Morning Data NOW Plump Broadcast – March 28

Right now on Morning News Now a recovery Mission now a salvage operation the remains of two construction workers along with a black box pulled from the water following that catastrophic cargo ship collision and collapse of Baltimore's keybridge it's difficult to overstate the impact of this uh Collision any uh.

Private party that is found responsible and liable will be held accountable Now new questions about what went wrong and how it could have been prevented we're going to bring you the latest also this morning the political world paying tribute to Joe liberman the former Senator and BP candidate has died at the age of 82 we'll look back at his life.

And his history-making career in Washington Plus contagion concerns cases of the measles Rising across the us as vaccination rates go down what doctors want you to know and we're flipping the script with Abbott Elementary star William Stanford Davis that show was his big break and now at 72 years old he says his career in Hollywood is just.

Getting started inspiring conversation we look forward to bringing you a little bit later on this Thursday morning good to have you with us I'm Joe frier Savannah is off we're going to begin with the bridge collapse in Baltimore where the recovery Mission has now turned into a salvage operation officials say it is no longer safe for.

Divers to navigate or operate around the debris created by the Fallen Francis Scott Key bridge the NTSB released new video giving us a closer look at the damage Left Behind after a cargo ship crashed into the Bridge's pillar early Tuesday morning divers have recovered the data recorder from the ship Searchers in the Port of Baltimore found.

Two victims yesterday who were inside a red pickup when the bridge collapsed four others are presumed dead and are still missing the investigation into the accident is expected to take up to 2 years the NTSB chair who's leading the inv investigation says crews are working to salvage as much as they can our entire focus on scene is to.

Collect the perishable evidence that's documenting the scene it's taking photographs it's taking any sort of electronics or components uh whatever goes away once the scene is cleaned up we need to collect that information for our investigation we have full cover this hour including our conversation with a.

Former Navy diving Chief to help Chief to help us better understand the recovery Mission but let's begin with NBC News correspondent Antonia Hilton in Baltimore Antonia good morning so what's the latest on the investigation as this Salvage operation gets underway and what more are we learning about the contents of what was on the.

Ship Good morning Joe well we know investigators are now boarding the ship after for the initial hours they were unable to do so and we know that there are about 56 or so dozens of containers uh with potentially hazardous materials on them oil uh other flammables uh we also know of course that there is still immense amounts of cargo and other Goods.

That certainly they're going to be looking for logs uh going through uh what they know is actually still salvageable there um and then we know that they got access to the voyage data recorder and you know that's essentially kind of the black box that you would hear about on an airplane and what they're going to do is they've already.

Brought it back to a lab and they're going to use that data to essentially create a playby playay um a timeline of all that they know about what was happening with and on the ship in the moments leading up to this tragic collision and you you should take a listen to some of the words of the NTSB chair who has been very clear with.

Reporters here on the ground that this is a very methodical and at times slow information gathering process take a look 56 containers of hazardous materials uh that's 764 tons of hazardous materials mostly corrosives flammables some of the Hazmat containers were breached uh we have seen uh Shear on or.

Sheen sorry sheen on the um Waterway the federal state and local authorities are aware of that and they will uh be in charge of addressing those issues officials have been very clear here Joe that it is going to take a while and they're not they're not frankly comfortable at this point giving a an exact timeline or estimate about.

When things like the port might be open uh or jobs that depend on this area uh and this local economy will be right back and up to normal and that's because every step of this is going to be very complicated the cleanup effort and the the information recovery effort uh you know all of what's going to really be a multinational investigation as they.

Coordinate with different corporations and companies involved in this in just this one vessel here so the only thing people seem to be very sure of is that we have a long road ahead right now Joe and Antonio let's talk about the victims two were recovered yesterday and other two have been identified what are we learning about those who lost their.

Lives in this tragedy well we've learned just last night from the governor and other officials right here that they recovered two victims in a pickup truck submerged about 25 ft in the water the victims were alandro Hernandez Fuentes uh 35 years old and Doran Castillo Cabrera 26 years old and.

NBC News has had the opportunity and also tundo to speak with family loved ones Friends of the victims we've learned that they are men fathers from places like Guatemala Honduras El Salvador and Mexico that they came here to build up their their families uh to you know contribute to this country and to the community of Baltimore and you.

Know people here have just had an outpouring of love and support for these grieving families and the Immigrant Community here has also really stepped up organizations that provide them with support rights uh you know friendships church and and and all the basis of community here they're trying to step up right now um and and offer people.

Support counseling uh and and just an opportunity to process all of this as really a thanks to their memory and to the service they were providing that night trying to do repairs on this bridge uh something that everyone in this area would benefit from and people don't want that to be forgotten Joe no doubt certainly we are thinking of their.

Friends and families as well Antonia thank you so much for your reporting this morning for more we're joined Now by former Navy diving Chief retired Captain Bobby scoy thank you so much for joining us you know now that this is transitioned from this search and rescue to a salvage recovery Mission what does that mean for search Crews.

Well thanks for having me Joe um and I want to also um uh convey my uh deepest condolences to the families of the victims as divers um that's always our priority is to uh recover the victims so that the families can get closure but um even though it's SW switched over to a salvage recovery I I think the divers will still have in the back of their.

Minds that that that the priority is to bring back those victims um but as as um it shifts over to the Salvage phase the divers are going to have to switch modes and um think about the stability of the debris field and how they're going to start lifting that structure up to the surface and that's a whole different ball game they're going to have to.

Survey the scene and look at the safest way of getting the uh rigging around that structure and bring it to the surface and get it out of the way and that's going to take a lot of engineering skills and a different type of diving shifting from scuba diving which is uh allows them to move freely in the water um they'll probably have to.

Bring in um surface supplied hard hat diving for protection possibly underwater cutting which is a whole different skill set and um and then of course a lot of topside equipment cranes and barges so it's a a huge operation and so many challenges they're facing how long could this recovery Mission take um it's going to take um weeks.

Possibly months um I think back to the large scale operation that I was involved in um tww flight 800 it took us four months to get the bulk of the um aircraft um although that was deeper water we're talking relatively shallow here um uh no deeper than about 50 ft so the depth of water isn't quite as bad um and the the structure is all um in one.

Location and and we know where all the structure is but this is very heavy um debris the concrete and the metal is very heavy and it's all interconnected um so that's going to pose some problems um so you know in my opinion we're we're talking at least U many weeks maybe even in into some months um but I'm sure the unified command's going to put together.

Um a very experienced team whether it's commercial or government um and get to it as quickly as possible all right Bobby scolly thank you so much for joining us this morning we appreciate your expertise my pleasure former US senator and Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe liberman has died at the age of 82 his family says that he passed.

Away yesterday after suffering complications from a fall the four-term Connecticut Senator started his career as a Centrist Democrat and was the first Jewish American on a presidential ticket running with Al Gore in 200000 later he became an independent endorsing his friend Republican John McCain in his Run for the White House in 2008 NBC News.

Congressional correspondent Julie cirin is here with us in New York to talk more about the Senator's Legacy um he is someone who is known as a Centrist a long complex career what is he being remembered for most this morning so many things I mean his career in the in the Senate was 24 years like you said he was the first Jewish member of the Senate he.

Also was the first Jewish American to be on a presidential ticket as the Vice Presidential nominee for alore in 2000 and later became actually the first Jewish member again or or American to run for president right it was unsuccessful four years after um he was on the Al Gore ticket but look his time in the Senate was really.

Transformational and you could see that by the statements of remembrance yesterday from Republicans and Democrats he forged Partnerships across the aisle uh he spoke out in favor of the US invasion in Iraq after 9/11 you know he really shephered so many important pieces of legislation and most recently he was the public face of the No Labels.

Effort to try and get this Unity ticket for 2024 so really he touched all parts of politics you know he could reach across the aisle maybe sometimes he could even upset Democrats with things that he said or stances that he took what were the things that were most important to him the issues he focused well look he you know he really he.

Changed of course his affiliation to an independent Democrat uh in 20 2006 in part because he wasn't supported by the Democratic party after he like I said supported the invasion of Iraq sided with Republican colleagues like John McCain Lindsey Graham his two close friends when he was in the Senate uh but even though he was an independent he.

Still was a Democrat on economic issues on climate issues on many social issues you know after 911 he really was the legislative uh father if you will of the Homeland Security Department this was an agency he felt was so important to create after the terrorist attacks uh in this city Al those years ago uh but later on you know many criticized him.

For sort of standing in the way in President Obama's most signature piece of legislation the Affordable Care Act for example trying to pull back certain pieces of that when it came to a public option and so forth uh and he angered Democrats as well in 2008 when he endorsed John McCain over Barack Obama who was a new colleague to him at the.

Time in the Senate uh so he really transformed politics he's a rare voice we don't see many like him now yeah exactly and he's being remembered as such too are we hearing from Al Gore at all this morning we are and you know Al Gore really chose uh Joe liberman as his running mate you know really after all the allegations against Bill Clinton who.

To be clear liberman was a fan of his administration uh and I want to read you a part of what Al Gore had to say today you see it on your screen he said Joe was a man of deep Integrity who dedicated his life to serving his country he was truly a gifted leader who affable personality and strong will made him a force to be reckoned with and you.

Know Gore chose him because liberman was an independent voice he spoke out very strongly uh in those allegations against Bill Clinton with Monica Lewinsky sort of causing a rift with many Democrats even though he voted not to convict him ultimately in the Senate trial but he was really an independent voice and certainly Al Gore saw him as such too.

All right Julie cin thank you so much good to see you this morning thanks for joining us former president Trump is ramping up social media attacks against the judge in his New York hush money case less than a day after that judge issued a partial gag order in Tuesday's ruling judge Juan Maran said that Trump must refrain from making public.

Statements about the court staff Witnesses and other figures in the case but it failed to mention the judge or the judge's family and it did not take long for Trump to take to his social media platform truth social in a flurry of posts Trump labeled michan as a hater repeated his call for the judge to recuse himself from the case he also.

Took aim at the judge's daughter for working in Progressive politics Trump claimed it is quote completely impossible for him to get a fair trial last August Maran declined to recuse himself from the case and said he is certain of his ability to be fair and impartial NBC News legal analyst Danny sabalos joins us now with more on this.

So Danny judge Maran issued this gag order but it looks like Trump may be found a loophole you could say I mean tell us about that and just how common is a gag order like this it's an issue we've talked about a lot over the last few months on the one hand gag orders are pretty rare and they're always controversial because they bring.

Head-to-head several different competing directly conflicting constitutional concerns on the one hand you have the Liberties of the First Amendment the freedom of speech but then on the other hand the court needs to preserve the defendants and the Public's right to a fair trial which is somewhat ironic because here the person arguably.

Threatening that fair trial is the person that the amendment was designed to protect which is Donald Trump but nevertheless that's what gag orders do and that's why they're always controversial because they're always arguably violating some constitutional concern and in a case like this the judge actually did I think a wise thing.

Leaving that loophole which I think was probably deliberate because gag orders the constitutionality of them depends not only on who you're protecting but it also depends on who you're targeting so for example lawyers are the easiest to gag because we're officers of the Court we've already kind of consented to that kind of control on the other hand.

Members of the press are much harder to gag those will almost always be unconstitutional as prior restraint so do you expect the judge is going to amend the gag order to include himself or include his family or do you think he's going to say no I'm fair game I'm not going to add myself to this I don't think so uh I think the judge will keep.

The gag order the way it is but I think Donald Trump will continue to push the limits uh yes you could call this a loophole but I don't think it was accidental I think the Judge deliberately left a carve out for himself after all judges are politicians uh they do get scrutinized but let me just make completely clear there are two.

Reasons why what Trump is doing is a horrible idea number one uh you should never criticize judges because I think ethically at least for a lawyer it's not right but number two it's a horrible idea for your case because you turn the judge against you and I know a thing or two about uh annoying judges so I can tell you it is not a good idea and it's.

I've regretted it every time I've done it myself I have trouble believing that Danny I feel like no idea all of the judges love you so you mentioned this there's this issue here you're balancing safety versus right to free speech and First Amendment rights especially when the person on trial is a former president who's running for president.

Again but if Mr Trump does violate the gag order what are some of the penalties that could be enforced here a judge has a number of different remedies there's this inherent power of the court to control the courtroom and protect people like Witnesses and jurors which is critically important and that will also go into the the factors of whether or.

Not a gag order uh is valid so you have everything from a verbal reprimand or all the way up to at the other end of the spectrum is incarceration you can find someone in criminal contempt and send them to jail but I got to tell you something Joe no judge wants to try and send Trump to jail for contempt or for violation of a gag order it would be an.

Administrative nightmare no judge wants that and I think Trump knows it and I think that's why he's pushing the limit he'll take a $10,000 fine whatever it's worth it it's money well spent in his mind uh and I think he's just daring these judges to send him downstairs to the holding cell and I just don't think any of them would want to do that I.

Certainly wouldn't if I were a judge all right Danny savalos appreciate you joining us this morning thank you as always the White House says Israel wants to resched a meeting with us officials aimed at discussing Israel's planned ground offensive of Rafa in southern Gaza earlier this week prime minister Netanyahu canel a visit to Washington by.

A senior Israeli delegation that's because instead of vetoing a un Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages the US abstained the state department says it hopes to persuade Israel against attacking Rafa which is home to more than a million displaced.

Palestinians we do think it's important that that meeting happened uh as we've said we think that the uh plan that Israel has said it intends to pursue with respect to Rafa is one that would be a mistake uh that would have enormous uh a terrible impact on the civilian population there and would weaken Israel's security and we think there's a.

Better way and uh we want to have the opportunity to present that better alternative to Israel let's bring in NBC News International correspondent Raph Sanchez who's in Tel Aviv so Raph do we know why Israel is reversing its decision to take part in this meeting are us officials hope they can still try and stop this ground attack on.

Rafa yeah Joe some real Whiplash here prime minister benjaman Netanyahu very publicly cancelling this meeting and then quietly trying to get it back on the schedule now he was hosting a couple of Republican senators in Jerusalem yesterday he spoke to the media he said he canell that meeting as a message to Hamas now the logic there not totally.

Self-evident but he seems to be saying that he is not not going to allow Hamas to wait Israel out diplomatically wait for Israel to be pushed into a ceasefire by the United States without releasing those hostages the fact that he is now trying to reschedule this meeting might be an indication that he is concerns about the strains in the US Israel.

Relationship right now he may also have called off this meeting partly for domestic political reasons to show that he is standing up to the Biden Administration something that is important to a lot of Yahoo's right-wing voters that is the politics in terms of the substance here the fact that this meeting looks like it is going to be.

Rescheduled suggests that Israel is going to hold off on any major ground defensive in Rafa at least until the other side of this meeting it is not at all clear though that American officials are going to be able to dissuade the Israeli government from moving ahead in Rafa you've heard the Prime Minister say again and again he believes the only way.

Israel can win this war is to go in on the ground in Rafa in a major way to destroy what he says are four Hamas battalions hiding in the city the goal of the Biden Administration is to try to convince him that there is a more surgical a more targeted approach that Israel can take that will still achieve its objectives but spare those million.

Plus civilians Sheltering in Gaza so Raph even though this ground offensive is not yet started uh Israel has been bombing Rafa for months now our NBC News team and aaza did capture video of the latest Israeli air strike that that hit homes there what more can you tell us about that and just what is the overall situation right now in.

Rafa yeah Joe so you're looking at the aftermath of strikes that happened Tuesday into Wednesday as you said Israel has not gone into Rafa on the grounds yet but it has been bombing intensively for a long time 11 people were killed in these strikes according to Witnesses who spoke to our unbelievably courageous NBC colleagues.

Who are on the ground in Rafa right now part of the reason these strikes are so deadly Joe is that several of them happening at night so people are asleep there is no time to get out 3 4 a.m. in some cases and also just when you have a million plus people packed into Rafa even if Israel is targeting very surgically just the chances of civilians.

Being caught up in that bombing is very high it's also worth saying these strikes happens just about 24 hours or so after the UN Security Council passed that resolution which called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza it called for Hamas to immediately and unconditionally release the hostages and this is just a really Grim reminder.

Of how little impact that Security Council resolution is actually having on the grounds Jeff Raph I also wanted to ask you about the UN Human Rights expert on the occupied Palestinian territory iies this week she released a report saying that there were reasonable grounds to say that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza now she's talking about.

Threats she's receiving what's going on here right so this is a similar argument to the one you heard South Africa make in front of the international court of justice basically when you look at the scale of the civilian casualties when you look at the scale of the devastation in Gaza and when you look at some of these statements made by Israeli.

Officials especially in the early days of War talking about cutting off all food and water this expert is arguing there is a reasonable case that Israel is committing genocide take a listen to what she had to say yesterday I've always uh I've been attacked since the very beginning of my mandate I don't say that.

It's a it's been a pleasant journey most of the pain comes from where I have to observe and monitor and investigate day by day um yeah to receive threats Israel's executive and Military leadership and soldiers have intentionally distorted using Bellow principles sub verive their protection functions in an attempt to.

Legitimize genocidal violence against the Palestinian people Joe I should say Israel is saying this report is an obscene inversion of reality they are dismissing it completely this expert also is not a un official in the sense of being the head of one of the major un agencies she is an outside expert she is controversial she has a history of.

Picking fights on Twitter and she was condemned for some comments she made last year suggesting that October 7th was not an anti-semitic attack Jeff R thank you so much for your reporting appreciate it time now for your Morning News Now weather forecast our good friend Bill Karens is here with us with a look ahead Bill good morning oh good.

Morning Joe and I'm going to trust because you're an outstanding anchor and reporter that you've noticed it's been a little wet this March I did notice rain my my journalistic skills kicked in and I noticed that I was wet as I came yeah and you're not alone the East Coast has been soaked it soaked this morning and now we're getting into like almost like.

Record territory in a few areas so Providence Rhode Island so far this March not including what's rained since midnight we're up almost to 10 Ines it's already the second wetest March you have on record we're not going to beat the the alltime record that was back in 2010 I don't know what happened there I go go back and look but 16 inches of rain so.

We're not going to beat that but we are going to get another probably about an inch and a half to two inches with the storm that's currently ongoing so as we go throughout the day today here's at 2 pm so you notice that the rain is ending in areas of South Carolina still pouring in the Outer Banks areas all the way through the alar and pamco sounds right.

Through coastal region no notice Washington DC we also have a baseball game uh the Orioles game is going to be at 3 o' this afternoon looks like showers ending at that time and then steadier rains continue up from New York to Boston even through the evening Rush Hour anywhere from the Jersey Shore Long Island up into New England you'll be.

Going home in the rain today and it pours all evening long in areas of Northern M because we've had the recent rainfall we do have flood watches that are up we haven't had any bad flooding as of now but we think later today some of the higher totals will come in and that's when the rivers could rise a little bit so additional rain on top of.

What you already had another inch possible in Newber and the North Virginia Beach areas New York City not much more DC looks like you're just about done Boston though another inch and a half as we go throughout the day today so how does this all shape up as we head towards the weekend Friday we watch that storm exit Beautiful Friday.

From the now Plains all the way to the east coast the next big storm will be coming into the West that's where we'll have to deal with Saturday with a flood risk some storms in areas of Southern California and then by the time we get to Sunday that mess will be heading into the Rockies but it looks like a really nice Easter Sunday for the East Coast.

Much of the South should have no problem either uh problem areas if we're going to have any will be areas say of you know Chicago to Indianapolis and all other areas down there to the South should be doing just fine as far as the sunshine goes little wandering here Bill's giving you a tour of the studio this.

Morning Bill good to have you with us thank you so much all right much more to come here on morning news now later this hour he's flipping the script with his breakout role in the hit show Abbot Elementary my conversation with actor William Stanford Davis who says he waited decades before his big break a first after the break it is sentencing.

Day for the so-called king of crypto turned convicted conman Sam bankman freed we're going to break down what to expect next stay with us it's a Day of Reckoning for convicted CEO Sam bankman freed the former crypto King will be sentenced in a New York courtroom this morning for his role in.

The multi-billion dollar fraud that led to the collapse of the FTX cryptocurrency Exchange in November the 32-year-old was found guilty by a federal jury of Fraud and conspiracy prosecutors want bankman freed to serve up to 50 years in prison with one US attorney calling it quote one of the biggest Financial frauds in American.

History here with more as NBC News business and data correspondent Brian Chung so Brian first of all give us a reminder how we got to this point here yeah we have to rewind to 2022 when this really big crypto exchange where people were trading Bitcoin and other types of currencies a spectacularly collapsed now the CEO at the time Sam bankman freed uh.

He was alleged to have used $10 billion in customer funds uh to fund a lavish lifestyle in the Caribbean and then also use the money to try to make some risky bets that ultimately didn't work out which led to the collapse of this company now now let's fast forward to about four months ago in November when a court found him guilty of seven charges.

Including fraud and conspiracy now today is going to be the end of that uh that whole Court proceeding in the form of that sentencing now the the challenge here is whether or not they should go with what the prosecutors are recommending of 40 to 50 years in prison or if they want to go with what his attorneys are arguing should be a Max of.

Six and a half years so where does the judge kind of land in the middle that that that remains to be seen we'll find out later on do we have any insight into what the judge could do what the options are here and could Contrition from SPF play a role here well I mean certainly that's what his attorneys are hoping for right that if sand Bank Ben free can.

Show the judge or has already shown the judge that he feels guilty about the whole situation then maybe they'll give him a more lenient sentence now again it's likely going to be somewhere between that 6 and a half or 40 to 50 years but again it's going to depend on how they look at the merits of the case now those that are arguing again on the.

Prosecutor side that he should get many decades in prison they have pointed to the tens of thousands of people who have lost a lot a lot of money again it was 10 billion in customer funds that were gambled Away by FTX and you know the allegation there is that well if he was so callous and was using that money to hobnob with celebrities and party it up.

In the Caribbean then it doesn't show that he really feels all that guilty about it but then his attorney are saying actually if you look at his diary which has been submitted in the record you can see a picture of a person who has deep social anxiety a lot of a lot of concerns about whether or not he could actually fit into those Social.

Circles so that's going to be very much part of the uh the the decision there what about that 1010 billion doar yeah well I mean for right now there's a court down in Delaware because there was a bankruptcy administrator that was put in place after the 2022 collapse of this company that has been trying to figure out a way to recuperate the billions of.

Dollars that were lost they haven't recuperated dollar for dollar they've got gotten a good amount back and they say based off of filings that they will make people that have legitimate claims whole in terms of how much money they get back how long does that take Joe that remains an open question no doubt investors paying close attention to that.

All right Brian Chung we know you'll stay on this throughout the day thank you so much we're getting an inside look at the unfolding crisis in Haiti the B Administration is facing increased pressure from Advocates to extend protected status to Haitian migrants who are trying to flee their country or have already made it here to the US but.

Officials tell NBC News there are no plans to change course the effort to suspend deportations comes as gang violence in Haiti surges wreaking havoc on communities there NBC News correspondent Ellison Barber spoke with concerned mothers at an orphanage violence in Port of Prince is Relentless police and gangs battling it.

Out in the streets of Haiti's capital city as innocent people hide and Run for Cover we traveled to the country's North where we are it's more than 5 hours away Way by car from Port aen within the gates of mission life International's orphanage and birthing center you don't hear gunfire you hear children laughing playing dreaming what do you want to be.

When you grow up she says she wants to be a doctor outside of the birthing center mothers are waiting to check in Sarah L is just 3 months old she's John's fourth child the first girl do they like the brothers like having a sister a lot she tells us she's a nurse but she doesn't have a job right now she has a pharmacy but these.

Days doesn't sell much and supplies are hard to come by you can see they have stuff here but it is a bit sparse that is in part because most of the ports in this country are currently controlled by gangs and that means getting Aid in to people who need it the most medical supplies to places like this it's very difficult for all of the families here.

Finding clean drinking water or afford food is a herculan feet have you had any moments where you've worried that you might not be able to keep your kids safe every day she tells me every day we pray God Will Keep Us Safe can be fixed by they say they do not want to live in a Haiti like this we need help they want some help from the International.

Community to reestablish security But ultimately they tell us true change will come from Haitians we don't like people to give us fish teach us how to fish Jean tells means are able to do it themselves Ellison Barber NBC News let's get more on the pressure facing the Biden Administration over.

Dealing with Haitian migrants from Homeland Security correspondent Julia angsley so Julia hundreds of human rights groups have reached out to the bid Administration pushing them to rethink how to handle Haitian migrants first of all take us through what they're calling for and what is the current.

Policy well Ellison's piece perfectly lays out a lot of the reasons why they're calling for more protected status for Haitians who are already living here as well as Haitians who are trying to flee the Biden Administration has interdicted Haitians at Sea trying to flee and sent them back when they send them back they don't send them to.

Porta Prince but outside of that saying that that might be safer but what these 481 organizations are saying is exactly what lisn experienced it's really not anywhere because the country is so unstable so they're saying that the US should suspend its policy of repatriating Haitians that they interdict at Sea and that they should.

Allow people who are here already to be able to stay under temporary protected status allow them to live and work here legally much as they did after the 2010 earthquake and also just like they did this summer for Venezuelans they say that the crisis in Haiti right now is much worse what the crisis was in Venezuela in July but that simply the.

Biden Administration was under political pressure to grant that status so that cities like New York could get Venezuela's working again they say that the time right now in Haiti is so dire that they should change course so how is the Biden Administration responding to all this pressure what are you hearing from us.

Officials look I think there are a lot of people saying this is a really hard place to be that there are no easy choices some people described it as heartbreaking some people said look I really don't have a way to defend this policy but we're not changing it essentially DHS is going to continue with its policies although they are not.

Running deportation flights to Haiti right now but they haven't formally suspended them it's basically just that they don't have a place to land a plane with inside Port of Prince because the gangs have taken over the airport so right now they're continuing to interdict people at Sea they're not granting TPS they have absolutely no.

Plans to change cour Joe they say they always look at contingency plans but right now the US is actually leaning more on the state department trying to give they say that the US Remains the number one provider of humanitarian assistance to Haiti and they've been able to provide over 100 million about $170.

Million since October of 2022 uh helping 1.5 million Haitians but those Advocates say look a lot of what's happening in Haiti right now is because of a history of bad policies from the United States that have propped up certain governments um and that they think that the US should now be able to welcome these Haitians who are fleeing.

The violence that they say is partially us caused in what situations is temporary protected status usually granted do we have an idea of of why not here yeah it's usually granted if there's been some kind of major catastrophe that you wouldn't want to deport someone to that country that could be political upheaval it could.

Also be a major natural disaster like the earthquake of 2010 why not here they don't want to trigger more migration now that doesn't seem like it would make any sense because what TPS does is it means everyone who here by a certain date if you made that March 28th 2024 that means no Haitians coming in to tomorrow could actually stay here legally but what they.

Think it does and I've heard this in the past for other countries is they think that the message gets misconstrued and it does create more of a poll factor for more migrants thinking well if I can just get in they'll extend it they'll change that date and then I'll have the same luck as my friends my family that made it to the United States so they're.

Not granting it in this case because they don't want to encourage more Haitian migration it's something president Trump has falsely claimed is already happening there's really been very little immigration to Haiti from Haiti to the United States since this crisis broke out in late February uh but they don't want to send any signals that.

They're encouraging any Haitians to come to the United States and real quickly advocates for the migrants what are they saying about that well they say that that and and some terms I can't repeat here but that that just doesn't hold up that that's not true these people are desperate and that it.

Is so hard to get out of Haiti they say for the lucky ones who are able to get on a sailboat because they don't even have the fuel to power of actual power boat that those people should be taken in given immediate assistance and be taken in and given asylum in the United States all right Julia Angley as always we appreciate your reporting thank you.

Coming up a growing threat cases of the measles going up as vaccination rates go down we're going to talk to a doctor about how you can keep your family healthy next on Morning News Now welcome back the CDC is tracking the growing number of measles cases in the US as vaccination rates continue to fall.

The agency has recorded 64 cases across 17 states that number is up from the 59 total cases recorded in 2023 a sign that as vaccination rates dro the highly contagious viral disease is posing a growing threat Abby Dodge from our Kansas City takes a closer look doctors in the Metro do not have waiting rooms full of patients with.

Measles the most recent case was tracked through KCI by a liberty resident in mid January but the state of Missouri is taking note of a rise in cases nationally cities like Chicago and Miami have reported multiple cases in children Dr Todd fristo is a St Luke's family medicine physici I don't think we want to scare people and make them Al oh.

We're all going to get you know measles and have kinds of trouble but have people be aware of it doctors recommend kids get their first MMR dose at 12 to 15 months that has a protection rate of 93% the second dose bumps up that rate to 97% children typically receive their second dose from 4 to six years old Dr fristo says that he's gotten more.

Questions about vaccines in the last few years it's very important as Healthcare professionals to validate their concerns that doesn't mean you agree with all of their concerns but you validate them and you you understand that they truly are concerned for the well-being of their family or their children or or their loved ones measles is a highly.

Contagious virus if I have measles and show up to a meeting with 10 other colleagues who haven't been vaccinated or haven't had measles before up to nine of them could contract the virus say you forgot your phone at that meeting and come and grab it an hour or two later the measles virus is still hanging in the air so it's very easily contracted.

If you're exposed to someone with me a 95% vaccination rate is recommended for herd immunity dhss in Missouri says public schools are reporting a 90.5% MMR vaccine rate for kindergarteners this school year that's down from 95.4 in 2016 some pediatric offices require all patients to be vaccinated Dr fristo says sometimes it takes few visits before.

Patients are comfortable with a vaccine it's just all about being respectful to that other person and listen to their concerns and then try to guide them to Accurate sources of information Abby Dodge thank you for that report so let's bring in NBC News medical fellow Dr OE Sall for more on this so let's talk about how is it you.

Spot measles and kids what makes it more likely to spread and contract yeah so Joe anyone unvaccinated is at risk for measles and the reason you know we hear about it more in kids in terms of these outbreaks are are couple fold um the first most adults actually have immunity to measles in this country um secondly you know when we talk about.

What what kids are doing in school you know a lot of them are closely congregated they're sort of you know sharing things a lot of germs flying around so that's another reason we hear about this so much in kids but also Joe kids are at highest risk of of severe disease particularly those under the age of five um now some adults also are.

Included in this those over the age of 20 and those um with you know imuno compromised conditions um but like you heard in that package if you were to walk into a room you can imagine in kindergarten if you if you are somebody who has measles and you walk into a room and there's 10 unvaccinated people in that room nine of them are likely to get.

Sick um so this is a really really contagious disease and why everybody's you know really alert about this and that is incredibly eye openening to know just how contagious it is what are the risks associated with measles so the symptoms of measles first are you know fevers rash cough you know things that we see with with other viruses as well.

Um but really the risk the reason we're so worried about this Joe about one in five unvaccinated people can be hospitalized about 1 in a thousand can develop entis or or inflammation of of the brain I mean about 1 to three in a thousand this disease does prove fatal and there is something else that is unique to.

Measles that I think a lot of people should know that a lot of people don't know is that if you get measles and you recover measles can actually dampen your immune system and weaken your immune system making you more likely to get things um that you would fight off normally like pneumonia or other bacterial infections so a lot of.

Complications go with this one conquering childhood measles really was like a public health success story and you know this year we've only seen 64 cases could be a bigger number but still it's concerning what's most concerning is seeing what a 5% vaccination drop in 5 years which is kind of what's opened the door here if we see another 5% drop.

In another five years what could that be yeah so there's we we have some numbers on this Joe so 95% like you heard in that report is the sort of gold standard we want for her immunity meaning that the spread can be kept at Bay um nationally now we're seeing that number dip to 93% which doesn't sound like a huge drop but if you if you you know a.

Small a small percent of that is still a large number about 250 50,000 kindergarteners are at risk just with that small drop in in vaccination so you know this is a vaccine that unlike other vaccines if you do get the vaccine you are less likely to spread it so it is something that you know you get about the age of 12 to 15 months another dose.

About four to 6 months or four to 6 years of age um and most adults fortunately have had the vaccine in this country all right Dr oal appreciate your expertise thanks for joining us this morning coming up regulating AI up next to the new rules just announced by the White House That Could impact how federal agencies use the technology stay.

With us this is Morning News Now welcome back new this morning the White House just rolled out its first set of government-wide guard rails for AI CNBC sylan hanau has that and other money headlines savan good morning Hey Joe good morning to yes so the White House laid out new requirements for.

Federal use of artificial intelligence this morning agencies that want to use AI will have to designate chief AI officers and establish governance boards within two months the Biden Administration will also require them to establish safeguards for the use of the emerging technology and public annual reports on how they're managing AI risk.

Tik Tock is taking its fight for survival to American TVs the social media company launched a $2.1 million advertising campaign with a message for senators blocks the house bill that would effectively ban the app in the US according to analytics company at impact Tik Tok plans to air the spots in Nevada Montana Wisconsin Pennsylvania and Ohio.

All five of those states are represented by vulnerable Senate Democrats running for another term people in New York Massachusetts and Minnesota can also expect to see the ads and Canada's maple syrup Supply is at a 16-year low but thankfully you won't have to find an alternative for your pancakes just yet the reserve which is housed in Quebec.

Only contains about 7 million pounds of syrup right now that's the lowest it's been since 2008 industry officials say the supply has been hit by a large International demand for syrup as well as warmer weather which disrupted production but for now they don't forecast any supply issues for customers oh my goodness Joe what am I going to.

Put on my chicken and waffles pancakes and waffles Rejoice hopefully no no issues in the near future savan thank you so much appreciate it you got it coming up we are flipping the script with actor William Stanford Davis better known as Mr Johnson in the hit show Abbott Elementary while he says his big break was worth the decades long wait.

You're watching morning news now we're back now with some news that's got the Beehive buzzing we're of course talking about Beyonce who just posted the track list for upcoming country album Cowboy Carter it includes a cover of Dolly Parton's 1970s classic Jolene as well as a guest appearance from Legend Willie Nelson now as we reported.

Queen bee is set to tap into the country genre in this followup to her Smash Hit the Renaissance album but Beyonce says it's not a country album It's a Beyonce album Cowboy Carter is set to drop at midnight now to our series flipping the script featuring people on screen on stage and behind the scenes shining a spotlight on diversity enter William.

Stanford Davis his friends call him Stan but these days he's best known as Mr Johnson the custodian on the award-winning ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary he's just one of many hilarious characters in the show which centers on a group of teachers and staff at a public school in Philadelphia now Stan is 72 years old and says he has.

Been waiting a lifetime for a role like this proof that hard work and patience truly do pay off Mr Johnson sorry to interrupt what whatever this is but these kids need to stay with you well it looks like AA switch this day from FIS bu's day off to The Breakfast Club how was life right now for you.

Stan oh man uh it's uh it's like I'm living in a dream I'm still in Pitch myself mode is it fair to say it took a few years to achieve this dream just a few but you know that's any any dream worth dreaming is worth putting in the time and the work and the effort the plot vickens how old were you when you.

Decided I'm going to move to LA and I'm going to try to break into Hollywood I got here when I was 32 I'm 72 now 40 years yes sir yeah I worked in a Brickyard then I worked as a short order cook in a in a truck stop I worked as a telemarketer I drove limousine I drove some of the people that I work with now can I just draw whatever it takes to.

Keep you out of my head sir you are bald his big break came a few years ago when he auditioned for the role of the school custodian Mr Johnson on Abbot Elementary he was only supposed to appear in the pilot but the show's Creator and star Quinta Brunson just kept bringing him back making him a series regular The Man Behind the mop finally Rose to the top I.

Cried my wife cried my dog cried I thought the neighbors were going to call the police with so much noise being made in my house what has Quinta Brunson meant to you oh man I there's no words to describe she's such a kind just smart kind person and as I told her at the end of season one I said Quincy you changed my life you know all you want to be is a.

Working actor that's all I ever wanted to be all these things that have happened all these accolades and things they they're just uh man sometimes I get emotional thinking about it the story that Abbott Elementary is telling how important is that because it's maybe a story that a lot of folks haven't had the opportunity to see before this story.

Should been told when I was in elementary school because it hasn't changed very much teachers are important they're more they're as important as doctors they're as important as policemen you know and because they they impact lives they change lives like qu to change my life when I encounter teachers out in the world they tell me.

How much truth is in what we're doing along with the comedy you know we don't we don't want to get political in any kind of way we just want to tell the truth about what's happening in in schools and how important they are oh whose cat is this I don't know I just found him in here he won't budge I think I'll get some bacon from the lunch lady.

To try to lure him out cats are pescatarians you telling me this cat believes in God there's a giant billboard for Abbot elementary near Time Square it's huge and you're on it have you seen that yes I have I'm I'm on a billboard in Time Square can you believe that I've had friends send me pictures of it I never thought that when I see a.

Bus go by with a show on on the bus I'm like Oh my God look at what has happened what is this this is amazing so at age 72 do you feel like your career is just getting started I feel like it's just getting started um Abid is part of the journey I'm I'm really praying that it's part of the journey I hope it's not the destination All actors would like to do.

It until they can't do it anymore and that's the way I feel about it as we say on the streets I'mma ride to the wheels fall off when I asked what advice he would give aspiring actor of all ages Davis quoted Duke Ellington saying there are two rules in life number one don't quit number two never forget rule number one.

William Stanford Davis is certainly proof of that that's going to do it for this hour of morning news now but stay with us the news continues right now good morning I'm Joe PRI Savannah is On Assignment right now on morning news now we have taken the show outside outside of our studio and outside of 30 Rock that's because of what's across the.

Street here you see that's Radio City Music Hall some of the biggest performers in the world have taken the stage there the Radio City Rockets have their Christmas Spectacular there every year but today it is the center of the political Universe President Biden is having a huge star studded fundraiser there two former presidents are going to.

Be there former presidents Clinton and Obama along with a Cavalcade of celebrities it's a sign that the race for the White House is really kicking into high gear not just the effort to try and get voters but also to try and collect money millions of dollars could be raised today I want to bring in our senior White House correspondent Gabe.

Gutierrez who's made his way here to New York you know Gabe typically a rainy Thursday like this that alone would slow down traffic in Midtown we're about to see a traffic nightmare when they cut off many of the roads here right yeah that's right Joe this whole area will be locked down in just a short time security is actually already ramping up.

And as you said the Biden campaign is billing this as a historic first of its kind event the campaign expects about 5,000 people to be here and they expect the event to rake in more than $25 million but former president Trump has other plans this morning the Biden campaign is preparing to host a star studded.

Fundraiser with three presidents Biden Obama and Clinton in a conversation moderated by late night host Steven coar the event also set to feature appearances by lizo Queen Latifa and Ben Platt among other celebrities as Democrats set their sights on the general election I've never been more optimistic about our future I know I'm.

Only 40 years old times 2+ one the president's poll numbers are ticking up but are still shaky at this time in 2020 Biden was leading Trump by an average of six points now most polls show a a statistical tie or Trump lead so the President and Vice President are ramping up their travel former president Obama.

Is also taking an increasingly active role in the campaign right now the presumptive nominee for the Republican party for President says he wants to repeal the entirety of the ACA Mr Trump is firing back saying he doesn't want to terminate Obamacare just make it better even though he's previously said repeatedly that he wanted to replace it.

We're repealing and replacing Obamacare while the former president escalates his attacks on the judge presiding over his hush money trial in New York he's also trying to highlight violent crime in the city and planning to attend the wake of NYPD officer Jonathan Diller who was shot and killed this week in the line of duty today both candidates heading to.

High-profile events another split screen moment as the campaign intensifies so gab so far Democrats have been outpacing Republicans when it comes to fundraising I have to imagine this is going to help with that yeah certainly Democrats have over the last couple months doing very well the cheapest tickets for this event at this iconic.

Venue have gone for about $250 but the largest contributions Joe have actually come from people who have given up to $500,000 that is a huge price tag right there all right Gabe guer I appreciate your reporting this morning good to see you here in New York let's turn now to the latest from from Baltimore we're.

Learning new information this morning about that deadly Collision involving a cargo ship involving the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge the bodies of two victims have been pulled from the water but Crews have called off the search because conditions are just too dangerous it's now shifting to a salvage operation NTSB officials have been able.

To board and speak with some of the crew on the ship NBC News senior correspondent Tom Costello has the latest from Baltimore yeah good morning so we have an awful lot of moving pieces here uh at the Baltimore port to begin with this is now a salvage operation they have now decided that it's simply too risky to.

Try to go in and find the individual bodies of those who have perished and are still in the water and so they're going to have to bring in just massive cranes to lift the superstructure up and out of the water at the same time they need to prioritize getting this port open as quickly as possible but the immediate Focus today at this hour here.

In Baltimore is on the families of those six who died in Baltimore this morning a clearer picture now emerging of the disastrous crash that brought down the Francis Scott Key bridge ntsp investigators have for the first time boarded the cargo ship still covered in mangled metal it's just utter Devastation along with.

Initial interviews of the crew investigators have now downloaded the ship's voice data recorder or vdr the initial timeline shows alarm started sounding at 1:24 a.m. Tuesday 2 minutes later the ship's pilot made an urgent call for any nearby tugboats to assist the pilot radioed again a minute later saying the ship had lost all power.

Traffic cameras showed the ship approaching the bridge before the feed cuts out 2 minutes later when the massive vessel struck the span the ship had no tugs at all helping it navigate through the waters before it hit the bridge that's correct it's a straight uh straight uh shot through uh the channel so there are no tugs with uh The Vessel.

At that time police dispatch audio shows officers radio to stop traffic less than 30 seconds after that distress call showing officers discussing the crew on the bridge in the moments before the collapse once you get here I'll go grab the uh workers on the Key Bridge and then stop the OU the whole Bridge just fell down.

Nearly 25 ft below the water surface dive teams have discovered a pickup truck with two victims inside authorities have now called off the search for four remaining victims calling it a salvage operation saying the water is simply too treacherous filled with dangerous debris Maryland's governor sharing how One Survivor.

Managed to walk away from the terrifying ordeal literally saw the Bridge fall right after he moved off uh it was because it was a first responder who was telling him to move off of the bridge now the focus shifts to the daunting task of reopening this vital port with 8,000 workers directly impacted and concerns of supply chain disruptions we.

Were concerned about implications that will Ripple out beyond the immediate region and TSB investigators today hope to be back on the bridge interviewing the two local pilots who were on board to try to navigate their way and the ship's way I should say through the port at the same time the Army Corps of Engineers talking about bringing in a.

Lot of people a lot of expertise and that massive crane to eventually raise the wreckage up out of the water there is no timeline for when this port could open we're talking weeks at least uh and in the meantime rebuilding the bridge probably years back to you all right Tom thank you so much this morning mounting gang violence in Haiti.

Is Raging on with Haitians and foreign Nationals fearing for their safety and pleading for help evacuating the country so far the US government has helped hundreds evacuate NBC's Ellis and barber reports from the Dominican Republic on the border with Haiti the violence in Port of Prince is Relentless so far this month more than.

33,000 people have been forced to flee the capital city this morning Fierce violence continues to grip PTO Prince criminal gangs are intensifying their Rampage targeting citizens and and critical infrastructure causing chaos across the.

Country once a sanctuary for children this school intentionally set on fire by armed gangs according to UNICEF the United States is evacuating their citizens almost daily but with the country's biggest International Airport closed most Haitians are unable to leave Americans Missy and John Tenon are working tirelessly to try and get their.

Adopted teenage Haitian Sons home begging screaming at the top of our lungs just saying please help us get our children out of this deadly situation more than 480 human rights organizations are asking the Biden Administration for a new designation of temporary protected status for Haans in the United States and a pause on deportations but three us.

Officials tell NBC News the Biden Administration is not planning to change course at Mission life International's birthing center we met mothers trying to care for newborns with their country on the brink of famine because gangs currently control the majority of the ports in this country and most of them are closed humanitarian Aid medical.

Supplies it isn't getting in as fast as it's really needed in places like this sarahel is just 3 months old she's Jean erand kad's fourth child Jean tells us she is a nurse but she doesn't have a job right now and finding clean drinking water or affordable food is a herculan feat have you had any moments where you've worried.

That you might not be able to keep your kids safe every day she tells me every day we pray God Will Keep Us Safe this week the Biden Administration approved a proposal to provide Hades National Police with weapons ammunition bulletproof vest and helmets all of it coming from a Department of Homeland Security stockpile it's worth $10.

Million and it is aimed at trying to help ha's police restore order in the capital city Joe all right Ellison thank you so much former Connecticut Senator and Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman has died at the age of 82 known as someone who would work across the aisle liberman became an independent and formed strong alliances.

With other centrists in Congress NBC News senior White House correspondent Kelly O'Donnell has a look back at Senator lieberman's storied career devoted to public service and his deep personal faith Joseph Lieberman was a four-term US senator from Connecticut and a man of history as the first Jewish American on a presidential ticket Al.

Gore's running mate in 200 tonight I am so proud to stand as your candidate for vice president of the United States Senator Lieberman died in New York a statement from his family said his passing followed complications from a fall a hawkk on defense his support of the Iraq War cost him among Democrats liberman became an independent later a.

Founder of the No Labels organization and his friendship with John McCain was part of his break with the Democratic party I'm here to support John McCain because country matters more than party an orthodox Jew liberman often walk to critical votes in the Senate moved by faith and a desire for common ground all thanks to Kelly O'Donnell for that.

Report joining us now to talk more about Senator liberman's Legacy is Eugene Scott he's a senior politics reporter at axios good to have you with us so Senator liberman he served 24 years in the US Senate spent 16 years in state government before that what is his legacy you know Joe his legacy is primarily being an independent thinker I.

I tend to think of him as the democrat's version of John McCain um in terms of you know being a Maverick and not being afraid of going against his party but the reality is that he did so in a way uh that probably attracted you know quite a bit of criticism from those uh in his party because he did it so publicly and boldly in ways uh that had.

Real consequences and captured headlines um in a manner that many Democrats would prefer uh they not uh you know be find themselves in the midst of so the fact that he went from top of democratic ticket to this independent as someone who endorsed John McCain he was known for Reaching Across the aisle how did that impact his work in the Senate well.

It was very beneficial uh initially as you know the Senate is a very small body and so Democrats frequently work with uh Republicans to get things done I mean at least that was the norm back when uh liberman was in the Senate but because things are so close and people know each other the criticism quite frankly that um he received because he was so uh.

Critical of some people in his party was was hard to ignore I mean for him to be in the Senate as a Democrat and not endorse the Democrat who was running for the Senate I'm sorry running for the president from the Senate was was no small matter and it made it very difficult for him to work with other Democrats in the Senate uh as his career.

Continued let's talk about his life more recently his group no labels it's this group that's trying to get a third- Party candidate to run so far not successful in that endeavor but how is that factoring into this current election how does that also play into liberman's Legacy well it arguably it's making his.

Legacy you know a bit mixed I mean in his final days he was trying his best to find someone who could run against Joe Biden uh and Donald Trump something that Democrats you know are probably not going to forget yet for quite some time now mind you uh no labels has not been successful they've really struggled uh to find someone and he's made the case.

They want you know a split party ticket maybe a a Democrat running as president or a republican as vice president or vice versa but nevertheless uh he he spent his final days uh not supporting the incumbent president even though uh it's worth noting that while his final Senate uh tenure was as an independent he did register as a Democrat uh when he.

Connecticut and moved to uh New York so he believes that he still was pretty consistent and faithful uh with his support for the party even though many of the people in the party don't agree all right Eugene Scott thanks so much for joining us this morning appreciate your time we turn now to a disturbing new trend that has been popping up all.

Over social media several women in New York City have reported being punched in broad daylight while simply walking down the street NBC News senior National correspondent Stephanie GS is taking a closer look look at this growing number of assault staff good morning Hey Joe good morning you know what's striking about these stories is how similar they.

Are in the last month multiple young women here in New York City have described being hit in the head in the middle of the day just walking down the street some falling and even suffering from concussions the stories are heroin I was literally just walking and a man came up and punched me in the face oh my God it.

Hurts so bad college student Michaela tonado says she was just leaving class in Manhattan so I just got punched in the face walking home he hit me right on my cheekbone this doesn't hurt as bad as the concussion does she says she didn't see it coming you've got some visible signs you have the black eye but michaa emotionally how are you feeling no it's.

Been really really hard I think it hits me in waves a lot of crying because it was really really scary the NYPD confirms it is looking into at least four similar cases like the one shared on social media in one of them police say a 40-year-old man has been arrested and charged with assault I was punched in the head uh in New York City um in.

Time Square but the police have not linked the cases to the videos in recent days dozens of accounts of alleged assault have popped up online NBC News has not been able to verify all the videos the troubling story surfacing at the same time there has been a rash of violent crimes on the city's busy Subways in response the National Guard.

Has been brought in to search bags and 1,000 additional NYPD officers are now riding the trains too but the mayor pushing back on the idea that crime is rampant in this city and expressing concerns that social media is stoking fears I know a city out of control because I visit some of them in this country this is not one of them 77% of.

Americans believe crime is on the rise according to a Gallup poll misdemeanor assault VA is up 10% from this time last year in New York City but in most places the FBI says violent crime is down I'm really scared to go back to school I've just been delaying it as long as possible but I'll have to go back eventually night the NYPD released a.

Statement Joe saying that the person that they arrested is a repeat offender he's actually been arrested three times in the last six months for similar crimes that he is what the police call a recidivist and I had conversations with the NYPD not just on this story but on others including the uh Spate of Subway crime has been going on say one of their.

Biggest issues are repeat offenders and do they have any idea why this person is doing this or is it just tough to say at this point it it's tough to say they also they also said that that it's not the same person got it that they believe at this point it's not the same person all right very good Stephanie gos thank you so much appreciate your reporting.

All right let's check in with meteorologist Bill Karens with your morning news now forecast it's opening day so Bill time to play I'm having trouble imagining some places like you know around the country with the snow and the rain and everything it might not be a great opening day but yeah but it's a big day like some families and some.

Fans it's like a holiday like they take off a work school it's like a tradition in some families so opening day the forecast has not cooperated for a few games and those games have already been postponed and that was the the Phillies games against the Braves the Mets game has already been postponed too we have rain in the Baltimore area and cloudy.

Dam conditions that's the first game of the day we think that's going to move out it'll be cloudy we're going to get that game in just you know bundle up uh Chicago looks fine for the white socks home opener there in Cincinnati looks pretty good some of these are in the domes here so the Tampa gam obviously is fine same with Houston world champion uh.

Texas Rangers 72 degrees that sounds like a beautiful start to your season Kansas City looks very nice we are going to see for that Red Sox games with the Mariners a little bit of rainy weather they should be able to get that in also Otani Los Angeles the headlines will be on that as they take on the Cardinal 65 no problems in La Phoenix looks good San.

Diego looks good too so a lot of games will get into without weather problems of course they canel the ones that needed to be and all because of this this rain streaming up the East Coast here we've had some very heavy rain in the eastern North Carolina right now we got some steady rain in the Boston area I check the airport delays they're doing.

Okay we haven't had really too many big problems out there so far and as we go through the day it just kind of stays dreary and wet I don't think we're going to get the heavy enough rain for any significant flooding but if you're going through this evening especially driving on I95 here heading from Providence the loop outside of Boston that's where the.

Steady rain will be New York City it'll be ending right around 7 to 8:00 p.m. but it's going to be light and it looks like in Washington DC you're just about done so flood watch is continue from Providence to Boston the Bangor main of Portland from Northfork Virginia Beach all the way back down to the Newburn area still under those flood watches and.

Additional rainfall DC it looks like you're pretty much done Raleigh you're just about done too it's really going to be the outer banks in areas of Down East Maine and also Southern portions of coastal New England that'll have the steadier rainfall so what does this all mean as we head towards your Easter forecast weekend so that storm clears so.

Friday Good Friday it looks very nice we'll call it a spring Delight here uh they haven't seen the sun in a couple days in many areas here in the east coast so that should be good middle of the country continues it's a beautiful day today no problems tomorrow into Friday the next storm comes into the West that's the one that's going to.

Cause some problems in California upcoming weekend Saturday we're going to have that flood risk in a few isolated areas maybe some debris flows it's not like the big huge storms we got over the winter but for this time of year it's a little unusual so high elevation snows too then by the time we get to Easter Sunday that storm system begins to head.

Into Arizona the four corner region snow in the higher elevations California will slowly begin to clear out kind of dreary and you know 59 degrees in LA with clouds and showers isn't the best Sunday forecast for you for Easter but uh at least the heavier steady rain will be over the beautiful weather though continues throughout the South and the.

East Coast uh after a pretty miserable uh March it looks like we're going to be starting uh the trend to April it looks a lot better Joe and it can't look worse yeah I was about to say we will take it all right Bill thank you so much appreciate it much more to come on this hour of morning news now including the mega mystery this morning who won that.

Billion dooll Lottery jackpot in New Jersey but first after the break it's a different kind of spring break that may not involve beaches or palm trees but it's still got a whole lot of sun the travel boom over that upcoming solar eclipse that now has the FAA warning passengers of more delays stay with.

Us welcome back it's been a busy spring break travel season but the FAA is predicting things will actually get busier still the agency warning that rural towns like radar Base in Texas and Russellville in Arkansas are set to become hotspots they might not be Miami beach but they're ranked among the top places in the country to catch a glimpse.

Of the total solar eclipse that will cast a shadow all over North America in about a week and a half NBC News correspondent Jesse Kur joins us now from another eclipse hot spot that is Cleveland Jesse Cleveland has it ever been so busy during spring break what could Travelers expect over the next week both by the beach and also across.

The Midwest yeah so Joe I I think this is definitely not your typical spring break season because as opposed to when everyone's trying to get to the Sun a lot of us are trying to be getting away from the Sun they want to see that thing disappear behind the mood when we have that toar solar eclipse on April 8th.

When you look at that pathway right some of the cities in the pathway Dallas Indianapolis Cleveland where I am uh Burlington Vermont Buffalo New York these are all cities that probably have some people scratching their heads if they were to look and see at all the the flight traffic they're going to be getting but the FAA is saying that in.

The run up to the eclipse where we're expecting the peak of the spring break travel season almost 100,000 flights combined between next Thursday and Friday in the days before the eclipse and the FAA is saying that some of the airports in this pathway are going to be seeing unusually high traffic for this time of year so they're asking people to.

Be keeping an eye out for the possibility of delays Eclipse tourism so which days do we think are going to be the busiest when it comes to travel yes we talked about Thursday and Friday today as well the FAA says today alone more than 50,000 flights are expected and then again Thursday and Friday that is the peak take a look at.

The numbers there almost 100,000 combined on those two days next week the eclipse is on April 8th so this is right before the eclipse weekend and I can tell you that here in the Cleveland area for example there are multi-day events planned so this is not just on Monday when the eclipse happens there's going to be stuff going on throughout the.

Weekend so you can expect people to be uh you know continuing with the influx and the runup to the actual Eclipse day yeah they're not just going for one day they're going to soak in everything they can surrounding uh the eclipse so how can people travel safely and remind us what's NASA recommending to everyone no matter where you are to protect yourself.

During this Eclipse yeah so couple things to keep in mind you're going to be outside until that moment of totality there is Sun so have sunscreen have protective clothing like you would if you're spending a lot of time outside uh but eye protection is absolutely Paramount during the eclipse the only time that NASA says it is safe.

To be looking directly at at the the the sky with the naked eye is when the sun is completely uh obscured by the Moon that is the moment of totality so make sure you know when totality is happening at every other moment during the eclipse when it's a partial eclipse you must have your eyes covered otherwise you risk uh severe injury to your ey so.

There are special glasses that you need to have there's an ISO rating to be keep an eye out for NASA's information on this on its website and if you're going to be using a telescope binoculars a camera you need a special filter for those things do not use the ecse glasses with your telescope because that can also damage your eye so this is you know.

No joke you want to make sure you have the right protection if you're going to be enjoying the safely Jeff and Jesse do you know in case folks from the clips a few years ago when we went through all this if they happen to keep their glasses I would guess maybe you shouldn't be using those do you know so it's funny this something that.

We asked NASA about Joe and turns out they say you can use your eclipse glasses again so if you have a a glasses from 2017 I have a pair I was in Carbondale Illinois that eclipse and I still have the glasses from the eclipse those are still good to use according to NASA as long as they have not been damaged so if you kept the Keepsake from.

2017 make sure it's in good condition you know you can test it out by looking at a light in your room for example like a you know a desk lamp something like that to see uh as as a test and just you know incrementally make sure they're working right and make sure there's no visible uh damage punctures anything like that but as long as they are in.

Good shape they are still good to use Joe all right good to know Jesse kers thank you so much let's get to international news now starting with the latest out of Ukraine a new wave of Russian aerial bombs hit the city of harke the first time in nearly two years NBC's claudo labanga joins us with that and other world headlines claudo good.

Morning good morning Jo that's right local authorities in Ukraine said at least one person or civilian was killed and 16 others were injured after Russia carried out a series of air strikes on the city of K ke now the air strikes hit several res potential buildings and caused widespread damage carave is a strategic City and region as it cats.

Across the front line between Russian and Ukrainian forces the latest air strikes follow an escalation in the attacks by Russia including a recent missile barrage on the capital keev that caused severe damage against the country's energy infrastructure now let's go to Colombia where authorities announced They seized almost four tons.

Of cocaine worth more than $113 million now the cocaine shipment was seized from boat in the Caribbean Sea of Colombia in a joint operation between the Colombian Navy Colombian Air Force and the joint inter agency task force of the the United States Southern command after a dramatic chase that Spann several miles the boat was finally.

Intercepted off the island of San Andres three people who were on board the speedboat were detained authorities say this is the largest cocaine seizure of the year so far at least well let's send the store of the world in Thailand which could become the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize equal rights for Marriage Partners of any gender now.

On Wednesday the lower house of parliament overwhelmingly approved a marriage equality bill which changes the words men and women and husband and wife to individuals and Marriage Partners effectively Paving the way to equal rights between heterosexual and lgbtq plus capes now the bill is now widely expected to be approved by the Senate.

And the king before it becomes law back to you John all right cool to see that claudo thank you so much coming up a hateful encounter in Idaho casting a sobering light on those March Madness celebrations this morning after the break the Utah players who police say were the targets of several racial outbursts off the court we've got more.

On that investigation next we're back now with outrage over alleged incidents of racism in Idaho the University of Utah women's basketball coach says that the team received several racial threats while they were in town to kick off March Madness here's NBC News correspondent Dana.

Griffin racism is real and it happens and it's uh it's awful what was supposed to be a thrilling start to the NCAA tournament turned a shocking racist experience for the Utah Women's Basketball team as they walked from their hotel to a nearby restaurant the vehicle drove by and several racial slurs were yelled by the.

Occupants of the vehicle the team made up of black white and Latina athletes was staying in cordelane Idaho 35 minutes from the Spokane Washington Arena surveillance video shows the team inside the restaurant and later leaving but not the actual incident after dinner it happened again according to the police report the drivers of two trucks.

Revved their engines and yelled the inward coach Lynn Roberts addressed the incident Monday night following their loss to Gonzaga for our players and staff to not feel safe in an NCA tournament environment it's messed up the NCAA and Gonzaga helped the team move to a new hotel as a safety precaution the FBI says they are.

Prepared to investigate to the young women who endured racial slores while visiting I offer my most sincere apology a press conference Monday to denounce the hate cut short you're out of order after a man the mayor described as a known white supremacist interrupted this press conference is ended the area has a long history of racial conflict.

The latest a new stain many locals want know part of it is not who we are it's not what we want to represent Dana Griffin NBC news three years ago the NBC News family celebrated a very special moment when our colleague Kristen Welker and her husband John announced they were having a baby with the help of a surrogate little did the meet the.

President moderator know just how many people the story would touch that included Fox sports caster Aaron Andrews this morning Kristen is telling us more about their connection and how it led Andrew Andrews to use her platform to help families explore fertility options in surrogacy hey there I was so moved when.

I heard Aaron Andrews on The Today Show last summer saying my story brought her some Solace during her own fertility and surrogacy journey so we connected on the phone soon after her son was born and now we finally met both of us now mothers with the help of angels as we say you know how much I cried over you and how much I've cried I got emotional.

Honestly this morning thinking about this conversation a conversation months in the making I remember Kristen Walker's announcement on your show you two breaking down and I actually watched that the morning after Mac was born because I just that just hit me one of the things that touched me so much was that you talked about the fact that.

Sharing my journey really gave you strength because I see myself in you chrisen the video of you moderating like debates after you're waiting on bad news or maybe you had just received it that's me I can tell you every standup I've done at a football game where I've gotten the news that it didn't work I'd be talking about Tom Brady going for.

This record and my record is that you know I still was failing Aaron faced some dark moments a battle with cervical cancer and 9 years of IVF I would have chest pains every time I was waiting for the call if it worked and I knew it wouldn't work she turned to surrogacy did you feel like it's a surreal moment to think about someone else caring your.

Child I knew I didn't have a choice the first sergy attempt failed devastating the couple but soon after a second try Aaron was listening to that Priceless sound a heartbeat all I wanted to hear was it's a good one it's strong and it was cool I'm videotaping it for Jared and then I got to run downstairs because I.

Got a call with the Dallas Cowboys player because we got Green Bay Dallas that weekend for a huge match up on Sunday I think people don't realize about surrogacy is you're so excited to have a child yeah but that doesn't necessarily take away from your sadness that you can't carry the child did you experience that I've been a little.

Insecure and worried that maybe my bond with him isn't as uh good now because I didn't carry him there have been thoughts like that I had those thoughts too and those thoughts go away once he starts really talking yeah my surrogate is amazing she is a real life Angel so I know if I couldn't do it I'm so glad she did it Aaron her husband Jared and her.

Surrogate welcomed baby Mac in June of last year when it finally hits you that this miracle has arrived and is in front of you what is that moment like well when they're screaming at you it's not as special can you like do you know I feel like um Sally Fields and Steele Magnolia do you know what your mother went through to have you um no it's a.

Miracle Andrew is now cherishing every minute with her son during her off seon he is as Mike McCarthy Dallas Cowboys head coach said wonder where he gets it from he is vocal um he has a lot to say and I'm just like he's he's all me all Aaron who is Ever the interviewer how have you thought about explaining to Margot about.

How your journey went so I talked to Margo already about her special Journey here did that start actually when she turned two I started FaceTiming with her surrogate and every time we see someone who's pregnant I say this Mommy is able to carry baby in her tummy but m M had a boo boo in her tummy so a special Angel carried Margot and now she knows the.

Name of her surrogate she says it she says it proudly and have you thought about how you're going to talk to him yeah I can't wait to tell him but Aon and I are keenly aware that surrogacy is a privilege and Out Of Reach for so many it's already hard enough with the emotional told and then you add the finances on top of it and I just got.

Ticked off turning her anger into action Aaron used the my cause my cleats NFL initiative to put a spotlight on the nonprofit baby quest which grants money for infertility treatments and surrogacy her shoes featuring The Fingerprints of her family next to her surrogates I think people don't need to feel embarrassed that they have a surrogate.

Or are looking for other help and I think you started it and I appreciate you very much for that well I appreciate you because I have to say when you spoke out I felt less alone so thank you and I really mean that the best part about this Aon and I are now committed to finding ways to make fertility Services more accessible.

To families all across the country back to you all right Kristen and Aaron thank you both for sharing your stories as if New Yorkers needed to see more price hikes the cost of driving in Manhattan it's about to go up that's because the transportation board approved a controversial plan to charge drivers a congestion to the idea is to reduce.

Traffic and pollution in the city although it's now bringing major backlash reporter Andrew CF from our New York affiliate wnbc has the details promised for years as the solution to gridlock and an Antiquated subway system give us the tools we'll get it done the MTA board took a vote today strongly yes this is a true.

Victory for our city and for our region with a lone opponent I'm voting no the motion is approved the 11:1 passage means congestion pricing gets the green light unless there's a court order cars face a toll of $15 trucks between $24 and $36 starting June 15th the only exemptions school buses commuter buses and.

Essential government vehicles we're not talking about Commissioners Vehicles we're not talking about elected official Vehicles those are specifically and categorically not exempt commuters in the nation's largest mass transit system have been promised the $15 billion raised by congestion pricing will modernize the system we'll see that.

We'll see if it happens I'd love to see it drivers have been told their new expense is worth it because roads will be unclogged we have to adjust hopefully the overall cost of living will increase but opponents pointing to next week that federal court hearing a lawsuit from New Jersey leaders and the New York City Teachers Union whose president predicts.

Gridlock will move to other neighborhoods quote it is going to be up to the courts to prevent the huge environmental Injustice the court process has been scheduled to be resolved before we are going to start congestion pricing we're pretty we're we're very confident about the outcome our thanks to Andrew CF for that report.

Stay with us we've got much more Morning News Now right after the break welcome back soon you might need to take a closer look at the price tags at your neighborhood Dollar Store Dollar Tree announced this week that there will be a new maximum price at stores more than 300 items will now range in price from a150 to $7 that's according to the.

Company's most recent earnings call NBC News senior business correspondent Christine Romans has more on what's behind the hike hey there once upon a time there was Penny Candy the dime store and of course today the dollar stores it can be a neglective array of items all super cheap but inflation and a rich new.

Clientele have come for those price tags Everything's a Dollar so everybody leaves happy call it the dollar is store at Dollar Tree true dollar prices are a thing of the past the discount giant is Raising prices again some items as high as $7 the company also announced sister brand Family Dollar will close nearly a th000 stores starting this year tell me.

The truth are you still going to be shopping at Dollar Tree when prices raised to $7 an item Shoppers taking to social media to complain about higher prices yo at this point I am just so sick of everything okay change the name wealthy tree Fortune Tree in a call with investors last week the company said to expect a $5 bag of dog food next to a125.

Bag of pet treats calling it a multi- price assortment the reason a combination of inflation and an influx of higher income customers who can better afford it why are people who are making $100,000 a year or more shopping at a dollar store so there's a lot of price pressures that are impacting consumers.

They're going out to buy goods and services and looking for places to cut it's been a few years since things were actually a dollar at the dollar store after 35 years in 2021 a dollar minimum price became a125 at Dollar Tree now over 300 new items will range from $150 to 7 Bucks other famously cheap deals also undergoing recent changes Trader.

Joe's raising single banana prices from 19 to 23 cents and what about that $150 Costco hot dog and soda combo according to axios an outgoing Costco executive says proof of membership will soon be required at some outdoor Food Court locations at Dollar Stores the most likely price hikes will be on food pet supplies and personal care items once.

You have the the consumer in the door they are going to make that purchase more than a pretty penny for many cash strap families when it comes to deciding between a trip to the grocery store or the dollar store think about what you're planning to buy canned goods for example might be cheaper on sale at a regular.

Grocery store or Big Box store but for household items like wipes or diapers a dollar store may be the better bet back to you all right some good advice Christine thanks thank you even more money news now the Department of Labor just released its latest unemployment numbers CNBC sylan hanau is here to break that down for us along with other.

News that affects your wallet sylan good morning Hey Joe good morning to yeah we are getting a fresh read on the economy initial filings for unemployment benefits total 210,000 that's lower than the 21,000 expected by economists still you know we're seeing kind of the strength in the job market Market um we'll see.

What this means for the FED um at the next meeting all right Walmart is reportedly withdrawing and refiling antitrust paperwork connected to its $2.3 billion deal to acquire TV maker viso the move is meant to give federal agencies more time to review the proposed acquisition now that's according to n secc filing which also.

Says the decision follows informal conversations with the Federal Trade Commission and justice department Walmart announced the deal back in February the retail hopes to grow its high-profit ad business through Vizio's free streaming service and if you ever ordered a hot dog and wished you could get the water along with it well you're.

In luck 7-Eleven has teamed up with Miracle czer to create a lineup of Sparkling Waters that will include a flavor based on the convenience store's Big Bite hot dog if you're not feeling that adventurous well you can try more traditional flavor like lemon lime or Sweet Orange orange Joe I think I just threw up in my mouth who wants that name.

One person who wants hot dog water I oh God I don't know all right well oh no I guess somebody wants it I will taste test just about anything but not that so right not the thought of it is just it's gross all right we'll see how that goes savan thank you so much you got it all right well the vast majority of us who have to.

Head to work this morning one person from New Jersey could cash in on a billion dooll Lottery jackpot now it's been more than 32 hours since that winning Mega Millions ticket was sold no one's come forward yet to claim it NBC News corres correspondent Emily aeta is on the case hey there well I live in New Jersey and can tell you who definitely.

Did not win lottery officials know where and when that winning ticket was purchased and even who sold it but the person who is now $1.13 billion dollar richer remains a mega mystery the Garden State just got a little Greener what that someone who the Lottery Ticket Tuesday in Neptune Township New Jersey won the Mega.

Millions jackpot but the $ 1.13 billion question this morning who right now sign the back of the ticket take a picture of it make a copy of it and put it in a safe place a 2020 New Jersey law allows lottery winners to remain anonymous and James Carrey encourages the winner to do just that tell only your closest loved ones that you were this lucky winner and.

Then I would urge you go out and talk to a lawyer and maybe a financial adviser while the winner remains a mega mystery this morning there were so many people that came through I cannot remember they always say like you know you're the lucky one that I'm going to win get a ticket I'm going to win Tiana bombata is.

The next closest thing somebody won she printed out the winning ticket at this shop right less than an hour after she sold one to her own mom it should have been my ticket I said you're going to sell the winning ticket and what did she do she sold the winning ticket the newly minted billionaire did not use randomly selected numbers through quickpi but.

Instead individually chose them six decisions that proed to be lifechanging let's see if I can make you a billionaire tonight at $1.13 billion this marks the fifth largest prize in Megamillions history when purchasing the ticket the winner opted to receive 30 annual payments those will start at $ 11.5 million after taxes Sam Rossi has.

His own winning ticket for $10 and is ready to test his luck again I'm buying a Powerball ticket here it's good luck well sorry to say sam you didn't win Powerball either but no one else did either so that jackpot is now at $935 Million by the way the store that sells the winning ticket also gets a prize the owner of the shop right is donating his.

$30,000 to a local food bank back to you so close to selling that winning ticket to her mom Emily thank you so much coming up Baseball fans your time has finally come back around it is the MLB's opening day but what sort of changes are on the rule roster this season and what can fans expect when players take the field we're going to step into the.

Batter's box next welcome back whoopy Goldberg has confirmed that Sister Act 3 is still in development after it was initially announced back in 2020 she told people that the long awaited movie is still coming adding it's percolating the original hit movie came out back in 1992.

Then a sequel came out the following year Sister Act has also become a Musical on Broadway for this new movie Goldberg is said to reprise her role as Dolores and she's co-producing with Tyler Perry and as you may have guessed no release date or filming start has been announced yet but we're certainly looking forward to it finally this hour.

It is time for Baseball fans to Rejoice grab those peanuts and Cracker Jack today of course is opening day across MLB so cue those dreams of your favorite team winning it all in the fall classic Boys of Summer are finally back in action after a busy off season NBC News correspondent Morgan chesky joins us now from the home of the reigning World.

Series champs the Texas Rangers Morgan good morning and Joe good morning no better place to be than inside of ballpark on opening day so many Baseball fans excited to see the sport finally back and even though the first pitch of the 2024 season hasn't even been thrown I I have to tell you Joe that there are new.

Rules new uniforms and more than enough drama to go into Extra Innings this morning Baseball fans counting down now just hours from the official start of opening day I'm off today tomorrow and Friday Soul South Korea hosting a soft launch between the Dodgers and Padres but today it's batter up for MLB's other team it's a religious.

Holiday for me the 2023 World Series champs the Texas Rangers set to unveil their Championship Banner four-time World Series winning manager Bruce bochi telling his team to soak up every second how special is it going to be when you look up and you see that Banner come down I mean chills go you know will go down your spine the new season also.

Bringing new rules focused on speeding up the pace of play Mound visits a adjusted from 5 to 4 any pitcher who warms up must now face at least one batter and the polarizing pitch clock lowered from 20 to 18 seconds with Runners on base player uniforms changing too designed for performance and that's seltering summer heat but not everyone.

Including players and fans are giving them the green light I don't know what to think of them and The Show Must Go On for the Dodger $700 Million Man sh Otani the two-way Superstar still dealing with Fallout from a gambling Scandal involving his longtime interpreter and if baseball isn't enough some fans getting a show too San Francisco's.

Oracle Park unleashing one-of-a kind lights for night games we will be the first MLB Ballpark to have spotlights in San Diego how about pickle balling at the Padre's Park if you work up in appetites hold the beer and Cracker Jacks executive chefs now man The Grill at many ballparks the Seattle Mariners offering a dungeon crab Pizza while.

White socks fans can indulge in empanadas Smash Burgers and yes Jack and Coke floats and back out here live in Arlington The Humble but beloved ballpark nacho Joe a little bit of baseball trivia for you this beloved dish actually made its Big League debut right here at a Rangers game back in.

1976 and you know we have those new rules going into effect this year I checked the rule book there is absolutely nothing that says you can't dig into some nachos and enjoying for breakfast on opening day I got it it's beautiful it's totally allow no cheese on the shirt or anything and everything truly is bigger.

In Texas including the nachos we're good Morgan thank you so much happy opening day that's going to do it for this hour of Morning News Now the news continues right now thanks for watching stay updated about breaking news and top stories on the NBC News app or follow us on social media.

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