In the middle of the country, the rare high risk alert and where the storms are heading. Today.

A developing story overseas. An American soldier under arrest in Russia. We hear from his mother why she says her son was there and why she was so worried.

One of the biggest hospital failures in decades. Millions of patients in limbo as a major hospital group files for bankruptcy. The concern about rising costs and quality of care.

New clashes and arrests on college campuses in the U.S. since the war in the Middle East takes a new turn, breaking overnight reports of Israeli tanks in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Is there any hope for a cease fire? Plus.

A surprise announcement for miss USA. Why she's giving up her crown.

Fashion's biggest night the glitz, the glamor and the surprises at the Met Gala and why one big name failed to show.

And later halting production. The Pepper panic as fans of a popular hot sauce once again face a shortage.

From ABC News in New York. This is America this morning.

Good Tuesday morning, everyone I'm Andrew Dymburt.

Good morning to you I'm Rhiannon ally. We want to begin with a new tornado outbreak in a region already battered by storms this spring.

At least one person has been killed. Several injuries are reported, and multiple homes are destroyed as we get our first look at the damage. Overnight, dangerous storms sweeping across the plains, including what was described as a large and destructive tornado hitting two towns in Oklahoma. There's a large tornado right up there. Search and rescue efforts underway in Barnsdall, about 40 miles north of Tulsa.

Firefighters have gotten mutual aid requested at I-71 highway 123, in Barnsdall. It's going to be for a tornado hit there. The house has fallen as a person trapped under the house.

The tornado also hitting the town of Bartlesville, damaging a hotel after forecasters issued a rare high risk weather warning.

I am right in the middle of that particularly dangerous situation. Tornado watch and the darkness behind me is actually one of the tornado warned storms about 65 miles to our northwest.

Severe storms also passing through Missouri, including in Joplin and Kansas City, and a confirmed tornado plowed through Smithville, Tennessee, tearing up trees and damaging homes.

It was like a whistle from the tornado. It sounded like a whistle to me. Um, and then there was just like loud noises everywhere.

Meanwhile, people in southeast Texas are recovering after severe storms and more than two feet of rain in some areas. The death toll now three, including a child whose family car was swept away by floodwaters.

It's a terrible, demoralizing feeling. I mean, it ain't a fire, but it's close. Second.

Storms will move into the Tennessee and Ohio River valleys today. We'll check your full forecast in just a few moments.

The other big story this morning yet another American has been arrested in Russia, this time a US soldier. And now we are hearing from his mother this morning, an American soldiers behind bars in Russia. Staff Sergeant Gordon Black is being held for criminal misconduct. His mother speaking to ABC news overnight.

I'm hoping he's not being tortured or hurt. It's just hard being a mom and being in that situation and not knowing, not being able to touch him, you know, hug him, tell him it'll be okay.

The 34 year old soldier was stationed in South Korea, but was on temporary leave as he prepared to change units and moved to Texas. During that time, his mother says black went to visit a girlfriend in southeast Russia near the border of China and North Korea, Russian TV reports. The charges against black involve beating a woman and stealing from her. It's unclear if the alleged victim is the same woman he was visiting. Black's mother describes the couple's relationship as volatile, and she says she was worried about her son visiting Russia more than she was when he was deployed to Iraq.

I knew something was going to happen. I felt like he was being set up by her.

Sergeant black is the latest in a string of Americans detained in Russia, joining businessman Paul Whelan held since 2018, and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Kovic held since last year. The US embassy in Moscow is trying to gain consular access to black. He is being held in pre-trial detention until July, but that is likely to be extended.

The FAA has opened a new investigation into Boeing after a whistleblower came forward with quality concerns about the 787 Dreamliner. The employee reported to management that workers had not completed required inspections on the location where the plane's wings attached to the fuselage. The FAA is looking into whether records about those inspections were falsified. Boeing says the issue did not create an immediate safety of flight issue, and says several employees are now facing discipline, and Boeing was not to blame for the scrubbing of a launch last night that would have taken two astronauts to the International Space Station. It was called off at Cape Canaveral because of an oxygen valve problem on the rocket that would have carried Boeing's capsule into space. No word yet on when the launch will be rescheduled.

Breaking overnight, A cease fire in the Middle East looks more unlikely after Israeli tanks entered Rafah in southern Gaza overnight, taking control of a border crossing. Meanwhile, more arrests on college campuses here in the US as some war protests intensify. More than 60 people were arrested at the University of California, San Diego. ABC's Nguyen has the latest on this.

Good morning Rihanna and good morning.

As talks for a cease fire enter a critical stage. Protests over the war have again turned violent here in the US. This morning. Tensions rising on more college campuses over the war in Gaza. Students at the Rhode Island School of Design took over an administrative building last night, barricading entrances with tables and chairs as crowds gathered outside the building. At MIT, pro-Palestinian protesters broke through the barricades to retake an encampment. At Columbia. Officials have now canceled the school's main graduation ceremony, citing security concerns.

I have friends whose families are coming from places like Singapore, France, Mexico and other countries around the world who spent thousands of dollars on plane tickets, so it's definitely an incredible disappointment.

It comes as Israel appears closer to carrying out a major ground offensive in southern Gaza. Overnight, a Palestinian security official and an Egyptian official told The Associated Press that Israel tanks have entered the city of Rafah, which has been a refuge for more than 1 million displaced Palestinians, a city Israel describes as Hamas's final stronghold. Israel already launching dozens of airstrikes on Rafah, ordering people to evacuate to humanitarian camps. Hamas claimed yesterday that it has accepted a ceasefire proposal. The announcement, prompting celebrations in Gaza. But Israel says the deal accepted by Hamas did not meet its core demands. Still, it says it will send negotiators back to Egypt for more talks. The exact details of what Hamas agreed to remain unclear. The ceasefire deal that was on the table included a six week pause in fighting and the release of dozens of hostages, but Hamas has insisted on a permanent end to the fighting. Andrew M, thank you.

Former President Trump has been held in contempt of court and fined $1,000 for the 10th time for violating a gag order. The judge in Trump's hush money trial warned him yesterday that future violations could land him in jail. Trump remained defiant outside court.

Our constitution is much more important than jail. It's not even close. I'll do that sacrifice any day.

The jury yesterday got to see checks signed by Trump and ledger entries that classified those checks as, quote, legal expenses. The Trump Organization's comptroller testified he was ordered by another executive to reimburse Michael Cohen to cover up payments, but he acknowledged that Trump himself never dictated how the payments should be logged.

A new bridge between the US and Canada is nearly connected only about 200ft now separate the two sides of the Gordie Howe Bridge, which will connect Detroit to Windsor, Ontario. The $4 billion bridge is named after the Hockey Hall of Famer, who spent 25 years with the Detroit Red wings. It is set to open in late 2025.

All right. Time now for your Tuesday weather report.

Good morning. We have another threat for severe weather as we head through today into tonight that's highlighted through Indiana, Ohio and as far south as Kentucky with the isolated tornadoes and hail. And for Wednesday, the same storm system that's generating all of this energy around. It continues for Wednesday into Wednesday night with a high risk for severe weather. This is across portions of Kentucky into the Mississippi River. And of course, this will lead to flash flooding, hail and tornadoes. And beyond that, then we still have a risk on Thursday from AccuWeather on most accounts to answer.

Coming up on money mystery. Big amounts of cash left behind in some unlikely places.

But first, millions of patients in limbo as a major hospital group files for bankruptcy, the concerns about costs and quality of care.

End up next an arrest in Florida. In the case of an American woman missing in Europe for months.

Whenever news breaks.

We are here in Israel, a nation at war. After that brutal surprise attack by Hamas on the.

Ground in Ukraine. Reporting from Lewiston, Maine.

The scene of a horrific mass shooting, ABC News Live is right there everywhere.

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Tore through this little town.

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Carolina, on the 2024 campaign trail in Iceland. Let's go. Traveling with the president in Mexico City, wherever the.

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It's lunchtime in America. So what are we serving up?

Well, how about everything you need to know?

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That sounds pretty good. Give it to me. Your health, your money, breaking news, pop culture with the biggest stars, music trends, and of course, good food. May 3rd. What you need to know A third hour of GMA in the afternoon.

So join us afternoons for everything you need to know.

I love that for me. Let's go.

The ship is incredible. It feels like living in a science fiction movie.

We just saw what no one has seen before.

We are heading into the unknown.

Hammer, hammer, hammer. It doesn't get any.

More cutting edge. And this.

Right now. There's just so much happening in our world, so much at stake at.

The start of every morning.

And that's why at Good Morning America.

We're right here.

And we got you, we.

Got you, we got you.

Back. The estranged husband of a Florida woman who went missing in Spain three months ago, is now under arrest and has not been seen since February. At the time she disappeared, security cameras that her apartment building in Madrid had been painted over. But then yesterday, the FBI announced David has now been arrested in Miami. Authorities believe he helped kidnap his estranged wife. Prosecutors say he was in Madrid at the time she disappeared. Details on a possible motive remain unconfirmed.

We turn now to millions of health care patients in limbo as a major hospital chain filed for bankruptcy, raising questions about the industry, rising costs and quality of care. This morning what could be a financial wake up call for the health care industry? Stewart Healthcare, which operates dozens of hospitals across the country, has filed for bankruptcy in what's being called one of the biggest hospital failures in decades.

There's a lot of people.

Around here that use this hospital. As far as I'm concerned, it will die.

But it's our eight towns and our hospital system, and they're one of the busiest E.R. around.

Stewart operates eight hospitals in Massachusetts alone. The state's governor trying to reassure patients.

I want to be clear. Steward.

Hospitals remain open. Of course, we cannot guarantee that there won't be disruptions or inconveniences.

Stuart, a for profit company based in Dallas, blames a highly challenging healthcare environment for its financial woes and cites insufficient reimbursements by government payers, skyrocketing labor and operational costs and the impacts of the Covid pandemic. But Massachusetts governor accuses Stuart of mismanagement and greed. You know, one.

Of the good things about bankruptcy is that steward and its CEO and its management team will no longer be able to lie.

Another big challenge staffing on this National Nurses Week. A survey found more than one third of nurses say it's extremely likely they'll change jobs this year. Stuart says it does not expect any interruptions in its day to day operations, but some state officials are vowing to ramp up inspections to ensure that quality of care.

Money mystery in Ohio federal, state and local officials are all trying to figure out who left thousands of dollars in cash inside of two bathrooms. More than $25,000 was found inside a movie theater restroom near Columbus late last month. And then last week, another $12,000 was found in a bathroom at a KFC restaurant. Authorities believe the two piles of cash are connected, but there is still no word where they came from.

So can I come forward and claim it?

Not if it's not yours.

All right. Coming up, the new scam targeting college grads. Also, I.

Had a surprise announcement from miss USA why she is giving up her crown.

Let's go. The ship is incredible.

It feels like living in a science fiction movie.

We just saw what no one has seen before.

Look at that.

We are heading into the unknown.

Hammer, hammer, hammer. It doesn't get any.

More cutting edge. And this.

Whenever, wherever news breaks. It's so important to always remember that lives are changed here in London, in Buffalo. Uvalde, Texas. Edinburgh, Scotland. Reporting from Rolling Fork, Mississippi. Ukrainian refugees here in Warsaw. We're heading to a small community outside of Mexico City, getting you behind the stories as they happen. ABC News Live Prime. We'll take you there.

Stream ABC news live weeknights wherever you stream your news, only on ABC News Live. This is not about.

Parents who just let their kid watch violent movies or play violent video games. This is about parents who neglected their son, ignored his cries for help, then bought him a gun.

The first parents in.

America to be charged in a school shooting. They purchased that gun for him.

And bragged about it. You don't get to walk away.

Sins of the parents. The Crumbley trials.

The opposite of love is not hate, it's just being ignored.

Only on Hulu.

It's lunchtime in America. So what do we serving up?

Well, how about everything you need to know?

You know.

That sounds pretty good. Give it to me. Your health, your money, breaking news, pop culture with the biggest stars, music trends, and of course, good food. May 3rd. What you need to know A third hour of GMA in the afternoon.

So join us afternoons for everything you need to know.

I love that I me.

Every kid in.

America who was a dancer wanted to be on Dance Moms and Abby knew it.

I don't care if they like me or not. They're fabulous.

When it comes down to the way she treated us, it was tough love. You have trouble saying her name?

Yeah. I feel like I have trouble just talking about in general. I'm not the bad guy.

I was the guy that made it happen.

Do you think.

That you would take back some of the harshness when you look back?

Dance Moms, behind the curtain. This is Impact by Nightline, now streaming on Hulu.

Look at this. A dramatic display from Mother Nature. Storm Chaser capturing the moment lightning hit this power pole as severe storms moved through Abilene, Texas, more recent storms left at least one person dead in Oklahoma overnight.

A new scam alert for college grads. Scammers are calling recent grads, claiming that a college professor they know has recommended them for a job. The goal of this scam is to get a grad to apply for a job, then steal their personal information, even their bank account information. Victims say eagerness to get a job after college made them fall for it.

They emailed me saying that we'd like to interview you. I was really happy because at that point, that was the first time I've ever received something positive from a job application.

Everything will seem very believable, but at the end of the day, it's just scammers trying to get personal information or money from these students.

The FTC encourages grads to take a close look at any unexpected job offer, especially if someone asks you to download an app for an interview.

Reaction is pouring in after miss USA announced she is giving up her crown, all to focus on her mental health. Here's ABC's Lana mewis with more.

How miss USA 2023.

Is this morning a shocking announcement from miss USA Noelia Voit telling the world she is giving up her crown to focus on her mental health. Voight, who won the pageant in September, posting on Instagram, In life, I strongly value the importance of making decisions that feel best for you and your mental health. Sadly, I have made the very tough decision to resign from the title of miss USA 2023. The caption of the post going on to say I realize this may come as a large shock to many. Never compromise your physical and mental well-being. Our health is our wealth. Voight highlighted some of the many platforms she focused on during her reign as the first Venezuelan American woman to win the title.

I represent all of the second generation children of immigrants in the United States of America.

Mental health came to the forefront in the pageant world with the untimely death of former miss USA Charlie Crist in 2022. Chris was an attorney and correspondent for the TV show extra. Her mother detailed some of his struggles with depression in the new book. By the time you read this, adding to the memoir Crist was about to publish before dying by suicide at age 30. Other celebrities have stepped away from the spotlight in recent years to focus on mental health.

Now I need someone to breathe me back to life.

Including Shawn Mendes, who canceled part of his 2022 tour.

Does that make me a fool?

We are fools together now.

In Game of Thrones, actor Kit Harington, who says he took time off after struggling with mental health near the end of filming. The miss USA organization says it respects Voight's need to prioritize herself. May, by the way, is Mental Health Awareness Month, and if you or anyone you know is struggling, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day at 988. Rhiannon. Andrew.

We commend her courage. Lionel. Thank you. Coming up, the special gym membership that will cost you 40 grand.

Plus highlights from fashion's biggest night, the Met Gala.

With so much at stake, so much on the line, more Americans turn here than any other newscast. ABC News World News Tonight with David Muir. America's number one most watched newscast across all of television.

Give it to me.

Give it to me.

Let's go. The ship is incredible. It feels like living in a science fiction movie.

We just saw what no one has seen before.

Well, look at that.

We are heading into the unknown.

Hammer, hammer, hammer. It doesn't get any.

More cutting edge. And.

Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron.

Shohei Ohtani. Legends of the game. But now the list of greats redefined from ABC news. Reclaim the Forgotten League a side of the story of baseball you have never heard before. Like this. The award winning podcast is back. Listen wherever you get your podcast or scan the QR code you see here.

Every Friday the hottest trends, styles and must have. It's time to buy the right stuff and.

Save big time to the.

Right stuff.

Fridays on GMA. You're gonna love it.

Why do so many people start their day here? From ABC news? This is start here to be in the know and get a different take on the day's top stories. A lot of news today so let's get into it. Listen now to the daily News podcast honored with four Edward R Murrow Awards, and see why the New York Times calls it a news podcast worth listening to. Start here ABC news make it your daily first listen.

Now that's a part of the story I bet you didn't see coming. Wherever you get.

Your podcasts, start here.

Reporting from the campaign trail here in South Carolina, I'm Rachel Scott. Wherever the story is, we'll take you there.

You're streaming ABC News Live.

Time to check the pulse. We begin with the must see looks from the Met Gala.

Affair is fashion's biggest night in the dress code this year. The garden of time there. Zendaya. She's done not once, but twice. First you see a peacock inspired gown. And then we saw her later in the night with a jet black dress and her head inside a bouquet of flowers. Model Amelia Gray's dress. Look at this. It was very ambitious. Did you know there were live butterflies inside?

There are. Pretty cool. How about Camila Cabello? She had one of the hottest accessories. Instead of a handbag. The singer held a block of ice, and Jennifer Lopez wore a necklace with nearly 100 carats of diamonds and a bedazzled sheer gown.

This is Schiaparelli. It's a 2.5 million bugle beads, about 800 hours of work. A true couture creation. It's for butterfly wings.

Gorgeous, but absent from the event. Last night, Rihanna. She had the flu and couldn't make it. Next. Health has been called a priceless commodity, but one company is making it pretty pricey.

Fitness chain Equinox is offering a new membership plan, which it claims will help you live longer, but it only costs about $42,000 a year. It does include personal training, biomarker tracking, and nutrition coaching. Next, a lock of Beethoven's hair providing new clues on how he died. It may have been the cheap wine that he drank.

Using new technology, scientists found high amounts of lead and arsenic in the composer's hair, which could explain his long list of health ailments in his early death. A report last year said he did not die of lead poisoning, but this report claims it was a factor in his illness. Lead was used in many wines and foods back in those days. Next, prepare yourself for a not so hot summer.

A Sriracha shortage yet again is on the horizon. And that's because the California company that makes a spicy condiment has a pepper problem.

Peppers aren't red enough due to recent weather conditions in Mexico, so the company has halted production until after Labor Day.

Top headlines next.

It's lunchtime in America. So what are we serving up?

Well, how about everything you need to know?

You know.

That sounds pretty good. Give it to me. Your health, your money. Breaking news, pop culture with the biggest stars, music trends, and of course, good food. A3. What you need to know a third hour of GMA in the afternoon. So join us.

Afternoons for everything you need.

To know. I love that for me.

Why do so many people start their day here. From ABC news. This is start here to be in the know and get a different take on the day's top stories. A lot of news today, so let's get into it. Listen now to the daily news podcast honored with four Edward R Murrow Awards, and see why the New York Times calls it a news podcast worth listening to. Start here. ABC news make it your daily first listen.

Now that's a part of the story I bet you didn't see coming.

Wherever you get your podcasts, start here.

Wherever news breaks. It's so important to always remember that lives are changed, getting you behind the stories as they happen. ABC News Live Prime. We'll take you there.

Streaming free on ABC News Live. With so much at stake, so much on the line, more Americans turn here than any other newscast. ABC News World News Tonight with David Muir, America's number one most watched newscast across all of television.

Let's go. The ship is incredible. It feels like living in a science fiction movie.

We just saw what no one has seen before.

Look at that.

We are heading into the unknown.

Hammer, hammer, hammer. It doesn't get any.

More cutting edge. And.

Checking more top stories now. An annual report warns that Social Security and Medicare will run out of money in just over a decade. It says the Social Security Trust Fund will be insolvent by 2035 unless Congress takes action.

Israeli forces have taken control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing that connects with Egypt, pressing ahead with plans for an assault on Rafah after ordering a partial evacuation of the city. Israel rejected a cease fire proposal accepted by Hamas in Moscow.

The Kremlin has announced plans to stage tactical nuclear drills. Ukrainian officials responded by downplaying the announcement.

A baby reported missing in New Mexico has been found alive in Texas. The man accused in the kidnapping is also charged with murdering the child's mother and another woman. Police say he had no apparent connection to the victims.

Today's weather severe storms in the Midwest. The biggest tornado threat will be in Ohio and Indiana. Rain for the northern Plains. Finally, a speech to Congress like no other.

Any new explains.

In honor of my former constituent, the late Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

While addressing.

Her bill to rename a post office after one inspiring politician, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton introduced many Americans to another.

I use an assistive app so that you and our colleagues can understand me.

Over the past year, the Virginia Democrat has been diagnosed with super nuclear palsy, which she describes as Parkinson's on steroids. It's a deadly brain disease that gradually limits your ability to speak and walk.

If there's one thing that Democrats and Republicans can agree on is that Parkinson's disease sucks.

In April of last year, Congresswoman Wexton announced that she had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, but then in September issued a statement on social media that her diagnosis had been modified to this deadlier disorder. She even went on to announce that she would not be able to run for reelection, and that she was, quote, heartbroken to have to give up something I've loved after so many years of serving my community.

I am proud to be here today speaking in support of my bill.

But as Congresswoman Wexton showed, the world during her time on the House floor Monday, more and more technological advances over the past year are inviting people to reimagine possibilities. In the fall, the Gallaudet University football team and AT&T unveiled this new helmet, which would allow the Bison's coach to communicate with his players who are deaf and hard of hearing before a play. Do you think we'd have more like deaf people in the NFL if this helmet had existed longer? Oh yeah. There is also the unveiling of the monarch, which is a tablet that can display ten lines of Braille at once, or even graphics that you can physically touch.

I urge my colleagues to vote for this measure.

And as we saw on Monday, even someone who is losing her ability to verbally speak can still have a voice in one of the nation's most historic chambers. That post office she's trying to have renamed in honor of Madeleine Albright is in personal Virginia, where the former secretary of state lived for many years. Guys.

Really inspiring story and doing it on Capitol Hill. That's making news in America this morning.

Have a great day, everyone. Right now in America this morning images just coming in a deadly tornado outbreak slamming the middle of the country. The rare high risk alert and where the storms are heading.

Today a developing story overseas. An American soldier under arrest in Russia. We hear from his mother why she says her son was there and why she was so worried.

One of the biggest hospital failures in decades. Millions of patients in limbo as a major hospital group files for bankruptcy. The concern about rising costs and quality of care.

New clashes and arrests on college campuses in the U.S.. As the war in the Middle East takes a new turn, breaking overnight reports of Israeli tanks in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Is there any hope for a ceasefire? Plus.

A surprise announcement for miss USA. Why she's giving up her crown.

Fashion's biggest night the glitz, the glamor and the surprises at the Met Gala and why one big name failed to show.

And later halting production. The Pepper panic as fans of a popular hot sauce once again face a shortage.

From ABC News in New York.

This is America this morning.

Good Tuesday morning, everyone I'm Andrew Dymburt.

Good morning to you I'm Ryan and Allie. We want to begin with a new tornado outbreak in a region already battered by storms this spring.

At least one person has been killed. Several injuries are reported, and multiple homes are destroyed as we get our first look at the damage. Overnight, dangerous storms sweeping across the plains, including what was described as a large and destructive tornado hitting two towns in Oklahoma. There's a large tornado right up there. Search and rescue efforts underway in Barnsdall, about 40 miles north of Tulsa.

Firefighters have gotten mutual aid requested at I-71 highway 123, in Barnsdall. It's going to be for a tornado hit there. The house has fallen as a person trapped under the house.

The tornado also hitting the town of Bartlesville, damaging a hotel after forecasters issued a rare high risk weather warning.

I am right in the middle of that particularly dangerous situation. Tornado watch and the darkness behind me is actually one of the tornado warned storms about 65 miles to our northwest.

Severe storms also passing through Missouri, including in Joplin and Kansas City, and a confirmed tornado plowed through Smithville, Tennessee, tearing up trees and damaging homes.

It was like a whistle from the tornado. It sounded like a whistle to me. Um, and then there was just like loud noises everywhere.

Meanwhile, people in southeast Texas are recovering after severe storms and more than two feet of rain in some areas. The death toll now three, including a child whose family car was swept away by floodwaters.

It's a terrible, demoralizing feeling. I mean, it ain't a fire, but it's close. Second.

Storms will move into the Tennessee and Ohio River valleys today. We'll check your full forecast in just a few moments.

The other big story this morning, yet another American has been arrested in Russia, this time a US soldier. And now we are hearing from his mother this morning, an American soldiers behind bars in Russia. Staff Sergeant Gordon Black is being held for criminal misconduct, his mother speaking to ABC news overnight.

I'm hoping he's not being tortured or hurt. It's just hard being a mom and being in that situation and not knowing, not being able to touch him, you know, hugging, telling me it'll be okay.

The 34 year old soldier.

Was stationed in South Korea, but was on temporary leave as he prepared to change units and moved to Texas. During that time, his mother says black went to visit a girlfriend in southeast Russia near the border of China and North Korea, Russian TV reports. The charges against black involve beating a woman and stealing from her. It's unclear if the alleged victim is the same woman he was visiting. Black's mother describes the couple's relationship as volatile, and she says she was worried about her son visiting Russia more than she was when he was deployed to Iraq.

I knew something was going to happen. I felt like he was being set up by her.

Sergeant black is the latest in a string of Americans detained in Russia, joining businessman Paul Whelan held since 2018, and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Kovic held since last year. The US embassy in Moscow is trying to gain consular access to black. He is being held in pre-trial detention until July, but that is likely to be extended.

The FAA has opened a new investigation into Boeing after a whistleblower came forward with quality concerns about the 787 Dreamliner. The employee reported to management that workers had not completed required inspections on the location where the plane's wings attached to the fuselage. The FAA is looking into whether records about those inspections were falsified. Boeing says the issue did not create an immediate safety of flight issue, and says several employees are now facing discipline, and Boeing was not to blame for the scrubbing of a launch last night that would have taken two astronauts to the International Space Station. It was called off at Cape Canaveral because of an oxygen valve problem on the rocket that would have carried Boeing's capsule into space. No word yet on when the launch will be rescheduled.

Breaking overnight, a ceasefire in the Middle East looks more unlikely after Israeli tanks entered Rafah in southern Gaza overnight, taking control of a border crossing. Meanwhile, more arrests on college campuses here in the US as some war protests intensify. More than 60 people were arrested at the University of California, San Diego. ABC's Nguyen has the latest on this. Good morning.

Rhiannon. Good morning. As talks for a ceasefire enter a critical stage, protests over the war have again turned violent here in the US. This morning. Tensions rising on more college campuses over the war in Gaza. Students at the Rhode Island School of Design took over an administrative building last night, barricading entrances with tables and chairs as crowds gathered outside the building. At MIT, pro-Palestinian protesters broke through the barricades to retake an encampment. At Columbia. Officials have now canceled the school's main graduation ceremony, citing security concerns.

I have friends whose families are coming from places like Singapore, France, Mexico and other countries around the world who spent thousands of dollars on plane tickets, so it's definitely an incredible disappointment.

It comes as Israel appears closer to carrying out a major ground offensive in southern Gaza. Overnight, a Palestinian security official and an Egyptian official told The Associated Press that Israel tanks have entered the city of Rafah, which has been a refuge for more than 1 million displaced Palestinians, a city Israel describes as Hamas's final stronghold. Israel already launching dozens of airstrikes on Rafah, ordering people to evacuate to humanitarian camps. Hamas claimed yesterday that it has accepted a ceasefire proposal. The announcement, prompting celebrations in Gaza. But Israel says the deal accepted by Hamas did not meet its core demands. Still, it says it will send negotiators back to Egypt for more talks. The exact details of what Hamas agreed to remain unclear. The cease fire deal that was on the table included a six week pause in fighting and the release of dozens of hostages, but Hamas has insisted on a permanent end to the fighting.

Andrew M, thank you. Former President Trump has been held in contempt of court and fined $1,000 for the 10th time for violating a gag order. The judge in Trump's hush money trial warned him yesterday that future violations could land him in jail. Trump remained defiant outside court.

Our constitution is much more important than jail. It's not even close. I'll do that sacrifice any day.

The jury yesterday got to see checks signed by Trump and ledger entries that classified those checks as, quote, legal expenses. The Trump Organization's comptroller testified he was ordered by another executive to reimburse Michael Cohen to cover up payments, but he acknowledged that Trump himself never dictated how the payments should be logged.

A new bridge between the US and Canada is nearly connected only about 200ft now separate the two sides of the Gordie Howe Bridge, which will connect Detroit to Windsor, Ontario. The $4 billion bridge is named after the hockey Hall of Famer, who spent 25 years with the Detroit Red wings. It is set to open in late 2025.

All right. Time now for your Tuesday weather forecast.

Good morning. We have another threat for severe weather as we head through today into tonight that's highlighted through Indiana, Ohio and as far south as Kentucky with the isolated tornadoes and hail. And for Wednesday, the same storm system that's generating all of this energy around. It continues for Wednesday into Wednesday night with a high risk for severe weather. This is across portions of Kentucky into the Mississippi River. And of course, this will lead to flash flooding, hail and tornadoes. And beyond that, then we still have a risk on Thursday from AccuWeather on most accounts to answer.

Coming up on money mystery. Big amounts of cash left behind in some unlikely places.

But first, millions of patients in limbo as a major hospital group files for bankruptcy, the concerns about costs and quality of care.

And up next, an arrest in Florida in the case of an American woman missing in Europe for months.

Every kid in America who was a dancer wanted to be on Dance Moms, and Abby knew it.

I don't care if they like me or not. They're fabulous.

When it comes down.

To the way she treated us, it was tough love. You have trouble saying her name?

Yeah. I feel like I have trouble just talking about in general.

I'm not the bad guy. I was the guy that made it happen.

Do you think that you would take back some of the harshness when you look back?

Dance moms behind the curtain. This is Impact by Nightline, now streaming on Hulu. Cheers to good mornings in America. Can you feel the love o mornings that inspire. Filled with hope, kindness, joyous surprises and so much fun. This is crazy. This is absolutely crazy. Start your day with Good Morning America's Ray of sunshine, highlighting the best of America and helping.

Make dreams come true.

Wow. I'm just so happy. It's so.

Good. Get ready to smile and put the good into your morning America.

Because you know what would make the morning better? A little ray of sunshine forever.

Whenever, wherever news breaks. It's so important to always remember that lives are changed here in London, in Buffalo, Uvalde, Texas. Edinburgh, Scotland. Reporting from Rolling Fork, Mississippi Ukrainian refugees here in Warsaw, we're heading to a small community outside of Mexico City, getting you behind the stories as they happen. ABC News Live Prime. We'll take you there.

Stream ABC news live weeknights wherever you stream your news, only on ABC News Live. Why do so many people start their day here? From ABC news?

This is start.

Here to be in the know and get a different take on the day's top stories. A lot of news today, so let's get into it. Listen now to the daily news podcast honored with four Edward R Murrow Awards, and see why the New York Times calls it a news podcast worth listening to. Start here ABC news make it your daily first listen.

Now that's a part of the story I bet you didn't see coming.

Wherever you get your podcasts, start here.

Reporting from the scene of the subway shooting in the Bronx.

I'm Trevor Ault. Wherever the story is, we'll take you there. You're streaming ABC News live.

Back. The estranged husband of a Florida woman who went missing in Spain three months ago is now under arrest and has not been seen since February. At the time she disappeared, security cameras that are apartment building in Madrid had been painted over. But then yesterday, the FBI announced David has now been arrested in Miami. Authorities believe he helped kidnap his estranged wife. Prosecutors say he was in Madrid at the time she disappeared. Details on a possible motive remain unconfirmed.

We turn out to millions of health care patients in limbo as a major hospital chain filed for bankruptcy, raising questions about the industry, rising costs and quality of care. This morning what could be a financial wake up call for the health care industry? Stewart Healthcare, which operates dozens of hospitals across the country, has filed for bankruptcy in what's being called one of the biggest hospital failures in decades.

There's a lot of people around here that use this hospital. As far as I'm concerned, it will die.

But it's a town and our hospital system, and they're one of the busiest E.R. around.

Stewart operates eight hospitals in Massachusetts alone. The state's governor trying to reassure patients.

I want to be clear. Steward. Hospitals remain open. Of course, we cannot guarantee that there won't be disruptions or inconveniences.

Stuart, a for profit company based in Dallas, blames a highly challenging healthcare environment for its financial woes and cites insufficient reimbursements by government payers, skyrocketing labor and operational costs and the impacts of the Covid pandemic. But Massachusetts governor accuses Stuart of mismanagement and greed. You know, one.

Of the good things about bankruptcy is that steward and its CEO and its management team will no longer be able to lie.

Another big challenge staffing this National Nurse's Week. A survey found more than one third of nurses say it's extremely likely they'll change jobs this year. Stuart says it does not expect any interruptions in its day to day operations, but some state officials are vowing to ramp up inspections to ensure that quality of care.

Money mystery in Ohio federal, state and local officials are all trying to figure out who left thousands of dollars in cash inside of two bathrooms. More than $25,000 was found inside a movie theater restroom near Columbus late last month. And then last week, another $12,000 was found in a bathroom at a KFC restaurant. Authorities believe the two piles of cash are connected, but there is still no word where they came from. So can I.

Come forward and claim it?

Not if it's not yours.

All right. Coming up, the new scam targeting college grads.

Also, I had a surprise announcement for miss USA. Why? She is giving up her crown.

With so much at stake, so much on the line, more Americans turn here than any other newscast. ABC News World News Tonight with David Muir. America's number one most watched newscast across all of television.

Give it to me.

Give it to me.

Let's go. The ship is incredible. It feels like living in a science fiction movie.

We just saw what no one has seen before.

Oh my gosh.

We are heading into the unknown.

Hammer, hammer, hammer. It doesn't get any.

More cutting edge. And this.

Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron.

Shohei Ohtani. Legends of the game. But now the list of greats redefined from ABC news. Reclaim the Forgotten League, a side of the story of baseball you have never heard before. Like this. The award winning podcast is back. Listen wherever you get your podcast or scan the QR code you see here.

Every kid in America.

Who was a dancer wanted to be on Dance Moms, and Abby knew it.

I don't care if they like me or not. They're fabulous. When it comes.

Down to the way she treated us, it was tough love.

You have trouble saying her name? Yeah, I.

Feel like I have trouble just talking about it in general.

I'm not the bad guy. I was the guy that made it happen.

Do you think that you would take back some of the harshness when you look back?

Dance Moms, behind the curtain. This is Impact by Nightline, now streaming on Hulu every Friday. The hottest trends, styles, and must have.

It's time to buy the right stuff and save big time to.

The right stuff.

Fridays on GMA. You're gonna love it.

Whenever, wherever news breaks. It's so important to always remember that lives are changed here in London, in Buffalo, Uvalde, Texas. Edinburgh, Scotland. Reporting from Rolling Fork, Mississippi. Ukrainian refugees here in Warsaw. We're heading to a small community outside of Mexico City, getting you behind the stories as they happen. ABC News Live Prime. We'll take you there.

Stream ABC news live weeknights wherever you stream your news, only on ABC News Live.

Look at this. A dramatic display from Mother Nature, a storm chaser capturing the moment lightning hit this power pole as severe storms moved through Abilene, Texas. More recent storms left at least one person dead in Oklahoma overnight.

A new scam alert for college grads. Scammers are calling recent grads, claiming that a college professor they know has recommended them for a job. The goal of this scam is to get a grad to apply for a job, then steal their personal information, even their bank account information. Victims say eagerness to get a job after college made them fall for it.

They emailed me saying that we'd like to interview you. I was really happy because at that point, that was the first time I've ever received something positive from a job application.

Everything will seem very believable, but at the end of the day, it's just scammers trying to get personal information or money from these students.

The FTC encourages grads to take a close look at any unexpected job offer, especially if someone asks you to download an app for an interview.

Reaction is pouring in after miss USA announced she is giving up her crown. All the focus on her mental health. Here's ABC's Lionel Moyes with more.

How miss USA 2023.

Is this morning a shocking announcement from miss USA Noelia Voit telling the world she is giving up her crown to focus on her mental health. Voight, who won the pageant in September, posting on Instagram, In life, I strongly value the importance of making decisions that feel best for you and your mental health. Sadly, I have made the very tough decision to resign from the title of miss USA 2023. The caption of the post going on to say I realize this may come as a large shock to many. Never compromise your physical and mental well-being. Our health is our wealth. Voight highlighted some of the many platforms she focused on during her reign as the first Venezuelan American woman to win the title.

I represent all of the second generation children of immigrants in the United States of America.

Mental health came to the forefront in the pageant world with the untimely death of former miss USA Charlie Crist in 2022. Chris was an attorney and correspondent for the TV show Xtra! Her mother details some of his struggles with depression in the new book. By the time you read this, adding to the memoir Chris was about to publish before dying by suicide at age 30. Other celebrities have stepped away from the spotlight in recent years to focus on mental health.

Now I need someone to breathe me back to life.

Including Shawn Mendes, who canceled part of his 2022 tour.

Does that make me a fool?

We have rules together now.

In Game of Thrones, actor Kit Harington, who says he took time off after struggling with mental health near the end of filming. The miss USA organization says it respects Voight's need to prioritize herself. May, by the way, is Mental Health Awareness Month, and if you or anyone you know is struggling, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day at 988. Rhiannon. Andrew.

We commend her courage. Lionel. Thank you. Coming up, the special gym membership that will cost you 40 grand plus.

Highlights from fashion's biggest night, the Met Gala.

It's lunchtime in America. So what are we serving up?

Well, how about everything you need to know?

You know.

That sounds pretty good. Give it to me. Your health, your money. Breaking news, pop culture with the biggest stars, music trends, and of course, good food. May 3rd. What you need to know A third hour of GMA in the afternoon. So join us.

Afternoons for everything you need.

To know. I love that. Me.

Why do so many people start their day here.

From ABC news.

This is start here to be in the know and get a different take on the day's top stories. A lot of.

News today, so let's get into it.

Listen now to the daily news podcast honored with four Edward R Murrow Awards, and see why the New York Times calls it a news podcast worth listening to. Start here. ABC news make it your daily first listen.

Now that's a part of the story I bet you didn't see coming. Wherever you get.

Your podcasts, start here.

Whenever, wherever news breaks. It's so important to always remember that lives are changed here in London, in Buffalo, Uvalde, Texas. Edinburgh, Scotland. Reporting from Rolling Fork, Mississippi Ukrainian refugees here in Warsaw, we're heading to a small community outside of Mexico City, getting you behind the stories as they happen. ABC News Live Prime. We'll take you there.

Stream ABC news live weeknights, wherever you stream your news only on ABC News Live.

Every kid in.

America who was a dancer wanted to be on Dance Moms, and Abby knew it.

I don't care if they like me or not. They're fabulous.

When it comes down to the way she treated us, it was tough love. You have trouble.

Saying her name?

Yeah, I feel like I.

Have trouble just talking about in general.

I'm not the bad guy. I was the guy that made it happen.

You think that you would take back some of the harshness when you look back?

Dance moms behind the curtain. This is Impact by Nightline, now streaming on Hulu.

I'm Whit Johnson, reporting from Maui. Wherever the story is, we'll take you there. You're streaming ABC News Live.

Time to check the pulse. We begin with the must see looks from the Met Gala.

Affair is fashion's biggest night in the dress code this year. The garden of time. There. Zendaya. She said not once, but twice. First you see a peacock inspired gown, and then we saw her later in the night with a jet black dress and her head inside a bouquet of flowers. Model Amelia Gray's dress. Look at this. It was very ambitious. Did you know there were live butterflies inside?

There are. Pretty cool.

How about Camila Cabello? She had one of the hottest accessories. Instead of a handbag. The singer held a block of ice, and Jennifer Lopez wore a necklace with nearly 100 carats of diamonds and a bedazzled sheer gown.

This is Schiaparelli. It's a 2.5 million bugle beads, about 800 hours of work. A true couture creation. It's for butterfly wings.

Gorgeous, but absent from the event. Last night. Rihanna. She had the flu and couldn't make it. Next. Health has been called a priceless commodity, but one company is making it pretty pricey.

Fitness chain Equinox is offering a new membership plan, which it claims will help you live longer, but it only costs about $42,000 a year. It does include personal training, biomarker tracking and nutrition coaching. Next, a lock of Beethoven's hair providing new clues on how he died. It may have been the cheap wine that he drank.

Using new technology, scientists found high amounts of lead and arsenic in the composer's hair, which could explain his long list of health ailments in his early death. A report last year said he did not die of lead poisoning, but this report claims it was a factor in his illness. Lead was used in many wines and foods back in those days. Next, prepare yourself for a not so hot summer.

A Sriracha shortage yet again is on the horizon. And that's because the California company that makes the spicy condiment has a pepper problem.

Peppers aren't red enough due to recent weather conditions in Mexico, so the company has halted production until after Labor Day.

Top headlines next.

Look who Robin singing with tomorrow on GMA. Elmo. Hi there. When Elmo asked, how's everyone doing? Elmo went viral with over 217 million views and counting, and now Elmo's with Robin checking in on you. America. Miss Robin, Elmo is so glad that you came to visit Elmo on Sesame Street tomorrow on.

You heard Elmo. Are you doing this?

Why do so many people start their day here?

From ABC news. This is start.

Here to be in the know and get a different take on the day's top stories. A lot of.

News today, so let's get into it.

Listen now to the daily news podcast honored with four Edward R Murrow Awards, and see why the New York Times calls it a news podcast worth listening to. Start here ABC news make it your daily first listen.

Now that's a part of the story I bet you didn't see coming.

Wherever you get your podcasts, start here.

Wherever news breaks. It's so important to always remember that lives are changed, getting you behind the stories as they happen. ABC News Live Prime. We'll take you there.

Streaming free on ABC News Live.

Every kid in America.

Who was a dancer wanted to be on Dance Moms, and.

Abby knew it.

I don't care if they like me or not. They're fabulous.

When it comes down to the way she treated us, it was tough love. You have trouble.

Saying her name?

Yeah. I feel like I have trouble just talking about in general.

I'm not the bad guy. I was the guy that made it happen.

Do you think that you would take back some of the harshness when you look back?

Dance moms behind the curtain. This is Impact by Nightline, now streaming on Hulu.

I love it.

Give it to me. Oh. Give it to me.

Check in more top stories now. An annual report warns that Social Security and Medicare will run out of money in just over a decade. It says the Social Security Trust Fund will be insolvent by 2035 unless Congress takes action.

Israeli forces have taken control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing that connects with Egypt, pressing ahead with plans for an assault on Rafah. After ordering a partial evacuation of the city. Israel rejected a cease fire proposal accepted by Hamas in Moscow.

The Kremlin has announced plans to stage tactical nuclear drills. Ukrainian officials responded by downplaying the announcement.

A baby reported missing in New Mexico has been found alive in Texas. The man accused in the kidnapping is also charged with murdering the child's mother and another woman. Police say he had no apparent connection to the victims.

Today's weather severe storms in the Midwest. The biggest tornado threat will be in Ohio and Indiana. Rain for the northern Plains. Finally, a speech to Congress like no other.

Any new explains.

In honor of my former constituent, the late Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

While addressing her bill to rename a post office after one inspiring politician, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton introduced many Americans to another.

I use an assistive app so that you and our colleagues can understand me.

Over the past year, the Virginia Democrat has been diagnosed with super nuclear palsy, which she describes as Parkinson's on steroids. It's a deadly brain disease that gradually limits your ability to speak and walk.

If there's one thing that Democrats and Republicans can agree on is that Parkinson's disease sucks.

In April of last year, Congresswoman Wexton announced that she had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, but then in September issued a statement on social media that her diagnosis had been modified to this deadlier disorder. She even went on to announce that she would not be able to run for reelection, and that she was, quote, heartbroken to have to give up something I've loved after so many years of serving my community.

I am proud to be here today speaking in support of my bill.

But as Congresswoman Wexton showed, the world during her time on the House floor Monday, more and more technological advances over the past year are inviting people to reimagine possibilities. In the fall, the Gallaudet University football team and AT&T unveiled this new helmet, which would allow the Bison's coach to communicate with his players who are deaf and hard of hearing before a play. Do you think we'd have more like deaf people in the NFL if this helmet had existed longer? Oh yeah. There is also the unveiling of the monarch, which is a tablet that can display ten lines of Braille at once, or even graphics that you can physically touch.

I urge my colleagues to vote for this measure.

And as we saw on Monday, even someone who was losing her ability to verbally speak can still have a voice in one of the nation's most historic chambers. That post office she's trying to have renamed in honor of Madeleine Albright is in personal bill Virginia, where the former secretary of state lived for many years.

Guys really inspiring story and doing it on Capitol Hill that's making games in America this morning.

Have a great day, everyone. Right now in America this morning images just coming in a deadly tornado outbreak slamming the middle of the country. The rare high risk alert and where the storms are heading today.

A developing story overseas. An American soldier under arrest in Russia. We hear from his mother why she says her son was there and why she was so worried.

One of the biggest hospital failures in decades. Millions of patients in limbo as a major hospital group files for bankruptcy. The concern about rising costs and quality of care.

New clashes and arrests on college campuses in the U.S., as the war in the Middle East takes a new turn, breaking overnight reports of Israeli tanks in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Is there any hope for a ceasefire? Plus.

A surprise announcement for miss USA. Why she's giving up her crown.

Fashion's biggest night the glitz, the glamor and the surprises at the Met Gala and why one big name failed to show.

And later halting production. The Pepper panic as fans of a popular hot sauce once again face a shortage.

From ABC News.

In New York. This is America this morning.

Good Tuesday morning, everyone I'm Andrew Dymburt.

Good morning to you I'm Ryan and Allie. We want to begin with a new tornado outbreak in a region already battered by storms this spring.

At least one person has been killed. Several injuries are reported, and multiple homes are destroyed as we get our first look at the damage. Overnight, dangerous storms sweeping across the plains, including what was described as a large and destructive tornado hitting two towns in Oklahoma. There's a large tornado right up there. Search and rescue efforts underway in Barnsdall, about 40 miles north of Tulsa.

Firefighters have got mutual aid requested at 571 highway 123 in Barnsdall. It's going to be for a tornado hit there. The house has fallen. There's a person trapped under the house.

The tornado also hitting the town of Bartlesville, damaging a hotel after forecasters issued a rare high risk weather warning.

I am right in the middle of that particularly dangerous situation. Tornado watch and the darkness behind me is actually one of the tornado warned storms about 65 miles to our northwest.

Severe storms also passing through Missouri, including in Joplin and Kansas City, and a confirmed tornado plowed through Smithville, Tennessee, tearing up trees and damaging homes.

It was like a whistle from the tornado. It sounded like a whistle to me. Um, and then there was just like loud noises everywhere.

Meanwhile, people in southeast Texas are recovering after severe storms and more than two feet of rain in some areas. The death toll now three, including a child whose family car was swept away by floodwaters.

It's a terrible, demoralizing feeling. I mean, it ain't a fire, but it's close. Second.

Storms will move into the Tennessee and Ohio River valleys today. We'll check your full forecast in just a few moments.

The other big story this morning yet another American has been arrested in Russia, this time a US soldier. And now we are hearing from his mother this morning, an American soldiers behind bars in Russia. Staff Sergeant Gordon Black is being held for criminal misconduct, his mother speaking to ABC news overnight.

I'm hoping he's not being tortured or hurt. It's just hard being a mom and being in that situation and not knowing, not being able to touch him, you know, hug him, tell him it'll be okay.

The 34 year old soldier.

Was stationed in South Korea, but was on temporary leave as he prepared to change units and moved to Texas. During that time, his mother says black went to visit a girlfriend in southeast Russia near the border of China and North Korea, Russian TV reports. The charges against black involve beating a woman and stealing from her. It's unclear if the alleged victim is the same woman he was visiting. Black's mother describes the couple's relationship as volatile, and she says she was worried about her son visiting Russia more than she was when he was deployed to Iraq.

I knew something was going to happen. I felt like he was being set up by her.

Sergeant black is the latest in a string of Americans detained in Russia, joining businessman Paul Whelan held since 2018, and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Kovic held since last year. The US embassy in Moscow is trying to gain consular access to black. He is being held in pre-trial detention until July, but that is likely to be extended.

The FAA has opened a new investigation into Boeing after a whistleblower came forward with quality concerns about the 787 Dreamliner. The employee reported to management that workers had not completed required inspections on the location where the plane's wings attached to the fuselage. The FAA is looking into whether records about those inspections were falsified. Boeing says the issue did not create an immediate safety of flight issue, and says several employees are now facing discipline, and Boeing was not to blame for the scrubbing of a launch last night that would have taken two astronauts to the International Space Station. It was called off at Cape Canaveral because of an oxygen valve problem on the rocket that would have carried Boeing's capsule into space. No word yet on when the launch will be rescheduled.

Breaking overnight, A cease fire in the Middle East looks more unlikely after Israeli tanks entered Rafah in southern Gaza overnight, taking control of a border crossing. Meanwhile, more arrests on college campuses here in the US as some war protests intensify. More than 60 people were arrested at the University of California, San Diego. ABC's Nguyen has the latest on this.

Good morning Rihanna and good morning. As talks for a ceasefire enter a critical stage. Protests over the war have again turned violent here in the US. This morning. Tensions rising on more college campuses over the war in Gaza. Students at the Rhode Island School of Design took over an administrative building last night, barricading entrances with tables and chairs as crowds gathered outside the building. At MIT, pro-Palestinian protesters broke through the barricades to retake an encampment. At Columbia. Officials have now canceled the school's main graduation ceremony, citing security concerns.

I have friends whose families are coming from places like Singapore, France, Mexico and other countries around the world who spent thousands of dollars on plane tickets, so it's definitely an incredible disappointment.

It comes as Israel appears closer to carrying out a major ground offensive in southern Gaza. Overnight, a Palestinian security official and an Egyptian official told The Associated Press that Israel tanks have entered the city of Rafah, which has been a refuge for more than 1 million displaced Palestinians, a city Israel describes as Hamas's final stronghold. Israel already launching dozens of airstrikes on Rafah, ordering people to evacuate to humanitarian camps. Hamas claimed yesterday that it has accepted a ceasefire proposal. The announcement, prompting celebrations in Gaza. But Israel says the deal accepted by Hamas did not meet its core demands. Still, it says it will send negotiators back to Egypt for more talks. The exact details of what Hamas agreed to remain unclear. The ceasefire deal that was on the table included a six week pause in fighting and the release of dozens of hostages, but Hamas has insisted on a permanent end to the fighting. Andrew M, thank you.

Former President Trump has been held in contempt of court and fined $1,000 for the 10th time for violating a gag order. The judge in Trump's hush money trial warned him yesterday that future violations could land him in jail. Trump remained defiant outside court.

Our constitution is much more important than jail. It's not even close. I'll do that sacrifice any day.

The jury yesterday got to see checks signed by Trump and ledger entries that classified those checks as, quote, legal expenses. The Trump Organization's comptroller testified he was ordered by another executive to reimburse Michael Cohen to cover up payments, but he acknowledged that Trump himself never dictated how the payments should be logged.

A new bridge between the US and Canada is nearly connected only about 200ft now separate the two sides of the Gordie Howe Bridge, which will connect Detroit to Windsor, Ontario. The $4 billion bridge is named after the Hockey Hall of Famer, who spent 25 years with the Detroit Red wings. It is set to open in late 2025.

All right. Time now for your Tuesday weather report.

Good morning. We have another threat for severe weather as we head through today into tonight that's highlighted through Indiana, Ohio and as far south as Kentucky with the isolated tornadoes and hail. And for Wednesday, the same storm system that's generating all of this energy around. It continues for Wednesday into Wednesday night with a high risk for severe weather. This is across portions of Kentucky into the Mississippi River. And of course, this will lead to flash flooding, hail and tornadoes. And beyond that, then we still have a risk on Thursday from AccuWeather on most accounts. Dancer.

Coming up on money mystery. Big amounts of cash left behind in some unlikely places.

But first, millions of patients in limbo as a major hospital group files for bankruptcy. The concerns about costs and quality of care.

And up next, an arrest in Florida in the case of an American woman missing in Europe for months.

Whenever news breaks. We are here in Israel, a nation at war.

And rolling fork. This tornado tore through this town.

From Lewiston, Maine.

The scene of a.

Horrific mass shooting from the scene of.

That deadly missile strike.

ABC News Live everywhere in Iceland. Let's go.

On the 2024 campaign trail here at ten Downing Street.

Wherever the story is, we're going to.

Take you there. You're streaming.

ABC News Live.

ABC News Live.

You're streaming ABC News Live.

ABC News Live. Dreaming free everywhere. It's lunchtime.

In America. So what do we serving up?

Well, how about everything you need to know? You know.

That sounds pretty good. Give it to me. Your health, your money. Breaking news, pop culture with the biggest stars, music trends, and, of course, good food. May 3rd. What you need to know A third hour of GMA in the afternoon. So join us.

Afternoons for everything you need.

To know. I love that for me.

Let's go. The ship is incredible. It feels like living in a science fiction movie.

We just saw what no one has seen before.

We are heading into the unknown.

Hammer, hammer, hammer. It doesn't get any.

More cutting edge. And this.

With so much at stake, so much on the line, more Americans turn here than any other newscast. ABC News World News Tonight with David Muir. America's number one most watched newscast across all of television.

Hi, I'm Andy and I'm Sabrina, and we're moms juggling tons of stuff every day. Like all you moms out there. And you know what? We love.

Really love pop.

Culture. So listen now to our new podcast, Pop Culture Moms, wherever you get your podcasts.

Right now. There's just so much happening in our world, so much at stake.

At the start of every morning.

And that's why at Good Morning America.

We're right here.

And we got you, we.

Got you, we got you.

Back. The estranged husband of a Florida woman who went missing in Spain three months ago, is now under arrest and has not been seen since February. At the time she disappeared, security cameras that her apartment building in Madrid had been painted over. But then yesterday, the FBI announced David has now been arrested in Miami. Authorities believe he helped kidnap his estranged wife. Prosecutors say he was in Madrid at the time she disappeared. Details on a possible motive remain unconfirmed.

We turn now to millions of health care patients in limbo as a major hospital chain filed for bankruptcy, raising questions about the industry, rising costs and quality of care. This morning what could be a financial wake up call for the health care industry? Stewart Health Care, which operates dozens of hospitals across the country, has filed for bankruptcy in what's being called one of the biggest hospital failures in decades.

There's a lot of people around here that use this hospital. As far as I'm concerned, people will die.

But it's a town, and our hospital system is under one of the busiest E.R. rooms.

Stewart operates eight hospitals in Massachusetts alone. The state's governor trying to reassure patients.

I want to be clear. Steward. Hospitals remain open. Of course, we cannot guarantee that there won't be disruptions or inconveniences.

Stewart, a for profit company based in Dallas, blames a highly challenging healthcare environment for its financial woes and cites insufficient reimbursements by government payers, skyrocketing labor and operational costs, and the impacts of the Covid pandemic. But Massachusetts governor accuses steward of mismanagement and greed. You know, one.

Of the good things about bankruptcy is that steward and its CEO and its management team will no longer be able to lie.

Another big challenge staffing this National Nurse's Week. A survey found more than one third of nurses say it's extremely likely they'll change jobs this year. Steward says it does not expect any interruptions in its day to day operations, but some state officials are vowing to ramp up inspections to ensure that quality of care.

Money mystery in Ohio federal, state and local officials are all trying to figure out who left thousands of dollars in cash inside of two bathrooms. More than $25,000 was found inside a movie theater restroom near Columbus late last month. And then last week, another $12,000 was found in a bathroom at a KFC restaurant. Authorities believe the two piles of cash are connected, but there is still no word where they came from.

So can I come forward and claim it?

Not if it's not yours.

All right. Coming up, the new scam targeting college grads. Also, I.

Had a surprise announcement for miss USA. Why? She is giving up her crown.

Whenever news breaks.

We are here in.

Israel, a.

Nation at war. After that brutal surprise attack by.

Hamas on the ground in Ukraine. Reporting from Lewiston, Maine.

The scene of a horrific mass.

Shooting, ABC News Live is right there every.

From the scene of that deadly missile strike in the Dnipro, Ukraine.

Reporting from the earthquake in Turkey.

Enrolling for this tornado tore through this little town.

From the most devastating.

Disaster in Hawaii from Charleston, South.

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Let's go. Traveling with the president in Mexico City, wherever the. From the front.

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That sounds pretty good. Give it to me. Your health, your money. Breaking news, pop culture with the biggest stars, music trends, and of course, good food. Three. What you need to know a third hour of GMA in the afternoon.

So join us afternoons for everything you need to know.

I love that for me. Let's go.

The ship is incredible. It feels like living in a science fiction movie.

We just saw what no one has seen before.

Well, look at that.

We are heading into the unknown.

Hammer, hammer, hammer. It doesn't get any.

More cutting edge. And this.

Every kid in America who was a dancer wanted to be on Dance Moms, and Abby knew it.

I don't care if they like me or not. They're fabulous. When it comes.

Down to the way she treated us, it was tough love.

You have trouble saying her name? Yeah.

I feel like I have trouble just talking about it in general.

I'm not the bad guy. I was the guy that made it happen.

Do you think that you would take back some of the harshness when you look back?

Dance moms, behind the curtain. This is Impact by Nightline, now streaming on Hulu.

Look at this. A dramatic display from Mother Nature, a storm chaser capturing the moment lightning hit this power pole as severe storms moved through Abilene, Texas, more recent storms left at least one person dead in Oklahoma overnight.

A new scam alert for college grads. Scammers are calling recent grads, claiming that a college professor they know has recommended them for a job. The goal of this scam is to get a grad to apply for a job, then steal their personal information, even their bank account information. Victims say eagerness to get a job after college made them fall for it.

The email would be saying that we would like to interview you. I was really happy because at that point, that was the first time I've ever received something positive from a job application.

Everything will seem very believable, but at the end of the day, it's just scammers trying to get personal information or money from these students.

The FTC encourages grads to take a close look at any unexpected job offer, especially if someone asks you to download an app for an interview.

Reaction is pouring in after miss USA announced she is giving up her crown, all to focus on her mental health. Here's ABC's Lionel Moyes with more.

How miss USA 2023 is.

This morning a shocking announcement from miss USA Noelia Void telling the world she is giving up her crown to focus on her mental health. Voight, who won the pageant in September, posting on Instagram, In life, I strongly value the importance of making decisions that feel best for you and your mental health. Sadly, I have made the very tough decision to resign from the title of miss USA 2023. The caption of the post going on to say I realize this may come as a large shock to many. Never compromise your physical and mental well-being. Our health is our wealth. Voight highlighted some of the many platforms she focused on during her reign as the first Venezuelan American woman to win the title.

I represent all of the second generation children of immigrants in the United States of America.

Mental health came to the forefront in the pageant world with the untimely death of former miss USA Charlie Crist in 2022. Crist was an attorney and correspondent for the TV show extra. Her mother details some of his struggles with depression in the new book. By the time you read this, adding to the memoir Crist was about to publish before dying by suicide at age 30. Other celebrities have stepped away from the spotlight in recent years to focus on mental health.

Now I need someone to breathe me back to life.

Including Shawn Mendes, who canceled part of his 2022 tour.

Does that make me a fool?

We are fools together now.

In Game of Thrones, actor Kit Harington, who says he took time off after struggling with mental health near the end of filming. The miss USA organization says it respects Voight's need to prioritize herself. May, by the way, is Mental Health Awareness Month, and if you or anyone you know is struggling, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day at 988. Rhiannon. Andrew.

We commend her courage. Lionel. Thank you. Coming up, the special gym membership that will cost you 40 grand plus.

Highlights from fashion's biggest night, the Met Gala.

Let's go. The ship is incredible. It feels like living in a science fiction movie.

We just saw what no one has seen before.

Well, look at that. Into the unknown. Hammer, hammer, hammer.

It doesn't get any.

More cutting edge. And this.

With so much at stake, so much on the line, more Americans turn here than any other newscast. ABC News World News Tonight with David Muir. America's number one most watched newscast across all of television.

Get ready, America. Every Friday the hottest trends, styles and must have.

What's the right stuff to buy right now? I really love that it's time to buy the right stuff. Yes, and save big time to the right stuff.

Fridays on GMA.

You're gonna love it.

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Wherever news breaks. It's so important to always remember that lives are changed here in London in Buffalo Uvalde, Texas Edinburgh, Scotland reporting from Rolling Fork, Mississippi Ukrainian refugees here in Warsaw, we're heading to a small community outside of Mexico City, getting you behind the stories as they happen. ABC News Live Prime. We'll take you there.

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Traveling with the president to the U.S. Mexico border. I'm Mary Bruce. Wherever the story.

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Take you there.

You're streaming ABC news Live.

Time to check the pulse.

We begin with the must see looks from the Met Gala.

New affairs, fashions. Biggest night in the dress code this year. The Garden of Time. There's Zendaya, she said. Not once, but twice. First you see a peacock inspired gown, and then we saw her later in the night with a jet black dress and her head inside a bouquet of flowers. Model Amelia Gray's dress. Look at this. It was very ambitious. Did you know there were live butterflies inside?

There are. Pretty cool.

How about Camila Cabello? She had one of the hottest accessories. Instead of a handbag. The singer held a block of ice, and Jennifer Lopez wore a necklace with nearly 100 carats of diamonds and a bedazzled sheer gown.

This is really. It's a 2.5 million bugle beads, about 800 hours of work. A true couture creation. It's for butterfly wings.

Gorgeous but absent from the event last night. Rihanna. She had the flu and couldn't make it. Next, health has been called a priceless commodity, but one company is making it pretty pricey.

Fitness chain Equinox is offering a new membership plan, which it claims will help you live longer, but it only costs about $42,000 a year. It does include personal training, biomarker tracking, and nutrition coaching. Next, a lock of Beethoven's hair providing new clues on how he died. It may have been the cheap wine that he drank.

Using new technology, scientists found high amounts of lead and arsenic in the composer's hair, which could explain his long list of health ailments and his early death. A report last year said he did not die of lead poisoning, but this report claims it was a factor in his illness. Lead was used in many wines and foods back in those days. Next, prepare yourself for a not so hot summer.

A Sriracha shortage yet again is on the horizon. And that's because the California company that makes a spicy condiment has a pepper problem. Peppers aren't red.

Enough due to recent weather conditions in Mexico, so the company has halted production until after Labor Day.

Top headlines next.

Whenever news breaks.

We are here in Israel, a nation at war.

In Rolling Fork, this tornado tore through this town.

From Lewiston, Maine.

The scene of a.

Horrific mass shooting from the scene of.

That deadly missile strike.

ABC News Live everywhere in Iceland.

On the 2024 campaign trail here at ten Downing Street.

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We just saw what no one has seen before.

Look at that.

We are heading into the unknown.

Hammer, hammer, hammer. It doesn't get any.

More cutting edge on this.

Look who Robin singing with tomorrow on GMA. Elmo. Hi there. When Elmo asked, how's everyone doing? Elmo went viral with over 217 million views and counting, and now Elmo's with Robin checking in on you. America. Miss Robin, Elmo is so glad that you came to visit. Nothing is free. Tomorrow on Good Morning America.

You heard Elmo. Are you doing okay? It's lunchtime in.

America. So what are we serving up?

Well, how about everything you need to know?

You know.

That sounds pretty good. Give it to me. Your health, your money. Breaking news, pop culture with the biggest stars, music trends, and, of course, good food. A3. What you need to know a third hour of GMA in the afternoon.

So join us afternoons for everything you need to know.

I love that. Me.

Check in more top stories now. An annual report warns that Social Security and Medicare will run out of money in just over a decade. It says the Social Security Trust Fund will be insolvent by 2035 unless Congress takes action.

Israeli forces have taken control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing that connects with Egypt, pressing ahead with plans for an assault on Rafah. After ordering a partial evacuation of the city, Israel rejected a ceasefire proposal accepted by Hamas.

Moscow The Kremlin has announced plans to stage tactical nuclear drills. Ukrainian officials responded by downplaying the announcement.

A baby reported missing in New Mexico has been found alive in Texas. The man accused in the kidnapping is also charged with murdering the child's mother and another woman. Police say he had no apparent connection to the victims.

Today's weather severe storms in the Midwest. The biggest tornado threat will be in Ohio and Indiana. Rain for the northern Plains. Finally, a speech to Congress like no other.

Danny Nu explains.

In honor of my former constituent, the late Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

While addressing her bill to rename a post office after one inspiring politician, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton, introduced many Americans to another.

I use an assistive app so that you and our colleagues can understand me.

Over the past year, the Virginia Democrat has been diagnosed with super nuclear palsy, which she describes as Parkinson's on steroids. It's a deadly brain disease that gradually limits your ability to speak and walk.

If there's one thing that Democrats and Republicans can agree on is that Parkinson's disease sucks.

In April of last year, Congresswoman Wexton announced that she had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, but then in September issued a statement on social media that her diagnosis had been modified to this deadlier disorder. She even went on to announce that she would not be able to run for re-election and that she was, quote, heartbroken to have to give up something I've loved after so many years of serving my community.

I am proud to be here today speaking in support of my bill.

But as Congresswoman Wexton showed the world during her time on the House floor Monday, more and more technological advances over the past year are inviting people to reimagine possibilities. In the fall, the Gallaudet University football team and AT&T unveiled this new helmet, which would allow the Bisons coach to communicate with his players who are deaf and hard of hearing before a play. Do you think we'd have more like deaf people in the NFL if this helmet had existed longer?

Oh yeah.

There was also the unveiling of the monarch, which is a tablet that can display ten lines of Braille at once, or even graphics that you can physically touch.

I urge my colleagues to vote for this measure.

And as we saw on Monday, even someone who was losing her ability to verbally speak can still have a voice in one of the nation's most historic chambers. That post office she's trying to have renamed in honor of Madeleine Albright is in personal Virginia, where the former secretary of state lived for many years. Guys.

Really inspiring story and doing it on Capitol Hill. Making news in America this morning.

Have a great day, everyone.

It's Tuesday, May 7th.

The door was shut. But just like.

That, it's cracked back open.

We start here.

With the potential invasion of Rafah in sight.

Hamas makes a new.

Offer. I mean.

Just because Hamas says something doesn't make it true, right?

What this means for thousands of militants and millions of Palestinian civilians. Russia has imprisoned lots of Americans, but not many active army soldiers.

I worry more about him going there than I did to Iraq.

Now, an American staff sergeant finds himself in a Russian jail and his previous vice president saw nooses on the National Mall. So who wants this job? He basically had, like.

This mini apprentice to audition folks who might be, you know, his run and gun the.

Contestants at the front of the line for the Veep Stakes. From ABC news. This is start here. I'm Brad Mielke. We came out of the weekend thinking, well, there's no way Israel and Hamas will sign off on a peace deal anytime soon. Israel hadn't even sent its own negotiators to this big meeting in Cairo this weekend. Hamas people got up and left with no agreement. Well, then yesterday, Hamas comes out and announces they've agreed to a peace deal for people in the Gaza Strip, start cheering in the streets. And yet a peace deal is not really a peace deal unless both sides agree to it. And throughout the afternoon, you started to get the sense that Israel had barely seen this document, let alone agreed to it. So what's happening in the Mideast? We turn this morning to ABC's foreign correspondent Jordan Miller in Jerusalem. Jordan, to meet the cease fire. Talks have been so up and down and back and forth, it seems difficult to even follow what's going on. What do we know about the state of play right now?

Right. So for a moment there was great hope, as you said, people dancing in the streets in Rafah when Hamas said they accepted the cease fire. But the footnote is that it wasn't the same proposal that Israel and the mediators had been discussing for weeks. Hamas took that document, made several changes and then, you know, sign their name and said, here we go. We have a deal, right? So Israel looked at it and said, well, there's some things here that we can work with and other things are very far from our demands. There's still gaps. And we'll send a delegation now to Cairo to continue exploring every opportunity to reach a deal. But there's no deal. I mean, just because Hamas says something doesn't make it true, right? At least there will be more negotiations, because we seem to have hit a wall and the talks had stalled again over the weekend. So we're going to have to wait and see. But it looks like we're entering a new round of negotiations.

I mean, do we have a sense of whether things have changed in this proposal though, like are there things Hamas might be willing to reconsider that they weren't considering this weekend?

So we don't know the details of the proposal. There have been some reports from Hamas leaders saying that the group has finally given up, for example, on their demand that the war be declared over and done at the end of the ceasefire, and that Hamas has given up on its demand that Israel fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip. That's what a top official told Al Jazeera. Whether or not it's true. We don't know yet if it is true. It does provide a window and an opportunity to move forward, because those were the two demands that had really divided the sides and had made a deal so far elusive, you'd imagine.

Good news for the 100 plus hostages held there as well. Where is the Biden administration in all this when it comes to the negotiations in Cairo? Like how active is the U.S. when it comes to dealing with Hamas and Israel?

The Biden administration has been very, very active behind the scenes.

As you know, director Burns is in the region working on this in real time. We will be discussing this response with our our partners over the coming hours.

CIA chief Bill Burns has come and participated to push through and try to coax the sides to come to an agreement.

The president talked with Prime Minister Netanyahu this morning. The call lasted about 30 minutes and was constructive.

President Biden himself has made a flurry of calls about this, but it doesn't mean that he's always seen eye to eye with Israeli leaders.

We've made clear our views about operations in Rafah that could potentially put more than a million innocent people at greater risk.

President Biden opposes a massive military operation in Rafah. And we saw Israel begin its evacuation of about 100,000 Gazans from eastern Rafah.

For more, we.

Fled death and destruction.

And we.

Came to.

Rafah only to find.

Destruction here.

Do they want to kill us here?

Hey, let me ask you about Rafa, because yesterday we also heard that Israel is now showering the civilians. They're trapped in Rafah with pamphlets saying it's time to get out. Like right now we're ordering an evacuation of this region. People are getting texts on their phones and social media messages in Arabic, and it seemed to suggest this big attack on Rafa is coming. Then we start seeing missile strikes yesterday. Jordan, I guess I'm wondering, is this a coincidence that on the same day Hamas is saying, you know what, actually we will kind of soften our demands a little bit. That's the same day Israel is getting real about a Rafa incursion.

It is no coincidence. I mean, of all the days that Hamas could decide it wants to accept a deal, even make changes to a deal and put it on the table, it does it precisely. On the day that Israel begins evacuating 100,000 Gazans from Rafah and begins intense airstrikes. Rafah is Hamas's last stronghold. There are over a million civilians there. That and their lives will be in danger and they must be safely evacuated and effectively evacuated. I'm not sure. And it's unclear if Israel can do that. The United States and the Biden administration is not convinced of that. But the military aims that Israel has in Rafah cannot be disputed. There are thousands of fighters there for battalions. Hamas leaders. Hasina is hiding in the tunnels. The hostages are there. The underground tunnels from Egypt into Gaza that enabled Hamas to build that underground network of tunnels, and all its weapons and capabilities, came through Egyptian territory. Israel wants to control that area, and it must really get to Rafah in order to really defeat Hamas.

And the dispute with the United States is how to do that. Does Israel need to do a massive military operation? That's what they're threatening. And maybe we're seeing Hamas finally respond to some of that, that pressure, that military pressure by it's, you know, the steps it's taken coming to the table and making some changes in an agreement, even if we don't have a deal yet.

Yeah. Well, Israel tells the civilians, like we have safe places for you to go. I mean, make no mistake, when these people were evacuated from their homes further north the first time, at least there were buildings south of them. Now, so much of their territory has been absolutely leveled, like the threat of famine there looms so large that a lot of people there are like, I'm sorry, where do you expect us to evacuate to? Jordana miller. They're in Jerusalem. Thank you.

Thanks so much.

Next up on Start Here. The US military won't even let it. Soldiers visit Russia. So how has an American soldier been arrested there? We're back in a bit.

With so much at stake, so much on the line, more Americans turn here than any other newscast. ABC News World News Tonight with David Muir. America's number one most watched newscast across all of television.

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Of every morning.

Making sense of it all. That's not always so easy.

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Over the last few years, several Americans have been taken into custody in Russia, accused of various crimes. Some of the charges seem murky, some even seem absurd. But what it all leads to is a sense that Russia has developed kind of a playbook where it arrests Americans and then treats them effectively as hostages, leverage to get other stuff that it wants. Some of these captives have been former members of the military. Others have been journalists. Even a WNBA superstar, Brittney Griner, described to ABC what it's like to be detained.

They're really cold. Um, it's a work camp. You go there to work, there's no rest.

Well, yesterday we learned that perhaps the stakes have risen even higher. An active duty U.S. service member has been detained in Russia. ABC's Anne Flaherty covers the Pentagon and joins us from there. And what happened here?

So a lot of questions with this spread. We know that there is a soldier, Staff Sergeant Gordon Black. He was stationed in South Korea and he was in the process of returning to Fort Cavazos in Texas when he took some of his leave time, where he's supposed to be focused on relocating. And instead he went to Russia. Now, you know, I want to say he did not have permission to travel to Russia. The State Department says it's dangerous. They even go so far as to say all Americans in Russia should leave, that they're not safe. There he went anyway, where he was arrested on charges of stealing. So the Army is confirming that, in fact, he was detained on charges of, quote, criminal misconduct. And they're trying to get access to this soldier to figure out what happened. They've also notified his families, but still a lot of questions.

Wait, so but can we just go back to what he's doing in Russia in the first place? Like, why, if you're not supposed to be there, let alone as a soldier, why is he there?

So U.S. officials say they're still trying to get to the bottom of why, exactly Staff Sergeant Black would go to Russia in the first place. ABC reached Black's mother at her home, and she said that he had met a Russian woman named Sasha, who was working as a bartender near his base.

He's not a baby no more, so I can't tell him what to do or not do I have. I told him I really was uncomfortable, I had a bad feeling about him going.

Now, according to Black's mother, they were dating. They had a very volatile relationship. She said it was like fire and ice.

I worried more about him going there than I did to Iraq.

She says that Sasha, the woman, the girlfriend, was deported to Russia a few months ago and that her son, Gordon Black, wanted to use his leave to visit her.

I knew something was going to happen. I felt like he was being set up by her.

Which worried his mother and his family because of that relationship being so volatile. So, you know, again, U.S. officials have not confirmed this. They are still trying to get to the bottom of why a U.S. soldier would put himself at risk by going into a country like Russia at this time of just really high tensions between the U.S. and Russia, and knowing that there are so many other Americans who are held on what U.S. officials say are bogus charges.

Russia continues to detain its own citizens and continues to detain American citizens. And it's why we have tried to make clear as just as is plainly as we possibly can, that no American citizens should consider traveling to Russia for any reason.

But at the same time, you know, we do know that there are several other American detainees in Russia who face drug and other criminal charges, who the U.S. has not deemed wrongfully detained. That's actually a process that they have to go to to figure out, okay, are these charges legitimate or are they not?

Like just because Russia is holding you doesn't mean that it's illegitimate. There are plenty of people committing crimes in Russia all day. It's it's a big country. Um, I guess I'm trying to figure out, though, what Russia does with him now, because we've seen what happens when Americans are detained, legitimately or not, in Russia. Then there's other service members, like there was the guy in South Korea who went up to North Korea. He was released pretty simply. That actually de-escalated pretty quickly. So I guess I'm trying to figure out what happens to this guy.

Now, what we know he's being held in pre-trial detention and that could go through July. We're hearing from experts who say that could even be extended beyond that. Again, it's just going to go down to exactly what Russia is charging him with, whether or not those charges are legitimate and if the U.S. is going to protest it before we know what exactly happens next.

All right. And Flaherty covering all of this. Thank you so.

Much. Thanks, Brad.

Former President Donald Trump was back in court yesterday in Manhattan, where once again, a judge found him in contempt of court for a 10th time. This judge said Trump would have to pay the maximum fine here a thousand bucks, but also ominously said this can't keep happening, and that he'd soon have to consider jailing Trump to keep him from making social media posts that violate his gag order. And in some ways, this is the whole thing Trump has made his. Battles with the criminal justice system a centerpiece, not a distraction to his campaign. Some say at this point there's almost no downside for him speaking out like this, because even images of him going to jail will just convince his own supporters that he's being silenced.

Frankly, you know what?

Our Constitution is much more important than jail. It's not even close. I'll do that sacrifice any day.

And in the midst of all this, remember, Trump still has yet to select a running mate. Someone who can get him votes. Someone who could conceivably fill his shoes if necessary as vice president, and someone you'd imagine who will stick up for him at every turn. This week has posed the question who's willing to do all that? And can they help Trump win? ABC's political reporter Brittany Shepherd has been examining the options. Brittany, who is on the list at this point, do we know?

Well, if you want to get a.

Sense of who might be in play, I think looking at the guest list of this recent donor retreat that Trump had in his backyard in Palm Beach over last weekend might give us a better sense.

It wanted to contribute to a cause of making America great again. And that's what's happened. We're going to make America great again. Everyone knows it.

He basically had, like, this mini apprentice to audition folks who might be, you know, his run and gun. So that includes Marco Rubio, Elise Stefanik, JD Vance, Tim Scott's names people might know, and the North Dakota governor Doug Burgum, and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, just to name a few. I feel like the Dakotas are really having their moment right now in the Republican Party. But, you know, sources are telling ABC that Trump is not very far along in the veep stakes process. And, you know, Brad, Trump's inner circle is really mercurial. It can be really liquid these days. And if put a timeline on all of this, the Republican convention starts on July 15th. So I say Trump has about until July 14th or 13th to get the name to the printer. You know, to get the signs and the t shirts made for the balloon drop. So, you know, he's taking his time because he wants to see how loyal this group is going to be.

Well, that's the thing, the loyalty thing. How are each of these hopeful. And we'll call them hopefuls because it's not a it's not a given at this point. Trump is even considering them. But you can tell who wants it, right. But usually as a running mate you think there are going to be issues I don't agree with the president on. That's fine. You kind of finesse that language. But here, I mean, the candidate is saying things that kind of question the entire democratic system. So how are they navigating that?

Not the smoothest. Let's just say that. And if you look at any of the Sunday show bookings, you'll have a get get a sense of who is really vying for that job. You know, Brad, one of the sticking points that I've seen is how this list has been discussing the past, the 2020 election in particular. And is this balancing act, right, like you don't want to use like a D.C. parlance here. Get ahead of the president and break from Trump and saying that there was no tactile evidence the election was stolen and risk taking that guy off. That's someone you really don't want to have against you, but you also, at the same time, don't want to alienate, like suburban moms or independents who are on the fence about Trump at the moment and know what they saw with their own eyes and have heard from reporters, from folks at our network and others that the election was not stolen. Right. So you're you're at this balancing act of trying to serve the pleasure of the former president and, you know, making sure that you're sticking to your own morals.

And I think if you just take what folks have been saying on cable news, like Elise Stefanik, who was a fierce, fierce Trump ally, as you know, went on CNN and said that she would not have certified the election.

Radical leftist.

Can't stand.

The fact that Donald Trump continues to skyrocket in the.

Polls and Joe Biden continues.

To plummet.

But then you hear similar things from Tim Scott, who's kind of hedging in the middle, who on NBC over the weekend would not directly answer if he would accept the results of the upcoming election if Trump lost, saying, well, Trump's going to win anyway. And that's my statement.

Will you commit.

To accepting the election results of 2024?

Bottom line at the end of the day, the 47th president of the United States will be President Donald Trump. And I'm excited to get back to low inflation. Low unemployment. Wait, wait.

Senator, yes or no? Yes or no? Will you accept the election results of 2024 no matter who wins?

That is my statement.

And then there's Kristi Noem, who was on CBS this past weekend with her memoir, which debuts today, actually, which dealt with some factual errors and stories of this infamous dog cricket brat.

What is the deal with cricket? Because I feel I mentioned this yesterday, but just in passing and I feel like the average person hearing Kristi Noem was like, wait, killed a dog? What is that? What?

Okay, so in her memoir, these excerpts came out early, you know, to book reviewers and such. And it came out that she talked about shooting and killing her 14 month old hunting dog in training, that she felt that was a threat to her family and just not very good at what she got it for.

Well, number one, Joe Biden's dog has attacked 20.

For Secret Service people. So how many people is enough people to be attacked and dangerously hurt before you make a decision on a dog?

It also came out in more recent days that there's an anecdote about her claiming she have met North Korean leader Kim Jong UN, and folks are saying that actually isn't accurate. Now, her book publishers actually removing that anecdote from her book from the new printings of the book and from the audiobook which she herself recorded. And it was that old Truman quote, right? If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog. I think we have to update this a little bit. Like if you want to guarantee you have no friends or donors, brag about killing that dog because not just Democrats have turned against her. The Biden campaign folks, you would expect, but Republicans, even folks who are kind of far right Twitter provocateurs are saying, oh, I would never do that to my animal. Right? And disavowing her, which is no good when you have to go on TV and essentially bat cleanup, which is what she was doing on CBS over the weekend.

I'm thinking about this now through Trump's perspective. Who would be the ideal running mate? Like, are there, you know, demographic or political holes he's trying to fit? Like, how do you sort through this if you're Trump?

I think it's a confluence of things. I think you have to legitimately look good, whatever that means by Trump's metric, whether that be shallow or deep next to him, you have to be somebody who just kind of seems like a vice president in something that Trump would cast. I think at the same way, you have to be an attack dog, I guess. Pardon the phrasing here, but you have to be somebody who will be able to rep for Trump in every single measure, like you had mentioned. At the top of this, you have to be able to go on cable, go to print, go on social media, go on Truth Social, go to these rallies, be able to at every turn say Donald Trump is right, no matter what he says. And another thing to consider, Brad, is where any of these options stand on abortion. It's a huge vulnerability for Republicans right now. Donald Trump and his campaign are majorly aware of that. That's why they've been keeping his position so close to the chest.

Just look at his interview with time, saying that he's trying to stress that it be a state's rights issue, but he knows he's been, you know, all over the map. He's been quite conservative on abortion and as the months have progressed, has moved a little and little a little more to what you consider like the Trump centrist position on abortion, which is, you know, let the states kind of figure it out. Like, I already took care of Roe. What else do you want from me?

I was probably.

The person responsible for the ending of something that all legal scholars, both sides wanted and in fact demanded be ended. Roe v Wade.

But like were there there are these suburban moms. So we were talking about earlier and the suburbs are so crucial to these elections that are decided in less than a dozen states. Right. Think of the exurbs of Atlanta, suburbs of New York, which have been really consequential conversations about immigration and abortion. They're just really animating because it's so personal. Look what just happened in Arizona, a state that couldn't be any more conservative if it wanted to be taking that old abortion law off the books. And I'm going to be really curious to see where any of these names we have mentioned kind of tries to paint that moderate path, right?

Because like, gone are the days where you're trying to get like an extra conservative to prove to people like you're a true Republican. Like that is no longer the issue Trump is facing. He's got the party on his side. So now you wonder if maybe he's trying to pick somebody who will actually make him seem more moderate, particularly on something like abortion rights. Brittany Shepard, thank you so much. Of course.

Any time.

Okay, one more quick break. When we come back, bronze and marble don't change much, but our heroes do. One last thing is next.

Let's go. The ship is incredible. It feels like living in a science fiction movie.

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I'm Gio Benitez, covering the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge here in Maryland. Wherever the story is, we'll take you there. You're streaming ABC news law.

And one last thing. If you ever took a field trip to the nation's capital, you might have passed through Statuary Hall. This is the room in the Capitol rotunda that houses statues of great Americans. And they're actually rules on who gets in here. Each state gets to send in two statues for which there are standards. The subject has to be dead. That's kind of key. It can only represent one person, not like all of the Massachusetts Minutemen or something. And it can be between 7 and 8ft tall, cast entirely in either marble or bronze. Your choice. States are represented by a wide variety of figures, from Thomas Edison to Brigham Young to Amelia Earhart. But some of these statues are kind of, I don't know, perhaps it's all the rules and costs involved, but it seems like some states submitted folks 100 years ago and then never even thought about changing them. Like a few years ago, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson noted that people in his state were ready for a change.

We want them when they go to our nation's capital, and they see the representation of our modern history there in our nation's capital. To say I donated to that.

The two Arkansans on display were both little known by most residents. One was a judge who stood with the Confederacy, the other was a governor and staunch white supremacist. Will soon, Arkansas is set to unveil not one, but two replacements.

Can you imagine a new member of Congress being there in Statuary Hall and seeing the statue of Daisy statue Gatson Bates?

This week, a new statue will go up commemorating Daisy Gatson Bates, who led the fight for school integration and personally accompanied the little Rock nine to school.

Until we were free, until we can walk through any school and take our children in school in the United States.

This is a woman whose own mother was murdered without anyone ever being charged, who stared down crosses burned on her property. She went on to be a key leader at the NAACP. Talk about the range of figures and Statuary Hall. Wait until you hear who will be honored with the other Arkansas statue. That's right. Johnny Cash, the Man in Black. The singer songwriter from the cotton Country of Kingsland, Arkansas, will be holding a guitar and a Bible when his statue goes up later this year. When you think about it, it's kind of perfect. He seems to cross cultures the way he crossed musical genres, from country to rock, from crime to Christian redemption. While lots of country acts were wearing rhinestones, talking about the good old days, cash wore black as a nod to lives lost, to war, to drugs, to a system that could spit you out. He passionately spoke out on behalf of Native American rights, and when you hear from the sculptors who were commissioned to make these figures, they'll tell you these are legacies to be proud of.

One of the.

Quotes that he has is, in this life, we're all faced with a choice. We can choose love or we can choose hate. I choose love, and I think that's something that everyone has the ability to do.

Bates and Cash are uniquely Arkansas, uniquely American, and even in life, each of them seemed to be eight feet tall. I mean, just as long as you get the features, right? Right. The US Capitol does not need any statues that look like the the porcupine Jesus over in Europe or the Lucille Ball statue in New York that look like a sea monster, like, just get it right and that's all people will care about. Warren. All these stories at ABCNews.com or the ABC news app. I'm Brad Mielke. See you tomorrow.

With so much at stake, so much on the line, more Americans turn here than any other newscast. ABC News World News Tonight with David Muir. America's number one most watched newscast across all of television.

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Right now in America this morning images just coming in a deadly tornado outbreak slamming the middle of the country. The rare high risk alert and where the storms are heading.

Today a developing story overseas. An American soldier under arrest in Russia. We hear from his mother why she says her son was there and why she was so worried.

One of the biggest hospital failures in decades. Millions of patients in limbo as a major hospital group files for bankruptcy. The concern about rising costs and quality of care.

New clashes and arrests on college campuses in the U.S. since the war in the Middle East takes a new turn, breaking overnight reports of Israeli tanks in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Is there any hope for a ceasefire? Plus.

A surprise announcement for miss USA. Why she's giving up her crown.

Fashion's biggest night the glitz, the glamor and the surprises at the Met Gala and why one big name failed to show.

And later halting production. The Pepper panic as fans of a popular hot sauce once again face a shortage.

From ABC News in New York. This is America this morning.

Good Tuesday morning, everyone I'm Andrew Dymburt.

Good morning to you I'm Ryan and Allie. We want to begin with a new tornado outbreak in a region already battered by storms this spring.

At least one person has been killed. Several injuries are reported, and multiple homes are destroyed as we get our first look at the damage. Overnight, dangerous storms sweeping across the plains, including what was described as a large and destructive tornado hitting two towns in Oklahoma. There's a large tornado right up there. Search and rescue efforts underway in Barnsdall, about 40 miles north of Tulsa.

Firefighters have got mutual aid requested at 571 highway 123 in Barnsdall. It's going to be for a tornado hit there. The house has fallen as a person trapped under the house.

The tornado also hitting the town of Bartlesville, damaging a hotel after forecasters issued a rare high risk weather warning.

I am right in the middle of that particularly dangerous situation. Tornado watch and the darkness behind me is actually one of the tornado warned storms about 65 miles to our northwest.

Severe storms also passing through Missouri, including in Joplin and Kansas City, and a confirmed tornado plowed through Smithville, Tennessee, tearing up trees and damaging homes.

It was like a whistle from the tornado. It sounded like a whistle to me. Um, and then there was just like loud noises everywhere.

Meanwhile, people in southeast Texas are recovering after severe storms and more than two feet of rain in some areas. The death toll now three, including a child whose family car was swept away by floodwaters.

It's a terrible, demoralizing feeling. I mean, it ain't a fire, but it's close. Second.

Storms will move into the Tennessee and Ohio River valleys today. We'll check your full forecast in just a few moments.

The other big story this morning yet another American has been arrested in Russia, this time a US soldier. And now we are hearing from his mother this morning, an American soldiers behind bars in Russia. Staff Sergeant Gordon Black is being held for criminal misconduct. His mother speaking to ABC news overnight.

I'm hoping he's not being tortured or hurt. It's just hard being a mom and being in that situation and not knowing, not being able to touch him, you know, hugging. Tell him it'll be okay.

The 34 year old soldier was.

Stationed in South Korea, but was on temporary leave as he prepared to change units and moved to Texas. During that time, his mother says black went to visit a girlfriend in southeast Russia near the border of China and North Korea, Russian TV reports. The charges against black involve beating a woman and stealing from her. It's unclear if the alleged victim is the same woman he was visiting. Black's mother describes the couple's relationship as volatile, and she says she was worried about her son visiting Russia more than she was when he was deployed to Iraq.

I knew something was going to happen. I felt like he was being set up by her.

Sergeant black is the latest in a string of Americans detained in Russia, joining businessman Paul Whelan held since 2018, and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Kovic held since last year. The US embassy in Moscow is trying to gain consular access to black. He is being held in pre-trial detention until July, but that is likely to be extended.

The FAA has opened a new investigation into Boeing after a whistleblower came forward with quality concerns about the 787 Dreamliner. The employee reported to management that workers had not completed required inspections on the location where the plane's wings attached to the fuselage. The FAA is looking into whether records about those inspections were falsified. Boeing says the issue did not create an immediate safety of flight issue, and says several employees are now facing discipline, and Boeing was not to blame for the scrubbing of a launch last night that would have taken two astronauts to the International Space Station. It was called off at Cape Canaveral because of an oxygen valve problem on the rocket that would have carried Boeing's capsule into space. No word yet on when the launch will be rescheduled.

Breaking overnight A cease fire in the Middle East looks more unlikely after Israeli tanks entered Rafah in southern Gaza overnight, taking control of a border crossing. Meanwhile, more arrests on college campuses here in the US as some war protests intensify. More than 60 people were arrested at the University of California, San Diego. ABC's Nguyen has the latest on this.

Good morning Rihanna and good morning. As talks for a ceasefire enter a critical stage. Protests over the war have again turned violent here in the US. This morning, tensions rising on more college campuses over the war in Gaza. Students at the Rhode Island School of Design took over an administrative building last night, barricading entrances with tables and chairs as crowds gathered outside the building. At MIT, pro-Palestinian protesters broke through the barricades to retake an encampment. At Columbia, officials have now canceled the school's main graduation ceremony, citing security concerns.

I have friends whose families are coming from places like Singapore, France, Mexico and other countries around the world who have spent thousands of dollars on plane tickets, so it's definitely an incredible disappointment.

It comes as Israel appears closer to carrying out a major ground offensive in southern Gaza. Overnight, a Palestinian security official and an Egyptian official told The Associated Press that Israel tanks have entered the city of Rafah, which has been a refuge for more than 1 million displaced Palestinians, a city Israel describes as Hamas's final stronghold. Israel already launching dozens of airstrikes on Rafah, ordering people to evacuate to humanitarian camps. Hamas claimed yesterday that it has accepted a ceasefire proposal. The announcement, prompting celebrations in Gaza. But Israel says the deal accepted by Hamas did not meet its core demands. Still, it says it will send negotiators back to Egypt for more talks. The exact details of what Hamas agreed to remain unclear. The ceasefire deal that was on the table included a six week pause in fighting and the release of dozens of hostages, but Hamas has insisted on a permanent end to the fighting.

Andrew M, thank you. Former President Trump has been held in contempt of court and fined $1,000 for the 10th time for violating a gag order. The judge in Trump's hush money trial warned him yesterday that future violations could land him in jail. Trump remained defiant outside court.

Our constitution is much more important than jail. It's not even close. I'll do that sacrifice any day.

The jury yesterday got to see checks signed by Trump and ledger entries that classified those checks as, quote, legal expenses. The Trump Organization's comptroller testified he was ordered by another executive to reimburse Michael Cohen to cover up payments, but he acknowledged that Trump himself never dictated how the payments should be logged.

A new bridge between the US and Canada is nearly connected only about 200ft now separate the two sides of the Gordie Howe Bridge, which will connect Detroit to Windsor, Ontario. The $4 billion bridge is named after the hockey Hall of Famer, who spent 25 years with the Detroit Red wings. It is set to open in late 2025.

All right. Time now for your Tuesday weather forecast.

Good morning. We have another threat for severe weather as we head through today into tonight that's highlighted through Indiana, Ohio and as far south as Kentucky with the isolated tornadoes and hail. And for Wednesday, the same storm system that's generating all of this energy around. It continues for Wednesday into Wednesday night with a high risk for severe weather. This is across portions of Kentucky into the Mississippi River. And of course, this will lead to flash flooding, hail and tornadoes. And beyond that, then we still have a risk on Thursday from AccuWeather on most accounts to answer.

Coming up, a money mystery. Big amounts of cash left behind in some unlikely places.

But first, millions of patients in limbo as a major hospital group files for bankruptcy, the concerns about costs and quality of care.

And up next, an arrest in Florida in the case of an American woman missing in Europe for months. Let's go. The ship is incredible.

It feels like living in a.

Science fiction movie.

We just saw what no one has seen before.

Wow, look at that. Oh my God.

We are heading into the unknown.

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You heard Elmo. Are you doing okay? Whenever.

Wherever news breaks. It's so important to always remember that lives are changed here in London, in Buffalo, Uvalde, Texas. Edinburgh, Scotland. Reporting from Rolling Fork, Mississippi. Ukrainian refugees here in Warsaw. We're heading to a small community outside of Mexico City, getting you behind the stories as they happen. ABC News Live Prime. We'll take you there.

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Back. The estranged husband of a Florida woman who went missing in Spain three months ago, is now under arrest and has not been seen since February. At the time she disappeared, security cameras that are apartment building in Madrid had been painted over. But then yesterday, the FBI announced David has now been arrested in Miami. Authorities believe he helped kidnap his estranged wife. Prosecutors say he was in Madrid at the time she disappeared. Details on a possible motive remain unconfirmed.

We turn now to millions of health care patients in limbo as a major hospital chain filed for bankruptcy, raising questions about the industry, rising costs and quality of care. This morning what could be a financial wake up call for the health care industry? Stewart Healthcare, which operates dozens of hospitals across the country, has filed for bankruptcy in what's being called one of the biggest hospital failures in decades.

There's a lot of people.

Around here that use this hospital. As far as I'm concerned, people will die.

But it's our towns and our hospital system.

And they're one of the.

Busiest E.R. around.

Stuart operates eight hospitals in Massachusetts alone. The state's governor trying to reassure patients.

I want to be clear. Steward. Hospitals remain open. Of course, we cannot guarantee that there won't be disruptions or inconveniences.

Stuart, a for profit company based in Dallas, blames a highly challenging healthcare environment for its financial woes and cites insufficient reimbursements by government payers, skyrocketing labor and operational costs and the impacts of the Covid pandemic. But Massachusetts governor accuses Stuart of mismanagement and greed.

You know, one of the good things about bankruptcy is that steward and its CEO and its management team will no longer be able to lie.

Another big challenge staffing on this National Nurses Week. A survey found more than one third of nurses say it's extremely likely they'll change jobs this year. Steward says it does not expect any interruptions in its day to day operations, but some state officials are vowing to ramp up inspections to ensure that quality of care.

Money mystery in Ohio federal, state and local officials are all trying to figure out who left thousands of dollars in cash inside of two bathrooms. More than $25,000 was found inside a movie theater restroom near Columbus late last month. And then last week, another $12,000 was found in a bathroom at a KFC restaurant. Authorities believe the two piles of cash are connected, but there is still no word where they came from.

So can I come forward and claim it?

Not if it's not yours.

All right. Coming up, the new scam targeting college grads also.

Had a surprise announcement from miss USA why she is giving up her crown.

Whenever news breaks.

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Hamas on the ground in Ukraine, reporting from Lewiston, Maine.

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Shooting, ABC News Live is right there everywhere.

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It's lunchtime in America. So what are we serving up?

Well, how about everything you need to know? You know.

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Us afternoons for.

Everything you need to know.

I love that for me.

Let's go. The ship is incredible.

It feels like living in a science fiction movie.

We just saw what no one has seen before.

We are heading into the unknown.

Hammer, hammer, hammer. It doesn't get any more.

Look who Robin singing with tomorrow on GMA. Elmo. Hi there. When Elmo asked, how's everyone doing? Elmo went viral with over 217 million views and counting, and now Elmo's with Robin checking in on you. America. I was so glad that you came to visit Elmo on Sesame Street tomorrow on.

You heard Elmo. Are you doing okay? Okay.

Look at this. A dramatic display from Mother Nature, a storm chaser capturing the moment lightning hit this power pole as severe storms moved through Abilene, Texas, more recent storms left at least one person dead in Oklahoma overnight.

A new scam alert for college grads. Scammers are calling recent grads, claiming that a college professor they know has recommended them for a job. Now, the goal of this scam is to get a grad to apply for a job, then steal their personal information, even their bank account information. Victims say eagerness to get a job after college made them fall for it.

They emailed me saying that we'd like to interview you. I was really happy because at that point, that was the first time I've ever received something positive from a job application.

Everything will seem very believable, but at the end of the day, it's just scammers trying to get personal information or money from these students.

The FTC encourages grads to take a close look at any unexpected job offer, especially if someone asks you to download an app for an interview.

Reaction is pouring in after miss USA announced she is giving up her crown, all to focus on her mental health. Here's ABC's Lionel Moyes with more.

How miss USA 2023.

Is this morning a.

Shocking announcement from miss.

USA Noelia void telling the world she is giving up her crown to focus on her mental health. Voight, who won the pageant in September, posting on Instagram, In life, I strongly value the importance of making decisions that feel best for you and your mental health. Sadly, I have made the very tough decision to resign from the title of miss USA 2023. The caption of the post going on to say I realize this may come as a large shock to many. Never compromise your physical and mental well-being. Our health is our wealth. Voight highlighted some of the many platforms she focused on during her reign as the first Venezuelan American woman to win the title.

I am represent all of the second generation children of immigrants in the United States of America.

Mental health came to the forefront in the pageant world with the untimely death of former miss USA Charlie Crist in 2022. Chris was an attorney and correspondent for the TV show Xtra! Her mother detailed some of Chris struggles with depression in the new book. By the time you read this, adding to the memoir Chris was about to publish before dying by suicide at age 30. Other celebrities have stepped away from the spotlight in recent years to focus on mental health.

Now I need someone to breathe me back to life.

Including Shawn Mendes, who canceled part of his 2022 tour.

Does that make me a fool? We are fools together now.

In Game of Thrones, actor Kit Harington, who says he took time off after struggling with mental health near the end of filming. The miss USA organization says it respects Voight's need to prioritize herself. May, by the way, is Mental Health Awareness Month, and if you or anyone you know is struggling, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day at 988. Rhiannon. Andrew.

We commend her courage. Lionel. Thank you. Coming up, the special gym membership that will cost you 40 grand.

Plus highlights from fashion's biggest night, the Met Gala.

Let's go. The ship is incredible. It feels like living in a science fiction movie.

We just saw what no one has seen before.

Look at that.

Heading into the unknown.

Hammer, hammer, hammer. It doesn't get any.

More cutting edge. And.

Hi, I'm Andy and I'm Sabrina, and we're moms juggling tons of stuff every day. Like all you moms out there. And you know what? We love really love pop culture. So listen now to our new podcast, Pop Culture Moms, wherever you get your podcasts.

With so much at stake, so much on the line, more Americans turn here than any other newscast. ABC News World News Tonight with David Muir, America's number one most watched newscast across all of television. Why do so many people start their day here?

From ABC news. This is start.

Here to be in the know and get a different take on the day's top stories. A lot of.

News today, so let's get into it.

Listen now to the daily news podcast honored with four Edward R Murrow Awards, and see why the New York Times calls it a news podcast worth listening to. Start here ABC news make it your daily first. Listen.

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It's lunchtime in America. So what do we serving up?

Well, how about everything you need to know?

You know, that sounds pretty good. Your health, your money. Breaking news, pop culture with the biggest stars, music trends and of course, good food. Three. What you need to know. A third hour of GMA in the afternoon.

So join us afternoons for.

Everything you need to know.

I love that. For me.

I'm Alex for Shea in East.

Palestine Ohio.

One year after that toxic train derailment. Wherever the story is, we'll take you there. You're streaming ABC news live.

Time to check the pulse and.

We begin with the must see looks from the Met Gala.

Affairs, fashion's biggest night in the dress code this year, the Garden of Time. There's Zendaya, she said. Not once, but twice. First you see a peacock inspired gown, and then we saw her later in the night with a jet black dress and her head inside a bouquet of flowers. Model Amelia Gray's dress. Look at this. It was very ambitious. Did you know there were live butterflies inside?

There are. Pretty cool. How about Camila Cabello? She had one of the hottest accessories. Instead of a handbag. The singer held a block of ice, and Jennifer Lopez wore a necklace with nearly 100 carats of diamonds and a bedazzled sheer gown.

This is Schiaparelli. It's a 2.5 million bugle beads, about 800 hours of work. A true couture creation. It's for butterfly wings.

Gorgeous, but absent from the event. Last night. Rihanna. She had the flu and couldn't make it. Next health has been called a priceless commodity, but one company is making it pretty pricey.

Fitness chain Equinox is offering a new membership plan, which it claims will help you live longer, but it only costs about $42,000 a year. It does include personal training, biomarker tracking, and nutrition coaching. Next, a lock of Beethoven's hair providing new clues on how he died. It may have been the cheap wine that he drank.

Using new technology, scientists found high amounts of lead and arsenic in the composer's hair, which could explain his long list of health ailments and his early death. A report last year said he did not die of lead poisoning, but this report claims it was a factor in his illness. Lead was used in many wines and foods back in those days. Next, prepare yourself for a not so hot summer.

A Sriracha shortage yet again is on the horizon. And that's because the California company that makes the spicy condiment has a pepper problem.

Peppers aren't red enough due to recent weather conditions in Mexico, so the company has halted production until after Labor Day.

Top headlines next.

Whenever news breaks.

We are here in Israel, a nation at war.

In Rolling Fork. This tornado tore through this town.

From Lewiston, Maine.

The scene of a horrific mass.

Shooting from the scene of that deadly missile strike.

ABC News Live everywhere in Iceland.

Let's go.

On the 2024 campaign trail here at ten Downing Street.

Wherever the story is, we're going.

To take you there.

You're streaming ABC News Live.

ABC News.

Live. You're streaming ABC News Live.

ABC News Live. Dreaming free everywhere.

Let's go. The ship is incredible. It feels like living in a science fiction movie.

We just saw what no one has seen before.

Well, look at that. Oh my gosh.

Heading into the unknown.

Hammer, hammer, hammer. It doesn't get any.

More cutting edge. And this.

Look who Robin singing with tomorrow on GMA. Elmo. Hi there. When Elmo asked, how's everyone doing? Elmo went viral with over 217 million views and counting, and now Elmo's with Robin checking in on you. America is Robin. I was so glad that you came to visit. Sesame Street tomorrow on Good Morning America.

You heard Elmo. Are you doing okay? It's lunchtime in.

America. So what are we serving up?

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I love that to me.

Checking more top stories now. An annual report warns that Social Security and Medicare will run out of money in just over a decade. It says the Social Security Trust Fund will be insolvent by 2035 unless Congress takes action.

Israeli forces have taken control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing that connects with Egypt, pressing ahead with plans for an assault on Rafah. After ordering a partial evacuation of the city, Israel rejected a cease fire proposal accepted by Hamas in Moscow.

The Kremlin has announced plans to stage tactical nuclear drills. Ukrainian officials responded by downplaying the announcement.

A baby reported missing in New Mexico has been found alive in Texas. The man accused in the kidnapping is also charged with murdering the child's mother and another woman. Police say he had no apparent connection to the victims.

Today's weather severe storms in the Midwest. The biggest tornado threat will be in Ohio and Indiana. Rain for the northern Plains. Finally, a speech to Congress like no other.

Danny New explains.

In honor of my former constituent, the late Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

While addressing her bill to rename a post office after one inspiring politician, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton introduced many Americans to another.

I use an assistive app so that you and our colleagues can understand me.

Over the past year, the Virginia Democrat has been diagnosed with supra nuclear palsy, which she describes as Parkinson's on steroids. It's a deadly brain disease that gradually limits your ability to speak and walk.

If there's one thing that Democrats and Republicans can agree on is that Parkinson's disease sucks.

In April of last year, Congresswoman Wexton announced that she had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, but then in September issued a statement on social media that her diagnosis had been modified to this deadlier disorder. She even went on to announce that she would not be able to run for reelection, and that she was, quote, heartbroken to have to give up something I've loved after so many years of serving my community.

I am proud to be here today speaking in support of my bill.

But as Congresswoman Wexton showed the world during her time on the House floor Monday, more and more technological advances over the past year are inviting people to reimagine possibilities. In the fall, the Gallaudet University football team and AT&T unveiled this new helmet, which would allow the Bison's coach to communicate with his players who are deaf and hard of hearing before a play. Do you think we'd have more like deaf people in the NFL if this helmet had existed longer? Oh yeah. There was also the unveiling of the monarch, which is a tablet that can display ten lines of Braille at once, or even graphics that you can physically touch.

I urge my colleagues to vote for this measure.

And as we saw on Monday, even someone who is losing her ability to verbally speak can still have a voice in one of the nation's most historic chambers. That post office she's trying to have renamed in honor of Madeleine Albright is in Virginia, where the former secretary of state lived for many years. Guys.

Really inspiring story and doing it on Capitol Hill. That's making news in America this morning.

Have a great day, everyone.

ABC news America's number one news source. Whenever news breaks. We are.

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First thing in the morning. There's a lot going on.

We're still in a flash flood warning to catch you up with what happened overnight.

Police in riot gear arresting dozens of protesters.

What's happening today? Escalating tensions in the Middle East. What?

People are talking about the migrant crisis.

Fast straight forward.

With some fun.

In between.

Check out the gator on the 17th hole.

The buzzkill in baseball.

First thing in the.

Morning.

America this morning.

America's number one early morning news.

On ABC News Live. Here's to good mornings in America. Can you feel the love? Oh, yeah. Mornings that inspire. Filled with hope, kindness, joyous surprises and so much fun. This is crazy. This is absolutely. Start your day with Good Morning America's Ray of sunshine, highlighting the best of America and helping.

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Macedo today on.

ABC News Live. First we have breaking news. Stormy Daniels is expected to take the stand today in the criminal hush money trial against former President Trump. The former porn star is at the heart of the payment at the center of this case. And this comes after yesterday, the jury got its first look at the allegedly fraudulent documents at the heart of the case. The judge also fined Trump for a 10th gag order violation, warning that the former president could face jail time if he violates the gag order again. ABC News senior investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky has the latest.

For a 10th time.

Donald Trump has been held in criminal contempt and slapped with a fine for violating the gag order. But the judge conceded monetary fines have not and will not deter Trump. So the judge warned future violations could land Trump in jail.

This judge is giving me a gag order and said you'll go to jail if you violate it.

Trump is on trial for falsifying business records to keep an adult film actress long denied claim of a sexual encounter with Trump from voters before the 2016 election. His fixer at the time, Michael Cohen, wired Stormy Daniels the money. And when Trump paid him back, prosecutors said Trump illegally characterized the monthly reimbursements as legal expenses for the first time. The jury, seeing the invoices Cohen sent that asked for payment pursuant to the retainer agreement. Did you ever see a retainer agreement? Former Trump Comptroller Jeff Mcconney was asked. He answered, I did not. Jurors also saw Mcconney handwritten notes that worked out the monthly reimbursements and the cheques Trump signed while at the white House. On cross-examination, the defense asked Mcconney payments to lawyers by the Trump Organization. Are legal expenses, right? He answered. Yes, sir. Prosecutors said they expect to rest their case after about two more weeks of testimony from witnesses, including Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels.

Diane, senior investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky, thank you. And ABC news legal contributor Brian Buckmaster joins me now for more. Brian, we're hearing Stormy Daniels will take the stand today. So the jury is now going to hear directly from the woman at the center of this trial. What are you listening for?

I wanted to see how the prosecution is going to navigate this story. We can be seeing a lot of salacious facts come in as to the underlying topic or issue as to what Donald Trump and his team allegedly were trying to suppress. Or we can just simply go into the story of, you had a story you wanted to get and you were approached by it. I think how far the prosecution goes is going to be very telling as to what kind of case they want to have against Donald Trump.

And this comes after yesterday, the jury got their first look at these allegedly falsified business records that prosecutors claim were meant to cover up that hush money payment to Stormy Daniels. How strong is that evidence for the prosecution.

Over all that evidence is the case. It's all about what documents were signed and by whom and how and for what purpose. And so I think while it's maybe not the most entertaining or sexy part of this trial, that may be more reserved for what details Stormy Daniels goes into into the alleged relationship between her and Donald Trump. The information we heard yesterday goes to the heart of what the prosecution is trying to claim, that being the falsification of business records, who signed them and where. And I think that helped in many ways for the prosecution.

Brian, two longtime Trump Organization employees also testified about their role in executing a string of payments to Michael Cohen in 2017 related to that hush money payment. What did you make of the timeline and chain of command that Jeffrey Mcconney and Deborah Tarasov laid out?

So I kind of combine them with, um, hope, Hope Hicks, uh, testimony as well, and that you're getting an understanding of how this organization, being the Trump Organization and Donald Trump runs a business. We've heard this before, especially from John Santucci, that while it is a very large business in terms of what it touches and how much money it made at one point and is very small and tight knit, and that Donald Trump has his fingers in everything. He's, I don't want to say micromanaging, but he's a part of each and every step. And I think for the prosecution, that was a big win for them in the sense of he must have known that these payments were being made, that this campaign issue, uh, was big enough that it needed to be squashed or silence for a period of time, and that we got to see the levers and kind of checks as to how that process went from getting this bombshell information to making the payments, to making sure that they got to the right person and that no one was the wiser.

That, I think was an interesting play by the prosecution, and there wasn't a lot that the defense could push back on to try to raise reasonable doubt that Donald Trump is completely detached from this process.

And Brian, throughout cross-examination of a few different former employees, the defense has suggested that Trump is a multitasker who would blindly sign checks while doing other things. But Tarasov also testified that Trump would sometimes reject checks that he would write void on them. And both she and Mcconney explained how because Trump was paying Cohen from his personal account, checks had to be physically sent to the white House because only he could sign them. So what does that mean for the defense here?

So the defense is doing exactly as they should doing. And I think for the facts that they have, they're doing a phenomenal job. They're trying to push back on this narrative that Donald Trump is fully aware of what he's signing, that he's multitasking, that he's a man that is very intelligent and very in the know, so to speak, as to how this company is working in this multifaceted. However, you can't argue that while also saying, well, when he signs these documents, he doesn't really know what he's doing. It's kind of a double edged sword there. And I think the prosecution was smart to bring up the fact that this specific account must be signed by Donald Trump. And they gave us this whole elaborate scheme, not scheme, but plan as to how checks were brought from point A to the white House to be signed, and that Donald Trump could differentiate between what needed to be signed and what needed to be voided. And I think that kind of butts head with the defense's argument of, well, he's he's kind of multitasking.

You might not know what he's doing. Uh, both sides are playing chess here. And I think ultimately the summation is going to show us who's who's who took whose night, so to speak.

All right. ABC news legal contributor Brian Buckmaster. Thank you. And we'll be following this story all day long. We'll bring you the latest on Trump's trial right here on ABC News Live. And now to the deadly weather outbreak in the middle of the country. Missouri and Illinois are under a tornado watch right now, and at least one person is dead after 16 tornadoes were reported in six states. ABC News Chief Meteorologist Ginger Zee is in Hard-Hit Barnsdall, Oklahoma with the latest. Reporter. The power went out. Large tornado.

Tornado on the ground. Violent storms sweeping across the Great Plains.

Highway 123 in Barnsdall. It's going to be for a tornado hit there.

In Barnsdall, Oklahoma.

At least one person was killed and.

Several injured after a.

Tornado ripped.

Through that town north of Tulsa. Are you okay?

The sheriff.

Telling us that many buildings were.

Destroyed.

This family with a baby and their dog. Here we.

Go, I got you, I.

Got you having to be rescued from their badly damaged.

Home. To me, it felt like.

It felt like a long time.

It probably wasn't just to the northeast in Bartlesville.

Chaos at a Hampton Inn. Authorities say they rescued several people trapped in that hotel. Emergency crews urging people to stay off the roads after a twister left significant damage. We were chasing the destructive tornadoes hours earlier northwest of Oklahoma City. We're about six miles from a tornado warned storm just to our northwest, and it is rain wrapped, meaning that the rain is obscuring the actual tornado. But it's already shown debris on the radar, so we know it's in there.

Footage of where the tornado just went through in Smithville.

Severe storms also pounding Tennessee. A tornado tearing through Smithville just southeast of Nashville.

I don't know where, uh, winds started picking up, and I saw debris flying over. Where.

The damage is striking and much more clear. Now that the sun is up you all. You can see that wall down here, the debris onto the bed, that Afghan, they're just sitting as they would have been sleeping. And hopefully these folks are okay. We know that this tornado was fatal. You can see the trees there. There's a debris field that goes for half a mile. But this is just one side of what was a fatal tornado here. And there were many tornadoes embedded in these damaging wind segments. We were chasing those storms and just ugly looking line. And we're still seeing it this morning in parts of Missouri. Saint Louis County this morning had had tornado warnings. And today's forecast includes more of the same. It's Columbus, it's Cincinnati, it's Indianapolis. That circle of enhanced is not the only thing, though. If you're anywhere in the highlighted area, you could see damaging winds and a whole lot more.

Chief meteorologist ginger zee. Thank you. The Israeli military says it's taken control of the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing and what it calls a counter-terrorism operation. As of right now, the IDF says it's killed about 20 people that it calls terrorists. And this comes just after Hamas announced it agreed to a cease fire proposal. Foreign correspondent Marcus Moore has the latest from Tel Aviv.

Israel launched a.

Ground operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

The IDF saying it killed 20 members of Hamas and found three operational tunnel shafts, and they have taken control of the critical Rafah crossing. This morning, videos show Israeli flags now flying on the Palestinian side of the border. This is Hamas says they are willing to accept a new ceasefire proposal. The deal, a different agreement than one proposed by Israel, includes a permanent end of military operations and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from areas adjacent to the border inside Gaza. Israel, now reviewing the plan but has yet to agree to these terms. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying Hamas counter offer is, quote, far from Israel's core. Demands, which included a six week ceasefire and releasing some Palestinian prisoners for up to 33 hostages. Despite the uncertainty. Crowds in Gaza celebrating Hamas's announcement. While in Tel Aviv today, relatives of hostages demonstrated in front of the U.S. consulate demanding the Israeli government accept the deal. Do you worry that this operation in Rafah will affect the the efforts to to release the hostages?

Yes. I'm afraid that they will all be dead.

The family of Hirsch Goldberg, Poland, who's been held hostage by Hamas since October 7th, speaking with us this morning.

It's been 214 days. We need to be reunited with our loved ones. We're not going to solve everything in the Middle East right now. Today, let's get our loved ones out. Let's bring a calm to the region.

And, Diane, today we are here at Hostage Square where the memorials you see behind me pay homage to those being held captive right now in the midst of this war. And while the IDF said overnight that their latest operation in Rafah is limited in scale, the relatives of some of those being held hostage fear what the outcome could mean for their loved ones. Diane.

Foreign correspondent Marcus Moore in Israel. Thank you. And as Israeli troops entered the Rafah border crossing, President Biden is warning Israel against a full ground invasion. The white House says the president spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu again yesterday, stressing an invasion would worsen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Now, Biden is facing growing pressure to broker a cease fire deal. Chief white House correspondent Mary Bruce has the latest. Hi, Mary.

Well, the Biden administration is heavily invested in these talks, which they see as the best chance to ease the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and also diffuse this crisis, both abroad but also here at home, as the president faces growing political pressure. And we see these protests on campuses across the country only growing as well. Now, for now, the talks continue. The white House clearly is hoping that a deal here can still be reached, but the back and forth over the last 24 hours really just goes to show how volatile and fluid this situation really is. And all of this coming as the U.S. continues to urgently warn Israel not to invade Rafah. That is a message that the president made and reiterated directly yesterday in his 30 minute phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. But so far, Netanyahu doesn't seem to be heeding those warnings. The U.S., deeply concerned that an operation like this would only exacerbate the humanitarian crisis. So the big question now what comes next? If they do go through with this, how would the U.S. respond?

I have pressed the white House on whether they would put limits or conditions on U.S. aid to Israel. Their response? Diane, we'll see what happens.

Chief white House correspondent Mary Bruce, thank you. Coming up, the new FAA investigation into Boeing, what we know about employees reportedly skipping some stages of inspections and what Boeing is doing about all Dreamliners. Also ahead here, from the woman suing a Hawaiian hotel and tourism board after her husband died while snorkeling, what she believes happened to him. And former porn star Stormy Daniels is expected to take the stand in the hush money trial against former President Trump. What we expect to hear from the woman at the center of the trial. We have team coverage and updates from inside the court all day long. Stay with us.

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From Lewiston, Maine.

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Know. I love that for me. Hi I'm Andy and I'm Sabrina. And we're moms juggling tons of stuff every day. Like all you moms out there. And you know what we love really love pop culture. So listen now to our new podcast, Pop Culture Moms, wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome back to ABC News Live. First in Michigan, woman is suing and warning others after her husband died while snorkeling in Hawaii. Patty Johnson says her husband, Ray, was in the ocean with friends when suddenly something went terribly wrong. Now, Johnson says his death could have been prevented and that the resort is partially responsible. Trevor Ault has more.

A Michigan woman with a warning heading into summer after her husband died while.

Snorkeling on a Hawaiian vacation.

There's barely a minute in my life that goes by that I don't think about him.

Patty Johnson.

Says her husband of 38.

Years, Ray, was snorkeling with friends when suddenly something wasn't right. The 64 year old was keeping his head above water heading to shore, but out of sorts.

So they started yelling, call 911! That's when I ran to the beach and I ran. I got a turn, got on to the beach. They were pulling him out. His head snapped back and, um, I believe at that point he was gone.

Medical professionals unable to resuscitate him. The autopsy calling his death an accidental drowning.

It didn't make sense when I received the autopsy report that just said it. Drowning. And I was like, I was watching him come in. When you're. When you're drowning, I don't think you're making your way in.

Patty says she believes her husband died because of a little known medical condition called rapid onset pulmonary edema, or rope. It can happen when breathing is restricted, with fluid building up in the lungs, causing a lack of oxygen, sometimes leading to losing consciousness.

Patients or people who are out snorkeling will notice. An increase in shortness of breath is one thing, but then they'll also become confused.

Patty is now suing the resort where she and her husband were staying, along with state and local tourism, alleging they failed to educate the public about the potential dangers of rope. All of those organizations declined to comment. A 2021 study suggests rope might be to blame for some snorkeling deaths, with people dying due to lower the normal levels of oxygen rather than drowning, though experts say more research is needed to fully understand if this is the case. But beyond rope, the case is shining a light on snorkeling. Safety. Drowning is by far the most common cause of death for Hawaiian tourists. The majority of those deaths happen while snorkeling.

I don't want other people to go through what we have gone through, and to lose a family member, to lose your husband in this way, it's just heartbreaking and it's avoidable. And just to please be aware of this, make people aware.

And Diane, some.

Medical experts.

Have hypothesized outside factors could increase your risk of rope, like poor heart and lung health or even flying at a high altitude, but there hasn't been enough research to confirm any of that. So instead, just some general snorkeling tips. It's a good idea to buy your own gear. You can make sure it fits. You can make sure you can breathe comfortably. You always want to go out with a buddy and you have to stop if you're having any trouble breathing. Diane.

Good advice, Trevor Ault. Thank you. Coming up, a new scam targeting new college grads. How criminals are making fake job offers look real during this graduation season. But first, don't hit snooze. The Met Gala is reawakening fashion. We have a look at the industry's biggest night right after the break.

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I love that. Me.

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Look at that.

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Hammer, hammer, hammer. It doesn't get any.

More cutting edge on this.

With so much at stake, so much on the line, more Americans turn here than any other newscast. ABC News World News Tonight with David Muir. America's number one most watched newscast across all of television.

Hi, I'm Andy and I'm.

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We're moms juggling tons of stuff every day. Like all you moms out there.

And you know what?

We love really love pop culture. So listen now to our new podcast, Pop Culture Moms, wherever you get your podcasts.

Reporting from Iowa on the 2024 campaign trail. I'm MaryAlice parks. Wherever the story is, we'll take you there. You're watching ABC News Live.

Welcome back. It is fashion's biggest night and the Met Gala looks did not disappoint. This year's theme, The Garden of Time, had Zendaya, Bad Bunny and so many more dazzling on the red carpet or on the green carpet. I should say Deborah Roberts was there for.

The Super Bowl of fashion.

Kicking into high gear.

Good morning America, wake up!

This year's theme, The Garden of Time. You have.

Gardens and sea and.

A few birds and bees and some snakes.

The event, co-chaired by Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, Chris Hemsworth and of course, Zendaya, the fashion icon stepping out in a blue and green John Galliano dress. J.Lo stunning in a Schiaparelli.

It's for butterfly wings.

Shakira ravishing in a Carolina Herrera ensemble. Shakira. What was the hardest getting dressed or navigating? The stairs.

Are standing, standing.

For a bit over there. I mean, there's so.

Many people here and these are quite, quite high.

Heels. Even the men stepping up. Way up. You're slaying it tonight. You're both fashionistas. What is it about this theme that you like?

Everything. Everything. Everybody's clean and scrubbed and deodorize and everything they're wearing is brand new. They'll never wear it again. It's one clean night.

Kim Kardashian showing off her super cinched waist with a silver corset. Athletes like Serena Williams showing she isn't afraid to strike a pose, or Angel Rees flying in straight from WNBA practice in Chicago, making her first Met Gala appearance. Singer Taylor transforming into the sands of time, carrying an hourglass accessory and wearing literal sand fixed on her Balmain gown so snug she had to be lifted up all the steps. And in a jaw dropping surprise, Zendaya shutting down the carpet with a second look, a black 1996 gown also designed by Galliano, complete with a floral headpiece. And while all eyes are usually waiting for Rihanna to end the show this year, the singer skipped the carpet. We're told she has the flu. Diane.

Oh, hope she's feeling better. Deborah Roberts. Thank you. And in our next half hour, Will Ganz and celebrity stylist Emily Evans joins us live for their top fashion picks. Plus, see who Emily styled for the Met Gala last night. We've got that coming up. But also after the break, former porn star Stormy Daniels is expected to take the stand in the hush money trial against former President Trump. We have team coverage and updates from inside the court all day long. Stay with us.

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We are part of an operation. This is our combat operations center.

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Every kid in America who was a dancer.

Wanted to be on Dance Moms.

And Abby knew it.

I don't care if they like me or not. They're fabulous. When it comes down.

To the way she treated us, it was tough love. You have trouble saying her name? Yeah, I feel like I have trouble.

Just talking about it in general.

I'm not the bad guy.

I was the guy that made it happen.

Do you think that you would take back some of the harshness when you look back?

Dance moms behind the curtain. This is Impact by Nightline, now streaming on Hulu. Let's go.

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It feels like.

Living in a.

Science fiction movie.

We just saw what no one has seen before.

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We are heading into the unknown.

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Look who Robin.

Singing with tomorrow on GMA.

Elmo. Hi there. When Elmo asked, how's everyone doing?

Elmo went viral with over 217 million views and counting, and now Elmo's with Robin checking in on you. America. I was so glad that you came to visit. Nothing is free.

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Hi, I'm Dave Machado today on ABC News Live. First we have breaking news. Stormy Daniels is expected to take the stand today in the criminal hush money trial against former President Trump. Prosecutors argued Trump orchestrated a last minute, $130,000 payment to the adult film star ahead of the 2016 election, in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair that Trump has denied the charges and the affair. Today, he and Stormy Daniels will be face to face in court, and her testimony comes a day after the jury got its first look at the allegedly fraudulent documents at the heart of the case, and after the judge fined Trump for a 10th gag order violation, warning the former president could face jail time if he violates the gag order again. ABC News senior investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky has the latest.

For a 10th time, Donald Trump has been held in criminal contempt and slapped with a fine for violating the gag order. But the judge conceded monetary fines have not and will not deter Trump. So the judge warned future violations could land Trump in jail.

This judge is giving me a gag order and said you'll go to jail if.

Violated. Trump is on trial for falsifying business records to keep an adult film actress long denied claim of a sexual encounter with Trump from voters before the 2016 election. His fixer at the time, Michael Cohen, wired Stormy Daniels the money. And when Trump paid him back, prosecutors said Trump illegally characterized the monthly reimbursements as legal expenses for the first time. The jury, seeing the invoices Cohen sent that asked for payment pursuant to the retainer agreement. Did you ever see a retainer agreement? Former Trump Comptroller Jeff Mcconney was asked. He answered, I did not. Jurors also saw McKinney's handwritten notes that worked out the monthly reimbursements and the checks Trump signed while at the white House. On cross-examination, the defense asked Mcconney payments to lawyers by the Trump Organization are legal expenses, right? He answered. Yes, sir.

ABC news senior investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky joins me from outside the courthouse, along with ABC news legal contributor Brian Meyer for more on this. Erin, what can we expect today as Stormy Daniels takes the stand?

She is going to instantly be the the most interesting witness, I would think, for the jury. Diane, Stormy Daniels and Donald Trump, I don't believe, have been in the same room in quite some time, perhaps 20 years. Nearly. The last time was when Stormy Daniels was at Trump Tower, and we heard testimony from Trump's former executive assistant, Rhona Graff, that she had seen and remembered Stormy Daniels at Trump Tower because Trump at the time was thinking she might make an interesting contestant on The Apprentice. Here she is going to be testifying about what happened between the two of them back in 2006, in California, when, according to Stormy Daniels, they had a sexual encounter. Donald Trump has denied that. But on the eve of the 2016 election, she was wired $130,000 by Trump's fixer at the time, Michael Cohen. That wire transfer took place 12 days before the election. The catalyst prosecutors say, was the Access Hollywood tape and the Trump campaign, prosecutors have suggested, did not believe it could take another sex scandal.

Brian, what will.

You be watching for as the prosecution questioned Stormy Daniels?

I'm watching to see how deep they get into the question of how damaging would this have been to the Trump campaign? Are they going to get fully into the details of that alleged interaction between Stormy Daniels and Donald Trump? Because we could see this case turn from what is a documents case in many ways, and the falsification or alleged falsification of those documents to someone of a did he or did she not have sex or a sexual encounter with each other? It's going to be like a like, almost like a sexual abuse case, in a sense of the prosecution proving this encounter and then the cross-examination of them trying to deny it, that it never happened. I think we're going to find out information about this encounter we've never heard before.

And I just want to clarify that Trump is not being charged with sexual abuse in this case, but I know I understand what you mean, where they could get into some of these tawdry details, or they could choose to avoid some of those and just focus on the basics here. And then what about from the defense, Brian? What are you expecting when they get their chance to cross-examine Stormy Daniels?

I think and thank you for that clarification. I do not want to I just meant the air of how.

No, I totally understood what you meant. I just wanted to be extra clear.

But I think for the defense, it's not just about going against Stormy Daniels for the idea that her information was hidden in an incorrect way. I think they are going to attack her in the sense of this never happened. I think from what we're seeing in Donald Trump's representation, a lot of the arguments are flow from Donald Trump. I think he's very much entwined, intertwined with his defense, as every good defendant should be. And I think they're going to attack Stormy Daniels in a way to suggest this never happened. She's lying. A lot of the statements that we've seen Donald Trump make in the campaign about her credibility, I think it's going to be a very interesting and as Aaron has already said, probably the more entertaining part of this trial.

But, Brian, does it matter to this case whether the affair actually happened or not, if the if the issue here is the payment and the documents that allegedly tried to cover up that payment?

I think you're correct, I think, to ask that question because in a certain lens, whether or not the story was true, just like the story of the doorman and Trump having a child was true. It's still about the falsification of the documents. But I think what we've seen in the representation of Donald Trump is if there's an ability to attack someone's credibility, to show the jury or voters that someone should not be believed, Donald Trump and his attorneys will take that opportunity. And I can't imagine a world where the defense will not be focusing on both that the falsification of documents doesn't exist, but also that Stormy Daniels is a liar. I think that goes hand in hand with their defensive.

And Aaron, Donald Trump will be in the room just feet away as Stormy Daniels testifies about this alleged affair and hush money payment. How careful does he have to be in terms of his reactions in court today?

He already took down one Truth Social post about the impending court day. He's on notice that if he violates the gag order again in remarks in the hallway or something like that, he could be tossed in jail because the judge said that the $1,000 per violation fines didn't seem to be much of a deterrent for him. But for Trump, this cannot be comfortable. He's going to be reliving an alleged encounter from 2006 that Stormy Daniels, at first denied occurred before she went on Jimmy Kimmel on ABC. And when he put up this letter of denial, she said, that's not my signature. And that's when the story began to unravel. But it was, according to prosecutors, part of what they've called a catch and kill scheme to conceal information from voters. That also involved a payment to Karen McDougal and a payment to a Trump World Tower doorman, and finally, a payment of $130,000 to Stormy Daniels herself. And the jury has already seen the wire transfer. They saw how the Trump Organization logged the payment as a legal expense, and the handwritten notes of both Allen Weisselberg and Jeff Mcconney, two of the financial executives at the Trump Organization, who talked about the payment as reimbursement to Michael Cohen for his wire transfer to Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels lawyer at the time.

So they've seen the paper trail. Now they hear from Stormy Daniels herself.

All right, Aaron Katersky, Brian Buckmaster, thank you both. We will be following this story all day long. We'll bring you the latest on former President Trump's criminal hush money trial right here live on ABC News Live first. And now to the deadly weather outbreak in the middle of the country. Missouri and Illinois are under a tornado watch right now, and at least one person is dead after 16 tornadoes were reported in six states. ABC News Chief Meteorologist Ginger Zee is in Hard-Hit Barnsdall, Oklahoma with the latest. Reporter. The power went out. Large tornado.

Tornado on the ground. Violent storms sweeping across the Great Plains.

Highway 123 in Barnsdall. It's going to be for a tornado hit there.

In Barnsdall, Oklahoma. At least one person was killed and several injured after a tornado ripped through that town north of Tulsa. Are you okay? The sheriff telling us that many buildings were destroyed. This family with a baby and their dog. There you.

Go. I got you, I got you. Having to.

Be rescued from their badly damaged.

Home.

To me, it felt like forever. I. It felt like a long time.

It probably wasn't just to the northeast in Bartlesville. Chaos at a Hampton Inn. Authorities say they rescued several people trapped in that hotel. Emergency crews urging people to stay off the roads after a twister left significant damage. We were chasing the destructive tornadoes hours earlier northwest of Oklahoma City. We're about six miles from a tornado warned storm just to our northwest, and it is rain wrapped, meaning that the rain is obscuring the actual tornado. But it's already shown debris on the radar, so we know it's in there.

Footage of where the tornado just went through and Smithville.

Severe storms also pounding Tennessee. A tornado tearing through Smithville just southeast of Nashville.

Out of nowhere, uh, winds started picking up and I saw debris flying over. Where?

The damage is striking and much more clear. Now that the sun is up you all. You can see that wall down here, the debris onto the bed, that Afghan, they're just sitting as they would have been sleeping. And hopefully these folks are okay. We know that this tornado was fatal. You can see the trees there. There's a debris field that goes for half a mile. But this is just one side of what was a fatal tornado here. And there were many tornadoes embedded in these damaging wind segments. We were chasing those storms and just ugly looking line. And we're still seeing it this morning in parts of Missouri. Saint Louis County this morning had had tornado warnings. And today's forecast includes more of the same. It's Columbus, it's Cincinnati, it's Indianapolis. That circle of enhanced is not the only thing, though. If you're anywhere in the highlighted area, you could see damaging winds and a whole lot more.

Chief meteorologist ginger zee. Thank you. The Israeli military says it's taken control of the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing and what it calls a counterterrorism operation. As of right now, the IDF says it's killed about 20 people that it calls terrorists. This comes just after Hamas announced it agreed to a cease fire proposal. Foreign correspondent Marcus Moore has the latest from Tel Aviv.

Israel launched a ground operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The IDF saying it killed 20 members of Hamas and found three operational tunnel shafts, and they have taken control of the critical Rafah crossing. This morning, videos show Israeli flags now flying on the Palestinian side of the border. This is Hamas says they are willing to accept a new ceasefire proposal. The deal, a different agreement than one proposed by Israel, includes a permanent end of military operations and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from areas adjacent to the border inside Gaza. Israel, now reviewing the plan but has yet to agree to these terms. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying Hamas's counter offer is, quote, far from Israel's core demands, which included a six week ceasefire and releasing some Palestinian prisoners for up to 33 hostages. Despite the uncertainty. Crowds in Gaza celebrating Hamas's announcement while in Tel Aviv today, relatives of hostages demonstrated in front of the US consulate demanding the Israeli government accept the deal. Do you worry that this operation in Rafah will affect the the efforts to to release the hostages?

Yes.

I'm afraid that they will all be dead.

The family of Hirsch Goldberg, Poland, who's been held hostage by Hamas since October 7th, speaking with us this morning.

It's been 214 days. We need to be reunited with our loved ones. We're not going to solve everything in the Middle East right now. Today, let's get our loved ones out. Let's bring a calm to the region.

And Diane, today we are here at Hostage Square where the memorials you see behind me, uh, pay homage to those being held captive right now in the midst of this war. And while the IDF said overnight that their latest operation in Rafah is limited in scale, the relatives of some of those being held hostage feared what the outcome could mean for their loved ones. Diane.

A foreign correspondent, Marcus Moore in Israel. Thank you. And as Israeli troops enter the Rafah border crossing, President Biden is warning Israel against a full ground incursion. The white House says the president spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu again yesterday, stressing an invasion would worsen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Now, Biden is facing growing pressure to broker a ceasefire deal. Chief white House correspondent Mary Bruce has the latest. Hi, Mary.

While the Biden administration is heavily invested in these talks, which they see as the best chance to ease the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and also diffuse this crisis both abroad but also here at home, as the president faces growing political pressure. And we see these protests on campuses across the country only growing as well. Now, for now, the talks continue. The white House clearly is hoping that a deal here can still be reached. But the back and forth over the last 24 hours really just goes to show how volatile and fluid this situation really is. And all of this coming as the U.S. continues to urgently warn Israel not to invade Rafah. That is a message that the president made and reiterated directly yesterday in his 30 minute phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. But so far, Netanyahu doesn't seem to be heeding those warnings. The U.S., deeply concerned that an operation like this would only exacerbate the humanitarian crisis. So the big question now, what comes next? If they do go through with this, how would the U.S. respond?

I have pressed the white House on whether they would put limits or conditions on US aid to Israel. Their response? Diane, we'll see what happens.

Chief white House correspondent Mary Bruce, thank you. And police are removing a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Chicago and Hyde Park this morning. Police say they entered the encampment around 5 a.m., removing tents and signs. This comes after more than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested at the University of California campuses yesterday. Now, Columbia University's canceling its main commencement ceremony and others are following their lead. Stephanie Ramos joins me live from Columbia with more on that. Stephanie, what's it like there right now?

Diane. Right now, it's pretty calm on campus and off campus. There are no pro-Palestinian protests taking place right now. We were here yesterday afternoon where we did see a small group outside of the Columbia University gates. But overall there is this sense of calm. But security is really tight at the university right now. There are only a limited amount of students who are allowed on campus. For the most part, a majority of the students who are graduating are not allowed on campus. We know that a lot of them have been taking photos outside of the university, but overall security is very tight. NYPD officers are also on campus through May 17th as graduation festivities take place.

Diane Stephanie Columbia University has also canceled its university wide commencement and other schools are starting to follow. So what are you hearing from students there?

Well, it's interesting because a number of students obviously are disappointed. They've spent four years here if they're an undergrad student. We've spoken to other students who are in graduate programs. They are disappointed that they won't have this massive celebration with the other schools where many students had family and parents flying in, and they won't be able to travel for that university wide graduation. But then there are other students who we've spoken to who are interestingly understanding and say that they understand the university's position in not allowing a university wide graduation because there are still pro-Palestinian groups around here in New York City and in other parts of of the country where other universities have canceled their graduations, where they could still come to the university grounds and chant and yell and protest outside of the university gates, which you would still hear on the West lawn, which is where they typically set up for graduation and usually expect about 25,000 people. So many students telling us they understand that officials said no, and they scrapped that main graduation because there's still potential for protests to disrupt those ceremonies.

But the university is focusing on smaller ceremonies by schools so that those students could still can still celebrate their their years here.

All right. Stephanie Ramos at Columbia in New York City Stephanie. Thank you. Coming up, the new scam targeting college grads, how criminals are making fake job offers look real. And former porn star Stormy Daniels is expected to take the stand in the hush money trial against former President Trump. What we expect to hear from the woman at the center of the trial. We have team coverage and updates from inside the court all day long. Stay with us.

Whenever news breaks.

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The scene of a horrific mass shooting.

ABC News Live is right there every.

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Welcome back. The FTC is warning about elaborate job scams targeting new college graduates. It's a story first seen in the Wall Street Journal. Scammers are impersonating college professors, convincing students to apply for fake positions and then stealing their personal information or money. Elizabeth Schultz has more.

New grads looking.

For that elusive.

First job.

Out of college. Have another.

Thing to worry.

About.

Scammers. The FTC telling us it's hearing from its partners of an increase in job scams specifically targeting new graduates.

And the.

Wall Street Journal reports scammers are using information available online.

To claim.

That a professor.

The student.

Knows has recommended them for a specific job.

Everything will seem very believable, but at the end of the day, it's just scammers trying to get personal information or money from these students.

Recent grad George Robles said he.

Applied to more.

Than 400 software jobs with little luck.

But in January.

He saw this in his inbox.

They emailed me.

Saying that we'd like to interview you.

I was really happy because at that point, that was.

The first time I've.

Ever received something positive from a job application.

Robles said after answering some programming questions through email. The next day, he was offered the job, but.

When he called the company to.

Confirm.

They told me, no, this was not.

A legitimate offer.

Experts say job scams come in many forms. In 2023, Miranda Owens says she was sent a check to cover office supplies after a scammer offered her a job.

When she cashed.

It, they told her they made a mistake and she needed to return the money, so she did. But later, the scammers checking her account bounced and Miranda was out nearly $5,000.

I felt like my.

Trust had been completely shattered. I just started bawling.

People need to be on the lookout. They also should not feel ashamed if something like this happens to them.

LinkedIn warns to be wary of jobs that ask for personal details early on in the process.

If something is feeling.

A little off, don't be shy.

To call the company and just verify. Hey, I'm being interviewed by your company.

For this role.

I just wanted to make sure that this is legitimate.

Now some job websites are trying to crack down.

On these scams. LinkedIn just added a feature where if you get a message from a legitimate recruiter, it will include a checkmark to show that their professional identity is verified. That could help jobseekers avoid applying for a role that turns out to be fake. Diane.

Good idea. Elizabeth. Chelsea. Thank you. And we have breaking news. Former President Trump is speaking outside the courtroom before expected testimony from Stormy Daniels. Let's listen.

The Truth Social post this morning.

Are you a victim of extortion?

The country is on fire. There are protests all over the country. I've never seen anything like this. Many graduation ceremonies are being canceled again. As you know, in Colombia, the canceling a lot of them. And we have a president that just refuses to talk because he can't talk. You know that. So does everyone else. Uh, some of the statements made about this witch hunt on CNN, fake news, CNN, uh, Michael Moore said the proof of falsifying records has not been accomplished on Good Morning America. They said. So we heard that expense payments to lawyers are legal expenses. You pay a lawyer expenses payments. We didn't put it down as construction costs. The purchase of sheetrock, the electrical cost, the legal expense that we paid was put down. Legal expenses. There's nothing else you could say. You don't have to put down anything, I guess. But we put down legal expense. Was legal expense. Is that a correct state, Mr. Attorney? Yes. And everyone's saying, oh, gee, that's the fraud.

That's what they're trying to get us on. The fact that we call a legal expense a legal expense. They marked it down on the books. The check was signed. And the other thing. This was approved by all agencies. Everybody saw this. There was nothing being hidden at all. That's what they're all writing now. There's been nothing hidden. And it went through agencies and I guess it went through the IRS. Also, it went through IRS. It went through the FEC. It went through everything. Also, NBC today show the challengers that there is no smoking gun, no email or tape to prove the president's intent. They don't have a way to prove that. That's NBC today show. And then Fox News Katija Caskey said that the gag order is unconstitutional, which of course it is. The gag order is unconstitutional. So with all that's going on, they have no case. Every single legal scholar that I see, I mean, maybe there's somebody out there, some whacked out, but the virtually every every one, everyone that I've seen has said there's absolutely no case.

It's a case that should have been brought. The previous Da wouldn't bring it. Uh, Brandt didn't want to bring it, and he brought it because I'm running in number one place. This all comes out of the white House and Crooked Joe Biden. This comes from the white House, and it's all Biden because it's an attack on his political opponent that hasn't happened in this country. It does happen in third world countries, but it hasn't happened in this country. And it's a shame. And the trial is a very unfair trial. It's a very, very unfair trial. The good news is they have nothing. Thank you. Why is it unfair?

Does the president do you plan on testifying? That was former President Trump talking about campus wide protests across the country, also addressing his expenses with a paper in hand and then railing against the gag order in this case, after the trump. After the judge. Excuse me? Find him $1,000 yesterday and threatened to put him in jail if he violates the gag order. Again, I want to bring in ABC news senior investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky, who is outside that courthouse, and ABC news executive editorial producer John Santucci, as well as ABC news legal contributor Brian Meyer for more. Aaron, we know the big headline today is that Stormy Daniels is expected to take the stand. We did not hear Trump mention her because of course he cannot due to that gag order. Talk to me about what we expect from Stormy Daniels today.

Stormy Daniels is going to testify undoubtedly about what happened. According to her, between herself and Donald Trump in California back in 2006, when she says they had a sexual encounter, which Trump has denied, she was later at Trump Tower. Trump's executive secretary, Rhona Graff, testified that she remembered seeing her there the following year because she said she overheard Trump saying that Stormy Daniels might make an interesting contestant on The Apprentice. But it was in 2016, 12 days before the 2016 election, that Trump's fixer at the time, Michael Cohen, wired her $130,000. And when Trump went to pay him back in 12 monthly installments, that's when prosecutors say he falsified business records to make sure voters didn't find out about it. Stormy Daniels will not know how Donald Trump characterized the payments in his businesses General Ledger, but she will tell the jury about what she says happened and make sure they understand this whole thing was real.

Uh, John, I want to ask you about the president's remarks, too, because he railed against this gag order. He called it unconstitutional. We've heard this from him before, but he did seem to stay within the lines of those gag order rules that he has to abide by. He also put up and then deleted a social media post today. Talk to me about that.

Yeah. So so I'll.

Start where you began. So obviously the gag order yesterday was another $1,000. Fine. He has to stay within the confines of this. After the judge yesterday turned around and said, do it again. We're talking jail, not monetary fines. What's interesting of this morning, though, it plays right to a prosecutor, has been talking about recall. Prosecutors have said they're not giving much witness heads up here to the defense for this exact reason that Donald Trump has shown a habit repeatedly of going on truth, social, going on conservative media outlets and attacking witnesses. It's part of the reason why he was hit with those nine original gag order violations. They were all related to post he made on Truth Social. Attacking Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen this morning is part of that agreement. Prosecutors informed Trump's defense team who the witness was going to be today. The team informed Donald Trump and Donald Trump posted on Truth Social. Just saying he was informed of the witness, didn't say who, but it plays right to the heart of this.

Diane.

Brian, what are you watching for today as Stormy Daniels begins her testimony?

I'm looking more than anything in the cross examination. I want to know how the defense will try to argue this case. Are they going to go? Just so the fact that she doesn't know the inner workings of how these payments were made, or are they going to extend into the this event that happened never happened.

All right. Aaron Katersky, John Santucci, Brian Buck Meyer, thank you all. And we will continue our coverage of the president's hush money case right after the break. Stay with us.

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Hi, I'm Diane Macedo today on ABC News Live. First, former President Trump is back in a Manhattan courtroom as Stormy Daniels is expected to take the stand in the criminal hush money trial against him. Prosecutors argued Trump orchestrated a $130,000 payment to the adult film star ahead of the 2016 election in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair, and then falsified documents to cover up that payment. Trump has denied the charges and the affair. Now he and Stormy Daniels will come face to face in court. Her testimony comes a day after the jury got its first look at the allegedly fraudulent documents at the heart of the case, and after the judge finds Trump for a gag order violation, warning that the former president could face jail time if he violates that gag order again. ABC News senior investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky is outside the courthouse, along with ABC news executive editorial producer John Santucci and ABC news legal contributor Brian Buckmaster. For more, Aaron, we just heard from the former president. What's the latest from court?

Stormy Daniels is expected to be called as the first witness of the day, and the defense is already starting to object to some of what she might testify about and whether she is going to go deep into this encounter that she says occurred in 2006, when she claims that she and Donald Trump had sex back at a hotel in California. The defense certainly wants to limit this as much as possible. The defense has already said, Dianne, that Stormy Daniels doesn't know how Donald Trump allegedly falsified business records. But prosecutors want the jury to understand that there was a basis for this $130,000 hush payment at the heart of the case.

But John, Eric Trump is there with his father in court today. He's been there before, but today is expected to bring some embarrassing testimony for the former president. So what do you make of the fact that he has his son.

There with you? I have to be honest with you. It defies everything I've been told by my sources, which is that Donald Trump really did not want his children there. This was a day that he knew was going to come. It's going to be embarrassing, as you say. I'd up you and say humiliating. This is not the day that Donald Trump would be looking forward to ever. Right. And I think nobody would want a day like this to have somebody get on a stand in front of, you know, the general public, in front of a jury, in front of a lot of members of the media, and talk about a one night stand. It's not anything that anybody wants to brag about here, and especially because this is what Donald Trump has brought all this moment to fruition. I do think, in part, take all of that aside for a second and don't take my words for it. Look at what happened this morning. We know the prosecutor has been very careful in relaying to the defense when a witness would come up.

We knew this was one of the two witnesses, the other being Michael Cohen, that would really get in Donald Trump's head when the day would come. We saw bright and early this morning, once that call was made, Donald Trump made a post to Truth Social, quickly deleted it, didn't say the witness by name, but said he was informed of who the witness is. And we know, based off of the events of yesterday and a few days prior, that Judge Merchan is not messing around here. He has made very clear to Donald Trump, if you violate the gag order again, we're not talking money, we're talking jail. And based on the fact that he then is talking about witnesses, doesn't say by name, it's really that line that Donald Trump's got to watch. But again, I think it just comes down to personal control here. We knew this was going to be hard for Donald Trump. This is probably going to be I hate to say it, but I have to probably the most fascinating day to have a seat in that courtroom.

And is there any sense of how far into the affair the prosecution will go in their questioning, or is this really focused on what stormy knows about the payment?

No. Stormy Daniels doesn't know anything about the payments other than she received some money that was held in escrow for her by her attorney at the time, Keith Davidson. And right now, the lawyers are arguing before the judge about the scope of what Stormy Daniels can talk about. Prosecutor Susan Hoffner said it's important for the jury to understand her credibility and her story that they did have a sexual encounter, Stormy Daniels and Donald Trump. But she says they're not going to get into descriptions of genitalia or anything like that. Defense attorney Susan Necklace is telling the judge, this is a case about, you know, books and records. Why do we have to get into sex? But for prosecutors, this is some key testimony so the jury can understand that there was a reason that Donald Trump agreed to pay this hush money of $130,000, 12 days before the 2016 election.

Brian, does it complicate things for the defense that Trump has not only denied the charges here, but he has denied that this affair ever happened.

It's an extra level of lifting here, so to speak, because I think what the defense really wants to be doing, and I think they're fighting that battle now, as Aaron is telling us, is focus on the documents. Don't focus on the story of infidelity or the allegations of what happened on that night in 2006. And I think they'll be smart to do that. And something that Aaron said also kind of jogged my memory to some degree about not wanting to hear about genitalia. I'm not going to speak for him, but I think he might be hinting at what happened in the Weinstein case, where the same DA's office went very deep into allegations of that case, to the point that I remember hearing things that I've never wanted to hear about an interaction. And I think the defense knows this office and knows that there's a potential for them to really go down that rabbit hole of embarrassing personal information. And I think they're smart to cut them off at the, at the of the beginning, so to speak, here.

Um, but yeah, it's going to be interesting. As John said, this is going to be a time to be in that court.

And John, former President Trump will be in that courtroom just feet away from Stormy Daniels as she tells this story. How significant is that?

Well, I might be wrong, but I would believe it's probably the first time they've seen each other in a very long time, maybe from that time. And I think that, you know, we have to think about what the timeline was, and I'm trying to remember it. Aaron, you might be able to help me out here about when Rhona Graff said on the Stand that she saw Stormy Daniels on the 26th floor of Trump Tower. If that was before or after the night, if you will. But we know that Donald Trump watching his body language in this courtroom, and I can say it from what I saw the other day watching Hope Hicks, he looks he gets disgusted, he turns away, and then he closes his eyes. It's pretty much that process, if you will. So I think that it'll be curious if he even looks at her at any point, I will say. And I remember being there the day it happened. The New York attorney general's case. He did stare down Michael Cohen when he was on the stand.

Michael was obviously a long time employee, etc. um, he has really attacked Stormy Daniels for years. You know, he has come up with horrible nicknames for her, if you will. Um, I'd be very interested to see what his body language is. Say, does he look? Does he just close his eyes the entire time, pretend he's not there? I think this is going to be one of the hardest days for Donald Trump. Forget this case. Just for Donald Trump as a person.

Erin, what are you watching for today?

Well, the the the body language will certainly be be interesting, but I'm curious to see how far the Stormy Daniels actually goes and how much rope the judge is going to allow. He has already told the lawyers that Stormy Daniels does have some credibility issues, and prosecutors believe it's important to try and rehabilitate those and give the jury an understanding that, according to her, anyway, the two had sex that precipitated the $130,000 payment. But remember, Stormy Daniels denied the the the claim of an affair before she went on. Jimmy Kimmel will say, that's not my signature on a letter of denial. And that's when the story started to come out. Uh, in answer to John's question before after they allegedly had sex in 2006, Rhona Graff, Trump's assistant, recalled seeing Daniels in 2007 at Trump Tower because she said she overheard Trump saying that Daniels might make an interesting contestant on The Apprentice. Obviously, Donald Trump has different feelings about Stormy Daniels now, she told ABC's The View not long ago that she is looking forward to telling her truth on the witness stand today, and that should occur just a short while from now.

She's the day's second witness right now. Prosecutors have just called their first witness a book publisher by the name of Sally Frank, and she's a custodial witness in this case. And, Erin, I know you'll keep us posted on that testimony as it gets underway. Aaron Katersky, John Santucci, Brian Buck Meyer. Thank you all. And we will be following the former president's hush money trial all day long. We'll bring you the latest right here on ABC News Live. Also coming up, miss USA is giving up her crown. Why? The beauty queen says she's stepping down and why it's raising questions about the pageant organization itself. Also ahead, why Boeing's Starliner spacecraft launch was canceled just hours before takeoff.

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Welcome back to ABC News Live. Stormy Daniels is expected to take the stand today in the criminal hush money trial against former President Trump. Her testimony gives the jury a chance to hear directly from the woman at the center of the trial. Prosecutors argued Trump orchestrated $130,000 hush money payment to the adult film star ahead of the 2016 election, in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair with Trump. Trump denies the charges and the affair will have updates from court throughout the day. Meanwhile, NASA officials are blaming a stuck valve after scrubbing the launch of Boeing's Starliner spaceship. Now, the company has to plan a new launch date to carry two NASA astronauts into orbit. Faith Abubey is in Cape Canaveral, Florida, with the latest. Hi, Faith.

Diane. The long awaited.

Launch was.

Derailed by a.

Single mechanical valve issue, which an official compared to.

The valve on the.

Water heater tank in your home. This is disappointing for the crew and the countless others.

Who worked so.

Hard to finally get the Starliner to what appeared to be the finish line. This was supposed to be the first test launch with humans on board to the International Space Station, after years of delays and technical setbacks for Boeing. But the program managers say that safety is a priority, which is why just two hours before the launch, they decided to call it off. We're told the issue has to do with the engine of the Atlas five rocket, which the Starliner sits on and not the Starliner itself. And so today, engineers will be able to evaluate the problem even more. And the next launch opportunity is Friday.

Diane Faith Abubey in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Thank you. And miss USA is giving up her crown. Utah's Noelia Voigt says she's resigning her title for the sake of her mental health. It's a major shakeup that's raising new questions about the culture of one of the most prestigious pageant organizations in the world. Leo Reshef is here with that story.

Miss USA 2023.

Is.

That surprise move by miss USA, Noelia Voit, saying she's stepping down to protect her mental health. The pageant queen announcing on Instagram I have made the very tough decision to resign from the title of miss USA 2023.

How's your spirit? How are your nerves? I am feeling so at peace right now.

Voit, captioning the post in part. Never compromise your physical and mental well-being. Our health is wealth.

Miss USA's former social media director Claudia Engelhart, who worked with Voight before recently.

Leaving the organization.

Herself, speaking to GMA.

Claiming there was a toxic work environment at the.

Miss USA.

Organization, including.

Disrespectful.

And aggressive behavior.

It was a.

Series of aggressive.

Behaviors towards the titleholders and also the employees. I think for me personally, it came down to a lack of respect for the job duties as management. One would assume that your letting your team do their job, making sure that you're giving them the best advice, the best support, and especially the best mental health support as well. And that was not given the miss.

USA organization firing.

Back at.

Claudia's claims, telling ABC news We are troubled.

To hear the.

False accusations made by a former miss USA employee. Miss USA is committed to fostering a safe, inclusive and supportive environment and we take these allegations seriously. Indeed, we have and will continue to prioritize the well-being of all individuals involved with miss USA. Envoy thanked her supporters and said she hopes to inspire others to prioritize their mental health and advocate for themselves and use their voice. The miss USA organization says that they are reviewing plans for the transition of responsibilities to a successor, and they will soon announce the crowning of a new miss USA. Diane.

Erielle Reshef thank you. Coming up the Mystic Knight at the met. The stars shined on the red carpet. We're speaking with one of the stylists who helped put together this look.

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Welcome back to ABC News Live. First, it is fashion's biggest night and the Met Gala looks did not disappoint. This year's theme, The Garden of Time, had Zendaya, Bad Bunny and so many more dazzling on the green carpet. Deborah Roberts was there.

On fashion's biggest night, stars gracing the green carpet lined by live foliage. Garden inspired looks on full display, right in bloom with this year's dress code The Garden of Time.

This name is.

Me. So I was like.

You know, that's what I want.

To do and I want to be my own rose garden.

My mother passed in 2006 and she was my angel, and so I always would bring.

Her flowers whenever I visited her. And so I think flowers are for mama.

Others, like Mindy Kaling and Demi Moore interpreting the theme with larger than life sculptural dresses. Another trend celebs sporting short dark hair like Sydney Sweeney and Kerry Washington and Academy Award stunner Michelle Yeoh and make some room fashion's it girl Cardi B coming through the Grammy winning rapper needing not one, not two but ten men to help wrangle her captivating dress. While Cardi B went long and dark, Nicki Minaj went bright and short with florals, many leaning into the barely there dress trend. Like J.Lo.

This is Schiaparelli. It's a 2.5 million. Bugle beads. About 800 hours of work. A true couture creation. It's for butterfly wings.

Greta Lee, Elle Fanning, and Rita Ora.

I think that we are seeing a new generation of celebrities, and that is reflected in the fact that Zendaya and Bad Bunny were co-hosts, along with Jennifer Lopez, who's a kind of classic met attendee, and Chris Hemsworth. So I think you do see this kind of constant evolution, but that's also what makes this party so exciting to watch.

The men in the brooch and the bling didn't stop there. Sparkles and sequins and glitter. Oh my. Kim K, Gabrielle Union, Shakira and Janelle Monae posing to catch her balance after a misstep in her towering heels. The Glam Night, a fundraiser for the Met Museums Costume Institute. A ticket to get you in the door this year. $75,000 and its invite only by Miss Wintour herself. What do you hope this will do tonight? I mean, so much going on in our world, how will this maybe help?

Everybody comes and has a wonderful time and celebrates Andrew's amazing work and the great work that the museum does. And also it's very important for the economy of the city and for the visitors here at the museum.

If I was to describe my very first Met Gala in one word, it would be effervescent. There was so much to see. Everybody was bubbling over. What a fun night.

Ah, thanks to Deborah Roberts for that recap. I think Deb had the best look on the red carpet, but we're going to get into that now. ABC's Wilkins is joining me now along with Emily Evans who styled Ashley Graham who hosted the Vogue live stream of the event. Emily break down this look that you put together for Ashley last night. How did this come together and explain what she's wearing and how it spoke to the theme?

Absolutely. Thanks for.

Having me. So basically, I wanted to really deep dive into the book The Garden of Time, the short story by J.G. Ballard. We asked Ludovic de San Sinan to make us this custom beautiful chainmail dress in black. So we went for like the darker side of the theme, which is more, you know, like thinking about we create these beautiful things as humans and we destroy them. So that's kind of like where we were going with the vibe. Oh yeah, a little bit dark. And then we wanted to create the Crystal flowers, which are also, um, written about in this story. And then we asked Ludovic. He placed them all around the waist. So it was like this kind of like goddess thorny, dark vibe. That's the look we were going for.

She definitely pulled it off. No surprise, because Ashley Graham is stunning. How long did it take for this look to get to put together for this dress to be made and the whole thing.

So I originally called Ludovic about six weeks ago, and I think he it took him and his team 500 hours to make the dress at a chain mail. Um, I actually think I can't remember the amount of hours that we actually spent talking on the phone. I think we actually called each other daily and FaceTimed each other. So yeah, multiple hours.

The next time my husband tells me it takes me too long to get ready, I'm sending five right hours as the bar. Well, let's talk about some of your other favorite looks from the night.

Okay, I want to talk about Mona.

Patel, which.

A lot of people.

Were asking, Who is Mona Patel?

It was her very first.

Time at the Met Gala.

But she is a philanthropist.

She's from.

India.

Originally she was in custom Iris van urban, styled by La Roche, who also styled Zendaya famously works.

And those butterflies that you were seeing on her arm, they moved.

So it was one of those really cool. Like.

Who is she? What is she.

Wearing? Moments.

I also want to talk about Ariana Grande and, um, her.

Bodice was.

Made out of pearl, which I think is really cool, a nod to that sort of natural theme. And her makeup was also stunning as well. Elle Fanning we were talking about.

In the green room in.

Balmain, she sort of looked like a melting ice sculpture, which I thought also spoke very well to the theme.

It was just.

It was such a fun night. I had so many favorite looks. Oh, and I also want to talk about Tyla. Um, looking like.

The Sands of Time.

She was my favorite.

Unbelievable.

Being carried on. Yeah.

Not the most.

Practical outfit, but I love the ones where you kind of take a second look. You look at it, you're like, oh, yeah, okay, wait, wait a minute. I remember Kim Kardashian's wet look from a few years ago. I did that, I said, wait, wait a minute. Oh my God, I see it. She looks soaking wet. And this did that for me where I just thought, oh my goodness, she's wearing sand, right?

Right. Really really cool. And who else did you love?

Love Lana Del Rey McQueen. Ah, a real night for Levi as well. Brittany Taylor Russell and of course Gigi in that Tom brown dress was phenomenal I loved it.

Yeah. Emily, what did you think of the theme overall and how people interpreted it? I thought it was great.

I think people went in different directions, which I think is always lovely with the Met Gala. Um, and it just was like a really vibrant, beautiful night. I think the carpet looked amazing. With all the green foliage. And I just think it was like, nice that people go in there different ways with their interpretation of the story.

Speaking of interpretations, the gift that keeps on giving after these is the trends in the memes that we see going on so well. What are some of your favorites there?

Well, we saw Tyler being carried up the stairs, which is like when you know you're committed to the bit if someone is moving your body up the staircase.

It was like a statue.

She stayed perfectly still.

Which, by the way, I'm going to next up a cardboard cutout. Next time I'm coming up the stairs down here from 2 to 3, I want John Santucci. If you're listening, I want to be carried up the stairs. The Lana Horn's okay, so while she was doing her Vogue interview at the top of the stairs, she had those big horns on. And so she would go to answer a question or listen to someone else answer the question. And Kim was like, having to duck out of the way of the horns. Watch it, watch it. And then Doja Cat in the towel. Obviously, everybody's talking about that moment as well, you know? How do you show up wearing just a towel or a wet t shirt? Which, by the way, Doja said, you would think that that's water, right? If you're going for a wet t shirt, look. Hair gel.

Oh, sticky sticky sticky.

So that brings me to my last question, Emily. How much does practicality go into all of this? Because, you know, it's one thing to have a dress that's a little uncomfortable or shoes, they're a little too high. But we are now seeing outfit after effort where people literally cannot walk without assistance from an army full right.

I think it is that one night of the year where practicality does go out the window. I mean, I love to put Ashley in a comfortable shoe because, you know, she has red carpets a lot in in a week. So for us, we're kind of mindful now of the shoe. Like we had some bespoke shoes made for her by Gina shoes for this event. Um, but normally it really is just like what looks good no matter if you're moving.

The dress doesn't.

We're going for it. Yeah. We're committed. I think you have to be committed to go.

If there's one night of the year where you're going to go for it, this is it also. Bravo. I mean, she just you to never miss when you work together. And last night was no exception.

She's a stunning woman, though. She. You know, it's it's not hard. She makes your dressing reveal.

Emily. You do it. Well, thank you so much for coming on. Well, thank you, as always. Love the jacket.

Thank you. A little garden of time here. You know, I went with flight attendant.

That's my.

Baby.

A deep tease for next year's Met Gala.

Somehow figure out how to work that into the theme later. Well, thank you both. And thank you at home for streaming with us. I'm Diane Macedo, ready for our next flight. ABC News Live is here any time with the latest news, context and analysis, and you can find us on various streaming services, the ABC news app and of course on ABC news.com, and.

Probably on a plane somewhere to.

The news never stops. We'll be right back.

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When it comes down to the way she treated us, it was tough love.

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Hi, I'm Jane Machado today on ABC News Live. First, former President Trump is now back in a Manhattan courtroom for what's expected to be a dramatic day of testimony in the criminal hush money trial against him. Stormy Daniels is expected to take the stand as the prosecution's second witness of the day. Right now, book publisher Sally Franken is on the stand. But again, the big focus will be Stormy Daniels, as prosecutors argue Trump orchestrated a last minute payment to the adult film star ahead of the 2016 election in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair with Trump. The charges are that Trump then falsified documents to cover up that payment charges Trump denies. Along with the affair, Daniels testimony comes a day after the jury got its first look at the allegedly fraudulent documents at the heart of the case, and after the judge fined Trump for a gag order violation warning the former president could face jail time if he violates that gag order again. ABC News senior investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky has the latest from outside court, along with ABC news executive editorial producer John Santucci and ABC news legal contributor Brian Meyer for more.

Aaron, this will likely be a tough day for the former president as he stands face to face with Stormy Daniels as she takes the stand today. What's the latest from the courtroom and what can you tell us about this first witness from prosecutors?

The first witness is a book publisher, and prosecutors had always planned to use some of Donald Trump's own words in his various books against him at this case, and one of them, you know, about how he conducts business going after somebody that wrongs him, how he always goes over his bills to make sure he's not overcharged. The defense has tried to portray Trump as a passive player in an alleged scheme that really, they've said involved Michael Cohen and others doing things, uh, kind of freelancing here, in Trump's own words. He's an active participant when he pays his bills. Similar testimony to what we heard yesterday about him signing cheques in his bookkeeper, saying he's he's involved in reading over everything that this payment and the reimbursements to Michael Cohen were intentional, prosecutors allege. But once she's finished and she's on cross-examination now, we'll get into Stormy Daniels. And it could be, as you say, a tough day, Diane, because the judge is going to allow Stormy Daniels to to say that she and Donald Trump had sex.

That's the claim that prosecutors say precipitated the $130,000 hush payment on the eve of the 2016 election.

And, John, they're going through and they're having Sally Franklin read excerpts from this book first, starting with how many times Trump appears on the cover. I think trying to hammer home that these words came from Donald Trump himself. And one of the quotes they read so far, I want to make sure I get it right. It's quote when somebody hurts, you just go after them as viciously and as violently as you can. And the quote goes on to say something like, if they screw you, you screw them back even harder. Uh, how damning are words like that when used in this context?

Horribly. Because at the end of the day, you know, in addition to proving their case about, you know, the money. And we'll talk more about those quotes in a second. They're also trying to talk about Donald Trump, the man, the character. Right. Obviously everybody knows, you know, his brash bravado that is out on the campaign trail, what people saw when he was living on Pennsylvania Avenue. But I think so much about his words and actions around the time of these payments is what they're also getting at. Look, Donald Trump wrote many, many books. He's known, obviously, famously, for writing the Art of the deal, which was the book that really catapulted him onto a national stage years ago, back in the late 80s. But he's written many books, a lot of books where he started to get into, you know, ideas of how to be a businessman, a little bit about politics. He wrote a lot of policies in one of his book. I'm trying to remember which one I know.

I read all of them, um, part of my fun job. But, you know, there's comments about, you know, certain ways that he felt on domestic policy that he actually changed over time. But a lot of those words that he talks about, he talks about the way that he ran his business and several of his books he quotes and talks about interactions he had with Allen Weisselberg, with Jeff Mcconney, and one of the other quotes in the book that she just read on the stand now is always check your invoices. It plays right into the heart of this case, Diane, which is that Donald Trump, the prosecutors are arguing new where every dollar and cent was going. It talks a lot about what Jeff Mcconney was speaking to yesterday on the stand, how closely he tracked it, the fact that they had to send checks that he could personally sign down to Washington because he was so meticulous about certain accounts, that one account, of course, being the one that reimbursed Michael Cohen for the payments to Stormy Daniels.

Now, here's the thing that's actually, you know, in one way, you could argue a little bit, you know, the defense trying to make this trial go longer, keep it boring. But this is where I actually think it's a bad move on their part. If they had just accepted that Donald Trump had said these things, if they had just accepted that these were books and statements he had written, you necessarily wouldn't have a character witness like the publisher for one of his books up there reading it into the record. But nevertheless, here we are. And I think that this is where, as jurors are sitting there and we know from our team, myself, others that have been sitting there watching these jurors, they watch everything, many of them taking notes throughout all of these proceedings.

Diane, Brian, I want to read another quote to you on that note that Santucci is pointing out. And it's I always try to read my bills to make sure I'm not being overcharged. Don't be obsessive about it, but check through your bills from time to time. Later, he talks about asking his financial department for what he calls a financial small shot. And the quote is, if I didn't check up on it regularly, I would be in big financial trouble and I would have no one to blame but myself. Always look at the numbers yourself. What does that do for the defense is an attempt to try to distance Donald Trump from these payments and invoice, and allegedly falsified documents to cover up this hush money payment.

I mean, if I'm Donald Trump's defense, I don't know how. It makes it remarkably difficult. We have this custodial witness on the stand, because they are the ones who can testify to the authenticity of the book and also its words itself. And you are literally using the words of the defendant to disprove what his attorneys have been arguing, that there might be some distance between Donald Trump and these payments. He seems to be a very meticulous individual, and that's why he's amassed the wealth that he has over the course of his lifetime. Uh, and that's what makes him a businessman. So many people come to know, and I don't know how the defense then goes out there and says, you know what? He's multi-tasking. He's signing things he doesn't know. He know even his words. I think if we were to play this, this clip right now, he goes back and forth, his attorney saying it was a legal expense. I knew it was a legal expense. We what are you supposed to write down for a legal expense?

He's not using his own words to distance himself in the way that his attorneys are trying to.

And it's it looks like cross-examination has just concluded. And the defense is just trying really to emphasize that reading these small excerpts from books doesn't paint the full picture. But, Erin, of course, the big focus today is Stormy Daniels. She's expected to take the stand today. And before she even made it into the court, before the jury even made it into court, there was a big debate over what exactly Stormy Daniels will be allowed to say today. And the prosecution can ask, so what do you expect to hear from her today?

Any minute. Stormy Daniels is expected to be called to the witness stand, Diane. And the defense is saying in a case about books and records. Her description of her claim of a sexual encounter with Donald Trump has no place. The judge believes there's some place because the judge has said that Stormy Daniels has some credibility issues, and the prosecutors want the jury to understand her claim was real, that she claimed the two of them, Donald Trump. Stormy Daniels had sex, 2006, in California. I think it was Lake Tahoe. And they want the jury to understand there was a predicate for the $130,000 hush payment. So while the judge said some of the more lurid details about the encounter are off limits. Stormy Daniels can get into it a little bit. The defense doesn't want any of that in. I would expect frequent objections if the testimony strays too far from the sort of the straight and narrow, but Stormy Daniels is going to tell the jury about this alleged encounter that Trump denies. And then they have already seen the $130,000 wire transfer that Michael Cohen made to to Stormy Daniels lawyer at the time, Keith Davidson.

And John, I'm sure at least a little bit is still more than what Trump would like to have to listen to while sitting in that courtroom.

Would love to hear none of it. I mean, this is one day if Donald Trump could get a, you know, absentee or call out sick day, this would be the day. Now, all of this is going to be hard for him and I. And I think just to see what he does, you know, it's pretty dramatic. When a witness enters this courtroom, they come out from a door right behind Donald Trump. They walk right behind him. They walk in right next to him. He clearly will have a visual of Stormy Daniels walking up to the witness stand. It's his choice. Does he want to look her way? Does he not want to look her way? But here's the thing. Can't put earplugs in, can't get up and walk out. He's got to sit there and hear all of it.

All right. Aaron Katersky, John Santucci, Brian Buck Meyer. We are now just moments away, we think, from Stormy Daniels taking the stand in this trial. And we will be following those updates all day long as we hear testimony from a book publisher Sally Franklin. She just came off the stand. And again, we expect that adult film actress Stormy Daniels will be called in just a moment. We'll bring you the latest right here on ABC News Live. Coming up, hopes for a cease fire fade where IDF troops are moving in Gaza and how the white House is responding. Also ahead, a deadly tornado outbreak. At least 16 twisters reported in six states, leaving a trail of destruction. We're on the scene and tracking more severe weather on the move. Stay with us.

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Welcome back to ABC News Live. Stormy Daniels is expected to take the stand today. Any minute now, in the criminal hush money trial against former President Trump. Prosecutors argued Trump orchestrated a $130,000 hush money payment to the adult film star ahead of the 2016 election, in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair with Trump, and that Trump then falsified business records to cover up that payment. Trump denies the charges and the affair. We'll have updates from the court throughout the day. Stay with us. Meanwhile, the Israeli military says it's taken control of the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing and what it calls a counterterrorism operation. As of right now, the IDF says it's killed about 20 people it calls terrorists. This comes just after Hamas announced it agreed to a cease fire proposal. Foreign correspondent Marcus Moore has the latest from Tel Aviv.

Israel launched a ground operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The IDF saying it killed 20 members of Hamas and found three operational tunnel shafts, and they have taken control of the critical Rafah crossing. This morning, videos show Israeli flags now flying on the Palestinian side of the border. This is Hamas says they are willing to accept a new ceasefire proposal. The deal, a different agreement than one proposed by Israel, includes a permanent end of military operations and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from areas adjacent to the border inside Gaza. Israel, now reviewing the plan but has yet to agree to these terms. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying Hamas's counteroffer is, quote, far from Israel's core demands, which included a six week ceasefire and releasing some Palestinian prisoners for up to 33 hostages. Despite the uncertainty, crowds in Gaza celebrating Hamas's announcement. While in Tel Aviv today, relatives of hostages demonstrated in front of the U.S. consulate demanding the Israeli government accept the deal. Do you worry that this operation in Rafah will affect the the efforts to to release the hostages?

Yes. I'm afraid that they will all be dead.

The family of Hirsch Goldberg, Poland, who's been held hostage by Hamas since October 7th, speaking with us this morning.

It's been 214 days. We need to be reunited with our loved ones. We're not going to solve everything in the Middle East right now. Today, let's get our loved ones out. Let's bring a calm to the region.

And Diane, today we are here at Hostage Square, where the memorials you see behind me, uh, pay homage to those being held captive right now in the midst of this war. And while the IDF said overnight that their latest operation in Rafah is limited in scale, the relatives of some of those being held hostage feared what the outcome could mean for their loved ones. Diane.

Foreign correspondent Marcus Moore in Israel, thank you. And senior white House correspondent Selina Wang joins me now for more on this. Selena, where do ceasefire talks stand right now and what role is the U.S. playing?

Well, Diane, the president.

Has been very hands on in these negotiations. And in fact, he spoke to Netanyahu for 30 minutes yesterday. But, Diane, that was before Hamas announced that they had accepted a deal. But U.S. officials are telling me that essentially what Hamas did was offer a counter proposal. So now you have U.S. officials in the region working in real time with their counterparts to find some way to try and save and salvage this deal. The big question is, can they find some sort of middle ground? Because what Hamas wants is a complete cessation, permanent end to fighting, whereas the U.S. and Israeli side have been pushing for this six week pause in fighting for the release of dozens of hostages, with the US side hoping that that could build into more lasting peace.

And Selena. President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke yesterday, but Netanyahu still vowing to go into Rafah despite US opposition to that. So what did that conversation accomplish?

Yeah, Diane. Well, during that call, we know that the president reiterated his stance on RAF awarding Netanyahu not to invade. For weeks now, the US administration has been deeply concerned about a large scale military operation in Rafah and densely populated areas that would significantly worsen the already severe humanitarian crisis. Now, I just spoke to a US official who said, what we're seeing right now is not that, not yet, but they are still very concerned about what Israel could do next. And remember, Netanyahu had been warned by President Biden that if he doesn't do more to protect civilians and get more aid into Gaza, that, well, the U.S. could change its policy. That threat still stands, Diane.

Now, Selena, the president will be speaking later this morning to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day. What can we expect from his remarks?

Yeah, Diane. Well, really, the speech is going to be as much about the past as it is about the president. The president is going to talk about the horrors of what happened during the Holocaust and what Hamas did to Israel. He's going to also condemn the rise in anti-Semitism across the country since October 7th. But to say that this speech comes at a difficult time for the president would be an understatement. Democrats, young people, more progressive, part of his party. They're very frustrated with his handling of the war in Gaza. You've seen these pro-Palestinian protests erupt across college campuses. Then on the other side, you have Republicans who are seizing this moment, blaming the president for not doing enough to combat anti-Semitism and slamming the president for what they're calling chaos across these college campuses. So look, with this speech, the president is going to try to cool tensions, but the question of whether or not he can achieve that, well, it's going to be a very, very difficult balance to strike, Diane.

Senior white House correspondent Selina Wang, thank you. And now to the deadly weather outbreak in the middle of the country. At least one person is dead after 16 tornadoes were reported in six states. ABC News Chief Meteorologist Ginger Zee is in Hard-Hit Barnsdall, Oklahoma with the latest. Reporter. The power went out. Large tornado.

Tornado on the ground. Violent storms sweeping across the Great Plains.

Highway 123 in Barnsdall. It's going to be for a tornado hit there.

In Barnsdall, Oklahoma. At least one person was killed and several injured after a tornado ripped through that town north of Tulsa. Are you.

Okay?

The sheriff telling us that many buildings were destroyed. This family with a baby and their dog. There you go.

I got you, I got you.

Having to be rescued from their badly damaged home.

To me, it felt like. It felt like a long time.

It probably wasn't just to the northeast in Bartlesville. Chaos at a Hampton Inn. Authorities say they rescued several people trapped in that hotel. Emergency crews urging people to stay off the roads after a twister left significant damage. We were chasing the destructive tornadoes hours earlier northwest of Oklahoma City. We're about six miles from a tornado warned storm just to our northwest, and it is rain wrapped, meaning that the rain is obscuring the actual tornado. But it's already shown debris on the radar, so we know it's in there.

Footage of where the tornado just went through and Smithville.

Severe storms also pounding Tennessee. A tornado tearing through Smithville just southeast of Nashville.

Out of nowhere, uh, wind started picking up and I saw debris flying over. Where?

We arrived not long ago here in Barnsdall, Oklahoma. The debris field in just this one spot tells you about the power of this storm. You can see that truck crushed the home in the distance. There's still. We're working on search and rescue. That's why we couldn't even get into the main town that's over the creek there. So we've still got a whole day ahead of severe weather. It kind of focuses on that Ohio River Valley, Cincinnati, Columbus, Lexington and Indianapolis. But what we'll end up doing is getting another storm. And this whole Wednesday into Thursday covers a huge area East Coast, down to Gulf Coast on Thursday and focus on little Rock in Memphis on Wednesday. So a lot to cover this week, Diane.

Chief meteorologist ginger zee. Thank you. Coming up, Social Security concerns a new report says the funds could run short by 2035. The impact it would have and what it means for your retirement. Also ahead, the Knicks take game one in the second round of the NBA playoffs. How the Empire State Building is celebrating and how Nike is celebrating Jalen Brunson.

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Welcome back. A new report on Social Security and Medicare warns the two programs could run out of money in a decade. This is an ABC news poll shows more people support rather than oppose, a TikTok ban. ABC news business reporter Alexis Christopher has more on that and your other business headlines. Alexis, what are you watching today?

Hey, thanks so.

Much, Diane.

Watching Social Security, because by the year 2035, Social Security is expected to be exhausted. Now that is one year later than previously forecast. Still, after that, recipients will only be able to receive 83% of benefits owed. That's according to a report from the program's trustees. Now, that same report shows Medicare is expected to be able to cover scheduled inpatient hospital benefits until 2036, actually five years later than last year's projections. Now, the fate of both Social Security and Medicare is once again an issue in the presidential campaign. President Biden and his presumptive Republican rival, former President Trump, have promised to protect these entitlement programs, but neither have rolled out detailed proposals to address the shortfalls. More people are for a ban on TikTok than they are against it. A new ABC News Ipsos poll finds 51% of adults say the US government should try to force a sale of the Chinese owned app. 46% say it should not, while 53% support a ban on TikTok if it's not sold to a non-Chinese company. President Biden signed a new law just last month that would ban TikTok in the US, unless it's sold to a non-Chinese buyer in the next 9 to 12 months.

Now, critics say the app can be used by the Chinese government to improperly gather information about its users and to spread misinformation. TikTok denies this and some good news for gamers. Nintendo says it will unveil its next generation Nintendo Switch by March of next year. That would be just in time for the switch. Is ten year anniversary hard to believe while Nintendo has updated its flagship device over the years with new screens and accessories and upgrades, it is still fundamentally the same device that it was just about nine years ago. Diane.

Alexis. Christopher. Thank you. And NBA playoff fever is heating up as teams tip off the second round. Last night, the Timberwolves dominated the nuggets and now lead the series by two games. And it was a nail biter in the East as the Knicks edged out the Pacers in the first game of that series. ABC's Will Reeve has the highlights.

Knicks fans enjoying the game. One win in the Big Apple.

As a 90s.

Rivalry is reborn.

To the New York Knicks, New York holding.

On in a thriller.

Beating the Indiana Pacers.

121.

To 117.

Brunson three. Makes it a two point game.

Star point guard Jalen Brunson exceptional once again, scoring 43 points. Isaiah Hartenstein draining this deep buzzer beater to end the first half to seven. The teams trading baskets for most of the frenetic game.

Three pointer.

Knicks fans ecstatic on the streets of New York Post game. Even the Empire State Building celebrating overnight. Nike unveiling a new billboard near Madison Square Garden for.

Brunson, who.

Becomes the first player since Michael Jordan to score.

40 plus points in.

Four straight playoff games.

I might go in thinking I need to score 40. That's not the my mindset at all moments has to be aggressive to make plays for myself or for others.

And in the Western Conference. The Minnesota.

Timberwolves.

Dominated the defending champion Denver Nuggets, a.

26 point.

Win in Denver.

So the champs are.

On the ropes down oh two. And Minnesota did it without star Rudy Gobert, who was back home awaiting the birth of his child. But they did have Anthony Edwards, who keeps building his case to be the game's best player. Diane.

All right. Well, Reeve, thank you. And thank you for streaming with us. I'm Diane Macedo. ABC News Live is here for you anytime with the latest news, context and analysis. We'll be right back.

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Welcome back to ABC News Live. First I'm Diane Macedo and it is expected to be a dramatic day in former President Trump's criminal criminal hush money trial. Book publisher Sally Franken just concluded her testimony. And that means Stormy Daniels is expected to take the stand next. Prosecutors argued Trump orchestrated a last minute, $130,000 payment to the adult film star ahead of the 2016 election, in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair. They then alleged Trump falsified documents to cover up that payment. Trump has denied the charges and the affair. Daniels testimony comes just a day after the jury got its first look at the allegedly fraudulent documents at the heart of the case, and after the judge fined Trump for a 10th gag order violation, warning that the former president could face jail time if he violates that gag order. Again, I want to bring an ABC news executive editorial producer John Santucci, along with ABC news legal contributor Brian Buckmaster for more. John, what's the latest from our team inside the court?

Stormy Daniels literally this second was just called to the stand. Diane. Prosecutors calling her in. So she's making her way to the stand and look to be a fly on that wall to see what's happening in that courtroom right now. As we talked about a couple minutes ago, the door for witnesses to enter is right behind Donald Trump. Literally, the distance between you and I right now, Diane. So she has to walk behind Donald Trump, go through the, you know, little gilded rope, if you will. And she's up on the stand and we'll take it. And listen. We knew that Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen were going to be the most difficult witnesses for Donald Trump to sit there and listen to. And really important point there, he has to sit there and listen to. This is not like the civil cases that Donald Trump became so familiar with late last year. We could come and go as he pleases. As you well know, he has to be there for all of these proceedings.

And we know that prosecutors have been very careful in really saying any of the witnesses that would be on the stand, because Donald Trump has been known throughout the proceedings, even leading up to them to attack witnesses. It's part of the reason why Judge Merchan has now hit Donald Trump with ten violations of this gag order. This morning, when prosecutors informed the defense team that Stormy Daniels would take the stand, Donald Trump put out a comment on Truth Social, saying he's been informed who the next witness was. Wouldn't say. But what's interesting is that that was immediately deleted because, again, Donald Trump knows that he is really right on the line here with attacking witnesses. And this judge now saying that if you violate the gag order again, I am going to potentially put you in jail. I will just note from our team in court, Diane, they said her stage name, which is interesting, the people called Stormy Daniels Zinger stage name instead of her birth name, which of course is Stephanie Clifford.

Brian, what are you listening for when Stormy Daniels takes the stand?

So, as we heard before, the prosecution ultimately brought Stormy Daniels to testify. Today, there was this back and forth about how deep she would go into the actual alleged encounter between her and Donald Trump. I want to see where the prosecution draws that line, how much information, how much salacious information, actually, we're going to hear about Donald Trump, not because they want to hear anything to in depth to this relationship, but from a legal standpoint, can the prosecution create an appellate issue that Donald Trump can then argue down the road to say that this went beyond just a documents case into just trying to damage and embarrass the defendant, and that could have affected the result. And so I want to see how the prosecution walks that line going forward.

And John, while former President Trump has to sit there, as you said, he cannot leave. So he's face to face with Stormy Daniels right now. He also has his son in court with him today. What are you hearing in terms of the dynamics in the courtroom?

Well, it's interesting, I mean, Eric Trump actually tweeted from the courtroom, you know, he can attack the case. He's not a part of the gag order. He's not a defendant. You know, again, attacking the prosecutors, saying this is a, you know, a nonsense case. No reason to do this. While Donald Trump, of course, is running for president. I will just bring us back into the courtroom because our team is just rapid firing us with updates. Stormy Daniels entered the courtroom. According to ABC's Luke Brueggemann. Draped in all black. Did not glance over at former President Donald Trump as she took the witness stand. She's wearing glasses and her hair is is held up with some blonde highlights. It looks like, um, Susan Hoffner, who, of course, is the lead prosecutor for Manhattan Da Alvin Bragg, is leading the questioning. Daniels is saying that she is testifying as part of a subpoena in this case, which we know all the witnesses here, Diane, have had.

It is interesting, though. It does look like, based on our reporting, Donald Trump did keep his eye on Stormy Daniels as she, as we talked about, navigated into the courtroom and made it up to the witness stand. We know that Donald Trump is not been the same with every witness, right? Certain witnesses he's looked at, others he couldn't be bothered with. But again, I think this really is interesting. And now Aaron Katersky is reporting that as he's watching Stormy Daniels, his head is tilted, looking right at her. It just really speaks to, you know, the heart of this case. This is a witness that we all knew is going to be rather difficult for Donald Trump to have to sit and listen to. And now here we are now.

John, there was a lot of back and forth before the jury was brought into the courtroom this morning over what the prosecution would be allowed to ask Stormy Daniels what she would be allowed to say on the stand and what is considered out of bounds. So what what are we going to hear today and what are we not going to do?

Well, so I think that, you know, there was a big question about how much of that night, you know, if we know that night, we know we're both talking about here, as is our viewers, how much of that night they were going to get into. It seems like that scope is going to be limited. They're not going to get into too much detail. And again, I think the reason the defense really, you know, went in and leaned into that argument, as we've been hearing for the last several months leading up to this case, Donald Trump, um, has told people that this is embarrassing for him. You know, one of the things I had heard is that he really didn't want his family to attend any of these proceedings. I must admit, I'm quite surprised that Eric Trump, the former president's third son, is in the courtroom today. I just think that's really remarkable because, again, Donald Trump is told people, you know, don't don't be around on this day.

It's going to be, you know, rather challenging. But I also think, you know, the opposite can be true at the same time, right? Having people around you that can keep you calm. Right. So we know that yesterday while Jeff Mcconney was on the stand, which was clearly a very, you know, frustrating day for Donald Trump, given a longtime employee spilling all several of his other attorneys, attorneys for the Trump Organization were there, I believe with that purpose today, in addition to Eric Trump, Alina Haba, who's another attorney for Donald Trump, very close to the former president, of course, served as lead. One of the lead counsels on the New York attorney generals case, serving that purpose. Again, I think just to help keep him calm.

And, Brian, they're now asking Stormy Daniels about her background. She says that she was raised in Louisiana by her mother. She grew up in a low income households. She edited her high school newspaper. Uh, where do you think the prosecution is going? Here. Why lay down this background so long before she ever met Donald Trump? Why lay down this foundation?

I think in many ways it's to humanize the witness, as we often do with so many witnesses. But don't forget, we always think of Stormy Daniels, the porn star actress. I think they want to try to show Stormy Daniels, even though they're using her stage name, the person, by giving some kind of insight to her background, her history, how she grew up, that she is just like you or I was, so to speak, in many ways. And I think in humanizing her, it makes it, uh, help the argument that she's a credible individual, that she has a purpose for telling the story and even ties in with the fact that she's being subpoenaed. Oftentimes, the defense will argue that if someone is not subpoenaed, they're there voluntarily. And so what is the it that they're trying to search for and testifying today? But she's under subpoena. They're giving background and humanizing her. And I think they're leading up to this is a person that's credible. This is the person you should listen to.

Now here's her story.

Brian. They also now seem to be trying to paint the picture of how she became a porn star and adult film actress, however you want to phrase it, uh, seeming to try to humanize that aspect of all of this too. Pointing out that she says she was a friend of hers, was an exotic dancer, and invited her to a club to dance when she was just in high school, and that they didn't check her ID, and she said that she realized that she could make more money in one weekend than she would shoveling manure for eight hours a day. How important is that part of this picture?

Yeah. So I've never really represented adult film actress, but I have represented individuals where people would say, well, you're in a game or you sell drugs, you must have come across those two lifestyles only because of negative reasons. You must have liked killing people, or you like selling drugs because it it gives you so much. But when you have an opportunity to explain, there's a real human reason why people get into these professions, as good or bad as you are. The descriptions I gave her purely criminal. Being an adult film actress is not criminal, but you humanize why a person would turn to that lifestyle, to that profession, and now people are not looking at it as, oh, you just have sex for fun and you got paid for it. Now it's oh, times were tough. You were introduced to us by a friend. You were trying to make ends meet, just as we all are in this world. I think again, it goes to humanization and building the credibility of the witness.

John, what are you hearing about how the jury is reacting to this testimony?

It's fascinating. Our Luke Brueggemann writing right now that almost all of the jurors are looking up at Stormy Daniels right now. They are very few jotting notes. One of the things in the courtroom with the setup, Diane, kind of like I have my laptop here in front of me. The jurors have monitors in front of them, and the monitors pull in different feeds from the courtroom. They pull in the witness, they pull in the prosecutors, they pull in the judge. They pull in the defense table. So that way, if you're a juror, you can kind of watch everybody at the same time, because we know so much of what juries look at is body language, reactions, etc., both from both sides, prosecutors and especially the defendant. According to our team, nobody is looking at the monitors. They are all head on looking at Stormy Daniels and Donald Trump. According to our team, his gaze is downward or straight ahead. He's looking either, you know, away from Stormy Daniels or down at his feet.

And I can tell you from, you know, knowing, um, while he was watching Hope Hicks the other day, that was pretty much the same thing. He closed his eyes at some point because just couldn't bring himself to watch. I think that's what we're seeing right now. It's also interesting that, you know, Stormy Daniels has been on the stand just for a matter of moments. Donald Trump is already, according to our Luke Brueggemann, pulled out a Sharpie, jotting down notes, passing it over to his lead attorney, Todd Blanch. Because, again, we know Donald Trump believes he's his own best attorney and spokesperson. You got to admit, right now he's passing notes to Blanch, to again hit a little bit of what we were learning from that publisher earlier. Right. If somebody hits you how to hit back. Donald Trump has always said famously, I'm not a puncher, I'm a counterpuncher. I am certain right now he is sending notes to Blanche, basically saying to destroy her when they get their chance.

Now, Brian Daniels is now testifying about how she went from that high school girl in the club to posing in magazines. You know, she says that she started that at 21 so that she could elevate her dancing career because she says the quote here is, if you're just a regular girl in the club, that's one thing. But if you're a Playboy centerfold, you became the headliner. Are prosecutors just trying to paint her as someone who was just sort of trying to make it, trying to elevate her career, trying to figure out a way to get by, like so many of us.

I think that's exactly what they're trying to do. But as a defense attorney, I would say be careful where you're going with that, because a big part of the defense's argument is that Stormy Daniels and many others are extorting Donald Trump, that he is kind of the quote unquote, cash cow, so to speak, and that this is an individual who is using a story to get one over on Donald Trump. And so they've got to toe the line. Yes, we understand that you came to this, this career path. Um, because like many of us have, you said, are just trying to make ends meet and try to make a living out here, but you don't want to get to the point where you're doing so much that Stormy Daniels that looks for a person as an opportunity to make money. And so it's going to be interesting. And I agree with John. Uh, Donald Trump is probably writing fever as I'm reading the song notes about destroying. When she gets up there, he's probably writing that.

He's like, look, she's going for opportunities. I was an opportunity. Make sure you highlight this when you cross-examine her.

Well, and they're now going into how posing and magazines turned into adult film, she says. At 23, she traveled to Los Angeles with a friend. She was a background actor in a film at that time, and one of the producers approached her, and she's talking about being scared to do it. We just got another update in, um. She produced, she said she's produced over 150 films and won multiple awards. She says she was one of the youngest, if not the youngest featured director. So now it sounds like we're going from how I got into this as a scared young woman to accolades Brian, why go in that direction again?

I think you were continuing this theme of humanization, but then also I'm expecting that at some point, uh, they're going to portray Stormy Daniels as kind of like the creme de la creme, the the crown jewel of her industry at the time in which Donald Trump, uh, was the same in the reality TV show and the real estate industry. And so I think you're going to get this intersection of, here's this adult film actress at the top of her game, and then here's this real estate mogul at the top of his game. This is why they connect. This is why he's interested in her. This is why the relationship occurs. And I think we'll just continue down that that that kind of road as to how they're connected and why we're now in this case, I think it's storytelling in many ways.

And Brian, speaking of the storytelling part, she just testified that she was in music videos for maroon five, that she acted in movies like 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, and the the prosecutor asked her to slow down. She's apparently talking really fast, and it seems like they really want to make sure the jury hears that. Filmography. Movies like the 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, which presumably many of the jurors, if not all of them, have seen. Why is that important?

It's again, we've got to place her in the stratosphere of Donald Trump as to why those two would have intersected at the time of 2006, when this alleged sexual interaction occurred. Uh, it wouldn't make sense for, for like, a nobody or some low level adult film actress to interact with Donald Trump. Uh, we know that he's a person of very fine taste of in terms of having attractive people around him and, and beautiful large towers that he always says are the biggest and the most beautiful. I think they're trying to create this narrative of, this is why this man, in one way or another, sought after this woman, this is why this interaction occurred between the two of them, and that led to the need to silence her. I think, again, it's all just storytelling and trying to get the jury to understand an understanding jury, whether you're understanding the defense or the prosecution, is always, in my mind, halfway to convincing them that your theory of the case, that your stance on the case is correct.

So get the jury to understand Stormy Daniels, get them to believe her, get them to believe that Donald Trump falsified these documents, get that guilty verdict. That's the prosecution's plan.

Brian. They also just asked her about a podcast, and she said she made remarks about Trump, but that she doesn't work there anymore, that she got fired because she didn't want to keep talking about Trump. She said I was reluctant to continue talking about that one narrative about this case and about politics. What does that do for the defense's attempt to try to paint her as an opportunist?

So we know the defense is going to more likely than not use prior statements of Stormy Daniels against her to try to challenge her credibility, to try to prove, or at least show that she's in it for an opportunity. Think of the same way the prosecution brought in custodial witnesses to try to confront Donald Trump, uh, that he is heavily involved in the campaign, heavily involved in management of his finances and signing of invoices. All of the stuff we heard from the book. The prosecution is trying to pre-empt those issues that they know the defense is going to bring up by bringing up that she worked in these environments, that she made these comments and getting an understanding as to why she stopped and give color as to why she gave those comments, to try to forecast any kind of issue that might happen on cross-examination.

And John, we seem to have jumped from Stormy Daniels talking about her history, how she grew up, how she got into this career, how she then developed that career to now we're jumping ahead to a podcast that obviously happened after her encounter with Donald Trump after this case. Yeah. How do you expect or what are you listening for when they actually get into how she met Donald Trump and how this whole alleged affair happened?

I think basically what they're doing is they're bookending her life. Right. Sort of, you know, where she's been the last little bit of time and how it began. And now they're going to sort of move towards the center here because I think what they're preparing for and think about, you know, the opening statement prosecutors gave where they had to own a little bit of Michael Cohen here. Right. That's where they're really going to have to own basically Stormy Daniels and how she's talked about Donald Trump in the in the most recent compared to 2006. I will say that according to our team, um, the gears have flipped a little. Now in the courtroom, according to our boss, Susan Hoffner, has shifted the top aide of Trump. They are now asking Stormy Daniels about her role at the Lake Tahoe golf tournament. Of course, that is where, as we know, Daniels met Donald Trump in 2006.

And that story will keep unfolding. But, Brian, I want to ask you about the notes part of it, because former President Trump, all this is happening apparently is looking down or looking away from Daniels and also repeatedly writing notes and passing them to his attorney. When you're in a case like this, what kind of notes is a client writing? I know, obviously you don't know what's written on these specific notes, but in general, I know this is something that happens a lot. So paint that picture for us.

Yeah. So you have to understand, as a defense attorney, you are in two places at once. Mentally at least, you're listening to the direct examination of a witness that the prosecutor is asking questions of. But you also have a client next to you, and that client is writing notes. Either I categorize them in two, um, twofold. Either one, their frustration of what's being said about them. And you've got to mitigate how they're feeling about that at that time, while still focusing on the testimony or two, they are giving you the greatest insight you could ever get into what the witness is saying. There is no better source of information about the authenticity, the credibility, the truthfulness. However you want to put it, of the events that a witness is testifying about when your client is involved, then your client. And so Donald Trump might be giving insight to that's a lie. This is incorrect. This is how it happened. I didn't turn left, I turned right. It can be as small as that or it can be as big as that statement is completely false.

I did not say that I said this. And so it can be helpful. It can be just mitigating emotions. But that's basically what you're going through. And you have those feverish notes being handed to you from a client in an environment like this.

And so far, Daniels is saying that that particular encounter in 2006 was just a very brief encounter on the golf course. But Brian, I want to go to the challenge for the defense here because Donald Trump has repeatedly denied this affair ever happened. Now, what's said outside court sometimes is different than what happens inside court. So do his attorneys now have the burden of trying to disprove this affair happened at all, or can they just leave that alone and just try to focus on on the payments? And what happened in relation to the hush money payment here?

Figure in this case operates in what I would say is two different courts and the court of law. Defense never has any burden to disprove the elements of the case or disprove any kind of ancillary issues like did or did. Did a relationship happen or did it not happen? But I think in the court of public opinion, in the way that this case has, has kind of veered itself, I think the defense may embrace, um, this kind of like pseudo, um, responsibility of trying to disprove that the actual incidents occurred. We've never seen the conversation or the questioning of Stormy Daniels as to whether or not this interaction happened. In a criminal setting. Cross-examination is very different in a criminal setting than it is in an interview, as it is in the civil context. And so I think this might be Donald Trump's attempt or opportunity to disparage the credibility of, um, Stormy Daniels and in his mind, prove that this is all false. And I think they may step into that even though they don't have to.

They can be very surgical and just go about, you don't know the documents, you don't know when they were signed. All you know is you got money in your bank account and Michael Cohen was involved. You don't know that Donald Trump was involved. They could go that route. But I think they're they're probably more inclined to attack the credibility and the actual story as to whether or not this occurred.

And while we wait to hear more of that testimony, I want to bring in ABC News Deputy Political Director Avery Harper on the politics side, because Avery, as Trump is in this courtroom, he can't be on the campaign trail. And as we talked about, uh, earlier with Trump and this alleged affair, a new poll shows 80% of Trump supporters would still support him if he's convicted of a crime, 20% unsure or won't. So how significant is this case to the presidential election? Right.

I think it's really important to look at the number that's on the opposite side of that poll question. Yes, we.

Know that there.

Has been a great deal of his supporters that would still support him despite the fact or if he is convicted of a crime. But 20% did not answer that. They would continue to support him. If he is convicted of a crime. 16% say they would reconsider their support for the former president, and 4% say they would withdraw that support altogether. That could matter in a race that is likely going to be won or lost with very slim margins. And so this is something that the Trump campaign has to think about as they are continuing to campaign and to think about how to keep their supporters on their side.

And Stormy Daniels was just asked to identify former President Trump in court. She apparently set up slightly in her chair and said, Navy blue jacket second at the table. Uh, Jonah, I want to go to you on that point. And Avery, thanks for breaking down the politics. But, John, I want to go back to what's happening inside that courtroom right now because Donald Trump, as you said, has avoided eye contact. He's been looking at the floor. He's been looking away from Stormy Daniels. He's been writing notes. What's the significance of that moment for him to have to sit there while she identifies him? That's the guy I'm talking about.

I mean, think about every episode of Law and Order you've probably watched in your life, right? How many times have we all seen the person on the witness stand point to the person that's being accused saying, is that the guy? Is that the girl? Is that the person? Is that the one that happened that night? That is what is going on in that courtroom right now. And to think that as a former president of the United States, someone is sitting on a witness stand and identifying you as the person involved in any criminal activity, right? I mean, obviously that night's not the crime, but it's what happened thereafter. That's just, again, as we've said, humiliating for Donald Trump. I think the idea that, you know, even Stormy Daniels had to, like, lean forward. I mean, one of the things we've heard and we're trying to, you know, get a sense from talking to some witnesses here, some have said that it's pretty hard to see Donald Trump from their position in the courtroom because, you know, again, you have the judge's desk a little higher, you know, the way the courtroom is positioned, etc.

. But to think that there was a moment where she's having to lean over and look and say, yep, that's the guy. I mean, I wonder if we see, you know, what the review is from Donald Trump, what he's doing. Our team's reporting right now that Trump in Blanch are just sitting there going through paperwork, not really paying attention. There is a photo that apparently was just shown in the courtroom to our friends in the control room. Kate, I don't know if we have it, but it's a photo of Stormy Daniels and Donald Trump together at that golf club during that golf tournament. And that really is what prosecutors are going to say is that, you know, for Donald Trump denying the affair, I never met her. I never saw her. Unfortunately, as we know, Donald Trump is always the person that takes a photo any chance he can get. And there is a photo from that golf tournament of a smiling Donald Trump in a yellow polo, as jurors were just sown next to Stormy Daniels.

Brian, they're also talking about ages here. Daniels testified that she was 27 on that day when she met Donald Trump. And she said, I didn't know his age, but I knew he was as old or older than my father. Noting that her father was 60 at the time. They're also showing another photo of Trump at the golf outing wearing the identical outfits. So they seem to be going through these photos from that day to show. Stormy Daniels apparently isn't making this up. Here are photos of the two of them together. Clearly, she's recounting this day they met, and here are the photos to show that they did. Brian, what do you think about this line of questioning?

It's it's it's strong testimony doesn't go to the actual question of whether or not Donald Trump was guilty of these charges. But any time you have testimony from a witness and then corroboration through another form of evidence, it only bolsters the credibility of that individual. Where, as John is pointed out in the past, Donald Trump has said, I don't even know who this person was. There's the photo there, I believe. Now, um, who could this person be? And now you have Stormy Daniels saying, no, I didn't meet him there. Um, and here is the proof to do so testimony and corroboration. It makes it for a very powerful combination in front of the jury.

And, Brian, what about the age gap? Why highlight the fact that she was just 27 and clearly significantly younger than the former president in this picture?

I mean, maybe I'm a little jaded. I've practiced in in Manhattan, Brooklyn as well, but I think the overall idea here for the prosecution is because the difference in age has nothing to do with the allegations, is to try to maybe present a that Donald Trump was or that Stormy Daniels felt that he was in a position of power because he was older and who he was, and that there was some level of when the paychecks came and she was told to keep quiet. She did so because of who he was both in age and power. That's the only thing that I can surmise of that, because there's really no there's really no relevance as to his age or her age at the time that they met, because nothing, uh, in that interaction has anything to do with the case other than they know each other.

All right. Well, we're going to take a very quick break. John Santucci, Brian Buck Meyer. Thank you. And obviously stick around with me because we're following this trial all day as we hear testimony from adult film actress Stormy Daniels on the stand right now. We will bring you the latest on that right after this break. Keep it here.

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Hi, I'm Diane Macedo today on ABC News Live. First, it's a dramatic day in former President Trump's criminal hush money case. Stormy Daniels is on the stand right now, testifying as a key witness in this historic trial. Prosecutors argued Trump orchestrated a $130,000 payment to Daniels ahead of the 2016 election in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair, and then falsified documents to cover up those payments. Trump has denied the charges and the affair, and now he and Stormy Daniels are face to face in court. ABC News senior investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky has the latest from court, along with ABC news executive editorial producer John Santucci and ABC news legal contributor Brian Meyer. Aaron, we're getting into now when Stormy Daniels and former President Trump met and this invitation to dinner. Talk us through the latest.

The courtroom is wrapped as Stormy Daniels sits on the witness stand. She appears almost disheveled, her hair messily up. She's in a black sweatshirt, black T-shirt. Not the way we've seen seen her more glamorously portrayed. The jury has just seen the now infamous photo of Trump and Stormy Daniels when they met in 2006 at a golf tournament in Lake Tahoe. There's the photo on your screen. Daniels described being there because she was working for an adult film production company that sponsored one of the holes on the golf course, and she elicited laughs when she said, it does sound kind of funny. An adult film company sponsoring a hole on the golf course. But now she's recounting for the jury how, at the invitation of Trump, she went to join him for dinner. And it's at that dinner where Stormy Daniels will testify. She and Donald Trump had sex, an encounter that he denies.

And, John, I have to highlight this quote because initially she says that she rejected the offer, that he invited her to dinner through somebody else, and her initial reaction was, in her words, f no, right. Um, but then her publicist told her to reconsider, saying, if nothing else, you'll get a great story.

And goes on to say, what could possibly go wrong? That was his words to me. I mean, you know, listen, now we're really getting into the heart of this whole dynamic this night that, frankly, of this night never happened. We wouldn't be here right now. Um, it's actually remarkable how, you know, minute by minute prosecutors are going into the evening. I think that's, you know, hopefully that structure, for Donald Trump's sake is going to stop in a second once it gets to a certain point of the night. But it's remarkable, um, even to hear about Keith Schiller and just to explain who that is for a second, because she's saying that Keith Schiller approached her on Donald Trump's behalf, inviting her to dinner. Keith Schiller was Donald Trump's body man. You know, as many people know, think of, you know, former presidents like Donald Trump. You have somebody that's always at your side. Even Donald Trump is a businessman. Diane had a body man had some of those always with him.

And Keith Schiller was that person. Keith was a former NYPD cop. Um, eventually retired, went to work for the Trump Organization, was always seen next to Donald Trump. We know that, you know, as part of the prosecutor's case, one of the things they've talked about is that if you couldn't get to Donald Trump directly, you'd call Keith because Keith was always next to him, had the phone, etc.. Um, it does again, you know, talk about Daniels credibility, right? You know that, you know, she's making this up. According to the Trump team, we have photos, we have other names, we have other people. We have contact information in phones with, you know, people's names that were related to Donald Trump at the time. I think this is all building up into, you know, again, forming this idea. Look, she was there. This did happen. And thus eventually we'll talk about the money.

That said, Brian, that quote. Right. You could get it could be a great story or, you know, something along those lines. Can the defense now try to use that to say, listen, she went into this looking for a story.

Yes. Um, but I would be. If I was a defense attorney, I would hesitate to ask that question. It's one of those situations where you don't really know the answer to that question, and sometimes the answer could be more damaging. I mean, think about it. If I ask Stormy Daniels, okay, you said on direct examination that this person said that it could be a good story. Uh, is that why you went there? And then she responds, yeah, a good story that I had dinner with Donald Trump. Not that he would. And then just imagine filling in the blank and how devastating that could be. And so, yes, go into that issue as a defense attorney, but tread lightly because that answer could be very damaging.

And, Erin, it seems her testimony is consistent with how she described this interaction in her 2018 book, Full Disclosure. How much is that going to come into play? The number of times she has told this story, and how much what she says on the stand today needs to match those previous accounts.

And in fact, she told ABC's The View not long ago that her story is consistent because it's true and she has told it the same way. The defense will undoubtedly seek on cross-examination to highlight her prior denials in 2016 that this encounter happened. Then she went on Jimmy Kimmel. Jimmy Kimmel showed her a statement denying this sexual encounter, and Stormy Daniels said, that's not my signature. And that's how the story eventually unraveled. But she has consistently told this account, and now she has told it in a courtroom with Donald Trump on trial. At one point, prosecutor Susan Hollinger asked her to point out Donald Trump in the courtroom. She looked around. A couple of the monitors leaned forward in her seat, finally pointed with her finger to the person sitting second at the defense table in a navy blue jacket. That was Donald Trump. The jury saw all of that unfold in real time.

And now she's talking about a very different outfit that Trump was apparently wearing when she went to meet him for dinner. She said she was told to go to his suite, and the former president was wearing silk or satin pajamas. John, what more are you hearing from the courtroom in terms of this testimony?

I mean, this is riveting. I mean, the fact that even Stormy Daniels is looking and engaging, right, at the jurors, as our Luke Bergman is reporting, appearing to make eye contact with them as she's telling the story. And we know the jurors, according to our team. You know, they've previously been taking notes, looking down at the monitors. They cannot take their eyes off Stormy Daniels. And I think even to hear her describe what Donald Trump was wearing, you know, you say the pajamas. Apparently she turned as she walked in. She teased him and said, you know, could you change? He obliged, according to Daniels, putting on a dress shirt and dress pants. I just think that level of detail, um, it's really quite revealing. You know, we've obviously heard from Stormy Daniels. Aaron spoke about, um, you know, her on The View a few weeks ago. She gave her first interview years ago to 60 minutes where she talked about that night.

But I think it's very different to talk about that in a television media interview versus on a stand. And for Donald Trump to have to be less than ten feet away and watch and hear it all.

And Brian, she's really painting a picture here saying she was told to meet him for dinner. Then when she got there, she was told to go directly to the suite. When she got there, he was wearing silk or satin pajamas and she says, I immediately made fun of him, saying, Does Mr. Hefner know you stole his pajamas? As John pointed out, she asked him to change and he politely obliged. And she goes on to say, this hotel room was three times the size of my apartment. What do those kind of details do? And not only painting a picture, but also for the credibility of this witness. Brian.

Detailed in a story, especially a story that is alleged to have happened back in 2006, are also often associated with telling the truth. If any one of us, regardless of the circumstances, were to try to tell someone what happened in June of 2006 and I started painting a picture as detailed as Stormy Daniels is, it would be perceived as more truthful than if I just said, yeah. In April I was crossing the street and it was somewhere in Manhattan. Um, absent details, people think, are you making it up the way that what you're telling it doesn't seem to be truthful. It doesn't look or sound like you were re-experiencing those acts as one would when they're remembering an actual event. It sounds like you're piecing it together like you're trying to tell a story. And so the way in which Stormy Daniels is being led in this direct examination not only brings the audience, specifically the jury, into the memory, but I think it also shows us that this is a memory and not a falsehood.

And, Erin, the prosecutors really taking her through step by step, obviously talking about her arrival at the hotel room that night. Now they're talking about before dinner that it was a little early. So Trump asked her if they could just sit down and talk for a while, get to know each other. How critical is it, Erin, right now with the prosecution is doing in terms of trying to build up this story piece by piece.

This is all prelude and which will end with this sexual encounter that Daniels says she had with Donald Trump. And according to the judge and the parameters he said on this testimony before Daniels took the stand and out of the presence of the jury, it's not going to go much farther than than the sexual encounter itself. So any of these details, these colorful details that that prosecutor Susan Hoffner can elicit will go toward her credibility. Earlier, the jury heard about her upbringing, uh, how she grew up in Baton Rouge, brought up by her mom. She now lives in Florida, shares custody of her young daughter. She talked about shoveling manure at a horse farm so she could board her horse and afford riding lessons, before she discovered in high school that exotic dancing paid more on a weekend than a week's worth of of shoveling manure. And all of this set to paint a more broad portrait of who Stormy Daniels is than any of the jurors might, might actually know. And she talked frankly about her entry into adult films, uh, performing in them, writing them, directing them prior to meeting Donald Trump on this golf course in Lake Tahoe.

Now describing the circumstances of their their initial encounter.

And, Erin, you mentioned she's done interviews on The View. She's been on Jimmy Kimmel, she has talked about this in the press. Do you expect any of those appearances to be entered as evidence?

The appearance on Jimmy Kimmel has certainly come up. The jury didn't see it, but it was described with Keith Davidson on the witness stand. Her attorney at the time in 2016, who arranged the hush payment. He talked about drafting this statement of denial that she was supposed to read on Jimmy Kimmel. And when he put it up on the screen, that's when Stormy Daniels said, that's not my signature. And that's the moment where the sexual encounter really became confirmed by by Stormy Daniels. Trump continues to to deny it and expect the defense on cross-examination to to hammer that home and attack her credibility. But as she has said many times before, this is her story and she is looking forward to telling it. And it's sound the same every time because she says it's true.

And John, now they're talking about STD tests in the courtroom.

I honestly words I never thought I'd say on live TV with you, Diane, but yeah, that's exactly what they're talking about right now. Daniels recounting how much Trump was asking about the adult film industry. How does it work? Are there unions? And then the conversation, apparently, according to Daniels, turning to Trump, specifically asking her about testing, you know, sexually transmitted diseases, and Daniels allegedly responding to Trump at the time. Every test that I have ever done and I have never had a bad test, I've never tested positive for anything.

Now, John, throughout the course of this trial, and particularly during opening statements, the defense made the case that Donald Trump is a he's a man, he's a husband. He's, you know, not just the guy on TV or the former president, but that he's a family man. And we've heard certain lines of questioning of certain witnesses to get to that point. Eric Trump is in court with him today. But what does it say that we have not seen Melania once?

We haven't seen Melania throughout any of this. And I think that one of the things that we have heard repeatedly is that as this is embarrassing for Donald Trump, we know that when these stories emerge and I'm using that word purposely, stories, plural, we know that Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels both came out and gave television interviews within days of each other. I remember being told in real time how Melania Trump vacated the white House. The minute those stories, those interviews got announced, she literally bolted out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and flew down to Largo. Did not return to Washington at the time. Diane for several days when the interviews played because remember, Karen McDougal spoke to CNN, stormy Daniels spoke to 60 minutes. Melania Trump, as I was told in real time, watched both interviews alone. Didn't want to be around anyone. Couldn't handle it. It was extremely upsetting to her. And recall, not only was she married to Donald Trump at the time, she had just given birth to their son Barron, who was, you know, a child very young at the time.

So all of that incredibly stressful on their marriage. We know from Hope Hicks testimony last week that when news reports started to emerge, she and others avoided sending the newspapers up to the residence at the white House, purposely not to upset the former first lady.

And yet, Aaron, Eric Trump is in the courtroom today, something that came as a surprise to many because Trump has said that he really didn't want his family around, particularly for a day of testimony like today.

And Eric Trump, like his father, seems to be doing his best to appear disinterested. He barely looks at Stormy Daniels as she's testifying, although at times you just can't help it the way she is speaking. She talks very quickly. She has still a hint of her Louisiana upbringing in the way she talks, and at many points. Prosecutor Susan Singer and judge Juan Martin asked her to slow down a little bit. But if the Trumps are interested in what she is saying, they are doing their best not to show it. When Stormy Daniels entered the courtroom. Donald Trump, seated at the defense table, couldn't see her enter until she rounded the table, and at that point, he appeared to tilt his head ever so slightly to to watch her walk up to the witness stand. But as she's testifying, he has kept a rather blank expression. Eric Trump seemingly the same way. But they are all too familiar with this story.

Diana and Bryan. Now they are actually talking about Melania on the stand. Stormy Daniels first talked about having a conversation about Trump, about his televised appearance with Vince McMahon from the Wrestling Federation, and now she's saying she recalls having a very brief conversation with Trump about his wife, Melania, saying, he showed me a few pictures and I said, oh, what about your wife? And he said, oh, don't worry about that. We don't sleep in the same room. That's what she says Trump's response was, and Eric Trump remained looking down for that exchange. Brian, when you're prepping your clients for a day like today, if you're prepping a client like former President Trump or Stormy Daniels, for that matter, what do you say to them to try to prepare them for that moment? Because Daniels is apparently talking very fast. They keep having to ask her to slow down. Presumably she is nervous, and this has to be hard for Donald Trump to sit in court and listen to as well.

So it's preparation that goes well beyond just this trial. It's from the time that you get the discovery, the information the prosecution is going to use to try to indict or convict your client, depending on where you are in that process, and you remind them, this is what that witness is going to say. You're going to have to hear this multiple times from me. And I'm and I tell my clients the bad information multiple times going leading up to the trial, because I want to almost desensitize them, because if they are still physically reacting to this information in front of a jury, it's never going to be positive. And what I tell my clients is, is that from the second you walk into a courtroom to the second, you go home and close the doors and close the blinds and no one sees you. You are always being watched by the jury. I include even the time during the lunch break if you go across the street and go get some food and you come back when you're in the halls, you're always being watched.

And for Donald Trump, that's what I'm seeing. Times a million. And so I think they walked this information past Donald Trump multiple times. And that's why we're getting the reporting of him looking straight down or straight across. I'm pretty sure he was given advice as to this is how you react, because you're going to have every news network watching you in the court. You're going to have the 12 jurors watching you. You're going to have someone like me sitting in their home saying, look at how Donald Trump is reacting and you don't want it to be negative. So I think he's been well prepared.

John, what's the what's the impact here of this testimony, not only legally, because obviously that's the crux of what we're talking about here. But beyond that, how does this impact Donald Trump as a person and Donald Trump as a candidate?

I'm sorry, I just have to read this from our team. This is unbelievable. ABC's Luke Bergman reporting that Stormy Daniels is detailing how she rolled up a newspaper and hit the former president on what seems like spanking him on his rear. Um, I don't think even Donald Trump. Um, based on what Brian just said about being prepared for this, I don't even think Donald Trump or anyone was prepared for something like that about a former president. Um, apparently, according to Daniels, she's now also said that Donald Trump, um, told um told Stormy Daniels that she reminded him of his daughter, probably referring to Ivanka Trump. Um, which is, again, I just think that all of this, you know, we've heard from our team, ABC's Olivia Rubin reporting that Donald Trump as these this has gone on has turned his body further and further and further away from Stormy Daniels. You know, as a source of mine said to me last week when I called this person and said, you know, he's closing his eyes.

He's not paying attention. What do you make of it? The person observed to me, it's like, you know, trying to close your eyes and tune out a bad dream and pretend you're not there. This is not a bad dream for Donald Trump. This is an absolute nightmare for Donald Trump. You know, the only thing he benefits from today is that thank God for him. The state of New York does not allow cameras in court because this is just humiliating.

Brian, how do you defend against this? Because again, former President Trump has denied this affair altogether. So how is the defense now going to try to come up and paint Stormy Daniels as a witness who is not credible when she's giving this much detail about what happened? I mean, they had her reenact that spanking incident that that John is referring to. Not only are those details embarrassing, but legally, how difficult are they to defend against?

So I think you can pick and choose what part of Stormy Daniels story you want to find to be not credible or incredible, as you say, legally speaking. I think when it comes to the interaction at that dinner, that's probably something you're not going to want to attack. It's probably something you don't want to revisit. Um, if the direct examination is horrible of Stormy Daniels bringing up this supposed spanking with the newspaper, um, having it on cross-examination is going to be just as bad, if not worse. You don't want to represent that information, so you may attack Stormy Daniels credibility in another part of her story. Uh, whether that be in the payments. And you might try to cast doubt on one aspect and then try to have that roll over to all other aspects of her testimony. And when it comes to the salaciousness of this, of the testimony. The judge merely confined the prosecution to the questions in which they were asking. But no one can predict what a person is going to answer when you ask those questions.

And so I think there really are no constraints here, because to John's point, we're hearing things that are a nightmare for Donald Trump are really embarrassing. And it's I think it's only going to get worse. I think we're just beginning here.

Brian, are you surprised at the detail they're going into, given the conversations leading into court about would be in bounds and what would be out of bounds in terms of the questioning of the details of what happened that night?

Oh, not at all. I'm again practicing in the state of New York, specifically Brooklyn, and a little bit in Manhattan. And we hear this all the time, and it's like, oh, we only want to go into this much information. We only want to ask these questions. But there's a there's a knowledge and an understanding that if you ask a certain question of a witness who may not be properly prepped all the way to really constrain themselves, because in those conversations prior to Stormy Daniels taking the stand, Stormy Daniels isn't there hearing from the judge. I want you to only be asked these types of questions and give these types of responses. Yes, the prosecutor probably went back there and gave a abridged version to Stormy Daniels, but they're not walking her through the ins and outs of what she can and cannot say. And if she's here to tell her story, and her story includes rolling up a newspaper and spanking the former president, she's going to say it, and the prosecutors are going to let her say it.

And as we say, as attorneys, you can't unring a bell. Even if the judge then corrects the jury to say, forget what you just heard. They've heard it already. And I think I'm not surprised about how salacious it is. And I'm not going to be surprised at how salacious it gets. I'm only going to be surprised as the actual details itself.

Brian, she's also talking about a conversation that was happening at that time, saying he told me an idea that I should go on his television show. I said there was no way they would ever let me on TV. And Daniels says she. She then added, I said, even you don't have that much power, and that his response was, you remind me of my daughter remarking about how people underestimate her intelligence. What does this do? Not so much the daughter comment, but just this conversation about, hey, you should be on my TV show. Given Rhona Graff testified that she saw Stormy Daniels at Trump Tower and mentioned something about Trump having considered her, or having told Rona Graff that he was considering her as a contestant on The Apprentice. Mhm.

Yeah. This is a point that I can see the defense jumping on to say that, that the sexual encounter never occurred, but this was more of a business deal and that the way that you can tell this was a business deal is because Stormy Daniels confirms that this idea of her being a contestant on Donald Trump's show was brought up during that encounter. And then later on, there are witnesses who corroborate that she was there at Trump Tower for that very idea. It's the same concept of testimony supported by corroborating evidence, whether that be another witness or a photo. Just like when Stormy Daniels testified that she had met Donald Trump. And then the picture we had just seen with Donald Trump in the yellow shirt and red hat was then shown. And again, evidence then corroborated by other evidence makes her a stronger point. But this time the defense gets to use that for their argument.

Diane and John, she's saying they were talking the suite for two hours. She said. It was a really long time. What do you make of that?

So I want to actually give more quotes in context to this spanking incident because our ABC's Olivia Rubin, you know, one of the things that we've been seeing from this courtroom is that prosecutors and the judge have repeatedly asked Stormy Daniels, Diane, to slow down. She's speaking very, very quickly. So our team is now gone through their notes, and this is what we have. So the way that this conversation began, according to Daniels, she says, quote, um, are you always this rude? Daniels says, she said, referring to Donald Trump, are you always this arrogant and pompous? Um, admitting that she got a little snappy with the former president, Daniels testified that Donald Trump was, quote, pretty taken aback and said, quote, someone should spank you with that. Daniels then recalled that she, quote, spanked Donald Trump with a rolled up newspaper quote, right on the butt. She said no, according to our team, this is Olivia Rubin's reporting. Nobody, aside from a few journalists, audibly or visibly reacted when Daniels picked up that newspaper and or, you know, she motioned with her hands and then use that quote right on the butt.

Um, it's just remarkable that no reaction from jurors Trump, his son Eric. Of course, they're just seeing everybody, almost, according to our team, frozen, watching and listening to this testimony so intently.

It also sounds like we should clarify what she's talking about. Here is something that happened in this conversation. Maybe some flirting. This is not something that she's describing happened as part of their sexual encounter. No.

And we should also note that the jury has now taken their morning recess. So I hate to say it, but it's only just begun of where the story is going. Um, it does seem as though they had, as you noted in a very lengthy conversation, two hours as we talked about. Earlier, Donald Trump asking Stormy Daniels about her history, asking about the porn industry. I'm asking, you know, if anything about STDs and, you know, if she ever tested for STDs. She said that she never had a bad test. But I think, you know, it's interesting just how, um, you know, the conversation, as she testified, was a lot of getting to know you for two hours, and it seems like we're building up to another moment.

Brian, what are you listening for? They're in recess now. What are you listening for? When stormy goes back on the stand and the prosecution continues their questioning.

I think at some point we're going to get to the actual alleged sexual encounter, and it's going to be a real battle between the defense and the prosecution. I think we're going to see far more objections and sidebars, and it's going to get contentious. I want to see how that plays out. Um, both in terms of the judge's rulings, what the judge allows in, uh, but also where the defense kind of makes that line in the sand. We're not going further into this encounter, because I already thought that we wouldn't hear about rolled up newspaper. And I won't keep belaboring the point. Um, but yeah, I think this is, as John said, this is just the beginning, and it's going to be interesting to see how far this goes. Uh, in the afternoon.

John, final thoughts on how this morning has gone so far?

Horrible.

I don't think anybody could have predicted it would be this bad this quickly. And we haven't even gotten into the act, if you will. Donald Trump, according to our team, has exited the courtroom as part of that morning recess, did not speak to cameras, pumped his fist, but again his back turned to the camera. I think very quickly, just trying to get with his attorneys huddle and honestly, I think probably needs a little bit of a coaching session for what's about to come.

All right. Aaron Katersky, John Santucci, Brian Buck Meyer. Thank you. And we will be following this trial all day long as we hear more testimony from adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the hush money trial against former President Trump will bring you the latest right here on ABC News Live. Stay with us.

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Hi, I'm Diane.

Macedo today on ABC News Live. First, it's a dramatic day in former President Trump's criminal hush money case, as Stormy Daniels is testifying as a key witness today. In the past hour, Daniels has been detailing her first meeting with Trump in 2006, in Lake Tahoe and what she says happened in his hotel suite. Prosecutors argued Trump orchestrated a last minute, $130,000 payment to the adult film star ahead of the 2016 election in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair with Trump, and that Trump then falsified documents to try to cover up those payment. Trump denies the charges and the affair altogether. ABC news executive editorial producer John Santucci joins me now, along with ABC news legal contributor Brian Meyer. John, this is a very different day in court yesterday focused on accounting. Today we're getting some pretty salacious details from Stormy Daniels so far, and we haven't even gotten to the actual alleged sexual encounter here. What do you make of what you've heard so far?

I mean, this is probably by far the hardest day for Donald Trump. It didn't matter about his long time aide, someone that he talked about as a daughter being Hope Hicks on the stand on Friday. It didn't matter about Jeff Mcconney, who was the controller of the Trump Organization for nearly four decades, talking about the process of sending checks down to the white House. We've now heard testimony of a woman Donald Trump had a one night affair with talking about spanking the former president in a build up to a conversation they were having that involved conversations about the porn industry and STDs. I mean, all of this is simply remarkable. And again, Donald Trump as a person, humiliating in and of itself. But to think that we're having this conversation about a former president of the United States and potentially a future president of the United States, the guy who is sealed up the Republican nomination for 2024. This is truly just remarkable, vivid, detailed testimony. Stormy Daniels has taken us inside this Lake Tahoe suite, in which she is described as three times bigger than her apartment.

Talking about entering Donald Trump wearing silk pajamas, asking him to change into a shirt and dress pants. It's so vivid, it's so detailed. Stormy Daniels is talking so quickly on the stand that prosecutors and the judge have repeatedly told her to please slow down. The interesting thing, beyond everything, I mean, all of it's interesting. But as jurors are mesmerized by Stormy Daniels, they're not taking notes. They're not looking down at the monitors in front of them. They have their eyes fixed on her. And Stormy Daniels is leaning into that. According to our team, looking right at the jurors as she is telling that conversation. And while she is looking at the jurors, Donald Trump is not looking at anyone. He has turned his body so far away from anyone. In this case, this is truly very hard for the former president.

Brian. The defense is expected to go after Daniels credibility. Former President Trump has denied. First, he denied knowing her at all. We've just seen pictures in court of the two of them together. He he backed off that since initially saying it, but he still denies that this affair ever happened. So we do expect the defense to go after her credibility. How do you think she came across today as a witness so far? Does she seem like someone the jury will view as credible?

So take it with a grain of salt and that I'm just getting the very, very detailed notes that are coming from John's team. But I don't have the ability to actually see, uh, Stormy Daniels again. One of the disadvantages of having trials in the state of New York, when, from the information that we're getting from her again, I always reflect on the amount of detail and how long ago and the photos to support the actual interaction between the two of them. That presents as credible the information that we're getting about how the juries reacting, looking straight up at her, uh, kind of on the edge of their seats, so to speak, uh, not really taking notes or looking down at those monitors to see how other people react. Uh, that suggests to me that the jury is at least at the very least, sorry, uh, enticed, paying attention, interested. And oftentimes you don't do that or you don't hear about that when someone's lying. So all factors in my mind point towards this being a very credible witness and the jury believing that as well.

And John the the defense, even in opening statements, has really tried to play Trump as a family man who was concerned about his wife. Now we have Stormy Daniels saying they talked about Melania that night and he said, oh, don't worry about her. We don't sleep in the same room. Yeah. What do details like that do? Not just for this case, but for Trump's reputation as a person, as a businessman and also as a presidential candidate.

It's all humiliating for Donald Trump. And look, so many times people have said, you know, where is Melania? Where is Melania? We of course, I just want to.

Interrupt you to point out there's the former president walking back into court. John, what do you what do you think about the big impact? Yeah, the bigger impact here.

It's all huge. I mean, Eric Trump just followed right behind him. I think that this is all so hard for Donald Trump. And we know that Melanie is someone that has never liked the spotlight at all, as Donald Trump has campaigned for the white House now for a third time, his wife has not been on the campaign trail. That's not too uncommon. She was barely on the campaign trail in 2016 or 2020. But even the fact that, you know, she has not been around for any of the big moments over the last couple of months is Donald Trump was locking up the Republican nomination for this year. She was not at Mar-A-Lago on any of the, you know, victory nights where he would come out and celebrate a win in any of the primaries between Iowa and New Hampshire, etc.. This has been something that they knew was going to be a problem, both for Donald Trump, his marriage, his family, for everybody. And this would be complicated. But I think now as he's campaigning, right, I don't know how many of his supporters are watching all of this in real time, but they're going to hear about it.

They're going to see it somewhere, because so many of these things are just so unavoidable, right? I mean, just to think, if you're watching any type of news or information content you're going to hear about today, it's going to be completely unavoidable. And I do think that one of the things we know from everything we have seen is that a conviction in this case could turn certain voters away, but we know that one of the most important bedrocks, the Republican Party, is evangelical voters, right? People that really believe in the value of family, faith, marriage, etc. this is something that I think is really hard to square. You know, I remember talking to supporters back in 2016 out in the road, as you know, accusations about Donald Trump and women came out and people would say, I don't believe them. You know, listen, I don't believe he's a saint either. You know, he's obviously had a life that I know about. But this, I just think is something very different.

Brian, that said, the tawdry details of the affair are not key to this case. What's key to this case is what happened after that alleged affair, the payments and the allegedly falsified documents to cover it up. So what do the prosecution need to prove with Stormy Daniels on the stand? What are the key points that they need to hit on today?

So I think not only for for this trial, but also for any kind of appellate issues down the road. The prosecution has to tie all of this salaciousness toward an actual motive to suppress the information. I think the theory here is, and they've got they still got to do some work to kind of get there is that it was really bad that the information about this story was so bad, and they knew about it at the time, they being Trump, Cohen, Weisselberg, everyone kind of enthralled in this. During the campaign of Donald Trump's first run of the white House, that they knew how bad it was. And we are only learning about how bad it is. Now that they had to do this payment. They had to falsify the information. They had to make it so that no one could even, even, even from a sliver of information, would be able to discern, okay, they were hiding something. They put this here to put this there, because they didn't want anyone pulling out the strings to get more information.

That's what a prosecution has to do. They have to tie that idea together, that this was so bad, they had to do so much to cover it up, and then they can be successful in this case.

Brian Daniels has also been asked to slow down several times. She's apparently talking very quickly in the courtroom, but she's also been quick to answer questions. She doesn't seem to be hesitating when she's asked. She can go straight into answers. She's answering confidently, and and once she sort of settled in, she was apparently kind of periodically almost joking with the jury. She seems to be fairly comfortable in that regard. Does that help to make a witness more likable and appear more credible when they can do things like she's continuously apparently addressing the jury directly and looking directly at them?

So a part of it. All those dissect all the little questions there. A part of it is, uh, is that the courtroom stenographer? There's a person actually recording everything that's being said. And so she may be speaking quickly in terms of just. How one would receive information. But she was probably speaking too quickly for someone to write down her words. And what the judge is doing is what we call preserving. The record can, at some point in time, especially for Stormy Daniels testimony, someone's going to look back at the record and they want to know exactly what she said. They don't want someone to speak so quickly that the record is muddled and we can't discern what was said, because the sonographer or the court reporter wasn't able to get everything that she's saying. So I don't think she's speaking so quickly that people can't understand her just for that, that record issue. And then to your point of being able to answer the questions and look at the jurors, um, it depends on where people are standing.

I know what will typically what I mean by that is what typically happens is when you are direct examining someone, uh, depending on how the courtroom works, the attorney will stand behind the jury so that the witness is looking at the attorney, but has to look past the jury because you want the jury to feel like they're having a conversation with the witness during direct examination. The opposite is true is cross-examine. Oftentimes, an attorney will stand on the other side to force the witness to look at them rather than the jury, because you want both parties to be involved in the cross-examination. So either Stormy Daniels is told to to make that connection with the jury, which helps with credibility, or the prosecutor is standing in a way to create that illusion to again, help her credibility.

Stormy Daniels is back on the stand now, being questioned by the prosecution. But John, before that happened, the judge sort of told the prosecution to ease it up a little bit.

Pull their foot off the gas, saying the degree of detail is just unnecessary. And again, we know that, you know, before Miss Daniels took the stand, the defense team already tried to narrow the scope here. We've talked about how vivid Stormy Daniels has been in her details. She's going a mile a minute as Brian was talking about, you know, the sonographer is I know my mom is one of them. They go 225 words a minute. If they are saying slow down, that means Daniels is firing. Rapid, rapid, rapid, fast. Um, what's interesting though, is that she's walked back into the room. According to ABC's Luke Brueggemann, did not look over at Donald Trump as she entered the room just now. Diane, the courtroom that is Donald Trump has head down looking at papers on his desk, not giving any eye contact. Stormy Daniels way so far. And again, we know how, um, vivid that testimony was right before she, you know, got off the stand for morning recess.

And now we would imagine, based on the timeline is now going to get into the actual sexual encounter.

And Brian, the judge is saying, you know, the amount of detail here is just unnecessary. We don't have to ask about everything. But as you point out, the prosecution can control the questions they ask, but they can't control how much detail stormy then decides to provide in her answers.

Exactly. And that's kind of the danger of a judge giving the prosecution so much rope. You may give the questioner, uh, an inch or a foot or whatever measurement you want to give, but therefore you have to understand that gives the witness a yard or then more so, um, because you cannot control what a witness will say. And I think the judge should have known that. I mean, this is this is an argument that I make, not because of who's being, uh, prosecuted. I make this argument as a defense attorney. I do it for my own cases as well. Judge, if you let them ask that question, you have to understand that the question may be narrow, but the answer may be wide, and there's no unwinding of that bell. And so I think the judge is smart to say, hey, guys, we haven't even gone to the encounter yet and it seems like a little much. Let's narrow your questioning to therefore narrow the scope of the answer, because if he doesn't do it now, it's only going to get broader and broader as they continue.

And John, now we're getting a description, a detailed description of Daniels talking about the room and the bed that day. Yeah. Walk me through those.

So, uh, according to ABC's Peter Lombard, um, Daniels has just testified that she noticed the bed in Donald Trump's suite was unmade, but there were no personal items around. Um, she did notice that there was a leather toiletry bag. You know, when people travel, obviously, they carry things with them. Um, she says she's not proud of it, but she did look inside. Um, and so there were, uh, there was Old Spice, uh, referring to, you know, to men's Cologne, deodorant, etc.. I use that, um, plus a manicure set, which was gold. Um, but, you know, again, I think it's, it's it's interesting, you know, taking what Merson just said about details that's really detailed the words.

In my mouth. Brian, on one hand, we're hearing the judge say, you know, the level of detail is not necessary. And now we're hearing the description of what was in former President Trump's toiletry bag, which does not sound relevant to this case. What do you make of that?

Yeah. Again, the judge giving an inch and the prosecutor is taking a yard and then some the questions I mean they prepped Stormy Daniels. They must have spoken with her on numerous times and know what her answers will likely be or where the story can go. Um, again, I think it's going to be very interesting in the afternoon because, uh, while the judge may be saying, hold off on the gas, I think the prosecution is going to keep pushing and pushing until the judge pushes back hard enough. Uh, the question becomes, what's going to be heard in that push and push before the judge says, all right, that's that's too much. And I and I think we're going to get to a point where it's going to be an interesting afternoon. I keep saying that I, I have a feeling that Stormy Daniels was going to respond to something in a way that is very reminiscent of this prosecutor's office of when I sat in the Harvey Weinstein case, where it asks the question, you're like, whoa, we did not see that answer coming.

And John, now she's describing coming out of the bathroom and finding Donald Trump on the bed.

Yeah. So I'm going to read this reporting from our team. Daniels just said on the stand, quote, Mr. Trump had come into the bedroom and was on the bed basically between myself and the exit. According to Daniels, Donald Trump was, quote, wearing his boxer shorts and a t shirt. Daniels then goes on to say on the stand, quote, I felt the room spun in slow motion. I felt the blood basically leave my hand and feet. She goes on to say, what did I misread to get here? It's getting into it.

And Luke, one of our producers down there, is saying one juror had been writing down notes, looked up from his page, raised his eyebrows as Daniel recalled the sight of Trump on the bed and boxer shorts and a t shirt. Um, uh, in that scene, Brian, I'm curious to go back to the detailed conversation. On the one hand, the the judge says, you know, we don't need all of the details. And maybe the thought before the break there were too many. But can the prosecution make the argument that they do need the details if the defense is going to try to deny this affair ever happened? And so they need the details to show that Stormy Daniels is credible and is telling the truth about what happened that night.

The prosecution can and the prosecution will make that argument. You may hear things like, uh, we need this information to complete the narrative. We have the ability to prosecute or present evidence in the way that we feel is most appropriate, based on the need to prove our burden. These are all statements that are very common for prosecutors and kind of pushing the bounds of what information is there. I would expect an argument along the lines of if we need to, one, as you've hinted, uh, kind of insulate our witness against the attacks that we see coming. We need to ask these questions and get the information on this level of detail so the jury can understand her credibility. Uh, if we are to argue how feverishly the defendant and his, uh, cohorts, so to speak, we're moving into in order to suppress this information, we need to get into the details. And I think we're going to see those types of arguments, and then it's going to be in the defense, and it's clearly going to push back and say, no, you don't you don't need any of these.

We've gone too far already. Whatever curative response the judge is going to give is not going to be good enough to unring this bell. You're simply here to damage the credibility of an individual, not to find information. And I think it's going to be a big back and forth and a big argument. Uh, and regardless of where the judge lands, I think there's going to be some piece of information that gets in that the judge is going to think, oh, I wish we had stopped the question earlier.

And it does sound like the defense just objected. And the judge sustained that objection. And, John, now we're hearing a little bit more about what happened next.

Okay. So a couple so Daniels yeah, let's go into Daniels. So what Daniel says is quote, that's when I had that moment where I just felt the room spun in slow motion. I felt the blood, basically my hands and feet said, miss Red goes on. Daniel's goes on to say.

I misread the situation to end up in this position where I come out of the bathroom and Donald Trump is on the bed in a T-shirt and.

Boxers. She goes on to say, I think I blacked out. Um, she affirmed that she was not drinking or on drugs during any of the exchanges. She testified earlier before the break. Diane, she was talking to Donald Trump for about two hours before it became to this moment. I will just note that on the objection, a came as Donald Trump, according to our team, was actually, you know, hitting gesturing towards his lawyer Susan necklace, who, of course is going to part of the team. She's going to question when it's time for cross-examination. Basically, it was him. You know, again, we know Donald Trump is his own lawyer. It was Donald Trump saying, let's go.

Say, will.

You abuse. Yeah. And the objection was sustained. And I think, again, it was because of the level of detail that was going on in that courtroom. And as we know, we reported this a couple of minutes ago, Judge Merchan had encouraged prosecutors to take the foot off the gas. Not that much detail is necessary here because this is not the crime. The money is the crime that he's been in charge for the 34 criminal counts. But now this is where these details, both personally, are humiliating, but obviously could be politically damaging and.

Brian, how careful does the prosecution have to be here? Because they obviously want as much detail to get out as possible. They want this is the part of the story that they want to make sure is clear, and they want to, you know, they want to hear those details, but they also don't want to be having objections come through every two seconds or half. The story will get lost just in that process.

It's not just the objections and the losing of this jury, it's also the objections that are likely to come on an appeal. If Donald Trump is convicted, I would bet my bottom dollar he's going to appeal. And you don't want to create appellate issues that can have the case in jeopardy and have it being reversed, and then come back again, and then we either won't have to do this all over again, or to the prosecution has to swallow a very tough pill and say, we're not going to go forward again just because of how poorly we executed it the first time. I know I keep drawing the similarities, and I'm not doing it to draw similarity between the defendants. I'm drawing the similarities between the way in which the prosecution handled the case. But the Harvey Weinstein case that just got reversed, that didn't have anything to do with the defendant or the evidence that had to do everything with the strategy of the prosecution of them overreaching. And so I draw the comparison to be to say here, if the prosecution overreaches in getting that salacious, salacious information out of Stormy Daniels, they could be creating their own appellate issues that could get reversed.

If this case is conviction, if it's a conviction, sorry. And it comes back because of the arrows are doing today.

Well. And now we have another objection. Sustained. Stormy Daniels is now talking about having sex with the former president. And apparently as soon as she mentioned the position, that was when a former President Trump tapped his lawyer and she did go ahead and object. And that objection was sustained. But, Brian, when you're telling a story like this, how do you decide what the guidelines are in terms of what is and what's out of bounds before you have the details to decide? Right. The judge does not have this full story in front of him. He does not know. What Stormy Daniels is going to say. And the prosecutor also can't control everything she says based on the questions that they ask. So how do you govern something like this?

Very carefully. There's no right or wrong answer. I think I'm eligible to become a judge myself next year. I will definitely pass on that because it is not an easy task, as you clearly have outlined, that no one really knows what answers are going to come up. No one really knows where the story is going, and it's just the way our system works. It's a battle between one side pushing the envelope perhaps a little too far, and the other side pushing the envelope in the opposite direction, probably a little too far, and then leaving someone in the middle to decide where that line is. And it's it's a imperfect, perfect system or a perfectly imperfect system, however you want to put it. Uh, but the worry is always that. Is there going to be a little bit too much information? I think that's why you're getting those objections to Steyn, which if you're not following the legal terminology, it's when one side objects because a question or answer would give an improper response based on the law.

And the judge agrees with that size. Objection. And that's why it's sustained rather than overruled. Overruled. That question or answer can come in.

All right. And John Santucci, Brian Buckner, I want you to stick around because we are going to come back to these live updates. But I do want to turn briefly to President Biden, who's speaking at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's annual Days of Remembrance ceremony. Let's listen.

Thank you. Thank you sir. Please.

Thank you, stewards and staff, for an introduction. For your leadership in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. You're a true scholar and statesman. And a dear friend. Speaker Johnson. Leader. Jeffries. Members of Congress, and especially the survivors of the Holocaust. My mother here. She. Look at you. God love you all. God loves you all. Abe Foxman and all other survivors who embody absolute courage and dignity and grace are here as well, during these sacred days of remembrance. We grieve. We give voice to the 6 million Jews who were systematically targeted and murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators during World War Two. We honor the memory of victims, the pain of survivors, the bravery of heroes who stood up to Hitler's unspeakable evil. And we recommit to heading and heeding the lessons that one of the darkest chapters in human history to revitalize and realize the responsibility of never again. Never again. Simply translated for me means never forget, never forget, never forget. It means we must keep telling the story, must keep teaching the truth, must keep teaching our children and our grandchildren.

And the truth is, we are at risk of people not knowing the truth. That's why growing up, my dad taught me and my siblings about the horrors of the Shoah. That our family dinner table. That's why I visited Yad Vashem with my family as a senator, as vice president, and as president. And that's why I took my grandchildren to Dachau so they could see and bear witness to the perils of indifference, the complicity of silence in the face of evil that they knew was happening. Germany, 1933. Hitler and his Nazi Party rise to power by rekindling one of the world's oldest forms of prejudice and hate, anti-Semitism. His role didn't begin with mass murder. It started slowly across economic, political, social and cultural life. Propaganda. Demonizing Jews. Boycotts of Jewish businesses. Synagogues defaced with swastikas. Harassment of Jews in the Street and the schools. anti-Semitic demonstrations. Pogroms. Organized riots with the indifference of the world. Hitler knew he could expand his reign of terror by eliminating Jews from Germany to annihilate Jews across Europe through genocide.

The Nazis called the Final Solution. Concentration camps. Gas chambers. Mass shootings. By the time the war ended. 6 million Jews. One out of every three Jews in the entire world were murdered. This ancient hatred of Jews didn't begin with the Holocaust. It didn't end with the Holocaust, either. Or after. Even after our victory in World War two. This hatred continues to lie deep in the hearts of too many people in the world, and it requires our continued vigilance and outspokenness. That hatred was brought to life on October 7th and 2023 on a sacred Jewish holiday. The terrorist group Hamas unleashed the deadliest day of the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Driven by ancient desire to wipe out the Jewish people off the face of the earth. Over 1200 innocent people babies, parents, grandparents slaughtered in the kibbutz, massacred in the music festival, brutally raped, mutilated and sexually assaulted thousands more, carrying wounds, bullets and shrapnel from the memory of that terrible day they endured. Hundreds taken hostage included survivors of the Shoah.

Now here we are, not 75 years later, but just seven and a half months later. And people are already forgetting. They're already forgetting. That Hamas unleashed this terror. There was Hamas that brutalized Israelis. It was Hamas who took and continues to hold hostages. I have not forgotten, nor have you. And we will not forget. And as Jews around the world still cope with the atrocities and trauma of that day and its aftermath. We've seen a ferocious surge of anti-Semitism in America and around the world. Vicious propaganda on social media. Jews. For us to keep their hide, to keep us under the baseball hats. Tucked their Jewish stars into their shirts. On college campuses, Jewish students blocked, harassed, attacked while walking to class. anti-Semitism. anti-Semitic posters. Slogans. Calling for the annihilation of Israel. The world's only Jewish state. Too many people. Denying. Downplaying. Rationalize and ignoring the horrors of the Holocaust. And October 7th. Including Hamas, is appalling use of sexual violence to torture and terrorized youth.

It's absolutely despicable. And it must stop. Silence! Silence in denial can hide much, but it can erase nothing. Some adjusted is so heinous, so horrific, so grievous. They cannot be married. Buried. No matter how hard people try. In my view, a major lesson to Holocaust is, as mentioned earlier, it's not was not inevitable. We know hate never goes away. It only hides. And given a little oxygen, it comes out from under the rocks. We also know what stops hate. One thing. All of us. The late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks described anti-Semitism as a virus that survived and mutated over time. Together. We cannot continue to let that happen. We have to remember. Our basic principles of the nation. We have an obligation. We have an obligation to learn the lessons of history. So don't render our future to the horrors of the past. We must give hate no safe harbor against anyone. Anyone. The very founding, our very founding Jewish Americans representative.

Only about 2% of the U.S. population have helped lead the cause of freedom for everyone in our nation. From that experience, we know scapegoating and demonizing any minority is a threat to every minority and the very foundation of our democracy. So moments like this, we have to put these principles that we're talking about into action. I understand people have strong beliefs and deep convictions about the world. In America, we respect and protect the fundamental right to free speech, to debate, disagree, to protest peacefully and make our voices heard. I understand that's America, but there is no place on any campus in America, any place in America, for anti-Semitism or hate speech or threats of violence of any kind. Whether against Jews or anyone else. While it's attacks. Destroying property is not peaceful protest, it's against the law. And we are not a lawless country. We're a civil society. We appalled the rule of law, and no one should have to hide or be brave just to be themselves. So the Jewish community, they want you to know.

I see your fear. You're hurting your pain. Let me reassure you. As your president, you're not alone. You belong. You always have and you always will. And my commitment to the safety of the Jewish people. The security of Israel and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is ironclad. Even when we disagree. My administration is working around the clock to free remaining hostages. Just. We have freed hostages already and we will not rest until we bring them all home. My administration, with our second gentleman's leadership, has launched our nation's first national strategy to counter anti-Semitism. That's mobilizing the full force of the federal government to protect Jewish communities. But what we know is not the work of government alone or Jews alone. That's why I'm calling on all Americans to stand united against anti-Semitism and hate in all its forms. My dear friend became a friend. The late Elie Wiesel said, quote, one person of integrity can make a difference. We have to remember that now more than ever.

Here in Emancipation Hall, the U.S. Capitol. Among the towering statues of history is a bronze bust of Raul Wallenberg. Born in Sweden, as a Lutheran, he was a businessman and a diplomat. All stationed in Hungary during World War Two. He used diplomatic cover to hide and rescue about 100,000 Jews over six month period. Among them was a 16 year old Jewish boy who escaped a Nazi labor camp. After the war ended, that boy received a scholarship from a health foundation to study in America. He came to New York City. Penalties. But determined to turn his pain into purpose. Along with his wife, also a Holocaust survivor. It became a renowned economist and foreign policy thinker, eventually making his way to this very capital on the staff of a first term senator. That Jewish refugee was Tom Lantos. And that senator was me. Tom and his wife Annette and their family became dear friends to me and my family. Tom would go on to become the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to Congress, where he became a leading voice on civil rights and human rights around the world.

Tom never met Rahul. Who was taken prisoner by the Soviets, never to be heard from again. But through Tom's efforts, rolls busses here in the capital. He was also given honorary US citizenship, only the second person ever after Winston Churchill. The Holocaust Museum here in Washington is located on a roll a road in Ralls. Name. A story of the power of a single person. To put aside our differences. To see our common humanity. To stand up, to hate. And its ancient story of resilience from immense pain, persecution, to find hope, purpose and meaning in life, we try to live and share with one another. That story endures. Let me close with this. I know these days of remembrance fall on difficult times. We all do well to remember these days also fall during the month we celebrate Jewish American heritage. A heritage that stretches from our earliest days to enrich every single part of American life. Today. Great American, great Jewish American named Tom Lantos used the phrase the veneer of civilization is paper thin.

We are as guardians and we can never rest. My fellow Americans, we must. We must be those guardians. We must never rest. Must rise against hate. Meet across the divide. See our common humanity. And God bless the victims and survivors of Shoah. May the resilient hearts, the courageous spirit and the eternal flame of faith of the Jewish people forever shine their light on America and around the world. Pray God, thank you all.

You've been listening to President Biden at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's annual Day of Remembrance. Talking about the need to heed the lessons in one of the darkest chapters of human history to revitalize the responsibility we have to ensure it never happens again. This ceremony comes amid weeks of protests on college campuses across the country against Israel's war in Gaza. ABC's Jay O'Brien joins me from Capitol Hill, as well as ABC news senior white House correspondent Selena Wang. Selena, we heard the president here talking about Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7th, saying that, you know, seven and a half months later, people are already forgetting that it was Hamas that brutalized Israelis and who took and continue to hold hostages. What stands out to you, to you about his comments today, given the timing here?

Yeah, Diane, I think you really hit the nail on the head. This was really about weaving the past together. What's happening here in the present and reminding the world to not forget the horrors and evil that happened during the Holocaust, and also talking about the horrors and evil that happened in October 7th. It was a very strong, forceful condemnation of the rise in anti-Semitism in the U.S. and around the world. But to say that this comes at a tricky political time for the president would be an understatement. As you say, you've got these pro-Palestinian protests erupting across campuses in America, and Democrats are fearful that the more progressive of the wing of their party, as well as young voters, could be turned away from President Biden because of his handling of the war in Gaza. Then on the other side, you have Republicans that are seizing this political moment, using it as a chance to slam President Biden, saying he's not done enough to combat anti-Semitism and blaming him for what they are calling chaos on college campuses.

So the president there, he's been trying to strike this balance ever since the beginning of this war, which is support for Israel, condemnation of anti-Semitism, but also bringing out and condemning the devastation and death and destruction that's happened in Gaza.

And, Jay, the president's again riding a line here. He's using the speech to remind people of how we got here and what happened on October 7th and how that is what started this, this war. But we also know behind the scenes, he's been trying to encourage Benjamin Netanyahu not to invade Rafah and to try to broker a peace deal. And we heard today, House speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaking before the president had this address. What did you make of what they noted in their speeches today? Because there was some news there, too.

Well, there remarks.

Diane, were very similar to the.

President's in.

Terms of condemning.

anti-Semitism. But what.

You watched.

For in those remarks from the.

Democratic and Republican leaders here in.

Congress isn't necessarily what they said at that podium.

But what they said.

Prior to going.

Up there, particularly what.

Mike Johnson said.

Mike Johnson was asked by reporters prior to this event, what do you want to hear out of the president? And that's because House Republicans have been incredibly critical of President Biden, saying that he's not doing enough to counter anti-Semitism on college campuses. And what Mike Johnson said is he wants the president to say what is right is right, and what is wrong is wrong. He wants a more forceful condemnation of what he says is rampant anti-Semitism on college campuses, more than what he's heard out of the president so far. And what he got out of the president just moments ago was President Biden saying, I'll quote him directly there is no place in America for anti-Semitism or hate speech or violence of any kind, whether against Jews or anyone else. It's unclear if that's going to be enough to placate House Republicans, who have mounted a series of investigations and other kind of congressional mechanisms into this administration's handling of anti-Semitism on college campuses, into those universities and colleges handling of this as well. But certainly, House Republicans are pushing this white House to do what they say can be more dire.

Jada, he also accused the House speaker, also accused the president of reportedly halting ammunition shipments to Israel. What do we know about that?

Well, it's interesting because these are reactions. Remember, as you just noted, two reports and those reports that this could possibly be happening that came out in media outlets. They were enough earlier today to inflame Republicans. We had a letter from Republican senators that was sent to the white House and then at a podium at a press conference before this event, House speaker Mike Johnson, the number one Republican in the House, obviously, and the number two Republican in that chamber, Steve Scalise, were angry, they said, about the possibility that this could be happening. What Mike Johnson said is he accused the president, if this is true, and again, I'll quote him directly of if it's true, trying to, quote, placate the pro Hamas elements of his party. And he said that doing this again, if it's true, would be contrary to the will of Congress because Congress passed, remember that massive $95 billion foreign aid package? That included in it military assistance for Israel as well as assistance for Ukraine and the list goes on.

So certainly that is expected to be a point of contention now going forward between Republicans here in Congress and the white House, as they try to track down the various facts that have gone into these reports.

All right. ABC's Jay O'Brien, ABC news senior white House correspondent Selina Wang. Thank you. And after the break, we will bring you up to speed on the hush money trial against former President Trump. As porn star Stormy Daniels is on the stand as we speak. Stay with us.

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Hi, I'm Diane Machado today on ABC News Live. First, it is a dramatic day in former President Trump's criminal hush money case as Stormy Daniels is on the stand. Testifying about the alleged affair at the heart of the hush money payment. In this case, Daniels has been detailing her meeting with former President Trump in 2006, in Lake Tahoe, where she says they had a sexual encounter. The former president denies that. Along with the charges in this case, prosecutors argue that Trump orchestrated a last minute, $130,000 payment to Daniels ahead of the 2016 election in exchange for her silence about that alleged affair that again, Trump denies. ABC's executive editorial producer John Santucci joins me now, along with senior counsel at close and O'Connor law firm Jerry Goldfinger. John, what's the latest from the court?

So Daniels is still on the stand. We've moved out of the sexual encounter that happened in 2006, which, just to remind our viewers, that is the first time that Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels met. It was at that Lake Tahoe golf retreat. They met earlier in the day, and eventually, later that day is when they had sex. And we know from all of the conversations that you and I had earlier, Brian Buckmaster, a lot of detail came out throughout that testimony about being in that hotel room, talking for two hours until eventually the encounter happened. Now, where the testimony has moved is that post 2006, moving into 2007 conversations and dialog Stormy Daniels continue to have with Donald Trump, they said, apparently spoke multiple times. She would call him. He would call her, referring to the porn star as Honeybunch, a nickname that he used for her. And also now Daniels has detailed a January 2007 encounter, Diane, where she was at an event celebrating the launch of Trump Vodka.

We know the former president, though he doesn't drink, launched a lot of products while he was, of course, hosting The Apprentice on NBC vodka, Trump Steaks, Trump Water, Trump Wine, etc. and it's interesting, she says at this January 2007 event in Hollywood, where the Trump vodka line was launched, she met another woman named Karen, and it turned out to be Karen McDougal, who also, as we know, of course, her story was caught and killed via David Pecker, but nevertheless with the same goal that they had for Stormy Daniels to buy both women. Silence.

Jerry Daniels says that she told scores of people about Trump inviting her to his suite, but very few people about actually having sex with Trump. What do you expect the defense to do with that part of her testimony?

I'm not sure what.

The defense.

Can do.

Here, because really, the.

Central, uh, fact is that he paid her off to keep quiet. They're going to try to make her into a liar. But the level of detail to which she is testified demonstrates that.

This actually.

Happened the.

Way she's.

Describing it. At least.

That's the way it.

Sounds. From where I'm sitting. It'll be, of course, interesting to to, uh, to see what how the jury responds. But the, the the way she described the room, the way she described the conversations, the the fact of what he was wearing, what he said, what she said, it seems very credible. And it appears that she told people at that time, uh, all these details. So it's going to be very difficult for the defense to, uh, puncture that balloon, I believe.

Uh, John, how is the jury reaction? What are you hearing from our people in court about what the jury is doing during all this.

Testimony, not looking away from Stormy Daniels? I mean, this is a jury that I've observed myself. Some of them come in with legal pads, many with taking notes throughout the proceedings. Up until today. It seems like for much of the day, according to our team that's watching it all. They are focused on Stormy Daniels. They are not looking anywhere else. And Daniels, you know, actually returning that focus to the jury, according to our team, that she is very intently engaging. Looking at the jury, one thing it seems the jurors for the most part, are not doing and certainly Stormy Daniels is not doing, is looking at Donald Trump. I think that also the reporting from our team about Donald Trump's body language throughout today has been remarkable. I think it's two things that stand out to me. One, how far Donald Trump has turned his body, his head, his eyes away from the stand, not looking at Stormy Daniels at all. But one thing Donald Trump has done repeatedly.

He has been, you know, nudging his attorney, Susan necklace, who's running this part of, you know, the cross-examination when it's their turn, nudging her repeatedly to object, especially earlier in the last hour or so when Daniels is really getting into very, very, very graphic details about their sexual encounter.

Diane. And we're also hearing some of these witness testimonies now. Cross paths where you have a Stormy Daniels showing the jury her contacts, one of which is D Trump, Rona Rona Graff. We already heard testimony from her talking about how she knew that if she needed to get Ahold of Donald Trump, that she could get Ahold of Rona. And that was kind of the easiest way to do that. And we heard Rona testify about seeing Stormy Daniels at Trump Tower one day. And now stormy is talking about that meeting, saying that it was very rushed, that he seemed very busy. And the prosecutor asked her, did it seem like he was embarrassed like that? He was worried about someone would see you there? And she said, oh no. He introduced me to everyone. He just seemed really busy. What did you make of that?

So I can tell you, the first time I met Donald Trump, when I covered him in 2015, I was brought up to that floor. That's his way, right? It's a small floor is not a lot of offices up there. He introduces everybody. I've spoken to many people that have gotten that encounter with Donald Trump. It goes something like this. Come around, meet everybody, say hi to everybody. Oh, go look out the windows. That's the Plaza Hotel. I used to own it. There's Waltman rink. I still run it, I saved it. Did I tell you that story? Okay, bye. It's super quick. Donald Trump is always giving off that persona of. I'm so super busy. I have tons going on, so that doesn't surprise me too much. What is interesting though, that is just reported that Daniels just testified that since that in-person encounter in Trump Tower that you just asked me about, Daniels says she got a few more phone calls from Trump, who told her that she could not go on The Apprentice.

Of course, the show Donald Trump was the host of for over a decade on NBC, and it was during one of their last calls that Daniels said that Trump apologized after another porn star appeared on The Apprentice, Daniels telling the court that she did not care.

Now she's she's also detailing the last time that she saw former President Trump or that she says she saw him and she's saying this happened during a meeting in Hollywood, California. She says he kept trying to make sexual advances, that he was scooting closer to her, paying her compliments. She says she told him she was on her period to try to stop those sexual advances and that as as she left, Trump told her, I want to get together again. I miss you. You know, the usual, Jerry, what do you make of the of the timeline here and what the prosecution is doing and trying to paint this full story from, you know, Stormy Daniels as a teenager, how she met, you know, how she made her career, how she met the former president, the alleged affair that she says happened between them and how eventually they ended up at the last time they ever saw each other.

Well, I think what the prosecution is trying to show is that she's a real person. She's a real person who had this experience or set of experiences with Trump and that she's believable. I think that's the heart of what they're attempting to show. And it's it's a shame, actually, that we don't have TV in the courtroom because as the rest of the world would like to see her and hear her and have their own opinion of her, not just, uh, the jury or not just hearing from us or reading reading about it. And actually, that's one of the reasons why we don't allow TV in the courtroom so people don't play to the cameras. But it appears that she seems that she's, uh, being quite real on the stand from what John is saying, from what others are reporting. So the, the, the fact that we don't have cameras means the rest of us has have to hear it from, uh, third hand. Uh, but it appears that the people who are in the courtroom feel that she is quite believable.

And that's really the heart and soul of what the prosecution is trying to to show to the jury.

Jerry, she also just testified that Trump never told her to keep their encounter confidential again, going back to the Trump Tower question about whether he was maybe embarrassed someone would see her, she said he introduced her to everybody. What does it do? She's saying that at no time did he seem concerned about getting caught by his wife, for example. So what does that do to the defense's argument that he paid her this hush money payment in order to protect his wife and his family and keep them from finding out?

Well, it explodes their defense.

It shows that it really is is not really what what happened and what really happened, uh, through the testimony of everyone else. And we'll hear testimony from Michael Cohen as well, is that he was in the middle of the campaign. Access Hollywood tape, uh, became public at that point. He really cared about what she might say and what she might not say prior to that, prior to her being prior to his being a candidate, he. He didn't care. He lived his life. He. He thought he was above it all. Um. And he wasn't afraid of anyone. His his wife, his ex-wife and so on. That's just the way he lived his life. But once he was involved in the campaign, then it became important to essentially shut her up.

Now, John, that encounter, uh, that meeting between them happened in 2006, and the alleged affair happened in 2006. Now the prosecution is starting to fast forward. What happened after that? And of course, we have to get to 2016 before we get to the actual hush money payment. What are you listening for as they now lay out that part of the story? What happened after?

Well, I think what's the part that we're waiting for here is where Stormy Daniels decides to start, you know, spilling her story. Right? Because we know from Keith Davidson's testimony that he had started to reach out and put feelers out there to sell her story leading up to the 2016 election. So we've got ten years to go, quite honestly. So I think they're trying to, you know, build a picture of what her life was like, you know, how was she successful? You know, she need this, etc.. But we're going to very quickly fast forward then. And I think that, you know, as Aaron spoke about earlier, Daniels doesn't know too much of the nitty gritty details of, you know, the Michael Cohen of things, if you will. She's come to learn it since, but in real time. She knew she just wanted to sell her story, make money. And eventually that's what happened.

All right. John Santucci. Jere Gold Feder, thank you both. We are going to take a very quick break. We will keep following this trial all day long as we hear more testimony from adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Stay with us.

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Hi, I'm Diane Machado today on ABC News Live. First, it is a dramatic day in former President Trump's criminal hush money case as Stormy Daniels is on the stand testifying as a key witness. Daniels has been detailing her first meeting with former President Trump. The sexual encounter she says they had, including revealing testimony about the days and years after that alleged sexual encounter as well. Prosecutors argued Trump orchestrated a $130,000 payment to the adult film actress ahead of the 2016 election, in exchange for her silence about that alleged affair, and then falsified documents to cover up those payments. Former President Trump denies the affair and the charges. I want to bring in ABC news senior investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky outside that courthouse, along with ABC news executive editorial producer John Santucci and senior counsel at Cohen O'Connor law firm Jerry gold Feder. Aaron, what's the latest from court and what do you make of Stormy Daniels testimony so far?

It has captured the attention of everyone in that courtroom, even if Donald Trump himself and his son Eric, who's sitting in the gallery behind him, are doing their best to look disinterested and look away from Stormy Daniels. The jury is certainly captivated by her description of what she says was a sexual encounter between her and Donald Trump back in 2006, in a large hotel suite at Harrah's in Lake Tahoe, California. Stormy Daniels said that she had been there as part of an adult film production company sponsoring a hole at a golf tournament, and she described in in vivid detail, almost too much detail for the judge at times, who asked prosecutors to move it along, how she was in the suite. She remembered being in the bathroom and seeing a leather toiletry case. She remembered Old Spice and Pert Plus, and then when she walked out of the bathroom, she said she remembered seeing Donald Trump there on the bed. Were you threatened? Prosecutor Susan Hoffner asked her. She said, well, there was a power imbalance and he was sort of blocking the way.

But she said she didn't feel threatened. Eventually the two had sex, she said. But as she began to describe that encounter, the sexual encounter, that's when the defense objected and the judge sustained the objection.

Jury. Stormy Daniels has gone into a lot of detail here, as Aaron explained, not only about what happened that day on the golf course that night at the hotel room and also what happened thereafter. How is the defense going to cross-examine her on this and try to challenge her?

Well, they're going to try to make her into a liar, but I don't know how they're going to succeed. The level of detail is, uh, it's exquisite detail. Um, and it sounds very believable. I'm not in the courtroom, but from all the reports, it seems as if she described their encounter with such vivid detail that it has to be believable. The room, the conversations, what he was wearing, what he wasn't wearing. It seems to me that the defense has a very difficult job. But look, the heart of the matter is that at a certain point, when he was running for president, he decided that he could not have her tell tell her story. It was right after the Access Hollywood tape, when they were crazed about making sure that American voters would not hear about this tawdry affair. And if the defense wants to take the tack of trying to disprove what she's saying, good luck to them.

And John. We're also hearing some interesting testimony. Again, Daniels is on the stand as we speak. She said after this whole encounter that her life was amazing. In her words. She got a raise. She directed more films. She broke into mainstream films. She had a kid, but she's saying it was actually in 2011 that she first had another interaction related to Trump, where someone told her to stop talking.

So we've heard this story before, but not obviously on a stand in a courtroom. So it's Stormy Daniels is now speaking about Diane. Is that in 2011, she gave an interview to InTouch magazine where she talked about her encounter, her relationship with Donald Trump. Her interaction didn't go much further than that, kept it very 30,000ft. However, she's talking about an incident now in June of 2011, in Las Vegas. She was in a parking lot, apparently coming out of a mommy and me class with her child, and she says a man approached her and threatened her to not continue telling her story about her encounter with Donald Trump, the man allegedly said. According to Daniels, quote, he told me not to say anything at all and I was scared. Now, according to our team, Stormy Daniels apparently getting emotional on the stand while recounting this. You know, she's been wearing glasses, according to our team, raising them up not to get them foggy as she's becoming, you know, pretty emotionally upset.

And now it's also interesting that jurors heard about a blog post during the testimony of Keith Davidson, who sent a cease and desist letter to the blog, getting the post removed about that exchange, about that sexual encounter with Trump. So again, that's 2011. So let's just, you know, bring the timeline out to everybody here. 2006 the sexual Encounter 2007 last time Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels see each other, 2011 the magazine interview this encounter with a man approaching her in a parking lot, basically saying, stop talking about Donald Trump. We are building closer and closer to the crescendo, if you will, of 2016. Keith Davidson, Michael Cohen catching and killing her.

Story and Jerry up until now, the the judge has warned the prosecution, particularly when talking about the sexual encounter, that we don't need all the details here, right, to to sort of slow down in that respect. How important are the details to this part of the story? What happened after? And now as she starts to try to tell her story, and when she says she was first told to keep her mouth shut.

Well, these details, uh, presented a texture, uh, for the for the jury to have a feel of, uh, her truth telling of of her, uh, uh, recollection of all, all of her encounters with Donald Trump. So that's the reason why she's being asked about all these details. But the judge really doesn't want to go over a line that, uh, where the details become so prejudicial that it's unfair to the defendant. And it's not a bright line. So the judge has to, uh, make a determination when when there's an objection that there's a little too much detail, uh, in, in her stories. But there's certainly enough, uh, in her testimony to demonstrate that, uh, she's not making this up on the stand. And it appears that she never made this up at all, that, uh, the her recollection of all these details that the prosecution has elicited from her, uh, is truthful. And that being the case, that's really what the takeaway is, uh, by the jury.

Um, if the jury does decide that they do believe her, then it becomes important, um, in terms of the cash and the catch and kill, uh, scheme. But even if they don't believe all the details, the catch and kill scheme, uh, that Trump and David Pecker and the others conspired to, um, uh, have so that her her story won't become public, whether they whether the jury believes that or not. Um, they did do that and they did pay her. And essentially, that's really the the most important fact that, uh, that the jury needs to take away in terms of what the prosecution is trying to prove.

And, Brian, excuse me and Erin, she's talking a little more now about trying to get her story out. Walk us through the latest from this testimony and how Stormy Daniels is describing all of this.

This is all the the aftermath of of the sexual encounter that she spoke about with Donald Trump and how she is trying to, uh, own her own narrative here against what she described as this pressure to to stay quiet even before the 2016 election. Sort of a prelude. I wonder if some of the details, uh, how some of those details, especially of the alleged sexual encounter, are playing with the jury the way Stormy Daniels spoke and the way Susan Hollinger, the prosecutor, elicited some of the details about what went on in that hotel room in 2006. It almost made it sound like you were listening to a victim of a of a sex crime testify in court. And that's nowhere near the allegation here. But but that's what it sounded like to me when I was listening. And I wonder how that ultimately does play with the jury. I expect the defense on cross-examination when it comes to home in on that, to to reiterate that, that this was a a willing encounter and that Stormy Daniels knows nothing about the hush payment other than she received it.

She doesn't know anything about how it was booked in the general ledger of the Trump Organization as a legal expense. And why or why not? That may be pertinent.

And John, now she's she's talking a little bit more about how we went from that encounter in the parking lot after the InTouch magazine interview to when she started shopping her story around. Yeah.

So what? Daniels just testified in the stand, Diane, is that she authorized her agent at the time to shop around her story. This was in 2016. Daniels just testified, quote, my motivation wasn't money. It was to get the story out. She goes on to say it was motivated out of fear, not money. Um, Susan Harbinger, of course, the lead prosecutor in the case, asking her why didn't you ask for more money as opposed to $130,000, which Cohen offered, and she responded because I didn't care about the money. Now, as Aaron just noted, I think the reality of it is that Stormy Daniels knowledge and information in real time is starting to come, you know, to a close, if you will, right? Because at the end of the day, she just wanted to get the story out there. That didn't happen. She took the money and was silenced for a period of time eventually. Obviously the story did come out there, and we know Daniels very famously gave a very big interview to 60 minutes, where she did detail all well after the 2016 election, to be clear.

Well, now she's detailing it on the stand. Jerry, what do prosecutors ultimately need to prove with this witness? What are the key points that they're going to try to hit on and make sure to hit on with Stormy Daniels?

That she was paid $130,000 to keep quiet. Period. End of story. The the the reason why she wanted to, uh, get the story out is kind of irrelevant. Uh, all the, uh, the relationship she described with, uh, Trump, uh, that, uh, um, included this, uh, tryst, um, is kind of irrelevant. The the fact that he took her up to, uh, Trump Tower and, uh, introduced her to everyone, uh, because he was comfortable with her. That's also irrelevant. The only thing that really matters is that this real, live person who seems to have a pretty good recollection of all the details of that encounter, that this real, live person wanted to tell the story for whatever reason. And they paid her to shut up. And that was the triggering point for the payment for the cover up. And then the prosecution needs to move on to demonstrate that the reason that Trump did this, his intent was to commit or conceal another crime, which is to influence the election by unlawful means.

And that's really the heart of, uh, of the testimony, all this other, uh, detail that we have, uh, that the prosecution has elicited from her is just to demonstrate that she's a real live person who's telling the truth. That being said, she was paid to be quiet. And one of the reasons she was. What are the what was the main reason? She was paid to be quiet. It had to do with the election. That's the goal of the prosecution. That's what the jury needs to believe. Uh, in order to convict Donald Trump.

And Darren, how is Donald Trump reacting to all of this? He has to sit in that courtroom and listen to all of this and sit there face to face with Stormy Daniels. What's his demeanor like as she goes through this whole story? It looks like Aaron can't hear me. John, what are you hearing from court? Just in terms of the dynamics, the jury, former President Trump and his son in the courtroom today as well.

Everyone is just sitting there. I mean, I'd hate to use the word, but almost like stupefied by it all. I think just taking it all in. I think the jury has consistently done one thing today, which is not take their eyes off Stormy Daniels as Donald Trump has done the exact opposite. Not look at Stormy Daniels at all. We know that in the front row of this courtroom, right behind Donald Trump. Eric Trump is sitting there and like father, like son, both have not looked at Stormy Daniels, according to our team. Both have repeatedly looked down. Donald Trump's body turned every which way possible to not look at her. I do think that's why we saw the sketch of the courtroom earlier. Um, you know, that's one thing that, you know, you have to be a little careful about some of these sketches. You know, everything. That photo clearly accurate. Right? Stormy on the stand, Susan half singer questioning them. We see the sketch right there of Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels and that now infamous photo of the two together in 2006, right before the sexual encounter happened at that golf club in Lake Tahoe.

But here's the only thing wrong with that picture Donald Trump's eyes at Stormy Daniels in that picture, not what's happening in reality. He is doing everything he can, Diane, to not look at Stormy Daniels right now.

And I think we have Erin back. Erin, what do you make of how the testimony is being received? There's a lot of detail here. Stormy at times, apparently is addressing the jury directly. The defense is expected to go after her credibility. Does it seem so far like she's being received as a credible witness?

So far, the jury seems to be paying rapt attention to what Stormy Daniels is saying. Yesterday, it was all about documents 34 allegedly falsified ledgers and checks and and and invoices. It was rather tedious testimony. This is about sex and money and how the two interacted before the 2016 campaign. And the jury seems utterly fascinated. I think everyone in the courtroom is fascinated because even though we have heard many of the details from Stormy Daniels herself in various forms, she's doing it now in a criminal trial with Donald Trump at ten, 20ft away from her. So just the dynamics of how the room is are fairly interesting, and what she is saying and how she is unwavering. There are very few, if any, gaps in her memory. She speaks quickly. There's no hesitation. This is a story that she says has been consistent because, as she likes to say, it's true.

And John, you say Eric Trump just tweeted.

Yeah, this is interesting. So I mean, Eric Trump is obviously sitting in the courtroom. He just tweeted, I assume from this courtroom and stamped 12:45 p.m. pure in all caps extortion with a bunch of exclamation points. I mean, we have to remember, Donald Trump's children are not part of the gag order, right? They could talk about the case all they want. You know, he they're not, you know, sitting at the defense table here like other cases that have involved the former president. But it's interesting that, you know, a person that's physically in the courtroom with Donald Trump. You know, this is now the second time he's tweeted from the courtroom. It's interesting. And I wonder if this actually gets any attention from prosecutors.

And John talk big impact here. Because what we're hearing in court today, salacious details about a sexual encounter, uh, details about what happened after a conversation where Stormy Daniels says, Donald Trump said, oh, yeah, don't worry about my wife Melania. We sleep in separate rooms. Yeah. What does testimony like that do? I mean, we know he's a defendant, but to the man Donald Trump and the candidate, Donald.

Trump, hurts Donald.

Trump at his core. I mean, at the end of the day, we know that Donald Trump, you know, is a private person. You know, he obviously has had a lot of accusations, many of which he has claimed repeatedly never happened, didn't exist. You know, think of Jean Carroll and the fact that two trials happened in that case, one of which resulted in Donald Trump having to pay Jean Carroll nearly $100 million, Diane, for defamation. I think that what is just remarkable about all of this is how much detail, how much of a dialog, how much of the visuals Stormy Daniels painted, despite the fact that Judge Merchan had told prosecutors before they began and during the testimony to cool it, to not get that colorful in detail. But Stormy Daniels, you know, she's the one answering the question so she can determine how far she goes or doesn't go. She leaned headfirst into this conversation with prosecutors, revealing far more detail. And I think, you know, one of the things we know is that Donald Trump's legal team and others had prepared him that this was going to be a very, very difficult day, thus warning him early this morning that, you know, once they got the phone call, she'd be the witness, like, hey, this is this is what's coming.

We knew this would be hard for Donald Trump. I don't think anybody could have predicted this. And I will tell you, Diane, while I've been sitting on the set with you here, my phone has literally been imploding with. People close to Donald Trump stunned by this detail, knowing that this is a very, very difficult day for the former president.

And we're looking live outside the courtroom now because the jury has just been excused for the lunch break. Daniels testimony is scheduled to resume at 2 p.m., and we could see the former president walking out of the courtroom now. But before that testimony, it ended. Aaron, we heard about the contract that Stormy Daniels signed to tell the story. And this goes to the documents at the heart of the case. And there's the former president walking out. Just put his fist in the air, similar to what we saw after the break. Um, Erin, how crucial is this part of things? Maybe a drier portion of the testimony, but getting to the heart of the allegations in this case, talking about the contract and Stormy Daniels saying that her understanding what that was, that things were going from Trump to Cohen, Cohen to Davidson, her her attorney, and then, of course, to Stormy Daniels herself.

And the jury has seen that paper trail. They've seen the essential consulting shell company that Michael Cohen opened up at the First Republic Bank branch across the street from Trump Tower. They saw how he funded that account with a home equity line of credit. They saw the wire transfer for $130,000 to Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels lawyer at the time. And then just yesterday, they saw how the Trump Organization reimbursed Cohen in 12 monthly installments of $35,000. Even the back of the napkin math, handwritten notes from the financial executives at the Trump Organization, Jeff Mcconney and Allen Weisselberg to work out how Michael Cohen was going to be repaid. So these are the documents that the jury has seen that were allegedly falsified, in part. And now Stormy Daniels is going to be filling out that picture. And that's where her testimony is likely to end and where cross-examination will pick up. The judge said that Daniels could come on for the limited purpose of explaining the whole situation, showing the predicate for the hush payment, and that's it.

So, Jerry, where do you expect the defense to go when they get a chance to cross-examine Daniels?

Well, I think they're going to drill down on some of the details that she testified about. And and I think what John has said is really important in terms of Trump's reaction. The danger for the prosecution is that the jury starts thinking about Trump as a victim here. Maybe there was extortion. Maybe she treated him badly. Maybe he she treated him like a child in some of the details that she testified to. If they have a feeling that somehow he was a victim here, or if they start feeling sympathy for him in and of itself as a legal matter, it shouldn't. It shouldn't matter because the facts are what the facts are in terms of the payment and the reason for the payment and so on. But a jury of they're human beings, and if they have some sympathy for him, if she goes overboard, if the prosecution drills down too much, then the jury might kind of feel that they don't really want to find him guilty for these crimes, irrespective of the facts. So I think we need to watch to see what the what the prosecution continues to do with her and what the cross-examination elicits from her in terms of how the jury might feel about Trump.

Uh, in, in this play.

And John, what are you watching for in terms of reaction to everything we just heard in court today?

I mean, I think look at the body language as everybody emerged from Corey, as you were talking to Aaron and Jerry, I was staring at Donald Trump, his lawyers, his child, Eric Trump. They're none of them looked at that camera when they came out of court. Even Donald Trump just doing the fist in the air as we see it right there. Just watch. Nobody turns around. Nobody pivots. Everybody looks straight ahead. They can't even bring themselves. And I think you're about to see Eric Trump in 10s right there on this footage. Look how much he's turned. I mean, this is a horrible day for them. I mean, this is a really tough day to have to sit there and take it all in. The fact that Eric Trump is tweeting from the courtroom saying extortion, I mean, that really gets to the heart of what they all feel right now. And I do think, again, coming back into this, that we knew there were going to be a very difficult days as part of this trial.

It's been several weeks and we got more weeks to go. According to prosecutors. We know Michael Cohen is yet to come, but forget that we still have Stormy Daniels to return to the stand later this afternoon. More direct examination. I think we're really going to get into more of what happened post 2016 and then after.

So, Erin, let's talk about that part. What comes next?

The cross-examination will begin sometime after lunch. We think that that the prosecutors are nearing the end of their direct examination, whether it begins today, tomorrow. But I would expect that the defense will home in on Stormy Daniels credibility, undoubtedly point out that she denied the whole story that she just laid out for the jury on multiple occasions when she was asked about it in 2016, before she finally ended up saying that it was true. And then they're going to ask her. I would imagine whether she knows anything about the books and records of the Trump Organization, which really are at the heart of the matter. And she's going to say no because she doesn't know and can't speak to those details, and perhaps try to leave the jury with the idea that, yes, you just heard about all this tawdry behavior, but what you didn't hear was any evidence of a crime.

All right. Aaron Katersky, John Santucci, Jerry gold. Fedor, thank you all. And we will be following this trial all day long. We'll bring you the latest right here on ABC News Live. Keep it here.

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Live, the porn star and the former president Stormy Daniels.

On the stand.

And Donald Trump's felony hush money.

Trial.

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Getting a lot hotter.

In a Manhattan courthouse today. The woman at the center of Donald Trump's historic criminal case. Stormy Daniels, taking the stand and laying out every cringey detail of an alleged sexual relationship that she had with the former president. Trump, banned from lashing out at her like he has in the past. But that didn't stop him from trying to go after her once again. In an early morning social media post that's now been deleted. Daniels, appearing on an episode of The View, saying she was ready for this moment.

I don't need someone to speak for me, and I.

Would. I relish the day that I get to face him and speak my truth.

We've got team coverage.

Leading us off.

ABC news senior investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky. He's outside the courthouse.

We also have executive.

Editorial producer John Santucci and legal contributor and trial attorney Brian Meyer.

So, Erin.

Talk about some salacious testimony. Fill us in on what Stormy Daniels has been telling the jury, at least what you're comfortable repeating.

A spellbound jury has listened to Stormy Daniels detail, meeting Donald Trump back in 2006 and then entering his giant hotel suite that she said was three times the size of her apartment in Lake Tahoe, California. She remembered walking into the room and Donald Trump wearing pajamas, and she teased him. Why are you wearing what Hugh Hefner wears? And then making him change into a shirt and pants? She remembered going into the bathroom and seeing in a leather or leather like toiletry bag, a bottle of Pert Plus and Old Spice. All of these details kept the jury's attention, but for the judge, they were a bit much. He asked prosecutors to move it along, but Stormy Daniels was right there to show what happened. When she exited the bathroom, there was Donald Trump on the bed. Did you feel threatened? Prosecutor Susan Hoffman Jr asked, and she said there was a power imbalance and he was sort of blocking the way. But she said she didn't feel threatened. And she described or started to describe how the two had sex.

The judge had enough. The defense objected. He sustained the objection when she tried to describe the sexual encounter, but the jury had already heard it. And this is the predicate that prosecutors said, uh, laid the groundwork for the $130,000 hush payment that Donald Trump has accused of falsifying many years later.

Ah. All right. I feel like I need to.

Go take a shower.

Now, Brian. The judge asked prosecutors to actually speed up Daniels testimony, saying that the degree of the detail is just unnecessary. What do you think? Did the juicy details serve a purpose in the prosecution's case?

So I answered, kind of in a jaded way, in the sense of the prosecution is supposed to not be getting the salacious information for anything else other than to establish that there was very bad information out there, and that the Trump Organization and Donald Trump himself wanted to ensure that this information didn't get out before the election. However, there's also another aspect to it as well. It kind of damages Donald Trump's credibility both in the courtroom and outside. And again, maybe it's the jaded former public defender of almost a decade in me whose practice in New York City and in Brooklyn. Um, yeah, I think the prosecution wanted to accomplish both, and they did so. But I will kind of tip my hat to judge Merchan as to trying to limit that exposure as much as possible, both in saying to speed up the process and sustaining the objections as to getting the more salacious information in.

So, John, the state.

Did call Stormy Daniels, uh, by her stage name, Stormy Daniels, instead of her birth name, Stephanie Clifford. What does that tell you?

I think that look at so much of what her testimony began with, with Donald Trump asking Stormy Daniels early on into their first encounter for nearly two hours about the porn industry, STDs. I mean, it's really remarkable, Kyra. I mean, as you said, you know, this is just crazy testimony. But even begin at that moment, if you will. I mean, the fact that a former president of the United States is sitting there, we're hearing that level of detail. And to think that he could be a future president of the United States. I mean, I almost blacked out when I heard her say she spanked Donald Trump in a newspaper before the sexual encounter, because he was asking so many questions about her and her personal life and her career. But then obviously, just that excruciating detail. I mean, Donald Trump's body, according to our team, was twisted so far away from Stormy Daniels, he could barely bring herself to look at her throughout any of it. Only at the beginning when she entered that courtroom.

But as our team saw in real time Donald Trump not looking, his son, Eric Trump, seated just a few feet away from his father, looking down for much of the time, this was an incredibly tough day for Donald Trump, and even more so than I think his team prepared him for.

So, Erin, I mean.

Tell us about the mood in the courtroom as as all I mean, everybody in there, including the president, sat through this testimony and listened to, I mean, not only just the cringey, salacious type of details, but just even the specifics, like what was in his toiletry bag.

The contrast, first of all, was astonishing. Prosecutor Susan Hoffner led the questioning. She's the daughter of a preeminent white collar attorney brought up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, talking to a porn actress who grew up with a single mother in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and described them moving to Florida, splitting custody of her kid. It wasn't an easy life shoveling manure before she discovered exotic dancing could pay more in a weekend than a week's worth of doing that at a barn. And the detail was specific. At times, though, Kyra and I wonder how the jury took this in. It was almost as if you were listening to the victim of a sexual assault describe a grooming encounter with an abuser, and that is far afield from what former President Trump is charged with here. And I believe that on cross-examination, the defense may try to to clarify that a little bit. But after the encounter, the sexual encounter. Stormy Daniels went on to describe seeing Donald Trump on additional occasions. The last time was in the summer of 2007 at a hotel bungalow in Hollywood, California.

There was a launch party for the Trump vodka brand. Donald Trump made sexual advances, she said, but Stormy Daniels wanted no part of it. She said she told him she was on her period. The jury is listening to all of this and she left about two hours later. Donald Trump tried calling her a few times, dangling an appearance on The Apprentice before he finally told her that she couldn't come on because people objected to having a porn actress on TV.

I mean, I still can't even believe we're talking about a former president of the United States here. It's just it's, um, my stomach is turning. Bryant. Um, Daniels said at no point during any of their encounters did Trump seem worried about getting caught, or even his wife finding out about this sexual encounter or and attempts at others. So how significant do you see this? Um, you know, in the prosecution's case.

So the prosecution throughout this case, we've seen Kira has played both offense and defense. And I think in this regard, they're playing defense because they're already preempting this question of Stormy Daniels expecting the defense to try to find a different answer in their cross-examination after again trying to paint the picture of he being Donald Trump, the former president wanted to hide this information from his family, from his wife, his children, his loved ones, rather than trying to make this about the election and the campaign. And so I think the prosecution is playing a little defense there. All right. Let's answer this question in direct examination before the defense has the opportunity to bring it up and trying to kind of dictate how that information comes in or how it presents to the jury.

Aaron John Bryan.

Thank you very much.

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Glad you're streaming with us. Well, millions of people are under threat right now of more severe weather after that deadly outbreak of tornadoes. Take a listen. The power went out. Large tornado. Tornado on the ground. That violent twister touching down near Tulsa. At least one person is killed, several others hurt. The town of Barnsdall hit especially hard. A lot of homes. They're just reduced to rubble. Severe storms also slamming the city of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Several people rescued from there after being trapped inside a hotel. Emergency crews now urging people to stay off the roads, and at least 16 reported tornadoes touching down in six states. The threat isn't over yet, either. Our meteorologist, Samara Theodore, joins us now with more. So Samara, you're there in Oklahoma. Describe just the neighborhood that you're in.

So right now here I'm in Bartlesville, and this is just about 20 minutes up the road from Barnsdall. Now, the hotel that you just referenced where people are running out of this, is it here, look.

At the.

The the wall. You can see the projectiles launched into there. These are two by four pieces of wood. That's a stairwell on the other side. And what I'm standing on right now is actually the roof from a building not too far over. The Oklahoma heat is hitting it. You can smell the tar in the air. And this this is a tornado siren meant to warn folks, but unfortunately, it took a hit during the storm. I actually spoke with a family earlier who stayed at this hotel.

My car was actually right here, and so we all jumped in my car and we just had itself.

We actually saw.

Um.

You know, obviously it was dark, but in the lightning flashes we actually could see, you know, the clouds coming down or whatever behind us. So, yeah, it was pretty intense.

Terrifying. And, uh, that that same storm system is now marching eastward. So let's go ahead and take a look at this. Now, what you're looking at is video in Cincinnati, where they've got the lightning, the heavy rain, the strong winds. They have a severe thunderstorm in play right now. Winds could hit 60mph with large hail. And as we see this storm continue to move eastward, we're anticipating those supercells to really start firing up around 7 p.m., uh, throughout parts of the Ohio Valley by midnight, moving through the Tennessee Valley. This includes Bowling Green, Louisville, right on up into Columbus. The largest threat for the highest threat, should I say, for tornadoes, is in this orange zone today from Fort Wayne down to Louisville. Now, tomorrow, there is another threat for severe weather. And that includes cities like little Rock, uh, Saint Louis, right on into Nashville. They have a tornado threat, but we could also see very large hail and damaging winds.

Kyra.

Well, Samarra, just tell us about the new threat of severe weather where everything is headed across the country.

Yeah. So pretty much this like I said, this same storm system marching its way eastward. So right now we have the Ohio Valley, the Tennessee Valley in the bull's eye. And then tomorrow, that secondary threat hitting places like little Rock in Nashville.

Got it. All right. Thanks so much. Appreciate it Samara. So Israel confirms its troops have taken control of part of the Rafah border, now crossing right into southern Gaza. As of this moment, the IDF says its killed about 20 people, calling them terrorists in the area. Israel calling this a counter offensive operation, counterterrorism operation. Rather, that may be a prelude to a larger ground incursion into the area that's sheltering more than a million displaced Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that a ground invasion of Rafah must happen in order to bring home hostages and get rid of Hamas, while the troop movement came right after Hamas had accepted a cease fire proposal from Egypt and Qatar, a proposal that Israel now refuses, saying that it isn't what they talked about previously. Our Marcus Morris in Tel Aviv, along with our national security analyst, Mick Mulroy. So, Marcus, the white House now says that Israel's operation in southern Gaza is is not what Biden had actually warned against. So what exactly is going on with this operation in Rafah?

Well, one of the things, Kyra, that we know and from the very beginning of this operation was it seemed pretty clear that this was not going to be a massive, all encompassing ground operation focusing on the entire city of Rafah. And really, the main signals for that were the fact that less than 24 hours before the operation started, you'll recall Israel delivered or dropped flyers in the eastern part of the city urging 100,000 people to to evacuate the eastern part of the city. And so that in and of itself gives you a sense of what Israel was trying to say, that this is a limited, um, operation in its scope and that it's a precise operation. What everyone outside of Israel, a number of countries and aid groups have been worried about is what a larger operation would look like, not only in terms of the devastation that it would cause, but of course, the more than a million Palestinians who have gone to Rafah. Where would they go? So when we talk about the differences in the operations, that that's what we are looking at, and that is what we have seen, Kyra.

And that operation continues as we speak.

So Mick, Israel's defense minister, vowing to continue the operation Rafah until the hostages are returned. Let's just talk about how this could impact any potential ceasefire deal. And does this fly in the face of what President Biden asked Israel not to do?

Look here. Obviously, we had some false.

Hope yesterday when Hamas was saying they accepted an agreement, but they didn't accept the agreement that Israel offered. And I think that was the confusion. Right now, we can clearly see that the United States would like to see a limited operation, intelligence and reconnaissance driven that finds the enemy, in this case, four battalions of Hamas militants, and then focuses the mass effort on them, essentially a mass effort where they go street by street, which could cause significant damage and civilian casualties. Right now we see this. I think early preparatory action by Israel does not necessarily indicate which direction they're going to go. They probably are trying to seal off militants escaping into Egypt and of course, other munitions coming in. And I think that's what we're seeing right now, whether this will be a full attack or a limited attack is yet to be seen.

So, Mik, one more. Three U.S. officials now telling ABC news that the US is actually going to pause deliveries of ammunition to Israel. What more do you know about that? Is that a good strategy?

So it has to do with how the munitions is used. Obviously, there is a significant threat of Iran. They wouldn't want to stop the munitions and weapons systems that are used to defend Israel. But the question is essentially the large diameter bombs, the £2,000 dams, those are the specific weapons that we are hearing are being paused because they caused so much destruction when used in urban areas, generally, something we would not do. I think that is where the issue lies. I don't think they'll cut off all supplies of weapons, ammunitions for use in Gaza, but the specific ones that I think the US government finds problematic, and that is a large diameter bombs and the ground penetrating munitions, which are effective on tunnels but can cause significant destruction to the buildings around where the point of impact is.

All right, Marcus, more in Israel for us and also McMorrow I appreciate it. Commencement cancelations, calls for resignations and more cops on campus. Police continue to tighten security at colleges and universities across the country now as protesters try to take back those encampments. President Biden, also speaking at a Holocaust remembrance event today, saying that there has been a furious surge of anti-Semitism in the U.S. and around the world.

In America, we respect and protect the fundamental right to free speech, to debate and disagree, to protest peacefully and make our voices heard. But there is no place on any campus in America, any place in America, for anti-Semitism or hate speech or threats of violence of any kind.

In Massachusetts, protesters at MIT broke through barricades to retake an encampment after being ordered to leave campus and in Illinois. Police entered an encampment there at the University of Chicago, confronting protesters and taking down tents and signs. Stephanie Wade of our ABC station in Chicago is there.

Hi, Kiera. Well, the raid was swift. Campus police.

Came in and.

Dismantled the pro-Palestinian encampment set up by the University of Chicago students shortly before 5:00 this morning. Take a look at some of this video. Officers dressed in riot gear piled into the.

Palestinian.

Encampment. Crews came in with trucks and removed the dozens of tents and cardboard signs that have decorated the U of squad for.

Nine days now. The student.

Protesters who were staying there removed by campus.

Police.

And ushered outside the quad while crews worked. Tensions rose at times as protesters came face to face, with police officers physically pushing students further back with yellow barriers, and students ripped up a final notice warning given by campus police, saying they'd be placed on an immediate leave of absence if they did not leave. Then, around 8 a.m., students were allowed back into the quad after the removal process was complete. The University of Chicago president says safety concerns have mounted over the last few days and risks were increasing to rapidly, saying there have been no arrests and where appropriate, disciplinary action will proceed. Now, it's worth mentioning the mayor's office expressed to.

Us that they did.

Speak.

With the university. The university, according to the mayor's office, asked for help from the Chicago Police Department in carrying out these plans.

But CPD was.

Unwilling to.

Assist.

And as we saw this morning.

They move forward with those plans.

Kira, back to you.

All right. Appreciate it. Stephanie, thanks so much. And coming up, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene meeting with Speaker Johnson right now in this moment when she still try to oust him as speaker. Stay tuned.

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So behind closed doors, House speaker Mike Johnson and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene meeting right now amid Greene's looming threat to try and oust Johnson from his position. Position of House speaker. They actually met privately yesterday for two hours inside the speaker's office, Johnson telling reporters he understands Greene's frustrations but stated that there are political realities that must be acknowledged here.

I just want to say, and I told them, and I've said this repeatedly, that I understand the frustration, I share it. I would really like to advance much more of our conservative policy on a daily basis here. But the reality is we are working with the smallest majority in U.S. history with a one vote margin.

Well, let's bring in our Jay O'Brien. He's up there on the hill following all the latest developments. Um, boy, it'd be a fly on the wall. What do we know, Jay?

Well, and that meeting's actually happening not far from here. I'm looking over to my shoulder to see if Marjorie Taylor Greene walks out. Because we expect that meeting to wrap up somewhat soon. They've been meeting for just about an hour now. Kyra and Marjorie Taylor Greene has laid out what she says are her demands of Mike Johnson. And if he acquiesces to these demands, she says she won't trigger a vote to oust him. They are to return to something that's called the Hastert Rule, which is that every piece of legislation has to get a majority of the majority, meaning a majority of Republicans would have to support it. She also wants no more funding for Ukraine to pass through this Congress. She wants significant spending cuts to be leveled when government funding expires in September of this year. And also her last point, which politically is perhaps the most difficult to get across the aisle or to get past, rather, is she wants to defund. Special counsel Jack Smith is currently investigating former President Trump and has brought those two federal prosecutions against the former president, one in the classified documents case and the other for alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

That's going to be difficult because moderate Republicans would have to buy into that. Certainly every single Democrat would oppose that. And Mike Johnson, as you heard him say, there is in a politically precarious situation where Republicans have a razor thin majority in control of the House. Certainly Mike Johnson is, by the way, said, Kyra, that some of these are points that he might politically agree with. But he has said that these conversations he's having with Marjorie Taylor Greene are, quote, not a negotiation. Kyra.

Well, we're learning now that former President Trump is actually privately urging Greene to drop her push to oust Johnson. What more do we know about this? And do you think she'll listen?

Well, it's unclear if that's going to be 100% effective, but certainly that goes a long way. And we've seen former president Trump say that he is in support of Mike Johnson. They've had press conferences together. They were at that fundraiser together over the weekend. So the former president has thrown his support. Behind the speaker. Marjorie Taylor Greene is still somewhat going against the former president's wishes by even keeping this issue alive. But it cannot be understated, the kind of impact that that has not just on her, but other hard line Republicans here, Kyra.

All right. Jay O'Brien up on the hill for us. Keep us updated. Jay. Thank you and thanks for streaming with us I'm Kyra Phillips. The news never stops. Neither do we. We'll be right back. More news on the other side.

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Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips. Our top story this hour from the paper trail to the porn star. Things are getting a lot hotter in a Manhattan courthouse today. It's currently on a lunch break, but proceedings are set to resume with the woman at the center of Donald Trump's historic criminal case. That's Stormy Daniels. She is back on the stand, and she's been laying out every cringey detail of that alleged sexual relationship she had with the former president, wellspring executive executive producer John Santucci. Also, Brian Buckman will be joining our discussion from a legal perspective in just a moment. But, John, just looking through all the testimony, look, she laid out a lot of the salacious details from her perspective in her book. Is there anything else besides what the former president apparently has in his leather dopp kit that she said that we really didn't know about?

Kara, as one email blast just came out from another media outlet. This courtroom just became NSFW, not safe for work. And that's exactly right. The level of detail she went into, though, some of which we've heard before, it's still the fact of where it was said, how it was said, who it was said by, and who had to sit there and hear all of it being Donald Trump. It's just remarkable, Kyra, how much detail Stormy Daniels went into after Trump's defense team earlier in the day had said to Judge Juan Merchan, you got to limit the scope of this. You know, the night that had happened, if you will, is not really the crux of the crime here. The allegations anyway, of course, that being the 34 counts of falsifying business records. So that warning began the morning midday. During Stormy Daniels testimony, prosecutors were again warned by Judge Juan Merchan to, you know, take your foot off the gas a little bit. We don't need to go into that much detail here.

But of course, at the end of the day, prosecutors asked the question. The witness takes it as far as they want to or not. And we saw repeatedly Trump's defense team objecting because Donald Trump was pushing his defense team. Our team observed Susan Necklace, his attorney, at one point being pushed by Donald Trump. Like shoved a little bit like, are you going to do something here? Object. It wasn't until Stormy Daniels got really graphic that eventually they did. And Judge Merchan agreed, sustaining those objection from prosecutors from the defense team here, but really just remarkable, remarkable testimony that went on. And it's only going to continue once they get back from lunch.

So, Brian, you know, this is at the end of the day about falsifying business records. So why keep pushing all the details, all the lurid details of a sexual encounter when at the end of the day, this is just about falsifying business records.

So from a legal standpoint, the prosecution would argue that they need to get into these details to one, corroborate and strengthen the credibility of Stormy Daniels, but also to help the jury understand how bad this could have been, not just the details of a sexual encounter, but also some of the details that we're learning about today that Stormy Daniels is revealing, uh, more in depth for the very first time in this way. Um, they didn't want this out. And I think the prosecution will argue they need to get into how salacious it is. They can't just say it's bad, trust us, because the defense would cross-examine and say there is no evidence. There's no they're there. So they're saying they have to tell the story. They have to go this deep to explain why an individual falsified this information in order to interfere with an election. That's their argument.

So Brian Daniels credibility is expected, of course, to be a central part of the testimony as well. So how do you think she's doing so far? And, um, you know, how nasty could this get?

So I think so far she's doing well. But I do expect the defense to bring up every time that she's told her story. You know, she has a book called Full Disclosure. She's had interviews at various networks. And if there's any difference between how she told, uh, that that that story of that night, uh, on any one of those mediums, she's going to be impeached and cross-examined about it. But if I was to take her testimony just as it is now, it seems to be corroborated with photos that she didn't, in fact, meet Donald Trump. It seems to be corroborated with the detail of information that she's getting when she's what appears to be looking back on an event that actually happened in her life and explaining it for us all to hear. And I think she's credible in the fact of how far she's going and talking about how this sexual encounter occurred, but also pulling back and being like, I didn't feel forced. I didn't feel like I was threatened. She sounds reasonable in the way she's telling the story.

So, John, before the break, when talking about shopping her story around to the media, to the media. Daniels actually testified that my motivation wasn't money. It was to get the story out. Which, you know, begs the question, then why shop around the story if she didn't care about the money?

Yeah. She allegedly says that it was fear. She wanted the story to get out there leading up to the 2016 election. It seems as though to expose Donald Trump for what she believed he really was, because prior to getting into that part of the story Kira she talked about in 2011, she gave an interview to InTouch magazine where she talked about, you know, an encounter with Donald Trump, didn't say what it was, didn't get into the details, but told the courtroom a story about thereafter. In June of 2011, she was exiting a mommy and me class with her child at the time and was approached by a man who basically threatened her and in her words said, stop talking about Trump. Stop talking about the Trump story. So that again, though the year is the separation I think is going to raise some eyebrows. And obviously, you know that after direct examination concludes and cross-examination begins, that's exactly where the defense team is going to focus any way that they can knock Stormy Daniels credibility and tear her down.

As someone that was just seeking to buy to get a buck.

So Brian, the first witness on the stand was a book publisher where prosecutors use quotes from Trump's books against him. Like, always question invoices and always look at the numbers yourself. So let's just talk about the impact of that and how that worked for the prosecutors. You think?

Yeah. So for the prosecution, you got to realize they don't know if Donald Trump is going to take the stand and testify or not. And so, Erin, on the idea that he won't testify and they need to or they want to, uh, provide his own words when it comes to how he deals with checks, accounting ledgers, the bottom line when it comes to his business. And I think that was this was that opportunity, their ability to bring in a custodial witness who understands and knows this book and can read these, these excerpts of what Donald Trump is so famous for in terms of being a businessman. And I think it went well towards the to pushing back on the narrative. The defense has been trying to argue that, oh, he's a multi-tasker. He might have been signing something and not really knowing it. And this whole elaborate scheme, he was too separated from it because Michael Cohen was doing it on his own. I think his words say otherwise.

So John, for the 10th time now, Trump has been held in criminal contempt and slapped with a fine for violating the gag order. The judge has threatened to send him to jail. But is that just all a sideshow here?

No, it's actually really a big part of this because think about it, Donald Trump being thrown in jail would obviously, you know, politically you could split the baby, right? Half of it could be look, see what they're doing. I mean, they're putting me in jail. The other half of it, I mean, look, all of this has been humiliating for Donald Trump, but to think that there's a world of former and a potential future president is in a jail cell. I mean, we talk about historic here, right? We talk about how many times you never thought you'd see this, hear this, and in my case, earlier, say certain words on the air, repeating what was said in the courtroom. I think all of this is just simply remarkable. And if that actually does happen, that's really going to be a real pivotal moment in this case. And look, we have seen time and time again, Donald Trump cannot help himself. How many people have we both spoken to over the years of covering Donald Trump in the white House that have said, oh, you know, I've got him under control now.

He's going to listen to me. He's going to stay within the lines. It never happened. This time, though, is different. This time is consequences. It's monetary. He's up to $10,000 to the state of New York in this case. He's got a lot of other money to do in other cases, as you well know. But if it's actually jail, I would think he pulls back. But I know a day like today, I've been talking to multiple sources close to the former president. This day has been a lot.

John Santucci, Brian Buck Meyer. Thanks, guys. All right. Coming up. Tornado outbreak. The path of destruction left behind across six states. Now we'll update you.

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Glad you're streaming with us. Well, millions of people are under threat right now of more severe weather after that deadly outbreak of tornadoes. Take a listen. The power went out. Large tornado. Tornado on the ground. That violent twister touching down near Tulsa. At least one person is killed, several others hurt. The town of Barnsdall hit especially hard. A lot of homes. They're just reduced to rubble. Severe storms also slamming the city of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Several people rescued from there after being trapped inside a hotel. Emergency crews now urging people to stay off the roads, and at least 16 reported tornadoes touching down in six states. The threat isn't over yet, either. Our meteorologist, Samara Theodore, joins us now with more. So Samara, you're there in Oklahoma. Describe just the neighborhood that you're in.

So right now here I'm in Bartlesville, and this is just about 20 minutes up the road from Barnsdall. Now, the hotel that you just referenced where people are running out of this, is it here.

Look at the.

The the wall. You can see the projectiles launched into there. These are two by four pieces of wood. That's a stairwell on the other side. And what I'm standing on right now is actually the roof from a building not too far over. The Oklahoma heat is hitting it. You can smell the tar in the air. And this this is a tornado siren meant to warn folks, but unfortunately, it took a hit during the storm. I actually spoke with the family earlier who stayed at this hotel.

My car was actually right here. And so we all jumped in my car and we just had itself. We actually.

Saw, um, you know, obviously it was dark, but in the lightning flashes we actually could see, you know, the clouds coming down or whatever behind us. So yeah, it was pretty intense.

Terrifying and that that same storm system is now marching eastward. So let's go ahead and take a look at this. Now, what you're looking at is video in Cincinnati where they've got the lightning, the heavy rain, the strong winds. They have a severe thunderstorm in play right now. Winds could hit 60mph with large hail. And as we see this storm continue to move eastward, we're anticipating those supercells to really start firing up around 7 p.m. throughout parts of the Ohio Valley by midnight, moving through the Tennessee Valley. This includes Bowling Green, Louisville, right on up into Columbus. The largest threat for the highest threat, should I say, for tornadoes, is in this orange zone today from Fort Wayne down to Louisville. Now, tomorrow, there is another threat for severe weather. And that includes cities like little Rock, Saint Louis, right on into Nashville. They have a tornado threat, but we could also see very large hail and damaging winds. Kyra.

Well, Samarra, just tell us about the new threat of severe weather where everything is headed across the country.

Yeah. So pretty much this like I said, this same storm system marching its way eastward. So right now we have the Ohio Valley, the Tennessee Valley in the bull's eye. And then tomorrow, that secondary threat hitting places like little Rock in Nashville.

Got it. All right. Thanks so much. Appreciate it Samara. So Israel confirms its troops have taken control of part of the Rafah border, now crossing right into southern Gaza. As of this moment, the IDF says its killed about 20 people, calling them terrorists in the area. Israel calling this a counter offensive operation, counterterrorism operation. Rather, that may be a prelude to a larger ground incursion into the area that's sheltering more than a million displaced Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that a ground invasion of Rafah must happen in order to bring home hostages and get rid of Hamas, while the troop movement came right after Hamas had accepted a cease fire proposal from Egypt and Qatar, a proposal that Israel now refuses, saying that it isn't what they talked about previously. Our Marcus Morris in Tel Aviv, along with our national security analyst, Mick Mulroy. So, Marcus, the white House now says that Israel's operation in southern Gaza is is not what Biden had actually warned against. So what exactly is going on with this operation in Rafah?

Well, one of the things, Kyra, that we know and from the very beginning of this operation was it seemed pretty clear that this was not going to be a massive, all encompassing ground operation focusing on the entire city of Rafah. And really, the main signals for that were the fact that less than 24 hours before the operation started, you'll recall Israel delivered or dropped flyers in the eastern part of the city urging 100,000 people to to evacuate the eastern part of the city. And so that in and of itself gives you a sense of what Israel was trying to say, that this is a limited, um, operation in its scope and that it's a precise operation. What everyone outside of Israel, a number of countries and aid groups have been worried about is what a larger operation would look like, not only in terms of the devastation that it would cause, but of course, the more than a million Palestinians who have gone to Rafah. Where would they go? So when we talk about the differences in the operations, that is that's what we are looking at.

And that is what we have seen, Kyra. And that operation continues as we speak.

So Mick, Israel's defense minister, vowing to continue the operation Rafah until the hostages are returned. Let's just talk about how this could impact any potential ceasefire deal. And does this fly in the face of what President Biden asked Israel not to do?