Good Monday afternoon. Manhattan’s district attorney has asked for a partial gag order on Donald Trump ahead of his hush money trial, an active-duty U.S. airman has died after staging a fiery protest over the war in Gaza, and the Supreme Court today heard a landmark social media case.
Monday, February 26, 2024 |
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Monday, February 26, 2024 |
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Good Monday afternoon. Manhattan’s district attorney has asked for a partial gag order on Donald Trump ahead of his hush money trial, an active-duty U.S. airman has died after staging a fiery protest over the war in Gaza, and the Supreme Court today heard a landmark social media case. Here is what’s in our Nightly Rundown. |
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Manhattan D.A. asks for gag order in Trump hush money case |
New York prosecutors are asking the judge in Donald Trump’s hush money case to impose a limited gag order barring the president from talking about witnesses and court staff ahead of his trial next month. A spokesman for the Trump campaign said such an order would infringe on Trump’s First Amendment rights, calling it “election interference pure and simple.” Trump is set to face off against Nikki Haley tomorrow in Michigan’s primary, fresh off his dominant win in Haley’s home state of South Carolina over the weekend. We’re also learning that both President Joe Biden and former President Trump will make dueling trips to the U.S.-Mexico border on the same day this week. On Thursday, Biden will travel to Brownsville, Texas, where he will meet with U.S. Border Patrol agents, law enforcement, and local leaders, the White House said in a statement. During his rare visit, Biden call on Republicans to stop blocking border legislation, the statement added. Trump will also travel to Texas on Thursday, where he will give remarks at Eagle Pass, a city that’s become a flashpoint in the immigration battle, according to two sources familiar with Trump’s planning. |
U.S. airman dies after lighting himself on fire outside Israeli embassy |
An active-duty U.S. airman has died after lighting himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. in an apparent protest against the war in Gaza, according to military officials. The airman has been identified by D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department as 25-year-old Aaron Bushnell of San Antonio, Texas. Bushnell, who livestreamed the disturbing incident, could be heard yelling “Free Palestine,” and referring to Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide.” The incident comes as Israel is moving forward with a plan to invade Gaza's southernmost city Rafah, while negotiators inch toward a new cease-fire deal to release hostages held by Hamas. |
Supreme Court hears free speech challenges to social media laws |
The Supreme Court hear arguments today in two cases that could dramatically transform the world of social media. The cases involve Republican-backed laws in Florida and Texas that restrict social media platforms from moderating content. Platforms like Facebook and YouTube contend the laws violate their right to free speech by limiting their ability to choose the content they wish to publish. Many conservatives have argued that the level of content moderation on social media platforms, and decisions to ban certain figures, including former President Trump for a time, amounts to censorship. |
American couple feared dead after yacht hijacked in Caribbean |
A couple from Virginia is feared dead after three escaped prisoners hijacked their yacht in Grenada and used it to flee the island, according to authorities. Police in Grenada offered their “condolences” today to the family of Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel, who’ve been missing for about a week. Hendry and Brandel, who have been married for 27 years, are classified as “missing persons” but police believe there’s as a “low probability” of finding them alive. The three accused criminals escaped from jail on Feb. 18 and “commandeered” the couple’s boat the next day, according to police. The yacht was later found abandoned on the island of St. Vincent. The three escapees were arrested, but there was no sign of the American couple, police said. The couple’s sons called their disappearance “the rarest of the rare occurrences” and are holding onto hope that they're still alive. |
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What else we're watching: |
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Former President Trump has appealed the $464 million civil fraud judgment in New York against him and his company. |
The former FBI informant charged with lying about President Biden and his son Hunter Biden was ordered detained until trial at a hearing today in Los Angeles. |
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has announced she will step down next month, after coming under heavy criticism from former President Trump. |
An urgent manhunt is underway in Louisiana for a murder suspect who escaped after pepper spraying his transporting deputy and stealing her vehicle, authorities said. |
An 18-year-old college wrestler found dead in his Kentucky dorm room was killed by manual strangulation, the coroner announced today. A fellow student has been charged with his murder. |
The FTC is suing to stop the megamerger between grocery chains Kroger and Albertsons. |
More than 100 record highs are likely to be set during the winter warmup early in the week, before a sharp cold front enters on Wednesday. |
The Odysseus, the first U.S. spacecraft to land on the moon in more than 50 years, has sent back its first pictures from the lunar surface. |
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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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