be the one to connect those dots. here is nbc's dasha burns. >> reporter: just hours from now, former president trump set to face off in the courtroom with his f

i'm frances rivera. have a great monday. new blueprint meant to strengthen our country and the state, plus a race to escape rafa israel urgently warning palestinians to leave

. >>> hi there, glad you are with me to start the week, i'm frances rivera. breaking overnight, the president of iran ebrahim raisi has died in a helicopter crash in the northwest part of the country. the stunning development confirmed by state media after a day of uncertainty. rescue crews have reached the site in east azerbaijan province in iran confirming the death of everyone on board including the islamic republic's powerful foreign minister. let's go to claudio lavanga this morning. what more do we know? >> reporter: what we know from iranian state media that on sunday the president of iran was on board a helicopter flying back to tehran after he inaugurated a new dam on the border between iran and azerbaijan. during the flight iranian state media said the helicopter was forced to make a hard or crash landing in an isolated forested area, that sparked a massive search and rescue operation hampered by the bad weather, especially heavy fog, which may also be the cause of -- one of the causes of that crash. early this morning state media reported that fina

. >>> let's check on the headlines outside of the world of money and business with nbc's frances rivera there. good morning, frances. >> good morning, dom. secretary of state antony blinken has made a surprise visit to ukraine. arriving in kyiv a few hours ago and meeting with president volodymyr zelenskyy and top cabinet officials. a spokesperson says he will deliver remarks later this morning. >>> michael cohen will be back on the witness stand after describing his role and burying the allegations over his former boss. mr. trump has pleaded not guilty. >>> and wildfires across canada are triggering air quality alerts in the u.s. 140 fires are burning in british columbia. it is drifting south blankets wisconsin and iowa. a widespread drought is sparking fears of the last year's wildfire season. >>> crews in baltimore are taking steps to reopen the port after the deadly bridge collapse in march. they broke up a 600-ton debris that collapsed on the car dough s cargo ship. it can now be moved back to the port with the goal of reopening the channel by the end of the month. dom, those are t

i'm frances rivera. we begin with that stunning verdict delivered in a manhattan courtroom. donald j. trump, the 45th president of the united states, found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying. mr. trump is calling this a rigged, disgraceful trial, saying the real verdict will be delivered on election day. he remains the presumptive nominee in the close raise for the white house. sentencing is scheduled for july 11, four days before the convention to officially declare him the candidate. laura jarret has more on this historic verdict. >> reporter: former president donald trump found guilty. convicted by a manhattan jury of all charges. now the first american president ever convicted of a crime. jurors finding mr. trump guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying his business records to cover up a conspiracy no into influentia 2016 election by hiding how he reimbursed his former fixer by paying off a porn star before the election. the jury included seven men and five women, including two lawyers and a foreman in sales. after hearing from more than 20 witnesses over six weeks. it l

good morning, i'm frances rivera. we begin with breaking news. severe weather striking the central u.s. overnight with at least 15 tornados reported since monday evening, with seven of them in oklahoma. that's according to the national weather service. in barnesville, oklahoma, at least one person is dead and others injured after the small town suffered a direct hit. the twister there damaging at least 30 homes. toppling trees and power lines. the osage county sheriff telling nbc news that crews rescued several residents who were trapped. multiple gas leaks have been reported, including inside a nursing home that was damaged. patients have been evacuated, and fortunately no one was injured. multiple roads are closed due to debris blocking roadwayes. and a tornado tore through bartelsville. people in a hotel heard a tornado sirens, as high winds knocked out power, forcing them to rush inside to take cover. debris was scattered throughout the hotel. let's bring in michelle grossman for the latest on these storms. good morning, michelle. >> good mor

good morning to you, i'm frances rivera. we begin in texas where more than a week of wild weather across the central u.s. continues wreaking havoc. on thursday, a massive tornado was reported outside of abilene. one resident caught the terrifying twister on camera as hail hammered down. meanwhile, near houston, floodwaters submerged homes and cars, after some towns saw nearly 12 inches of rain. officials issued mandatory evacuations for some residents around the san jacinto river. and more than a dozen school districts in the area are closed today. so far no injuries have been reported, but crews have performed numerous rescue operations. the disaster declaration includes 59 counties. the declaration now covers 88 counties. let's bring in angie lassman. good morning, angie. >> we, boy, had a whole lot of rain falling in this small area here across parts of texas over the past 48 hours. specifically, just to the west of livingston, you can see the highest totals. five to seven inches. some spots reporting upwards of 8 or 9 in

i'm frances rivera. we begin this morning with a relentless round of severe weather that has left communities in shambles across the midwest and south. video here showing an apparent tornado marching across central texas. in the city of temple, homes and businesses were ripped to pieces. authorities say one house was struck by lightning, catching fire. and in iowa, five people were killed in tuesday's storms. the national weather service now confirming three powerful tornados tore through the state, leveling more than 200 homes. meanwhile, the same system that struck texas also wreaking havoc in mexico. new video showing severe winds bringing a stage crashing down. nine people, including a child were killed. more than 120 were injured. let's get now to nbc meteorologist angie lassman, who's tracking the latest systems that could bring more potential threats across the country. good morning, angie. >> we continue to see that same kind of pattern here for us as we get through the next couple days, essentia

good morning, i'm frances rivera. we begin with breaking news. severe weather striking the central plains and south overnight, with at least eight tornados reported since monday evening. in barnesville, oklahoma, authorities say at least one person is dead and others injured after the small town suffered a direct hit. the twister there destroying homes and toppling trees and power lines. according to the osage county sheriff, crews rescued several residents trapped by debris. the tornado tore through nearby bartelsville where residents heard a tornado siren, forcing people to rush inside to take cover. let's bring in michelle grossman. >> we are still looking at storms this morning. you can see where the storm system is right now. really heavy rain with it. lots of lightning. we do have a tornado watch for the next couple hours. severe thunderstorm warnings along this front here and a tornado warning. we're going to watch this over the next several hours. you can see lots of lightning, hearing that thunder. if you do have severe thunderstorm warn

i'm frances rivera. we begin with verdict watch at the manhattan courtroom where 12 new yorkers are deciding the fate of donald trump in his criminal hush money trial. day two of deliberations will begin in just a few hours. nbc's brie jackson joins us now. how candidate jdid the judge pr jury? >> reporter: deliberations began yesterday after more than an hour of instructions from the judge. judge juan merchan telling the jury to set aside any biases for or against mr. trump and not to ignore any evidence, simply because they want the trial to end. the judge also walked the jurors through each of the 34 counts mr. trump faces for allegedly falsifying business records. the charges are normally misdemeanors, but they've been raised to a low-level felony, because prosecutors say the records were allegedly doctored to cover up other possible crimes, including campaign finance violations. the judge told the jury they do not need a unanimous agreement about what unlawful acts trigger the felony. the former pre

i'm frances rivera. we begin with severe weather causing turmoil in central texas. hail and reports of tornados in the region. the city of temple issuing an emergency declaration after a twister touched down, damaging homes. the red cross has opened a shelter for displaced residents. meanwhile, in iowa officials say there have been at least four deaths, maybe more from the tornado outbreak that tore across the midwest tuesday. there were reports of 23 tornados with the most in iowa, one leveling the town of greenfield. there were also at least 35 people injured. heartbroken residents are now working to pick up the pieces. nbc's maggie vespa is there. >> reporter: in iowa, a sprawling landscape of destruction, after the latest deadly tornado outbreak. >> that's a tornado, guys. >> reporter: more than two dozen reported twisters sliced through the midwest, mostly iowa. one leveling the city of greenfield. official surveys dubbing it at least an ef-3 tornado, packing winds up to 165 miles per hour. >> everything was on top of me. >> reporter: jo newell was trapped unde

i'm frances rivera. residents across parts of the south are picking uh thep the p after an onslaught of storms reduced some homes to rubble. at least three people have died since wednesday with more than 360 storms reported. it was also the fifth day this year to have more than 100 reports of tornados. in hard-hit tennessee, golf ball sized hail hammered down in clarksville. and severe weather continued as parts of texas dealt with its own hailstorm. multiple counties are facing dangerous flooding. in rutherford county, a 10-year-old boy is fighting for his life after he was swept into a storm drain. tens of thousands are still in the dark as crews work around the clock to restore toppled power lines. angie lassman will join us for a look at where these storms are headed next. >>> turning now to the tensions in the middle east. president biden announcing that he will not be supplying israel with offensive weapons for an invasion of rafah in gaza. israeli prime minister netanyahu put out a defiant video s

i'm frances rivera. the criminal hush money trial of donald trump is nearing its end. the prosecution has rested its case, but there is no shortage of drama as the cross examination of michael cohen wrapped up, the judge started to clash with one of the witnesses for the defense. brie jackson joins us now. and catch us up on what happened in the courtroom. >> reporter: it was another dramatic day of testimony. the defense got one more chance to grill michael cohen. during cross examination, cohen admitted to stealing from the trump organization, saying that he duped his former boss into reimbursing him more money than was owed to a tech firm. cohen said that he did this because he had not received a large enough bonus that year. cohen is the only witness to testify that the former president had advanced knowledge of a scheme to disguise hush money payments to stormy daniels. cohen testified that he has no doubt that mr. trump gave the final signoff, that is something that trump denies. >> it's marked down as legal expense. you have a lawyer. you pay him a legal expense

i'm frances rivera. closing arguments will begin in just a few hours in the criminal hush money trial. do of donald trump. brie jackson joins us with what to expect. what should we be watching out for this week? >> reporter: good morning, frances. today the prosecution and defense will get their last chance to try to sway the jury. for the prosecution, the case really centers in large part on their star witness, michael cohen, mr. trump's former fixer and attorney who allegedly reimbursed for payment, he allegedly reimbursed for payments to stormy daniels to keep her quiet. now mr. trump faces 34 felony counts. and each count concerns a specific business record, including checks and invoices involving michael cohen. the jury must decide whether or not each record was falsified by trump or not. the meaning he could be convicted on some counts and acquitted of others. the 34 counts carry a maximum sentence of four years each. if there is a conviction, there are many reasons judge juan merchan may choose a

i'm frances rivera. we begin with the latest onslaught of vicious weather, this time pummeling the south. at least two people were killed in tennessee and another in north carolina. and a possible tornado touched down south of nashville, leveling homes, and multiple people were injured there. but officials don't have an estimate of just how many yet. >> something you see out of a movie. the twister, metal wrapped around everything. your house is gone. you have nothing left. you have nothing left. i have my clothes and my crocs on my feet. that's it. i have, it's all gone. just everything is gone. we had to scream for help. and then finally, they came with chainsaws and was able to dig us out. >> according to the national weather service, there were 13 reports of tornados in seven states. in huntsville, alabama, residents were warned to seek shelter as a twister touched down. >> and millions remain in the path of more severe storms. angie lassman joins us with the latest. >> we're not done with the severe

. >>> good morning, i'm frances rivera. we start with that dramatic showdown in a manhattan courtroom. donald trump's defense team getting the chance to question michael cohen. the friend turned foe of the f former president. in trump' here's alice barr. >> reporter: the prosecution's star witness, michael cohen, put to the test. under blistering cross examination, sticking to his guns. cohen's testimony ties together past witness accounts and documents, outlining payments right before the 2016 election. to keep ex-porn star, stormy daniels quiet about an alleged one-nightstand, all of which mr. trump denies. during the questioning he said he paid daniels $130,000 to ensure the story would not come out, would not affect mr. trump's chances of becoming president of the united states. asked at whose direction he paid daniels, he replied trump's. he testified mr. trump repaid him with monthly checks that were falsely reported as legal expenses. cohen expressed regret and said he ultimately, quote, made a decision, based on con

i'm frances rivera. breaking late last night, the nypd moving into columbia university to clear out anti-war protesters. cops retook the occupied hamilton hall on campus, arresting nearly 100 people. there are no reports of injuries. and this is just the latest clash on american campuses over the israeli war on gaza. let's go to matt bodner, who's following developments for us. good morning. bring us up to date on the latest. >> reporter: frances, good morning. dramatic images from columbia overnight. police were called by the campus administration yesterday evening. they showed up on campus at 9:00 p.m. and declared campus cleared by about 11:00 p.m. local. now the university says that they called the nypd because of a serious escalation on campus, that of course being that seizure of hamilton hall on campus. special police actually had to enter through a second storey window to get access to the building, and they say they arrested about 40 people inside. now that group that seized hamilton hall, they

. >>> i'm frances rivera. breaking late last night, the nypd moving into columbia university to clear out anti-war protesters. cops retook the occupied hamilton hall on campus, arresting nearly 100 people. there are no reports of injuries. and this is just the latest clash on american campuses over the israeli war on gaza. let's go to matt bodner, who's following developments for us. matt, good morning. what's the latest? >> reporter: grafrances, good morning. obviously, dramatic images out of columbia university overnight. campus administration calling nypd late yesterday evening. the nypd showed up around 9:00 p.m., and they claim the campus was cleared about two hours later about 11:00 p.m. the university says it was forced to call for this assistance after protesters seized hamilton hall. special police units had to enter through a second storey window. they arrested 40 people in that building. overall, across the entire demonstration yesterday, 100 detained. the nypd says there's no injuries. columbia alr

i'm frances rivera. the stage is set for a presidential showdown. president biden and former president trump agreeing to two debates. one next month and another in september. nbc's brie jackson joins us now from d.c. hi, brie, there is a lot of anticipation for this face-off, now that it's set. >> reporter: that's right, kborng, frances. and both candidates seem to be hyping up this confrontation. for weeks, the trump campaign has been pressuring president biden to debate. president biden accepted the challenge in this social media video, and he even teased mr. trump for being in court all week except on wednesdays. >> donald trump lost two debates to me in 2020. since then, he hadn't shown up for debates. now he's acting like he wants to debate me again. well, make my day, pal, i'll even do it twice. let's pick the dates, donald. i hear you're free on wednesdays. >> reporter: mr. trump quickly accepted, saying he is willing to debate at the two proposed times in june and september ending his message with "let's get ready to rumble". trump also said

i'm frances rivera. we begin with breaking news. at least 18 people have been killed and dozens more injured across texas, oklahoma, arkansas, and kentucky. after devastating storms unleashed their wrath op the central u.s. over the weekend. the severe storms and tornadoes leveling entire neighborhoods. according to the national weather service, a possible ef-2 strength tornado struck valley view, texas. officials say as many as 80 people were trapped in this rubble when the gas station they were sheltering in crumbled. overnight, kentucky's governor issuesing a state of emergency after wind damage and tornadoes. this morning hundreds of thousands remain without power from texas to pennsylvania, and the threat continues today. let's bring in nbc meteorologist michelle grossman who is up tracking this system for us. hi, michelle. good morning. >> good morning, frances. it was tough weather weekend. we're waking up to very stormy conditions, and we're going to see the storms continuing throughout this memorial day. so take a look at r

i'm frances rivera. catastrophic flooding continues to plague the houston and dallas areas of texas after days of relentless rainfall. a boy died sunday after the car he was traveling in was swept away by floodwaters. this body cam video shows houston police rescuing a man and three dogs after being trapped in at least eight feet of water in a flooded trailer park. in dallas, passengers were struggling to escape rushing water on the roadway. since friday, hundreds of people and pets have been rescued across the state. this river nearly swallowing an elevated roadway. and an explosion of electricity crackling along the power lines was likely caused by the wet weather. and for those in the flood zone, the threat isn't over yet. major river flooding expected to last the next few days. this as more dangerous weather is taking aim at the region today. let's turn to nbc meteorologist michelle grossman, who is tracking it all for us. good morning, michelle. what a which to start the week. >> i know. good mornin

i'm frances rivera. we are hours away from what could be a pivotal day in the hush money trial of donald trump. multiple sources have told nbc news that mr. trump's former fixer michael cohen will take the stand today. he's expected to be a key witness for the prosecution. nbc's brie jackson joins us now. good morning, brie. why is michael cohen so important to this case? >> good morning, frances. michael cohen is considered a key witness because he could connect a lot of dots for the prosecution. cohen paid adult film star stormy daniels $130,000 as part of an alleged plot to catch and kill her story about a sexual encounter with donald trump before the 2016 election. 11 counts are for checks written to michael cohen. mr. trump is accused of falsifying business records to cover up these payments. michael cohen cave a preview of his testimony on msnbc last month. >> i'm the narrater of this story. the narrater of the story that is going to be explaining the documentary evidence as well as the corroborati