Good Friday afternoon. At least 10 people have now died in California’s catastrophic wildfires, President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced to no penalty in his hush money case, and the Supreme Court heard arguments over a law that could ban TikTok in the U.S. in less than two weeks. Here is what’s in our Nightly Rundown. |
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California wildfire death toll rises to at least 10, more than 10,000 structures destroyed |
Firefighters are beginning to get some containment on the historic wildfires raging in the Los Angeles area that have now killed at least 10 people and burned more than 10,000 homes and other buildings, officials said. As of today, 153,000 people remain under evacuation orders and 57,830 structures are at risk, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference. The sheriff’s department has announced a 12-hour curfew in the mandatory evacuation zones after multiple suspects were arrested for looting. Authorities also warned today that anyone caught flying a drone in the burn zone will be prosecuted, after a Super Scooper firefighting plane struck a drone over the Palisades Fire, forcing the aircraft to be grounded. |
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Trump sentenced to no penalty in New York hush money case |
Ten days before his inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced without any penalties in his New York hush money case. Judge Juan Merchan sentenced Trump to an “unconditional discharge,” which means no jail, probation or fine, but formalizes his status as the first president with a felony conviction. Merchan cited the protections Trump would soon have as president as the reason for not imposing a harsher sentence. “Donald Trump, the ordinary citizen, Donald Trump, the criminal defendant, would not be entitled to such considerable protections,” he said. “This has been a very terrible experience,” Trump told the court, appearing virtually from Florida. “I'm totally innocent, I did nothing wrong,” he said. Listen to audio from the courtroom here. |
Delta passengers evacuate on emergency slides as winter storm slams South |
Four passengers were injured when a Delta Air Lines plane was evacuated using emergency slides in Atlanta after an aborted takeoff due to an engine issue, as a rare and significant winter storm slammed the South, officials said. The widespread storm is paralyzing much of the region and causing major travel headaches. More than 2,900 flights have been canceled across the country today, with Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas and Nashville seeing the biggest impacts. More than 80 million people are under winter alerts this afternoon from eastern Oklahoma to Virginia. Heavy snow, ice, and rain are impacting those regions this afternoon, with 2-4 inches of snow expected across parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, southern Illinois, western sections of the Carolinas and West Virginia. |
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Supreme Court hears arguments over law to ban TikTok in U.S. |
The Supreme Court heard arguments today over a law that would ban TikTok in the United States in less than two weeks. Under the law, TikTok will be effectively shut out of the U.S. unless its Chinese owner ByteDance sells the platform, citing national security concerns. TikTok argues that such a ban would violate the free speech rights of its more than 170 million users across the country. If the court does not act, the ban is set to take effect beginning Jan. 19. |
New Orleans police release bodycam of Bourbon Street terror attack |
The man who carried out the deadly New Year’s Day terror attack in New Orleans opened fire at police from inside his truck before officers fatally shot him, according to newly released police bodycam. The footage shows officers surrounding the truck after Shamsud-Din Jabbar plowed the vehicle into the crowd on Bourbon Street, killing 14 people. Multiple gunshots can be heard ringing out, sending the officers running and diving for cover. Three officers discharged their weapons, police said at a news conference. |
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What else we're watching: |
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The U.S. economy closed out 2024 by adding 256,000 jobs in December, blowing past expectations, with the unemployment rate ticking down to 4.1%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. |
The strong jobs numbers, however, sent stocks tumbling by dampening expectations for more interest rate cuts this year. |
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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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