a rare tornado emergency in michigan. twisters tear across the state, trapping workers in a fedex building and wiping out a mobile home park. our team is tracking where that severe weather is heading next.

poerhaps the most dramatic testimony yet as stormy daniels takes the stand in donald trump's hush money case. what she told the jury about her encounter with trump. tiktok returning to the courts to rewind the clock. why the social media giant is arguing a potential ban in the u.s. is a violation of the first amendment. tense moments in toronto, a shooting outside drake's home leaves a security guard seriously hurt. and a delivery 80 years in the making. a texas postal worker goes on a mission to return letters from world war ii to their rightful owners it's wednesday, may 8. "early today" starts right now. glad you're with me this morning. i'm frances rivera. we begin with breaking news, as a severe weather outbreak plaguing the central u.s. continues, this time taking aim at michigan. several tornados tormented the state tuesday, leaving a trail

of destruction. officials say there are multiple injuries, about so far no reported fatalities. the governor declaring a state of emergency for st. joseph, branch and cass counties. a twister tore the side off a fedex facility,trapping about 50 workers, as first responders worked to clear electrical wires blocking their exit. all workers are now accounted for, and there are no serious injuries. and nearby, a mobile home community sustained serious damage with many homes completely leveled. and the threat of dangerous weather remains for millions this morning. nbc meteorologist michelle grossman will have the latest for us in just a few minutes. now to the latest in the trials of donald trump. a federal judge in florida has handed mr. trump the gift of time, indefinitely postponing his classified documents trial. that's the case where trump is accused of hoarding sensitive records after he left the white house. the judge allowing more time for

pre-trial motions to be considered. and with the latest delay, the hush money trial could be the only criminal trial he faces before the november election. star witness, stormy daniels took the stand tuesday in that case. vaughn hill kblardiard has the . >> reporter: stormy daniels testified for hours with donald trump, mere feet away from her, testifying about the sexual encounter she says took place in 2006 following a celebrity golf tournament. she said in front of this jury that they talked on the phone, repeatedly in those months that followed. that she also saw him at an event in january of 2007 in hollywood. she said she was then invited by him and met with him at trump tower as he dangled the potential of her appearing on "the apprentice." her testimony included the weeks before the 2016 election in which she testified she was paid $130,000 to keep her story silent. this, before the prosecution,

was a key part of their case as they made the case to the jury that donald trump, it was in his interest to keep her story silent from the american electorate before the 2016 election. she faced questions under cross examination from donald trump's defense team. we expect those questions to continue when she returns to the courthouse on thursday. back to you. >> vaughn, thank you. overseas, israel tightens its grip on gaza, cutting off aid in the south and blocking the only way out into egypt. the israelis have signaled to the u.s. that this is a limited operation and not the large-scale vaccinainvasion the has warned against. a security company will secure the border crossing to secure operations. let's get to matt bodner. what are the israelis trying to achieve? >> reporter: to put it simply, the israelis are looking to raise the pressure on hamas as cease-fire talks continue in cairo. the talks would potentially see a release of the remaining

israeli hostages in their captivity. israeli officials are saying this is not the large-scale ground assault they have been planning and talking openly about. the united states has been vocal in their opposition, citing the civilians who have fled there for safety. cease-fire negotiations in cairo meanwhile are ongoing, and cia director burns is there taking part in the effort. hamas issued a proposal that took many by surprise. it called for a phased release of all the hostages in exchange for release of palestinian prisoners chosen by hamas. it also calls for a full israeli withdrawal from gaza. benjamin netanyahu says this does not suit israel's security needs, but the defense minister says the attacks on rafah are meant to increase pressure on hamas and that israel was prepared to make some concessions to secure the outcome. we are learning more about a u.s. decision last week to halt

certain types of weapons deliveries to israel. mond among the weapons are bombs of various sizes with a focus on large, 2,000-pound bombs. given the effect it has on dense population centers like rafah, the white house is focussed on ending their use. at an annual holocaust remembrance ceremony in washington, d.c., president biden forcefully condemned anti-semitism amidst a spike in anti-semitism in the u.s. >> i see your fear, your hurt and your pain. let me reassure you as your president, are you not alone. you belong. you always have, and you always will. >> the bipartisan ceremony honored the 6 million jews murdered during world war ii. there are new legal

developments involving tiktok. they are suing the government, saying it is a violation of free speech rights to ban their app. lawmakers are pushing for tiktok to solve the issue by divesting from its parent company. >> reporter: good morning, frances. that's right. but tiktok says that requirement is effectively a ban on tiktok. they say in this new lawsuit that divesting from bytedance is not legally or technologically possible and that this will force a shutdown of tiktok by january of 2025, silencing the 170 million americans that they say use the platform. the law requires tiktok to divest with bipartisan support, with lawmakers saying they're concerned about how user data is collected and used. the justice department declined to comment on the lawsuit, but fbi director christopher wray

recently said this to nbc's lester holt. >> we're talking about the act to control or collect data on millions and millions of users and use it for influence operations. it means the ability to control the software, which gives the opportunity to technically compromise the devices sh, the phones. >> reporter: in this lawsuit, they say congress has not shown any evidence that shows this poses a security risk. the legal battle could go all the way to the supreme court. it could be years before any possible ban takes effect. frances? >> welcome news for all those tiktokers and the people who use it. p pre- brie, thank you. now to baltimore where crews are preparing to use explosives to free the container ship from

the wreckage of the francis scott key bridge. this comes a day after the final v victim was recovered. nasa delays boeing's starliner launch. repair work on the valve is expected to start today. the starliner's inaugural voyage will carry two astronauts to the international space station for a ten-day mission. okay. let's get back not dangerous storms sweeping the midwest. michelle grossman is monitoring the severe weather and many asking when they'll finally be able to get a break from the storm. >> i know. we're going to see another couple days of severe weather, waking up to severe storms right now. and they're stretching really from the southern plains all the way to portions of the northeast. you can see a strong storm near little rock. we very ahave a tornado warning. where you see the pink boxes are

tornado watches. we have severe thunderstorm warnings too in central pennsylvania. this will be the story all wednesday long. we have an area of low pressure. d tropical moisture meeting up with cooler air. there's the jet stream, the really strong winds aiding the support of the violent storms. 56 million americans under the risk for severe storms. some could be on the strong side. very large to giant hail. that could cause damage on its own. then we're looking at damaging winds as well. we have a moderate risk in red, nashville to west plains. in the orange and yellow shading we could see the threat for severe storms as well. the hatched air what is where the strongest storms, ef-2 tornados or stronger. then, as we go throughout tomorrow, we are 90s.

could see strong storms in the mid mississippi valley. 96 in san antonio. all right, that's your wednesday forecast. >> thank you, michelle. the boy scouts of america is changin changing its name for the first time in history. it will be renamed scouting america to reemphasize its commitment to all youth. the change comes after the boy scouts of america faced widespread sexual abuse allegations and bankruptcy in 2020. the rebrand will go into effect in february 2025, marking the 115th anniversary. we'll be back in a minute with the shooting outside drake's home that injured a security guard. a security guard. shoulders is launching something huge.

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police are investigating a shooting outside drake's plank mansion in toronto that seriously injured a security guard. drake was monot injured. the shooting was captured on video. investigators say it's too early to discuss a motive. they also say there's no evidence it's linked to the high-profile feud between drake and kendrick lamar, as fans dive in to decipher all of the digs bus buried in the new track. >> reporter: a war of words turning into a full-blown feud between two of the biggest names in rap. kendrick lamar and drake. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: the two long-time rivals battling it out in a matter of days, releasing eight new songs one after another with the intensity heating up over the weekend. >> they're really poet, they're

really two people who have the ability to see, listen and spit back leeyrics that are very intriguing for people. >> reporter: the blows include lamar accusing drake of underage relationships with women. nbc news reached out to both drake and lamar for comment but have not heard back. ♪ drake is not a name you are going to see on on a sex offen l. >> reporter: the controversy, inclcontroversy pulling others into it. ar the canadian rapper doubling down with a second song,

featuring a.i. verses of snoop dogg and tupac, two of lamar's long-time role models. lamar lashing out in "euphoria", calling himself drake's biggest hater. ♪ i hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk ♪ >> reporter: social media giving artists a way to push out new songs and new disses. >> no to have it listened to an the world respond has not necessarily been the case in hip-hop history. i think it's going to bring more people to the genre, because you're hearing what is supposedly authenticity. what is supposedly narratives that are true in this very skilled and, i think, different way. >> reporter: valerie castro, nbc news. still to come. all of the nba playoff action from tuesday night. the timberwolves star who

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we cross the nine-minute mark of the quarter. white gets a screen, step-back three. target practice! so it's a 11-point game. jaylen brown! >> the celtics may wear green, but td garden was painted brown and white in the first game of their semi-final series on tuesday. boston's duo of derek white and jaylen brown combined for 57 foun points in the victory over the cavaliers. it marked their fifth double-digit win this post season. it was business as usual for the okay t okc thunder, with shai gilgeous-alexander dropping 29 points on the maverick. if you're keeping track, luka

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here's what's making headlines this morning. panera bread says it is phasing out its highly-caffeinated charged lemonade after what they call a menu transformation of the drink has been blamed in lawsuits for at least two death. but the company has repeatedly said it stands by the safety of items on its menu. apple revealed new versions of the ipad and ipad air tablets. and it has a new chip called the m4. nintendo's company says it will announce the successor to switch before april of next year. 13.5 million are expected to be sold this starbucks starbucks j

their summer menu. there's a new orange cream cake pop and a pineapple cloud cake. wonder how much sugar's in all of that. live sports events are coming to disney+. caitlin clark will make her wnba season debut against the sunday. and the games will be able to stream on may 14. o stream on may 14. did you know... 80% of women are struggling with hair damage? just like i was. dryness and frizz could be damaged hair that can't retain moisture. new pantene miracle rescue deep conditioner, with first-of-its-kind melting pro-v pearls... locks in moisture to repair 6 months of damage in one wash, without weigh down. guaranteed or your money back! for resilient, healthy-looking hair... if you know, you know it's pantene. wanna know a secret? more than just my armpits stink. facts. that's why i use secret whole body deodorant

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for several hours to clean up and inspect the bridge, which was eventually deemed safe. police say charges could still be pending against the truck driver, depending on the findings of their investigation. a postal worker uncovers pieces of history at the post office. the texas mailman was stunned to find a soldier's letter from world war ii in the bottom of his bin. he set out on a mission to find the rightful owner and make the very special delivery. here's valerie castro. >> reporter: the stamp reads u.s. army postal service, dated december 1942, a few years out of date from what letter carrier alvin usually sees at his grand prairie, texas job. >> i was getting ready for my route and found some letters dated from world war ii. >> reporter: some handwritten and some typed. one reading, i feel much better after the mail call we had last night. all sentiments that resonated

with alvin, who penned plenty of his own letters home while serving in iraq. >> being a veteran myself, you know, world war ii, and i'm like, man, this is like some history, because once again, mail brings, boosts morale for all soldiers. so, my main thought was, i have to find this family. >> reporter: that mission led alvin far from his normal postal route to a home hundreds of miles away in jackson, arkansas. >> i'm delivering the mail to arkansas. >> i was very excited. and very tearful. >> reporter: these letters, a key part of joanne smith's family history. recently lost in the mail system when a package from another family member in tennessee was shipped across the country. >> it didn't look like someone had opened it. just, the package came apart. >> reporter: the original sender back in 1942, joanne smith's brother, marion lamb. >> for me, it's a connection with my family. >> reporter: she could hardly wait to read these letters for the first time. >> ask joanne if she remembers

me. >> reporter: thankful for the letter carrier who went out of his w his way to see this delivery through to its final destination. >> i just appreciate alvin. he has really gone out of his way. people connect on different levels, and i feel as connected to alvin as i do my family. >> you made mom cry. >> ah. >> that's the way to deliver history and memories, with a big smile and hug. thanks to valerie for that report. and thank you for waking up with "early today." i'm frances rivera, see you back here early thursday rning. have a goomo d nice to meet ya. my name is david. i've been a pharmacist for 44 years. when i have customers come in and ask for something for memory, i recommend prevagen. number one, because it's effective. does not require a prescription. and i've been taking it quite a while myself and i know it works. and i love it when the customers come back in and tell me, "david, that really works so good for me."

makes my day. prevagen. at stores everywhere without a prescription. more tornado outbreaks. this time in the midwest. multiple twisters touching down in michigan. overnight, the governor declaring a state of emergency. michelle grossman istracking where the severe storms are headed next. stormy