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tv   ABC World News Tonight With David Muir  ABC  April 18, 2024 5:30pm-6:01pm PDT

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>> david: tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. the full jury has just been seated in donald trump's criminal trial. what we know about the jurors who will decide trump's fate, and when this trial now begins. also breaking news tonight, the scare on the runway. two passenger jets just missing each other.
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first tonight, the judge in donald trump's criminal trial, telling the court, we have our jury. seven men, five women, plus one alternate already. what one juror said during questioning right in front of donald trump. aaron katersky at the courthouse. also tonight, that near collision at reagan airport in washington. >> southwest 2937, stop! >> david: a jetblue flight cleared for takeoff. a southwest jet cleared to taxi right in front of it. the frantic calls with the control tower, seconds from a collision. in new york city tonight, the nypd, some officers in riot gear, descending on columbia university, arresting dozens of pro-palestinian demonstrators. why they moved in. the severe storms we're watching at this hour. multiple states. possible tornadoes, damaging winds. this then moves east. rob marciano with the newest track. tonight, we are learning more after those horrific images of a homeowner with a gun who then shot and killed a
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61-year-old uber driver. the homeowner had been called by scammers. the uber driver was unknowingly sent by scammers, too. tonight, you will hear what happens when the alleged scammer then calls the house while the police were there. tonight, the race for president. more than a dozen members of the kennedy family endorsing president biden, speaking out publicly tonight about their own brother, rfk jr., running for president. they are concerned their brother could be a spoiler in this election. they fear taking votes from joe biden with the kennedy name. the horrific scene, a car crashing into a bus stop. multiple people dead. the driver arrested for driving under the influence, speeding and going the wrong way. the 911 outage across several states. people unable to call 911 for hours, amid concern this was a cyber attack. authorities tonight with what was behind it. and the tributes tonight, the singer, songwriter, and guitarist behind so many songs, from "ramblin' man" to "jessica" to "blue sky," we'll listen to them all.
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>> announcer: from abc news world headquarters in new york, this is "world news tonight" with david muir. >> david: good evening, and it's great to have you with us here on a very busy thursday night. we have late reporting on two passenger jets narrowly missing one another. the frantic calls to the control tower. and you'll hear them. but we do begin tonight with the breaking news in the criminal trial of donald trump here in new york. tonight, the judge telling the court, we now have our jury. seven men and five women, plus one alternate already. donald trump leaving trump tower for the courthouse this morning. the first former president to face a criminal trial. today, the judge dismissing two jurors, and tonight you'll hear why. but both sides pressing ahead, questioning several more prospective jurors. and then late today, the judge revealing 12 new yorkers have now been chosen to decide trump's fate. and what we're already learning about the jurors who will hear this case. abc's aaron katersky leading us off outside the courthouse tonight. >> reporter: tonight, the jury
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is set in the first criminal trial of a former president. seven men and five women will decide whether donald trump falsified business records to cover up a hush money payment to porn actress stormy daniels, to hide their alleged affair from voters before the 2016 election. it came after a morning of setbacks. with trump looking on, two jurors selected earlier in the week were removed by judge juan merchan. the first, an oncology nurse, asking to be let go, saying she "definitely has concerns now" about her identity becoming public. she had already received questions from friends, colleagues, and family, adding, "i don't believe at this point that i can be fair and unbiased." another juror ousted for a different reason, prosecutors determining an i.t. consultant did not answer the juror questionnaire truthfully, failing to reveal his arrest in the 1990s for "tearing down political advertisements." lawyers for the prosecution and defense then questioning a new batch of jurors to fill out the
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rest of the 12-person jury, plus six alternates. as trump looked on, prosecutors warning, "some of the witnesses have what you might consider some baggage," ticking them off one by one -- "a tabloid publisher," "a porn star," and a "former lawyer" for trump who has pleaded guilty to other crimes. "will you keep an open mind?" the prosecutor asked. at the end of the day, a rush of activity, seven new jurors seated. the judge declaring, "we have our jury." among the newly chosen, a speech therapist, a physical therapist, a security engineer, an mba in finance, a wealth manager, a man who works for an eyewear company, and a woman who said she works in product development, and expressed some rather strong views about trump. as the former president listened intently, sometimes fidgeting in his chair, the woman told the court, "i don't like his persona. he's just very selfish and self-serving. i don't really appreciate that in any public servant. how he carries himself in public, it's not my cup of tea." the woman conceding she doesn't like trump, but she pledged to be fair. after a full day in court, trump
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clearly exasperated. >> it's a shame. and i'm sitting here for days now, from morning until night in that freezing room. freezing. everybody was freezing in there. and all for this. >> david: so, let's get right to aaron katersky live outside the courthouse again tonight. aaron, the jury now seated. they still need to select, of course, additional alternates. they'll move forward with this tomorrow. but the trial could actually start on monday? >> reporter: opening statements could begin monday, in fact, david. they have one alternate juror already, so, they need five more. and the judge is hoping for openings on monday, followed by perhaps six weeks of testimony. prosecutors, though, late today, david, refused to say who their first witnesses would be. they said they feared trump would only publicly attack them. david? >> david: aaron katersky leading us off with the breaking developments, the jury now seated in this case. we also have late reporting tonight after a very close call on the runway. two passenger jets just missing one another at reagan national airport in washington, d.c.
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a jetblue flight cleared for takeoff, a southwest plane cleared to cross over the same runway. then the frantic calls with the control tower, the two passenger jets just seconds from a collision. here's gio benitez. >> reporter: tonight, the heart-stopping moment at one of the nation's busiest airports. listen to the panic in the control tower, as two packed passenger planes narrowly missed colliding at washington's reagan national airport. >> jetblue 1554, stop. jetblue 1554. stop. >> southwest, stop! southwest 2937, stop! >> we stopped. we were cleared to cross runway 4. >> reporter: federal investigators say an air traffic controller instructed that southwest flight bound for orlando to taxi across a runway. seconds later, a boston-bound jetblue flight was cleared for takeoff, engines roaring, rolling down that same runway, setting both planes on a path to collision. listen again as air traffic controllers realized what was happening. >> jetblue 1554, stop. jetblue 1554. stop. >> southwest, stop! southwest 2937, stop! >> reporter: those jetblue
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pilots quickly aborting takeoff, slamming on the brakes, surprising passengers. >> we were on the runway taking flight, and then they hit the brakes. >> reporter: the taxiing southwest plane stopping, as well, both jets coming within 400 feet of each other, according to flight radar-24 data, just seconds away from disaster. >> this was a very serious situation, because there was almost no margin for any further error. >> reporter: and david, the faa is now investigating. now, we should tell you, federal authorities have been working to improve air traffic control after several close calls last year, far too many, david. >> david: gio benitez on this again tonight. gio, thank you. here in new york city tonight, protests and arrests at columbia university. here are the pictures. the nypd, some officers in riot gear, descending on columbia, arresting dozens of pro-palestinian demonstrators. it comes after the university president was called before congress to address accusations of anti-semitism on campus. abc's stephanie ramos tonight at columbia.
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>> reporter: tonight, nypd officers descending on columbia university, arresting dozens of pro-palestinian protesters. >> i'm just standing here. why are you doing this to me? >> reporter: police, some in riot gear, moving in at the request of the university's president, to clear demonstrators who set up a tent encampment, refusing to leave overnight, calling on columbia to divest from companies with ties to israel. >> [ crowd chanting ] shame on you! >> reporter: the daughter of u.s. representative ilhan omar saying she has been suspended from barnard college for protesting at columbia. late today, demonstrators shutting down streets around the school. what brought you out here? >> i'm showing solidarity with the palestinian community and with columbia. and i think it's horrific what the israeli army is doing to the civilian population in gaza. >> reporter: it comes just 24 hours after the president of columbia was grilled on capitol hill over her handling of anti-semitism on campus. >> there's evidence of
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anti-semitism among professors on your faculty? >> we have seen some cases, and there have been consequences. >> reporter: dr. minouche shafik is facing calls for her resignation. many jewish students say they are subjected to a hostile environment since the start of the war in gaza. >> thank you to the nypd for dismantling the encampment. >> reporter: since the october 7th attack in israel, anti-semitic incidents have tripled on college campuses, up 140% nationwide. for months, the war in gaza has divided college campuses. today, in los angeles, protests in support of free speech at usc, after the university canceled a speech by this year's valedictorian asna tabassum, citing safety concerns. jewish groups accusing her of anti-semitism, pointing to anti-israel links on social media. >> complete anti-semitic. and that makes us jewish students at usc feel unsafe,
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unheard, and targeted. >> reporter: tonight that valedictorian says she doesn't regret her activism. >> it's not about the speech. it's about the representation. it's about the principle. >> reporter: and david, as you can see, the situation here is not over. many student protesters telling me they plan on staying on school grounds overnight. david? >> david: stephanie ramos, thank you. we turn next here tonight to yet another round of severe storms, more than 30 million americans on the path tonight, across several states from texas to indiana, and then the system moves east. the system moving across the heartland at this hour, possible tornadoes, damaging winds, and hail, from dallas to nashville to indianapolis. senior meteorologist rob marciano back with us tonight. hey, rob. >> hi, david. very active radar again, as a matter of fact, tornadoes reported on the ground northeast and southwest of st. louis, right around now. we've got an active warning there, including severe thunderstorm watches that stretch from southern illinois all the way down in through texas, and also another one with a warmed up storm in parts of
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mississippi. this all crosses the mississippi tonight, after it does that, it will begin to weaken, the northern part of this front holding together. the southern part falls apart, which means tomorrow some towns in the south are going to sizzle with potentially record high temperatures in tallahassee and jacksonville, with temps over 90 degrees. here in the northeast, another cold rain coming tomorrow night. david? >> david: rob marciano. rob, thanks. we turn now to the case that has horrified this nation, we're learning more tonight after those awful images of a homeowner with a gun, who then shot and killed a 61-year-old uber driver. police say the homeowner had been called by scammers. they say the uber driver was unknowingly sent by scammers, too. tonight, you will hear what happens when the alleged scammer then calls the house while authorities are there. here's alex perez. >> reporter: tonight, they are the deeply unsettling images that have horrified the country, the ohio homeowner pointing his gun at a 61-year-old uber driver who was simply there, authorities say, to pick up a package. investigators say the homeowner
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had been duped by scammers who called him, and he thought the driver was in on it. but she had no idea what she was walking into. tonight, the new and difficult images of what played out after he shot and killed her. 81-year-old william brock seen moments after he shot 61-year-old loletha hall, telling clark county deputies he had received a call from someone demanding $12,000 for bail money for a relative of his. it was a scam. >> i've been on this phone for a couple hours with this guy, trying to say he had a nephew in jail, had a wreck in charleston, and just kept hanging on, and needing bond monday, and this woman was supposed to -- >> so it was a scam. >> reporter: authorities believe the same scrammers targeted the youtuber driver through the app, hiring her to pick up a package from brock's home, without telling her what they told him. that unsuspecting uber driver was, instead, confronted at gunpoint. >> help! help! >> reporter: she attempts to get in her car to get to safety, but the homeowner prevents her from
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leaving, shooting her three times, then calling 911. she died from her injuries. in this newly released video tonight, you can hear the man believed to be the scammer calling the home again, right as investigators were there. >> may i ask who i'm talking to? >> yeah, this is the officer speaking. >> okay, what officer? >> yes. >> no, i need to know what officer, sir. >> you're going to be in trouble. >> okay. let me ask you this, the female you sent over here, you know who she is? >> yes, i do. >> okay, well, she's been in an accident, and this is actually an officer. it's detective cruz with the clark county sheriff's office. >> reporter: and david, during that exchange, the alleged scammer agreed to meet with authorities but never showed up. they have not been caught. brock, who has been charged with murder, has pleaded not guilty. david? >> david: let's hope they find who was behind all this. alex, thank you. we turn now to the race for president. tonight, more than a dozen members of the kennedy family have now endorsed president biden, speaking out publicly today about their own brother,
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rfk jr., who is running for president. they are concerned that their brother could take votes from joe biden, with the kennedy name, in this very close election. rfk jr. maintains he's no spoiler. here's mary bruce. >> reporter: tonight in pennsylvania, members of the kennedy family, including brothers and sisters of presidential candidate robert f. kennedy jr., throwing their support behind president biden. , concerned rfk jr. will hand the white house back to donald trump. >> that's right. the kennedy family endorses joe biden for president. >> reporter: the kennedys worried rfk jr. will use his family name to win support from some democrats in a tight race where every vote will count. >> we want to make crystal clear our feeling that the best way forward for america is to re-elect joe biden and kamala harris to four more years. >> reporter: biden, who recently welcomed the family to the white
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house, has called rfk jr.'s father his political hero. his bust sits in the oval office. >> mom and dad, i hope you're listening. what an incredible honor. >> reporter: rfk jr., who has famously embraced conspiracy theories about vaccines, insists he's no spoiler. >> we know what president trump and president biden are going to do if they win this election. they're going to do exactly what they did before. does anybody here want more of the same? >> reporter: i asked his sister, kerry kennedy, if her brother realizes the difference he could make in a close race. do you think your brother understands how high those stakes are? >> you know, i think his understanding is not the point here. the point is the understanding of the voters. and that's who really needs to understand that your vote counts. >> reporter: what do you say to someone who knows your family, knows your father and what he stood for, your uncle, but is
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supporting your brother because of that legacy? >> yeah, i'd say look closely at that legacy. think about who bobby kennedy was, who my father was. >> reporter: pretty striking to have the daughter of robert f. kennedy arguing that president biden would carry on the family legacy better than her own brother, well aware that his people vote for rfk jr. based on the family name, it could sway the race. tonight, we have learned that robert f. kennedy jr. will now also be on the ballot in the key state of michigan, david? >> david: mary bruce again for us tonight. mary, thank you. when we come back here, the deadly crash into a bus stop. multiple victims. the driver arrested for driving under the influence. and the 911 outage across several states, concerns this could be a cyber attack. and authorities tonight on what caused this. have wet amd, you never want to lose sight of the things you love. some things should stand the test of time.
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my name is mike. and this is my camzyos moment. call your cardiologist today and see if a camzyos moment may be in your future too. finally tonight here, we finally tonight here, we remember one of the founding members of the allman brothers, dickey betts. ♪ dickey betts was a founding member of the allman brothers band. ♪ known for his showstopping guitar playing and writing the band's most enduring hits, including "ramblin' man" in 1973. ♪ lord i was born a ramblin' man ♪ ♪ trying to make a living ♪ ♪ and doing the best i can ♪
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>> david: born and raised in bradenton, florida, right near highway 41. he sang about it in "ramblin' man." ♪ down highway 41 ♪ >> david: he would later talk about the inspiration for the song. >> i met an old buddy down here, this old cowboy, and he would say, how are you doing? playing your music and doing the best you can, i guess. you know, old cowboy. and that line just stuck in my head. ♪ trying to make a living ♪ ♪ and doing the best i can ♪ >> david: his 1972 instrumental song "jessica" named after his newborn daughter. ♪ ♪ you're my blue sky ♪ >> david: the band would break up twice before getting back together. ♪ one more silver dollar ♪ >> david: dickey betts had said the time apart made them better. >> that period of time really gave us a chance to recreate,
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so in that way, i think it was good for us. ♪ i hope you understand ♪ >> david: dickey betts was 80 years old. his family saying he was surrounded by loved ones, and he was larger than life until the end. ♪ >> thank y'all! >> david: we've been humming "ram blin man" all afternoon. i'll see you right back here tomorrow. i'm david muir. have a good evening. good night that breaking news. we just learned minutes ago that three alameda police officers will now be charged in the death of mario gonzales. almost three years to the day since he died. this comes following a review of the case by alameda county district attorney pamela price and we're live at an event that she is holding in oakland, where she will formally announce the charges. >> we're streaming it live, and we're monitoring it so that we
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can bring you an update about what is said. her office just issued a press release saying three officers now face involuntary manslaughter charges . >> mario gonzalez died in alameda police custody three years ago tomorrow, april 19th, 2021. an independent investigation found the 26 year old lost consciousness when he was pinned face down and two officers pressed down on his body for more than five minutes, the report says no department policies were violated and the officers were cleared of wrongdoing. the da at the time, nancy o'malley, said she found no evidence in the report to charge the officers. however, the city of alameda agreed to pay the seven year old son of mario gonzalez, $11 million and gonzalez's mother, $350,000. good evening. i'm ama daetz and i'm dan ashley. >> thanks for joining us again. we're monitoring that, but we'll move on to new developments related to the antioch police texting scandal that broke last year. since then, more than 40% of the antioch police department has been put on paid leave. >>