About this transcript: This is a full AI-generated transcript of Morning News NOW Full Episode - April 17 from NBC News, published April 23, 2026. The transcript contains 17,195 words with timestamps and was generated using Whisper AI.
"Right now on Morning News Now, signs of progress in the Middle East. President Trump teasing a swift end to the war with Iran. Well, overnight, Israel and Lebanon laid down their weapons, agreeing to a 10-day ceasefire deal. So far, it appears to be holding. But with a potential path to peace still"
[0:00] Right now on Morning News Now, signs of progress in the Middle East.
[0:05] President Trump teasing a swift end to the war with Iran.
[0:09] Well, overnight, Israel and Lebanon laid down their weapons, agreeing to a 10-day ceasefire deal.
[0:15] So far, it appears to be holding.
[0:18] But with a potential path to peace still up in the air,
[0:21] the commander-in-chief is facing renewed criticism over skyrocketing energy prices here at home.
[0:27] We're covering it all.
[0:28] Also this morning, Health Chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the hot seat on Capitol Hill,
[0:34] flashing with Democrats over his record as HHS secretary and his controversial takes on vaccines.
[0:40] The latest from Washington and what we know about President Trump's brand-new pick to lead the CDC.
[0:47] Plus, the dangerous split screen of wild weather impacting millions across the country.
[0:52] But record high temps on the East Coast to another round of severe storms slamming the Midwest.
[0:57] Our Angie Lassman has your full forecast, including the threat of even more chaos from Mother Nature this weekend.
[1:04] And later in the hour, the intrepid crew of Artemis II sitting down with our own Al Roker.
[1:10] They're reliving that historic 10-day journey around the moon as America enters a bold new era of space exploration.
[1:19] Good Friday morning. I'm Joe Fryer. Savannah is off today.
[1:23] We begin this Friday with the latest out of the Middle East.
[1:26] President Trump announced that leaders from Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire.
[1:31] This follows weeks of intense fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah.
[1:37] A spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry says that Iran welcomes that ceasefire,
[1:42] as Israel's attacks in Lebanon had been a key sticking point in their negotiations with the U.S.
[1:47] As for the temporary ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the U.S.
[1:53] is ready for renewed combat if Tehran fails to agree to a long-term deal.
[1:58] The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters Thursday it has turned back 13 ships since that U.S.
[2:05] blockade of Iranian ports started earlier this week.
[2:08] He issued a warning for any other ships trying to pass through.
[2:11] That fragile two-week ceasefire deal is set to expire on Wednesday, but a second round of talks is expected soon.
[2:18] And President Trump says a deal between the U.S. and Iran is now very close.
[2:23] NBC News Washington correspondent Chris Pallone joins us now from the nation's capital to break all of this down.
[2:27] Chris, good morning.
[2:29] Joe, good morning to you.
[2:30] President Trump continues insisting the end of the war with Iran is near.
[2:34] And overnight, a key step in that process took place.
[2:37] A negotiated ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon's government began, and the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah says it will abide by the ceasefire even though it did not participate in the negotiations.
[2:50] This morning, a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon appears to be holding hours after going into effect.
[2:56] The pause in fighting between the Israelis and the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah is seen as a key step which could lead to the end of the war between the U.S. and Iran.
[3:04] Overnight, President Trump posting on social media may have been a historic day for Lebanon.
[3:10] Good things are happening.
[3:12] Traveling out west to tout his economic record ahead of November's midterm elections, the president once again signaling an end to the war could be near.
[3:20] The war in Iran is going along swimmingly.
[3:24] We can do whatever we want.
[3:28] And it should be ending pretty soon.
[3:31] Earlier, the president said he's open to extending the ceasefire with Iran if necessary.
[3:35] And that a new round of negotiations with the Iranians could take place this weekend.
[3:40] We're close to a deal.
[3:41] We're getting along very well with the new Iranian leaders.
[3:44] Since Monday, the U.S. has been applying economic pressure on Iran, blocking ship traffic going to and from the country's ports.
[3:52] The yeas are 213.
[3:56] The nays are 214.
[3:58] With American support for the war low, the Republican-controlled House Thursday voted down a measure ordering Mr. Trump to end it now by one vote.
[4:07] The vote coming just a day after the Senate rejected a similar measure.
[4:10] And while President Trump wants to turn attention to the economy, his continued back-and-forth exchanges with the Pope about the war threatened to distract from that topic.
[4:19] I can disagree with the Pope, but I have a right to disagree with the Pope.
[4:24] Pope Leo not responding directly, but telling a group of worshipers in Africa,
[4:29] woe to those who manipulate religion for their own military, economic, and political gain.
[4:34] After last night's economic roundtable in Las Vegas, the president heads to Phoenix today for a political rally with Turning Point USA before returning to Washington late tonight.
[4:44] Joe?
[4:45] And Chris, a question about Israel and Lebanon.
[4:47] They have actually technically been at war since 1948, but President Trump says we might see a historic meeting between the two soon.
[4:55] What should we know?
[4:56] Yeah, that's what the president is asserting.
[4:57] He says he plans to invite the prime minister of Israel and the president of Lebanon here to Washington.
[5:04] At first, he said in the next one to two weeks, then he changed that to in the next four to five days, Joe.
[5:09] All right, Chris, thank you so much.
[5:10] President Trump is brushing off concerns the war is having a negative impact on the U.S. economy.
[5:16] At that tax day roundtable in Las Vegas yesterday, the president promoted the tax cuts he signed into law last year,
[5:22] and he dismissed that recent spikes in oil prices as part of what he calls fake inflation.
[5:29] Thanks to our cuts today, the economy is booming.
[5:32] Our economy is booming.
[5:34] You know, you don't read about it.
[5:35] You don't see it so much because of what's going on in Iran, which is really, you know, it's been two months.
[5:41] And you know what?
[5:42] We're going to have victory very shortly.
[5:44] Don't forget, we're having some fake inflation because of the fuel, the energy prices.
[5:49] A lot of people thought that inflation would be through the roof and the stock market would crash.
[5:53] Well, we just hit an all-time new stock market.
[5:57] For more on this, let's bring in NBC News reporter Gary Grumbach.
[6:01] Gary, good to have you with us.
[6:02] We reported yesterday on the concerns some Republicans are voicing, many privately,
[6:06] over how the war with Iran could impact the party in the midterms.
[6:10] Last week, the Labor Department reported consumer prices rose 0.9% in March from the month before.
[6:16] That was the highest spike we'd seen month over month in four years.
[6:19] And we know energy costs are driving a lot of that gain.
[6:21] So how is President Trump trying to frame all of this?
[6:24] Yeah, the White House is viewing this as temporary pain for long-term gain.
[6:28] And he's talking about his excitement over the stock market looking great and the economy looking great.
[6:33] Half of Americans aren't even in the stock market.
[6:35] And for them, prices are still incredibly high.
[6:38] Gas is at $4.07 a gallon.
[6:40] Orange juice is at $4.61 a gallon.
[6:43] Ground beef up nearly 15% from what it was at the start of his term.
[6:46] And at the end of his event yesterday on No Tax on Tips, he said, quote,
[6:50] I just want to say you're welcome.
[6:52] That's a comment that Democrats are sure to be using in ads over the next few months, Joe.
[6:56] Let's talk about Congress now.
[6:57] There was some drama in the House very early this morning when Republicans had to settle for a short-term extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
[7:06] President Trump had been pushing for an 18-month extension.
[7:09] It was actually mostly members of his own party that blocked this bill from moving to a final vote.
[7:14] Explain to us just what this is and tell us about the Republican revolt.
[7:17] Yeah, Joe, while we were sleeping, the House agreeing to a very short 10-day extension of FISA,
[7:22] which is known as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
[7:24] Basically, what it does is the issue here is the holdup around Section 702,
[7:28] which allows the collection of data and information and communications of non-U.S. citizens on non-U.S. soil.
[7:35] Some Republicans, like Congressman Thomas Massey, say they're going to vote no
[7:38] unless there's a warrant provision added to this bill.
[7:42] Other Republicans say Section 702, as it stands, is crucially important for national security.
[7:48] The short-term extension, though, Joe, allows the House to go home for the weekend.
[7:53] Gary, before I let you go, there is another high-profile exit at the Department of Homeland Security.
[7:57] This time, it's the acting director of ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Todd Lyons.
[8:03] He says he's resigning.
[8:05] What do we know about this and who might replace him?
[8:08] So, this is the third big shake-up at the Department of Homeland Security in just over a month.
[8:12] We saw former Secretary Kristi Noem be dismissed by the president.
[8:16] We then saw the elevation of Bordersaw Tom Homan into a role that also dealt with
[8:20] the Immigration Enforcement Operations in Minnesota and beyond.
[8:24] Of course, those were crucially controversial across the country.
[8:28] Lyons' last day is May 31st.
[8:30] We don't know exactly where he's going after that.
[8:33] And we also don't know who's taken over for him, Joe.
[8:35] All right. Gary, thank you so much.
[8:37] In other news out of Washington, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
[8:42] clashed with lawmakers at two House hearings yesterday.
[8:46] Those hearings focused on the proposed budget for his department and planned funding cuts.
[8:51] Kennedy ran through a list of goals accomplished over the last year,
[8:54] but he faced criticism over his continued vaccine policy and overhaul of federal health agencies.
[9:01] NBC News health reporter Aria Bendix joins us now to talk more about this.
[9:04] Aria, good morning.
[9:05] So before we get to this clash on vaccines, just what are some of the key policy changes
[9:10] that Kennedy announced at these hearings and what could they mean for many Americans?
[9:15] Yeah, Joe.
[9:16] So one of the big announcements we heard yesterday was that Kennedy intends to overhaul the U.S.
[9:21] preventative services task force.
[9:24] That's the body that makes national screening recommendations for the country.
[9:29] And insurers actually look to that task force to decide what types of cancer screenings or infectious disease screenings to cover.
[9:36] So that was one announcement.
[9:37] We also heard a big announcement on peptides.
[9:39] Those are those injections that have really taken off in the wellness community for their purported anti-aging benefits or boosting athletic performance.
[9:46] Kennedy said he's moving 12 peptides to this new classification that would allow them to be produced by compounding pharmacies.
[9:54] So essentially making them more widely available.
[9:57] That's a controversial decision because given the scrutiny that Kennedy has applied to vaccines,
[10:02] peptides, Joe, just have far less safety data to back them up.
[10:05] All right, Aria, let's talk about vaccines.
[10:07] California Democratic Representative Linda Sanchez pressed Kennedy about his controversial views on vaccines.
[10:13] And this comes in the wake of a recent fatal measles outbreak in Texas.
[10:17] So let's listen to that exchange.
[10:20] Do you agree with the majority of doctors that the measles vaccine could have saved that child's life in Texas?
[10:26] It's possible, certainly.
[10:28] Did President Trump approve your decision to end the CDC's pro-vaccine public message?
[10:34] Canada has doubled the measles and they have one-eighth of our population.
[10:39] Did he approve that?
[10:41] We've done better at preventing measles than any country in the world.
[10:44] President Trump approve your decision to end the CDC's pro-vaccine public messaging campaign.
[10:50] We've done better at preventing measles.
[10:52] That's not answering my question, sir.
[10:54] And ending the up.
[10:55] So we kept hearing Kennedy say there the U.S. has done better at preventing measles than any other country in the world.
[11:01] What do the numbers tell us?
[11:04] Right.
[11:04] So it's true, Joe, that some countries have had higher measles tallies last year.
[11:08] But experts tell me it's really an apples to oranges comparison.
[11:12] We should be looking at the U.S. trajectory right now.
[11:15] And the fact of the matter is we saw a record-breaking number of measles cases last year, nearly 3,000.
[11:20] We also saw three measles deaths, which is something we hadn't seen in a decade prior.
[11:25] And we are on the verge of losing our measles elimination status in the U.S. if we haven't already, Joe.
[11:33] Aria, while we have you, President Trump has now nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the CDC.
[11:40] What do we know about her?
[11:41] Is she someone who's aligned with RFK's views on things like vaccines?
[11:44] Yeah, so Schwartz is actually a pretty traditional pick for this role.
[11:51] She holds an M.D.
[11:53] She served in the military and she was actually the former deputy surgeon general under the first Trump administration.
[11:59] We know also from her social media that she is supportive of vaccination, but shares Kennedy's views on diet and nutrition.
[12:05] So the question becomes, will she be asked to rubber stamp vaccine recommendations or will she be allowed to steer her own ship, Joe?
[12:12] All right.
[12:13] Aria, thank you so much.
[12:14] In Northern Virginia, the investigation continues this morning into the tragic murder-suicide involving a once-rising star in politics.
[12:23] Police say former Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax fatally shot his wife before dying by suicide.
[12:30] Police describe the shooting as part of a domestic dispute stemming from a messy divorce.
[12:35] NBC's Ryan Nobles has the latest.
[12:38] The news of this murder-suicide sent shockwaves through the Virginia political community.
[12:42] And now it's the Fairfax family that is left to pick up the pieces.
[12:47] Virginia's former Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, a one-time rising Democratic star, dead.
[12:53] Accused of shooting and killing his wife and then turning the gun on himself.
[12:59] Police say Fairfax and his wife Serena were found dead from apparent gunshot wounds.
[13:04] The shootings reported by their teenage son.
[13:06] One of the children was the 911 caller just after midnight.
[13:10] This tragedy comes amidst a contentious divorce.
[13:14] Court records show Fairfax was ordered to vacate the family home where the murder took place by April 30th.
[13:20] The court had also awarded Serena full custody of their children as she showed the court evidence that her husband had become a detached alcoholic.
[13:28] They were scheduled to appear in court on Monday for a trial to divide their assets.
[13:32] Former Lieutenant Governor Fairfax was recently served some paperwork associated with an upcoming court proceeding.
[13:40] That apparently led to this incident last night.
[13:43] According to court documents, Fairfax's struggles with mental health and alcohol abuse started when he was accused of sexual assault in 2019.
[13:52] At that time, Fairfax was in the midst of a bright political career.
[13:55] But then a scandal broke.
[13:56] A photo with a caption attributed to then-Governor Ralph Northam showed a man dressed in blackface, the other in a Ku Klux Klan robe.
[14:04] Northam considered resigning, which would have led to Fairfax taking over.
[14:08] But then two different women accused the lieutenant governor of sexual assault, leading to calls for his resignation.
[14:14] Fairfax never left office and vehemently denied the accusations, but never recovered politically.
[14:20] How disappointing is it to see it come to an end this way?
[14:23] You never know what's going on in any family.
[14:26] There's an enormous talent, and I just can't imagine what this family's going through.
[14:31] And police say that Serena Fairfax recently installed cameras inside the family home.
[14:37] Police say they used video from those cameras to refute claims by Justin Fairfax earlier this year that his wife attempted to assault him.
[14:46] All right, Ryan, thank you.
[14:48] And a reminder, if you or anyone you know is struggling, you can call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
[14:57] Extreme weather has ravaged communities across the country much of this week.
[15:01] Thursday was no different.
[15:02] In the Midwest, flooding from another round of powerful storms, overwhelmed roads and damaged cars.
[15:08] And in the Northeast, the story was an early dose of summer-like sweltering temperatures.
[15:12] NBC News correspondent Emily Ikeda has that story.
[15:15] Families evacuating neighborhoods as floodwaters inundate parts of the Midwest.
[15:21] Collapsed roadways swallowing this car.
[15:23] I looked outside and there was heavy rain, and then all of a sudden it was up to the doors of cars.
[15:29] You can hear rain and hail pelting vehicles in Kansas.
[15:34] Powerful winds toppling tree after tree there and tangling power lines.
[15:39] Cameras captured floodwaters in and outside of the Milwaukee Brewers game.
[15:44] Stranding baseball fans leaving Wednesday.
[15:47] I'm about to clarify.
[15:49] Claire Peterson from our NBC affiliate in Green Bay is on the ground in hard-hit Wisconsin.
[15:54] People are putting sandbags around their businesses as more rain is expected in this area come Friday.
[16:01] Dams in Michigan have been overwhelmed by unrelenting rain and snowmelt.
[16:06] These waves are huge, man.
[16:08] The water level is just inches from topping the Sheboygan Dam, indicating a high probability of a need to evacuate.
[16:15] Authorities in Wisconsin say a man was struck by lightning while walking through the parking lot, later dying at the hospital.
[16:22] While a fast-moving storm brought a rare water spout outside of Seattle.
[16:27] And for tens of millions out east, an early heat wave sending temperatures up to 30 degrees above average.
[16:34] Reaching record highs today in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Norfolk.
[16:38] Baseball fans showing how they're getting by.
[16:41] A lot of water today.
[16:42] Sunscreen and water.
[16:43] And you can see New Yorkers taking advantage of the cool breeze off of the Hudson River in this early blast of summer.
[16:49] But don't put away those winter jackets yet, because you can expect some weather whiplash next week when temperatures are expected to approach freezing in parts of the northeast.
[16:58] Back to you.
[16:59] Of course they are, Emily.
[17:00] Thank you so much for more on that.
[17:02] What's ahead?
[17:02] Let's start with the weekend.
[17:03] Let's bring in meteorologist Angie Lastman, who's tracking everything for us.
[17:07] Angie, good morning.
[17:08] Hi, Joe.
[17:08] Good morning to you.
[17:09] A whiplash, indeed, when it comes to our temperatures in some spots.
[17:12] But first, we've got to get through kind of another active day when it comes to severe weather.
[17:16] We've still got these flood alerts up for parts of Michigan, Wisconsin, stretching down into parts of the plains.
[17:21] And this kind of really potent cold front is going to ramp up once again here as we get into the afternoon hours today, moves into the Midwest.
[17:29] And that's where we see this greatest chance for some of these stronger storms, specifically from Wisconsin down to Texas, Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Dubuque, all included in that.
[17:38] Some strong tornadoes are going to be possible.
[17:39] We've got the wind gusts over 75 miles per hour, as well as that large hail.
[17:44] This is the area that I really want you to concentrate on for if you live in Madison, Davenport, Burlington, La Crosse.
[17:50] If three tornadoes or larger are going to be possible, it's our greatest tornado threat area.
[17:55] And that front is not done just yet.
[17:57] As we get through the day tomorrow, you can see this line of showers kind of works across parts of the east.
[18:02] We'll see the severe weather potentially in the Ohio Valley.
[18:05] All the threats will be on the table, but the tornado risk is going to be on the low end.
[18:09] Nothing like what we're expecting for today.
[18:11] The ingredients just aren't there for that.
[18:13] And then by Sunday, that rain works across the northeast in New England, and we'll see much cooler air kind of filtering in behind this.
[18:20] And that's going to set the stage for some of that weather whiplash that we mentioned.
[18:24] In the meantime, flash flood risk is pretty expansive from Oklahoma City to Chicago today.
[18:29] So heads up for that, we do have that slight risk.
[18:31] Here is how the changes kind of unfold when it comes to our temperatures.
[18:35] We've got this area of high pressure that's going to continue to bring in some really warm air from the Gulf, and that leaves us running above normal like we have been over the past couple of days.
[18:45] But notice this winter-like air is going to work south out of Canada as we see that circulation around that area of low pressure and behind that cold front.
[18:53] And this really changes things up.
[18:55] So today, really the last day of summer-like conditions across the Midwest, the Great Lakes, 68 degrees in Detroit, 81 for Chicago today, 68 in Minneapolis, 80 for Des Moines.
[19:05] But look what happens by the time we get into tomorrow.
[19:07] It's 50s, it's 40s in Traverse City.
[19:11] We've got 46 in Minneapolis.
[19:13] So a big change in a short amount of time.
[19:15] In just 24 hours, we could see 20, 30-degree temperature drops from our afternoon high temperatures.
[19:20] And that, of course, works its way to the east here as we get into Sunday.
[19:23] So you'll get on the cooler air across the northeast as well, 60 degrees in Philadelphia, 51 for Pittsburgh, 63 in Washington, D.C.
[19:31] So the chillier conditions are going to be in place.
[19:35] Nothing like the summer-like heat that we've seen so far, Joe.
[19:38] But notice those morning lows next week, 30s, 40s perhaps.
[19:43] So I hope nobody put their jackets in storage or away in the closets like me.
[19:47] You shouldn't.
[19:48] Oh, you did?
[19:49] Well, I just couldn't take looking at it anymore.
[19:52] You of all people should have known.
[19:54] I will have my layers.
[19:55] Don't you worry.
[19:56] My layers will be out.
[19:58] I have no doubt.
[19:59] But the puffy coat, I can't take it anymore.
[20:01] No, I agree.
[20:02] I agree.
[20:02] All right.
[20:02] Thanks, Angie.
[20:03] You got it.
[20:04] Much more to come on this Friday edition of Morning News Now.
[20:06] A little later, we'll tell you which major airline could shut down as soon as this week,
[20:12] potentially adding even more stress to travelers already on edge.
[20:16] First, though, a shocking statistic overseas.
[20:19] Europe reportedly has just six weeks of jet fuel left on tap,
[20:24] with critical oil pipelines still siphoned off in the Middle East.
[20:27] So what comes next?
[20:29] We'll dig into it after this.
[20:36] We are back with a dire warning that could impact travel plans for millions.
[20:40] The International Energy Agency says we are on the brink of the largest energy crisis
[20:46] the world has ever faced.
[20:48] It's all because of the disruption in tanker traffic on the Strait of Hormuz
[20:51] caused by the war with Iran.
[20:53] Those blockades are halting oil, gas, and other vital supplies from getting through.
[20:58] In an interview with the Associated Press that set off alarm bells around the world,
[21:03] the head of the agency said that Europe only has about six weeks of jet fuel left.
[21:08] He said if the shipping lanes aren't open soon,
[21:10] we could see widespread flight cancellations and other major disruptions.
[21:16] Travel expert and Going.com spokesperson Katie Nastro is here to discuss the global impact,
[21:21] maybe some things we can do about it.
[21:22] Good to have you with us.
[21:23] So jet fuel supply running low.
[21:25] The average price has nearly doubled since the war began.
[21:28] Recent memo to staff, the United Airlines CEO warned if prices stay high,
[21:32] it could add $11 billion in annual costs.
[21:36] How would that affect everyday travelers and what they have to pay?
[21:40] Joe, I wish I had better news, but we're unfortunately seeing this play out in real time.
[21:45] You know, fuel is one of the largest costs for airlines.
[21:48] And if that cost rises, they look to mitigate their bottom line,
[21:53] you know, sort of the loss that they're going to undertake.
[21:56] And so they're coming up with these creative solutions to pass on some of those costs.
[22:00] And we're seeing this play out in the way of higher fares, already up 14% year over year.
[22:05] Summer fares, domestically specifically, up 18% year over year, as well as bag fees rising.
[22:11] And then also, you know, we always talk about if cash prices are high, try to use your points and miles.
[22:17] But some of these award redemptions, those are seeing higher fees.
[22:20] So there's all these different ways that airlines are looking to pass on some of that additional cost that they're dealing with.
[22:26] So that begs the cost. If the prices are going up, and it also seems like there are fewer flight options right now,
[22:32] so you've got a supply and demand issue there,
[22:33] what are some things that travelers can do to try and offset some of those higher costs?
[22:37] Travelers here in the States are less so affected by massive capacity cuts.
[22:42] We're not seeing that play out in real time.
[22:44] But there is a likelihood over the summer, if this persists, that midweek flying,
[22:49] you could see a couple of fewer flights per day on really busy routes.
[22:53] But our biggest piece of advice, if you haven't booked anything immediately for the summer specifically,
[22:58] get those flights booked.
[23:00] Get those flights booked.
[23:01] Book that main economy ticket for two reasons.
[23:03] One, you could take advantage of price drops when they happen.
[23:06] Call the airline.
[23:07] Get that credit that you can then use for flights in the future.
[23:11] But also, because of rising bag fees, a lot more people are going to be looking to take carry-ons.
[23:16] When you book a main economy ticket, you have a better boarding zone group,
[23:19] so you get a better chance at getting some overhead bin space.
[23:23] So it's going to be a fight there for sure this summer.
[23:26] A lot of people always have to do that math.
[23:27] They're like, well, if I buy this ticket and I get the free bags,
[23:30] and it's better than if I didn't and I didn't pay for the bags and all those.
[23:33] Yeah, it's a lot of math we have to do here.
[23:35] Yes, it is.
[23:35] What airlines seem to be most affected by this?
[23:38] And we know Europe is getting hit hardest,
[23:40] but do we imagine this is going to have more of a global impact when it comes to prices?
[23:44] It's already having a global impact.
[23:45] You know, you're looking at carriers in Europe, specifically some of these low-cost carriers,
[23:50] that, yes, they have better margins than everyone else,
[23:53] but they're already raising alarms that they could have to cut capacity across the summer.
[23:58] KLM, various Asian carriers like Vietnam Airlines, Cathay Pacific,
[24:03] all warning and are implementing flight cuts and surcharges.
[24:07] So we just, and it's not across the board the same, same,
[24:10] but we want travelers to be aware of this.
[24:12] If you've had any big international plans this summer,
[24:15] you want to make sure that you have your right details with that airline.
[24:18] So if you do get that notification that your flight has been canceled,
[24:22] you can get on top of rebooking ASAP.
[24:25] Yeah, because you need to have a flight if you want to get overseas.
[24:28] If you do have a flight coming up right now,
[24:30] just what's the best way people can prepare at the airport just as they get ready to travel?
[24:34] Yeah, we want travelers to be aware that we are kind of coming into,
[24:38] we're in the shoulder season, but we are starting to come into the summer.
[24:41] That means busier peak times of the day.
[24:43] Sunday, the busiest day and the most expensive day, according to Going Data.
[24:48] So we want you to try to hug the weekends if you can, try to come back on that Monday,
[24:53] as well as, I hate to say pack your patience, but be ready for anything.
[24:57] Always have a plan B flight in mind.
[24:59] I don't want to scare people thinking that mass capacity cuts are coming,
[25:03] but just always, you know, winter, or excuse me, summer storms are going to be a thing.
[25:07] We want you to have that plan B flight in mind.
[25:09] So if something does happen, you can act quickly.
[25:11] We have winter weather coming, so you never know.
[25:14] Summer, winter, there's weather at any time.
[25:16] Angie knows.
[25:17] So we want you to be prepared.
[25:18] Cool.
[25:18] Katie Nassar, appreciate it.
[25:20] Thank you so much.
[25:21] All right.
[25:21] Pope Leo is continuing his tour of Africa this morning with what is expected to be
[25:25] the biggest event of his trip.
[25:27] The head of the Catholic Church is celebrating mass in front of thousands of people in the
[25:31] Central African nation of Cameroon.
[25:33] During the trip, the pontiff has not shied away from speaking out against war and inequality.
[25:38] NBC's Claudio Lavanga has more from Cameroon.
[25:41] Claudio, good morning.
[25:42] On Friday, Pope Leo traveled to Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon and symbol of this
[25:47] country's inequality, as it is home to a disproportionate share of the country's wealth.
[25:53] In Douala, the Pope held mass in front of hundreds of thousands of people and openly criticized
[25:59] the uneven distribution of wealth in Cameroon, saying that despite the richness of the land
[26:05] in this country, many experienced both material and spiritual poverty.
[26:10] Now, during his visit here, the Pope also didn't shy away from challenging authorities.
[26:15] Now, on Wednesday, in the presence of the president of Cameroon, who's been in power for
[26:19] more than 40 years, he said that in order for peace and justice to prevail, the chains of
[26:26] corruption, he said, which disfigured authority and stripping of its credibility must be broken
[26:32] and that the hearts must be set free from the idolatry and first for profit.
[26:37] In the meantime, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the head of the Church of England, joined Pope
[26:43] Leo's many calls for peace during his visit here in Africa, adding that we should recommit,
[26:49] to the United Nations Charter, upholding human rights and international law.
[26:56] All right, Claudio, thank you.
[26:57] In London, police are warning tourists about a growing crime wave.
[27:01] Phone-snatching gangs are striking across the city.
[27:04] In just one year, tens of thousands of devices were reported stolen.
[27:08] Now, undercover officers are fighting back.
[27:11] NBC News International correspondent Raf Sanchez shows us how police are trying to shut it down.
[27:16] On the streets of London, a game of cat and mouse between British police and gangs,
[27:23] officers say are responsible for an epidemic of phone-snatching.
[27:27] Every day, hundreds of devices are stolen, often by thieves like this, using high-powered
[27:33] e-bikes to target victims on the street, leading to dangerous chases like this in the heart
[27:39] of the British capital.
[27:40] Police!
[27:41] Police!
[27:42] Get up!
[27:44] They killed us!
[27:45] They killed a member of the public!
[27:46] From this control room in the city's West End, the Metropolitan Police are intensifying
[27:51] efforts against the gangs, using drones and London's vast network of CCTV cameras to target
[27:58] hotspots.
[27:59] So, in 2024, there were 80,000 reported phone thefts in London.
[28:03] So, it is a big problem, which is why we've got this real focus on that now.
[28:08] We join an undercover unit that's part of the hunt in central London.
[28:12] Tell us about phone-snatching.
[28:14] You're dealing with a lot of that right now?
[28:15] Yeah, it's right for the moment.
[28:16] Yeah.
[28:17] We're getting a lot of good arrests at the moment for it, but, yeah, doing what we can.
[28:22] As the sun sets and we pass the British Parliament, officers explain how thieves cover their
[28:27] tracks.
[28:28] What they'll do is, if they can, they will wrap tinfoil tightly around the phone, which
[28:36] will then stop that phone being able to transmit signals, like, so you won't be able to call
[28:40] it or anything.
[28:41] And if you try and track that phone, because we'll quickly try and log in to people's Find
[28:45] My iPhone, it won't allow us to track it.
[28:47] And then suddenly...
[28:48] So, we have lights and sirens on, and we are racing down the strand.
[28:55] This is one of the busiest roads in central London.
[28:57] The call turns out to be a false alarm.
[29:00] But days later, the same unit makes an arrest nearby.
[29:04] Phone theft is now a global business, with devices stolen in London, resold in Asia, Africa,
[29:10] and even the U.S.
[29:13] They're exporting a lot at a time and making an awful lot of money out of that.
[29:17] So, this isn't petty theft.
[29:18] This is a major international criminal network.
[29:20] Absolutely.
[29:21] London phone thefts have surged since the pandemic.
[29:24] But police say their efforts are driving the numbers back down.
[29:27] There's lots of work going on to see if we can dismantle these networks.
[29:31] Snatchers often target tourists at major landmarks, like Big Ben and Buckingham Palace.
[29:36] Elizabeth Lopez Aguilar and her boyfriend visited in December on a birthday trip.
[29:41] She was shooting a TikTok by the London Eye when a snatcher pounced.
[29:46] But there was something the thief didn't know.
[29:48] We compete in different sprint-level and Olympic-level distance races here in the States.
[29:54] Aguilar and her boyfriend gave chase.
[29:57] We start running after him.
[29:58] He's way faster than I am.
[29:59] So, he was able to catch him, grab him by the arm, and I was able to get the phone out of his hand.
[30:05] This guy really picked the wrong American tourist to try to rob, huh?
[30:09] Wrong people.
[30:10] We were in off-season for training, but I guess we still had it in us.
[30:14] One stolen phone recovered.
[30:16] Many more to go.
[30:18] Raf Sanchez, NBC News.
[30:21] All right, coming up, a brand-new threat to folks on the hunt for a new job.
[30:24] You might think you're having a fruitful conversation with a real human recruiter,
[30:29] but it might be AI, how you can protect your personal information while looking for that next gig.
[30:35] This is Morning News Now.
[30:37] We are back with a warning for anyone on the job hunt.
[30:45] Scammers are using AI to craft real-looking recruitment emails and messages.
[30:50] Sometimes they're impersonating real recruiters, asking for personal information or even money.
[30:56] NBC News correspondent Erin McLaughlin shows us how the scam works
[30:59] and how to stay safe if you're looking for work.
[31:02] When Nick Russell lost his job as a lead gaming producer,
[31:07] Russell, like tens of thousands of tech workers caught in the recent wave of layoffs,
[31:11] immediately headed to LinkedIn.
[31:13] I kind of threw up on LinkedIn that I was on the job hunt.
[31:17] Russell says he was inundated with emails and messages from recruiters offering to help,
[31:22] some of them legitimate, but many of them sophisticated traps powered by AI.
[31:27] I responded to all of them because they looked like legitimate leads.
[31:30] Were you duped initially?
[31:33] Yeah, of course I was.
[31:34] They were very convincing.
[31:36] Russell showed us one of those scam emails.
[31:38] The approach, eerily authentic, claiming to be a recruiter acting on behalf of an actual entertainment company.
[31:44] Many of the details scraped from Russell's LinkedIn profile.
[31:48] But the telltale red flag?
[31:50] The email extension used didn't match those on the company website.
[31:54] He says other scammers would then ask for money in exchange for resume help or other services that they didn't provide.
[32:00] And while Russell says he was quick to catch on, others can't say the same.
[32:05] I got scammed and lost everything.
[32:06] Just got scammed by an interview.
[32:08] One recruiter trying to raise awareness demonstrates how easy it can be to create these scams.
[32:14] Watch how quickly I can build a job seeker scam using AI.
[32:17] Say you can customize the resumes, make up a couple of testimonials to look really good and have it ready to run.
[32:24] I mean, it was up and running in 10 minutes.
[32:25] It is the Wild West. You have to be careful. You have to be cautious.
[32:31] Mark Rash is a cybersecurity expert.
[32:33] You're getting people who are really hard up. They're very desperate.
[32:37] And the scammers offer them the one thing they don't have, which is hope.
[32:40] How successful are these scammers?
[32:43] Well, in terms of absolute numbers, they're not that successful.
[32:46] But what AI allows them to do is it allows them to hit hundreds or thousands of people a day.
[32:52] A numbers game that Rash says is very difficult for law enforcement to stop.
[32:56] So you essentially need to conduct your own investigation anytime you're approached for a job?
[33:01] Not just for a job. Anytime you're approached for information, anytime you're approached for money,
[33:06] anytime you're approached to give your social security number, your banking information,
[33:11] any information that somebody calls you and asks you for, you need to be suspicious.
[33:16] Aaron McLaughlin, NBC News.
[33:18] The four astronauts from NASA's historic Artemis mission are speaking out,
[33:23] sharing new details with the Today Show's Al Roker.
[33:25] During their 10-day mission, the crew traveled a total of nearly 700,000 miles through space,
[33:31] getting a look at parts of the moon we've never seen before.
[33:35] Here's some of Al's conversation.
[33:38] From the launch at Kennedy Space Center.
[33:40] The crew of Artemis 2, now bound for the moon.
[33:43] To splashdown off San Diego.
[33:45] We launched as friends, and we came back as best friends.
[33:49] A stellar mission for Reed Weissman, Victor Glover, Christina Cook, and Jeremy Hansen.
[33:55] Astronauts becoming household names here on Earth.
[33:58] The crew describing how it felt coming home, breaking through Earth's atmosphere.
[34:04] The capsule's heat shield protecting them from 5,000 degree temperatures.
[34:08] We were all holding our breath.
[34:10] We'd heard about the heat shield.
[34:11] And so this moment is coming.
[34:14] And it happened.
[34:16] What was happening as we were watching you come through?
[34:19] I haven't spent a lot of time processing all of this, so I could tell that we were inside a fireball.
[34:24] But Reed and I had panoramic things.
[34:26] We really did.
[34:27] And the very first thing I thought was, is it supposed to be that big?
[34:31] And it was a lot of fire out there.
[34:33] But then there was a red glow in the orange, a very distinct red and bigger plume.
[34:38] I was hypersensitive to everything.
[34:40] Every noise, every sensation.
[34:41] That hatch opens up.
[34:43] What was that like?
[34:44] It was visceral.
[34:45] I was completely overcome.
[34:47] And I just screamed.
[34:49] I was so happy.
[34:50] And just a visceral, emotional reaction to not only being home, but people there coming to us and bringing us out.
[34:58] It's unspeakable joy.
[35:00] Their trip, the first to take in the full expanse of the moon's far side, sharing spectacular snapshots of the blue marble that's our home, like this one, just peeking over the cratered face of the lunar surface.
[35:14] To me, the most profound moment seeing the moon wasn't necessarily when we were on the full far side.
[35:21] We were so close that the whole thing was just incredible, in-your-face, just dramatic.
[35:26] It was the first real evidence that we were somewhere completely different than where we had started.
[35:31] It wasn't just our own.
[35:33] It was its own.
[35:34] And we were seeing it in a new way.
[35:35] The crew in close quarters aboard their integrity capsule seemed to have grown even closer.
[35:41] Looking at the video, you guys seem pretty comfortable climbing over all over each other.
[35:45] Yeah, especially for you, Jeremy.
[35:47] You're the biggest one of the group.
[35:49] Yeah, I'm sort of like a ladder for the capsule to help them get around.
[35:52] We got really effective and efficient at it, you know, just announcing where we were heading.
[35:57] And, you know, I'm going to be down here by your feet.
[35:59] I don't need you to move.
[36:00] Or can you move?
[36:01] A poignant moment, naming a new crater for Commander Reed Weissman's late wife, Carol.
[36:07] She was an amazing human being, and she's the mother of my two daughters.
[36:10] And, like, what man on this planet deserves a gift like that to have your crew be so thoughtful and to do something so caring?
[36:18] The crew bringing back lessons learned for the next trip.
[36:22] We really wanted this to be about humanity going on this journey with us.
[36:26] And that idea about togetherness, it's just amazing that people resonated with that.
[36:31] A historic moon mission now complete.
[36:34] Al Roker, NBC News Houston.
[36:36] Coming up, a little bit of turbulence for budget-savvy travelers this morning.
[36:42] The Morning News now returns why Spirit Airlines could soon call it quits and how that might impact folks looking for a cheaper getaway.
[36:50] Watching your wallet next.
[36:52] We are back with a potential airline closure that could create even more travel disruptions in the U.S.
[37:04] There are reports that the budget carrier Spirit Airlines could shut down as soon as this week.
[37:10] NBC News Chief Business Correspondent Christine Romans has more on the airline's many problems and what to do if you have a flight booked.
[37:18] Growing concerns, struggling budget airline Spirit may soon be gone for good.
[37:24] Bloomberg News and CNBC reporting the company could be liquidated as soon as this week.
[37:29] Unfortunately, it's looking as if the time is running out for Spirit.
[37:33] Spirit telling NBC News, quote, we don't comment on market rumors and speculation.
[37:39] The budget airline is in bankruptcy for the second time in a year and a half.
[37:43] And now skyrocketing jet fuel prices pose a new challenge.
[37:48] Oil prices are 41 percent higher than they were when the war in Iran began.
[37:53] And jet fuel prices have nearly doubled.
[37:55] For airlines, fuel is typically the second biggest cost after labor.
[37:59] Now, a warning Europe could run out in just six weeks.
[38:04] Delta, United, JetBlue and Southwest have already raised their fees for checked baggage.
[38:10] United and Delta also cut some flights from their schedule.
[38:13] And airfares are already rising into the busy summer travel season.
[38:18] Travel experts say without Spirit, they could go even higher.
[38:22] Even if you've never flown on Spirit, you want them in the market to help put pressure on those other larger carriers.
[38:30] It actually helps keep prices cheap.
[38:33] Spirit still booking tickets and operating flights.
[38:36] Our expert says if you already have a ticket, don't cancel it.
[38:40] That could forfeit a potential refund if the company is liquidated.
[38:43] Christine Romans, NBC News.
[38:45] We've got some more news from the skies.
[38:47] If you're flying in or out of Chicago's O'Hare Airport, you might find fewer options.
[38:53] NBC News business and economy reporter Allie Canal does that.
[38:56] And all the headlines for your Money Minute.
[38:57] Allie, good morning.
[38:58] Good morning, Joe.
[38:59] That's right.
[38:59] Really interesting.
[39:00] The FAA is ordering airlines to cut flights at Chicago's O'Hare Airport from mid-May through late October.
[39:07] Now, this would cap daily takeoffs and landings at about 400 fewer flights than originally scheduled.
[39:13] And this comes after officials said the summer plan was simply too aggressive.
[39:18] Both United and American Airlines, the two largest carriers at O'Hare, have been battling for market share and had both planned to ramp up flights at the airport.
[39:27] The government, though, warning that those schedules could have triggered delays and disruptions across the entire U.S. aviation system.
[39:34] And from the skies to the fairway, a memo obtained by the Associated Press shows that LibGolf's CEO, he said the 2026 season will continue, quote, at full throttle after reports that Saudi-backed funding could be at risk.
[39:49] The league has already spent billions of dollars, including huge signing bonuses for top players, raising questions about how long that backing can actually last.
[39:58] And finally, from sneakers to Silicon Valley, Auburn's stock swung wildly after the company said it's pivoting from shoes to AI, rebranding as NewBird AI to tap into the compute boom.
[40:12] Shares surged nearly 600 percent on the news, then dropped more than 30 percent the next day, but still remain well above where they were just days ago.
[40:20] It's the latest sign that slapping AI on your story can still send Wall Street into a frenzy.
[40:25] The company has struggled, though, to keep up in the competitive sneaker market, and I did own quite a few Allbirds back in the day.
[40:32] I can't say those purchases were recent, but I like them.
[40:35] I remember one time I walked around New York City with them.
[40:38] They were so uncomfortable.
[40:40] Oh.
[40:40] But I thought they were cute.
[40:41] I thought they were very cute.
[40:42] They were cute.
[40:43] They weren't durable.
[40:44] Bad fashion over comfort.
[40:46] So end of an era.
[40:46] I would just like to announce I'm now changing my name to AI Fryer.
[40:49] There you go.
[40:50] We're going to see if I get a raise.
[40:51] Joe's stock just went up way more.
[40:53] There we go.
[40:54] All right, Allie, thank you so much.
[40:55] March Madness has come and gone.
[40:56] Now it's time for the pros to shine on basketball's biggest staves.
[41:00] It's right.
[41:00] The NBA playoffs are finally here with round one set to tip off this weekend.
[41:04] Those play-in games started earlier this week.
[41:07] Those win-or-go-home matchups have lower seeds the chance, give lower seeds the chance, rather,
[41:12] to earn their spot in the final bracket.
[41:14] After 82 regular season games, now the path to the NBA championship begins here.
[41:19] Let's bring in national sports anchor Renee Washington to help us break down the postseason excitement.
[41:24] Renee, good morning.
[41:25] So before the playoffs, we have these play-ins.
[41:28] We do still have a couple more games before the first round matchups are set.
[41:31] What are those scenarios?
[41:32] And what do we expect the final bracket is going to look like?
[41:36] Well, Joe, in addition to all the NBA has been doing around their historic record-setting numbers,
[41:41] they saw this season, that continues into the play-in tournament.
[41:43] It's the 7th through 10th seeds that get a chance for these win-or-go-home types of extra intensity
[41:50] in terms of giving them a chance to get that 7th and 8th final seed.
[41:54] So we've already seen the first teams that have advanced.
[41:56] The Philadelphia 76ers have advanced as well as the Portland Trailblazers.
[42:00] Now it's to see who's going to be that 8th seed against the number one seed in Detroit Pistons
[42:05] and Oklahoma City Thunder for their respective conferences.
[42:07] Let's get into those number one seeds.
[42:09] Oklahoma City defending their title another great year, so they're number one in the West.
[42:14] In that conference, who are the other big contenders?
[42:17] Can anyone slow down OKC?
[42:20] That is the million-dollar question, Joe.
[42:22] If you have the answer, let us know, because Oklahoma City has been the favorites
[42:26] because of just how well they've been playing.
[42:28] Shea Gildas-Alexander is still showing MVP form.
[42:31] They've been consistent on both sides of the ball.
[42:33] I've seen a tie of a 62% chance of them making the finals
[42:37] and nearly a 68% betting favorite to win it all.
[42:41] They have been the best team defensively, offensively.
[42:43] They had the pieces, the depth, and also they now have that championship pedigree and experience,
[42:48] which absolutely goes a long way when you have that versatility
[42:51] and ability to close out big games come postseason time.
[42:54] I'm from Minnesota, so I have to cheer for the 6th seed Timberwolves there.
[42:58] Let's go to the East.
[42:59] You mentioned it, the Detroit Pistons, the number one seed this year.
[43:01] What matches are you looking forward to most in the first round here?
[43:04] Well, I love the Detroit Pistons being an over-61 team.
[43:08] It's happened only three other times in their total times in their franchise.
[43:11] Cade Cunningham also has had a remarkable story coming back from injury.
[43:15] We weren't sure if he was going to be back for this team's postseason run, and here he is.
[43:19] And it's been great to see how well the Pistons have been able to bring the bad boy Pistons
[43:24] and even their championship in the early 2000s back into effect.
[43:27] But also you have to look at a team like the New York Knicks.
[43:30] They are hungry.
[43:31] They've fallen short in recent years.
[43:33] They have a lot of those same four pieces and Jalen Brunson and all of the Villanova characters
[43:38] as well as Carl Anthony Towns.
[43:40] So they're an absolutely Eastern Conference team.
[43:42] But then the Boston Celtics have Jason Tatum back.
[43:45] We wondered what his recovery was going to look like and his return back to the NBA this season.
[43:49] It's great to see him back on the court.
[43:51] But I still think the West has the stronger of the options of who's going to win it all this year.
[43:55] Of course, the playoffs take, I think it's like six or seven months or something like that.
[43:58] They go for a very long time until early June.
[44:01] And real quick, is there an underdog team you think could make a run here?
[44:05] Teams I haven't mentioned.
[44:07] The Spurs with Victor Rembenyama, the defensive player of the year,
[44:10] the blocks that we've seen from him, the presence and the peep.
[44:12] His just completely unicorn style play that is nothing like what we've seen before
[44:17] with his height and his ability.
[44:19] Absolutely a team that I'm keeping an eye.
[44:20] And then the number two seed, which is crazy to say, a dark horse,
[44:23] but also Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets,
[44:26] because he's also an MVP for him.
[44:27] He's also been showing us why they won a championship,
[44:30] how they can get back to being to that title contender type of team.
[44:33] And they are truly between those two teams.
[44:35] They have the height, they have the ability,
[44:37] and they have the experience down the stretch,
[44:39] as well as some youth that's really stepping up big.
[44:42] So those are two teams I'm keeping an eye on.
[44:43] Wemby is a very tall unicorn, by the way.
[44:46] All right, Renee Washington, good to have you with us.
[44:48] Thank you so much.
[44:49] Coming up, we've got fresh beef for you on this Friday morning.
[44:52] After the break, we're sitting down with some of the Emmy-winning minds
[44:55] behind Netflix's road rage-fueled hit, Beef,
[44:59] as they return for a second season.
[45:01] Stay with us. That's next.
[45:03] We are back with some new beef.
[45:10] Three years after Ali Wong and Steven Yeun's Emmy-winning run,
[45:14] the hit Netflix series is back,
[45:15] this time with a new cast and a fresh feud.
[45:19] NBC News Now anchor Vicky Wynn sat down with the show's creator
[45:22] and one of those new stars for a taste of the new beef.
[45:27] Are you in, Josh?
[45:29] Happily married.
[45:31] Two years after beef swept the Emmys with eight awards,
[45:34] creator Lee Sung-jin is back for season two
[45:37] alongside a new cast, including Matthew Kim.
[45:40] Hi, guys.
[45:41] Hello, hello.
[45:43] So you made us wait a long time for this season.
[45:45] We sat down at New York's Golden Hoff
[45:47] over some real Korean beef
[45:49] to give fans a glimpse into the new series.
[45:53] Is it true that part of season two
[45:55] was inspired by something you actually witnessed?
[45:58] Yeah.
[45:59] I had overheard, let's call it a heated debate
[46:02] coming from a couple's home.
[46:04] The incident itself wasn't that fascinating.
[46:05] It was actually when I was like retelling it to people
[46:08] that I found that the younger generation,
[46:11] like Gen Z's, were aghast.
[46:13] They were like, did you call 911?
[46:14] Whereas people, you know, my age and older
[46:17] just kind of shrugged.
[46:18] And so we thought there might be a show there
[46:20] where we juxtaposed younger love against older love.
[46:23] Lee, known as Sonny by his friends,
[46:25] started his career in a familiar spot.
[46:28] He was a page here at NBC News.
[46:30] Has any of that helped you in your career now?
[46:34] Oh, totally.
[46:35] You know, I used to cut teasers for the Today Show.
[46:39] You learn to, in like 10 seconds,
[46:41] like grab the audience's attention
[46:42] and have a little mini arc.
[46:46] How did I not realize this scene?
[46:48] Starring as Woosh, a tennis pro at a Tony country club,
[46:51] Kim makes his acting debut
[46:53] alongside stars Carey Mulligan, Oscar Isaac,
[46:56] and Charles Melton.
[46:57] What was it like to be a rookie amongst these veterans?
[47:00] First, I gotta say thank you to Sonny for bringing me on.
[47:03] Something that was amazing was coming on set.
[47:06] There was zero ego.
[47:08] Everyone was there to just create and have a good time
[47:10] and to just make a beautiful project.
[47:15] Fans may know him better
[47:17] as a member of K-pop group KARD.
[47:19] Did you channel any of your K-pop skills
[47:22] into this experience?
[47:24] No, I think I like completely put that out
[47:26] because K-pop is very, very decorated,
[47:29] like decoration upon decoration,
[47:31] but with acting, I think it's different
[47:33] because when you're in front of the camera,
[47:34] it's just, you have your lines
[47:36] and, you know, the emotions you're trying to convey,
[47:39] and it's super raw.
[47:40] What has that been like for you
[47:41] to watch the evolution
[47:43] of Asian-American representation on the screen
[47:46] and also behind the scenes?
[47:48] It makes me so proud.
[47:49] I grew up up and down the Midwest
[47:51] and oftentimes, you know,
[47:53] usually the only Asian in class.
[47:57] And back then,
[47:58] you wouldn't even be bullied in the right way.
[48:02] They would call me either Chinese or Japanese, right?
[48:04] And so Korea wasn't even on the bullying radar.
[48:11] And now to have this tiny peninsula
[48:15] just in many ways dominate so many aspects
[48:19] of global culture brings me immense pride.
[48:23] People need a place where they can feel safe.
[48:25] What are some of the human themes
[48:26] in this season of beef
[48:28] that you want to provoke the viewers to think about?
[48:32] There are so many.
[48:32] The main one being, you know,
[48:35] our perspective of marriage
[48:36] and how it changes over time.
[48:38] And as the season unfolds,
[48:40] you'll see revenge, jealousy,
[48:43] gaslighting, backstabbing,
[48:45] and all sorts of different emotions.
[48:48] Make no bones about it.
[48:50] Fans of beef should buckle up
[48:51] for more of what they love.
[48:54] Vicki Nguyen, NBC News, New York.
[48:56] Have a long plane ride tomorrow.
[48:58] I know what I'll be watching.
[48:59] That'll do it for this hour of Morning News Now.
[49:00] Stay with us.
[49:01] The news continues right now.
[49:03] Good Friday morning.
[49:14] I'm Joe Fryer.
[49:15] Savannah is off today.
[49:16] Right now on Morning News Now,
[49:18] heating up millions of Americans
[49:20] facing day three of a heat wave
[49:23] with record high temperatures
[49:25] expected up and down the East Coast.
[49:27] As we seek relief,
[49:29] the Midwest recovering from days of severe storms.
[49:32] What Milwaukee faced last night
[49:35] was an overwhelming,
[49:37] overwhelming force of nature.
[49:41] Experts warning the relentless rains
[49:42] could impact the region for days
[49:44] and more storms may soon be on the way.
[49:47] We have the latest forecast from coast to coast.
[49:51] Changing the subject with fallout from the war with Iran,
[49:54] leaving many Republicans on edge over the upcoming midterms.
[49:58] President Trump hitting the road,
[50:00] hoping to shift the conversation.
[50:01] He's touting his economic policies,
[50:04] even as Americans feel pain at the pump.
[50:06] We have his message to voters
[50:08] as their frustration grows.
[50:10] And back home in Washington,
[50:11] the president facing some renovation roadblocks
[50:14] and his vision to remodel the White House
[50:17] and rebuild the nation's capital.
[50:19] Those details coming up.
[50:21] Plus, recounting history,
[50:22] we are hearing directly from the crew of Artemis II
[50:26] about their historic 10-day mission to the moon.
[50:30] We have their exclusive conversation
[50:31] with today's Al Roker,
[50:33] sharing a story that's simply out of this world.
[50:36] And it's Friday, finally,
[50:39] which means it's time for our weekly can't-miss list.
[50:42] We'll tell you about all the shows, movies, and entertainment
[50:44] you simply cannot miss this weekend.
[50:47] That's later this hour.
[50:49] Let's start the hour with the extreme weather
[50:51] that is sweeping across the country.
[50:53] This morning, tens of millions of people
[50:55] from the south to the Midwest
[50:56] are bracing for another round of powerful storms.
[51:00] Several states from Texas to Michigan
[51:02] are bracing for wind gusts
[51:03] that could reach over 75 miles an hour,
[51:06] along with damaging hail and possibly tornadoes.
[51:10] Different story on the East Coast,
[51:12] which is baking under a record-breaking spring heat wave.
[51:16] Temperatures have soared to more than 20 degrees
[51:18] above normal in some cities.
[51:20] NBC News correspondent Sam Brock has the latest.
[51:22] Sam, good morning.
[51:24] Well, the heat has definitely arrived.
[51:25] Here in the East, cities like D.C., Baltimore,
[51:27] and Richmond have all just topped 90 degrees.
[51:30] It comes, though, as a huge section of the country
[51:32] is bracing for extreme weather,
[51:34] including possible tornadoes.
[51:36] Some 36 million folks under severe weather threats right now,
[51:39] but the biggest story continues to be just relentless rain
[51:42] in the Great Lakes region,
[51:43] stressing some dams to the max,
[51:45] like in Sheboygan, Michigan,
[51:46] where the water there is threatening to breach a dam.
[51:50] Communities in the Midwest this morning
[51:51] besieged by raging floodwaters.
[51:55] Officials warning the impact of this week's severe storms
[51:58] could last for days with intense flash flooding,
[52:01] prompting urgent evacuations and rescues.
[52:03] Some neighborhoods saw a month's worth of rain.
[52:07] This view from above in Wisconsin,
[52:09] showing floodwaters overwhelming roads in New London
[52:11] and creating real rapids on some city streets.
[52:15] People wading through water to gather sandbags
[52:18] in an effort to protect their homes and their businesses.
[52:21] As leaders in Chi-Octon, Wisconsin,
[52:23] say the high waters have left part of their village unreachable.
[52:26] Water even breaching the ballpark
[52:29] at the Milwaukee Brewers game.
[52:31] And Michigan currently under a state of emergency
[52:33] as officials there monitoring water levels
[52:36] at the Sheboygan Dam,
[52:37] now just a mere five inches from the top.
[52:40] They've been placing sandbags to guide water flow
[52:43] and to help prevent erosion.
[52:47] The East Coast also not immune to torrential thunderstorms
[52:50] raining down hail in Nashville,
[52:52] while to the north, a scorching taste of summer
[52:55] in early spring.
[52:56] Temperatures approaching 90-plus degrees
[52:59] in many cities, including record highs Thursday
[53:01] from Raleigh to Philadelphia,
[53:03] where kids stayed cool at the splash pad.
[53:06] I just got a big water bottle just in case for the heat,
[53:10] and I got two fans.
[53:11] And in New York City,
[53:13] Yankees fans soaking up the sun at an afternoon game.
[53:16] As for some relief,
[53:18] temperatures here in the Northeast peaked yesterday
[53:19] and are expected to be about 10 degrees cooler today.
[53:22] But of course, all lies right now on the Midwest,
[53:25] where emergency planners are hoping that what they've done
[53:27] to prepare for today's deluge
[53:29] is enough to protect residents
[53:30] from potentially devastating flash flooding.
[53:32] Back to you.
[53:33] All right, Sam, thank you.
[53:34] All that extreme weather, as he mentioned,
[53:36] expected to stretch into the weekend.
[53:38] So Angie Lastman's tracking it all
[53:39] with our morning news now.
[53:40] Weather, Angie, good morning.
[53:41] Hi there, Joe.
[53:42] Good morning to you.
[53:43] Sam mentioned we've still got the flooding concern,
[53:45] and you can see where all those bright green alerts are.
[53:47] Those are flood watches across Michigan,
[53:49] Wisconsin, Kansas, Missouri.
[53:51] Nine million people in total impacted by those today
[53:54] as we gear up for some additional rain
[53:55] in some of these spots.
[53:57] You can see this cold front, still pretty potent.
[53:59] It's going to work into the Midwest here
[54:01] through the day today
[54:01] and ramp up those afternoon thunderstorm conditions
[54:04] from Texas to Wisconsin
[54:06] is where we're really concerned
[54:07] about the most extreme weather potential.
[54:09] Oklahoma City stretching up into Dubuque,
[54:11] but Green Bay, Chicago, Fort Smith,
[54:14] all included in that.
[54:15] We do have the potential to see
[54:16] some strong tornadoes here.
[54:17] So while all the threats are on the table,
[54:19] we are concerned for EF2 and even EF3 tornadoes.
[54:22] Madison, Davenport are in that risk area
[54:25] for where we have that greatest potential
[54:27] to see those larger tornadoes.
[54:29] As we look ahead to tomorrow,
[54:31] this line of showers will stretch
[54:32] from the northeast interior areas
[54:34] all the way back to the south.
[54:36] This is going to be kind of that same rinse and repeat
[54:38] of the thunderstorms
[54:39] with the severe potential possible,
[54:41] mainly focused across the Ohio Valley
[54:43] and for a much smaller risk area.
[54:45] But still, if you live in Cleveland,
[54:47] stretching up to Buffalo, Morgantown, Charleston,
[54:49] you all have the chance to see
[54:50] some of those stronger storms
[54:51] for your Saturday afternoon plans.
[54:54] By Sunday, some of that rain works
[54:56] across the northeast.
[54:57] So New York City, Boston, Atlantic City,
[54:59] stretching down to the Carolinas,
[55:01] we'll see some additional rain.
[55:02] Those periods of rain will last
[55:04] at least through the daytime hours,
[55:05] and then we'll kind of start to see
[55:07] some cooler air filtering in behind that.
[55:09] In the meantime, flooding,
[55:11] a concern for flash flooding,
[55:12] stretching from Oklahoma City to Chicago
[55:14] and up towards Green Bay
[55:15] with that additional rain
[55:17] on those already saturated grounds.
[55:18] It's not going to take much for us
[55:19] to see some of those flooding concerns once again.
[55:22] We've still got the warm air in place
[55:24] across the east
[55:24] as we keep this kind of warm, moist air
[55:27] ushered in around that high pressure
[55:29] from the Gulf.
[55:30] But we've got this colder air
[55:31] on the backside of that front
[55:32] that I just showed you,
[55:33] and it's really going to make a difference.
[55:34] So while we've got 80s
[55:35] still on tap for Chicago today,
[55:37] 60s for Detroit,
[55:38] Cincinnati hits 83.
[55:40] Here comes that chilly air
[55:41] across the Midwest for tomorrow.
[55:43] We're talking 20 to 30 degree temperature drop
[55:45] in just a 24-hour period.
[55:47] So Chicago tomorrow,
[55:49] your high is just 50 degrees,
[55:50] far from summer-like
[55:51] in a lot of these locations
[55:52] that have been dealing with 80
[55:54] and even close to 90 degree temperatures.
[55:56] That includes the Northeast,
[55:58] who on Sunday, you'll notice
[55:59] just 60 degrees for the high in Philadelphia.
[56:01] Again, not so much for the 80s
[56:03] or even close to 90s anymore there.
[56:05] Pittsburgh ends up at 51 degrees.
[56:07] And then we kind of stay in that chilly range
[56:09] as we begin our next work week.
[56:11] So Monday morning,
[56:12] you wake up in Burlington,
[56:14] 30 degrees for your early morning low, Joe.
[56:16] We'll see some 20s across New England
[56:18] early morning on Tuesday
[56:19] in New York City, 37 degrees.
[56:22] So the rollercoaster ride
[56:23] of temperatures continues.
[56:25] I want to go back
[56:25] and interview the Yankees fans
[56:27] when it's 37,
[56:28] if there's a game in Yankee Stadium
[56:30] to see what they're saying.
[56:32] All right, Angie, thank you so much.
[56:33] Let's move now to the latest
[56:34] out of the Middle East.
[56:35] President Trump announced
[56:36] that leaders from Israel and Lebanon
[56:38] have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire.
[56:41] This follows weeks of ongoing strikes
[56:43] between Israel and the Iranian-backed
[56:45] militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
[56:48] An Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson
[56:49] says that Iran welcomes the ceasefire.
[56:52] Israel's attacks in Lebanon
[56:54] had been a key sticking point
[56:55] in their own negotiations with the U.S.
[56:58] As for those talks,
[56:59] Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
[57:01] says the U.S. is ready for renewed combat
[57:03] if Tehran fails to agree
[57:05] to a long-term deal with the U.S.
[57:07] to end the war.
[57:08] The U.S. heads into this weekend
[57:09] with that fragile two-week ceasefire deal
[57:12] set to expire next Wednesday.
[57:14] But a second round of peace talks
[57:16] is expected soon.
[57:18] President Trump says a peace deal
[57:19] between the U.S. and Iran
[57:20] is now very close.
[57:22] NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent
[57:24] Richard Engel
[57:24] has the latest now
[57:25] from northern Israel.
[57:26] It's a scene that's become
[57:30] increasingly rare in the Middle East.
[57:32] There were massive celebrations
[57:34] in Beirut for peace
[57:35] after Israel and Lebanon
[57:38] agreed to a 10-day ceasefire
[57:40] at the stroke of midnight local time
[57:42] last night.
[57:44] President Trump announced
[57:45] the agreement between
[57:46] Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu
[57:48] and Lebanon's President
[57:49] Joseph Aoun.
[57:50] It's very exciting.
[57:51] With Lebanon,
[57:52] it's very exciting.
[57:53] Tens of thousands of Lebanese
[57:55] immediately began heading south
[57:57] to see what's left of their homes
[57:59] after six weeks
[58:00] of intense Israeli bombardment.
[58:03] Targeting Israel,
[58:03] Israel says the militant group Hezbollah
[58:06] before and after satellite images
[58:08] show the extent of the damage
[58:10] with several Lebanese villages
[58:12] effectively flattened.
[58:15] The Lebanese army this morning
[58:16] was out fixing bridges
[58:18] to allow the 1.2 million
[58:20] Lebanese civilians
[58:21] displaced by the fightings
[58:23] to return to their homes.
[58:25] President Trump said
[58:26] a deal with Iran
[58:27] is coming next and soon.
[58:29] The war on Iran
[58:31] is going along swimmingly.
[58:32] We can do whatever we want
[58:35] and it should be ending pretty soon.
[58:40] It was perfect.
[58:42] I mean, it's perfect.
[58:44] While the U.S. military
[58:45] is still enforcing
[58:46] a blockade of Iran's ports,
[58:48] the ceasefire in Lebanon
[58:50] does improve the likelihood
[58:51] of a peace deal with Iran,
[58:53] the reopening of Hormuz
[58:55] and lowering gas prices.
[58:57] Iran has long said
[58:59] there can be no deal
[59:00] with Washington
[59:00] without a truce in Lebanon.
[59:03] That was Richard Engel reporting.
[59:04] Now, with the war in Iran
[59:06] triggering economic uncertainty
[59:07] here at home,
[59:09] some Republicans are worried
[59:10] it could have a negative impact
[59:11] in the midterm elections
[59:12] this November.
[59:13] President Trump
[59:14] hit the road yesterday
[59:15] to try and shift the focus,
[59:16] highlighting some
[59:17] of his economic policies.
[59:19] NBC News senior
[59:20] White House correspondent
[59:21] Garrett Haake joins me now
[59:22] with more on this.
[59:23] Garrett, good morning.
[59:24] Hey, Joe.
[59:24] Good morning.
[59:25] Those worries
[59:25] have been well-founded
[59:26] with the president
[59:27] and his party
[59:27] being dogged
[59:28] by poor polling
[59:29] on the economy
[59:30] and on the war with Iran,
[59:32] with Americans expressing
[59:33] their discomfort
[59:34] with the war
[59:34] and its effect
[59:35] in pushing prices higher.
[59:37] But now the president
[59:38] is hitting the road
[59:38] arguing that the war's
[59:39] economic impact
[59:40] will be temporary
[59:41] and talking up
[59:42] his legislative record.
[59:44] But he also muddied
[59:45] even that message,
[59:47] lashing out again
[59:47] at Pope Leo
[59:48] over the war.
[59:51] President Trump
[59:52] is on a swing
[59:53] of Western states,
[59:54] trying to change
[59:55] the political subject
[59:56] away from the Iran war,
[1:00:00] instead attempting
[1:00:01] to turn the spotlight
[1:00:02] on his economic policies.
[1:00:04] The same week
[1:00:05] as Americans
[1:00:06] are wrapping up
[1:00:07] their tax filings.
[1:00:08] The tax cuts
[1:00:09] are enormous.
[1:00:10] In Las Vegas,
[1:00:11] the president
[1:00:12] road-testing
[1:00:12] a midterm message
[1:00:13] meant to boost Republicans.
[1:00:15] After four long years
[1:00:17] of brutal inflation
[1:00:18] under Biden
[1:00:18] and congressional Democrats,
[1:00:20] you deserve
[1:00:21] every single penny
[1:00:22] that you're getting now
[1:00:23] because you had to suffer.
[1:00:24] And poking some fun
[1:00:26] at his own earlier
[1:00:27] economic stunt,
[1:00:28] accepting a fast food delivery
[1:00:29] outside the Oval Office
[1:00:31] on Monday
[1:00:31] to highlight his
[1:00:32] no-tax-on-tips policy.
[1:00:34] It was a little bit
[1:00:35] of a, you know,
[1:00:36] I mean, to be honest,
[1:00:37] it was a little tacky.
[1:00:38] The president
[1:00:39] also highlighting
[1:00:40] falling gas prices.
[1:00:41] The national average
[1:00:42] down 7 cents a gallon
[1:00:44] in the last week,
[1:00:45] but still nearly a dollar
[1:00:46] higher than at this time
[1:00:48] last year.
[1:00:49] The gas prices
[1:00:50] have come down
[1:00:51] very much
[1:00:52] over the last three,
[1:00:52] four days.
[1:00:53] But at this
[1:00:54] Nevada gas station
[1:00:55] where it is $5.09
[1:00:57] a gallon,
[1:00:58] drivers deeply frustrated.
[1:01:00] It's terrible.
[1:01:00] I mean, it's, you know,
[1:01:01] when you're retired
[1:01:02] on a fixed income,
[1:01:04] it's, it's difficult.
[1:01:05] The president
[1:01:06] also distracting
[1:01:07] from his economic message
[1:01:08] by fueling another feud
[1:01:10] with Pope Leo,
[1:01:11] falsely claiming
[1:01:12] the pontiff
[1:01:13] who opposes
[1:01:14] the Iran war
[1:01:14] was in favor
[1:01:16] of Iran
[1:01:16] getting a nuclear weapon.
[1:01:18] The Pope
[1:01:19] has to understand
[1:01:20] that.
[1:01:20] This is the real world.
[1:01:22] It's a nasty world.
[1:01:23] The Vatican
[1:01:24] has a long-standing
[1:01:25] policy opposing
[1:01:26] nuclear weapons
[1:01:27] in their entirety.
[1:01:28] The Pope
[1:01:29] earlier yesterday
[1:01:30] on a tour of Africa
[1:01:31] continuing his
[1:01:32] regular calls
[1:01:33] for peace
[1:01:34] and condemning
[1:01:35] what he called
[1:01:35] a handful of tyrants
[1:01:37] pushing for war.
[1:01:39] They turn a blind eye
[1:01:40] to the fact
[1:01:41] that billions of dollars
[1:01:42] are spent
[1:01:43] on killing,
[1:01:44] on devastation,
[1:01:46] yet the resources
[1:01:47] needed for healing,
[1:01:49] education,
[1:01:50] and restoration
[1:01:51] are nowhere to be found.
[1:01:53] As the president
[1:01:54] continues to speak out.
[1:01:56] I have a right
[1:01:57] to disagree with the Pope.
[1:01:58] And we learned
[1:02:01] late last night
[1:02:02] that the president
[1:02:02] will be forced
[1:02:03] to fill another
[1:02:03] key position
[1:02:04] in his administration
[1:02:05] with the acting
[1:02:06] ICE director
[1:02:07] Todd Lyons
[1:02:07] now set to leave
[1:02:08] government next month.
[1:02:10] Lyons led
[1:02:10] the controversial agency
[1:02:11] through the last year
[1:02:12] of tumultuous
[1:02:13] immigration crackdowns
[1:02:15] all across the country.
[1:02:16] His replacement
[1:02:17] has not been named.
[1:02:18] Joe, the Department
[1:02:19] of Homeland Security
[1:02:20] under whose jurisdiction
[1:02:21] Ice Falls
[1:02:21] is still shut down
[1:02:23] now day 63
[1:02:25] without funding
[1:02:26] from Congress.
[1:02:27] Reminder,
[1:02:27] it's still underway.
[1:02:28] Garrett, thank you.
[1:02:29] A federal judge
[1:02:30] has issued a new order
[1:02:32] halting construction
[1:02:33] on President Trump's
[1:02:34] planned White House ballroom.
[1:02:35] This comes
[1:02:36] as another presidential project
[1:02:38] plans for a triumphal arch
[1:02:40] in Washington
[1:02:40] receives the initial green light
[1:02:42] from a federal panel.
[1:02:44] NBC News Chief Justice
[1:02:45] and National Affairs
[1:02:45] correspondent Kelly O'Donnell
[1:02:47] joins me now from Washington
[1:02:48] with the latest
[1:02:48] on this D.C. makeover.
[1:02:50] Kelly, good morning.
[1:02:51] So good to see you, Joe,
[1:02:52] and good morning, everyone.
[1:02:54] President Trump
[1:02:54] is on a hurried mission
[1:02:56] to stamp his vision
[1:02:58] across Washington
[1:02:59] to remake,
[1:03:00] refinish,
[1:03:00] renovate,
[1:03:01] and build his own
[1:03:02] ornate landmarks.
[1:03:04] Now, that rush
[1:03:05] is all about
[1:03:05] getting it done
[1:03:06] while he is in office
[1:03:07] able to enjoy it.
[1:03:08] But now a federal court
[1:03:10] and a Trump-appointed commission
[1:03:12] are weighing in
[1:03:13] on the president's
[1:03:14] latest plans.
[1:03:16] This morning,
[1:03:17] new ballroom backlash.
[1:03:19] A court blocking
[1:03:21] the president's dream
[1:03:22] entertaining space
[1:03:23] at the White House.
[1:03:25] Prompting an angry response
[1:03:26] from Mr. Trump
[1:03:27] on social media.
[1:03:29] This judge
[1:03:29] should be ashamed
[1:03:30] of himself.
[1:03:31] But a different outcome
[1:03:33] for the president's
[1:03:34] passion for a towering arch.
[1:03:37] The fine arts commission
[1:03:38] he personally appointed
[1:03:39] approving an initial concept.
[1:03:42] Oh, there's the eye.
[1:03:44] Eye.
[1:03:44] Eye.
[1:03:45] The new structure
[1:03:46] would be more than
[1:03:47] twice the height
[1:03:48] of the Lincoln Memorial,
[1:03:50] a soaring 250 feet
[1:03:52] to honor the nation's birthday.
[1:03:54] We're building
[1:03:55] an arch,
[1:03:56] a triumphal arch,
[1:03:57] which would be incredible
[1:03:58] for the city.
[1:03:59] All part of his agenda
[1:04:01] as builder-in-chief
[1:04:02] to leave his mark
[1:04:04] on the capital city,
[1:04:06] adding his name
[1:04:07] in gilded form
[1:04:09] to buildings
[1:04:09] like the Kennedy Center.
[1:04:11] His desire
[1:04:12] to paint white
[1:04:13] over the 1880s
[1:04:15] gray granite
[1:04:16] of the Eisenhower
[1:04:17] executive office building.
[1:04:19] But on Thursday,
[1:04:20] a federal judge
[1:04:21] reissued his order
[1:04:22] to stop
[1:04:23] above-ground
[1:04:24] physical construction
[1:04:25] of the proposed ballroom
[1:04:27] unless there is
[1:04:28] express authorization
[1:04:29] from Congress.
[1:04:31] But basically,
[1:04:32] he's saying
[1:04:32] I need congressional approval
[1:04:33] and he's so wrong.
[1:04:36] The court did approve
[1:04:37] work on below-ground
[1:04:39] military facilities,
[1:04:40] including a new
[1:04:41] secure bunker,
[1:04:43] but rejected
[1:04:44] the administration's claim
[1:04:45] the entire ballroom project
[1:04:47] is tied to presidential safety.
[1:04:49] The judge calling that
[1:04:50] incredible,
[1:04:52] if not disingenuous.
[1:04:53] It's quite beautiful,
[1:04:55] as you can see.
[1:04:56] While the White House
[1:04:56] is touting the arch,
[1:04:58] the commission
[1:04:59] did acknowledge
[1:05:00] that public comments
[1:05:01] it received
[1:05:02] are overwhelmingly negative.
[1:05:04] I am here to speak
[1:05:05] to express serious concerns
[1:05:06] and strong opposition
[1:05:07] to the proposed arch.
[1:05:09] So advocates see the arch
[1:05:11] as a celebration
[1:05:12] of the nation's
[1:05:14] important birthday,
[1:05:14] but critics say
[1:05:15] its size could be a problem
[1:05:17] even for pilots
[1:05:18] at nearby Reagan Airport.
[1:05:19] Some veterans groups
[1:05:21] are also upset,
[1:05:22] saying that this would
[1:05:23] obstruct the sweeping views
[1:05:26] of the hallowed ground
[1:05:27] at Arlington National Cemetery,
[1:05:29] changing the look
[1:05:30] of that in Washington.
[1:05:32] And so that is just approved
[1:05:34] at an initial phase.
[1:05:35] There will be more battles
[1:05:36] to come over all of this.
[1:05:38] Joe?
[1:05:38] All right.
[1:05:39] Kelly, thank you so much.
[1:05:40] We are learning
[1:05:41] more details this morning
[1:05:42] about the tragic shooting
[1:05:43] involving former Virginia
[1:05:44] Lieutenant Governor
[1:05:45] Justin Fairfax.
[1:05:47] Police say Fairfax
[1:05:48] murdered his wife
[1:05:49] before he died
[1:05:50] by suicide
[1:05:50] with their teenage children
[1:05:52] inside the home
[1:05:53] at the time
[1:05:54] of the fatal shooting.
[1:05:56] It is a violent end
[1:05:57] for a man who was once
[1:05:58] a rising political star.
[1:06:00] NBC's Ryan Nobles
[1:06:01] joins us with more
[1:06:01] on this tragedy
[1:06:02] and the investigation.
[1:06:03] Ryan, good morning.
[1:06:05] Hey, Joe.
[1:06:05] Good morning.
[1:06:06] Justin Fairfax was once
[1:06:07] a rising political star
[1:06:08] who nearly became
[1:06:10] Virginia's governor,
[1:06:11] but his career
[1:06:11] was clouded by scandal.
[1:06:13] Scandal that led
[1:06:14] to alleged alcohol abuse
[1:06:15] and mental health struggles.
[1:06:19] This morning,
[1:06:20] a community in shock.
[1:06:22] I am devastated.
[1:06:24] I just screamed
[1:06:24] when I heard the news.
[1:06:27] Police say the former
[1:06:28] Virginia Lieutenant Governor
[1:06:29] Justin Fairfax
[1:06:30] shot and killed his wife
[1:06:32] and then turned the gun
[1:06:33] on himself.
[1:06:34] Police say Fairfax
[1:06:40] and his wife,
[1:06:40] Serena Fairfax,
[1:06:41] were both found dead.
[1:06:43] The incident happening
[1:06:44] with both of their
[1:06:44] teenage children in the home.
[1:06:46] Their son called 911.
[1:06:49] Court documents reveal
[1:06:50] that the couple was dealing
[1:06:51] with a contentious divorce.
[1:06:53] The former governor
[1:06:54] was ordered to leave
[1:06:55] the family home
[1:06:56] at the end of the month
[1:06:57] after his wife told the court
[1:06:58] that he was struggling
[1:06:59] with alcohol abuse
[1:07:00] and had detached himself
[1:07:02] from the family.
[1:07:03] The pair were scheduled
[1:07:04] to appear in court Monday
[1:07:05] for a trial set
[1:07:06] to divide their assets.
[1:07:08] Former Lieutenant Governor
[1:07:09] Fairfax was recently
[1:07:11] served some paperwork
[1:07:12] associated with
[1:07:13] an upcoming court proceeding.
[1:07:16] The court documents
[1:07:17] also show that much
[1:07:18] of Fairfax's troubles
[1:07:19] date back to his
[1:07:20] political losses.
[1:07:22] First, a loss in the race
[1:07:23] for Attorney General
[1:07:24] in 2013
[1:07:24] and then a sexual assault
[1:07:26] scandal while he was
[1:07:27] Lieutenant Governor
[1:07:28] in 2019.
[1:07:30] Two women accused him
[1:07:31] of assault during
[1:07:31] a window of time
[1:07:32] where he nearly ascended
[1:07:34] to the governorship
[1:07:35] after the then-governor
[1:07:36] Ralph Northam
[1:07:37] was caught up
[1:07:38] in a scandal of his own.
[1:07:39] A picture attributed
[1:07:40] to him in his
[1:07:41] medical school yearbook
[1:07:42] showed two men,
[1:07:44] one dressed in a
[1:07:45] Ku Klux Klan robe,
[1:07:46] the other in blackface.
[1:07:48] Northam came close
[1:07:49] to resigning
[1:07:49] but never did.
[1:07:51] Fairfax denied
[1:07:52] the allegations
[1:07:53] and even took
[1:07:54] a polygraph
[1:07:55] but never recovered
[1:07:56] politically.
[1:07:57] Now, those who knew
[1:07:58] and worked with
[1:07:59] the once rising star
[1:08:00] are stunned
[1:08:01] by this tragic end.
[1:08:03] This unexpected shock
[1:08:05] and for an awful lot
[1:08:09] of us that worked
[1:08:10] with Justin,
[1:08:12] he was an enormous
[1:08:13] talent and I just
[1:08:15] can't imagine
[1:08:16] what his family
[1:08:16] was going through.
[1:08:17] And in the midst
[1:08:20] of this contentious
[1:08:21] divorce,
[1:08:21] Fairfax accused
[1:08:22] his wife of
[1:08:23] assaulting him
[1:08:24] but police say
[1:08:25] that she had had
[1:08:25] cameras installed
[1:08:26] inside the house
[1:08:27] and they were able
[1:08:28] to view the video
[1:08:29] footage and determine
[1:08:30] that no assault
[1:08:31] had occurred.
[1:08:32] Joe.
[1:08:33] All right, Ryan,
[1:08:33] thank you so much.
[1:08:34] A reminder,
[1:08:35] if you or anyone
[1:08:35] you know is struggling,
[1:08:37] you can call
[1:08:37] or text the
[1:08:38] suicide and crisis
[1:08:39] lifeline at 988.
[1:08:42] Much more to come
[1:08:43] here on Morning News
[1:08:44] now.
[1:08:44] Later this hour,
[1:08:45] WrestleMania,
[1:08:46] the biggest stars
[1:08:47] in sports entertainment
[1:08:48] are heading to Vegas
[1:08:50] this weekend
[1:08:50] for the big two-day event.
[1:08:52] I've got an interview
[1:08:53] with the queen
[1:08:54] of the WWE,
[1:08:55] Charlotte Flair.
[1:08:56] We'll bring you
[1:08:56] our conversation.
[1:08:58] Up first,
[1:08:59] catching up with
[1:09:00] the crew of Artemis 2.
[1:09:01] We're hearing directly
[1:09:02] from the four astronauts
[1:09:03] about that historic
[1:09:05] lunar flyby.
[1:09:07] Next.
[1:09:07] We are back
[1:09:14] with a new travel warning
[1:09:15] for folks planning
[1:09:16] their summer getaway.
[1:09:17] The head of the
[1:09:18] International Energy Agency
[1:09:19] says Europe could have
[1:09:21] just six weeks
[1:09:22] of jet fuel left
[1:09:23] because of the disruption
[1:09:24] caused by the war
[1:09:25] with Iran.
[1:09:26] NBC's Liz Kreutz
[1:09:27] joins me with more
[1:09:28] on that and what it
[1:09:29] could mean not only
[1:09:30] for travel abroad
[1:09:30] but here in the States
[1:09:31] as well.
[1:09:32] Liz, good morning.
[1:09:32] Good to see you.
[1:09:33] Hey, Joe.
[1:09:33] Good to be here with you.
[1:09:34] Yeah, it's a little bit
[1:09:35] concerning for all of us
[1:09:36] starting to plan
[1:09:36] our separate travels.
[1:09:38] You know, we're also
[1:09:38] feeling the effects
[1:09:39] of rising fuel prices
[1:09:40] here in the U.S.
[1:09:41] Delta, United, JetBlue
[1:09:42] and Southwest have already
[1:09:44] raised their fees
[1:09:45] for checked baggage
[1:09:45] while United and Delta
[1:09:47] have cut some flights
[1:09:48] from their schedule
[1:09:49] and airfares are also
[1:09:50] climbing as we head
[1:09:51] into this busy
[1:09:52] summer travel season.
[1:09:54] This morning,
[1:09:55] a new warning
[1:09:56] and advice for travelers
[1:09:57] ahead of the busy
[1:09:58] summer season
[1:09:59] as cost rise overall.
[1:10:00] Has anyone seen
[1:10:02] these flight prices recently?
[1:10:04] Now, a possible fuel crisis
[1:10:05] for many popular destinations.
[1:10:08] Europe has just six weeks
[1:10:09] of jet fuel left
[1:10:10] according to
[1:10:11] International Energy Agency
[1:10:12] saying the Iran war
[1:10:14] has spurred shortages
[1:10:15] with destinations like Italy,
[1:10:17] France and London
[1:10:18] popular in peak travel season.
[1:10:20] The fallout could affect
[1:10:21] American travelers.
[1:10:22] Europe is still one
[1:10:23] of the most heavily
[1:10:24] searched areas
[1:10:25] for summer travel.
[1:10:27] Experts say to expect
[1:10:28] higher prices,
[1:10:29] less flexibility for bookings
[1:10:31] and more schedule changes,
[1:10:32] particularly in May and June.
[1:10:34] One man sending us
[1:10:35] a flight cancellation
[1:10:36] confirmation email
[1:10:37] he says he received
[1:10:38] from North Atlantic Airways.
[1:10:40] His summer trip
[1:10:40] from L.A. to Paris
[1:10:41] grounded after what the airline
[1:10:43] called an extraordinary
[1:10:44] surge in oil prices,
[1:10:45] followed by unpredictable
[1:10:47] fuel supply shortage constraints.
[1:10:49] While experts tell us
[1:10:50] any jet fuel shortages
[1:10:51] in the U.S.
[1:10:52] aren't imminent,
[1:10:53] they are worth watching.
[1:10:54] I'm not worried
[1:10:55] about shortages yet,
[1:10:57] but they could develop
[1:10:58] if the competition
[1:10:59] for our supply
[1:11:00] really heats up.
[1:11:01] As the fallout
[1:11:01] from rising fuel prices
[1:11:02] continues,
[1:11:03] multiple outlets
[1:11:04] reporting that
[1:11:04] a well-known budget carrier,
[1:11:06] Spirit Airlines,
[1:11:07] could be liquidated
[1:11:08] as early as this week.
[1:11:10] Spirit telling NBC News,
[1:11:11] we don't comment
[1:11:12] on market rumors
[1:11:13] and speculation.
[1:11:14] Spirit is in bankruptcy
[1:11:15] for the second time
[1:11:16] in a year and a half.
[1:11:17] And if you've never
[1:11:18] flown on Spirit,
[1:11:19] you want them in the market
[1:11:20] to help put pressure
[1:11:22] on those other larger carriers.
[1:11:24] And those prices
[1:11:25] are rising regardless.
[1:11:27] Flight deals serve as going,
[1:11:28] releasing their summer outlook,
[1:11:29] revealing domestic airfare prices
[1:11:31] are up 18%,
[1:11:33] with international trips
[1:11:34] rising 7.5%,
[1:11:36] an increase of 13%
[1:11:38] year over year.
[1:11:39] But many saying Americans
[1:11:40] can still find deals
[1:11:42] if they book now.
[1:11:43] You've got to figure out
[1:11:44] a way to still travel
[1:11:46] on a budget.
[1:11:47] That's the big question, right?
[1:11:48] So one tip for travelers
[1:11:49] as you're trying to maybe
[1:11:50] book your flight,
[1:11:51] some travel experts suggest
[1:11:53] just going and booking
[1:11:54] that main economy ticket
[1:11:55] when possible
[1:11:56] versus just going
[1:11:57] for the basic option.
[1:11:58] If you upgrade a little bit,
[1:12:00] you'll have more flexibility
[1:12:01] in terms of making changes
[1:12:02] to your itinerary
[1:12:03] if the flight changes
[1:12:05] or whatever.
[1:12:05] It's just, you know,
[1:12:06] those basic ones
[1:12:06] don't really allow
[1:12:07] for many changes.
[1:12:08] Exactly.
[1:12:09] I can't believe I'm asking this,
[1:12:10] but if Europe does run
[1:12:11] out of jet fuel,
[1:12:13] what is that going to mean
[1:12:14] for travelers?
[1:12:15] This is the forecast.
[1:12:15] I mean, things could change,
[1:12:16] but experts we did talk to
[1:12:18] say that it is possible
[1:12:19] it could lead to
[1:12:20] some widespread cancellations.
[1:12:21] I know that's pretty concerning.
[1:12:22] We were talking about
[1:12:23] I have a trip to Europe.
[1:12:23] A lot of people have trips
[1:12:24] to Europe planned this summer
[1:12:25] and that's concerning.
[1:12:27] It could impact
[1:12:27] international flights as well.
[1:12:30] It's really important,
[1:12:31] I think, for people this year.
[1:12:32] You know, we're talking about
[1:12:33] like when you book a flight,
[1:12:34] usually it says travel insurance
[1:12:35] and you're like decline.
[1:12:36] Right.
[1:12:37] It's probably not the year
[1:12:38] to skip on that
[1:12:38] because if you get
[1:12:39] that travel insurance,
[1:12:40] if anything happens
[1:12:41] to your flight,
[1:12:42] you know,
[1:12:43] you might save
[1:12:43] a lot of money then.
[1:12:44] And credit cards,
[1:12:45] some of them you should check,
[1:12:46] actually include travel insurance
[1:12:48] as a benefit.
[1:12:48] Great advice there.
[1:12:49] All right, Liz,
[1:12:50] thank you so much.
[1:12:50] Appreciate it.
[1:12:51] Tonight marks one week
[1:12:53] since NASA's Artemis 2
[1:12:54] crew splashed down
[1:12:55] in the Pacific.
[1:12:56] Liz was there,
[1:12:57] capping off
[1:12:57] a historic lunar mission.
[1:12:59] Well, now we're learning
[1:12:59] more about their epic
[1:13:00] 10-day trip around the moon
[1:13:02] from the astronauts themselves.
[1:13:04] The four-person crew
[1:13:05] traveled farther from Earth
[1:13:06] than any human
[1:13:07] has gone before.
[1:13:08] And the Today Show's
[1:13:09] Al Roker had the chance
[1:13:10] to catch up with them
[1:13:11] at Johnson Space Center
[1:13:12] in Houston.
[1:13:15] It's been nearly a week
[1:13:16] since their picture-perfect
[1:13:18] splashdown in the Pacific.
[1:13:20] But for the Artemis crew,
[1:13:24] Commander Reed Weissman,
[1:13:25] Pilot Victor Glover,
[1:13:26] and mission specialists
[1:13:28] Christina Cook
[1:13:29] and Jeremy Hansen,
[1:13:31] the moon joy
[1:13:32] they shared with all of us
[1:13:33] on Earth
[1:13:34] during their record-setting journey
[1:13:36] around the far side
[1:13:37] of the moon
[1:13:37] is still fresh.
[1:13:39] Welcome home.
[1:13:40] Thank you.
[1:13:41] It's good to have you
[1:13:41] every 10 days
[1:13:42] of being as close
[1:13:43] as human beings can be.
[1:13:45] Have you guys gone through
[1:13:46] withdrawal without being
[1:13:47] without each other?
[1:13:47] Yes.
[1:13:48] Yeah.
[1:13:48] 100%.
[1:13:49] That closeness
[1:13:50] meant working
[1:13:51] as a single unit
[1:13:52] on just about every task.
[1:13:55] There's something about
[1:13:56] being together
[1:13:57] that transferred to us
[1:14:00] back on the ground.
[1:14:02] You know,
[1:14:02] the idea that
[1:14:03] you're working together
[1:14:05] to bring something
[1:14:07] that's bigger
[1:14:08] than all four of you.
[1:14:09] That was really
[1:14:10] important to us.
[1:14:11] We really wanted this
[1:14:12] to be about humanity
[1:14:13] going on this journey
[1:14:14] with us.
[1:14:15] And that idea
[1:14:16] about togetherness,
[1:14:17] it's just amazing
[1:14:18] that people resonated
[1:14:19] with that.
[1:14:21] And take us they did,
[1:14:22] documenting their
[1:14:23] round-trip
[1:14:24] 700,000-mile flight
[1:14:27] with some incredible
[1:14:28] snapshots
[1:14:28] from that stunning eclipse
[1:14:30] to close-ups
[1:14:31] of the massive
[1:14:32] lunar craters
[1:14:33] and photos
[1:14:34] of our own planet
[1:14:35] that provided
[1:14:36] a new perspective.
[1:14:38] The first time
[1:14:39] I saw the Grand Canyon,
[1:14:40] I remember thinking,
[1:14:41] this,
[1:14:42] no matter what picture
[1:14:43] I saw,
[1:14:44] it does not do
[1:14:45] justice to it.
[1:14:46] So,
[1:14:47] when you look
[1:14:48] at the far side
[1:14:50] of the moon,
[1:14:50] how do you even
[1:14:51] describe it?
[1:14:52] What surprised me
[1:14:54] was when we saw
[1:14:55] the moon
[1:14:55] as we were getting close
[1:14:56] and we saw
[1:14:57] part of the near side
[1:14:59] and part of the far side
[1:15:00] and the moon still
[1:15:01] looked pretty much
[1:15:02] like it looks
[1:15:03] in the night sky,
[1:15:04] but it wasn't
[1:15:05] the same shapes.
[1:15:06] It looked different
[1:15:07] and it was the first
[1:15:08] real evidence
[1:15:09] that we were somewhere
[1:15:10] completely different
[1:15:11] than where we had started.
[1:15:12] It seemed every time
[1:15:13] we saw you guys,
[1:15:15] there were these huge
[1:15:16] smiles on your faces.
[1:15:18] Everything is better
[1:15:19] when you're floating.
[1:15:19] It just felt like
[1:15:20] we were buzzing
[1:15:21] with productivity,
[1:15:22] with getting the mission
[1:15:23] done,
[1:15:24] with doing everything
[1:15:25] we knew we came there
[1:15:26] to do and we were
[1:15:26] finally doing it.
[1:15:27] You know, Reed,
[1:15:28] I think we all
[1:15:29] were so incredibly touched
[1:15:31] when we found out
[1:15:33] how you named
[1:15:34] that one crater
[1:15:36] for your wife, Carol.
[1:15:38] I thought it was
[1:15:45] the most beautiful thing
[1:15:46] I'd ever heard
[1:15:47] in my entire life.
[1:15:48] Christina, Victor,
[1:15:49] and Jeremy were like,
[1:15:50] we really think,
[1:15:51] we think we can
[1:15:52] actually do this.
[1:15:53] We've talked to
[1:15:53] the science team.
[1:15:54] We think we can name
[1:15:55] a crater after Carol.
[1:15:56] What man on this planet
[1:15:57] deserves a gift like that
[1:15:58] to have your crew
[1:15:59] be so thoughtful
[1:16:01] and to do something
[1:16:02] so caring and so deep
[1:16:03] and so meaningful?
[1:16:04] Booster ignition
[1:16:05] and liftoff.
[1:16:08] Aside from the
[1:16:08] spectacular launch,
[1:16:10] perhaps the most dangerous
[1:16:12] part of the mission?
[1:16:13] Reentry.
[1:16:14] I will say it was
[1:16:15] just a very intense moment
[1:16:16] because we had never seen
[1:16:18] or felt this before.
[1:16:20] We had the lights
[1:16:21] turned down
[1:16:21] just like we did
[1:16:22] in our spacecraft.
[1:16:22] So I could tell
[1:16:23] that we were inside
[1:16:24] a fireball,
[1:16:25] but Reed and I
[1:16:26] had panoramic faces.
[1:16:27] We really did.
[1:16:28] And the very first thing
[1:16:29] I thought was,
[1:16:31] is it supposed
[1:16:31] to be that big?
[1:16:32] And it was a lot
[1:16:33] of fire out there.
[1:16:35] Those flames,
[1:16:36] plasma surrounding
[1:16:37] the capsule
[1:16:37] as it hurtled
[1:16:39] back to Earth
[1:16:39] at speeds
[1:16:40] near 25,000 miles
[1:16:42] per hour
[1:16:43] before two sets
[1:16:44] of parachutes
[1:16:45] brought them
[1:16:46] to a gentle
[1:16:47] touchdown in the water.
[1:16:49] That was when
[1:16:49] the unfettered joy
[1:16:50] began for me
[1:16:51] and people ask us
[1:16:52] if we're excited.
[1:16:53] You know,
[1:16:53] they know I'm kind
[1:16:54] of the curmudgeon
[1:16:55] that's like,
[1:16:55] no, I'm focused.
[1:16:57] But I think
[1:16:58] at some point
[1:16:58] I reached over
[1:16:59] and said,
[1:17:00] hey, guess what?
[1:17:00] Now I'm excited.
[1:17:02] I remember that.
[1:17:04] Their return
[1:17:05] punctuated
[1:17:06] by reconnecting
[1:17:07] with loved ones.
[1:17:08] I wasn't on the ship
[1:17:09] for five minutes
[1:17:10] and I was talking
[1:17:10] to my older daughter
[1:17:11] who had me
[1:17:12] on speakerphone.
[1:17:12] What an amazing
[1:17:13] thing to get to connect.
[1:17:15] And for them
[1:17:16] and for me,
[1:17:17] like we are home,
[1:17:17] we are safe on Earth
[1:17:18] and we'll see you tomorrow.
[1:17:20] What a crazy thing
[1:17:21] to get to tell your family
[1:17:22] after you just came
[1:17:23] back from the moon.
[1:17:23] I want somebody
[1:17:24] to love me as much
[1:17:25] as your dog loves you.
[1:17:31] Come to my house.
[1:17:32] She will do that
[1:17:33] exact same thing
[1:17:34] for you when you're
[1:17:35] at the door.
[1:17:35] Are you guys planning
[1:17:36] a reunion?
[1:17:37] Are you going to
[1:17:38] right now?
[1:17:38] You're looking at it.
[1:17:39] Yes, this is it.
[1:17:40] You've really brought
[1:17:41] people together.
[1:17:43] You've meant so much.
[1:17:44] You guys are not
[1:17:45] just astronauts.
[1:17:46] You've brought us joy.
[1:17:47] You've brought us healing
[1:17:48] and you just mean
[1:17:49] so much to us.
[1:17:50] Since you're a member
[1:17:51] of the crew,
[1:17:51] you're going to have
[1:17:52] to pull your seat over.
[1:17:52] When times get really tough,
[1:17:54] we press this little button
[1:17:55] because this red light
[1:17:55] lights up.
[1:17:56] So we just all
[1:17:57] put our hands in.
[1:17:58] You can press that.
[1:17:59] We're going to say
[1:18:00] 3, 2, 1, integrity.
[1:18:01] So 3, 2, 1, integrity.
[1:18:05] I love that.
[1:18:06] Al Roker, thank you
[1:18:07] so much for that interview.
[1:18:08] Coming up,
[1:18:09] Breakthrough Baby,
[1:18:10] first person born
[1:18:11] through gestational surrogacy,
[1:18:14] now celebrating
[1:18:15] a milestone birthday.
[1:18:17] How her birth
[1:18:18] changed the course
[1:18:19] of reproductive medicine.
[1:18:20] That's next.
[1:18:27] Welcome back.
[1:18:28] This week,
[1:18:29] a woman whose birth
[1:18:30] changed the course
[1:18:31] of reproductive medicine
[1:18:32] is turning 40.
[1:18:34] Jill Brand was the first baby
[1:18:36] in the world
[1:18:36] born through gestational surrogacy.
[1:18:39] Her birth was a breakthrough
[1:18:40] that helped pave the way
[1:18:41] for countless families
[1:18:42] to have children.
[1:18:43] Well, now Jill and her mother
[1:18:45] are speaking out
[1:18:46] about their journey
[1:18:47] in a broadcast exclusive.
[1:18:49] NBC's Chloe Malas
[1:18:50] joins me now with more
[1:18:51] from her interview.
[1:18:52] Chloe, good morning.
[1:18:54] So you might remember
[1:18:55] if you were around
[1:18:56] in the 80s,
[1:18:57] specifically 1986,
[1:18:59] that Jill Brand was born
[1:19:00] and she was on the cover
[1:19:01] of Life Magazine
[1:19:02] at the time.
[1:19:03] But she and her mother
[1:19:05] and father
[1:19:05] kept her story
[1:19:07] very private.
[1:19:08] And now Sandy and Jill
[1:19:10] are sitting down
[1:19:11] for their first ever
[1:19:12] broadcast interview.
[1:19:14] Happy birthday, dear Jill.
[1:19:17] This week,
[1:19:19] Jill Brand turned 40,
[1:19:21] a birthday considered
[1:19:22] to be a milestone
[1:19:23] for many,
[1:19:24] but it's also a celebration
[1:19:26] of a medical breakthrough.
[1:19:28] Jill was the first baby
[1:19:29] in the world
[1:19:30] created through
[1:19:30] gestational surrogacy.
[1:19:32] She and her mother,
[1:19:33] Sandy, have never sat down
[1:19:34] on TV to share the story
[1:19:36] behind her birth
[1:19:37] until now.
[1:19:39] When I was born,
[1:19:40] it's the first time
[1:19:40] in human history
[1:19:41] that a woman gave birth
[1:19:42] to a baby
[1:19:43] she had no genetic
[1:19:44] relationship to.
[1:19:46] Her mom had her
[1:19:46] fallopian tubes removed
[1:19:48] and was told she could
[1:19:49] not carry a child.
[1:19:50] I didn't think it was fair
[1:19:52] that he should marry me,
[1:19:55] even though he always
[1:19:56] pretty much followed
[1:19:57] his parents' wishes.
[1:19:59] In this case,
[1:20:00] and perhaps the only case
[1:20:01] in his life,
[1:20:02] he did rebel
[1:20:02] and he married me.
[1:20:04] And he followed his heart.
[1:20:06] He followed his heart.
[1:20:07] But her parents went on
[1:20:08] to adopt two daughters
[1:20:10] and then got a new sense
[1:20:11] of hope in 1978
[1:20:13] when the first IVF baby
[1:20:15] was born in England.
[1:20:16] They decided to give it a shot
[1:20:18] and met with the pioneers
[1:20:19] of IVF,
[1:20:20] Dr. Patrick Steptoe
[1:20:21] and Dr. Robert Edwards,
[1:20:23] and it worked.
[1:20:24] And the pregnancy
[1:20:25] was proceeding normally.
[1:20:28] Then my uterus ruptured
[1:20:30] and so I had an emergency
[1:20:31] C-section and a hysterectomy.
[1:20:34] And our baby Heather
[1:20:35] lived for 13 days
[1:20:36] and then she died.
[1:20:38] And so we were
[1:20:39] devastated after that.
[1:20:41] Three years later
[1:20:41] and Jill's father, Elliot,
[1:20:43] a cardiologist,
[1:20:44] had a remarkable idea.
[1:20:46] What if doctors
[1:20:47] could retrieve Sandy's egg
[1:20:48] and create an embryo
[1:20:49] through IVF,
[1:20:50] but have another woman
[1:20:52] carry the pregnancy?
[1:20:53] Where were you
[1:20:54] when he first came
[1:20:55] to you with the idea?
[1:20:56] I was in bed
[1:20:57] and he was shaving
[1:20:58] at his vanity
[1:21:01] and he proposed
[1:21:04] this idea to me
[1:21:05] and I said,
[1:21:07] I think that's crazy.
[1:21:09] What doctor
[1:21:10] would be willing
[1:21:10] to do this?
[1:21:11] Well, he said,
[1:21:12] we'll find a doctor,
[1:21:14] we'll find a way.
[1:21:15] They began calling
[1:21:16] dozens of doctors
[1:21:17] around the country,
[1:21:18] hearing no again and again.
[1:21:20] Some doubted
[1:21:21] it was possible.
[1:21:22] Others said
[1:21:22] it was not moral
[1:21:23] or legal.
[1:21:24] until they reached
[1:21:25] the last doctor
[1:21:26] on their list,
[1:21:27] Wolf Udian,
[1:21:28] a reproductive endocrinologist
[1:21:30] based in Cleveland
[1:21:31] who was willing to try.
[1:21:32] And he thought
[1:21:33] the proposal
[1:21:34] sounded interesting
[1:21:35] and really had
[1:21:36] a possibility of working
[1:21:38] and so that was
[1:21:40] our breakthrough.
[1:21:42] And on the stormy day
[1:21:44] of April 13, 1986,
[1:21:47] Jill was born.
[1:21:48] It was one of the most
[1:21:50] amazing days of my life.
[1:21:51] Her birth captivating
[1:21:53] the world,
[1:21:54] even landing her
[1:21:54] on the cover
[1:21:55] of Life magazine.
[1:21:57] What did your parents
[1:21:57] tell you growing up
[1:21:58] about your birth
[1:22:00] and the significance
[1:22:01] of it?
[1:22:01] I mean,
[1:22:02] for the first kind of
[1:22:03] year of my life,
[1:22:04] there was, you know,
[1:22:05] there was a little bit
[1:22:05] of publicity
[1:22:07] and a little bit
[1:22:08] of news around it.
[1:22:09] But then my mom,
[1:22:11] you know,
[1:22:11] really wanted a private life.
[1:22:13] She, you know,
[1:22:13] she always says,
[1:22:14] like, I just wanted
[1:22:14] to enjoy you.
[1:22:16] I wanted to enjoy
[1:22:16] you and your sisters.
[1:22:18] Since Jill's birth,
[1:22:19] thousands of babies
[1:22:20] have been born
[1:22:20] via gestational surrogacy,
[1:22:22] according to the CDC.
[1:22:24] Now, Sandy and Jill,
[1:22:25] who is a mom of three,
[1:22:26] are sharing their story
[1:22:27] to honor Elliot,
[1:22:28] who passed away last year.
[1:22:30] What do you think
[1:22:31] your husband would think
[1:22:31] of you sitting down
[1:22:32] for this interview
[1:22:34] since you've been so private?
[1:22:36] I think he's happy.
[1:22:37] I think he's watching
[1:22:38] and I think he's very,
[1:22:40] very happy.
[1:22:40] I think he's happy
[1:22:41] and he's probably saying
[1:22:42] it's about time.
[1:22:45] I have no doubt he is.
[1:22:47] And the couple,
[1:22:48] that's a lot right there,
[1:22:49] but they didn't stop there,
[1:22:50] right?
[1:22:50] I mean,
[1:22:50] they worked to essentially
[1:22:51] change laws
[1:22:52] and make it easier
[1:22:53] for other people.
[1:22:53] Yes,
[1:22:54] so they actually went
[1:22:55] to a Michigan court
[1:22:56] where they lived
[1:22:57] to petition the legal
[1:22:58] definition of motherhood,
[1:23:00] that it's not the woman
[1:23:01] who gives birth
[1:23:02] that should be listed
[1:23:03] on the birth certificate
[1:23:04] as the mother.
[1:23:04] It's the one supplying
[1:23:05] the genetic material.
[1:23:07] And so they were successful
[1:23:09] in that,
[1:23:09] but there are different laws
[1:23:10] all around the United States
[1:23:12] when it comes to surrogacy
[1:23:13] and birth certificates.
[1:23:14] But again,
[1:23:15] this is a determined,
[1:23:16] incredible couple,
[1:23:17] and Jill is equally remarkable.
[1:23:19] Very cool.
[1:23:20] Chloe,
[1:23:20] thanks for bringing us
[1:23:21] that story.
[1:23:22] We appreciate it.
[1:23:22] All right,
[1:23:23] coming up,
[1:23:23] the queen of the WWE,
[1:23:26] WrestleMania kicking off
[1:23:27] in Las Vegas this weekend
[1:23:28] with the world's biggest
[1:23:29] wrestling stars going head-to-head
[1:23:31] in two days of matchups.
[1:23:32] I got a chance to sit down
[1:23:34] with the icon Charlotte Flair
[1:23:35] ahead of the star-studded weekend.
[1:23:38] We got that interview next.
[1:23:45] Welcome back.
[1:23:46] Time now for our Money Minute
[1:23:47] with the latest financial headline.
[1:23:48] Shopping channel QVC
[1:23:50] is moving toward tackling
[1:23:51] its multi-billion dollar debt.
[1:23:53] NBC News Business and Economy
[1:23:54] reporter Allie Canal
[1:23:55] is here with your Money Minute.
[1:23:56] Allie, good morning.
[1:23:57] Good morning, Joe.
[1:23:58] Yeah, QVC about to go through
[1:23:59] a pretty big shakeup here.
[1:24:01] The shopping network
[1:24:01] has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
[1:24:04] It's all part of a plan
[1:24:05] to cut more than
[1:24:06] five billion dollars in debt
[1:24:08] after declining viewership
[1:24:09] and a shift to online shopping
[1:24:11] hits sales.
[1:24:12] In a statement,
[1:24:12] the company said
[1:24:13] it will keep operating
[1:24:14] through the restructuring,
[1:24:16] adding it has ample liquidity
[1:24:18] to support the business
[1:24:19] with about one billion dollars
[1:24:20] in cash on hand.
[1:24:22] And over in Hollywood,
[1:24:24] a major merger
[1:24:24] under the microscope.
[1:24:26] David Ellison,
[1:24:27] the CEO of Paramount Skydance,
[1:24:29] says his company's deal
[1:24:30] to acquire Warner Brothers Discovery
[1:24:32] won't slow down film production,
[1:24:34] promising at least 30 movies a year.
[1:24:37] Remember, Paramount's bid
[1:24:38] beat out Netflix
[1:24:39] after a dramatic back and forth,
[1:24:41] but critics warn
[1:24:42] it could still mean fewer jobs
[1:24:43] and less competition.
[1:24:45] And now that's something
[1:24:46] that needs to go
[1:24:47] through regulators for approval.
[1:24:49] And speaking of Hollywood,
[1:24:50] the name is Bond,
[1:24:52] James Bond.
[1:24:53] Amazon MGM Studios
[1:24:54] says it's taking its time
[1:24:55] casting the next 007
[1:24:57] with executives at CinemaCon,
[1:24:59] Hollywood's big annual
[1:25:00] industry event,
[1:25:01] calling it a responsibility
[1:25:02] we don't take lightly.
[1:25:04] The studio now has
[1:25:05] creative control
[1:25:06] of the franchise
[1:25:07] and says the next chapter
[1:25:08] is in the works,
[1:25:09] though no actor
[1:25:10] has been named just yet.
[1:25:12] We were just debating
[1:25:12] who we would pick.
[1:25:13] Right.
[1:25:14] We're both on the same page.
[1:25:15] We both like Theo James.
[1:25:16] I think that'd be a good pick.
[1:25:17] I agree.
[1:25:17] They need to decide.
[1:25:18] I know it's a big decision,
[1:25:19] but I'm sick of talking about it.
[1:25:21] At this point,
[1:25:21] it's been years in the making.
[1:25:22] Or even from Idris Elba,
[1:25:23] he's like,
[1:25:24] I don't,
[1:25:24] I'm not in it.
[1:25:25] I don't want to,
[1:25:25] I mean,
[1:25:26] we just need to make
[1:25:27] that decision.
[1:25:27] Okay, okay,
[1:25:28] I'll do it.
[1:25:28] We'll see.
[1:25:28] I'll do it.
[1:25:29] Your name's AI,
[1:25:30] and you're also
[1:25:31] hopping on the street.
[1:25:32] I try her.
[1:25:33] Bond, James Bond.
[1:25:34] Thank you, Ali.
[1:25:34] Appreciate it.
[1:25:35] All right,
[1:25:36] WWE's biggest event
[1:25:37] of the year
[1:25:38] just around the corner.
[1:25:39] WrestleMania 42
[1:25:40] set to kick off
[1:25:41] tomorrow in Las Vegas.
[1:25:43] It's a two-day event
[1:25:44] spanning Saturday and Sunday,
[1:25:45] and if it's anything
[1:25:46] like past competitions,
[1:25:47] it promises to be
[1:25:48] a supercharged weekend
[1:25:49] where bitter rivalries
[1:25:51] finally come to an end.
[1:25:52] Well,
[1:25:52] I recently sat down
[1:25:53] with one of wrestling's
[1:25:54] biggest stars,
[1:25:55] Charlotte Flair.
[1:25:56] She comes from wrestling royalty
[1:25:57] and has been dubbed
[1:25:58] the queen of the WWE,
[1:25:59] which is fitting.
[1:26:01] She is a 14-time
[1:26:02] women's champion.
[1:26:03] That's a record.
[1:26:04] This weekend,
[1:26:05] in the wake of her
[1:26:05] 40th birthday,
[1:26:06] though,
[1:26:07] she might tell you
[1:26:07] it's a different number.
[1:26:08] She'll compete
[1:26:09] for the women's tag team titles
[1:26:10] with partner Alexa Bliss.
[1:26:12] Here's a preview
[1:26:13] of what to expect.
[1:26:14] Charlotte Flair,
[1:26:15] good to have you with us.
[1:26:16] Thanks so much
[1:26:17] for joining us this morning,
[1:26:18] and I believe
[1:26:18] happy belated birthday.
[1:26:20] Is that correct?
[1:26:20] Yes,
[1:26:21] my 29th birthday.
[1:26:22] A milestone,
[1:26:23] birthday 29.
[1:26:24] We'll talk more
[1:26:24] about that in a sec,
[1:26:25] but first,
[1:26:26] we have to talk
[1:26:26] about WrestleMania 42.
[1:26:28] So this year,
[1:26:29] you're in a four-way
[1:26:30] tag team match,
[1:26:31] which means
[1:26:32] eight superstars
[1:26:33] in the ring
[1:26:34] competing for
[1:26:35] the women's
[1:26:35] tag team championship.
[1:26:37] What should people expect?
[1:26:39] Okay,
[1:26:39] so this will be
[1:26:40] my ninth WrestleMania.
[1:26:42] Four teams,
[1:26:44] myself,
[1:26:44] and my ally
[1:26:45] of convenience,
[1:26:46] Alexa Bliss.
[1:26:48] To be clear,
[1:26:48] they're friends,
[1:26:49] but not really friends,
[1:26:50] right?
[1:26:51] How would you describe it?
[1:26:52] We went from
[1:26:53] we're not friends
[1:26:54] to besties.
[1:26:55] Okay.
[1:26:56] The odd couple.
[1:26:57] Odd couple.
[1:26:57] There you go.
[1:26:58] Odd couple.
[1:26:58] And I look at who's in there,
[1:26:59] people like you,
[1:27:00] Alexa,
[1:27:01] Bailey,
[1:27:02] these are people,
[1:27:03] and the Bellas,
[1:27:03] people who have really
[1:27:04] helped define
[1:27:05] women's wrestling.
[1:27:06] What does it mean
[1:27:07] to be in a match
[1:27:07] with so many icons
[1:27:08] who've really
[1:27:09] helped sports
[1:27:11] entertainment evolve?
[1:27:12] No,
[1:27:12] what's really cool
[1:27:13] about this match
[1:27:14] is it really is
[1:27:15] a showcase
[1:27:16] of past,
[1:27:17] present,
[1:27:17] and future.
[1:27:18] And Lexi and I
[1:27:19] have history
[1:27:20] with almost every single
[1:27:22] woman in the match,
[1:27:23] which I think
[1:27:24] makes it more fun,
[1:27:25] too.
[1:27:25] But it just goes to show
[1:27:26] how far the women's
[1:27:27] division has come.
[1:27:28] You mentioned
[1:27:28] this is your ninth
[1:27:29] WrestleMania,
[1:27:30] and you have done it
[1:27:31] all at WrestleMania.
[1:27:32] You were the first
[1:27:33] all-female main event
[1:27:34] at WrestleMania.
[1:27:35] You've competed
[1:27:36] for the women's title.
[1:27:38] What has WrestleMania
[1:27:39] meant to you,
[1:27:39] and what does it mean
[1:27:40] this time to be part
[1:27:41] of a tag team match
[1:27:42] that has so many
[1:27:43] superstars from,
[1:27:44] as you said,
[1:27:45] the past,
[1:27:45] present,
[1:27:46] and future?
[1:27:47] I think it's hard
[1:27:47] to put into words
[1:27:48] what WrestleMania
[1:27:49] means to me,
[1:27:50] but for us,
[1:27:51] it's our Super Bowl.
[1:27:52] So you really work
[1:27:53] all year for
[1:27:54] WrestleMania and being
[1:27:55] on the card,
[1:27:56] and it's not guaranteed.
[1:27:58] And because this
[1:27:59] is my ninth,
[1:28:00] I feel like every year,
[1:28:01] I want to say
[1:28:02] it's added pressure
[1:28:03] to outdo
[1:28:04] what you've done
[1:28:05] the year before
[1:28:06] or the year before,
[1:28:07] but for me,
[1:28:08] obviously,
[1:28:08] I've always been
[1:28:10] in singles competition
[1:28:11] or going for the main title,
[1:28:13] which is usually
[1:28:14] a main event match,
[1:28:15] but fighting
[1:28:16] for the tag team
[1:28:17] women's championship
[1:28:18] does feel like
[1:28:19] a main event match
[1:28:20] to me.
[1:28:21] It does feel like
[1:28:22] if Lexi and I
[1:28:23] are to win again
[1:28:24] the tag team championships,
[1:28:25] that I will be holding up
[1:28:27] a world title.
[1:28:29] We mentioned
[1:28:29] you just celebrated
[1:28:30] a milestone,
[1:28:31] your 29th birthday,
[1:28:32] and your return
[1:28:33] to the WWE
[1:28:34] has come after
[1:28:35] what you tore
[1:28:35] your ACL,
[1:28:37] MCL,
[1:28:38] your meniscus.
[1:28:39] Did I get all
[1:28:39] of that right?
[1:28:40] Yeah.
[1:28:40] That is a tough recovery.
[1:28:41] What has that process
[1:28:42] been like for you
[1:28:43] and what does that,
[1:28:44] how does that add meaning
[1:28:45] to this year's
[1:28:46] WrestleMania for you?
[1:28:47] It was my first
[1:28:48] big injury
[1:28:49] and I think
[1:28:50] having the year away
[1:28:51] put a lot of perspective
[1:28:52] on different things
[1:28:54] and then coming back,
[1:28:55] I've been able
[1:28:55] to add a fresh layer
[1:28:59] of paint to my character
[1:29:01] and I think
[1:29:03] sometimes the setbacks
[1:29:06] are important
[1:29:06] because it's the only way
[1:29:07] to have a big comeback
[1:29:08] and that's how I feel
[1:29:09] right now
[1:29:09] and if anything,
[1:29:11] it's taught me
[1:29:12] to work smarter,
[1:29:13] not harder.
[1:29:14] That fresh layer of paint,
[1:29:15] what does it look like
[1:29:16] for you?
[1:29:17] Just adding more
[1:29:18] of myself to my character.
[1:29:20] I've been a bad guy
[1:29:20] for so long
[1:29:21] where I think people
[1:29:22] started to believe
[1:29:23] that who I was
[1:29:25] as a character
[1:29:25] was who I was
[1:29:26] in real life.
[1:29:27] Having that connection
[1:29:28] with the fans
[1:29:28] the past year
[1:29:29] has been really special.
[1:29:30] It is fun to play
[1:29:30] a bad guy though,
[1:29:31] isn't it?
[1:29:31] It's easier to play
[1:29:32] a bad guy.
[1:29:33] It's much harder
[1:29:34] to be liked.
[1:29:35] No one knows that
[1:29:36] better than your father
[1:29:37] for those who know
[1:29:38] the Flair family
[1:29:39] is iconic.
[1:29:40] You have won more
[1:29:40] women's world titles
[1:29:41] than anyone in the industry.
[1:29:43] Your dad was a 16-time champion
[1:29:45] and that was the record
[1:29:46] for so long
[1:29:47] and then last year
[1:29:48] John Cena became
[1:29:49] a 17-time champion.
[1:29:52] For you,
[1:29:52] what was that like?
[1:29:53] Because obviously
[1:29:54] you respect your father
[1:29:55] but I know
[1:29:55] you respect John.
[1:29:56] No,
[1:29:57] I think for myself
[1:29:59] or my dad
[1:29:59] if anyone was to beat
[1:30:01] his record
[1:30:02] it would be John
[1:30:03] and my dad
[1:30:03] has so much respect
[1:30:04] for John
[1:30:05] and what he's done
[1:30:05] for the industry
[1:30:06] and is well deserved.
[1:30:09] Thanks to Charlotte Flair
[1:30:10] for joining me.
[1:30:11] You can catch her
[1:30:11] at WrestleMania 42
[1:30:12] which again
[1:30:13] takes place
[1:30:13] in Las Vegas
[1:30:14] this weekend.
[1:30:17] By the end of this hour
[1:30:18] it's Friday
[1:30:18] which means it's time
[1:30:19] for your weekly
[1:30:19] Can't Miss list
[1:30:20] to look at all the movies,
[1:30:21] the shows,
[1:30:21] the music you need to hear
[1:30:22] and see this weekend
[1:30:23] and let's bring in
[1:30:24] entertainment journalist,
[1:30:25] pop culture expert
[1:30:25] and friend of the show
[1:30:26] Brian Balthazar.
[1:30:27] I'm speaking quickly
[1:30:28] because there's a lot
[1:30:28] to get to.
[1:30:29] Oh, there is.
[1:30:29] We've got normal
[1:30:30] Bob Odenkirk.
[1:30:31] He of course
[1:30:32] he plays a sheriff
[1:30:32] in a small town
[1:30:33] in Minnesota
[1:30:33] so it must be good.
[1:30:34] Yes, he does
[1:30:35] and he's thinking
[1:30:35] oh this will be
[1:30:36] an easy gig
[1:30:36] but as he gets there
[1:30:37] he starts to see
[1:30:38] that something nefarious,
[1:30:39] something strange
[1:30:40] is going on
[1:30:40] and just like us
[1:30:42] as viewers
[1:30:42] he's learning
[1:30:43] just trying to see
[1:30:44] who's trustworthy
[1:30:44] and who's on the level
[1:30:45] and it turns out
[1:30:46] maybe no one
[1:30:47] but the greatest part
[1:30:48] of this is
[1:30:49] Henry Winkler
[1:30:50] as the mayor.
[1:30:51] Seeing him
[1:30:51] as an ominous
[1:30:52] dark character
[1:30:53] is not only
[1:30:54] just absolutely compelling
[1:30:55] he is great in it
[1:30:56] and I'm sure
[1:30:57] you've interviewed him
[1:30:58] over the years
[1:30:58] he is the greatest
[1:30:59] guy in the world
[1:31:00] so seeing him
[1:31:01] in this way
[1:31:01] and I love this era
[1:31:02] for Bob Odenkirk
[1:31:03] because he's like
[1:31:03] kind of becoming
[1:31:04] this action hero
[1:31:05] unlike the action hero
[1:31:06] he's great in it
[1:31:07] and it has just
[1:31:08] a great storyline
[1:31:08] as you get involved.
[1:31:09] That is definitely
[1:31:10] on the list.
[1:31:11] Okay we know
[1:31:11] it's a big year
[1:31:11] for Anne Hathaway
[1:31:12] Devil Wears Prada
[1:31:13] too and the Odyssey
[1:31:14] but first we have
[1:31:14] Mother Mary
[1:31:15] she's a pop star
[1:31:16] and she's singing
[1:31:17] like new songs?
[1:31:18] She's actually singing
[1:31:19] songs written by
[1:31:19] Jack Antonoff
[1:31:20] Charlie XCX
[1:31:21] FKA Twigs
[1:31:22] and Mother
[1:31:23] you know how people
[1:31:24] call like the iconic
[1:31:25] pop star's mother
[1:31:26] and she's playing
[1:31:26] an iconic
[1:31:27] international star
[1:31:28] in the lines of
[1:31:29] you know
[1:31:30] Beyonce
[1:31:30] or Taylor Swift
[1:31:31] or Lady Gaga
[1:31:32] but she becomes so big
[1:31:34] something happens
[1:31:35] and she is then
[1:31:36] reconnected with her
[1:31:37] original creative partner
[1:31:39] costume designer
[1:31:39] a friend
[1:31:40] played by Michaela Cole
[1:31:41] and it's the story
[1:31:43] of how kind of
[1:31:44] Anne Hathaway's character
[1:31:45] became
[1:31:46] the line started to blur
[1:31:47] between this performative
[1:31:48] character and really
[1:31:49] so it's really
[1:31:49] a relationship story
[1:31:50] but there's an intense
[1:31:52] darkness that happens
[1:31:53] in here as well
[1:31:54] and there's some
[1:31:55] that I don't want
[1:31:56] to give away
[1:31:56] but I think that it's
[1:31:57] it's a fun one
[1:31:58] and will we have
[1:31:59] a hit single
[1:31:59] from Anne Hathaway
[1:32:00] is what I want to know.
[1:32:01] She does her own singing
[1:32:02] and she won an Oscar.
[1:32:04] Right and the best
[1:32:05] pop artist
[1:32:06] producers behind this
[1:32:07] too.
[1:32:07] That's cool.
[1:32:08] Okay I really want
[1:32:08] to check that one out.
[1:32:09] Okay let's move
[1:32:10] to streaming here
[1:32:10] we've got on Apple
[1:32:11] Margot's Got Money Troubles
[1:32:13] Yes.
[1:32:14] All-Star cast
[1:32:14] good reviews too.
[1:32:15] Yes.
[1:32:16] Elle Fanning
[1:32:16] plays a young
[1:32:17] college student
[1:32:18] who after an accidental
[1:32:20] pregnancy decides
[1:32:20] to have the baby
[1:32:21] her mother is
[1:32:22] Michelle Pfeiffer
[1:32:23] her estranged father
[1:32:24] is Nick Offerman
[1:32:24] who apparently
[1:32:25] I've started watching
[1:32:26] this already
[1:32:27] the performances
[1:32:27] are amazing
[1:32:28] Nick steals
[1:32:28] every scene he's in
[1:32:29] she does turn
[1:32:31] to adult online content
[1:32:33] as a career choice
[1:32:34] to know that
[1:32:35] it is not family viewing
[1:32:36] but the performances
[1:32:37] are spectacular.
[1:32:38] American Gladiators
[1:32:39] is back again.
[1:32:41] It's an amazing
[1:32:41] if you remember
[1:32:42] the original
[1:32:43] think bigger
[1:32:44] better stronger
[1:32:44] laser and zap
[1:32:45] and ice
[1:32:46] and my friend Steele
[1:32:47] as you can see
[1:32:48] this is me
[1:32:48] after interviewing
[1:32:49] Jesse Godders
[1:32:50] as Steele
[1:32:51] this is precisely
[1:32:52] the moment
[1:32:52] this is how
[1:32:53] he treats his friends
[1:32:53] by the way
[1:32:54] this is the moment
[1:32:55] my soul left my body
[1:32:56] and he is great
[1:32:58] he's fantastic
[1:32:58] he started on Big Brother
[1:32:59] became a wrestler
[1:33:00] as Mr. Pink Pectacular
[1:33:02] now he's on
[1:33:03] American Gladiator
[1:33:04] Amazon Prime
[1:33:05] watch it
[1:33:06] Brian is going to be
[1:33:06] in Wrestlemania
[1:33:07] this weekend
[1:33:07] it looks like now
[1:33:08] all right
[1:33:09] I'm a casualty
[1:33:10] exactly
[1:33:11] all right
[1:33:12] it's feeling like
[1:33:13] summer out there
[1:33:14] we may have an early
[1:33:14] contender for this year's
[1:33:15] summer anthem
[1:33:16] it's Kelsey Watts
[1:33:17] currently playing
[1:33:18] Satine in Moulin Rouge
[1:33:20] and I know
[1:33:22] that someone had a chance
[1:33:23] to talk with her
[1:33:24] let's check
[1:33:24] Chris LeClaire
[1:33:25] as we were writing it
[1:33:28] they were like
[1:33:28] what are things that
[1:33:29] you and Brandon say
[1:33:30] or that you've said before
[1:33:31] and I was like
[1:33:31] well I always tell him
[1:33:32] he's like from another planet
[1:33:33] and so that's the opening line
[1:33:34] is I swear you're from another planet
[1:33:36] okay so this is about a song
[1:33:39] that's not in Moulin Rouge
[1:33:40] right
[1:33:40] it's her own
[1:33:41] just an immensely talented woman
[1:33:42] with a pop song
[1:33:43] who's just joyful
[1:33:44] she's kind of inspired
[1:33:45] by the 90s kind of bops
[1:33:46] the 80s 90s bops
[1:33:47] and it's taken from
[1:33:48] actual conversations
[1:33:49] with her husband
[1:33:50] it's a love story
[1:33:51] but it's actually
[1:33:51] a really fun bop
[1:33:52] and you listen to it
[1:33:53] you know how talented she is
[1:33:54] I wanted to succeed
[1:33:55] I'm putting that on my
[1:33:56] playlist this summer
[1:33:57] 20 seconds left Coachella
[1:33:58] weekend two
[1:33:59] so weekend one
[1:34:00] kind of tells us
[1:34:01] what it'll be like
[1:34:01] yeah you can stream it live
[1:34:02] this weekend
[1:34:03] Justin Bieber and Sabrina Carpenter
[1:34:04] will be back
[1:34:05] Casey Musgraves
[1:34:06] and there's always a few surprises
[1:34:07] yeah Will Ferrell
[1:34:08] was sort of a guest
[1:34:08] in Sabrina Carpenter
[1:34:09] yeah and Susan Sarandon
[1:34:10] there's always these
[1:34:11] so you
[1:34:12] it stands to wonder
[1:34:13] will they replace those
[1:34:14] people
[1:34:15] that's what I'm wondering
[1:34:15] they often do
[1:34:16] do that
[1:34:17] switch them out
[1:34:18] because Will looks very tired
[1:34:19] there I feel like
[1:34:20] he might be exhausted
[1:34:22] he looks like I feel
[1:34:23] all that work
[1:34:23] last week
[1:34:24] I'm aging like boxed wine
[1:34:25] okay so this is
[1:34:26] but that's a fun one
[1:34:27] you can stream it online
[1:34:28] thank you Brian
[1:34:29] appreciate it
[1:34:29] that's going to do it
[1:34:30] for this hour of
[1:34:30] morning news now
[1:34:31] but don't go anywhere
[1:34:32] the news continues right now
[1:34:33] we thank you for watching
[1:34:40] and remember
[1:34:41] stay updated on
[1:34:42] breaking news
[1:34:43] and top stories
[1:34:43] on the NBC News app
[1:34:45] or watch live
[1:34:46] on our YouTube channel
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