You from the nbc news center here in los angeles. Welcome everyone to alex witt reports. We begin with the Breaking News, Tropical Storm hilary has begun lashing the pacific coast. Live pictures from san diego in the direct path of the storm we are heavy rain is beginning to fall in parts of california, and now under a State Of Emergency. Moving to las vegas, preparations for the orders are underway there. Storm drains are being tested, and potential for historic flooding there. Heavy rain could reach up to ten inches in some areas hit by the storms. So the impact could be catastrophic. The next two days will be crucial. Will hilary move north through california today and then into Northern Nevada by monday morning. A short time ago, the category one hurricane was downgraded to a Tropical Storm. But it is the first to hit california since 1939. Officials are warning, take this seriously. There would be Power Outages, make no mistake. There will be Power Outages across Southern Californ
Racketeering indictment. The Clock Ticking before they turn themselves in to the Fulton County jail next friday, with Pressure Mounting for some or all of trumps 18 codefendants to cooperate, you might think trump would be bending over backwards to ingratiate himself with them, keeping them from freaking out and flipping. Doesnt look like it. Not so much. Take Rudy Giuliani, facing 13 charges in Fulton County. Cnn today reports that giuliani made a hail mary pilgrimage to maralago in april in what is described as a mission to make a personal and desperate appeal to former President Donald Trump to pay his legal bills. By going inperson a source familiar with the matter told cnn giuliani and his lawyer believed they could explain facetoface why trump needed to assist his former attorney with his ballooning legal bills. According to reporting trump verbally agreed to help with some of giulianis legal bills without committing to any specific amount or timeline. Nbc news has not independen
It is friday and we have got a fantastic night crap grew recapping week it was, about lets talk about the day that is and we saw major developments in cases that involved the current former president. Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a protective order in dont rams 2020 election interference case after Hearing Arguments from the government and trump. She put everything that has to do with witnesses in the compartment of it and sensitive information. Not just grand jury witnesses, anyone that the government had interviewed. That is the first thing. And the second thing is that, even as she gave a negative to the Trump Defense team of not defining everything as sensitive materials, she took it away by making clear that anything that the government was concerned about in terms of both impairing the jury pool and also going after witnesses, would violate the order anyways. Judge chutkan also warned trumps lawyers that continued inflammatory statements from the client would only increase the need
Kind of a preview of how shell run her court and this case. And in deciding whether to grant Special Counsel jack smiths request for protective order limiting what the disgraced expresident can and cannot say publicly about the case, judge chutkan cuts through Talking Points like a hot knife through butter. On the First Amendment protections, they are so fond of citing, mr. Trump, like every american, has a First Amendment right to free speech. But that right is not absolute. Adding that without a protective order, the disclosure of discovery materials could lead to witnesses being harassed or otherwise interfering with a fair trial. What about the fact that trump is running for president. And chutkan did not mince words on that eithe saying, this is a criminal trial and i will not take into consideration the impact will have for have for a political came on either side. He will have all of the rights hesen tieptled to. The existence is not going to have any bearing on my decision. I i
Even as she gave a nugget to the Trump Defense team of not defining everything as sensitive materials, she took it away by making clear that anything that the government was concerned about in terms of both impairing the jury pool and also going after witnesses, would violate the order anyways. Judge chutkan also warned trumps lawyers that continued inflammatory statements from their client would only increase the need for a speedy trial. Also, in washington, attorney general Merrick Garland called a surprise Press Conference to announce the appointment of a Special Counsel in the hunter biden probe. Tuesday of this week, mr. Weiss advised me that, in his judgment, his investigation had reached a stage at which he should continue his work as a Special Counsel. And he asked to be so appointed. Upon considering his request, as well as the extraordinary circumstances relating to this matter, i have concluded that it is in the Public Interest to appoint him as Special Counsel. The white ho