Good Friday afternoon. Hunter Biden became emotional as his eldest daughter testified at his gun trial, we're tracking record-breaking heat from coast to coast, and Justice Clarence Thomas has disclosed two luxury trips paid for by a GOP megadonor. Here is what’s in our Nightly Rundown. |
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Hunter Biden tears up as daughter takes the stand in gun trial |
Hunter Biden’s eldest daughter Naomi Biden took the stand today in his defense, after the prosecution rested its case earlier in the day. Her father wiped away tears as she testified about being “proud” of him for trying to get clean, when she visited him in rehab in the summer of 2018. Naomi Biden also said her father “seemed great” when she saw him in October 2018, days after prosecutors allege he lied on a federal form to buy a gun. After leaving the stand, she hugged her father as she walked past the defense table. Following her testimony, the jury was dismissed for the weekend. |
Record-breaking heat scorching the Southwest, parts of Florida |
Heat alerts are in effect for 21 million people in areas that include the Southwest and southeast Florida. The scorching temperatures could reach new highs today, after Phoenix and Las Vegas broke records Thursday, hitting 113 degrees and 111 degrees respectively. Las Vegas could tie its daily record today of 109 degrees, and other cities that could approach records include Tucson, Roswell, El Paso, Houston, Albuquerque, West Palm Beach, Orlando, Miami and Key West. In Florida, where investigators are examining whether the death of a 14-year-old girl from a falling tree on Thursday was weather-related, the combination of heat and humidity will make it feel as hot as 110 degrees in some areas today. |
Biden evokes D-Day heroes in speech warning of threats to democracy |
President Joe Biden paid tribute today to the U.S. forces who took out a key Nazi position during the D-Day invasion, evoking their legacy to urge Americans to defend democracy, and issuing a warning against isolationism. “American democracy asks the hardest of things: to believe that we’re a part of something bigger than ourselves. So democracy begins with each of us,” Biden said, in his address on the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc. Biden drew sharp contrasts with his political rival, former President Donald Trump, without mentioning his predecessor by name. “My fellow Americans, I refuse to believe — I simply refuse to believe — that America’s greatness is a thing of the past,” Biden said, taking a veiled swipe at Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan. Biden delivered his speech hours after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris, and apologizing to him for the monthslong delay in U.S. aid as Russia made critical advances on the battlefield. |
Justice Thomas discloses two trips paid for by billionaire |
For the first time, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has disclosed two luxury trips he took with Republican megadonor Harlan Crow in 2019, according to financial disclosures released today for most of the justices. Three other justices, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Brett Kavanaugh, and Neil Gorsuch, disclosed six-figure book advances in their annual reports. Jackson also received concert tickets worth $3,700 from music superstar Beyoncé, according to her report. The only report not available is from Justice Samuel Alito, who requested an extension, as he has done in the past. |
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What else we're watching: |
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A 17-year-old student was fatally shot while trying to break up a fight outside a high school in Seattle, authorities said. |
The U.S. economy added 272,000 jobs in May, blowing past economist estimates of 190,000, and potentially complicating the Federal Reserve’s efforts to cut interest rates this year. |
Alex Jones is liquidating his assets to help pay the $1.5 billion awarded in defamation lawsuits brought against him by Sandy Hook parents. |
An American Airlines flight from Miami veered off the runway after landing in Jamaica on Thursday. The plane was able to taxi to the gate under its own power, and passengers deplaned normally, the airline said. |
In a preview of her exclusive interview with our Hoda Kotb, Celine Dion talked about her health struggle with stiff-person syndrome, and how singing with it feels “like somebody is strangling you.” |
After 41 seasons and more than 8,000 episodes, Pat Sajak will take his last spin as the host of “Wheel of Fortune” this evening, and he already has his next gig lined up. |
A new study finds this type of diet, combined with exercise, may help slow early-stage Alzheimer's disease. |
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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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