breaking news tonight, the dangerous tornado outbreak as we come on the air. the dramatic images coming in. multiple large tornadoes touching down. a tornado emergency in nebraska. giant funnel clouds

crossing highways. debris flying as storms sweep through oklahoma and texas. tonight, damage, roofs ripped off homes. tens of millions at risk for the weekend. we're tracking it. also tonight, the new witnesses in donald trump's hush money trial including his longtime assistant. what she told the jury about stormy daniels and karen mcdougal. two women who claim to have had affairs with the former president. ,. the former president. the major shift for president biden now saying he's happy to debate donald trump. how mr. trump is responding. the massive inferno. a train carrying gasoline and propane derailing in new mexico. the new crackdown as pro-palestinian demonstrations spread on campuses, and after usc canceled its main commencement, will others follow? our nbc news investigation, our crews in gaza documenting several deadly strikes in zones where israel

told displaced civilians they'd be safe. the promising news in king charles' battle with cancer and when he plans to return to his royal duties. and after falling on hard times, the town that was saved by beer. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening, and welcome. we are tracking a damaging tornado outbreak, that rampage across the center of the country. texas, oklahoma, nebraska among the states in the line of fire. a tornado emergency declared in parts of nebraska meaning large tornadoes were on the ground threatening population centers. many of the images as frightening as they are dramatic. tonight tornado watches stretching nearly 900 miles. we'll tell you who is at risk as we head into the night in a moment, but first jesse kirsch with the latest. jesse, this is hitting a wide area of the country. >> reporter: that's right, lester. millions of americans are in the bull's-eye

including where we are in kansas city, missouri. you can see wind gusts are starting to pick up here. meanwhile, there have already been some tornadoes in other states leaving behind a path of destruction. [ sirens ] tonight, a tornado outbreak is unfolding across nebraska. over a dozen twisters already reported with more severe weather on the way. in the lincoln, nebraska, area, debris seen swirling as this violent tornado ripped across an interstate. elsewhere, some drivers heading towards the ominous sky. >> something's just been hit. >> reporter: and this omaha neighborhood seeming to take a direct hit. >> the entire down the street there are no houses. up the street there are no houses either. >> it took everything in about five or ten minutes, and it's gone. >> reporter: tornadoes also reported around waco, texas, today and farther south in

austin inbound flights were temporarily grounded because of thunderstorms. this same storm system has been stretching across the u.s. since yesterday. in oklahoma, this semi truck flipped over as this colorado home was damaged. >> it's so awful, what happened. >> reporter: now, kansas city, omaha, and tulsa are bracing. >> residents here in central oklahoma woke up to tornado sirens, found parts of the rooftops flung onto the street, even cars nearby. >> reporter: and the pressure only expected to increase tomorrow over an even larger area with 33 million in the path of severe weather from the great lakes to texas. that means more tornadoes, flooding, hail, and strong winds are all possible on saturday, and there's also severe weather in sunday's forecast as we head into a weekend that for some will bring little relief. jesse kirsch, nbc news, kansas city, missouri. we want to go right now to angie lassman, who is

tracking the storm threat. angie, as we heard there, the volatile weekend of weather just beginning. >> reporter: you're exactly right, lester. those violent tornadoes today throwing debris as far as 25 feet and tornado watches continue across the midsection of the country through at least 9:00 p.m. tonight. all hazards will be on the table. we're talking more strong winds, hail, and, of course, those tornadoes. as we look ahead to tomorrow, the threat continues. we'll see that expanding now to more than 30 million people from the great lakes to the southern plains, and you guessed it. more of those ef-2 tornadoes possible with the ingredients there for those strong systems to move through for kansas city and oklahoma, it'll be a double whammy as well with heavy rain leaving us with the potential for flash flooding across parts of the center of the country, lester. >> all right. angie, thank you. well, for most of the week he has sat in a new york courtroom, a former president listening to the claims about the relationships and the money prosecutors say are at the heart of the criminal case

against him. late today donald trump's executive assistant took the stand. here's laura jarrett. >> reporter: tonight, the prosecution closing out the first week of testimony by offering the jury a peek inside the inner workings of the trump organization from one of the people who knows the former president best. the state briefly calling ronna graff, her longtime assistant. she confirmed contacts were saved on the company's computer system for karen mcdougal and stormy, an apparent reference to stormy daniels. prosecutors say both women were shopping stories of sex with mr. trump ahead of the 2016 election, encounters he denies. >> are you nervous about stormy daniels' testimony? >> reporter: at the heart of the case, a $130,000 payment cohen made to daniels so she wouldn't go public and how prosecutors say that payment was disguised. but graff shed no

light on that. graff testified even though she no longer works for the trump organization, the company is paying her legal bills. the jury also hearing from gary farro, who helped facilitate the payment from cohen to daniels, but the day began with them trying to undercut the testimony of david pecker, former publisher of "the national enquirer" and key witness for prosecutors testifying at length about how he helped silence people who could have hurt mr. trump's election chances. mr. trump's lawyer sought to raise questions about pecker's memory and motives on cross-examination. pecker defiant at one point saying, i've been truthful to the best of my recollection. the tabloid mogul also undermining the idea mr. trump wanted to bury those stories about women to protect his family, a common refrain from the defense. instead, pecker said he believed it was all to protect his campaign. >> i do have to begin by wishing melania happy birthday. she's in florida. >> reporter: melania trump notably absent

at trial. >> laura, does it appear prosecutors got what they needed from david pecker this week? >> lester, pecker is a useful witness for prosecutors to the extent he can testify about conversations about mr. trump that touch on his alleged scheme to influence the election, but what he can't offer, lester, is any evidence on the actual crime that the former president has been indicted for, which isn't a campaign finance violation. it's the way his payments to cohen were documented on his internal records. now, we'll see if other witnesses can speak more directly to that, lester. >> okay, laura, thank you. president biden was also in new york today giving a rare interview to radio host howard stern and making news about whether he'll debate mr. trump. peter alexander joins us. what did he say? >> reporter: for months he refused to say whether he will agree to a faceoff with former president trump, but today he

told howard stern, i'm, quote, happy to debate him, though he didn't say when or how many times. it would be a dramatic sequel to their feisty debates four years ago. outside court mr. trump did not participate in any of the republican primary debates and said he is willing to debate president biden as soon as tonight. the presidential debate commission has scheduled three beginning in september but neither campaign has formally committed. lester. >> peter, thank you. across the country today, new pro-palestinian demonstrations at college campuses and crackdowns by the police. liz kreutz has late developments. >> reporter: from colorado to north carolina tonight, more universities nationwide grappling with growing tensions over the war in gaza. as protests spread on college campuses.as protests college campuses. [ crowd chanting ] at arizona state university police showed up within minutes of a forming encampment. >> stop the killing. we'll stop the tents and megaphones. >> reporter: at emory university this shows a police officer

slamming a professor to the ground. she was charged with disorderly conduct and battery. nbc's erin mclaughlin is at columbia university where students have been camping out for ten days igniting a debate about free speech versus hate speech. student protesters say the negotiations have stalled on the issue of divestment from israel and received no reassurances. >> it is our best interest to reach an agreement before commencement. >> reporter: meanwhile at the university of southern california many seniors who didn't get a high school graduation because of covid left devastated by the university's abrupt decision to cancel their commencement. >> just being an artist, i feel let down by the university. >> reporter: amir bell who supports the protesters tells us 15 of his family members were planning to fly in to celebrate his milestone moment, and now that's in limbo. >> i just don't understand how

they could have world leaders and stuff, but they can't properly secure a tradition they've had for -- since the 1800s, so that's the most frustrating part. >> reporter: usc's campus is locked down, and students have to use i.d.s to get to class. we followed up with the university, but they're not commenting. >> liz, thank you. now to our nbc news investigation into israeli air strikes in parts of gaza that the israeli defense forces had designated as safe. but as nbc's hala gorani reports, some resulted in civilian deaths. >> reporter: march 26th, 2024, 4:00 p.m., the aftermath of an air strike in rafah in southern gaza, victims buried under the rubble. this woman is rushed to the hospital as her father attempts first aid. an nbc news investigation reveals that this is one of at least seven deadly strikes in areas our gaza team filmed after the idf had explicitly designated them as safe in december.

this one identified as one of three evacuation zones in a leaflet dropped over gaza, and on the israeli military's website, in a map last updated in december. when asked if there was anything more recent, the idf told us the map was, quote, still accurate. our investigation revealed that the idf targeted al shaboura, tal al sultan and al mawasi. the idf targeted these three places after it told residents to head there. on january 9th. an air strike in one of the places. it hits the home of the nafal family killing 15. on february 12th, 2024, our crews filmed the aftermath of an air strike on al shaboura. "they asked us to go to al shaboura because it's a safe area.

look around what happened," this man says. on april 20th. at 10:00 p.m. in the same district, the building leveled. among those killed, a pregnant woman who nbc news reported on earlier this week. her premature baby briefly survived died days later. we asked the military multiple times to comment on the strikes documented in our report providing precise locations and dates. it addressed one of the attacks replying, the idf is not aware of any strike at the provided coordinates and times in the query blaming hamas for telling people to ignore military directives adding, the idf will act against hamas wherever it operates with full commitment to international law. human rights watch program director, sari bashi, tells us, these strikes are not isolated incidents. >> they went to the places they were told to go to and get hit either by an air strike or ground invasion. >> is there anywhere safe in gaza?

>> there is nowhere safe in gaza. >> reporter: for the almost million and a half palestinians crowded in graziadei, there is nowhere left to flee, and for the girl's whose father's blood-stained t-shirt told of his frantic attempt to revive his child, it was too late. reema died in a place where she and others were told they would be safe from harm. hala gorani, nbc news, tel aviv. there was some good news from buckingham palace today that king charles will return to his official duties next week, almost three months after his cancer diagnosis. the palace said doctors are pleased with the progress the king has made so far. in 60 seconds, the fiery derailment of a freight train. we've got late details. and fragments of bird flu virus are found in more of the milk supply increasing concerns about the transmission from cows to humans right after this. breathing,

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just just in tonight, images of a train derailment near the arizona state line. it was carrying gasoline and propane. interstate 40 is closed down in both directions. there are no reports of injuries. in new york, a delta air lines plane was forced to return to jfk airport today after losing its emergency slide. delta says the crew on the flight to los angeles declared an emergency when they heard a sound near the right wing after the plane landed safely. they saw the slide was gone. its whereabouts are unclear. and a consumer alert about the nation's milk supply after the fda found traces of bird flu in one in five samples it tested. anne thompson with what you need to know. >> reporter: in this ohio state lab, this epidemiologist is testing milk from six states and finding traces of bird flu where he shouldn't.

>> what does that tell you about the spread? >> i think it shows us that there are many more cows infected than we've given it credit for at this point. >> reporter: nearly 40% of the milk he tested was positive for h5n1, also known as bird flu. that may sound alarming, but additional testing, bowman says, shows the pasturization is working. >> if i'm a parent buying milk for my child, how worried should i be about the bird flu? >> yeah, at this point i would not be worried about that at all. i'm continuing to drink milk. >> reporter: so tonight, attention turns to the source. the nation's dairy cows with so far just one known case of minor symptoms in a person related to direct contact with infected cattle. the u.s. department of agriculture ordering all dairy cows crossing state lines be tested for the virus. >> it's been my whole livelihood. >> reporter: martha thomas owns the smallest dairy herd in shelby county, ohio, where she produces,

processes, and sells milk. >> how do you ensure your cows are healthy? >> we don't let people in and out. we don't switch cows. it's a closed herd. >> reporter: there are no signs of bird flu here, but herds in nine states contracted the bird flu including one in ohio. >> the entire barnyard is on alert, and we're looking to make sure it doesn't end up someplace else. >> reporter: while officials try to figure out what's going on on the farms, the fda says pasturization is doing its job, killing active viruses and bacteria to keep the milk supply safe. lester. >> okay, anne thompson, thanks. coming up, they may be the future of the road, so why do electric vehicles lose so much of their value? that's next.

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back with our series, "the future of the road." with the electric vehicle market hitting bumps, some owners are finding trouble when they try to resell them. here's christine romans. >> reporter: everyone knows the minute you drive a new car off the lot, its value depreciate, but for electric vehicles, the drop is dramatic. ten times faster than traditional cars according to a recent study showing the average used car price for an ev fell nearly 32% in the past year compared with the decline of just over 3% for gas-powered cars. >> right now i am trying to offload my tesla. i want to sell it because the value for teslas has been plummeting. >> reporter: some

tesla owners frustrated as the company lowers the prices on new models making currently owned teslas less valuable. >> this investment, i will lose over $30,000. >> reporter: falling resale prices just another factor holding some people back from switching over to electric vehicles. with so many already expressing concern about range anxiety and battery infrastructure. >> i want to make it from here to my grandmother's house in texas, how many stops would i have to make to get there? >> reporter: keith boseman has been selling used cars for four years. >> resale value is not their number one concern? >> no, honestly. that's not the number one question i get. it's battery life. >> reporter: evs made up 7.3% of new car sales even with government rebates and dealer incentives. >> there's so much discounting going on, it's really hammering used cars, especially those used evs, sometimes the double down effect where a lot of that is pushing

used car prices down. >> reporter: the irony that lower prices for new cars could hurt demand for evs overall as resale values are driven down. christine romans, nbc news, jersey city, new jersey. next here for us opportunity, the town that looked to its past and found a way to buoy its own revival. ving in the red. with a very high risk of another heart attack or stroke. he doesn't know with his risk factors his ldl-c (bad cholesterol) is still too high - the recommended level is below 55. are you living in the red? get in the know. learn how to get a free ldl-c test at attackheartdisease.com.

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about all of your medical conditions and medications. ultomiris can cause reactions such as back pain, tiredness, dizziness, limb discomfort, or bad taste. ultomiris is moving forward with continuous symptom control. ask your neurologist about starting ultomiris. finally, the small town that saved itself by tapping into a local tradition. here's maggie vespa. >> reporter: in the hum of this factory in

rural wisconsin lies the sound of a small town's second wind. this story best told over a pint begins in 1852 when the birth of the potosi brewing company, a major employer until the 1970s when competition turned off its taps. >> almost everybody in potosi had a relative who had worked there. >> yeah, and it was in existence for 120 years. >> reporter: soon potosi's population crumbled. this local artist, gary david, bought it for $633. >> i have fond memories of the forefathers who came before us and thought it was worth the effort and risk. >> reporter: this insurance agent launched the potosi foundation to bring the jobs back. >> it was all about bringing the jobs back.

>> a way of keeping a small town alive through beer. >> yep. >> reporter: for years they fund-raised. in 2008 rebuilding the tap room, then a new factory. this facility is capable of packaging more than 80 million cans per year of potosi beer and more than a dozen other beverage companies from across the country. industry buzz followed. potosi is now home to the national brewery museum and annual festivals. potosi gets 70,000 tourists a year? >> yes, yes. >>potosi gets 7 tourists a year? potosi gets 70,000 tourists a year? >> yes, yes. >> that's a lot of people. >> that's a lot of people. >> how good does that beer taste after driving 100 miles? >> it tastes really great. >> the taste of a town's comeback. maggie vespa, nbc news. >> cheers. >> cheers. >> reporter: potosi, wisconsin. that's "nightly news" for this friday. thanks for watching, everyone. i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night.