all eyes on a new york city that caused dozens of civilian deaths. straight ahead, the white house standing by its allies. >> maybe some people forgot what happened on october 7th, but we haven't. >> our live report from the region. battered. another round of destructive storms tear through the south and more than half a million people without power, and the next risk of severe weather already on the move. al has the full forecast. her story. the life and tragedy of nicole brown simpson taking center stage. her sister speaking out on the woman they knew. >> and for the first time live, their reaction to the death of o.j. simpson. those stories, plus retirement shocker. lexi thompson, one of golf's biggest stars, announces she's stepping away from the sport at just 29 years old. >> a lot of people don't -- they don't realize a lot of what we go through. >> inside her decision and what's next. and together again. brad pitt and george clooney teaming up for the first time in nearly 20 years. we've got a first look at their highly anticipated new movie, today, wednesday, may 29th, 2024. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is today with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good morning, everybody. welcome to "today." nice to have you with us on a wednesday morning. great duos in history, laverne and shirley, and just like batman and robin, george and brad back together again. >> yeah. that film we're about to do is an action comedy. when those two are together, it's magic. so let's wait and see. in the meantime, it was a round of storms down south. a home under construction devastated. hundreds of thousands still don't have power. it could be out for days. we will have a live report and also al's full forecast. we will get started with the story of the day. president trump's hush money case heads to the jury today. prosecutors and the trump defense team taking their team during closing arguments yesterday, wrapping up at 8:00 last night. right now the judge is giving the jury their legal instructions, and then the deliberations will begin. >> this comes after chaotic scenes outside the courtroom. clashing with actor de niro when he spoke at an event planned by the biden campaign. >> so what will today bring? nbc's senior legal correspondent, laura jarrett, has the latest. >> good morning. we have finally reached the beginning of the end. both sides told the jury that the verdict should be quick. but their closing arguments should be anything but. the trump side calling trump an innocent man, while the state accusing him of trying to subvert democracy. donald trump's fate resting in the hands of 12 after both sides wrapped up a marathon of closing arguments. >> this is a very dangerous day for america. >> the prosecutor imploring the jury to use, quote, common sense arguing the former president conspired to corrupt the 2016 election by ordering michael cohen payoff stormy daniels so she couldn't derail his campaign, saying we'll never know if this effort to hoodwink the american voter made a difference. but that's not something we have to prove. what prosecutors do need to prove, 34 invoices, ledger entries, invoices and check stubs were all fallsfied. the state highlights these references to a legal retainer with cohen that never existed. lies, a bonus paper trail meant to disguise the real reason for silencing daniels. blanch argued cohen was trump's attorney. that retainer language is not false, not evidence of any conspiracy orchestrated by mr. trump as he was too busy running the country in 2017. blanch urging the jury to see the state's case resting on one man, cohen, branding him the greatest liar of all time, telling jurors you can't somebody to prison based upon the lies of michael cohen, drawing a sharp rebuke from the judge since prison time is not required if the jury convicts, instructing them to disregard it. while outside the court, a bizarre circus-like scene, robert de niro clashing with trump supporters. >> you are gangsters. >> you're washed up! >> the actor joining capitol hill officers on hand as surrogates for president biden as nbc news reports the biden campaign tries out a new strategy, no longer shying away from drawing attention to trump's legal issues. >> well, that was the whacky scene outside the courthouse. how about inside? you were there for all those arguments. >> yes. they started out very alert as usual, paying attention. they're all awake. by the end of the day, when we got to that 8:00 p.m. hour, some of them twirling their hair, rubbing their faces. you can understand. these are human beings. they have been listening to dense legal arguments. the prosecution is so worried about covering the waterfront that it went on and on. the defense was long, too. we'll see if they punish them move past it now in the deliberations. >> it is a long day in court. the seats are not known for their comfort. talk about the highlights for each. >> i think the defense did an effective job essentially saying the idea these records were falsified is in their records -- words are just absurd. they say the way they put in the legal retainer language is a dropdown menu in the accounting software trying to take the sting out of the idea this was a criminal conspiracy. i think the prosecution did an effective job trying to confront michael cohen's damage. look, we didn't choose him. this is someone donald trump chose because of the way he lied. they both had high points, but it went on for a long time. >> laura, thank you. long days ahead if the jury goes out this morning. also this morning, israeli forces are continuing to push deeper into the southern gaza city of rafah, despite growing international pressure over the war and that deadly weekend attack on a tent city. the white house saying while the president's red line was not crossed, it is monitoring developments by the hour. nbc's raf sanchez is in tel aviv. good morning, raf. >> reporter: hoda, good morning. an israeli official tells nbc news that israel submitted a new cease-fire proposal to american and qatar mediators. but right now there is no cease-fire in sight as israel steps up its military offensive in rafah and pressure mounts on the white house to step in. this morning with israeli forces pushing to the heart of rafah and growing numbers of palestinian civilians killed, the white house facing questions on president biden's red line and if israel crossed it. especially after that strike over the weekend, killing dozens in a firestorm at a camp in rafah. >> we don't want to see a major ground operation. we haven't seen that this morning at this point. >> how many more charred corpses does he have to see before the president considers a change of policy? >> we don't want to see a single more innocent life taken. i take a little offense at the question. no civilian casualties is the right number of civilian casualties. >> reporter: but more casualties yesterday after a new strike on this tent encampment killed 21 people, according to emergency services in hamas-run gaza. most of them women and children. the idf denies the tents were in a safe zone. israel also releasing an initial investigation into the weekend attack. the idf says it used small bombs to target two hamas commanders, but that a secondary explosion started the enormous fire. >> our munitions alone could not have ignited a fire of this size. >> reporter: the idf says hidden hamas weapons may have caused the blast but offered no firm evidence. a gas tank could have sparked the flames. the pentagon confirming that the u.s. military has been forced to suspend aid delivery into gaza by sea after a section of its temporary pier broke apart in bad weather. >> reporter: and that american pier had only been operational for two weeks before that. the pentagon saying it will take another week to repair. that is a major blow to the humanitarian effort in gaza at a time when the rafah crossing the main line for food crossing, remains closed. hoda? >> raf sanchez for us there in tel aviv. raf, thank you. here at home, hundreds of thousands dealing with widespread power outages after another round of severe weather tore through the south. texas hit with flooding rain again. more storms looming in the forecast. al has the details on all of that in a second. sam brock joins us from north of houston this morning. good morning. >> reporter: yeah, savannah. good morning. at one point the number of customers with no power in the state of texas topped a million. that's now being restored. we're just outside of houston. officials hearsay a straight line storm, savannah, swept through the region, caused this whole area to collapse. except for one 16-year-old. at this point right now, just the latest tragedy for our nation and many communities that are storm ravaged and trying to collect themselves. overnight, colorado slammed with a vicious hailstorm. while on tuesday, it was texas taking the brunt of the damage. from trees threatening homes in houston to a 120-year-old church going up in flames, the result of an apparent lightening strike. to this home under construction in magnolia, texas collapsing as workers escaped except for a 16-year-old worker stuck inside. >> the loss of life is heavy on all of us. >> reporter: wind gusts topping 70 miles an hour, forcing houston's airport to order a ground stop. while powerful winds pushed this american airlines airport away. american reporting no injuries adding its maintenance team is conducting thorough investigations of the plane. motorists try to get to work. also in the mix, golf ball-sized hail. and torrential rain slamming neighborhoods and businesses. >> california's earthquakes and florida's hurricanes. we're not safe any where. it's a shame. >> reporter: local officials say four other people were also electrocuted by a downed power line. thankfully, they are all expected to survive. meanwhile, millions under a slight risk of severe storm, savannah. that does include parts of texas. >> let's go to al with more on this. >> good morning, guys. things drying out a bit in texas before we get another round of these storms coming in. we have two systems that will be affecting the u.s. one storm over the canadian maritimes, cooler showers for the northwest and northeast. this second storm will be cominging in today and tonight, a strong cold front pushing into the plains. stretching from colorado all the way up into the dakotas and these storm impacts, large hail, low tornado risks but damaging wind gusts again. 60 miles per hour. tomorrow that severe weather shifts to the south, returning to texas again from colorado all the way to dallas. we're looking at heavy rain. there could be some flash flooding possible with this system. 7 million people at risk from abilene to dodge city as well. multiple rounds of thunderstorms, torrential rain. that saturated soil will enhance that flood threat. in fact, we're looking from texas into oklahoma with anywhere from three to five inches of rain as we get into friday. we will be watching the potential for flash flooding very closely in this area. guys? >> all right, al. thanks. a lot more to get to. >> good morning. good morning to you as well. folks, there is positive move for the economy this morning. consumer confidence rising in may for the first time in three months, signaling that americans are feeling better about where things stand, but there are some lingering areas of concern when it comes to your wallet. nbc's senior business correspondent, christine romans, here to break it all down for us. christine, always good to see you. it is usually a mixed bag with you, christine. there is a little good news, a little not so good news. consumer confidence up in may. what does that tell you right now? >> it tells me a strong job market is really supporting people's finances here. when when you talk to people, more people said they were looking to buy a car. more people said they were looking to buy appliances. those are things that suggest you have confidence in your paycheck. so you saw this number rise and it is showing you the labor market is underpinning everything here. also, the stock market is hitting record highs. people with investments in their 401(k)s, at least on paper are feeling a little better here, and you saw that in that report here. >> let's talk about the housing market because it's sluggish and the interest rates continue to dog it. >> that was one thing people said was a problem. they thought interest rates were too high and they didn't think they could come down too soon. that's good if you are trying to get in there. 6.94%. >> people are just used to 3%. >> i know. and there is not enough houses on the market. you still have inventory. there's more people that want to buy a house than there are houses on the market. that's the real disconnect. but you are starting to see energy in the urban areas. people are getting in there trying to buy homes again. >> so confidence is on the rise, and that's a good thing. what about what americans are actually seeing in their bank accounts? how is that changing? >> affordability is a real problem here. people look at child care. they look at health care costs. they look at all these things in their life, car insurance, health insurance and they just feel like they're being nickelled and dimed. affordable is a problem here. i have been going to swing states talking to, you know, people that clean hotel rooms and small business owners, people all up skp down the job spectrum, and people say -- they do different things. they say they feel lousy about the economy but they're spending their money. they're acting as if they have confidence in their job and the economy but they feel lousy. so there is this anxiety disconnect that has been the story of the post-covid economy. we'll see how that plays out five months, six months into the election, how do people really feel about the economy. they are doing one thing and saying another. >> that explains why credit card debt is so high right now. the surprise announcement that's shaking up the golf world. 29-year-old lexi thompson, one of the lpga's biggest stars revealing she will retire from full-time golf at the end of the season. that announcement comes days after grayson murray took his own life, intensifying the spotlight on pro athletes and mental health. kaylee hartung joins us with more. good morning. >> hey, good morning, guys. since she first joined the pro tour at 15 years old, lexi thompson has been a star. with that success, thompson says her life as a golfer has been a whirlwind of constant attention, scrutiny and pressure. now she's choosing to step away from her storied career saying there are more things to life. >> being out here can be a lot. it can be lonely. sorry if i get emotional. >> reporter: fighting back tears, professional golfer lexi thompson at just 29 years old saying she's at peace with the decision to retire at the end of this season. >> you know we're not perfect. we're humans. words hurt. and it's hard to overcome sometimes. >> reporter: one of the biggest stars in the sport for more than a decade, thompson qualified for the u.s. open when she was just 12 years old. >> i know it would be an awesome experience coming here at such a young age, and it is. >> reporter: her first of 11 lpga wins came four years later. >> a victory for the record books, and lexi thompson is a winner on the lpga tour at just 16 years of age. >> reporter: now after months of deliberation, she says it felt right to make this announcement ahead of the same tournament where her career began. >> especially with what's happened in golf. as of recent, a lot of people don't -- they don't realize a lot of what we go through as a professional athlete. >> reporter: over the weekend, the golf world was devastated by grayson murray's death by suicide. murray openly struggled with his mental health. thompson says she has, too. >> it's an ongoing battle to continue to put yourself out there in front of the cameras and continuing to work hard and maybe not seeing the results you want and getting criticized for it. i have struggled with it. i don't think there is somebody out there hasn't. it is just a matter of how well you hide it. >> reporter: and now she's looking forward to the future. >> there is more things to life than going to a tournament every week and doing the same training every day. there is just more to it. >> reporter: the lpga commissioner says the tour and its fans will be celebrating thompson throughout the remainder of this season. thompson says she is super fired up to finish it out, to enjoy every walk she has left and to win. guys, she will be teeing off at this week's u.s. open, u.s. women's open. it gets underway tomorrow with coverage on nbc, usa and peacock. savannah. >> thank you. i'm sure it was not an easy decision. >> no, no, certainly not. all right. 7:19. let's go over to mr. roker and get a check of the weather. >> guys, rest of the country, beautiful sunny skies. unsettled weather in the northeast. record highs down through florida. we'll look at that coming up in the next half hour. looking at some severe storms also up through the northern plains. sunshine over the west coast. we're going to get to your local forecast in the next 30 seconds. my life. man, the fish tacos are blowing up! so whatever's next... we're cooking with fire. let's make it happen! (vo) switch to the partner businesses rely on. and that's your latest weather. guys? >> al, thank you so much. still ahead, nicole brown simpson's sisters speaking out in the first live interview since the death of o.j. simpson. >> we will talk to them about their family's decades long journey in public and in private. how they're noring their sihost still ahead, it's the 10th anniversary of "fixer upper." and chip and joanna gaines coming to studio 1a to celebrate. >> we will talk about the new project they're launch coming up after your local news and weather. ♪♪ as time went on it was easy to seeee, ♪♪ ♪♪ i'm lowering my a1c! ♪♪ jardiance works twenty-four seven in your body to flush out some sugar. and for adults with type 2 diabetes and known heart disease, jardiance can lower the risk of cardiovascular death, too. serious side effects may include ketoacidosis that may be fatal, dehydration that can lead to sudden worsening of kidney function, and genital yeast or urinary tract infections. a rare, life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this infection, ketoacidosis, or an allergic reaction. you may have an increased risk for lower limb loss. call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of infection in your legs or feet. taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. ♪♪ jardiance is really swell ♪♪ ♪♪ the little pill with a big story to tell! ♪♪ [dog whimpers] [thinking] why always the couch? does he need to go to puppy school? get his little puppy diploma? how much have i been spending on this little guy? when your questions about life turn into questions about money... there's erica. the virtual financial assistant to help you spend, save, and plan smarter. only from bank of america. no, my denture's uncomfortable! dracula, let's fight back against discomfort. with new poligrip power max hold & comfort. it has superior hold plus keeps us comfy all day with it's pressure absording layer. time for a bite! if your mouth could talk it would ask for... poligrip. 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