is a new title really necessary? sir, after bestowing the gift of renting ease to millions, a bump is in order. okay, let's see. master of the rentalsphere. wow! oh, is it too much? apartmenents.com the place e to find a a plac. find thehe brands, i inspirat, and valuee yoyou need to o own your s se at macacy's vip sasale now yoyou need to o own your s se with an n extra 30%% ofoff spring l looks... yoyou need to o own your s se and d 15% off frfragrances,, skincacare, makeupup and mor. plus, shopop specials s at macy. breaking news tonight. the historic indictment. donald trump now the first former u.s. president ever charged with a crime. sources telling nbc news a new york city grand jury has voted to indict mr. trump for his role in a hush money payment to an adult film star just before the 2016

election. the bombshell coming as he once again runs for the white house. what is the unprecedented charge or charges? and would he surrender for arrest? also tonight, the video appearing to show an american journalist arrested in russia on a spying charge. if convicted, he could face 20 years in prison. how will the u.s. respond? also tonight, the chilling 911 calls from the nashville school shooter. a teacher hiding in a closet, pleading for help as shots ring out. the military tragedy. nine soldiers killed when two black hawk helicopters crash in kentucky. the investigation. our nbc news exclusive. the former fox news producer at the center of a defamation battle, breaking her silence. she says fox bullied her into giving misleading testimony. her allegations of a toxic workplace and the shocking thing she says she was told about fact-checking election falsehoods. and words of kindness. the best-selling author and the outpouring from fans, "inspiring america."

>> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening, everyone, and welcome. we start tonight with historic breaking news here in new york city. a grand jury has voted to indict former president trump. investigating his role in a hush money payment to an adult film star during his 2016 campaign, a claim mr. trump denies. a lawyer for mr. trump says the former president has been notified of the indictment. the action is unprecedented. it is the first time a former or sitting american president has been indicted. nbc's garrett haake leads our coverage. garrett, what more do we know? >> lester, this historic vote came two months to the day since this grand jury was impanelled. the case is all about an alleged hush money payment that former trump fixer michael cohen says he made on mr. trump's behalf to an adult film actress to silence her claims of an affair that mr. trump has denied. the payment itself is not illegal.

and we don't know specifically what charges mr. trump faces. it could be a misdemeanor related to falsifying business records or manhattan d.a. alvin bragg could also have charged a low-level felony, which would be more of a legal gamble. >> and garrett, this is a moment the president has been anticipating for weeks. he was making this public at a time a lot of people weren't talking about it. >> that's right, lester. he even predicted his own arrest about a week and a half ago. tonight he is calling the indictment, quote, political persecution and election interference at the highest level in history, calling the democratic d.a. a disgrace for being bringing this case at all. now attention will turn to how he handles potential surrender, a mug shot, and appearance before a judge in new york city, which will now be a major political event in addition to part of a criminal case. lester? >> garrett haake, thank you. joining me now nbc legal correspondent laura jarrett. laura, let's start with you in this case against the former president. it is not a sure thing

in terms of what we know so far about the indictment. >> lester, it is a historic move for sure, but it is far from an open and shut case. based on what we know, at this moment, the charges we believe prosecutors have zeroed in on, a potential charge of falsifying business records requires an intent to defraud. and mr. trump's attorneys say this hush money payment was all michael cohen, his former lawyer's idea, and that cohen's creditability here will be absolutely key as he is obviously a target for mr. trump's lawyers given his previous convictions on this very issue. now both alvin bragg's predecessor in the d.a.'s office, cy vance, and federal prosecutors passed on charging trump in this very hush money case. of course, we haven't seen the exact charges. we haven't seen the indictment in this case, lester. so that remains to be seen. >> yeah, some of these themes have been previewed even up to before this point. the investigations of mr. trump don't end after today's indictment. the former president is facing other legal challenges related to the 2020 election and classified documents found at his florida home. let's get more on that

now from kristen welker. >> reporter: tonight's news of an indictment against former president trump is just the first of several looming legal battles facing the former president. investigations mr. trump has blasted as partisan pursuits. >> they're not coming after me. they're coming after you. i'm just standing in their way. >> reporter: in georgia, a fulton county grand jury has recommended indictments for multiple unnamed people after an eight-month probe into potential interference in georgia's 2020 election where mr. trump narrowly lost. one element of the investigation, this phone call between mr. trump and georgia's secretary of state. >> i just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. >> reporter: any charges against mr. trump would be up to the d.a., but the jury forewoman saying this -- >> there are certainly names that you would recognize, yes.

>> reporter: mr. trump has blasted the investigation, run by a democratic prosecutor, as a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time. also swirling, the special counsel investigation into the former president's handling of classified documents. last summer, the fbi seized thousands of documents from trump's mar-a-lago home, including more than 100 marked classified after he refused requests to turn them over for months. the special counsel is also investigating mr. trump's actions surrounding january 6th. mr. trump has dismissed the special counsel investigation as a horrendous abuse of power, but it could present greater legal danger than the case in new york. >> the crime that he allegedly committed is a bookkeeping crime essentially. compared to the other investigations, which include efforts to overthrow or overturn the 2020 election, the new york case seems to be the least serious of them all. >> reporter: kristen welker, nbc news, washington. and nbc news chief

justice contributor jonathan dienst has been following developments. let's walk through what happens now. this has not been unsealed. could that happen today, tonight? >> we know the paperwork has been handed up, but it is filed under seal. we're told a judge is standing by in case the district attorney decides that he wants to move forward and unseal the documents tonight and release any sort of statement tonight. we're awaiting word from the d.a. as to what he plans to do. and we're also awaiting word as when might president trump come to new york to face these charges. we're told it's not possible most likely tomorrow. so then the question is, is it monday or tuesday of next week? with the holidays coming, they may want to try to make that happen early next week. otherwise, they may push it past the holidays. >> and there are security considerations as well? >> the nypd ramping up security around the city as a precaution. >> jonathan dienst, good to have you here. thank you so much. tonight's other

top story, an american journalist jailed tonight in russia, accused of spying on behalf of the united states, further inflaming tensions between the white house and the kremlin. "wall street journal" reporter evan gershkovich pleading not guilty. >> reporter: tonight detained and accused of spying by russia, reportedly shown in these images taken by the associated press outside court. his detention condemned by the white house. >> this espionage charges are ridiculous. the targeting of our american citizens by russian government is unacceptable. we condemn the detention of mr. gershkovich in the strongest, in the strongest terms. >> reporter: the journalist held in a secret hearing with no access to embassy diplomats or even his russian lawyer. russian officials saying he won't have another legal proceeding until the end of may. the kremlin says gershkovich was arrested on a reporting trip, claiming he tried to obtain state secrets about the russian

military industrial complex. gershkovich has reported from russian for years, seen here in an interview three years ago. nbc's matt bodner knows him well from their days in moscow. >> he is very brave for going on these trips to russia after the war started. and he was very clear-eyed about the risk. i have no doubt that he is staying strong in this current situation. >> reporter: "the wall street journal" saying it vehemently denies the allegations from the fsb and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter. we stand in solidarity with evan and his family. gershkovich is the first journalist accused of espionage by the kremlin since the cold war. he is first arrested since brittney griner in a prisoner swap. and american paul whelan has been jailed in russia for four years for spying, which the u.s. denies. the white house has not seemed to find a way to resolve cases like paul's where an american is falsely

charged with espionage by the kremlin. u.s. officials say russia has a practice of arresting americans on false espionage charges as leverage in negotiations to free russians being held in the u.s. it's worth noting that last week the u.s. charged a russian currently jailed in brazil who posed as a brazilian graduate student to spy in washington. lester? >> andrea mitchell, thank you. in nashville, police 911 tapes released today show the chaos and terror inside that christian school as this week's deadly mass shooting unfolded. catie beck is there for us. >> reporter: monday morning in nashville was like any other until the calls from covenant school began pouring in. >> i think we have a shooter in our church. >> reporter: terrified teachers barricading students from the gunfire they could hear rooms away. >> i hear another shot. >> reporter: calls from school employees hiding in offices, in the gym. a teacher speaking to children in whispers. >> i don't know. >> reporter: afraid to be heard.

>> yes, please hurry up. >> reporter: on the other end of the line, this team of five emergency dispatchers, quickly declaring it a mass casualty there. >> there has been a school shooting. and be prepared to receive victims. >> reporter: the calls quickly stacking up. dispatchers jumping from one call to the next, but aubrey warnock stuck on one line 35 minutes. it was a pastor hiding in a closet. >> i mean, he was crying. he was "pray with me"," we can't lose kids". >> reporter: george allen took a call from a teacher tucked away with 17 students. allen urging her to stay calm and stay hidden. >> they're frantic and wanting help. and that's all you can say is we're here. we're coming for you. >> people say 14 minutes was awesome. but 14 minutes to us seems like hours. >> i think the hardest part for me was seeing the update, one down by the main entrance, two to three in the hallway. and we realized that it was real.

>> what's your name? >> chad scruggs. >> reporter: lead pastor chad scruggs rushing to the scene, urged to stay away. his 9-year-old daughter hallie inside, later identified as one of the six victims lost. still, for the dispatchers that heard gunfire and calls for help, the new reality is hard to accept. >> it is very hard to wrap your mind around as a human being how -- how this could even happen. >> reporter: here in nashville, we spoke to an instructor who prepared the staff and teachers here for an active shooter scenario a year ago. in his words, the teachers could not have done anything better. lester? >> impact so wide. all right. catie, thank you. in 60 seconds, the crash of two army in 60 seconds, the crash of two army black hawk hicoptersel age-related macular degegeneration may lead t to severe vision ls and if y you're takiking a multi-vivitamin alonone, you mamay be missising a crititical piecece... preserervision. you mamay be missising a crititical piecece... preseservision a areds 2 you mamay be missising a crititical piecece...

contaiains the onlnly clinicy proven n nutrient foformula contaiains the onlnly clinicy recommendeded by the contaiains the onlnly clinicy national e eye institute to help reduce the risksk of moderate to advanced amd progression. preservision is backed by 20 years of clinicalal studies. so a ask your dodoctor at adding p preservisioion and d fill in a a missing piece of y your plan.. like i d did with prpreservis. nonow with ocucusorb better absorbing nutrients. [sniff]] ew. gogotta get ririd of thi. ♪tellll me why!♪♪ because e it stinks.s. ♪hahave you triried♪ because e it stinks.s. ♪♪new downwny rinse anand refre♪ itit helps rememove odors 3x3x better ththan detergegente itit helps rememove odors it wororked guys!! ♪♪yeahhhh!h!♪ new downy rinse and refresh for backck pain, i'v've alwas been a t take two and call i in the mornrning g. but my n new doctorr recommmmended salolonpas. withthout anotheher pill upsetting g my stomachch, i get powewerful, effefective and safe r relief. salonpas. . it's good medicine.

tonight the army has begun its tonight the army has begun its investigation into how black hawk helicopters crashed last night in kentucky, killing nine soldiers. kathy park has that story for us. >> reporter: tonight, a glimpse of the fiery wreckage moments after the deadly crash. two black hawk helicopters going down in the dark during what the army called a routine training mission. nine soldiers killed. >> they were flying a multiship formation, two ships under night vision goggles at night. >> reporter: the soldiers all part of the 101st airborne division stationed at fort campbell, kentucky. >> these specific aircraft were medical evacuation aircraft. however, we believe the action occurred when they were doing flying, not deliberate medical evacuation drills. >> reporter: the family of staff sergeant caleb gore telling nbc news he was among the victims. his father tim saying his passion was search and rescue, and that he was a real-life captain america. tonight an aircraft safety team is now investigating.

you said your house -- james hughes lives near the scene, telling us he heard the crash and ran out to help. >> we heard a loud boom, and two small booms. and all of the sudden the engine shut down. and i told my neighbor, i said they have crashed. >> reporter: was there anything that you could do? >> no, there wasn't anything anybody could do. >> reporter: this veteran grieving for his fellow service members, along with leaders across the state. >> we must remember that that freedom relies on those who are willing to serve, some of which pay the ultimate price. >> reporter: this crash coming just weeks after another deadly training flight involving a black hawk in alabama that killed two members of the tennessee national guard. and tonight near the debris field here in kentucky, officials are hope. ful they will find some sort of data in the wreckage

similar to a black box that may hold more clues as to what went wrong. lester? >> all rigight, kathy y park, thanank you. up nexext, a fireded fox newews producecer speaeaks about h her claiaims of hararassment and intitimidation.. verzenenio reduceses the risk of recurrence of hr-positive, her2-negative, node-positive, early breast cancer with a high chance ofof returningn, as d determined d by your dodr whwhen added t to hormone e th. hormonone therapy y works outside e the cell..... whilile verzenioio works insne toto help stopop the growtwh ofof cancer cecells. didiarrhea is s common, may be s severe, or cause d dehydrationon or infnfection. at the f first sign,n, callll your doctctor, start anan antidiarrrrheal, and drinink fluids.. bebefore takining verzenioi, tell your r doctor about anany fever, c chills, or o other signsns of infectc. verzenenio may cauause low white blblood cell c counts, whicich may caususe seserious infefection thatat can lead d to death.. life-threaeatening lunung ininflammationon can occuru. tell your r doctor abobout ay new or w worsening trouble brbreathing, c cough, or chest p pain. seriouous liver prproblems can happppen. symptomsms include f fatigue, appetitite loss, s stomach pa, anand bleedingng or bruisisi. blooood clots ththat can lead toto death havave occurrede. tetell your dodoctor if yoyoue pain or r swelling in your r arms or lelegs, shshortness ofof breath, chest t pain, and rapid d breathingg or heaeart rate, or if you u are nursining, prpregnant, oror plan to b .

i'm makiking my own n way forwa. ask your doctor about everyday verzenio. researarch shows p people remer adads with a c catchy songn. so t to help youou remember rt liberty y mutual researarch shows p people remer adads with a c catchy songn. customizeses your home insururance, researarch shows p people remer adads with a c catchy songn. herere's a littltle number youou'll never r for. researarch shows p people remer adads with a c catchy songn. did d you know that libertrty mutual custo— ♪ l liberty mututual. ♪♪ ♪ o only pay fofor whatat you need.d. ♪ ♪ l liberty mututual. ♪♪ ♪♪ only pay for what youou need. ♪♪ ♪ cusustom home i insurane created d for you alall. ♪ ♪♪ only pay for what youou need. ♪♪ ♪ nowow the song g is done ♪ ♪♪ back toto living in your r wall. ♪♪ they're just gonna live in there? ♪ yes. ♪ only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liliberty. libertrty. libertyty. ♪ only pay for what you need. pararadontax blood when youou brush could leadad to worse e over t. pararadontax help s stop the clocock onon gum diseasese now. parodontax toothpaste... ...is 3x more effective at removoving plaque b bacter, parodontax toothpaste... one of the main causes of bleeding gums. parodontax. the gum experts. wewe got the h house! one of the main causes of bleeding gums. you did! podsds handles t the drivin. pack a at your pacace. store yoyour thingss untitil you'rere ready. thenen we delivever toto your new w home -

acroross town oror acroross the couountry. pods, yoyour personanal moviving and stotorage tea. my ameriprprise advisosor has helpeded me navivigate uncerertain times bebefore, my ameriprprise advisosor has helpeded me nonow is no didifferent. my ameriprprise advisosor has helpeded me with hisis advice, i i'm confnfident i'm m on track.. ththe plan we e created isis for ththe long tererm. no wononder clientnts rate u us 4.9 out t of 5 in overarall satisfafactio. no wononder clientnts rate u us 4.9 out t of 5 ameripiprise finanancial. no wononder clientnts rate u us 4.9 out t of 5 introducining astepro o aller. ameripiprise finanancial. now w available e without a prescrcription. astepro o is the firirst and y 2424-hour stereroid-free s s. while flononase takes s hour, asastepro stararts workrking in 30 0 minutes. so you canan [ spspray, sprayay ] asastepro and d go. [♪♪] did you know, unless you treat dandruff regularly, it will keep coming back. try head & shoulders shampoo. dandruff is caused by irritation to a germ that lives on everyone's scalp. unlike regular shampoo, head & shoulders contains zinc pyrithione, which fights the dandruff-causing germ and helps prevent it from coming back. it's gentle on hair and provides up to 100% dandruff protection, clinically proven. try head & shoulders shampoo and conditioner.

for best results, use with every wash. this has been medifacts for head & shoulders. with the grand jury voting to indict former president trump while he runs for reelection, our broadcast exclusive with the fox news producer who takes us inside the cable network as it provided a platform for those who said the election was stolen from him. she's now suing fox, which fired her last week. cynthia mcfadden reports on what she

says she experienced at the network. >> reporter: when veteran tv producer abby grossberg took a job with maria bartiromo at fox news four years ago, she thought she was advancing her career. >> we were known as a dynamic duo at fox, and our ratings were skyrocketing. >> reporter: now she is suing fox, claiming she was harassed and retaliated against. on the first page of your lawsuit, you say, "fox news fosters a toxic workplace where truth remains a fugitive while female workers are verbally violated on almost a daily basis by a poisonous and entrenched patriarchy." those are strong words. >> i stand by them. >> reporter: after being denied a promotion, she moved to tucker carlson's show. >> women were objectified. it was a game. it was sport. female politicians who came on the show were mocked. there were debates about who they'd rather sleep with. c-word all the time. >> reporter: but

that's not the only reason she is suing. she says fox lawyers have tried to turn her and bartiromo into sacrificial female lambs to protect high-ranking men at the network from dominion voting system's $1.6 billion lawsuit. dominion alleges fox knew or should have known it was airing false claims about dominion rigging the 2020 election. >> there has been a massive and coordinated effort to steal this election. >> reporter: claims were made on five fox shows by president trump's lawyers rudy giuliani and sidney powell, including bartiromo's. she believes she and bartiromo were just doing what the network wanted. what were you told about fact-checking sidney powell and rudy giuliani? >> there will be no fact-checking. i received a text message from my box saying you can let maria know there will be no fact-checking today. she can do what she wants. go wild. >> reporter: there are producers who would say i would walk out the door. i wouldn't put something on the air

that i couldn't stand up factually. >> i wish i had the power to do that. i wanted to keep my job. >> reporter: she says fox's lawyers told her she didn't need her own attorney, but she began to wonder as they prepared her for her dominion deposition. did the fox lawyers attempt to intimidate you, harass you, push you to say things that were not true? >> oh 100% they did, yeah. and i realized that the answers that they wanted me to say were putting me in a very vulnerable position to be the company's scapegoat. it's really, really terrifying to think that you could be the fall guy in perhaps the biggest media case our country has ever had. >> reporter: you were widely criticized. >> yeah. >> reporter: how did that feel? i mean, people said you were a lousy journalist because among other things, you had said in reply to a question that you did not believe that it was your responsibility to fact-check whether or not what someone was going to say on the broadcast was telling the truth. >> it felt awful. i was bullied,

intimidated and coerced into saying that just to keep my job and stay at the company. and the question a lot of people would have is why would you do that? >> reporter: why would you do that? >> because i made the decision to keep my job. >> reporter: grossberg says all of it has taken a toll on her health. >> i reached the breaking point where the harassment was so bad that i called a crisis line. >> reporter: i want to make sure i understand what you're saying. did you literally think of taking your life? >> i thought i could walk in front of a car and i wouldn't have to go to work tomorrow. saying that out loud in an interview where people are going to see it, it's hard. >> reporter: fox news says it hired outside counsel to investigate grossberg's claims, and they say the assertion that ms. grossberg was coached or intimidated into being dishonest during her dominion deposition is patently false, adding her legal claims are riddled with false allegations. >> they're a big

corporate machine that destroys people. i sat in those meetings. i heard them laugh about tearing apart politicians. and now i know that in those meetings, they're talking about me. >> reporter: cynthia mcfadden, nbc news, new york. and still ahead tonight, when her book signing was a bust, how an author found fans she never knew she had. dudede, what're e you doing? i'm prprotecting m my car. dudede, what're e you doing? thatat's too mucuch work. dudede, what're e you doing? weathertecech is so mumuch easier.... laser-measurured floorlilines upup here, weathertecech is so mumuch easier.... seatat protector and cargogolir back t there... weathertecech is so mumuch easier.... nice! weathertecech is so mumuch easier.... out t here, sidede window deflectotors... and d mud flaps. anand the bumpmpstep, to keeeep the bumpmper dent-fr. cool! anand the bumpmpstep, to keeeep the bumpmper dent-fr. itit's the besest protectitn for your v vehicle, anand the bumpmpstep, to keeeep the bumpmper dent-fr. new or prere-owned. anand the bumpmpstep, to keeeep the bumpmper dent-fr. greaeat. but where e do i---? anand the bumpmpstep, to keeeep the bumpmper dent-fr. order.r. weathertetech.com. anand the bumpmpstep, to keeeep the bumpmper dent-fr. sfx:x: bubblewrarap bubble popppped sound.. (michael) my tip is, the worst lies are the lies yoyu tellll yourself,f,

like smomoking isn''t that dangerouous. [announcerer] you can n qui. for freeee help, call 1-8-800-quit nonow. ♪♪ allergies s don't t have to b be scary. ♪♪ (s(screaming)) dedefeat allerergy headachchest (s(screaming)) with new f flonase heaeadace anand allergy y relief! (s(screaming)) twtwo pills rerelieve allergrgy headachehe pain? (s(screaming)) and the e congestionon that c causes it!! flononase headacache and alallergy relilief. psst! pspsst! all l good! flononase headacache and alallergy relilief. livingng with diababetes? glucernana protein s smart has s your numbeber with 30 0 grams of p protei. glucernana protein s smart has s your numbeber scientntifically d desigd with carbsbsteady glucernana protein s smart has s your numbeber to help yoyou manage your bloodod sugar. glucernana protein s smart has s your numbeber and d more protetein to p you moviving with didiabete. glucernana protein s smart has s your numbeber glucernana live evevery momentt you foununded your k kayak comy becacause you lolove the ocec- not sprereadsheets.. you u need to hihire. i needed indeed. inindeed you d do. indeeded instant m match instay dedelivers quauality candidids matctching your r job descriri. visisit indeed.c.com/hire mamartial artsts is my pasass. i work o out whenevever i c.

but t with my momoderate- to-severere eczema, , itit can be totough. mymy skin was s so uncomfofort. the e itching wawas so bad. now, i'm s staying ahead of m my eczema.. there's a a power inside allll of us toto live our r passion. and dudupixent works onon the insidide to help heheal your skskin fromom within. it h helps blockck a key source of f inflammatition ininside the b body ththat can cauause eczema.a. so adudults can hahave lolong-lastingng clearerer n and fastst itch relilief. seriouous allergicic reactios can ococcur that c can be seve. tellll your doctctor about nr woworsening eyeye problemsms suchch as eye papain oror vision chchanges includingg blurrered vision,, joint achehes and painin, or a parasasitic infection.n. don'n't change o or stop asthma m medicines wiwithout talklking toto your doctctor. healing g from witithin isis a powerfuful thing. ask your e eczema spececialit how w dupixent c can help hel yourur skin fromom within.

finally, it was a heartbreaking chapter for a be-selling author. but then a remarkable ending. stephanie gosk with tonight's "inspiring america." >> reporter: a book event can be a moment for authors to relish the accomplishment and connect with adoring readers. or it can be suzanne young's experience this week. the first signing of her new teen novel "in nightfall" was, she admits, sparsely attended. >> i went to the bathroom at one point to try to hold my emotions in because i was just really disappointed. >> reporter: young posted a pic, calling it a career low point. "crying my entire way home," she wrote. >> i was going to immediately delete the tweet. and immediately i saw other authors, "oh, suzanne, i've been there. this happened to me." >> one author commiserated. "it stings, but it's a blip. i never mention this, unless someone mentions boulder." even acclaimed author jodi picoult reached out, telling young, "we have all been there."

>> i can't express how grateful i am. it gave me perspective i wish i had before i tweeted, but i do now. >> we talk a lot about the dangers of social media. this seems like an example of how social media can bring us together. >> it really was just thousands of tweets of people saying they had experienced it or it was going to get better. and it was just pure kindness on the internet. >> reporter: how about that, kindness on the internet. as for the book, her 22nd published novel -- >> my publisher describes it as "the lost boys" meets "buffy the vampire slayer." >> reporter: for anyone interested, there are signed copies. she has a few extra. stephanie gosk, nbc news. >> that is "nightly news" for this thursday. thank you for watching, everyone. i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. goodod night.

when we got the phone call, just floored by what we were hearing. >> san jose police union response to the drug charges against its executive director. good afternoon. i'm audrey asistio. welcome to nbc