right now on Morning News Now a primary push in South Carolina this morning Nikki Haley looking to gain ground against Donald Trump in her home State's Republican primary it's happening this weekend now both candidates working to win over a key group of Voters but who has more support from black women we.
Have Team coverage also this morning more Fallout over that controversial embryo ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court as fertility clinics abruptly stop treatments for couples who are hoping to conceive basically everything is shut down so even though these are apparently my children um I don't have access to them.
How much money do you think you spent it's close to $250,000 we will bring you the very latest on the decision that is leaving couples and Clinics in limbo plus a devastating diagnosis for Wendy Williams the former talk show host and radio personality now battling two serious medical conditions what we're learning.
About her health from her team and her doctors and cutting back at the bar that's right more young adults trading shots and beer for mocktails and mixers more on how the so-called sober curious movement has grown interesting stuff there sometimes there's peer pressure from adults I know hopefully we'll get into that as well I'm all for it all.
Right thanks for joining us I'm stepen Romo I'm Vicky wi Joe and Savannah are off this morning we're going to begin in South Carolina where voters are set to head to the polls tomorrow for the Republican presidential primary yeah GOP front runner former president Trump is looking to to brush off a challenge from his last remaining Republican rival.
Former un Ambassador Nikki Haley Haley has spent days leading up to this primary touring her home state hoping to pull off an upset here at right before the primary but polls have shown Trump with a large lead heading into Saturday with a win tomorrow the former president will inch even closer to a likely rematch against President Biden this.
November we have a full team coverage this morning with NBC's Bri Jackson in Charleston but we begin with NBC News senior ior National politics reporter Jonathan Allen John good morning thanks so much for being here so there was more than a week of early voting that came to an end just on Thursday so give us a lay of the land here what's the state of.
Both the Trump and Haley campaigns heading into the primary yeah good morning uh look I think the easiest way to explain this is that Nikki Haley a few days ago uh did a press conference instead that she was vowing to stay in the race after South Carolina through uh super Tuesday which is uh the first week of March um you.
Typically don't have to go out there and say that unless you're expecting uh to lose this state so I think uh you know the Hy campaign expects to lose uh the Trump campaign expects to win I've spent a lot of time in South Carolina uh during the course of this campaign uh and what you find is that there are plenty of Voters who like Nikki Haley.
Enough but this is really Trump country it's a state that uh he has been U dominant at certainly the general election level and he was dominant in uh you know uh in 2016 when he first ran in a competitive primary and not much has changed you know Jonathan here's the thing Trump is looking to pad his delegate lead he really hasn't been.
Doing a whole lot of campaigning frankly in South Carolina what does Nikki Haley need to do even if she doesn't win this primary which it seems like everyone expects she's going to lose but how does she even remain competitive moving forward she needs to upend the table uh like someone someone's sitting there with a game that's not going their way.
They got throwed up in the air uh see what she can do I I mean the truth is uh she can't win the Republican nomination without winning States um and right now there are not any states on the board uh that she is uh that she's leading in there are not any states on the board where she says she can win um she really needs uh you know not just a little bit.
Of a shakeup here but a complete uh reversal of of what's been going on John let's talk about the RNC the former president's daughter-in-law Laura Trump who he has endorsed as co-chair of the Republican National Committee said this week she thinks GOP voters are interested in the RSC footing Trump's legal bills what's your take on that any.
Indication that that's the case it's definitely true that GOP voters named Trump would like the RNC to put Donald Trump's legal bills um what is not clear is that other Republican donors want to uh foot Trump's legal bills so while it may be okay with the electorate that wants to see Donald Trump win broadly uh the RNC has had tremendous difficulty.
Raising money Donald Trump's campaign has had tremendous difficulty raising money and part of that is that very wealthy donors do not want to give him money just to hand it to his lawyers all right Jonathan Allen giving us the giggles this morning thank you so much John well South Carolina played a pivotal role in launching President.
Biden to victory in 2020 so there should be no surprise that campaigns are fighting for support from Key demographics including black women NBC News correspondent Bri Jackson is in Charleston where she sat down with some Black Women Voters ahead of tomorrow's primary Vicky Steven across the country black women are a key voting block the.
Same goes for here in South Carolina I sat down with a group of women in Charleston to have an open conversation about the 2024 election Charleston South Carolina known for its Rich history culture picturesque streets and politics just by a show of hands who's excited for the 2024 election excited we gathered this group.
Of Black Women Voters ahead of the state's Republican presidential primary their backgrounds ages and political views vary but we found many of the same issues drive them to the polls women's maternal Health someone my age may not have the same rights in terms of reproductive Health that a generation performing we had also top of Mind crime.
Student loan debt and state efforts to ban books as an African American literature Professor that is something that is very concerning there are concerns about the overall political climate it's divisiveness it's opposition it's social issues being politicized despite dividing his time between the courtroom and the campaign.
Trail former president Trump leads the state's former governor Hy by double digits I am more so dismayed with the fact that in the year 2024 we would even consider someone who is under indictment at 81 years old President Biden also faces challenges his age is a is a huge.
Barrier black women a key voting block but far from a monolith each one here voicing their own views table discussions like this where we are comfortable and able to speak in layman's terms to bring up issues to to to get a little bit messy around the topics a conversation turning to action this election cycle we got to vote we.
Have to vote and I and tonight former president Trump is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the black conservative Federation Gala in Columbia South Carolina in Charleston South Carolina Bri Jackson Sten Vicki back to you all right Bri thanks so much and we will have full coverage of the South Carolina Republican primary led by our.
Colleague hi Jackson it gets underway tomorrow night at 6 Eastern 3 Pacific right here on NBC news now well this morning former president Donald Trump is pushing to get the classified documents case against him thrown out in four separate motions the former president's legal team argued in papers filed in federal court in Florida the case should.
Be dismissed citing presidential immunity this happening despite a federal appeals court rejecting that argument earlier this month the Motions also argue that Trump should have been able to keep the documents that were in question even after he was President because of the presidential records act now you might remember Trump pleaded not.
Guilty to 37 criminal counts related to his handling of the classified materials last June meanwhile in New York the judge who presided over the Civil fraud case against Trump and his company rejected his attorney's request to delay payments of the $350 million judgment plus interest against them well Trump is expected to appeal that ruling but would.
Have to post a bond first of the full amount of the damages before he actually does that this morning more clinics are pausing IVF treatments in Alabama following a court decision that ruled fer fertilized Frozen embryos are considered people it is causing concern among patients it's forcing some to leave the state NBC News senior legal.
Correspondent Laura Jarrett has the very latest IVF patients in Alabama devastated Furious and scrambling as more fertility clinics abruptly stop IVF procedures Gabby goell has spent $220,000 on fertility treatments three miscarriages later she's hoping to create embryos with her husband Spencer as soon as possible I'll take my six.
Rounds of shots tonight but her Clinic Alabama fertility informed her it was putting all new IVF treatments on hold I just broke down into tears I really was inconsolable we just started calling every Clinic that we could think of I'm not stopping this cycle I've already been through too many shots already invested too much time and energy so.
She's packed her bags jumping on a plane to Texas now scheduled to complete her fertility treatment at a different Clinic there while Megan Cole and her husband Walker received word that the embryo transfer scheduled for her surrogate this Friday couldn't move for Ford was just completely crushing so now.
She says the clinic won't release their seven Frozen embryos for use elsewhere we are not allowed to um transport them out of Alabama right now basically everything is shut down so even though these are apparently my children um I don't have access to them how much money do you think you spent it's close to $250,000 IVF now accounts for roughly 2%.
Of births in the US but the Alabama Supreme Court's ruling creating legal liability for destroying embryos in the state has left the medical community in limbo one of the worst things is how many questions it leaves unanswered leaving clinics with a difficult decision Mobile Infirmary says it has no choice but to pause all IVF while.
Fertility Institute of North Alabama says we're still going to perform IVF as we always have please do not panic our thanks to Laura Jarrett for that report Alabama Supreme Court chief justice Tom Parker who issued this ruling has voiced his support for a philosophy that calls on Evangelical Christians to reshape Society based on.
Their interpretation of the Bible in an online broadcast Parker says conservative Christians are meant to rule over key areas of American life including education government and media well this Alabama decision is once again putting a spotlight on Reproductive Rights ahead of this year's election NBC News correspond adasha Burns has more on.
The political impact of the Court's ruling in the wake of the Alabama Supreme Court decision ruling the embryos are children and really impacting IVF care in that state Reproductive Rights have once again been thrust into the political Spotlight with some Republicans managing their messaging on the issue and some.
Democrats using it to Rally voters The Fallout from the Alabama Supreme Court decision extending to politics with some Republicans attempting to walk a fine line on Reproductive Rights on Wednesday Nikki Haley asked about the Alabama decision by NBC news's Ali valital the Supreme Court there said that embryos created through IVF are considered.
Children and are offered those same protections do you agree I mean I think I mean embryos to me are babies later appearing to walk back those comments I guess my question is you then disagree with the Alabama Supreme Court right yeah I but I think that the court was doing it based on the law we don't want fertility treatments to shut down.
Reproductive Rights have become a thorny issue for Republicans since the fall of roie Wade with the vast majority of Americans supporting access to IVF a survey from Republican stalwart kellyan Conway's firm showed 78% support even among those who identify as pro-life Advocates CPAC an annual Gathering of conservatives women we spoke to were in.
Full support of IVF why would would they stop doing that for people that are having difficulties becoming pregnant that's disturbing to me and I'm I'm no abortion I'm pro-life Alabama Senator Tommy tuberville also reacting do you agree with the Supreme Court decision or not I'd have to look at what they're agreeing to and not agreeing to I.
Haven't seen that Democrats meanwhile seizing on fears about the future of Reproductive Rights President Biden posting to X make no mistake this is a direct result of Donald Trump ending roie Wade on the one hand the proponent are saying that an individual doesn't have a right to end an unwanted pregnancy and on the other hand the.
Individual does not have a right to start a family now former president Trump has not yet weighed in on the issue but on the campaign Trail he does repeatedly tout that he was responsible for overturning Row versus Wade while at the same time claiming that he wants to find consensus on the issue of abortion and reproductive.
Freedom wow so much Fallout there Dasha thank you well we we are learning new details this morning about what possibly caused that massive AT&T outage impacting tens of thousands of customers the carrier says the disruption was likely caused by a processed error not a Cyber attack NBC News correspondent Liz C has more on just what.
Happened AT&T one of the largest Wireless carriers in the country going down for some customers unable to send or receive any calls or texts as soon as I woke up this morning it was gone the outage lasting for hours didn't have any service I need to make some phone calls the company saying wireless service is now fully restored but the FBI and.
Department of Homeland Security are investigating the bureau saying should we learn of any malicious activity we will respond accordingly I think a lot of people right now are asking how does something like this happen unfortunately the technologies that we use are becoming increasingly complicated this highlights the dependencies we have on.
Very complex systems some emergency departments urging people not to call 911 unnecessarily Massachusetts State Police saying they were flooded with calls that clogged their system as people tried to test their phones Lexington 911 where's your emergency this Kentucky 911 dispatch Center had normal call volume but says the outage.
Is a good reminder to have alternate modes of communication it's not a bad idea to have a landline a landline available the outage impacting people from coast to coast my messages weren't sending like I wasn't getting anything today's my birthday I want to call my mom and stuff in Los Angeles Uber driver time Johnson feeling a difference during.
The morning commute what have you noticed it's just been really really slow so I'm thinking it may be the outages cuz people can't order their Ubers Security Experts saying the situation reveals potential vulnerabilities I think it does show though that we need to really be thoughtful about as we adopt these.
Technologies as we become dependent upon them that there are fail saves that there are roles overs a stark reminder as our Reliance on technology only grows our thanks to Liz CZ for that report several federal agencies including the FCC are working with AT&T to learn more about what happened but gosh it just shows you how dependent we.
Are on our Wi-Fi networks yeah I had a little bit of a break from my phone so I can see the good side but not been able to call people on a birthday oh for sure if you work and depend on that like those drivers yeah we are at the mercy of that technology well we're also at the mercy of Mother Nature the East Coast is set to get more wet weather for.
More on that system and how it may affect our weekend let's get your morning news now forecast hi there guys good morning good morning to you guys we finally made it to Friday we've got a little bit of a rain out there stretched up and down the East Coast really that's the pinpoint of where we're going to see the Slick kind of soggy conditions for.
Our early morning commute the rest of the country honestly looks great so let's focus on what's going on from the Mid-Atlantic to the southeast and up into the northern portions of New England that's where we do see a bit of a wintry mix We see some rain stretch across places like Boston Hartford the farther north you go up into New England.
Though it is falling as snow so we will see again a little bit of a difficulty when it comes to that morning commute but that's really it this system is going to push out of here pretty quick and we'll see the snow the rain start to clear the Mid-Atlantic in the Northeast Coast here as we get into the second half of the day but if you're headed out.
Maybe in the next hour or so the umbrella likely is going to be needed a couple of afternoon thunderstorms possible across parts of the southeast so heads up there it'll mainly be portions closer to the coast uh but we could see some of those stronger storms developing one thing is we likely will still see some lake effect snow.
Happening uh even as we go into the evening hours downwind of those Lakes but um nothing really all that impressive when it comes to accumulation snow wise rainwise not all that impressive either but it will give us a good uh dose of some some showers from Charleston to Norfolk we could see maybe a quarter of an inch up to a half of an.
Inch really just kind of that pesky rain that interrupts our early morning commute big picture look as we roll into the weekend I like I said really kind of nice conditions across the country no real big major storm systems that are going to interrupt travel or plans especially outdoor plans uh for folks that live in the south the one thing.
You'll have to make sure that you note temperatures are going to be quite warm for this time of year we've got upper 70s and Southern portions of Texas as we head into here Saturday the middle of the country places like Kansas City are expected to head to the low 60s that of course not the typical temperature for February but that's where we're going to.
Be even as far north as the plains uh the Northern Plains I should say we'll see plenty of sunshine and temperatures in the 50s 60s running 10 to 15 even close to 20° above normal for this time of year California good news for you Sunny dry for your Saturday you'll continue to dry out here uh and the only spot that we'll watch is a little bit of.
Some chilly conditions across parts of the Northeast as that cool wind starts to usher in it's going to be a really pleasant day though by Sunday we'll still be dealing with the near record temperatures across the middle of the country and then unfortunately we're going to gear up for another storm system out west now Sun.
Mainly for the Pacific Northwest that's where we'll see a little more snow a little more rain but by the time we get into late Sunday and into Monday we're watching another system developing a low that will move closer to California this is Sunday evening so by the time you get out the door early into s uh into Monday morning you could be once again dealing.
With some rain across California one thing to note this doesn't look quite as strong as the last systems but it will bring some more rain to folks in Southern California who have had a a slew of problems from this really soggy kind of winter uh season that we've we've been dealing with for months La likely will hit their um their wetest.
February on record we've got about an inch of rain to pick up in in you know the next couple of days in order for that to happen but we'll also see some additional snow Guys across parts of the Cascades the Sierra and the Rockies so picking up some snow picking up some rain and I know that's not what folks want to he of course out in California.
But we've got some sunshine to deal with between now and then for folks there yeah we love the Friday Saturday and it took a little turn on Sunday but we make it it always does Monday come on I know the Mondays get with the program all right Andel asman thanks so much a lot more to come on morning news now later this hour one giant leap for American.
Space exploration more on the first US moon landing in more than five decades plus knew this morning a new set of sanctions by the us against Russia as we marked two years of the war in Ukraine stay with us we'll be right back welcome back may be hard to believe but tomorrow marks two years since Russia.
Invaded Ukraine the resulting War has killed tens of thousands of people and destroyed many cities and villages in anticipation of this big milestone the United States has unveiling a new package of Russian sanctions on more than 500 targets NBC News White House correspondent Aaron gilchrest joins us now for more on this Aaron good to see.
You so what can we expect from this latest round of sanctions and do we know about who or what these targets are well Stephen we're getting a little more detail this morning President Biden just put out a statement in the last hour as you said they're looking at more than 500 different sanctions different targets as a part of this particular.
Action that we'll see taken by both the treasury Department and the state department this is the single largest group of sanctions that the US has taken against Russia since its invasion of Ukraine and the president in his statement said today that it is because of the war in Ukraine that we're seeing these sanctions and because of the death.
Of Alexi Naval in a Russian prison and this particular group as we understand it from the president of sanctions will Target uh individuals who are connected to Alexi nal's uh imprisonment as well as individuals who are connected to Russia's financial sector to its defense industrial base as well as other people uh on multiple continents according to.
The president statement and the secretary Deputy Secretary of Treasury spoke about this package and how it's going to be even bigger than what the US is doing he talked to Reuters earlier listen to that you should expect to see sanctions and actions taken by countries that are part of our Coalition as well that are.
Focused on accomplishing our two goals making sure that Russia can't get access to the goods they need to build the weapons that they want and also taking responsibility for slowing down Russia's access to the revenue revenues they need to prop up their economy but also to build the weapons that they want going forward these sanctions will be targeted.
At the military industrialized complex in Russia but also in third countries those companies that help facilitate Russia's access to the goods that they want and Stephen we've also seen from the president's statement that the action taken today will also include export restrictions on a 100 different entities uh that the President says has.
Have been providing backdoor support to Russia and so we'll be looking today to learn more about what exactly that will be wow 500 additional targets we know there have already been a lot of targets a lot of sanctions in Russia so some may ask how have we not already sanctioned them to the max Aon how much do you think these these new measures will.
Actually affect the war and President Putin so the treasury Department has said that the sanctions that we've seen so far have had an effect it is they've impacted the Russian economy as well as the Russian military's ability to uh to create to build weapons and uh tanks and things of that nature um but obviously there's more that can be done and we.
Also know that in this group of sanctions we'll see today uh it will include uh actions to be taken against sanctions evaders people who've been able to somehow get around some of these sanctions potentially inside Russia people inside Russia and people outside Russia so it's a question Stephen I think that's a good one to ask and one.
That we'll be digging into as the as we learn more about what exactly is in this package and how it's different from previous packages certainly more to come on that Aon Gest thanks so much turning now to the ongoing war in Gaza this morning Israel is coming to continue its push for a new deal to free the Israeli hostages that are still being held by.
Hamas in Gaza now one woman who was released after being held in the tunnels of Gaza is speaking exclusively to NBC News aiv V seagull is open up about her 51 days of hell as she calls it and her fight to free her American husband who is still in captivity we do want to warn you she also talks about sexual violence NBC News International correspondent.
Molly Hunter joins us now from Jerusalem with more on this uh Molly it is good to see you tell us more about what Aviva had to say Vicki good to be with you we sat down with Aviva seagull and actually Keith which is her husband's brother Lee seagull yesterday for a wide ranging interview since she was released.
November she has been working relentlessly to advocate for her husband and she says the Israeli government is not doing enough take a listen us Middle East Envoy Brett mcer is in Israel meeting with prime minister Netanyahu also meeting with American families of hostages still being held captive by.
Hamas in Gaza including released hostage a via seagull growing increasingly frustrated her American husband Keith has not returned now speaking exclusively with NBC News alongside Keith's older brother Lee I think that Natan has forgotten about Keith and forgotten to be human and bring the human people back his priorities seem to.
Be military and political survival what he needs to understand is his survival depends on getting Keith and all the other hostages home alive Aviva and Keith were held together for most of her 51 days in captivity moved 13 times always held by armed gunmen she says and never had enough food or water since.
Returning she's testified about sexual violence in front of the knesset sharing this story with us she came and she looked at me and she said it touched me and that was a moment that I'll never ever forget and I'm worried about them that they'll come back pregnant and it'll be too late too late because they will be too far along in.
Their pregnancies that they'll be too long in the pregnancy to terminate yeah they were held below ground in dark tunnels with little air the last time she saw Keith was the night before her release I bent down to him I hugged him and I said you be strong for me I'll be strong for you not knowing if they're going to separate us and we'll never see.
Each other again on November 26th scene here in video from hamas's militant Wing the 62-year-old South African Israeli says huge crowds mob the cars I was sure that it would be my last minutes of my life the only minute that I knew that I was going to Israel is when I met the first Soldier finally back in Israel she's seen on the.
Bus smiling waving is there a happy memory that you think of is there a happy moment from before October 7th that kind of is Keith to you you know it'll sound a little bit strange but I try not to think about those happy moments because I break up into tears and it's too difficult for me to think about the happy.
Moments and that's how I protect myself Aviva hasn't been back to her home in kbut kafar Aza in southern Israel wearing this necklace every day I do know that I went through a lot of things and that they are sitting here in my heart I know that it's hard for me to sleep that I wake up like with sort of nightmares or whatever so I'm still in.
Gaza she was incredibly Brave incredibly strong speaking to us now of course she wants her husband back immediately and it is no surprise that her and other other hostage families are very frustrated we also have learned from an Israeli official today that an Israeli delegation is going to a new round of negotiations in Paris and Vicki this is.
Really a core demand of the hostage families that at least the Israeli delegations show up at the table Vicki Molly what an incredible conversation and what she said actually about the potential victims of sexual violence and the other additional layers that come with that trauma we really appreciate you bringing that candid conversation to.
Us Molly Hunter thank you so much well coming up a heartbreaking update for you on the health of former talk show host Wendy Williams what we are now learning about the two conditions she has been diagnosed with and turning dry January into a year- round thing we'll tell you about the trend that has more young people cutting back on alcohol morning.
News now we'll be right back we're back now with an update on former talk show host Wendy Williams ongoing Health battles Williams team says she has been diagnosed with primary Progressive Aphasia and fronto temporal Dimension these are conditions associated with changes in Behavior communication and personality now if.
This sounds familiar it may be because back in 2022 actor Bruce Willis was diagnosed with Aphasia which has progressed to fronto temporal dementia the announcement comes just days before the premiere of a lifetime documentary about Williams physical and mental health that is set to air this weekend for more on this we want to bring in Dr.
Romy mushok she's neurologist and chief Wellness officer at Great Wolf Resorts Dr mushok thanks for being with us she's also the author of the book The Busy brain cure The 8we Plan toine Focus tame anxiety and sleep again Dr musak let's talk uh first about just this condition in general what are some of the symptoms and you know Wendy is only 59 years old.
Bruce Willis was young as well is there a typical age of diagnosis Vicki good morning and I heartfelt condolences out to Wendy her loved ones and all of her fans fronto temporal dementia is a form of dementia that typically happens at a younger age average age of diagnosis is around 45 to 65 and it's an actual group of different.
Types of dementia one type can affect personality and the type that they're saying Wendy has can affect speech known as fronto temporal dementia with primary Progressive Aphasia right there you can see it can affect both the frontal lobe of the brain right at the front behind your forehead and the temporal lobe behind the ears as we're seeing on the.
Brain scans here Dr mushok how is this disease typically diagnosed and and how does it progress yeah it's not an easy diagnosis and it can take time sometimes the first symptoms are behavioral changes or difficulty speaking so it's a careful clinical history in some there may be a family history it is not clear with Wendy and a genetic variant as well.
How it's diagnosed is by a neurologist specializing in memory with a careful physical IAL exam as well as an MRI of the brain an additional type of Imaging known as spec Imaging that can show how glucose and other tracers are taken up in the frontal and temporal regions of the brain so it often can take a long time to diagnose and can be a diagnosis.
Of exclusion which is not easy and Doctor what happens next how is this treated how does someone like Wendy move forward sadly Vicki there is no actual cure for fronto temporal Dementia or primary Progressive Aphasia supportive care is what's needed there it's very common to have behavioral outbursts or mood and there are psychiatric.
Medications for that Speech Pathology and language pathology can help with uh you know prolonging the ability to use language but the most important thing is that skilled nursing care is given to caregivers because it can be very difficult to watch a loved one so young suffer yeah our best thought are with Wendy her family and her caregivers Dr.
Ry mush thank you so much for your time this morning thank you Vicki tomorrow Health news this morning we've been reporting on a trend that we're seeing in younger generations to cut back on drinking it's the so-called sober curious movement well NBC's news now anchors in clay esmoa went to a sober curious popup to see what it's all about.
And she gives us a look sweeping declaration I am never getting drunk again as long as I live today more young people are rethinking their alcohol consumption 62% of adults under 35 say they drink that's down from 72% two decades ago how many of you consider yourself sober.
Curious a couple of months ago I stopped drinking alcohol uh and one of the things that's really helped me is um the range of no and low alcohol drinks that are a the movement has many terms like no low Beverages and so curious put simply it's all about people who are curious about sobriety quick history lesson from 1920.
To 1933 the US restricted the production import transport and sale of alcohol the prohibition era but as long as people have been freely drinking in the US they've also been trying to stop the term sober curious popping up around 2018 after being coined by author Ruby Warrington there was a very binary at itude to alcohol addiction I suppose you.
Were either an alcoholic and therefore you had to stop or you were a normal Drinker what the soic Curious movement has shown a light on is actually you don't have to have a drinking problem for drinking to be a problem for you the shift seen in booze free bars and groups like absence of proof which host pop-up Gatherings around New York the rise of.
Sober curiosity coming along with new trends like dry January beginning as a public health campaign back in 2013 just last month a quarter of Americans participating for the new year with global sales of no and low alcohol products reaching more than1 13 billion last year it's no longer for those who are really kind of out on The Fringe of.
Trying new things it's a mainstream product Marcus Seiki founded ritual zero proof a non-alcoholic Spirits company one of many now on the market a critique of zero proof Liquors or mocktails has often been this is just glorified water or expensive soda I think with the rise of non-alcoholic Spirits you can have that same complexity that you would have.
With a regular cocktail but none of the negative effects of alcohol sober curious communities hoping to normalize the benefits of booze-free living I think when I first removed alcohol I thought about it as a loss you know I'm I'm losing something fun in my life and when I reframe that to think about all the things that I was gaining rather.
Than losing by taking alcohol away my time my energy my mental health it made it way more exciting it really is a net positive rather than a loss and our thanks to Zin clay esmoa for that report if sober curious is a concept that interests you experts say you don't have to give up alcohol completely but that you should commit to.
Trying it for at least three months it may also help to tell your friends ahead of time to avoid that peer pressure we so that's the thing is just making sure everyone around you is also on board right and helping to support you and you know more power to you folks people feel a little weird if someone says I don't want to drink they feel a little judged.
Tell them it's not about you just giving it a try I love it great advice give give it a try well coming up extra charge new numbers shedding light on just how much credit card companies are profiting off your debt we'll break down a new report and what it means for your wallet plus over the moon history in space as the US makes its first lunar.
Landing in more than 50 years did you watch it last night we're going to show you if you missed it you're watching Morning News Now hey there we're back now with new government d data highlighting credit card companies and just how much money they've made and it's a lot according to a report from the Consumer Financial.
Protection Bureau companies are hiking rates to record highs in order to pad profits for more on this let's bring in Investopedia editor-in Chief Caleb silver Caleb good morning to you thanks for being here so the average credit card APR has almost doubled to nearly 23% bringing rates to their highest level since the Federal Reserve ever.
Even started collecting this data so walk us through the highlights of this new report yeah this is from the uh Consumer Financial Protection Bureau looking at those excess credit card net interest margins now credit cards make their money by loaning out money at a pretty high rate and those rates those aprs are at an all-time high so that's.
Doubled in the last 10 years as credit card companies have hiked those aprs much higher than what we call the prime rate the prime rate is something set by the Federal Reserve that's where all bank loans credit card rates car loans mortgages are set from credit card companies have been hiking those up aggressively and it's costing consumers.
And credit card holders an about $25 billion extra a year according to the cfpb wow 25 billion extra in interest uh Caleb you mentioned how the rates are determined we obviously see inflation going up what can we as consumers do to try to lower them on our individual credit cards can we negotiate yeah you can absolutely.
Negotiate especially if you have good credit now your APR is partially set by the credit card you're getting from the issuer but also on your credit rating if you have a low credit rating you're going to get a high APR but if your credit rating is good call up your credit card company and say hey I deserve a lower AP or break up with your.
Credit card company if you have to there's plenty of credit card companies that would love to have you or consolidate to a lower interest loan for the meantime pay it all off so you're not getting these revolving charges these revolving charges really hurt your credit score and they pad the profits of these credit card companies that are.
Doing fabulously well right now interesting a negotiation yeah like that well according to Experian one of the major credit Euros the average credit card balance last year was about $6,500 so what advice do you have for people who are trying to combat those High interest rates and who are working to lower that debt yeah hit that high.
Interest credit card debt first because that's the one that's ending up ending up costing you month after month that $100 sweater is now $150 if you don't pay it off pay those first pay down the big chunks first especially the high interest stuff and then take care of the lower interest uh borrowings you might have those are where you're going to.
Start to pick up some momentum but do not sit around with high interest credit card debt revolving month after month that hurts your credit score and you're ended up paying more for what you ended up buying in the first place Caleb we got to ask you about the news of this week right Capital One is now acquiring discover Financial for more than $35.
Billion so if this merger is approved by Regulators what does that mean for consumers and interest rates for folks who are card holders yeah this is just if approved this just makes one another another massive credit card company and it gives consumers less leverage and less shopping power to find a lower rate so I think about serial boxes on the.
Shelf mostly owned by two companies they set the pricing power same thing in the credit card industry less room for consumers to negotiate and get a better deal if you have only four major credit card companies if this goes through wow I was thinking one less login for a credit card company but yeah less competition to way the downside all.
Right Caleb silver thanks so much well more financial headlines now several pharmacies Nationwide are reporting problems filling prescriptions yeah CBC syvan Han now joins us with that and other news good morning sylvana good morning Stephen good morning Vicky yes so pharmacies across the country are experiencing disruptions this is.
Following a hack at United Health technology unit which is change Healthcare now United Health says the problems began Wednesday after a suspected nation state actor gained access to change Health's Network change says it took action to disconnect the system to prevent further impact CVS says the hack means in certain cases.
It's been unable to process insurance claims Walgreen says a small number of prescriptions may be affected but it does have procedures in place to fill them with minimal delays general motor self-driving car unit Cru is preparing to resume testing its Robo taxis on public roads with Safety drivers behind the wheel Reports say Houston and Dallas.
Are potential locations with as few as 10 cars in each City and no passengers crew suspended operations in October following an accident in San Francisco where one of its Vehicles dragged a pedestrian who had been struck by another car the justice department and SEC are investigating that incident and KFC is adding a new pizza inspired menu.
Inspired item to its menu now you'll be able to get your hands on the cheza starting Monday for a limited time it features two white meat Fried Chicken fillets topped with marinara sauce melted mozzarella and crispy pepperoni KFC first debuted the pizza in the Philippines in 2015 and it's made its way to South Korea Taiwan India Thailand.
Germany and Mexico on its journey to restaurants here in the US and if you can't wait until Monday KFC will give out the cheet for three for for free today and tomorrow at a popup location in New York City for free wow I would pay to eat that I mean it's not about B is the crust chicken that's what I was going to ask I think that's what it is.
From there's no bread there's no carbs there's no bread the P thei Chi is the bread that's what we're telling our it's very healthy lots of protein guys all right sa now bringing us that late breaking information we appreciate it thank you Syl I'll see you at the uh at KFC there we go see you there all right well a Houston base company is.
Celebrating a major milestone in space exploration intuitive machines made history they successfully completed the first US moon landing in more than 50 years NBC News senior correspondent Tom Costello has the details leave it to a 14t robot named odys to stick the first US moon landing since Apollo what we can confirm without.
A doubt is our equipment is on the surface of the Moon Houston base intuitive machines now the first private company to successfully land on the moon Houston odys has found his new home but now troubleshooting a Communications issue and lift off go SpaceX go1 and the Odus lunar lander odius launched on a SpaceX rocket just 7.
Days ago sending back spectacular photos of Earth as it rocketed towards the lunar South Pole on board six NASA experiments the ice water on the pole makes it NASA's Target Zone when astronauts return in just a few years this is the South Pole of the Moon that's correct in a NASA simulator we saw the Hostile conditions they'll have.
To navigate the sun hanging very low on the horizon those Shadows are so long to cut cost NASA has hired 14 private companies to run Advanced experiments on the moon though many could fail it's really really diff ult to land on the Moon I mean there's no air or to slow you down so you can't use parachutes the Odus Lander will only have 12 to 13 days.
Before its solar power runs out just getting there is mission accomplished Tom Costello NBC News y that will never cease to amaze me right a whole new space race love it well coming up dancing through life yeah a group of seniors turning to dance to stay healthy both in body and mind so grab a partner and stay with us this is Morning News.
Now put on your dancing shoes some seniors in Cleveland are finding friendship and Community through a weekly dance class that's helping them stay healthy mentally and physically NBC News senior National correspondent Kate snow has their inspiring story every Tuesday night they fill the room focusing on just one thing learning.
A new line dance from teacher Linda Green what do you see in the dancers faces every week I see whatever is bugging them or whatever they're worrying or thinking about when they step through the door they let it go one two three step back have turn it's a free class at the Stephanie tubs Jones Health Center in East Cleveland part of.
The world famous Cleveland Clinic Sheree Allan Tate rarely misses a week she started coming after she retired 8 years ago your body feels good you just feel like you've exh H you feel really good Sheila is one of the younger dancers a beginner she used to be the security guard here M was here when they came and I was here when they left so I.
Said when I retired that I was going to come to line dancing classes do it again we go ready she had lung cancer and when she started the class last fall struggled to breathe now that I come to line danc it has helped me so much I can dance a whole song now but it's more than just the exercise.
It's the bonds they form it's a fellowship I guess you could say someone might be missing a couple of weeks and we'll call or text and see it's everything okay we miss you you know we care about each other they celebrate everyone's birthday with a dance party Hattie Castleberry.
Just turned 81 just over a year ago she fell and broke her pelvis she called me from the hospital and wanted to know how I was doing I said no how are you doing and she said I'll be back I'll be back Hattie was back after only four weeks not only do we dance but we learn to love each other and care about each other and that means a lot it's like.
Your special extended family I say the numbers right now of people who are lonely they're really high this seems like it's sort of an antidote to that it's sort of helping people with loneliness oh yeah most definitely helping people with loneliness because we connect when we come.
Here they advice to everyone never too late to learn how to do different things but just get out and you'll see put a smile on your face and keep sappy keep it going a family looking out for one another Kate Snow NBC.
News wow what an adorable group Kate Snow thanks for that and that's going to do it for this hour of morning news now but your news continues right now and good morning thanks for being here and happy Friday I'm Steven Romo in for Joe and Savannah today right now on Morning News Now on hold the growing.
Fallout this morning surrounding that controversial IVF ruling in Alabama more and more fertility clinics there are now pressing pause on treatments and that is forcing some couples to look elsewhere for care we've got the latest also this morning thousands of AT&T customers are back online after a nationwide outage that left some Americans scrambling to.
Make calls and send text so what went wrong we've got an update from the company in just a moment Plus South Carolina's critical Republican primary is now just a day away with the state's former Governor Nikki Haley fighting to topple former president Trump's commanding lead in the polls her final push on her home turf to convince voters.
She's the right one for the White House and we're going to end your work week with our can't miss list the latest and greatest in the world of entertainment and that includes Netflix's liveaction Revival of an animated cold classic avatar The Last Airbender but does it stack up with its source material the reviews are in some of them not so good.
Some of them pretty good we'll break it all down for you but we do begin this morning in Alabama with the growing impact of the state Supreme Court's ruling which says Frozen embryos are children without exception right now several more fertility clinics in the state are suspending IVF treatments as lawmakers look for ways to protect.
Patients and providers as well NBC News senior legal correspondent Laura Jared has the latest details this morning growing frustration this morning across Alabama as more patients in the middle of fertility treatments are learning their doctors are holding off on IVF worried they could get sued because of a controversial new Court.
Ruling some couples even making the difficult decision to leave the state we found a clinic that will take us in Texas after three miscarriages Gabby goell says her doctor recommended she have her embryos genetically tested to boost her chances of a healthy pregnancy I'm not stopping this cycle I've already been through too many shots already.
Invested too much time and energy but what happens to embryos found with genetic abnormalities typically they're not implanted and usually discarded others found not viable after the thought process it's all got fertility clinics on edge after the Alabama Supreme Court found Frozen embryos no different than children potentially.
Putting clinics on the hook legally for their survival as soon as I saw the number pop up on my phone I knew it wasn't going to be um good news after spending nearly $250,000 on fertility treatments in a surrogate Megan and Walker Cole were devastated to learn their Fertility clinic not only canell their embryo.
Implantation this week but say their Clinic would not give them their Frozen embryos to use outside the state so even though these are apparently my children um I don't have access to them meanwhile Alabama Supreme Court chief justice Tom Parker under scrutiny for invoking God in the court decision this new reality in Alabama creating a politically.
Perilous issue in an electioneer I think it was a terrible ruling presidential hopeful Nikki Haley trying to clarify where she standing we don't want fertility treatments to shut down and our thanks to Lord Jarrett for that report vice president kamla Harris spoke about the Court's ruling saying quote on the one hand the.
Proponents are saying that an individual doesn't have a right to end an unwanted pregnancy and on the other hand the individual does not have a right to start a family certainly more to come on this one meanwhile an investigation is underway at the University of Georgia campus in Athens after a woman was found dead there yesterday NBC News.
Correspondent Blain Alexander is on the campus now with the latest good morning Blain so what do we know about this well Stephen good morning to you investigators this morning are calling this an active investigation they say they do believe that Foul Play was involved now we're just learning that this student up until last year was.
Actually a student at ug she was still active in the sorority here and she had transferred to a nearby school now meanwhile here on campus today classes are canceled for the day and many students are living in fear and grieving this morning at the University of Georgia the quiet calm of a college campus is shattered replaced with an.
Active police investigation after officials found the body of a young woman on campus Thursday morning this is a tragic day police say a concerned individual called 911 after her friend went out for a morning run near UG and never returned officials began searching and found her within minutes in an area around Lake herck near the school's.
Intramural fields the individual was unconscious and not breathing and had visible injuries police have not released the victim's name but overnight the president of nearby Augusta University confirmed she was a student at the school's College of Nursing campus in Athens in a letter to students he expressed his deepest sorrow.
Writing the receipt of this news was shocking to all of us it's left students at both schools in fear I'm worried about my safety like it's just it's really scary it all comes just one day after another student died suddenly on the ug campus though officials say the two incidents are not linked in a statement the school acknowledges the.
Difficult week writing it will uniquely test the resolve of our Campus Community particularly our students now as police search the area and comb through security footage for a suspect they say there is no immediate Danger to the public students are not so sure I'm honestly not even considering walking by myself I just don't want to take any.
Chance at all and to that point Stephen officials here are urging students to not travel alone if at all possible walk in a group or walk with friends if they're moving across campus now the police chief here says that he can't remember a homicide on campus in the last 20 years they're asking anybody with any information to.
Call police Stephen alarming stuff all right bla Alexander thank you well this morning we're learning more about what may have caused that cellular outage which left tens of thousands of customers reporting problems for making calls and sending texts NBC News business and data correspondent Brian Chung joins us now with more on this.
Brian I was one of them I'm an AT&T customer could not send text it was a little nice for a while but also sort of felt like being in Little House on the Prairie yeah you know a lot of people were actually saying I actually enjoyed being on my cell phone but it was regardless you know a very serious issue it left families unable to contact each.
Other businesses confused about how to open and Emergency Services scrambling to offer alternative ways of contact AT&T says its network is now back up and running for its over 241 million connected devices and we're getting new details on what may have led to the issue just 24 hours ago users on one of the country's largest mobile networks.
Were left unable to make even basic calls or send texts for half a day is it the end of the world and apparently the whole country doesn't have service like what what's going on I want to talk to the CEO I'm so dang going sick of y'all AT&T now saying they believe the 12-hour issue quote was caused by the application and execution of an.
Incorrect process used as we were expanding our network not a Cyber attack the company added it is further investigating the matter several government agencies said they're taking a look too including Homeland Security the Federal Communications Commission and the FBI experts say most of the time outages aren't malicious the FBI is.
Going to be looking for any sort of criminal activity however uh 99.9% of the time technical outages of this nature whether it's with a power company a telecommunications company or even your bank tend to be of a technical operational Network down detector. comom showed issues beginning Thursday at 400 a.m. hours later the count on reported.
Problems had surged to over 70,000 as users tried to troubleshoot their phones that's the AT&T line that says emergency calls only and uh and there's no service Emergency Services advising people to use landlines or even call boxes as workarounds around 3:00 p.m. Thursday AT&T announced it had restored wireless service to all of its affected customers.
That was too late for kinia fer in Greenville South Carolina who had no choice but to close her restaurant vegan house Shack for the day Thursday is a big day for me I lost a lot of money she uses AT&T to take the 20% of orders that come by phone and also uses a hotspot to process the car terminal she needs to process sales now Fowler says she's done.
Are you thinking this is crazy enough I might switch oh it's definitely a switch switch is definitely going to take place and by the way a lot of phones were stuck yesterday on SOS mode your phone when in SOS mode can make an emergency call and ping your location to Emergency Services on iPhones they can also contact a loved one or family.
Member designated as an emergency contact which you have to set up it's all a good reminder stepen that unfortunate situation from yesterday ever happens again hopefully not yeah hopefully not but we'll see so much dependence on technology yeah we'll see how it goes for sure thanks so much well with just one day to go until the South.
Carolina Republican primary all signs point to another big victory for Donald Trump but his last remaining rival Nikki Haley has been sharpening her attacks on the GOP front runner NBC's Garrett Hy is in Charleston with more on this Garrett good morning to you so there some high St here for Haley Hey Stephen good morning yeah.
Absolutely high stakes and we are in this final Sprint now where South Carolina Republican voters are going to be forced to choose between their former governor and a former president who so far looks like he's ready to steamroll his way to another Republican nomination mayor jro she has this morning Nikki Haley running hard in her home state.
This is the time South Carolina can really step up and show the direction that we want our country to go in but she's also running out of time to catch front runner Donald Trump before Saturday's primary all he's doing is talking about himself and that's the problem is it's not about him it's about the American.
People recent polls have Haley trailing the former president by nearly 30 points but performing far better than Mr Trump against President Biden in the general election this fall a point she continues to pound home on the camp cign Trail I defeat Joe Biden by 18 points in that Marquette pole that's bigger than the presidency that's house that's Senate.
That's governorships that's everything Mr Trump dismissing Haley's candidacy in a radio interview I don't care at this point if she stays in she's getting very few votes overnight lashing out at her at a Christian Media convention it looks like she's going to lose by 25 or 30 points that's a lot she's Governor but people don't like her too much and she's.
Hurting the party but I don't care let her run voters like Ivon Ramsey now left to choose between two candidates who've each never lost a race in South Carolina when you put Nikki Haley's economic record up against Donald Trumps what do you see I don't think she did as much for South Carolina As Trump did and especially in our afroamerican community.
President Biden fundraising on the west coast Thursday contrasting his presidency with his once and likely future opponent telling donors quote I'm not the gift of all presidents but I'm sure is Hell better than the last guy go no rest for the wicked after South Carolina the Michigan primary comes next on Tuesday then after that.
The first Nationwide test for these candidates super Tuesday the following week more than a dozen contests all across the country from Texas to California to Vermont Donald Trump leads in the polls in all of those States Stephen well all right Garett he thanks so much for that update all right let's get a check with your Morning News Now.
Weather meteorologist Angie lman joins us hey Angie hey good morning Stephen we've got a really nice conditions for most of the country a bit of rain to deal with along the east coast but let's start with these Springtime highs that we're seeing across the middle of the country that is where our temperatures are not so much feeling like February.
But instead maybe March we've got temperatures headed to the upper 60s in Little Rock today Nashville will head to 63 degrees Jackson and Dallas both making it into the low 70s by later this afternoon and even as far north as St Louis and Omaha will be flirting with those low 60s to mid-50s so overall a spring like feel in the air today not.
Quite as warm as what it was yesterday but still sitting above normal and that's the story for tomorrow too especially as you look from the Northern Plains down to the Southern Plains we'll see some colder air start to filter into parts of the Midwest so it won't be quite as balmy for this time of year across that region but places like.
Kansas City still set to hit 60° we'll see Tulsa Amarillo Dallas all into the 70s once more places like Rapid City Denver you're going to be into the low 60s so the Spring Lake feel will continue into your Saturday too meanwhile as we look into early next week notice the kind of temperature roller coaster ride that we're on places.
Like Cleveland remember I said we're going to see a bit of a cool down over the next couple of days across the Midwest the Great Lakes we end up into the 40s in on Sunday in Cleveland we are back to the low 50s not bad by Monday but we surge into the mid-60s by Tuesday we are back to those spring L temperatures before you know it similar.
Story for Cincinnati going from the upper 50s Sunday to the low 70s by Tuesday Chicago you're going to top out at 66 degrees on Tuesday but you of course will need those extra layers throughout the weekend before we see those temperatures warm up 70s on top Monday and Tuesday in Nashville it'll be warm there for folks in the east coast.
We're not leaving you out of this either temperatures in New York ends up into the mid-50s Tuesday upper 60s for Washington DC but again we've got to take a couple of days to get there for folks across the East speaking of the East we are waking up to a bit of rain rain from the Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast even the southeast saw some.
Rain through the day today uh we're going to start to see this system kind of work a little farther to the east it means improvements will be made but in the meantime we are needing that ring gear from Boston to Hartford we've got some snow falling in parts of New England uh mainly focused across portions of Maine that's where we're.
Going to continue to see some snow but Vermont New Hampshire all included in that remember I said the system will work to the east well that's exactly what happens by later today it's offshore and we're expecting most of the rain and the snow to go with it could see a couple of lingering showers hugging the coast especially across.
Portions of the South Atlantic that's where we'll see even a potential for some strong storms this afternoon one thing to note downwind of the Lakes we'll still have that cold air coming off the the water so lake effect snow possible that's going to hug right along the lake so just one note there meanwhile Saturday looks pretty good.
Warm highs for the middle of the country no surprise there Sunny dry out west people are going to be thrilled with that as they continue to dry out in California we will see some some chilly conditions for folks across the Midwest and the Northeast but remember that's not going to last for long because those temperatures are on the rise here even.
As we get into Sunday not the warmest that they'll be over the next seven days for the East but they'll definitely be improving significantly the middle of the country still dealing with records across Texas we could see temperatures in the 80s mid 80s at that we'll see places into the Northern Plains in the 50s and 60s so still dealing with the.
Mild air uh for our friends in the plains out west staying dry once again on Sunday but it's by the time we get into Monday uh Stephen really late Sunday and then into Monday where we once again will have to track some rain for our friends out in California the Pacific Northwest we'll see one storm happen on Sunday but as we go Sunday.
Into Monday is when that rain will start for folks uh in California that's where we'll we'll have to watch for some additional rain not as much as we've received in the past couple of storms but still significant of course those temperatures though is it imp the groundhog was wrong was well isn't he always I mean don't get me started on.
The ground it's the 23rd of of February really meteorological spring starts on March 1st oh so we're we're getting there still above normal though feeling like spring definitely I keep forgetting the month is almost over I know I don't know where the last two months went yeah great Point all right Angie thanks so.
Much oh Christ we've got much more to come this hour morning news now including the old school Tech that's now in high demand and selling for some big bucks but first the war in Ukraine it's now been 2 years since Russia invaded and the white houses unveiling a fresh batch of sanctions aimed at hundreds of Targets in Russia we've got a lot more.
On that coming up next we're back now with the latest on the war in Ukraine which tomorrow hits the twoyear mark and to mark that Milestone this morning the Biden Administration announced a brand new package of Russian sanctions on more than 500 targets the measures are also.
In response to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexi novani NBC's Chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel has more from Eastern Ukraine it's been almost exactly two years since Russia invaded this country and these are just some of the thousands of rockets and missiles Russia has fired at Ukraine and continues to fire as this.
Country now finds itself in a difficult position as American Support is becoming less reliable while in Russia officials say that Alexi naali died of natural causes the mother of Russian opposition leader Alexa naali has finally seen her son's body at a morg near the Russian prison where he died but she says authorities.
Won't release his remains unless he's buried in secret she posted her response for the world to see saying they are blackmailing me they are setting conditions where when and how my son should be buried that is illegal hundreds of nal's supporters have been arrested for honoring his legacy and it seems Russia doesn't want.
A navali funeral to become a rally or worse a protest against President Vladimir Putin especially now while he's trying to show strength ahead of rubber stamp elections next month he's been shown on Russian TV in trucks and in a modernized version of a cold war long range nuclear bomber touting it as easier to control.
And very Rel the US is expected to announce new sanctions against Russia today but Putin appears unconcerned his main priority conquering Ukraine is finally making progress as promised American Aid and weapons are held up by Congress Ukrainian president zinski overnight again making a case for.
More Aid will ukrainians survive without Congress support of course but not all of us we went to the front driving to the town of chazar where Russian troops are closing in without American weapons the town could be the next to fall and this is the town hall it was destroyed by Russian strikes and on the wall.
Ukrainian troops have left a message we are not asking for too much we just need artillery shells and Aviation the rest we do ourselves but the acting mayor s Chow says with the town in Ruins nearly everyone has left are people angry with the United States we just don't understand how someone can say that we are your support.
You can count on our shoulder and at the very same moment we don't feel this shoulder of support he says after the loss of aiva are Russian troops heading this way heading for your town yeah he says I think they are 100% a delegation of five Democratic senators led by Chuck Schumer is in.
Ukraine today in A Renewed effort to get Aid flowing to this country all right Richard Engel thanks so much and for more on this let's bring in Kira rudik she's a member of the Ukrainian Parliament Kira thanks so much for being here and as Richard was just mentioning Russian forces have been making gains on the battle field most.
Notably capturing the city of Diva what is the feeling inside Ukraine right now as we get close to that twoyear Mark hello Stephen thank you so much for having me well our strategy our aim and our goal did not change a bit we are here we are going to fight we plan to survive and to win the war and if you divide the efforts into us fighting and.
Having the soldiers on the ground and our allies providing ing the weapons and the support we keep doing our part but we see significant delay in getting the ammunition from uh our um European allies and uh this delay uh from uh the United States is absolutely terrifying and it already cost us lives of people and will continue costing more and more.
It you know the time it feels really different when you are in the trenches or you are under the bombarding in a peaceful City and when you are in the Congress or just living in a peaceful country this is why we keep urging all our colleagues everybody that we know uh to make the decision and when we were talking to our Fighters and I can tell.
You it's incredibly hard almost impossible to explain to people who are fighting at the front what is the delay about they wanted to share only one thing that for as long as it takes time is now an important update we had from Ukraine all right International headlines now starting with a deadly fire in eastern Spain our claudo lavanga.
Joins us now with more from Rome good morning claudo good morning that's right at least four people have died and several others have gone missing or are still missing after a huge fire engulfed at least two apartment blocks in Valencia now the fire started at a 14 story block before spread heading to another.
Building next to it according to the Spanish newspaper ELP the main building contained 138 flats and was home to 450 residents more than 20 fire Crews tackled the place overnight saving residents with the help of cranes experts told local media they believe the highly flammable cladding on the building enabled the fire to spread.
Quickly let's go now to Sydney in Australia where Tater Swift fans were temporarily evacuated from a stadium and an hour before the start of the concert as a precaution after a huge storm hit the area aore Stadium said on its ex account the start time had been delayed and asked fans in the venue to stay under cover until further notice the.
Prediction of severe storm also caused flight delays and cancellations but Quantas put on a special Airbus A380 from Melbourne to make sure fans from there made it to Sydney on time eventually Swift took the stage to a huge Roar and let's send this store of the world in Portugal where a dog who last year was named as the oldest in the.
World by the Guinness World Records was stripped of his title after doubts over evidence of his age Bobby this is the name of the dog of course died last October at the reported age of 31 years in 165 days but recently the Guinness World Records launched an investigation and said the microchip claimed to prove Bobby's age was not sufficient proof to.
Grant him the title and that there is no conclusive evidence which can definitely prove his the date of birth back to you wow Justice for Bobby that is an upsetting story all right claudo unexpected thanks so much well coming up a damning day in court for rust armorer Hannah gutieres Reed we'll bring you the latest from inside the courtroom with.
The prosecution's Searing opening statement and how her defense team is responding that's next on morning news now we're back now at with a look at the involuntary manslaughter trial of rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed opening statements got underway yesterday and during them prosecutors described the weapon supervisor's work on set as.
Sloppy telling the jury she was responsible for the bullet that killed cinematographer Helena Hutchins NBC news entertainment correspondent Chloe Mass joins us now with the latest on this Khloe good morning good morning Hannah Gutierrez Reed showed little emotion in court as prosecutor Jason Lewis called her irresponsible on the set of of the.
Film set saying that she should have checked the gun more than once but her ATT attorneys say that the blame should be placed on actor Alec Baldwin these Witnesses are going to describe the defendant's conduct as unprofessional and sloppy harsh words from New Mexico prosecutor Jason Lewis against Hannah Gutierrez Reed the armorer on the 2021.
Russ set charged with involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence the prospect of live ammunition Landing up on a film set is incomprehensible it's something that should never happen prosecutors telling the jury in opening statements they will prove Gutierrez Reed routinely left guns and ammunition around unattended the evidence will show.
That the defendant treated the safety protocols as if they were optional rather than if people's lives counted on her doing her job correctly according to prosecutors six rounds of live ammunition were found on set even showing a photograph of a gun holster worn by the film star Alec Balwin that they they claim held a real bullet and.
That Gutierrez Reed brought them from the home of her father also a well-known Hollywood armorer the defense arguing Baldwin who is one of the film's producers Bears more responsibility than the 24-year-old armor Alec Baldwin pointed a gun on that set you will hear that Hollywood actors are not allowed to point guns real guns at other.
Actors or crew Balwin has denied any wrongdoing more than simply pointing the finger at other people in the production chain of command the defense also has to humanize the defendant and also show that she was a kind of victim herself gueras Reed's attorney also slamming the film's production company for hiring her for two jobs the armorer and props.
Assistant even citing an email she had sent her manager during filming she said in this email when I'm not able to focus on my armor duties this is when mistakes happen mistakes prosecutors believe Gutierrez Reed admitted in her own words the statement that Miss gutus made uh when she was being interviewed on the day of the shooting she says at the end.
I just I don't know I wish I would have checked it more we ask the production company for comment on the accusations that Hannah Gutierrez Reed was overwhelmed with her responsibilities on the set and they haven't gotten back to us but they did agree to settle a workplace safety case for $100,000 without admitting any wrongdoing NBC.
News has also reached out to Baldwin's legal team for comment he has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and faces his own criminal trial this summer bn's legal team will be watching this very closely because legal experts say this case is basically a road map for what he'll potentially face during his trial over the summer a lot of eyes.
On this one and a lot of eyes on that one Chloe thank you so much well the hottest time of the year to buy a house is just around the corner and newly released data shows that even while houses are getting more expensive home sales are on the rise as well so whether you're buying or selling we're taking a look at what you need to know to get the.
Best deal NBC News senior business correspondent Christine Romans joins us now with all the answers so Christine thanks for being here so what is the latest on the housing market it's hard to keep up with well I would say we're hoping for a thaw this spring because last year really was a deep fore Stephen you had home sales in this country the.
Lowest since two 1995 so think I mean that's a long time ago so it was just a deep freeze the couple years before that it was just a it was just like a frenzy you know people had hundreds of people lined up for for open houses and houses were going for cash and way above offer I think it's going to be a little more normal this year home prices is still.
Rising that's because inventory is still not exactly where it needs to be but I think and I I just heard from a real estate agent this morning who texted me and said look I have more inventory for sale this year than I've had in a couple years that's a good thing yeah I know a lot of people that made some great money on sales over the past years sellers the.
Sellers the sellers did what about are we looking at a a continued sellers market now it is still a sellers Market but less of one and I'll tell you one thing Zillow said that one in five sellers are cutting their price so that's good news for the home buyers and you know prices homes are going a little faster early in the season than they.
Have in in recent months and they're seem to be priced a little better so a well-priced home is moving a price overpriced home is not so that's showing that we're getting a little bit Back in Balance I think yeah that's some good news there finally unfortunately for home buyers mortgage rates have been on the rise the national average for a.
30-year fixed rate mortgage about 7.3% so how does that affecting people so look mortgage rates a lot of people had hoped that early this year they'd start to drift lower they just haven't so you can expect a gradual decline maybe later in the year but I wouldn't bet on 3 to 4% interest rates anytime soon so that means if you're in the market to buy a.
Home because you need to move for a school district you need to move for a job you need to move for the normal reasons you you buy a home you're going to have to Overlook that higher mortgage rate it might be that you're going to be able to afford less of a house with those higher mortgage rates and you can refinance down the line but got to do.
The math because you pay closing costs again when you refinanced so that's expensive too I think the days of the three and 4% mortgage are well behind us maybe you can hope for something below seven or 6% later this year yeah you're certainly right some people can't wait they have to move now so options are few all right Christin a great breakdown.
Thanks so much well coming up Head Over Heels could wearing deals actually be good for you we've got some new research after the break that's pointing to both function and fashion that's coming up next stay with us we're back now with some Financial headlines and it looks like Reddit is heading to Wall Street cnbc's Savannah.
Hanal joins us now with more on this good morning Savanah Hey Stephen good morning yeah you got that right Reddit files for its long awaited initial public offering which could come as soon as next month on the New York Stock Exchange now this would be the first social media IPO since Pinterest went public in 2019 Reddit which was founded.
In 2005 is one of the most visited websites with more than 100,000 communities and 73 million average daily active visitors Reddit says its non-employee moderators or redditors will be able to take part in the IPO now if you were looking to book a trip on the world's longest direct flight well you're going to have to wait just a bit.
Longer Cana says manufacturing delays have impacted delivery dates for the Airbus jets that will be used on the ultr Long Haul flights until 2026 now the more than 19-hour flight will connect Australia with New York and London the inaugural flights were scheduled to start late next year and Beyonce officially launched her hair.
Care line called sacred this week in an interview with Essence the Superstar says the business is completely self-funded with no investors or outside backing aore recently reported the products could have gone to Market sooner but the six-year development process took that long because of extensive testing as of last year data.
Shows black women received just 1% of venture capital funding Stephen wow and Beyonce is now a country star what can she do she what can't she do I know impressive also so impressive our savan hanal thanks so much for that thanks steid all right now to a story that has a lot of people talking high heels have a reputation for being uncomfortable and.
Difficult to walk in but a new study out from the University of Texas is saying that people who wear heels frequently can actually become more efficient Walkers well joining me now to discuss whether we've been unfairly slandering heels for a long time board certified podiatrist and Foot and Ankle surgeon Central Park Soul here in New York yor.
We have Dr Brad Schaefer and of course meteorologist Angie aspman because she is famous for wearing heels along with forecasting the weather science and fashion you can do it all thank you so much for being here Angie why don't you kick us off since you're the heel exper yeah so I I read this headline I read the the you know the research that we're.
Seeing here what do you think of the study can it possibly be true that wearing heels is good for us and what makes us an efficient Walker as well sure I think uh it's twofold like everything in moderation is fine I mean literally everything as far as like wearing heels like this every single day they're going to do more harm than good.
They just naturally are I think the study is actually showing that you know it will give you a tighter heel cord tighter Achilles and kind of give you a good propulsion every step that you take more explosive uh action jump higher run faster things like that but you're going to pop an Achilles you're going to strain a calf you're going to have more.
Harm than good so I would not recommend this at all the way the pros there and sorry to Regina director whose shoes we've borrowed for this they're beautiful hate to break it to you yes they do they do look great and I have a question uh it sounds off topic but the Barbie movie Yes um the famous scene now where her feet are like stuck in this.
Position and then they go flat obviously that is a joke but could something similar happen with extended heel wear what are the downsides of these shoes sure so you wear heels all the time like that you are going to be stuck in that position as you see this scene right here getting back to a flat foot it's going to take years of PT years of.
Stretching just to get that calf and achilles structure back down to where it should be you need to support your feet you can support your feet with regular shoes insoles in your shoes are super important and it's really just to keep you in a neutral position when you're in high heels like that you're not in a neutral position has a cascading effect.
From the knees the hips to lower back you have to support those so here's my question I mean I I work on television I wear I'm sure just like our viewers heels almost every day yeah what can we do to make it so that it's not so painful what are some things some steps that we can take you mentioned insoles but I mean can I put an insole in my.
Stil what what do I do help me absolutely for sure you can go anywhere from like Dr sches insoles to your sneakers uh to high heel shoes uh there are a lot of companies out there that have just gel that you can put in just to kind of sof that blow like where do you have pain when you wear your high heels I mean if I'm wearing them.
Prolonged periods in the toe box sometimes it's the arch of my foot it just depends on the heel really so a lot is like ball of the foot from what I hear so that can create just inflammation in the ball it can create Nomas which is inflamed nerves inflamed joints which is called metatarsalgia I mean these things hurt and most of the.
Time it's ball of the foot are there like exercises and stuff you could do I mean yeah a lacrosse ball on the AR of my foot or what see my desperation listen I'm not going to ever say to not wear high heels like look as fashionable as you can but like maybe wear sneakers to the job and then wear your high heels while walking around.
Here like all of these things are important again I hate to say it but everything in moderation it is true whether we're working out whether we're act activity wise high heel Wise It's all moderation right interesting I'm fascinating though you talked about some of the benefits of wearing heels men wear heels of two cores um could we see.
A wearing heels for those those benefits the the extra UPS yeah so that is the only thing about the article where I was like maybe because yeah if you if you are a tow Walker um you do have a Little More Bounce to your step that's kind of what like the article was saying like the more you tighten that structure it.
Does Propel you forward a little bit again that's not a positive it's just that is what will happen you get a tight structure you kind of will have a little more hops it's just kind of natural I don't recommend any of this but yeah you tighten that structure you probably will have a little more bounce sounds like you could just do a couple of calf.
Raises you know like instead of wearing heels you you strengthen it properly and then you're really going to uh Excel but um this is just a little cheat that I don't recomend wow fascinating so glad we talked to you Dr and Angie as well she needed that advice clear all right we appreciate it well there's been a a rise recently in the popularity of Old.
School Technology now I'm talking about that flip phone my dad still has and the iPod remember those even Walkman are becoming trendy again and it is creating a high demand for these devices NBC News correspondent Stephanie gusk has more on the return of vintage Tech at the time the name was genius the Walkman music inh hand and on the Move.
Put on a Walkman and see the world in a whole new light was a revolution roughly 40 years later the name hasn't aged so well but the devices themselves are definitely having a moment the Sony Walkman including the Beloved yellow sports model can fetch hundreds of dollars on eBay and if the.
So-called portable music player is in the original box the price jumps into the thousands it isn't just the Walkman either old devices of all kinds are being scooped up in an increasingly online world from record players and VHS machines to film cameras and video game consoles all things offline are starting to look pretty good again I I have some.
Cool stuff for the last six years Ron lecker has been collecting VHS players and old TVs I also have uh this little solid state TV is a Sony solid state from 1967 he's got 14 of them I just feel like there's a joylessness to digital media that you can't really like hold it in your hands the way that you used to according to.
Google old school technology has seen a rise in search Trends iPod a th000 songs in your pocket searches are up 5,000% for the iPod Classic point and shoot cameras reached a 5-year high and retro game console searches are up 350% what's it.
Called it's called The Game Boy with a demand for hand held games like the Game Boy from 1989 and this Relic console the Atari 2600 the new video computer system by Atari you died there at a game store in Manhattan they have an old Atari in stock for now the manager tells me the Vintage games go fast so a genuinely brand new.
System is honestly worth a lot look at this this 1989 Game Boy called out to me turns out Tetris is a bit like riding a bike oh yeah two rows no need for Wi-Fi the game wasn't downloaded and no charger just a few trusty doublea's it's heaviness and batteries takes batter Tetris I'm jealous Stephanie thanks so much well coming up it's the latest and.
Greatest in the world of entertainment it is your can't miss list it is on deck and this weekend marks the release of a reimagined liveaction CT Classic on Netflix but does avatar The Last Airbender actually live up to the hpe the reviews are in we've got Darren karp with us when we come back it's time for our weekly can't miss.
List all the movies and shows you need to see this weekend from a space Thriller for anyone excited about yesterday's moonlanding to a liveaction avatar series which is of course dividing fans and joining me now on set to talk about all this that we can't miss this weekend is Bravo personality and host of the shaken and Disturbed.
Podcast so my revolutionary podcast the term just left my brain for a second that's okay Darren karp of course thanks so much for being here so first let's talk about driveway dolls this Thriller from the Cohen Brothers how's this one looking yeah this is actually going to be pretty good by Ethan Cohen so this is kind of.
Reminds me of bottoms if you saw it from 2023 which was one of my favorite films last year uh mixed with Felman Louise okay wow two friends kind of at a existential crisis they decide to road trip to tallah together so as one does as one as you and I will do after this listening to my podcast uh and they kind of encounter.
Some inept criminals along the way so it's pretty funny it's pretty witty it's a little dangerous they open up a briefcase the combination is 0000 Z we we leave it on we don't know what's uh what's there but it's in cinema now it's pretty funny Matt Damon makes it a couple appearances but it's rated R so I don't necessarily um encourage you to go.
With your family be beanie feldstein is also in this is a star studded cast but it is pretty good yeah quite the cast yes quite the cast all right don't want to miss that one this one sounds pretty different though uh a p the power of Faith and family talked about here in ordinary Angels starring Hillary SW Swank as a smalltown hairdresser what's.
This one about okay in full disclosure I will watch anything Hillary Swank and like Jody Foster pull out so Hillary Swank is in you know just some of the best ordinary Angels it has gotten mixed reviews I will say about the movie but Hillary SN has not gotten mixed reviews her performance in this is pretty incredible yes she plays a small town.
Hairdresser who's kind of down on her luck she doesn't know what to do until she meets until she meets potentially the love of her life Ed and he's got two daughters one is unfortunately in desperate need of a liver transplant which as we know is pretty impossible to get she's a young girl so Hillary swing's character Sharon kind of makes.
It her lot in life to help this family and through faith through Miracles uh she really puts her life on the line for this family and it's kind of a beautiful message if if you know okay if you want to cry one you go to Hillary incredible acting and story hard to beat um except maybe with this one for anime fans anime fans will like this one Demon Slayer the.
Movie out in theaters today after a long wait and this has a major storyline that wasn't part of the TV series what's this about yeah okay so this is a Japanese manga series for those you know that usually isn't my beat that usually isn't what I like okay far from Bravo very far from Bravo I'm not really into anime or Japanese manga but I am in the minority.
I think with people here so this is Demon Slayer uh kimetsu no Yaba this is actually directed by Hero saki so the animation is beautiful when I was watching some of this I mean it really is mesmerizing you can kind of see all the colors kind of come to life but yeah this is returning to the big screen in sort of a different way this is actually.
Going to be two episodes back toback in one of the episodes the audience has never seen before so there's a lot to unback it's about 2 hours so just a lot of story to uncover I don't want to go into all the details if you're not into it it will definitely not be not be your flavor but it is beautiful and I love the drawing the animation is just.
Topnotch in my opinion wow gorgeous yeah okay this one is a little controversial The Last Airbender now streaming on Netflix I've seen some good reviews and I've seen a lot of complaints what do we know about this I've seen 50/50 as well okay so some people are just ripping it apart now obviously with stuff like this especially with when you have this live.
Action series that is already based on the previous Nickelodeon one it's easy to create something it's hard to redo something Ops but will the reviews that I have arey great Ian that Netflix has taken this away from Nick Colonia has made it its own thing A lot of people are confused they think it's James Cameron's.
Avatar and I and I read a couple things where some of the actors thought that they were auditioning for Jame Cameron's Avatar it is two different worlds just same name but two different worlds in fact this is actually even older than James Cameron's Avatar so it kind of it came first um but the effects are pretty awesome yeah I just those effects is the.
First time I've seen that they do look pretty good and all the episodes are out on Netflix so you can binge it and decide for yourself it and then go online complain praise it whatever you want to do as we do online as we do also want to talk about the out of this world conspiracy theory fueled Thriller constellation it is streaming on Apple.
TV Plus I'm very interested in this one we just had another moon landing yesterday yes we did I love to hear about this yes if you love space honestly anything sci-fi this is for you this actually Stars numi rapas uh she's she's actually incredible she plays Joe this astronaut that has survived this catastrophic disaster in space she.
Survives it she comes back to Earth and discovers that her life is a little out of place not everything is what it seems her daughter might not be her daughter she has a piano in her house but she's never played piano she doesn't remember the piano being in her house so it is very conspiracy theory driven it's an eight episode series but the first three.
Parts are out on Apple TV plus I highly recommend this series it's really good I know that I'm going to be watching that great all right Darren carp thanks so much thank you all for watching that's it for this hour morning news now but your news continues right now thanks for watching stay updated about breaking news and top stories on.
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