tonight, president biden hitting the campaign trail after his fiery state of the union speech. the president launching a battleground tour after making his case for a second term to the american people and going on the

attack against former president trump over january 6th, abortion rights, and russia, and tonight, our interview with vice president kamala harris on whether we'll see a biden/trump debate, and given the concerns about mr. biden's age, would she be ready to serve? and one of the major topics of the president's address, the border crisis. our nbc news exclusive with republican texas governor greg abbott. how he grades the president's speech and why he calls the surge at the border an invasion. the terrifying moments a united airlines plane sliding off the runway in houston just a day after the tire fell off another united plane on takeoff. the deadly aid drop in gaza. a parachute failing to open and at least five people on the ground were killed. tracking the severe storms on the move tonight.

former president trump posting a nearly $92 million bond as he appeals the e. jean carroll vote. a tiktok ban. would president sign it? what he said about that today. and the mythical mystery. who is leaving unicorns all around this american city? >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening, and welcome. this has been a consequential week in american politics from the super tuesday primary landslide setting the stage for november to the state of the union speech last night in which president biden found the voice democrats had hoped for and forcefully framed the fight ahead. the president touted the economic recovery or, as he called it, the greatest story never told. on reproductive rights he vowed to restore roe v. wade as the law of the land, and he blamed republicans for not grabbing an opportunity to secure the border, but there was no mistaking that it was also a speech about donald trump. time after time last night, mr. biden drawing a sharp contrast between himself and the former president. republican house speaker mike johnson today blasting the

speech as hyperpartisan. peter alexander starts our coverage. >> reporter: tonight after a critical speech where president biden took repeated swipes at his likely republican opponent, donald trump -- >> now, my predecessor, a former republican president tells putin, quote, do whatever the hell you want. i think it's outrageous. >> reporter: -- and sparred with republicans in the room. >> you're saying, oh, look at the facts. i know -- i know you know how to read. >> reporter: vice president kamala harris tonight insists the president put to rest voter concerns the 81-year-old is too old for another term. >> did he answer those questions last night? >> he was absolutely on fire, and he answered any question that anyone might have. >> reporter: we also asked about republican criticism of her readiness for the job. >> listen, as it relates to me, i'm ready, if necessary, but it's not going to be necessary. >> reporter: the president vowing to

protect abortion rights. >> when reproductive freedom was on the 2022, and we'll win again in 2024. >> reporter: and slamming republicans for rejecting a bipartisan border security bill at the urging of mr. trump. republicans say president biden could solve the crisis on his own by executive order. >> the former president told the leadership of the republican party in congress, don't put it on the floor for a vote, because he had been very unapologetic and clear, he'd prefer to run on a problem instead of fix a problem. >> given the republicans aren't going to fix those problems with democrats, why not do it by executive order? >> the american people deserve leadership that's about fixing problems, and that's why he's going to lose in november. we have a lot of work to be done, but let us not negate the role and responsibility of leaders in congress. >> reporter: one of the most dramatic moments, republican marjorie taylor greene challenging the president to say the name of laken riley, a

georgia nursing student police say was murdered by a venezuelan migrant who crossed into the u.s. illegally. >> say laken riley. say laken riley. >> reporter: the president then picking up a button green gave him. >> lincoln riley, an innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal. that's right, but how many thousands of people being killed by illegals? to her parents, i say, my heart goes out to you. having lost children myself, i understand. >> reporter: after mr. trump this week challenged president biden to debate anytime, anywhere, anyplace, the president today would not commit to one. >> it depends on his behavior. >> reporter: we pressed the vice president. >> i haven't talked to the president about that, but i'll tell you something, on the one hand, you've got joe biden, someone who is competent, who is principled, and on the

other side of that split screen, you've got the former president who glorifies dictators and has said he'll be a dictator on day one. >> will you commit to a debate? >> peter, we discussed the state of the union, and i'm just so excited about what we accomplished last night in our president. >> peter, what's some reaction to the speech you're hearing from republicans? >> former president trump was reacting in realtime and described the president's address as angry and crazy, top republicans calling the speech both divisive and partisan. meanwhile, as it relates to president biden tonight already in philadelphia, he's going to be hitting five swing states in the next seven days. >> all right, peter alexander, thank you. as peter mentioned some of the most dramatic moments in last night's speech were on immigration and nowhere is it more intent than in texas where the governor is in a legal battle with the biden administration. he spoke late today with our gabe

gutierrez. >> reporter: at the center of the border battling is texas governor greg abbott repeatedly taking on the biden administration, which he says caused the crisis. >> there's a number one issue in america and that's securing the border. it's an issue on which he has failed. >> reporter: we spoke with him late today in austin. >> on a scale of one to ten, how would you rate president biden's state of the union address? >> i give it an "f" for failure. >> reporter: he fiercely opposes the bill that biden is calling out for republicans of killing. >> we can fight about the border or fix it. >> governor, when did compromise become a dirty word? >> so, compromise should be effective. the house has passed an effective border security plan. if joe biden really believes in compromise, he would work with the house chamber. >> and work with the republicans in the senate. why not pass that bill now? >> because the senate bill codifies illegal immigration and actually promotes even more illegal immigration. >> reporter: governor abbott has grabbed headlines with controversial moves including busing migrants to democrat-led cities to

relieve overcrowded border towns. now he's forging ahead with court battles over buoys in the rio granze, razor wire in eagle pass, and a new law which would allow local police to arrest migrants for entering texas illegally. >> the judge recently wrote, surges in immigration do not constitute an invasion. isn't that word invasion dangerous, governor? >> the word invasion is the word that is used in the united states constitution. these are people who are coming across the border in violation of federal law in the state of texas. >> reporter: meanwhile the white house has slammed many of his actions here in texas as political stunts. lester. >> all right, gabe gutierrez, thank you. here at home, yet another incident today involving a united airlines jet. the plane sliding off the runway in houston, then one of its landing gear collapsing. tom costello reports on what went wrong. >> reporter: off the runway, tipped over and stuck in the grass a united 737 max 8. its landing gear

collapsed. flight 2477, memphis to houston, touched down just before 8:00 a.m. >> runway 27 clear to land. >> reporter: with another plane following close behind, the pilots were told not to slow too much. >> keep your speed up. >> okay. will do. >> reporter: but the plane slid off a wet runway as it tried turning onto a taxiway. another united flight close behind ordered to cancel its landing. >> united 1383, go around. i see you in the grass, rolling the trucks en route. >> reporter: no passenger or crew injuries were reported. the runway closed as investigators look into what happened and whether the plane's landing gear failed. it comes one day after this incident in san francisco. >> the last departure lost the wheel on departure, so we're going to have to check the runway down. >> reporter: a united 777 headed to japan lost one of six tires from its main gear assembly as it took off thursday morning. the tire crashed

through a fence crushing several parked cars. no injuries. >> the runway is temporarily closed. >> reporter: the flight then diverted to l.a.x. with investigators looking into how that tire came loose, and united says the flames from that midair engine stall on monday may have happened after the plane's engine ingested bubble wrap debris left on the runway. every flight landed with passengers safe but shaken. tom costello, nbc news, washington. we are tracking storms on the move tonight in the midwest and southeast. millions under severe risk across the lower mississippi valley and gulf coast. the main threat will be damaging wind gusts, large hail, and flooding overnight. tornadoes also a possibility. tomorrow the storms move farther into the southeast from florida to north carolina. we want to turn now to the war in gaza. the united states says all of its air drops of food have landed safely in the

territory, but that wasn't the case with another country's air drop, and the results were deadly. richard engel has late details. >> reporter: this is what an aid drop into gaza is supposed to look like as today a jordanian military cargo plane dropped pallets of food near gaza city. they fall slowly, but this also happened today. as the pallets are dropped by another aircraft, one of the parachutes on the right of the screen fails to open. the package comes apart in midair, the pieces falling down with heavy thuds. the other pallets also drop very quickly. palestinian medical officials and witnesses say five people were crushed to death. >> to establish a temporary pier in the mediterranean. >> reporter: last night president biden announced the u.s. military will build a pier to improve and expand the delivery of humanitarian aid. nbc news has learned it could take up to 60 days for it to be fully operational, but washington also supplies israel with weapons.

"instead of telling us they will build a port to help us, stop giving the weapons they use to kill us," this man said. we were on an aid drop yesterday as a jordanian military c-130 flew over northern gaza. they've just given the signal that they're ready to drop. the pallets carried tens of thousands of meals. our crew filmed as hungry people went searching for food. as they searched, they approached israeli troops, because that's where the food aid was. not long after, an explosion can be heard, and an injured man is taken from the area. the israeli military says its troops have opened fire on those who appear to pose a threat. gazans face an impossible dilemma, do nothing, and go hungry and maybe starve, or search for food at the risk of being shot or hit by raining pallets. lester. >> richard engel, thank you. the military's troubled osprey aircraft has been cleared for return to flight even before investigators fully

determine how recent deadly crashes happen. courtney kube reports. >> reporter: tonight, after grounding all v-22 osprey aircraft following a fatal crash last year, the pentagon is now putting them back in the sky. >> is the secretary confident in the osprey aircraft, that it's safe? >> i think the secretary is confident in the steps that have been taken to return it to flight. >> reporter: the marine corps plan includes three phases, extensive maintenance checks, refresher training for pilots with the goal of all aircraft flying again by summer, but tonight officials still do not fully understand the fatal crash in japan that led to the grounding. last month nbc news reported the japan crash centered around a problem in the prop rotor gearbox according to officials familiar with the investigation. pentagon officials not publicly confirming that, but acknowledging the part that failed on the aircraft was unprecedented, and they still don't know why it happened.

there have been four other osprey crashes in the last two years. >> we don't even know about spencer's black box. >> reporter: spencer collart was the crew chief on one that crashed in australia. 23 marines on board. spencer and two others were killed. the cause is still under investigation. just three months later that crash off japan killed eight airmen. >> when you heard that the osprey had crashed, i mean, what went through your mind? >> i just wished maybe that the ospreys would have been grounded sooner. >> reporter: tonight collart's family has new fears. his sister gwyneth now engaged to an osprey crew chief she met through her late brother. >> they lifted a ban, and my heart sank. it's so scary to me. >> reporter: still searching for answers as they remember spencer. >> he would fight off anyone who was bullying or -- sorry. >> absolutely. >> reporter: on the japan crash they are writing, we are steadfast in our

commitment of safety and fully supporting the investigation. lester. >> courtney kube at the pentagon, thank you. here in new york lawyers for former president trump posted a $91 million bond today in the defamation case he lost to writer e. jean carroll. an insurance company provided the bond. this comes after a federal jury awarded carroll $83 million in damages. the bond prevents her from collecting that money while trump appeals the verdict. we'll take a break. in 60 seconds, the showdown emerging over tiktok as a bill that could ban the app in the u.s. gains momentum in congress. what's at stake right after this. ith generalized myasthenia gravis. but the picture started changing when i started on vyvgart. ♪♪ vyvgart is for adults with generalized myasthenia gravis who are anti-achr antibody positive. ♪♪ in a clinical trial, vyvgart significantly improved most participants' ability to do daily activities when added to their current gmg treatment. most participants taking vyvgart also had less muscle weakness. and your vyvgart treatment schedule

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on a bill that would effectively ban the app, unless it's sold by its chinese parent company, bytedance. >> we can't have a foreign controlled social media app pushing misinformation, certainly not to our children. >> reporter: after the bill was introduced earlier this week, tiktok blasted out this message, urging users to call their members of congress and demand they vote against it. sidney rosiac, who makes her money as an influencer, did just that. >> what would it mean for you if tiktok were to be banned? >> first of all, that is my career, so my career would be gone. >> reporter: lawmakers say their phones rang off the hook. >> well, i kind of went into mom mode, riught, because i know that tiktok has really weaponized our young people. i took it into my own hand, got on the phone and tried to explain why we're doing what we're doing. >> reporter: tiktok's pressure campaign appears to have

backfired. in a rare show of bipartisanship, a house committee voted unanimously in favor of the legislation. this isn't the first time the u.s. has tried to limit tiktok. in 2020 former president donald trump attempted to ban it with an executive order. last year tiktok's top executive was grilled on the hill. >> i have seen no evidence that the chinese government has access to the data. they have never asked us. we have not provided. >> you know what, i find that actually preposterous. >> reporter: tonight tiktok saying this will damage millions of businesses and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators. mr. trump now expressing concerns about the new legislation saying it could make meta ceo mark zuckerberg more powerful while president biden says he supports it. >> if they pass it, i'll sign it. >> reporter: savannah sellers, nbc news. and up next, ufos and alien beings. what the pentagon says now about all those reports. copd, i had bad days. [cough] flare-ups that could permanently damage my lungs. with breztri, things changed for me. breztri gave me better breathing.

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it sounds straight out of science fiction, but today the pentagon released an extensive report on whether there is evidence of life beyond earth and whether it's been covered up. let's get more from gadi schwartz. >> reporter: tonight, eight months after that out of this world testimony on capitol hill -- >> were they i guess human or nonhuman biologics? >> nonhuman. >> reporter: -- the official word from the pentagon, no dead alien bodies, no crashed alien craft, and no government cover-up. in a 63-page report the uap office saying they interviewed more than 30 people including heads of

aerospace companies, cia and defense officials and found no credible firsthand information supporting the claims. >> claims of hidden programs are largely the result of circular reporting by a small group. >> reporter: the long history with ufos going back to the '40s touching on former bill clinton's interest in roswell, but the dod insisting that was a mix of confusion over high altitude test dummies, fatal plane crashes and a program to detect nukes. >> look at that thing, dude. >> reporter: but when it comes to the recent mysteries involving it, the report was short on specifics. >> we have a serious issue that pilots are dealing with. they still don't know if they are potentially adversaries. >> reporter: a long list of earthly explanations saying there was no evidence of extraterrestrials but a small percentage of cases had potentially anomalous characteristics or concerning characteristics. lester, yes, there are still a number of cases under investigation.

what the dod is saying, they are developing, special sensor kits to send out whenever new ufo hot spots are reported. lester. >> continues to fascinate. gadi, thank you. coming up, another mystery, tiny unicorns springing up all over one city. we investigate next. but #1 prescribed entyvio is. it's the most prescribed biologic for crohn's and uc. in clinical trials, entyvio helped many people achieve long-term relief and remission. infusion and serious allergic reactions can happen during or after treatment. entyvio may increase risk of infection, which can be serious. although unlikely, a risk of pml, a rare, serious, potentially fatal brain infection cannot be ruled out. tell your doctor if you have an infection, experience frequent infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. liver problems can occur. ask your healthcare provider about entyvio, the treatment prescribed to more people with crohn's and uc than any other biologic. ♪entyvio, entyvio, entyvio♪ you founded your kayak company because you love the ocean- not spreadsheets. you need to hire.

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you should talk to your doctor. afib increases the risk of stroke about 5 times. when it comes to your health, this is no time to wait. finally we can't go without telling you about the colorful creatures spreading joy in one american city. emilie ikeda on the mystery of the

unicorns. >> reporter: it's a typical blue sky here in providence, rhode island. well, at first glance. look closer, near the ledge, this is where betha woods stumbled upon her first unicorn. >> right here. >> reporter: standing not even two inches tall, it was the mythic beast's chrome sheen that caught betha's eye. >> what was it like when you first stumbled upon a unicorn? >> it's such an unexpected surprise. >> reporter: recently these figurines have been mysteriously appearing all over providence, on sidewalks, windowsills, planters, stirring up a citywide scavenger hunt. >> will you try to find these? >> yeah. >> reporter: it's kind of like a little easter egg hunt. scouring the streets all morning long, and unicorns have a reputation for being hard to find. it was when we sat down on the bench that we finally stumbled upon one. the burning question now, who is behind the colorful creatures? some locals point to the nearby rhode island school of design. >> i have no idea who is behind this

project, and that's great. anyone can make art. anyone can find art. anyone can interact with it. >> reporter: artists inspiring communities in surprising places is an age-old practice. in chicago, potholes have been transformed into mosaics, and a brooklyn artist anonymously redesigned business flyers. whoever is responsible for the magic in providence, betha is grateful for the reminder that sometimes the smallest gestures carry big impacts. >> it's just spreading joy. the world needs more joy. >> reporter: emilie ikeda, nbc news, providence, rhode island. and there you go. that's "nightly news" for this friday. thanks for watching. i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night, everyone.

we begin with breaking news. crews are battling a brush fire in antioch.