Good Tuesday afternoon. “Severe turbulence” on an international flight has left at least one person dead and dozens injured, we are tracking storms threatening 51 million people, and the defense has rested in Donald Trump’s hush money trial without the former president testifying. Here is what’s in our Nightly Rundown. |
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One dead, dozens injured by “severe turbulence” on Singapore Airlines flight |
A 73-year-old man was killed and 30 others were injured when a Singapore Airlines flight was hit with severe turbulence overnight, the company said. The plane, a Boeing 777-300ER, was traveling from London to Singapore when it encountered “sudden, severe turbulence” about 10 hours into the flight, and was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, the airline said in a statement. Video of the aftermath from inside the plane shows oxygen masks hanging down, debris scattered about the aisles, and the galley area completely trashed. “Everyone seated and not wearing a seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling,” one passenger told Reuters. An investigation is now underway, but the cause of the turbulence “was definitely air pockets,” according to the general manager of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. |
Severe storms with potential for “strong” tornadoes across Midwest |
Severe thunderstorms are moving across the Midwest and the upper Great Lakes today, bringing the potential for “strong” tornadoes, damaging winds up to 90 mph, and large hail. 51 million people from Texas to Michigan are in the severe risk zone, and tornado watches are in effect in parts of six states, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The most intense storms are expected to form this afternoon and evening, and track from west to east into tonight. Cities in the pathway include Tulsa, Kansas City, Omaha, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis. |
Defense rests without Trump testifying in hush money trial |
Donald Trump’s defense team rested its case in his New York hush money trial today, without calling the former president to the stand. The judge in the case told the jury to return on Tuesday, after the Memorial Day holiday, to hear closing arguments. The defense's final witness, Robert Costello, a former legal adviser to Michael Cohen who was admonished yesterday for giving “side eye” to the judge, spent less than an hour on the stand today. Costello testified that Cohen told him Trump was unaware of a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the closing days of the 2016 campaign. Cohen previously testified that he’d lied to Costello because he didn't trust him. Before the trial began, Trump had said he would “absolutely” testify, but in the weeks since, he said he’d only take the stand “if necessary.” |
Trump shares video touting “unified reich” if he’s elected |
Donald Trump has deleted a video posted to his social media accounts that touted the creation of a “unified reich” if wins in November, after critics noted that language is often associated with Nazi Germany. The 30-second video asks “what happens after Donald Trump wins?” and features the phrase “unified Reich” in a fake newspaper headline. Trump’s campaign said the video was created by a “random account online” and reposted by a staffer “who did not clearly see the word,” while the former president was in court. The Biden campaign seized on the video, saying: “Donald Trump is not playing games; he is telling America exactly what he intends to do if he regains power: rule as a dictator over a ‘unified reich.’” |
Elvis Presley’s granddaughter Riley Keough fights Graceland auction |
Lawyers for actress Riley Keough, the granddaughter of Elvis Presley, have filed a lawsuit to stop what they call the “fraudulent” sale of the singer’s Graceland mansion. The suit was filed after a creditor claimed Keough’s late mother, Lisa Marie Presley, had borrowed $3.8 million and put Graceland up as collateral. The lawsuit says that no such loan exists, that the creditor behind the claim used forged signatures, and that the company itself “appears to be a false entity.” The company did not respond to requests for comment. |
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What else we're watching: |
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Thousands of mourners gathered in Iran today for a funeral procession for President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday. |
Rudy Giuliani pleaded not guilty today to nine felony charges in Arizona’s election interference investigation. |
Louisiana lawmakers are debating a bill that would classify abortion pills as dangerous controlled substances, and possessing them without a prescription would be punishable by up to 10 years in prison. |
“A surprise encounter with two grizzly bears” left a 35-year-old man seriously injured at Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park, park officials said. |
Scarlett Johansson accused OpenAI of using an “eerily similar” voice to hers for its new chatbot, after she turned down an offer from the company. OpenAI said the voice is “not an imitation of Johansson,” but the company will no longer use it. |
More than half of the people using weight loss drugs face this challenge, a new study finds. |
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Watch us this evening at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT on NBC, or check your local NBC station listing. After the broadcast, access Nightly News video on NBCNightlyNews.com or the NBC News app. |
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