Good Friday afternoon. Donald Trump is hitting the campaign trail after he was indicted on new charges in the classified documents probe, Carlee Russell has now been charged for her kidnapping hoax, and it’s the hottest day of the year so far for millions of Americans. Here is what’s in our Nightly Rundown. |
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Trump to campaign after new charges in classified documents probe |
Former President Donald Trump is set to appear this evening in Iowa for his first campaign event since the special counsel leveled three new charges against him over his handling of classified documents. The former president will attend the state party's Lincoln Dinner, making his first appearance at a 2024 campaign event with Gov. Ron DeSantis, as well as several other GOP presidential hopefuls. On Thursday, Trump was charged with new counts of obstruction and willful retention of national defense information in connection with Jack Smith’s investigation into the documents the FBI seized from Mar-a-Lago last year. The superseding indictment alleges Trump asked a staff worker at his Florida resort to erase security camera footage, as part of a cover-up to obstruct the ongoing investigation. That employee, Mar-a-Lago maintenance supervisor Carlos De Oliveira, told another worker that “the boss” wanted the server containing the security footage to be deleted, according to the indictment. De Oliveira is now the third man to be charged in the probe. His lawyer has declined comment. Trump slammed the new charges as “ridiculous.” He vowed to continue his 2024 campaign for president, even if he is convicted and sentenced, in an interview today with a conservative radio host. |
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Carlee Russell charged with kidnapping hoax |
Carlee Russell, the Alabama woman who admitted to faking her own kidnapping, is now facing criminal charges for the hoax. Russell is charged with two misdemeanors, false reporting to law enforcement authorities and falsely reporting an incident, police announced today at a news conference. The 25-year-old nursing student made national headlines when she disappeared on July 13, after calling 911 and claiming to have seen a toddler wandering on the side on Interstate 459. More than 48 hours later, she returned home and said she had been abducted. But her story fully unraveled earlier this week, when police announced she had admitted her story was a lie. |
Nearly 150 million Americans under heart alerts |
Excessive heat warnings and heat advisories are in effect today for 149 million Americans across the country from California to Maine. Dangerous temperatures are engulfing the eastern half the country, with some cities in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast expected to see their hottest temperatures of the year, including Washington, D.C. Temperatures will also be close to records today in El Paso, San Antonio, Kansas City, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Cleveland, Scranton, Philadelphia and Binghamton. Severe storms are possible for 47 million people today from the northern Plains into the Midwest and Great Lakes. A cold front will bring some much-needed relief to the Midwest and Northeast by Sunday, but the South will remain sizzling through early next week, as we near the end of what’s expected to be the hottest month on record. |
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McConnell vows to serve full term as Senate Republican leader |
Days after his health scare in front of the cameras on Capitol Hill, Sen. Mitch McConnell is vowing to stay put as the GOP’s Senate leader through the rest of his term. “Leader McConnell appreciates the continued support of his colleagues, and plans to serve his full term in the job they overwhelmingly elected him to do," a McConnell spokesperson said in a statement. McConnell's two-year term as Senate minority leader is up in early January 2025. The 81-year-old is not up for re-election for his Senate seat in Kentucky until 2026. The senator raised new concerns about his health on Wednesday, when he froze up during a news conference and was led away. He later returned and told reporters he felt “fine.” An aide said McConnell “felt lightheaded and stepped away for a moment.” |
Niger general declares himself new leader after apparent coup |
A Niger general, Abdourahamane Tiani, appeared on state TV today to declare himself the new leader of the West African country, after seizing power in an apparent armed coup. Tiani leads the Nigerien military unit claiming to have overthrown the country’s democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum. “We have decided to intervene and seize our responsibilities,” Tiani said in his TV appearance. “We can’t continue with the same approaches.” The unrest comes amid growing concerns about Russian influence and the rising threat of Islamic extremists in West Africa. NBC News’ Courtney Kube recently reported from Niger, on the U.S. mission to train soldiers to combat the emerging terror threat. |
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What else we're watching: |
Attorneys for Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger have asked a judge to dismiss the indictment against him, accusing prosecutors of misleading the grand jury. |
The jackpot in tonight’s Mega Millions drawing has climbed to $910 million, the fifth-largest prize in the game’s history. There have been no winners in 28 drawings since April. |
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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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