tonight, breaking news. the criminal trial of donald trump. the first witness takes the stand, and what now happens first thing tomorrow morning. tonight, the prosecution's first witness facing the jury. david pecker, the former publisher of the national inquirer, who prosecutors say was part of a scheme called

catch and kill, buying unflattering stories about trump and making sure they were never published before the election. aaron katersky outside the courthouse. the near disaster at jfk airport. authorities say air traffic control clearing four planes to cross in front of a passenger jet as it was about to take off. the pilot aborting takeoff. you'll hear calls to the ptower columbia university increasing security. pro palestinian demonstrators rallying against the israel-hamas war. the school switching to remote classes. and tonight, protests spreading to campuses across the u.s. in los angeles, the break-in at the home of the mayor, karen bass. the mayor was home when the intruder broke in and got to the second floor. they say the mayor was hiding in a safe room. tonight, ukraine's president zelenskyy thanking the u.s. and thanking house speaker mike johnson, after the house passed, democrats and republicans, a massive aid package for ukraine. angering some republicans. tonight, the marine killed

during a training exercise. the sergeant was killed just weeks after being promoted. the carnival cruise ship rescuing more than two dozen people stranded at sea. on this earth day, ginger zee traveling to navajo nation tonight, where 60,000 people live without power. tonight, the effort to bring clean solar energy there, and we're there, as one woman turns on the lights for the first time. and the major news tonight involving cher, after being passed over for so many years, it's about time. good evening and it's great to start another week with all of you at home. we do begin tonight with the first witness taking the stand in donald trump's historic criminal trial here in new york. the former president facing 34 counts of falsifying business records for allegedly covering up a hush money payment to adult film star stormy daniels to keep

it all from voters just before the 2016 election. the former president says none of it is true, and he's pleaded not guilty to all charges. trump walking into court today. prosecutors outlining their case, accusing trump of election fraud, pure and simple, they said today. trump's lawyers saying, quote, there is nothing wrong with trying to influence an election, it's called democracy, and that none of this was a crime. then prosecutors calling the first witness, david pecker, to the stand. the former publisher of the national inquirer, who was part of a scheme prosecutors say called catch and kill. abc's senior investigative correspondent aaron katersky leading us off from the courthouse again tonight. >> reporter: donald trump walking into the manhattan courtroom where today for the first time in history a jury heard testimony in a criminal case against a former american president. >> it's a very, very sad day in america. i can tell you that. >> reporter: with trump slouching in his seat and sometimes closing his eyes, prosecutor matthew colangelo began his opening statement charging trump "orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the

2016 presidential election." taking notes, as the prosecutor laid out his case, accusing trump of falsifying business records to disguise a $130,000 hush payment to porn star stormy daniels days before the election, so voters wouldn't find out about her claim of an affair. at the time, trump was under pressure. news had just broken of the "access hollywood" tape. trump caught on camera bragging about groping women. the prosecutor today quoting trump's own words to the jury. >> when you're a star, they let you do it. you can do anything. >> reporter: "you can do anything," the prosecutor slowly reciting to the jury. prosecutors said the tape's impact was "explosive" and trump and his campaign were "deeply concerned." so when trump learned stormy daniels was shopping a story of their alleged liaison, prosecutors said he was "adamant" it not come out, fearing, "it could have been devastating to his campaign." prosecutors allege, "at trump's direction," his fixer michael cohen paid daniels off and "agreed to cook the books,"

so when trump reimbursed him, it appeared as routine legal bills. the prosecutor called it a "conspiracy to influence the 2016 election to help donald trump get elected. election fraud, pure and simple." in his opening statement, defense attorney todd blanche insisting, "president trump is innocent. president trump did not commit any crimes." "i have a spoiler alert," he told the jury. "there is nothing wrong with trying to influence an election. it's called democracy." "there is nothing illegal about entering into a non-disclosure agreement," he continued. "period." he said trump was unaware of any effort to camouflage the payment to daniels as a business expense. and he told the jury, michael cohen, a key prosecution witness, has "an obsession with getting trump, he cannot be trusted." but prosecutors insist the alleged criminal conspiracy to protect trump involved others including their first witness, david pecker, the former "national enquirer" publisher who once called trump a personal friend. as pecker took the stand, trump leaned forward, arms crossed, an angry look on his face. pecker has acknowledged buying negative stories about the candidate only to bury them, a practice known as

catch-and-kill. on the stand, pecker was blunt, "we used checkbook journalism. we paid for stories." he is testifying under a subpoena, having cut a deal with prosecutors to avoid charges himself. he was only on the stand for a few minutes today, but he'll be back tomorrow. leaving court, trump, who denies the affair with daniels, tried to downplay the case against him. >> it's a case as to bookkeeping, which is a very minor thing in terms of the law. >> reporter: so, david, pecker is back tomorrow, david, but there will be arguments whether trump violated the judge's gag orderer. prosecutors say he disobeyed it repeat repeatedly. prosecutors want trump to pay a fine. they also want the judge to hold him in contempt, which could lead to even more severe consequences. david? >> david: a lot of this focused on this first thing in the morning. aaron, thank you. we turn tnow to what authorities say was a near disaster at jfk airport. air traffic control clearing

four planes to cross a runway just as a passenger jet was about to take off. the pilot then aborting takeoff. yol hear the calls to the order. here's abc east ike ejiochi. >> reporter: tonight, the faa is investigating a near disaster at one of the nation's busiest airports. an april 17th zurich-bound swiss air flight cleared for takeoff at jfk, beginning to speed down the runway, forced to abort after noticing air traffic control also cleared four other planes to cross that same runway, putting them on a collision course. listen to air traffic control clearing swiss air flight 17. >> swiss 17k heavy, runway 4l, cleared for takeoff. >> reporter: then, moments later, as the plane is heading down the runway, the pilot suddenly sees the other planes taxiing and aborts the takeoff. >> swiss 17k heavy rejecting takeoff. traffic on the runway. >> reporter: tonight, the swiss airline praising their kwi-thinking team, saying in a statement, "due to the high level of situational awareness and quick reaction of our crew, a potentially dangerous situation was quickly de-escalated." >> moving four aircraft across an active runway and one

controller not talking to another indicates a special level of stress. >> reporter: the incident came just a day before another near catastrophic close call. panic in the tower at washington's reagan national airport has two packed planes came within 400 feet of each other. >> southwest stop! southwest 2937 stop! >> we stopped. >> reporter: a jetblue flight cleared for takeoff forced to slam on its brakes after air traffic control noticed they cleared a southwest plane to taxi across the same runway. david, while the faa investigates this latest incident, they're also addressing fatigue concerns for all air traffic controllers. in increasing the amount of rest between shifts. david? >> david: ike, good to have you in new york. tonight, here in new york city, columbia university increasing security as pro-palestinian demonstrators rally against the israel-hamas war. the school switching to remote classes, and tonight, protests now spreading to campuses across the u.s. abc's stephanie ramos at columbia tonight.

>> reporter: tonight, college campuses scrambling to handle a growing pro-palestinian protest movement. columbia university stepping up campus security and moving classes online. the school's president saying, "we need a reset to de-escalate the rancor." but today, fresh arrests and tensions boiling over on the first night of passover. this israeli assistant professor confronting university officials over being denied access to the main lawn, as school officials tried to separate protesters. >> i am a professor here. i have every right to be on campus. you cannot let people that support hamas on campus and not me. let me in now. >> reporter: it comes after a campus rabbi urged students to stay home saying the school and the nypd "cannot guarantee jewish students' safety." new york mayor eric adams saying he is horrified and disgusted

with anti-semitism spewed at and around columbia's campus. pointing to moments like this one showing a women with a sign in front of pro-israel protesters, reading, "al qasam's next targets," a reference to hamas' military wing. >> made me sick hearing the things they were doing. so, over this holiday, i want to avoid it as best as i can, for my own safety. >> reporter: many pro-palestinian protesters insist their movement is peace. >> violence has no place on this movement. and we regret some of the incidents that has happened that we're actually associated with this movement. >> reporter: the protests calling for colleges to divest from companies with ties to israel now spreading to other campuses. today, at least 45 people arrested at yale university. at nyu, a standoff with police, after protesters were told to vacate a campus plaza. back here at columbia university, students are still waiting to hear when they can return to in-person classes.

new york governor kathy hochul, who visited the campus today, calling on people to find their humanity and have conversations so they can understand different points of view. david? >> david: stephanie ramos reporting for us again tonight. stephanie, thank you. this evening, we're learning more about a scare for los angeles mayor karen bass. police arresting a suspect for allegedly breaking into her home while she was there. "the l.a. times" tonight reporting the intruder made it to the second floor. the mayor was in a safe room. here's abc's trevor ault. >> reporter: tonight, los angeles investigators working to determine whether the alleged break-in at the home of mayor karen bass was a targeted attack. >> units responding to incident 1065. the alarm was personally activated. >> reporter: the lapd saying early sunday morning the suspect smashed through a glass door. the mayor's office telling abc the mayor and other family members were inside when it happened. "the l.a. times" reporting she hid in a safe room as the suspect made it to the second floor.

>> be advised, there's a subject inside the residence right now. >> reporter: officers on the scene within minutes, arresting 29-year-old ephraim matthew hunter, booking him on a felony burglary charge. >> we have one in custody. they're clearing the house right now. >> reporter: court records show hunter was previously charged with kidnapping and attempted murder in massachusetts back in 2015. he was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon, sentenced to five to seven years in prison. the mayor today declining to reveal details of this new investigation. >> let me just say, first of all, i am fine. my family is fine. and we're going to do everything we can to keep angelenos safe. >> reporter: david, the mayor was already a victim of a recent break-in, but that wasn't at this house, and of course, the big question now at this home is whether this was targeted or random. david? >> david: trevor ault, thank you. tonight, ukraine's president zelenskyy expressing relief and gratitude to the u.s. and to the speaker of the house mike johnson, after the house approved a massive aid package, with votes from democrats and republicans.

it comes after some republicans threatened the speaker's job if he moved forward with help for ukraine, trying to fend off russia. abc's selina wang on capitol hill tonight. >> reporter: tonight, with that $95 billion aid package finally making its way through congress, a new lifeline for ukraine in its war against russia. president zelenskyy saying in his evening address, "i am grateful to mr. president, his team, everyone in the united states congress, personally to speaker johnson, and all who support the active defense of freedom." zelenskyy speaking to president biden by phone today. biden vowing to sign the bill into law as soon as it reaches his desk. but tonight, russia's foreign minister warning, "the westerners are teetering dangerously on the brink of a direct military clash between nuclear powers." >> the bill is passed. >> reporter: it comes just days after speaker mike johnson put his job on the line to pass that aid package in the house. nearly $61 billion for ukraine, $26 billion for israel, and

$8 billion for taiwan. plus, legislation that would ban tiktok if its chinese parent company doesn't sell the app. >> you do the right thing and you let the chips fall where they may. >> reporter: it's a dramatic 180 for johnson, a devout christian who was staunchly against aid to ukraine. but after classified briefings and lots of praying, johnson making a complete turnaround, arguing that ukraine is critical to u.s. national security. but hardline republicans fuming, with at least three still threatening to oust him. >> he's disappointed us. >> he can't be speaker. >> reporter: and david, this $95 billion aid package is expected to speed through the senate, and there's bipartisan support for that potential tiktok ban in there. but look, it could be a long road from here, because tiktok, they will block, they will try to fight any potential ban in the courts, and the chinese government could block any potential sale. david? >> david: selina wang live up on the hill for us tonight, thank you. meantime, in israel tonight, the israeli military intelligence chief has resigned

over the october 7th hamas attack and the intelligence failures leading up to that attack. the first senior figure now to step down. the hamas attack, the deadliest attack in israeli history. hamas had been training for many months. prime minister benjamin netanyahu has said he and other officials would answer to the intelligence failure after the war with hamas. back in this country tonight, and on this earth day, our series, "the power of us." people, climate, and our future. tonight, chief meteorologist ginger zee takes us inside navajo nation, where after a lifetime without power, new and clean solar energy is allowing some to turn on the lights for the first time. >> reporter: along a seemingly incalculable horizon, a legacy of energy injustice hangs heavy over navajo nation. you were telling me they are one of the homes without power. >> one thing that always upset me kind of growing up was being able to witness how close we are to opportunity, but yet not

actually touch it. >> reporter: there are 15,000 households, up to 60,000 people here, that have never had power. >> hi, pretty. >> reporter: eleanor paddock moved back to her family's land 11 years ago. she uses propane to cook, a car battery to charge her cell phone, and sometimes she drives more than an hour just to plug in and make lesson plans as a substitute teacher. brett isaac and navajo power are trying to change that. >> i'm getting emotional. >> reporter: as we drive to her home, brett tells me about "the bennett freeze." >> it essentially closed off parts of infrastructure. >> reporter: the federal law that made it nearly impossible for parts of navajo nation to develop their land until it was lifted in 2009. was there malice in this? >> they were trying to create incentives for native people to move to urban areas and essentially assimilate. >> reporter: so that's the base. >> yeah. >> reporter: today, brett and his crew are installing solar

panels at eleanor's traditional hogan. we're there for the moment that so many of us take for granted. >> oh my. >> reporter: eleanor hitting the light switch for the first time. >> it's unbelievable, being out here and having lights out in nowhere. >> reporter: her food going from the barn into a refrigerator for the first time. >> using solar allows us to have access to the amenity, but minimize the burden and the impact on the land. it's by people from here, built by people from here, and for people that are living here. >> reporter: brett and navajo power hope to get up to 500 off-grid homes a year, but they also have a giant solar farm project planned right here on old youranium land, to power mo than 200,000 homes and bring the revenue right back to where it's needed. david? >> david: ginger, thank you for kicking off this special week-long series. so glad you were there as eleanor turned the power on for

the first time. we mark earth week all week with "the power of us." across abc news and our abc stations. it's all week right here. when we come back tonight, the carnival cruise ship rescuing people stranded at sea. and also, the e. coli alert tonight involving ground beef. and the major headline involving cher tonight. it's about time. in a moment. when you've got type 2 diabetes like me, you have up to 4 times greater risk of stroke, heart attack or worse death. even when meeting your a1c goal. discomfort can help you act. i'm not trying to scare you. i'm empowering you... to get real with your health care provider. talk to them about lowering your risk of stroke, heart attack or death. ♪ some people just know that the best rate for you is a rate based on you, with allstate. because there's a right way to. stop!

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sergeant colin died in an accident last week. the incident is under investigation. he had just been promoted to sergeant weeks ago. a carnival cruise ship has rescued more than a dozen people adrift in a boat. 28 cuban nationals were saved. they were taken onboard and checked by a medical team. the ship contacting the u.s. coast guard. when we come back here tonight, the new health alert involving e. coli concerns with some packages of ground beef. and the news on cher tonight, which is long overdue. . we got help to push back with lybalvi. once-daily prescription lybalvi is proven to treat manic or mixed episodes of bipolar 1 in adults to help you push back. elderly patients with dementia have increased risk of death or stroke. do not take lybalvi if you are taking opioids or are in opioid withdrawal. the samidorphan in lybalvi can cause severe opioid withdrawal that can lead to hospitalization or increase risk of life- threatening overdose. get emergency help if you have trouble breathing,

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fasenra is not for sudden breathing problems or other eosinophilic conditions. allergic reactions may occur. don't stop your asthma treatments without talking with your doctor. tell your doctor if your asthma worsens. headache and sore throat may occur. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. get back to better breathing. get back to what you've missed. ask your doctor about fasenra, the only asthma treatment taken once every 8 weeks. if you can't afford your medication astrazeneca may be able to help. tonight, the department of agriculture has issued a public health alert for ground beef products possibly contaminated with e. coli. produced in march and sold in a number of grocery stores nationwide. they have a use by freeze by date of april 22nd, and the establishment number is 960-a. the problem was discovered by the greater omaha packing company. packages should be thrown away or returned. when we come back here tonight, what do cher, cool and the gang, david matthews, and

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at a molecular level. helps reverse ten signs of damage in one minute. keep living. we'll keep repairing. finally tonight here, the new inductees to the rock 'n' roll hall of fame. the class of 2024, spanning generations. ♪ if i could turn back time ♪ >> david: cher will finally take her place in the hall of years of being overlooked. she recently said, quote, i wouldn't be in it now if they gave me a million dollars. she's in tonight. ♪ celebrate good times come on ♪ >> david: kool & the gang likely celebrating tonight, in fact, robert kool bell the last surviving member telling "rolling stone" he's overjoyed.

among the other inductees, the dave matthews band, foreigner, peter frampton, ozzy osbourne, and a tribe called quest. the induction ceremony will stream live on disney+ in october. we'll be watching. i'll see you right back here tomorrow. from all of us here, have a good evening. good night. my office discovered evidence of a pattern of misconduct, prosecutorial misconduct that may well impact all of the death penalty cases in alameda county over the past 30 years. >> a bombshell announcement today from alameda county district attorney pamela price, her office now preparing to review every death penalty case

in the county in the past three decades after an investigation uncovers a pattern of misconduct . good afternoon. i'm kristen sze and i'm dan ashley. >> thanks for joining us. really stunning information today. this investigation just announced less than two hours ago, abc7 news reporter stephanie sierra is live in the newsroom with these breaking developments for us. >> steph. yes kristen and dan, this could have huge implications. >> a federal judge has ordered alameda county da pamela price and her office to review those cases. they'll look at every death penalty conviction to see if there are any signs of misconduct. but the judge issued that directive after evidence of potential bias came to light in the case of ernest dikes. he was tried and convicted in 1993. the jury ruled that dikes murdered a nine year old boy and attempted to murder his grandmother during a robbery in east oakland. dikes now sits on california's death row. the review of that case found prosecutors may have excluded black and jewish jurors, and that's leading to thte