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Good Friday afternoon. The suspect in the classified document leak case appeared before a federal judge in Boston, Florida’s Governor DeSantis signed a bill that bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, recovery is underway after unprecedented rain and flooding in southeast Florida, and the suspect in the killing of tech executive Bob Lee was ordered held without bail.

Here is what’s in our Nightly Rundown.

Document leaks suspect appears in court

The suspect in the leak of top-secret U.S. government documents, 21-year-old Jack Douglas Teixeira, made his first court appearance today before a federal judge in Boston.

The prosecutor, Nadine Pellegrini, requested that Teixeira be detained pending trial, and the judge scheduled a detention hearing for next Wednesday.

In a criminal complaint made public today, Teixeira was charged with two counts: unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information, and unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or material.

In the 11-page complaint, the FBI said Teixeira posted sensitive national security documents marked top secret to a chat group on Discord that he oversaw. Authorities say hundreds of pages of intelligence briefings were loaded into the chat group in recent months.

The FBI said that Teixeira, an airman first class with the Massachusetts Air National Guard, has held top secret security clearance since 2021.

The leak exposed potentially hundreds of pages of intelligence about Russia’s efforts in Ukraine and spying on U.S. allies.

DeSantis signs bill banning most abortions after 6 weeks of pregnancy

Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis announced late last night that he had signed the bill. But it will be on hold until the Florida Supreme Court rules on a 15-week ban that the Florida legislature passed last year.

The new law would ban most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, but it creates new exemptions for rape and incest up to 15 weeks of pregnancy. It does not change existing exemptions for life and the health of the mother up to 15 weeks.

Recent polling by the University of North Florida found that 75 percent of Florida residents either somewhat or strongly oppose a six-week ban, including 61 percent of Republicans.

Florida flooding and record-breaking heat

We’re seeing some astonishing scenes from Southeast Florida in the aftermath of historic floods this week.  More than two feet of rain fell in Fort Lauderdale, bringing the city to a halt. The airport is finally open again, but hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed today. We are getting a grim picture of all the damage that flooding left behind.

Elsewhere, record heat continued in much of the country. Forecasters say 113 million people will experience highs today of at least 15 degrees above average.  New records could be set across 13 states from the Upper Midwest to New England with temperatures in the upper 80s and even 90 degrees, making it feel more like July and August than April.

And it will be a potentially dangerous weekend across the Plains with a new storm system bringing the risk of large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes. Today we are keeping an eye on Oklahoma to southern Nebraska, expecting storms to start late this afternoon and continue overnight.

Suspect in tech exec’s killing appears in court

A38-year-old tech consultant charged in the stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee appeared in a San Francisco courtroom today but did not enter a plea.

The judge ordered Nima Momeni, who police say knew Lee, held without bail and scheduled his arraignment for April 25.

Three sons of drug lord “El Chapo” charged with fentanyl trafficking

Attorney General Merrick Garland said three sons of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the onetime leader of the Mexican-based Sinaloa Cartel now imprisoned in the U.S., ran a fentanyl trafficking operation fueled by Chinese chemical and drug companies.

One of the sons, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, was arrested in Mexico and is awaiting extradition proceedings. “They know that they’re poisoning and killing Americans,” said Anne Milgram, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration. “They just don’t care because they make billions of dollars doing it.” Four owners of Chinese companies that allegedly provided precursor chemicals to the cartel were also charged. 

What’s ahead for summer travel?

Brace yourself: Summer is right around the corner and global travel is expected to surge by 30 percent, analysts say. But are the airlines ready? Carriers like JetBlue, United, Delta, and American are planning to slash some routes because there’s a shortage of air traffic controllers and other staff.

The TSA is already screening up to 2.5 million passengers a day, which is at or above the numbers from 2019.  How will the airline industry keep up with the rise in travelers eager to fly? Analysts say to expect fewer flights at higher prices; the average cost of a round-trip ticket is now about $328.  You’ll also pay more for hotels and rental cars. 

The pain at the pump could be greater, too, as OPEC reduces oil output starting in May. We’ll have tips for the best time to buy tickets, and other ideas for keeping your trip something to celebrate.

What else we're watching:

In Ballina, Ireland, President Joe Biden was moved to tears after a chance meeting at a church with Father Frank O’Grady, a former U.S. Army chaplain who performed the last rites on his son Beau. The encounter came as the president toured the Catholic shrine of Knock. O’Grady now works at the shrine. Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015.

With a 13-0 record, the Tampa Bay Rays have tied a modern baseball record for best start to the season.

Lester Holt sits down with Andrew Lloyd Webber for a conversation about the final curtain call for “Phantom of the Opera.” The wildly popular Broadway show opened 35 years ago and ends its record run this Sunday after nearly 14,000 performances.

Fun facts about “Phantom”: It’s the longest-running Broadway show. It opened in 1988 and has been seen by nearly 20 million people. “Phantom” has grossed more than $1.3 billion in New York alone. During its run, 16 actors have played the title role. Will it ever come back to Broadway? 

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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