About this transcript: This is a full AI-generated transcript of Morning News NOW Full Episode – July 28 from NBC News, published July 28, 2026. The transcript contains 17,635 words with timestamps and was generated using Whisper AI.
"Right now on Morning News Now, pivotal moment. President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set to meet today at the White House. It comes as the course of the five-month war with Iran remains uncertain, despite a pause in direct attacks between the U.S. and Iran. That as the..."
[0:00] Right now on Morning News Now, pivotal moment. President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set to meet today at the White House.
[0:09] It comes as the course of the five-month war with Iran remains uncertain, despite a pause in direct attacks between the U.S. and Iran.
[0:17] That as the president hits the road to make an economic pitch to wary voters ahead of the midterms.
[0:23] Emotional plea. Our colleague Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie releasing a new video,
[0:28] pleading with the person who may have taken her mother to do the right thing.
[0:32] It's now nearly six months since Nancy Guthrie was abducted from her Arizona home.
[0:37] The latest on the renewed call for help as the investigation continues.
[0:42] Force of nature, a powerful tornado strikes parts of Wisconsin, blackening the sky and sending people running to shelter in place.
[0:51] Severe storms leaving behind a path of destruction with more expected today in parts of the country.
[0:56] We'll let you know what you can expect when we check in with our meteorologist, Angie Lassman.
[1:01] And all strain and little gain, new data shows workers are feeling the pinch when it comes to their paychecks.
[1:07] A new survey is shedding light on the cost of living and the concerns workers are facing.
[1:13] We'll break down the results later this hour.
[1:15] Certainly a conversation we've been having for a while now.
[1:18] It will probably be the issue of the midterms this year.
[1:20] Good morning. Good to have you with us. I'm Joe Fryer.
[1:22] And I'm Savannah Sellers. Thank you so much for starting your day with us.
[1:25] We are going to begin at the White House where President Trump is expected to meet separately with the leaders of Israel and Ukraine later today
[1:32] as he attempts to get a grip on multiple global conflicts.
[1:36] The meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, it's his eighth visit to Washington since Mr. Trump returned to office,
[1:42] comes as the Iran war is at a crossroads.
[1:45] While fighting remains paused, there is still uncertainty over the state of talks and what could happen next.
[1:50] In recent polling, the Iran war is one of two big issues at the top of voters' minds ahead of the midterms.
[1:55] The other, of course, is the economy.
[1:58] President Trump visited Battleground Michigan yesterday hoping to boost Republican candidates and tout his economic record.
[2:05] But a recent CBS YouGov poll shows 65 percent of Americans are not happy with the way the president is handling the economy.
[2:13] NBC News Washington correspondent Alice Barr joins us with all of this. Alice, good morning.
[2:17] Good morning, Joe and Savannah. Many Republicans are urging President Trump to focus on the economy,
[2:24] though his attention is divided by those global conflicts highlighted today in his meetings with two world leaders looking for American support.
[2:32] President Trump today said for high-stakes meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu
[2:38] and Ukrainian President Zelensky, who's pressing for more American missile defense systems.
[2:44] Amid mounting concerns, the U.S. weapons stockpile may be running low in the war with Iran.
[2:50] We have plenty. We have a lot of ammunition, different types.
[2:54] We have a lot. I'd like to have more, to be honest.
[2:58] But so much was given to Ukraine by Biden.
[3:01] The U.S. and Iran held off on trading strikes again overnight,
[3:05] as President Trump argues the streak of fighting before drove Iran to negotiate,
[3:10] though Iran's foreign ministry denied direct talks with Washington.
[3:14] We're beating the hell out of them, but we'll see how it turns out.
[3:20] Right now they have very friendly negotiations going on.
[3:23] The president speaking there in swing state Michigan,
[3:26] boosting Republican candidates less than 100 days before the midterm elections,
[3:30] and zeroing in on the economy, pointing to oil prices dropping on hopes for renewed Iran talks,
[3:37] and while touring a General Motors facility, arguing his tariffs have helped the auto industry,
[3:43] despite its reliance on the global supply chain.
[3:46] We've been very good to General Motors.
[3:49] The rest of the world doesn't love me, but that's okay.
[3:54] It's called America First.
[3:56] It's been amazing.
[3:58] Treasury Secretary Scott Bestin arguing the economic picture will improve
[4:02] before the November midterms.
[4:04] Inflation will come down.
[4:06] We'll get to the other side of Iran, and I think the feel-good factor will come back.
[4:13] Though President Trump insisted he does not feel pressure to quickly end the war with Iran
[4:19] that is broadly unpopular with American voters.
[4:23] Remember, Netanyahu and Zelensky are here for the funeral services for the late Senator Lindsey Graham,
[4:28] and then this evening, the Senate is set to vote on moving forward with a new Russia sanctions bill
[4:34] that Graham had been urgently pressing for.
[4:37] And so, Alice, where do things stand, as far as we know, when it comes to talks with Iran right now?
[4:42] A lot of back and forth, a lot of different ways to kind of spin this.
[4:45] The Associated Press is now reporting, according to two regional officials,
[4:49] that mediators led by Qatar and Pakistan have been making progress in trying to restart direct U.S.-Iran talks
[4:57] and getting the two sides to get back to that interim ceasefire deal that fell apart
[5:02] as the fighting, of course, restarted.
[5:04] But there are also signs of the war broadening.
[5:07] Saudi Arabia says it's been shooting down drones fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
[5:13] Those rebels have also been claiming to have attacked Saudi oil facilities.
[5:17] So, while there are some positive signs in one area,
[5:20] concerns that other sort of forces could pick up the fight as well.
[5:24] All right. Alice Barr in Washington. Alice, thank you.
[5:26] Let's continue this conversation with NBC News political reporter Megan Brand.
[5:30] Megan, good morning.
[5:30] So, let's start on Netanyahu's visit to Washington today.
[5:33] We mentioned this, but no other world leader has visited the president at the White House
[5:37] more than the Israeli prime minister.
[5:39] But this is coming at a time right now where there is this growing friction between them
[5:43] because the president has been critical of Israel's assault on Lebanon.
[5:46] We're also seeing U.S. public support for Israel continue to fall.
[5:51] Tell us about that and what's at stake today.
[5:54] Yeah, good morning.
[5:55] So, we learned a little bit more about what to expect with this meeting between President
[5:59] Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu today.
[6:01] A White House official told NBC that besides the two leaders discussing the conflict in Iran,
[6:07] they would also discuss the framework agreement for peace in Lebanon as well as the Abraham Accords.
[6:13] Remember, last week as well, President Trump had said that in order for him to approve a civil nuclear deal
[6:20] with Saudi Arabia, that Saudi Arabia would have to normalize relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords.
[6:27] Now, as you mentioned, there's been a little bit of tension between these two leaders,
[6:30] though overall it's still a very close alliance.
[6:32] So, yesterday, reporters asked President Trump about Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit to the U.S.,
[6:39] and President Trump had said that the two leaders have a little difference in terms of the conflict with Iran,
[6:46] but that they're pretty close.
[6:48] But one area of disagreement, for example, is the U.S.'s decision to sell F-35 jets to Turkey.
[6:55] That's something that Prime Minister Netanyahu has opposed, but President Trump yesterday told reporters
[7:01] that nobody tells me what we should be selling or not.
[7:05] And, you know, again, just to take a step back here, this also comes as there is no indication
[7:11] that the war could potentially be coming to an end soon.
[7:15] This month, the U.S. conducted nearly two weeks of consecutive strikes on Iran.
[7:20] Iran, meanwhile, has targeted ships in the area, as well as U.S. targets.
[7:24] And there are also concerns about potential, the rising, the rising toll as well,
[7:30] and potential future deaths after four U.S. service members were killed just this month, guys.
[7:36] Megan, let's get to some other political news.
[7:38] We got a health update from Kentucky's Republican Senator Mitch McConnell.
[7:41] He's been in the hospital in a rehab center for more than a month.
[7:44] What are we learning?
[7:46] Yeah, we got another statement from Senator McConnell's office yesterday,
[7:49] and we learned that he is still getting physical therapy
[7:53] and that he has not yet been cleared to return to the office.
[7:57] You can see that there was a new picture that was released as well.
[8:01] And now this is the second time that we've heard from Senator McConnell
[8:03] since he was hospitalized last month.
[8:06] And Senator McConnell had said that he's still doing intense physical therapy,
[8:10] and he noted that he won't be able to make it to an annual picnic
[8:14] that is being held in Kentucky this weekend.
[8:17] He thanked people for their well wishes and said that he looks forward to returning to Kentucky
[8:22] and to the Senate soon.
[8:24] Now, also in that statement that was released by his office,
[8:28] we also heard from the Office of the Attending Physician,
[8:30] which also said that the senator was not yet cleared to return to the office.
[8:36] The Office of the Attending Physician said that Senator McConnell has multiple physical therapy sessions
[8:42] each day in order to help him rebuild strength and also minimize the risk of future falls.
[8:48] The office also said that the senator, the fact that the senator had polio when he was a child
[8:54] is also a significant factor in how his mobility is doing right now, guys, as well.
[9:00] Megan, one other piece of news we want to ask you about.
[9:02] It looks like the president is escalating his fight to change mail-in voting ahead of those midterms.
[9:07] What's he asking from the Supreme Court and what does these changes mean for voters?
[9:12] Yeah, so President Trump is now asking the Supreme Court to allow him to move forward
[9:16] with implementing an executive order that would give the federal government
[9:20] a lot more control over mail-in ballots.
[9:23] So that executive order had directed the federal government to create these federal lists of voters
[9:30] and then to only allow mail-in ballots to be sent to those voters on those lists.
[9:36] So mail-in ballots is something that President Trump has long criticized,
[9:41] including yesterday during a rally in Michigan.
[9:43] Take a listen to what he had to say.
[9:46] Hopefully there will be no mail-in ballots.
[9:49] Mail-in ballots are inherently corrupt, except for illness, disability, military deployment or travel.
[9:56] If you're in the military, you're far away, absolutely.
[9:59] If you have to go someplace, absolutely.
[10:02] But mail-in ballots have proven to be a disaster.
[10:06] Now, I do want to note that there is no evidence that mail-in ballots are inherently corrupt
[10:13] or lead to widespread voter fraud, but they've repeatedly been a target for President Trump.
[10:19] And so now the president wants the Supreme Court to weigh in soon in order for them to be able to
[10:24] implement this executive order before the midterms, because the midterms are right around the corner, guys.
[10:29] All right. Megan, thank you so much.
[10:31] A Secret Service agent has been arrested and charged with multiple felonies.
[10:35] The charges are tied to what authorities are calling a days-long fraternity hazing incident.
[10:41] The agent is among three people accused in a series of brutal beatings using canes and paddles.
[10:47] At least one victim was sent to the hospital with kidney failure and required surgery.
[10:51] The Secret Service says the employee is now on administrative leave and has been since the agency was notified of the allegations.
[10:57] NBC News Chief Justice and National Affairs Correspondent Kelly O'Donnell has the story.
[11:03] A Miami-based Secret Service agent now has a mugshot and was pulled from his elite law enforcement job.
[11:10] Accused of unleashing days of severe beatings in an alleged fraternity hazing ritual linked to an alumni chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi
[11:18] that left two unnamed victims so bloodied that extensive skin grafts and critical emergency care were required.
[11:27] In a Florida court...
[11:28] It's charging you with attempted manslaughter with a deadly weapon.
[11:35] 29-year-old Marquez Pinder appeared by video, ordered to have no contact with victims or the fraternity.
[11:42] Do you understand the stay-away order, sir?
[11:45] Yes, ma'am.
[11:46] Pinder and two other men face felony charges.
[11:49] According to an arrest warrant, the first of several April hazing incidents happened at Pinder's Miami apartment.
[11:57] An affidavit states two victims were struck repeatedly on their buttocks.
[12:02] With paddles and canes, one man bled through his underwear and pants.
[12:06] The laceration so severe that substantial portions of skin and soft tissue was surgically removed.
[12:13] One victim was intubated to prevent further physical deterioration and death.
[12:19] The national fraternity said Kappa Alpha Psi is a non-hazing fraternity and said the suspects are not active or financial members.
[12:28] Kelly O'Donnell, NBC News.
[12:31] We turn now to an emotional plea from our dear colleague Savannah Guthrie.
[12:35] In a new video posted to her Instagram yesterday, she appears to speak directly to her mother's kidnapper, asking for them to do the right thing and help her family find her mother.
[12:46] Nancy Guthrie has now been missing for nearly six months.
[12:49] NBC News correspondent Erin McLaughlin has more on Savannah's message.
[12:54] I'm coming on today with a very specific message.
[12:59] It has been months since our mom was taken from us.
[13:05] Our family is in agony.
[13:07] Nancy Guthrie's daughter Savannah posting this heart-wrenching message to her mother's kidnapper.
[13:13] We are in a nightmare that will not end.
[13:16] Nothing about our situation has changed.
[13:20] We have done our part.
[13:23] We will never stop looking for her.
[13:26] We will always ache for her and feel that hole in her hearts.
[13:33] The world can be a cruel and unforgiving place.
[13:37] And I know that you have tried to do things the right way.
[13:40] Back in February, the Guthrie family announced a million-dollar reward for information leading to Nancy's recovery.
[13:47] Now Savannah is seeming to speak directly to the person responsible for taking her.
[13:52] So I'm asking you, begging you, to do the right thing now.
[13:57] Make the right choice.
[13:59] Help us find her.
[14:01] Tell us where to look for her.
[14:04] I truly believe it is never too late to do the right thing.
[14:08] Help us bring this situation to an end.
[14:11] For all of us, no matter where we've been and what we've done, I believe there is always a way home.
[14:21] Please make the right choice.
[14:24] Our thanks to Erin McLaughlin for bringing us the latest there.
[14:27] Law enforcement sources tell NBC News there are no imminent developments in the case.
[14:31] On your screen right now, we're going to show you, though, you can see this number.
[14:34] Please call the FBI with any tips that may help in this investigation.
[14:38] Let's get now to yet another round of summer storms sweeping through the Midwest.
[14:42] Over the past 24 hours, five tornadoes have touched down in the region.
[14:47] One in Menasha, Wisconsin, flattened entire neighborhoods and mangled cars.
[14:51] Meanwhile, 39 million people from the Midwest to the eastern part of the country are under flood watches,
[14:56] with forecasters saying that some areas could receive more than eight inches of rain over the next two days.
[15:02] Out west, the high temperatures are fueling dozens of devastating fires.
[15:06] Parts of the Central Plains and Rocky Mountains are expecting temperatures 15 degrees above average today.
[15:13] NBC News correspondent Maggie Vespa is in Menasha and joins us with more.
[15:16] Maggie, good morning.
[15:17] We can see the damage there behind you, devastating.
[15:20] What is it like on the ground?
[15:24] Guys, it's so surreal on the ground.
[15:26] I mean, you can take this full and show, like, this is a pickup truck that's just completely upside down.
[15:31] And then over here, you can see the house behind it.
[15:33] And that's torn to pieces, part of its brick siding laying over here on its side.
[15:38] And then we're going to pivot this way.
[15:39] And, I mean, it just goes on as far as the eye can see.
[15:42] Homes totally destroyed, power lines down.
[15:44] We're staying back from those.
[15:45] And then you can see this home over here, again, just left in pieces.
[15:49] And driving into this area, my photographer and I, my producer, we were talking.
[15:53] We just had to go through neighborhood after neighborhood, you know, sort of side street through side streets.
[15:58] And so many looked like this, but this is really the epitome.
[16:04] It's wild when you see it up close, guys.
[16:07] One miraculous note, though, we just got from authorities here on the ground in Menasha.
[16:11] In this city specifically, they don't have any reports of any serious injuries or deaths, which is so miraculous.
[16:19] It's incredible when you see the destruction for yourselves.
[16:22] And, Maggie, we know your home, Chicago, saw intense rain and hail as well.
[16:27] Talk us through the impacts there.
[16:30] Yeah, definitely, guys.
[16:31] It was like bands of sheeting rain that roared through kind of mid-afternoon yesterday.
[16:36] So the same system that brought this reported tornado to Menasha, like the southern end of it,
[16:43] just really brought intense storms, thunderstorms, flooding at times, crazy hail into parts of suburban Chicago.
[16:49] And then I want to point out, last night, our viewers might have seen, we were in Downers Grove, Illinois,
[16:54] and there was a particularly stunning emergency going on there with two contractors stuck in an underground storm drain.
[17:01] The details, authorities aren't saying exactly why they were down there or what exactly happened that got them stuck down there,
[17:07] but it was obviously happening.
[17:08] They got stuck mid-afternoon around the same time that those crazy rains and floods roared in.
[17:14] Emergency crews worked for hours to get them out, and we got an update overnight.
[17:17] They were able to rescue one of them, but the other one, they say, is still missing in that underground storm drain system.
[17:26] And they say the conditions with all of that water made it, quote, extremely dangerous.
[17:31] And they said now, tragically, guys, they're in more of a recovery mission than a rescue mission.
[17:36] So, again, we're still waiting on details as to how exactly that happened.
[17:40] But suffice it to say, the storms absolutely did not help, and definitely just a stunning tragedy in the suburbs of Chicago.
[17:47] No doubt. Certainly some heartbreaking news there.
[17:49] Let's talk about what's happening out west with the wildfires there.
[17:53] Just how widespread is it right now?
[17:55] Is there any sense on when crews might be able to even start to get a handle on them?
[18:02] You know, they're not growing as rapidly as they were early on, which is always a good thing,
[18:07] but that by no means means that the battle is over.
[18:10] I mean, in Oregon alone, there are close to three dozen wildfires.
[18:13] That state's having its worst wildfire season in years.
[18:17] We still have the wildfires burning in Canada, and we have the possibility, it looks like based on weather patterns,
[18:23] that we'll have more smoke plumes traveling south from those.
[18:26] We saw a lot of that last week, the last couple of weeks, as you saw.
[18:30] Again, Chicago was hit hard with that.
[18:31] Now we're looking at more of kind of the northern Great Plains and even the southern states
[18:34] that could see their air quality take a dip as the result of all of these wildfires that are still raging.
[18:42] So, again, they've kind of turned a little bit of a corner, but this is just a devastatingly hot, dry summer,
[18:48] and they have a long road ahead, guys.
[18:49] Yeah, long fire season still to go.
[18:51] Maggie Vespa in Menasha, Wisconsin.
[18:53] Maggie, thank you.
[18:54] Well, Europe has a natural disaster crisis of its own.
[18:57] Fire crews in both Spain and France are trying to get the worst wildfires in decades under control.
[19:02] Reporter Conor Gillis from our UK partner Sky News has the latest from Madrid.
[19:07] Conor, good morning.
[19:09] The next 24 hours here in Spain are absolutely critical because there is a new heat wave coming.
[19:15] Temperatures of 37, 38, 39 degrees Celsius, and this is a wildfire on a scale this country has never seen before.
[19:25] Five times the city of Barcelona.
[19:27] Authorities here are calling it a monster blaze.
[19:30] And we are at the centre of the command centre, a car park that has been turned in to the central operations here
[19:37] for the emergency services who are coming off these mountains over the city of Madrid
[19:43] as part of these huge efforts that are now days in as part of this.
[19:48] They're regrouping, they're getting their supplies, and they are plotting their next move,
[19:54] analysing the fire's latest behaviour given the huge unpredictable nature of what we are witnessing.
[20:01] The human stories at the centre of this here in Spain are clear as well.
[20:06] We have been speaking to people who had to flee their home as fire came all around them.
[20:12] The roads here were completely impassable, and the only route out was through a boat into the reservoir,
[20:19] and they were rowing as fast as they could.
[20:22] Five hours with no help and no emergency services coming to their rescue.
[20:27] A terrifying thought, a terrifying prospect that's echoed through many communities here.
[20:32] This is a race against time.
[20:34] What happens over the next few hours, as I said, are critical and unpredictable.
[20:40] All right, Conor, thank you.
[20:41] Let's get more now on the severe weather and bring in NBC meteorologist Angie Lassman.
[20:45] Yeah, she's tracking the threat in the eastern U.S. for us.
[20:47] Hey, Angie, good morning.
[20:50] Hey there, Joe and Savannah.
[20:51] Good morning to you.
[20:51] We've got another active day ahead of us.
[20:53] You can see still on the radar some showers, some thunderstorms kind of working to the east,
[20:57] moving into parts of the northeast and the mid-Atlantic for those hot spots today
[21:01] of where you'll see the most active weather.
[21:03] We've already got 39 million people under flood watches stretching from Massachusetts down through Maryland.
[21:08] We will continue to see that flood threat through at least the day today
[21:12] as these kind of training thunderstorms stay in the forecast for us this Tuesday.
[21:16] Notice that the area that we're most concerned about does have New York right in that bullseye.
[21:21] We'll see that slight risk extended across parts of New York and stretching south.
[21:26] Philadelphia, Atlantic City included in that as well as Columbus across parts of Ohio.
[21:31] Meanwhile, we're going to see potentially anywhere from 2 to 3 and up to 5 inches of rain
[21:36] when this is all said and done through at least Thursday.
[21:38] This is multiple days that we're going to have to deal with this kind of ongoing flooding threat,
[21:42] likely to cause some travel delays.
[21:44] We saw a whole lot of those yesterday.
[21:46] So on the roads and at the airports, something to watch for,
[21:49] specifically on the roadways, urging folks not to drive through those flooded roads.
[21:53] We've got that life-threatening flooding possible across much of the northeast through the day today.
[21:57] As far as the severe weather, 32 million people stretched across the mid-Atlantic.
[22:01] Washington, D.C., Roanoke, Charlotte, all included in that wind gusts, look to be the main threat.
[22:07] And on top of that, of course, the temperature is really getting your attention across parts of the south.
[22:11] We've got that dangerous heat with actual temperatures surging into the triple digits
[22:14] and feels like temperatures like 112 in Little Rock.
[22:18] We've got 103 for what it'll feel like in Wichita later today, 110 for New Orleans.
[22:23] The potential for record highs in the picture through at least the next couple of days across the midsection of the country
[22:28] and parts of the southwest.
[22:30] Notice 92 tomorrow in Minneapolis, but feeling like 95.
[22:33] That heat continues, really feeling very summer-like as we roll through the end of the work week and into the weekend.
[22:39] 99 on Thursday and Friday in Tulsa.
[22:42] We get back to those low 80s in St. Louis by the time Saturday rolls around.
[22:46] Otherwise, big picture look through your day today.
[22:48] We'll see plenty of sunshine across parts of the Midwest and across the west,
[22:51] but that heavy rain in the picture across the Rockies.
[22:54] Back to you.
[22:55] All right, Angie, thank you so much.
[22:56] Much more to come here on Morning News now.
[22:58] Later this hour, a new survey out pulling back the curtain on workers' pay
[23:02] and their worries about inflation.
[23:04] We'll break down the numbers and share their concerns.
[23:07] But at first, a big development this morning in the Idaho College murder case.
[23:11] We'll bring you the latest.
[23:13] Stay with us.
[23:19] We're back now with a major development in the Idaho College murders case.
[23:23] Brian Koberger, who is serving four consecutive life sentences,
[23:28] is now seeking to withdraw his guilty plea and overturn his conviction.
[23:32] In his first interview about the case, Koberger told the New York Times he is innocent
[23:37] and claimed his attorneys pressured him to falsely confess that his plea was based on, quote,
[23:43] false promises and blatant disinformation.
[23:46] This comes just one year after he admitted to fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students.
[23:52] Kaylee Gonsalves, Zanna Kronodal, and Ethan Chapin and Madison Mogan.
[23:57] Now, the 2022 murders, they captured national attention.
[24:01] DNA evidence found at the crime scene eventually led investigators to Koberger.
[24:05] His attorneys initially said he would fight the charges, but just weeks before his trial,
[24:09] he accepted a surprise plea deal to avoid the possibility of the death penalty.
[24:14] But even after his confession, investigators never publicly identified a motive,
[24:19] leaving the victims' loved ones with questions that may never be answered.
[24:23] In a statement, Kaylee Gonsalves' family called Koberger a guilty man once again claiming he is innocent.
[24:30] Joining us now is NBC News legal analyst Misty Maris.
[24:32] Misty, thank you for being here.
[24:33] I mean, so big news here on a case that so many people have been paying close attention to.
[24:39] He was asked in court back then if he was pleading guilty under pressure or duress.
[24:45] He said no.
[24:45] We heard him admit to those murders.
[24:48] So how difficult is it to essentially reverse that now?
[24:51] It's going to be incredibly difficult.
[24:52] In order to do so, he would have to show what's called a manifest injustice.
[24:56] So just to lay the foundation, when he pled guilty, he waived his right to an appeal.
[25:01] But constitutionally, there's an avenue that remains open to any criminal defendant,
[25:05] and that's to seek post-conviction relief.
[25:07] So you see that with ineffective assistance of counsel, which seems to be a primary factor
[25:11] of his argument here, saying he was coerced into pleading guilty, there were false promises,
[25:16] and that's the basis that he set forth in this notice.
[25:19] But this is not just buyer's regret, guys.
[25:21] It can't just be my lawyers presenting me with options, and I'm unhappy with the one that I chose.
[25:25] There would have to be some really black and white evidence of misconduct, coercion,
[25:29] something that happened behind the scenes.
[25:31] So this is a really tough haul.
[25:32] Koberger said that he prepared this challenge on his own.
[25:36] I remember a defense expert had once suggested perhaps multiple people did commit this crime here.
[25:41] Could that be part of his argument?
[25:43] So first you have that ineffective assistance of counsel argument that it basically says his plea deal,
[25:49] he didn't enter into it voluntarily.
[25:51] But then there's another piece that he raises in this notice.
[25:53] And by the way, he would have to extrapolate this and lay out the facts that support his position in this notice.
[25:59] This is the very first step.
[26:00] But that's what he has raised as actual innocence and exculpatory evidence that was withheld from him at the time of the trial.
[26:09] So what does that mean?
[26:10] Well, that opens up the avenue to potentially lay out some of those alternative theories.
[26:16] And that's where you can see that coming into play with respect to this petition seeking post-conviction relief.
[26:22] If let's just say this works out for him, what does that mean we see, a full trial with a jury?
[26:28] Yeah.
[26:29] So first step would be now we have the notice he's preserving his right to move forward.
[26:32] Then you'd see briefs, you know, and you'd see the DA contesting it.
[26:36] We'd go to the judge, maybe go to a higher court.
[26:38] If he were to be successful, it would be a new trial.
[26:41] But guess what?
[26:42] That plea deal would be null and void so the death penalty could be back on the table.
[26:45] Walk us through the process works from here.
[26:47] He has filed this.
[26:48] So what would happen if he doesn't get his way?
[26:50] Is that even something that can be appealed?
[26:52] So what's interesting is that this case will first go to Judge Hippler.
[26:56] Who's Judge Hippler?
[26:57] The one that he looked in the eyes and said, this was voluntary.
[27:00] I did it.
[27:01] And I was not coerced and my lawyers were sufficient.
[27:04] If he's not successful there, it could go up to a higher court.
[27:07] Misty, we heard from the family essentially saying that this is just more coming back to kind of haunt us, in other words.
[27:15] What do you think could be going on behind the scenes here, that Brian decides to make a decision like this at this point, after this amount of time?
[27:23] So first, I feel for the families, because I know that there was controversial at the time to enter into the plea deal.
[27:28] Some families were in support, some were not.
[27:30] But one thing that it gets is finality.
[27:32] And now that finality has been disrupted.
[27:34] But from Koberger, what we've seen since he pled guilty and he's been behind bars, he's made multiple complaints about the conditions.
[27:42] And so now he's facing a lifetime, no possibility of parole, no possibility of getting out.
[27:49] And it seems he's picked the one avenue to kind of maybe become a lawyer behind the scenes and pursue this post-conviction relief.
[27:56] So it will have to go through the process.
[27:58] And whether or not it's ultimately going to be successful, highly unlikely.
[28:02] But the process still remains.
[28:03] So the families will have to be there to watch it and watch it unfold.
[28:08] All right.
[28:08] Misty Myers, thank you so much.
[28:09] Thank you.
[28:10] A Louisiana man is free after spending nearly three decades on death row for a crime that several judges now say he did not commit.
[28:18] Jimmy Duncan secured his innocence with the help of a video that the jury never saw during his trial.
[28:23] Dan Slepian has a closer look in an NBC News exclusive.
[28:26] We do want to warn you, the content you're about to see is disturbing.
[28:30] Last November, Jimmy Chris Duncan walked out of a Louisiana prison after spending nearly three decades on death row for a murder that multiple judges now agree never happened.
[28:43] Your mom passed while you were on death row?
[28:45] Yeah.
[28:46] I lost a lot of people.
[28:50] On December 18, 1993, Duncan was watching his girlfriend's daughter, Haley Olivo, just 23 months old.
[28:59] He left her alone in the bathtub while he cleaned.
[29:02] I heard a sound, a bump.
[29:05] I hollered at him like, Haley, and she didn't answer.
[29:08] Duncan found her face down, not breathing.
[29:11] Police initially charged him with criminally negligent homicide.
[29:14] What do you say to people who know of your case and say, you know what, he left this baby alone in the bathtub.
[29:21] He's kind of responsible for that.
[29:23] What do you say to them?
[29:24] I can't argue with that.
[29:25] Haley's body was sent to a medical examiner named Stephen Hain, who claimed he saw bite marks and possible signs of sexual assault.
[29:34] Hain called in Dr. Michael West, a dentist, who said that marks on Haley's body matched Duncan's teeth.
[29:41] And with that, Duncan was charged with first-degree murder.
[29:45] He stood trial, was convicted, and sentenced to die.
[29:48] How do you not give up in that situation?
[29:50] I did give up.
[29:52] I was completely suicidal for a long time.
[29:57] But the truth had been on video all along.
[30:00] West had recorded his examination of Haley.
[30:03] Duncan's jury never heard about the tape.
[30:06] It wasn't until 2024 that Duncan's attorneys won him a new hearing.
[30:11] It was granted by Judge Alvin Sharp, who agreed to play the tape in court.
[30:15] So you hadn't seen it before the hearing started?
[30:17] Absolutely hadn't seen it. Absolutely hadn't seen it.
[30:19] This is the first time that Sharp, now retired, is publicly speaking about Duncan's case.
[30:25] A warning.
[30:26] The video of a dead toddler in a morgue is difficult to watch, so we've concealed some of it.
[30:32] At the beginning, Haley's face appears blemish-free.
[30:35] Five minutes in, the camera turns off.
[30:38] When it resumes the next day, bruises are visible.
[30:42] West then presses the mold of Duncan's teeth into Haley's body roughly 50 times.
[30:48] I was aghast.
[30:50] I'm left in a state of consternation, total consternation.
[30:53] Is it fair to say that Dr. West is manufacturing and creating the evidence on this child's body?
[31:02] He's absolutely creating marks on that baby's body.
[31:06] West has said he wasn't creating any marks,
[31:09] that the tape shows him comparing Duncan's dental mold to marks he claimed were already there.
[31:14] The hearing revealed even more evidence Duncan's jury never knew.
[31:19] Haley suffered seizures before her death.
[31:22] In the end, Judge Sharp concluded Haley drowned in the bathtub.
[31:26] He found no evidence of sexual assault and vacated Duncan's conviction.
[31:31] He was convicted because they lied.
[31:33] Allison Layton, Haley's mother, always believed Duncan murdered her daughter.
[31:37] Seeing the video changed that.
[31:39] They railroaded this man, they fabricated evidence, they desecrated my daughter and videotaped it.
[31:47] Why would they videotape themselves doing that?
[31:49] I think they were advertising.
[31:51] Journalist Radley Balco has investigated Haley and West for two decades, co-authoring a book about them.
[31:57] He says they were widely known for helping prosecutors secure convictions.
[32:01] How many cases do you know factually where Dr. West and Dr. Haynes' findings helped send an innocent person to prison?
[32:10] We've had 11 exonerations now.
[32:12] Eleven.
[32:13] Of people who either were convicted or arrested and spent a lot of time in jail.
[32:17] Haynes defended his work until his death in 2020.
[32:20] West did not reply to our request for comment, but in a 2012 deposition in a different case,
[32:26] said he no longer believed in the uniqueness of human bite marks.
[32:30] Duncan is free, but what remains is an unknown future, and the little girl who never got one.
[32:38] Do you still carry Haley with you?
[32:40] Yeah, always.
[32:45] Our thanks to Dan Slepian for his continued reporting on such an emotional story.
[32:58] Coming up, an old school game is proving to be a big boost for your brain.
[33:03] Up next, we're going to tell you what a new study says about playing the game of Mahjong.
[33:06] Your mental health check-in is next.
[33:08] This is Morning News Now.
[33:18] Time now for our weekly mental health check-in.
[33:20] And we are diving into the popularity of mental health topics on social media.
[33:23] Now there are questions about whether all that online talk is actually making problems worse offline.
[33:29] Also, researchers say an ancient game may hold some modern brain benefits.
[33:33] Licensed marriage and family therapist Dr. George James joins us now with that and more.
[33:37] He is the author of I Give Myself Permission, Take Risks, Be Imperfect, Live Boldly.
[33:42] Dr. James, always good to have you with us.
[33:44] So we're going to start with this research psychologist writing for the New York Times saying the popularity of mental health content online is actually leading people to mistake normal emotions for mental illnesses.
[33:55] It's obviously okay to not feel your best every day.
[33:57] But what are some signs to look for when it comes to telling the difference between actual everyday normal emotions and real health concerns?
[34:04] Good morning, Joe.
[34:07] You know, as a therapist who's been doing this work for over 25 years, I would say I'm glad that more of us are thinking about our mental health and mental wellness.
[34:14] But to this article, what they're really trying to ask us to think about is that not everything is a mental illness.
[34:20] You can be sad but not depressed.
[34:22] You can have a really tough experience but not experienced PTSD.
[34:26] And some of the things for us to think about is that some of the symptoms when we talk about mental illness go on for a much longer, two weeks or a month, or have other circumstances that are connected to it.
[34:36] But instead of using social media to diagnose yourself, I encourage you to go to a therapist, a psychiatrist, get some support.
[34:43] But yes, take care of your mental health and well-being and not just leave it up to what you see on social media.
[34:48] Okay, we know unpredictability sometimes or trying to embrace it can be a good thing.
[34:53] But we want to talk about it when it comes to your career path because usually that journey is a lot less predictable, especially in today's job market.
[35:01] But there is this research that embracing that can improve your mental health and actually even help you win at work.
[35:06] Tell us about this.
[35:09] Yeah, Savannah, part of what they're saying in this article is that we could go through lots of challenges in our work life.
[35:16] Some unpredictability is actually good for us, that sometimes we think it has to be right, the right fit, the right experience.
[35:22] But the unpredictability teaches us what we actually need or like and what is meaningful in our work.
[35:28] And therefore, we can realize it doesn't have to be one thing, but it can be something that is important to us that we select.
[35:34] And we learn how to deal with uncertainty along the way.
[35:37] Let's play a little game here.
[35:38] We're going to shuffle the tiles.
[35:40] There's a new study that says the traditional Chinese game Mahjong is linked to some big brain benefits.
[35:46] I did a story a couple of years ago on how Gen Z is really helping to revive the game here in New York City.
[35:51] We're seeing this all over.
[35:53] I remember doing it and thinking, oh, I'm totally going to keep playing this.
[35:57] Never played it again.
[35:58] But it was really fun.
[36:00] I've been saying I want to learn.
[36:01] Exactly.
[36:01] We should get into it.
[36:02] It's very hard to learn.
[36:03] But once you do, it really does get your brain thinking.
[36:07] What is it about a game like Mahjong or others like it that's so good for our mental health?
[36:13] Yeah, Joe, I remember seeing that clip.
[36:15] And I was going to ask you for some lessons, but I guess I shouldn't.
[36:19] We'll go together and learn.
[36:21] There we go.
[36:22] Something about Mahjong is that it helps you with strategy.
[36:26] You have to remember things.
[36:27] You have to remember what other players have done.
[36:29] And it just allows your brain to really function in a different way.
[36:32] It's something that also helps you with executive functioning, which allows you to make decisions,
[36:37] helps you with a little bit of your memory.
[36:39] But also there's a way there is a social aspect to this game where you're connecting with other
[36:43] folks, which helps with lowering social isolation.
[36:46] So there's many benefits with games like this that help you to think, to plan, to strategize.
[36:51] And so I would encourage others, including myself, to learn Mahjong and other games like
[36:55] this because, one, it could be fun, but it could also be helpful for you long term.
[36:58] The folks here in New York are wonderful at teaching you how to play.
[37:01] So we're going to put it on the calendar.
[37:02] We're all going to go.
[37:03] We're going to learn how to play Mahjong.
[37:04] All right.
[37:04] Dr. James, as always.
[37:05] By the way, Joe with a beard.
[37:07] Well, there you go.
[37:08] I love that.
[37:08] You only have to go two months for that.
[37:10] Dr. James, thank you.
[37:12] Thank you.
[37:12] All right.
[37:12] Let's switch gears here.
[37:13] The war-torn region of South Sudan is currently dealing with one of the world's worst blindness
[37:18] crises.
[37:19] For years, the country has been engulfed in a civil war, which has broken the health care
[37:23] system.
[37:23] The ongoing violence makes it virtually impossible for any humanitarian aid to get in.
[37:28] The situation was made worse by the Trump administration's cut to USAID last year, which provided crucial
[37:36] medical funding to the region.
[37:38] NBC News international correspondent Molly Hunter spoke with one American surgeon who took
[37:42] part in a mission of mercy to help restore people's eyesight.
[37:46] Flying into the Abbey region is no easy journey.
[37:51] The small, oil-rich territory between Sudan and South Sudan has endured years of ethnic
[37:56] conflict.
[37:58] Tens of thousands displaced, childhood malnutrition has soared, and without a functioning health
[38:03] system or enough trained doctors, South Sudan has one of the highest rates of blindness in
[38:08] the world.
[38:09] But for two weeks earlier this year, a rare window, a local ceasefire made way for a team
[38:16] of doctors to go in, including American Dr. Lloyd Williams.
[38:19] Because of all those security problems in that area, there's been no eye care there really
[38:25] at all in the last 20 years or so.
[38:28] AMNA NAWAZ- An eye surgeon from Duke University, he's been making trips like this for more than
[38:33] a decade.
[38:35] This year, more than 8,000 people registered for care, among them, 15-year-old Nayan Lukdeng.
[38:42] After an illness left her blind in one eye, then the other, she hasn't been able to see
[38:47] for more than a year.
[38:51] She's come in with her dad, hoping cataract surgery can change that.
[38:53] You have this kid laying on a table in front of you, and you're looking down into their
[38:56] eyes that are completely white.
[38:59] And you think to yourself, if I do a good job, this person is going to be able to see
[39:04] for the rest of their life.
[39:06] But Williams says cataract surgeries like this are incredibly cheap to do in the field, costing
[39:11] about $30 a surgery.
[39:13] But most of these people, he adds, have never had access to an eye doctor.
[39:18] South Sudan relies heavily on foreign aid to support its health care system, though U.S.
[39:23] funding plummeted after the elimination of USAID, down 61 percent from 2024 to 2025.
[39:31] This trip was entirely privately funded.
[39:35] And here, the moment Nayan Lukdeng has been waiting for, a moment Dr. Williams witnesses
[39:41] again and again here.
[39:44] You can't see.
[39:47] His team performed more than 1,000 cataract surgeries during the 10-day trip.
[39:53] Even though you know, like, what you did and the science behind it, it still feels kind of
[39:59] miraculous when you take the bandage off.
[40:02] 40 minutes away, Nayan Lukdeng walks home to her family's thatch-roofed hut.
[40:07] Her mom races out to greet her.
[40:14] It was God's plan you would be healed, her mom says.
[40:17] Next year, Nayan Lukdeng will return to school, she says, thanking the doctors who made this possible.
[40:22] And she already knows what she wants to be when she grows up, an eye doctor.
[40:28] Molly Hunter, NBC News.
[40:30] Coming up, it is no secret that folks across the country are feeling the impact of inflation
[40:35] this summer.
[40:36] A new survey is now putting those worries into perspective.
[40:39] When we come back, we'll break down the data, how much of America is concerned about costs
[40:44] and how they're making ends meet.
[40:45] That's next.
[40:45] Now with a new survey that's revealing just how concerned workers here in the U.S.
[40:56] are about the higher prices because of inflation.
[40:58] The survey was published this week by Monster, the online job board.
[41:01] It shows an overwhelming 93% of American workers say their paycheck is not covering rising costs.
[41:09] That's leading many people to search for other ways to make ends meet.
[41:12] For more on this, let's bring in chief business editor of People, Inc.,
[41:15] and editor-in-chief of Investopedia, Caleb Silver.
[41:18] Caleb, hi there.
[41:19] All right, so this comes from Monster's 2026 cost of living report.
[41:22] Walk us through what the survey tells us, just this overall opinion here on these rising costs.
[41:26] Yeah, most people say that their pay is not keeping up with inflation because it's actually not.
[41:32] 7% say they got an inflation-adjusted increase just increased last year.
[41:37] Just 7% saying their raises are actually matching inflation.
[41:41] 85% say they're dipping into savings.
[41:43] 71% say their raise, again, was below inflation, and they're seeking higher-paying rolls.
[41:49] But this is very difficult when it's hard to get a higher-paying roll,
[41:52] and costs continue to rise, especially on the needs.
[41:54] Not necessarily the wants, but the needs for everyday living.
[41:57] Yeah, so looking at that number you just mentioned,
[41:59] 7% of workers only reporting a raise that actually reflected the growing inflation.
[42:04] So how are people managing the difference between their pay not going up as much as the prices?
[42:11] Yeah, well, a lot of people are dipping into savings.
[42:14] A lot of people are cutting nonessential spending.
[42:16] 61%, according to this survey.
[42:18] 38% say they're relying on their credit cards, which is why we see credit card balances at an all-time high.
[42:24] And credit card debt also at an all-time high.
[42:27] So if people are looking for second jobs, they're, again, cutting the spending they don't have to make,
[42:33] because spending on things like vacations, on those nonessential things,
[42:36] those costs keep rising every single year.
[42:38] So workers are in a tough spot here.
[42:40] The job market is not necessarily wide open.
[42:43] It's not easy to get a higher-paying job, and there's not a lot of job availability,
[42:46] which is why we tell people, hug the job that you have and try to cut back on your spending.
[42:51] And, Caleb, we know a lot of times you talk to us about sort of, like,
[42:53] what's reality versus the perception when it comes to data numbers, the economy.
[42:59] What does the government data tell us right now, really, about how inflation is impacting us?
[43:04] Yeah, well, the government data will tell you that inflation is around 3.5% to 3.8%.
[43:09] It's been fluctuating a lot over the past few months.
[43:11] But the real rate of inflation is usually around 2.7%.
[43:14] I would say if you went outside or talked to anybody in America, they'll say inflation is not 2.7%
[43:20] when you look at things like health care costs, when you look at things like housing costs,
[43:23] when you look at things like energy costs in general.
[43:25] So inflation is much higher, and the lower income you have, the higher inflation feels,
[43:30] and your pay is just not keeping up with it.
[43:32] So inflation is very sticky.
[43:34] We've seen a lot of it over the past few years.
[43:36] It goes up pretty fast.
[43:37] It goes down very, very slowly, and a lot of workers are caught in the middle here,
[43:40] not being able to make ends meet.
[43:42] Do we actually see people pulling back on their spending?
[43:45] Like, is that really happening?
[43:47] Yeah, at the low end, at the high end, you don't.
[43:49] Next time you go out on an airplane, the front of the plane is stuffed.
[43:52] First class is doing just fine.
[43:53] The wealthy, the top 10% are doing just fine because of rising asset prices.
[43:58] But a lot of other people are just cutting back, again, on that travel
[44:01] or on the new car that they might get every few years.
[44:04] People are pulling way back on the non-essential spending, and that means travel.
[44:08] That means a lot of the things that drive the economy, but the top 10% is doing just fine.
[44:12] All right, Caleb Silver, thank you so much.
[44:14] We're coming up, childhood memories coming alive here in New York City.
[44:18] After the break, we are getting a first-hand look at Jim Henson's iconic creature shop.
[44:23] We're going to take you there.
[44:24] Waka, waka, waka.
[44:26] We're back with an inside look at a place that is all about fun.
[44:35] Jim Henson's creature shop.
[44:37] The iconic workshop has created some of the most memorable characters and moments in TV history.
[44:43] Well, after six decades, it's pulling back the curtain.
[44:47] Visitors can now experience the magic of puppet making firsthand.
[44:51] Today, co-anchor Al Roker takes us inside the iconic studio for a special tour.
[44:56] Puppeteering is a really special skill, but building a good puppet, that is a really exciting process.
[45:04] That process, from sketching, stitching, to styling, takes center stage here at Jim Henson's creature shop in New York City, continuing the legacy of the famous puppeteer who brought iconic characters to life, like the Muppets to those on Sesame Street.
[45:22] His love of the art form now passed down to his five children, including Cheryl Henson.
[45:28] I would imagine, growing up with a dad like Jim Henson, that you had a really interesting childhood.
[45:36] I loved my childhood.
[45:38] There were always projects going on.
[45:41] We learned so many different skills and crafts.
[45:44] It was what we did.
[45:45] What does creating, building, designing a puppet do for you?
[45:51] Well, I feel like a puppet can be so many different things.
[45:54] And there are a lot of people who are really shy, like myself, and it's hard to perform.
[45:59] What's really special about puppetry is that it's not you.
[46:04] It's the puppet.
[46:06] So you can be all different kinds of characters.
[46:08] Earlier this year, the historic workshop, which has been operating since 1963, started giving tours to the public,
[46:16] pulling back the curtain on the secrets and skills needed to build these familiar faces.
[46:22] When people come here, do you watch them to see their reaction, and what do you see?
[46:27] The emotional connection that people have to the characters.
[46:32] There's this sense of, oh, my friend.
[46:35] That's probably what's so special about this place, is that for a lot of us, this is their childhood.
[46:43] I got a first-hand look from Melissa Creighton, director of The Creature Shop.
[46:47] These are all different types of materials that we use.
[46:49] That used to build the puppets.
[46:50] Yeah.
[46:51] And so it would be like, this is usually what a head is made out of, this type of foam.
[46:57] And then we have these hard foams that we would make maybe props or like a structural costume.
[47:01] You see here rod puppets, which has rod arms like that.
[47:12] And then this would be a live hand puppet over here.
[47:16] These are all our different materials organized by type and by color.
[47:21] And color, all the furs you've got.
[47:23] Let's just say I got a little animated.
[47:26] I ain't got nobody.
[47:29] Here's looking at you, kid.
[47:31] I can wear this in a meeting now with Craig and go to sleep.
[47:34] With some fun discoveries leaving me in stitches.
[47:38] When they say don't play with your food, they obviously didn't have this in mind.
[47:41] We need this at 30 Rock.
[47:46] So an AM is an anything Muppet.
[47:49] It's just a blank puppet that can be featured and refeatured to be anything.
[47:55] And then we would go to the eye drawer.
[47:59] The eye drawer.
[48:00] Oh my gosh.
[48:01] That is wild.
[48:04] And then noses.
[48:05] The walkthrough featuring artists in action.
[48:09] Today, Jason Weber is dying furs to get the perfect color.
[48:13] Do you think people will have a greater appreciation for the artistry?
[48:18] I would like to think so.
[48:20] To get a little glimpse of what goes behind it.
[48:23] It's kind of magical in its own way.
[48:26] And of course, I couldn't leave without trying my own hand at puppeteering with these peepers.
[48:32] So when people come to the tour, they get a peeper.
[48:35] Sure do.
[48:35] And they get some lessons.
[48:37] And so they get to keeper the peeper.
[48:40] Keeper the peepers.
[48:41] Finders peepers, losers weepers.
[48:47] Pretty funny.
[48:49] I mean, everybody becomes a kid once you are there.
[48:53] And you really get to see just how much actually goes into building puppets.
[48:57] Tours are available on weekends through September.
[49:00] Back to you.
[49:01] All right.
[49:01] Al Roker, that was a blast.
[49:03] I went last year.
[49:04] And it was unreal.
[49:05] Because you see all these things you recognize.
[49:07] And then you see all the things you don't recognize.
[49:10] And then they gave me a puppet.
[49:11] And I put my hand in it.
[49:12] And I broke it.
[49:13] Oh, my.
[49:15] They could fix it.
[49:16] They assured me that Melissa right there, who's from Minnesota, assured me they could fix it.
[49:19] Oh, my gosh.
[49:19] It was all good.
[49:20] So funny.
[49:20] I just love the ball, the drawer of eyeballs.
[49:22] The drawer of eyeballs.
[49:23] There you go.
[49:23] I was going to get that.
[49:24] Al, that was fun.
[49:25] Thank you so much.
[49:26] All right.
[49:26] Finally this hour, be sure to tune in to a historic broadcast tomorrow right here on NBC.
[49:31] Pope Leo XIV is hosting a concert for peace to commemorate the 800th anniversary
[49:38] of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of Italy.
[49:42] It's going to air exclusively on NBC and Telemundo starting at 1 p.m. Eastern.
[49:46] And after the event, you can catch a special edition of NBC Nightly News.
[49:49] Tom Yamas will speak with Pope Leo as he begins his second year leading the Catholic Church.
[49:53] It'll air live from the Vatican, 6.30 p.m. Eastern.
[49:57] That does it for this hour of Morning News Now.
[49:58] Stay with us, though.
[49:59] The news continues right now.
[50:00] Good morning.
[50:13] Thank you for joining us this Tuesday.
[50:15] I'm Savannah Sellers.
[50:16] I'm Joe Fryer.
[50:17] Right now on Morning News Now, states of emergency.
[50:20] We are tracking a massive severe weather system,
[50:23] tearing across parts of the Northeast with millions potentially in the path.
[50:27] The storm creating utter destruction.
[50:30] Take a look at this terrifying tornado caught on camera,
[50:33] flattening whole neighborhoods in Wisconsin.
[50:37] Cars and trucks strewn across highway roads.
[50:40] The danger is not over yet. Your full forecast coming up.
[50:44] Also this morning, President Trump's diplomacy dance on full display,
[50:48] both in Washington and abroad.
[50:51] Overnight, the U.S. pausing direct attacks on Iran after nearly two weeks of violence.
[50:56] Well, back home, the commander-in-chief's schedule is packed.
[50:59] He's got high-stakes meetings with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu.
[51:05] That one yielding a chillier-than-usual D.C. reception upon arrival.
[51:09] We are covering it all in just a moment.
[51:12] Plus, the heartbreaking new plea from R. Savannah Guthrie now taking to Instagram,
[51:17] appearing to the alleged, appealing to the alleged abductor of her mother, Nancy Guthrie, one-on-one.
[51:23] Our family is in agony. So I'm asking you, begging you, to do the right thing now.
[51:32] Make the right choice.
[51:33] More of her emotional message and the latest from law enforcement,
[51:38] nearly six months after Nancy was taken.
[51:41] And later in the hour, you could call it the summer of the shark.
[51:45] Reported sightings soaring, and not just here in America, but across the globe.
[51:50] What experts seem to think is behind it all, and how you can stay shark-smart,
[51:55] while enjoying what Mother Nature has to offer.
[51:58] We've been saying it's a sharky summer.
[52:00] I know.
[52:01] The sharkiest summer.
[52:03] So there you go.
[52:04] I think we made that up.
[52:04] But don't worry. The odds are low. We'll dig into it in a little bit.
[52:07] Let's begin this hour with the latest round of severe summer weather that's making its way across
[52:11] the country. Overnight, at least five tornadoes were reported in the Midwest, leaving a path of
[52:16] destruction across the region.
[52:18] We are seeing scenes like this one in Wisconsin and Illinois.
[52:22] Entire neighborhoods destroyed as the strong winds ripped roofs off of homes
[52:27] and flipped cars and trains.
[52:29] This comes as a dangerous global heat wave refuses to let up as it's fueling wildfires,
[52:34] both here in the U.S. and across Europe.
[52:37] NBC News correspondent Maggie Vespa is in Menasha, Wisconsin with the latest.
[52:41] Maggie, good morning.
[52:42] Hey there. Here on the ground and up close.
[52:45] I mean, this is just so surreal and so gut-wrenching to see.
[52:49] This is a pickup truck that's just flipped upside down.
[52:52] This house is completely destroyed.
[52:54] You can see part of the brick foundation there laying on its side.
[52:57] And then it just goes on as far as the eye can see.
[53:00] It's like home after home completely destroyed.
[53:04] This one over here in pieces.
[53:06] Authorities here in Menasha say somewhat miraculously when you look at this,
[53:10] they have no reports of any serious injuries or deaths, thankfully.
[53:14] But this as the effects of severe weather are being felt far and wide.
[53:18] This morning, devastation in Wisconsin after an apparent monster tornado tore through the Appleton area.
[53:26] It's definitely tornado.
[53:29] Leaving entire neighborhoods flattened.
[53:31] This is really f***ing bad.
[53:33] And mangled vehicles scattered across this highway.
[53:37] There it goes.
[53:38] The monster twister.
[53:39] Part of a powerful system that slammed multiple states.
[53:44] Those are like golf balls.
[53:46] Dumping large hail and bands of heavy rain on the Chicago area and causing travel headaches.
[53:53] Passengers waiting in long lines at Chicago O'Hare as delays and cancellations piled up.
[53:58] The ceiling even leaking inside from the heavy rain.
[54:02] In suburban Downers Grove, crews raced to save two contractors swept up in storm drains.
[54:08] This morning, local authorities say one was rescued and hospitalized in good condition,
[54:13] while the other remains missing.
[54:15] Officials say the water conditions made the search extremely dangerous.
[54:20] Meanwhile, wildfires are raging in multiple states here in the U.S.
[54:24] It's kind of hard to hear that people you've known and loved most of your life have lost everything.
[54:31] And overseas, more fast-moving fires, forcing more than 300,000 evacuations across Spain, Italy, and France.
[54:39] Back here at home, another day of sweltering heat set to roast more than 100 million Americans
[54:45] amid a relentless summer of severe weather.
[54:48] Now, another big issue, and this might not surprise you looking around, is power outages.
[54:54] Hundreds of thousands without power, especially across Illinois and Wisconsin.
[54:58] So today, getting that restored will be just the first step in obviously a long road to recovery.
[55:06] I'll send it back to you.
[55:07] All right, Maggie, thank you.
[55:08] Let's get a closer look now at your morning news now weather.
[55:11] Meteorologist Angie Lastman joins us now.
[55:13] Angie, good morning.
[55:14] Hey there, Joe and Savannah.
[55:16] Good morning to you.
[55:16] We've got another active day ahead of us.
[55:18] You can see still on the radar, some showers, some thunderstorms kind of working to the east,
[55:22] moving into parts of the northeast and the mid-Atlantic for those hot spots today,
[55:26] of where you'll see the most active weather.
[55:28] We've already got 39 million people under flood watches stretching from Massachusetts
[55:32] down through Maryland.
[55:33] We will continue to see that flood threat through at least the day today as these kind of training
[55:38] thunderstorms stay in the forecast for us this Tuesday.
[55:41] Notice that the area that we're most concerned about does have New York right in that bullseye.
[55:46] We'll see that slight risk extended across parts of New York and stretching south.
[55:51] Philadelphia, Atlantic City included in that as well as Columbus across parts of Ohio.
[55:56] Meanwhile, we're going to see potentially anywhere from two to three and up to five
[56:00] inches of rain when this is all said and done through at least Thursday.
[56:03] This is multiple days that we're going to have to deal with this kind of ongoing
[56:07] flooding threat, likely to cause some travel delays.
[56:09] We saw a whole lot of those yesterday.
[56:11] So on the roads and at the airports, something to watch for specifically on the roadways,
[56:15] urging folks not to drive through those flooded roads.
[56:18] We've got that life-threatening flooding possible across much of the northeast through the day
[56:22] today. As far as the severe weather, 32 million people stretched across the mid-Atlantic,
[56:26] Washington, D.C., Roanoke, Charlotte all included in that wind gusts look to be the main threat.
[56:32] And on top of that, of course, the temperature is really getting your attention across parts of
[56:35] the south. We've got that dangerous heat with actual temperatures surging into the triple
[56:39] digits and feels like temperatures like 112 in Little Rock. We've got 103 for what it'll
[56:45] feel like in Wichita later today, 110 for New Orleans. The potential for record highs in the
[56:50] picture through at least the next couple of days across the midsection of the country in parts of
[56:54] the southwest. Notice 92 tomorrow in Minneapolis, but feeling like 95. That heat continues really
[57:00] feeling very summer-like as we roll through the end of the work week and into the weekend,
[57:04] 99 on Thursday and Friday in Tulsa. We get back to those low 80s in St. Louis by the time
[57:10] Saturday rolls around. Otherwise, big picture look through your day today. We'll see plenty of
[57:14] sunshine across parts of the Midwest and across the west, but that heavy rain in the picture
[57:18] across the Rockies. Back to you. All right, Angie, thank you.
[57:22] While at the White House, President Trump is hosting the leaders of Israel and Ukraine separately
[57:26] with the fate of several major global conflicts up in the air. That includes,
[57:30] of course, the Iran war where fighting remains paused for what the U.S. says is to give talks a
[57:35] chance. All this as President Trump attempts to reassure voters over the economy in battleground
[57:40] Michigan. NBC News senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez has more. Hi, Gabe. Good morning.
[57:45] Hi, Savannah. Good morning. Two high-stakes meetings scheduled here at the White House today.
[57:48] President Trump sitting down separately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
[57:52] and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He's had a complicated relationship with both of
[57:58] them during his second term, and now two wars hang in the balance. Overnight, another pause in direct
[58:07] attacks between the U.S. and Iran. Iran took a beating over the last 14 days,
[58:13] and they asked us very nicely. Please stop. Let's beat. And that's where we are right now.
[58:20] Still, Iran-backed militias have been attacking American allies, threatening to escalate a wider
[58:26] war across the Middle East. President Trump downplaying concerns of depleted U.S. weapons stockpiles.
[58:33] But we have a lot. I'd like to have more, to be honest. But so much was given to Ukraine by Biden.
[58:40] Today in Washington, he's meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky and separately with Israeli
[58:44] Prime Minister Netanyahu, as he tries to contain multiple global conflicts.
[58:49] Still, the potential for renewed talks with Iran is causing oil prices to drop again.
[58:55] The president's seizing on that during a trip Monday to Battleground, Michigan,
[59:00] now less than 100 days before those crucial midterm elections.
[59:04] It's really amazing. They always try and blame me for high pressures.
[59:08] A recent poll shows nearly two-thirds of Americans disapprove of President Trump's handling of the
[59:13] economy. But the president, touring a General Motors testing facility, arguing his tariffs have
[59:19] helped an auto industry that relies on a global supply chain.
[59:23] It's amazing what tariffs will do for General Motors. The rest of the world doesn't love me,
[59:28] but that's okay. It's called America first.
[59:32] As for those higher gas prices driven by the Iran war, the president insists.
[59:37] As soon as the war is over, you're going to have, you're going to see a big problem.
[59:42] Also today here in Washington, what's expected to be an emotional memorial service for
[59:47] the late Senator Lindsey Graham. He was, of course, very outspoken on both the Ukraine and Iran wars,
[59:53] so much so that both Zelensky and Netanyahu will attend the service at the National Cathedral.
[59:59] President Trump is expected to deliver a eulogy. Savannah.
[1:00:03] All right, Gabe. Thank you.
[1:00:04] Let's talk more about Netanyahu's visit to the White House with NBC News International
[1:00:08] correspondent Matt Bradley, who's here in Washington. So, Matt, no other foreign leader has visited
[1:00:12] President Trump more in his second term than Netanyahu. But relations, as we've seen,
[1:00:17] have become more strained over time. Tell us just why this visit might be frostier than normal.
[1:00:22] Yeah, I mean, this is a big change from the last, well, it's thought to be about seven visits
[1:00:28] that Netanyahu has had with President Trump, making him by far the best customer of the
[1:00:33] president among any foreign leader. He's been coming back and forth, but this is the first time
[1:00:39] that the prime minister is going to be meeting with President Trump since both America and Israel
[1:00:44] attacked Iran. Now, that has really set the entire Middle East on a collision course
[1:00:50] with some real problems and gridlock throughout the region. Now, that's also deeply changed the
[1:00:57] relationship between the prime minister and the president. In the past couple of months,
[1:01:01] we've seen that relationship really shift. We've seen now President Trump and also Vice President
[1:01:08] J.D. Vance excruing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over several issues. The first of which
[1:01:13] was the prime minister's continued determination to keep fighting against Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group
[1:01:20] in Lebanon north of Israel. That has really made it very difficult for Washington to ink a deal with
[1:01:27] Tehran that would open up the Strait of Hormuz and move on to further negotiations.
[1:01:32] And in fact, the president even went so far as to call Benjamin Netanyahu crazy. He admitted to doing that
[1:01:38] on a phone call. This was a president that the prime minister Netanyahu had called the best friend
[1:01:44] that Israel has ever had. That bromance seems to now be very much on the skids, but we will see
[1:01:52] after the results of today's meeting whether the two are going to recover their relationship.
[1:01:56] And aside from the Iran war, Matt, also some of this tension that you're referencing. I mean,
[1:02:01] Israel continuing to expand its control of the Gaza Strip. That is at odds with President Trump's
[1:02:06] Gaza peace plan. There's also been a recent surge in Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in
[1:02:11] the occupied West Bank. Do we think that issues like this will come up today between the president
[1:02:16] and Netanyahu? It's a really good question because, in fact, we've already seen some movement by
[1:02:21] Netanyahu on that Gaza issue. Just on Sunday, Israeli media were reporting that the security
[1:02:28] cabinet in Israel approved plans to allow in an international security or international stabilization
[1:02:34] force into Gaza. This was what had been written down in that 20-point peace plan from back in October
[1:02:40] of 2025 that Israel and the U.S. had agreed to. So that is a pretty big concession because up until now,
[1:02:48] the Israelis have been insisting that there be no movement on that front, particularly not allowing in
[1:02:54] international sort of peacekeepers or police officers unless Hamas were to disarm. Now,
[1:03:00] according to Israeli media, it looks like Benjamin Netanyahu made this concession in order to secure
[1:03:06] the meeting with President Trump that we're seeing today. So it looks as though there has been
[1:03:11] some pressure and some movement by the Israelis on the Gaza question, whether or not we're actually going
[1:03:17] to see that coming up in talks today, that's unclear. It's more likely that most of the conversation is
[1:03:22] going to be focused on Iran. Matt Netanyahu also facing his own election later this year. Real quick,
[1:03:27] talk to us about some of the political pressure he's facing. Yeah, this is really the most substantial
[1:03:33] challenge that Prime Minister Netanyahu has faced in his decades at the helm in Israel when he's been
[1:03:38] prime minister, when he's not been prime minister. This could decide his political and personal future
[1:03:44] because he's facing what could be his most formidable challenger in Gadi Eisenkot, a man who is
[1:03:51] increasingly popular in Israel. And it goes to show that in polling, we're actually seeing that
[1:03:56] Benjamin Netanyahu is kind of trailing against Gadi Eisenkot. Now, that could mean that the prime
[1:04:03] minister could be kicked out of office. That could have major personal implications because he faces charges
[1:04:08] for fraud. And without political protection, the office of the prime minister, he could go to jail.
[1:04:14] All right, Matt Bradley in Washington. Matt, thank you. Well, this morning, former President Joe Biden
[1:04:19] is back in the spotlight after newly publicized audio recordings that he had fought to keep secret
[1:04:26] have been made public. These tapes, they contain interviews with Mr. Biden and a ghostwriter working
[1:04:30] on a 2017 memoir. NBC News chief justice and national affairs correspondent Kelly O'Donnell has this story
[1:04:36] for us. Kelly, good morning. Good day. Words Joe Biden recorded years ago, expecting them to be private
[1:04:44] and remain private, are now exposed. Portions of conversations with a writer for a book about his
[1:04:50] son Boat's death and his time as vice president are now released by the Department of Justice after a legal
[1:04:56] fight. This morning, the Joe Biden tapes revealed. I just found all the classified stuff downstairs.
[1:05:06] The decade-old tapes capture Mr. Biden's candid conversations with a ghostwriter for a book.
[1:05:13] He's heard warning the author that material from his files might be top secret. Some of this may be
[1:05:20] classified, so be careful with it. Okay. I'm not sure. There's no more classified.
[1:05:24] The recordings were made in 2016 and 2017 after he left office as vice president.
[1:05:32] This is mine. They didn't know I have this. And years later became part of a classified documents
[1:05:39] investigation. In 2024, special prosecutor Robert Herr declined to file charges, writing at the time
[1:05:46] that Biden was a sympathetic elderly man with a poor memory. Now, two and a half hours of recordings
[1:05:54] that Herr had reviewed are public. The DOJ releasing the material with redactions. After the conservative
[1:06:00] group, the Heritage Foundation sued and won. The former president had fought to keep them sealed, but
[1:06:07] withdrew his appeal last week. Biden's office saying making the public is just the latest example of this
[1:06:14] administration, weaponizing the DOJ for political retribution. The recordings also shed light on
[1:06:22] private comments Biden made about his one-time boss, former president Barack Obama and their occasional
[1:06:28] tensions. I mean, he used to really get pissed at me. Um, and I tried, I stopped.
[1:06:33] He, Barack used to get pissed. Oh yeah, really pissed.
[1:06:36] In another clip, Biden criticized Obama's decision-making process.
[1:06:42] Barack was always got to the right spot, but a day late and a dollar short.
[1:06:46] Overall, there were about 70 hours of these tapes. Two and a half hours are public. DOJ released the
[1:06:53] portion that had been reviewed by the special counsel in the investigation of classified documents.
[1:06:59] Biden's office said he had provided that audio to the special counsel on the condition they remain
[1:07:05] private, but legal challenges resulted in this disclosure. All right, Kelly, thank you.
[1:07:10] This morning, our NBC colleague, Savannah Guthrie, is again asking for the return of her 84-year-old
[1:07:15] mother. It has been nearly six months since Savannah's beloved mom, Nancy, was kidnapped from her home in
[1:07:21] Tucson. Sadly, there have been no major breaks in the case. And now Savannah has posted another
[1:07:26] heartbreaking video to Instagram. NBC News correspondent Erin McLaughlin is here with the latest for us.
[1:07:31] Erin, good morning. Good morning, guys. This is the seventh message.
[1:07:35] Savannah has posted begging for Nancy's return, sharing the agonizing toll this tragedy has taken
[1:07:40] on her entire family and appealing to the kidnapper, saying it's never too late to do the right thing.
[1:07:47] I'm coming on today with a very specific message. In her latest heartbreaking public appeal,
[1:07:53] Savannah speaking directly to the person responsible for kidnapping her mom, Nancy.
[1:07:58] Our family is in agony. We are in a nightmare that will not end. Detailing the pain and trauma
[1:08:06] her family has endured. We will always ache for her and feel that hole in our hearts.
[1:08:12] In the nearly six months since Nancy was taken from her home in Tucson,
[1:08:16] the family has continued to ask for help finding their mom.
[1:08:20] Nothing about our situation has changed. We have done our part. We will never stop looking for her.
[1:08:29] Now Savannah sending a message. The world can be a cruel and unforgiving place. And I know that you have tried
[1:08:37] to do things the right way. So I'm asking you, begging you to do the right thing now.
[1:08:44] It's been over a month since she last addressed her family's anguish on the Today Show set.
[1:08:49] I wanted to just take the opportunity to, to ask people to really, to beg people to come forward.
[1:08:55] Somebody knows something. Overnight, the Pima County Sheriff, who's been heading the investigation,
[1:09:00] said the case is still very active. We have so much DNA to sort through. We have so much
[1:09:07] in terms of video evidence to look at. So I'm still positive that we're going to resolve this case.
[1:09:14] In the last communication from the FBI earlier this month,
[1:09:17] they said over the course of the investigation, they've received several ransom notes,
[1:09:22] adding that it continues to be investigated as a kidnapping for ransom case.
[1:09:26] Savannah said in an interview with Hoda earlier this year that her family believes
[1:09:31] two of the ransom notes were legitimate. Now, Savannah making it clear she hasn't given up hope.
[1:09:37] I truly believe it is never too late to do the right thing for all of us, no matter where we've been
[1:09:43] and what we've done. I believe there is always a way home. Please make the right choice.
[1:09:51] It's not clear why Savannah decided to release this message now, but it could be a response to a
[1:09:58] potential new line of communication. Experts say the language appears to be pointed at whoever committed
[1:10:03] the crime, though law enforcement have not provided any major public updates in the investigation recently.
[1:10:10] Erin, thank you so much. Appreciate the update.
[1:10:12] Thank you. Now let's get to the cyclospora outbreak cases in Michigan. They've surged past
[1:10:17] 9,200 and that is that more than a thousand since just Friday. The growing outbreak has now
[1:10:23] affecting nine states and is prompting many Americans to rethink how they shop for produce
[1:10:27] with more consumers turning to locally sourced foods. NBC News correspondent Jesse Kirsch joins us
[1:10:33] with the latest. Jesse, good morning. Savannah, good morning to you. Michigan,
[1:10:36] the state at the center of this concerning outbreak, just saw another spike in cyclospora cases. And at
[1:10:42] this point, it's not clear if any of those new cases are part of the multi-state outbreak,
[1:10:48] but at minimum, they are yet another reminder of the risks that are changing how people shop and eat.
[1:10:56] With many Americans already concerned and even changing what they eat,
[1:11:00] this morning cyclospora infections are surging yet again. Michigan reporting more than 9,000 cases in
[1:11:07] that state alone. Just when I start to think that I'm getting better, my symptoms come back.
[1:11:13] The spike coming as the FDA and CDC keep looking into a major nine-state cyclospora outbreak,
[1:11:18] which authorities have connected to Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce sold at Taco Bell. Right now,
[1:11:24] it's not clear how many of the new cases are part of that cluster, but Michigan is the outbreak's
[1:11:29] epicenter. Taylor Farms voluntarily recalled the lettuce in question. Extra saucy. And Taco Bell
[1:11:36] says it pulled the affected ingredient from its supply chain. But new data suggests Taco Bell business
[1:11:41] is still taking a hit, recently experiencing a roughly 30 percent drop in visits from a typical Friday.
[1:11:49] I just try to stay away from any fast food restaurant. Some consumers are going even further.
[1:11:53] According to a new survey, four in 10 Americans say they are now buying or eating less produce because
[1:11:59] of the cyclospora outbreak. We've been skipping eating any, definitely iceberg. We haven't
[1:12:04] had any romaine either, actually. And any greens that we're having, we're cooking. Some consumers
[1:12:09] may keep looking for those products, specifically from local farmers markets. We had 158 heads of
[1:12:15] romaine last week. We were sold out within two days. Yesterday, between 30 and 40, and we were sold
[1:12:22] out 10 minutes before the market started. I think that consumers, they really want to know what's in
[1:12:27] their food supply. Dan Bruner is co-founder of Market Wagon, an online farmer's market and food
[1:12:32] delivery business serving much of the country. He says they've seen a 56 percent surge in new customers
[1:12:39] amid the cyclospora outbreak. The food is coming from one place. It's not being mixed in a central
[1:12:44] aggregation facility and chopped up and put into bags there. So with lettuce in particular, I think that's
[1:12:50] a big win for the consumer to have that confidence. While we do keep seeing more cases being announced,
[1:12:56] the CDC says it can take up to six weeks from the time someone's infected to when their case
[1:13:02] is officially reported. In other words, newly announced cases are not necessarily brand new
[1:13:09] infections. Savannah. All right, Jesse, thank you. Now to the stunning new developments in the 2022
[1:13:15] murders of four University of Idaho students. Brian Koberger is seeking to withdraw his guilty plea
[1:13:20] and overturn his conviction. In his first interview about the case published yesterday,
[1:13:25] Koberger told the New York Times that he is innocent and claimed his attorneys pressured him
[1:13:30] to falsely confess. DNA evidence found at the crime scene eventually led investigators to Koberger.
[1:13:36] His attorneys initially said he would fight the charges, but then just weeks before his trial,
[1:13:41] he accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to four consecutive life terms. The development comes
[1:13:47] as a new Netflix docu-series about the case is set to be released, featuring new interviews with
[1:13:53] members of the victim's families. NBC News senior national correspondent Stephanie Goss joins us with
[1:13:58] more on this one. Steph, good morning. Hey, and this came as a surprise to a lot of people yesterday.
[1:14:03] You know, it's been just over one year since Brian Koberger accepted responsibility
[1:14:07] for the quadruple murder and was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences.
[1:14:11] Now he says justice was not served in the case and is looking to get a new day in court.
[1:14:16] This morning, a stunning reversal. Brian Koberger wants to withdraw his plea deal
[1:14:23] and go to trial for the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students.
[1:14:28] In new handwritten court documents filed Monday, Koberger claims his lawyer was ineffective,
[1:14:34] telling him death row was imminent and he was advised to lie to escape the death penalty.
[1:14:40] In a statement to the New York Times, Koberger says the plea was based on false promises
[1:14:45] and blatant disinformation. The plea deal struck last year, just weeks before a trial was set to begin.
[1:14:52] Are you pleading guilty because you are guilty? Yes.
[1:14:56] Koberger is serving four consecutive life sentences. The family of one of the victims,
[1:15:01] Kaylee Gonsalves, reacting to this new legal move, calling Koberger,
[1:15:06] the mosquito you just can't seem to swat, adding he never cried foul, never claimed he was uninformed
[1:15:13] or pressured. At the time, the Gonsalves family was upset by the plea deal. Now they are speaking
[1:15:18] out in a new Netflix docuseries premiering tomorrow. The prosecutors gave him power.
[1:15:25] Monsters like that should never, ever, ever have options ever again.
[1:15:31] The three-part special follows the murders and the manhunt that shocked the country.
[1:15:36] Say hi, Maddie.
[1:15:37] Four students, Kaylee Gonsalves, Madison Mogan, Ethan Chapin and Zanna Karnodal,
[1:15:43] all good friends, stabbed to death early in the morning in their off-campus home.
[1:15:48] The killer leaving behind a major key to the case.
[1:15:51] We also found a knife sheath in the third floor bedroom laying next to one of the victims.
[1:15:56] Investigators also uncovered security footage they say showed Koberger driving through the
[1:16:01] neighborhood on the night of the murders. The car later found at his parents' home in Pennsylvania,
[1:16:07] where Koberger, a criminology student, was arrested after prosecutors say DNA from a Q-tip
[1:16:13] linked him to the crime.
[1:16:14] The DNA on that Q-tip belonged to the father of the person whose DNA was on that knife sheet.
[1:16:22] There was only one male son in that family, and it was Brian Koberger.
[1:16:28] Now, Koberger says he welcomes a new trial, even if prosecutors put the death penalty back on the
[1:16:34] table, telling the Times in an interview from prison,
[1:16:37] a lot went wrong in those plea discussions. I really do want that to be heard.
[1:16:42] I should mention as well, we reached out to Koberger's lawyers,
[1:16:46] as well as the other families of the victims, but haven't heard back. As for the Gonsalves,
[1:16:51] they say they would have actually preferred a death penalty trial in this case, adding they believe
[1:16:56] fully in the evidence. They also said in their statement yesterday, guys,
[1:16:59] that Brian Koberger, they believe, is doing this just for the attention.
[1:17:03] All right. I mean, what a shock. Steph, thank you so much.
[1:17:06] You're welcome.
[1:17:06] There's much more to come on this hour of morning news now,
[1:17:08] including how you can stay shark smart while navigating the ocean this summer,
[1:17:14] as reported sightings soar across the globe.
[1:17:16] First, though, after the break, a massive 7.1 magnitude earthquake rocking southern Japan.
[1:17:21] We'll have the latest next. We're back now with some developing news out of Japan overnight.
[1:17:32] A powerful earthquake struck the southern part of the island nation earlier,
[1:17:36] rattling buildings and putting people there on edge. Now that 7.1 magnitude quake
[1:17:41] is leading to fears of a potential tsunami. NBC News international correspondent Raf Sanchez joins us
[1:17:46] with the latest, Raf. First, let's start with the damage. What can you tell us about the extent of the damage there?
[1:17:51] So, Joe, this powerful quake striking the Kumamoto region in southern Japan about 4.30 p.m. local time.
[1:17:57] A lot of parents were out picking their kids up from summertime activities. And we are now getting
[1:18:03] a sense of the scale of the destruction here. A lot of roads, a lot of bridges have been damaged.
[1:18:08] People have been told to stay off the roads if they can. You can see just the scale of the shaking there.
[1:18:14] There is a lot of concern about one mall in particular. Japan is a country where buildings
[1:18:21] are designed to withstand earthquakes. But according to local authorities, the second floor of this
[1:18:26] particular mall has collapsed. Several people are said to be trapped inside. And police are saying that
[1:18:33] they now presume that there are multiple fatalities at that location. We also saw in a Costco there,
[1:18:40] boxes falling off of high shelves onto people in the aisles. Some of those witnessed some of the people,
[1:18:47] you can see it there, that Costco. Some people there stuck underneath the debris. And there is a 16th
[1:18:54] century castle in the area, Joe, which is popular with tourists. Part of the walls of that castle
[1:19:00] crumbling beneath the force of this quake. Around 50,000 homes have lost power. And so there is a
[1:19:07] real race on right now to restore electricity. And Raph, we know with these earthquakes often
[1:19:11] come tsunami warnings. What do we know about that? Yeah. So the quake initially triggered this tsunami
[1:19:17] warning. People were told to get away from the coast as fast as they could. That warning has now been
[1:19:22] lifted. Thankfully, of course, Japan has a lot of painful experience with tsunamis. And this region in
[1:19:28] particular has experienced a lot of earthquakes. In the past 10 years ago, Joe, there was a major
[1:19:34] earthquake in the area. 275 people were killed, thousands more injured. Jeff. All right, Raph Sanchez,
[1:19:41] thank you so much. Let's get to a closer look at this summer's shark season. Not to put a damper on
[1:19:47] your upcoming beach plans, but there has been an uptick in attacks and sightings here in the U.S.
[1:19:53] and across the globe. NBC News correspondent George Solis is down in Miami with the latest on this for us.
[1:19:58] George, good morning. Hey, Joe. Good morning. That's right. From the west coast, even here in
[1:20:04] the east coast, and frankly, really around the globe, it seems that more shark sightings are being
[1:20:08] captured on camera. And get this, we actually spoke to a shark bike victim who says he moved his
[1:20:12] pregnant fiance out of harm's way. So what's driving this uptick in more shark sightings? Went to an expert
[1:20:18] for answers. It feels like shark sightings are soaring to new heights. Like in this recent video,
[1:20:27] capturing the moment a juvenile great white shark leaps out of the water behind an unsuspecting
[1:20:32] surfer off the coast of California. And in a Sunday Instagram post, New Zealand influencer Henry
[1:20:39] Gibbs sharing this terrifying video of an apparent gray reef shark attacking him in Fiji just a few days
[1:20:45] prior. Gibbs wrote that he underwent four surgeries and a skin graft after the incident, adding,
[1:20:53] feeling incredibly lucky to still have my leg, full use of my foot, while back here in the U.S.
[1:20:59] When he let go of my foot, he tried to come up and get my arm. Then I pushed away from him.
[1:21:05] 22-year-old Jacori Hai is recovering after he and his pregnant fiance survived a shark attack in Florida
[1:21:11] on Saturday. I mean, I'm sure you've seen reports of shark encounters before, but do you ever think it
[1:21:17] could happen to you? No, I never thought it would happen to me. However, experts confirm in some
[1:21:23] areas, shark sightings are swimming past expectations. Why are we seeing more sharks out there? There is
[1:21:29] some evidence for juvenile white sharks that during El Nino periods, when the water temperature gets
[1:21:35] warmer, juvenile white sharks, and this is in the Pacific, tend to come in close to shore.
[1:21:43] All beachgoers remain on alert near the waters. If you saw a fin in the water, what would you do?
[1:21:48] I would leave the water and then tell a dog. Experts say actual shark attacks remain rare,
[1:21:55] with only 65 unprovoked shark bites reported last year. Yeah, and our shark expert really underscores
[1:22:05] just how rare these shark bites are. He says you're actually more likely to fall off a bike,
[1:22:09] more likely to get in a car crash, more likely to get struck by lightning. Still though,
[1:22:13] if you're going to get in the waters, of course, it's a good idea to be shark smart.
[1:22:16] If you see a fin, clearly get out of the water and possibly avoid getting into the water around
[1:22:21] early morning or early evening hours when the waters tend to be a little bit murkier.
[1:22:24] Sharks are a bit more active and potentially looking for a meal. Joe?
[1:22:28] That's good advice and some good perspective there. George, thank you so much.
[1:22:31] We're back now with a closer look at what's making news in the world of politics this morning,
[1:22:39] starting with former FBI director James Comey, who's asking a judge to dismiss the so-called
[1:22:44] seashells case against him. NBC News political reporter Megan Brand joins us with that and some other
[1:22:49] headlines out of Washington. Megan, good morning. Hey, Joe, good morning. Yeah, let's start with
[1:22:54] former FBI director James Comey, who was indicted this spring over allegations that he threatened
[1:22:59] President Trump by posting a picture of seashells reading 8647. Now his attorneys are asking a judge
[1:23:06] to toss the case, arguing that no reasonable person would think that the image was a call to violence.
[1:23:12] His lawyers argued that, quote, dictionaries, context, precedent, and common sense, unquote,
[1:23:19] cut down the Trump administration's legal arguments. Now looking ahead, the Justice
[1:23:23] Department has until mid-August to respond to this push to dismiss the case. Next, let's go to the
[1:23:29] reflecting pool, which was under a microscope when that new coating began peeling up from the bottom of
[1:23:34] the pool. U.S. Olympic canoeist Davey Hearn had been charged earlier this month with damaging the pool,
[1:23:40] but in a court filing yesterday, his lawyers said that a key grand jury witness against the Olympian
[1:23:47] had testified that the pool was already damaged and in need of repair even before Hearn put his hands in
[1:23:53] the water. Hearn had pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers have called the charges outrageous.
[1:23:58] Finally, let's turn next to the SAVE Act. It is a top priority for President Trump, and
[1:24:04] it would reshape how elections operate, but it does not have enough support to pass.
[1:24:09] President Trump called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune to not let the Senate leave for August
[1:24:15] recess until the act passes. Thune, though, seemed reluctant to do that. He has repeatedly said that
[1:24:21] the bill does not have enough support in the Senate, and yesterday he said that for him,
[1:24:25] it's all about showing him a path for passage. And that's a look at what's making news and politics
[1:24:30] this morning. Joe? All right, Megan, thank you so much. Now, as the midterms ramp up,
[1:24:35] some state officials are warning voters not to bet on the election. Online prediction market
[1:24:40] Calci recently launched its first ever U.S. midterms hub. The company says users can track election
[1:24:46] forecasts along with polling, fundraising, and historical data. Now, some officials are concerned
[1:24:52] it could fuel distrust in the midterms. Last week, the Wisconsin Elections Commission issued
[1:24:57] a formal notice about its state law warning voters that they could face felony charges if they make a
[1:25:04] bet, then cast a ballot. NBC News legal analyst Angela Senadella is here to break it all down for us.
[1:25:11] Angela, good to have you with us. So first of all, just walk us through this Wisconsin law. What's
[1:25:15] actually in it? Okay, so this law says that you cannot vote and bet in the same election. So you can vote,
[1:25:21] or you can bet, but you can't bet in the same election that you're voting on. Now, look,
[1:25:24] this law is old. It's been around since the 1800s. It's not something that just developed as these
[1:25:29] prediction markets did. But the commission clarified that these prediction markets,
[1:25:34] from their opinion, would qualify. Wisconsin's not alone. Recent
[1:25:38] Pew research data shows 32 states have some kind of ban on election betting, but there's no federal law
[1:25:45] against it. So if you're in one of those states, what could happen to you if you then,
[1:25:49] if you cast a ballot and bet or vice versa? Yeah, so Joe, right now, any lawyer would advise
[1:25:55] that you have to follow the state law. And that's because currently, until there's any challenge that
[1:26:00] works its way successfully through the courts, state laws here are what apply. State laws are what can
[1:26:05] govern and decide whether or not you can vote, who can vote, and under what circumstances. So follow
[1:26:10] your state law. So Cal Sheena, surprise, doesn't like this. They call it a form of voter suppression.
[1:26:15] What are the options here to try and challenge a law like Wisconsin's in court? Yeah, so they have
[1:26:20] started to challenge this. And it's interesting because voter suppression is a real thing. It happens
[1:26:25] in jurisdictions across the country. But that's it. For courts to recognize it as unconstitutional
[1:26:30] voter suppression, it has to rise to a level that's unduly burdensome to that voter. So either
[1:26:36] it has to be in exchange for suppressing some real constitutional right, like the right to free speech.
[1:26:41] So if the law said you can't talk about this and your election and your choices, and if so,
[1:26:46] that would suppress your vote and cancel it out, that could technically rise to that level. But
[1:26:51] saying that you can't place a financial bet is something that likely wouldn't rise to that level.
[1:26:56] Some of these states in the White House are sort of at odds over who should actually oversee
[1:27:00] prediction markets. Clearly, if this is going to go to the courts, it's probably going to take some
[1:27:04] time to play out. We have an election now less than 100 days away. So how could this all play out
[1:27:09] with this year's midterm? Yeah, Joe. So I don't expect to see
[1:27:12] this resolved that quickly. But that said, courts can do things like place injunctions or try to
[1:27:17] stop things or stop things from happening before they work their way through the courts. But yeah,
[1:27:22] look, the government has also sued Wisconsin. Wisconsin has sued the government. And now
[1:27:27] Calci is also suing. So all of these lawsuits are going to take a really long time to work their
[1:27:31] ways through the courts. And then remember, there's also appeals, Joe. So if you live in Wisconsin
[1:27:35] and you're thinking you want to bet and cast a ballot, is there any good advice right now?
[1:27:39] Yeah, it's that you could possibly get a felony for it. So I would be very aware and cautious,
[1:27:45] Joe. Angela Sanadella, thank you so much. Appreciate it. Coming up, the power of AI on full display,
[1:27:51] though not here in the States. When we come back, our own AI expert traveled to China for Shanghai's
[1:27:57] World AI Conference. But how does the People's Republic stack up to American tech? We're going to take a look
[1:28:03] next on Morning News Now. We're back with China's push to challenge the U.S. and become a global
[1:28:14] leader in artificial intelligence. Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to Shanghai for the
[1:28:19] World AI Conference, including consumers, tech leaders and government officials. The event
[1:28:24] featured more than 1,000 sessions and exhibits, giving visitors an up close look at some of China's
[1:28:30] latest AI innovations. Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered the keynote address at the opening
[1:28:35] ceremony promoting China's vision for more open and inclusive AI development. The message was also
[1:28:41] a direct challenge to American dominance in the global AI race. NBC News AI reporter Jared Perlow is
[1:28:48] here with more from the conference because you were actually there in Shanghai in China for 10 days.
[1:28:53] It ended yesterday. What stood out most to you about this? Well, it was unlike anything I had seen
[1:28:59] before. I think I describe it as equal parts trade show, rock concert and United Nations meeting. There was
[1:29:05] really there's something for everyone. So there's about 300,000 attendees, according to China state
[1:29:10] media. And I was on the ground there. I would believe it. There were so many people in these
[1:29:13] exhibition halls spread out across Shanghai that the air conditioning systems just couldn't put up with
[1:29:17] it. So there were robots on display. There were racks of these different AI chips. There was just so much
[1:29:22] to kind of see about China's AI development. And they've been leading historically in the embodied AI
[1:29:27] robot space. There were robot hands. There were robots that looked like triceratops lumbering around. It was
[1:29:32] really an exciting place to be the robots. We see videos all the time of the dancing robots. So how
[1:29:36] does just overall China's AI industry compare with Americans? Are there similarities? Are there key
[1:29:42] differences? Yeah. So historically, China's AI industry has been a couple of years behind
[1:29:47] America's, but that's quickly changing on the eve of this conference. One of China's largest AI
[1:29:51] companies actually released a new model that from all independent analyses seems to go toe to toe with
[1:29:56] the most advanced American systems. So they definitely did that on purpose. That was right before
[1:30:00] President Xi spoke, and I was in the room for that. So everybody, there was kind of this,
[1:30:03] you know, ripple effect. Everybody was really surprised by that. Historically,
[1:30:06] China has also really excelled in robotics. So they've had a lot more kind of embodied AI
[1:30:11] practical applications. In one of the cities I visited, there were food delivery drones flying
[1:30:16] everywhere. And this isn't some sort of gimmick. This is how people live their everyday life.
[1:30:19] You know, I could order a bubble tea and then 10 minutes later, a drone drops it off. I walk downstairs and
[1:30:23] get it. So that's kind of where China's been leading. And then America has historically been
[1:30:27] leading more on the software side. But that's also something where China's quickly catching up.
[1:30:31] So you experienced a little bit of Jetsons while you were there.
[1:30:33] Oh yeah, truly. Autonomous buses, everything.
[1:30:36] There you go. So you spoke with some Chinese residents there. How do they feel about the
[1:30:40] rapid growth of AI there? So that was one of the most interesting,
[1:30:42] surprising parts of going to China. Because I think here in the US,
[1:30:46] lots of people are scared, whether they're afraid for their jobs or they're looking at the
[1:30:50] environmental impacts. That really did not show up when I was talking with people. I probably
[1:30:53] talked, you know, with 500 different people on the ground there. People are really excited about
[1:30:57] AI in China. And of course, this is a generalization. But they say, you know,
[1:31:00] it's a really exciting tool, whether to use in their personal life, whether to use at work.
[1:31:05] Lots of people use sorts of different tricks to access American models. That was something I
[1:31:10] thought was fascinating. But new research came out last week that showing about 500 million people
[1:31:15] in China use AI every week. 500 million. I mean, it's just crazy. And I would talk with one 75-year-old.
[1:31:21] I went to his bookshop and I just said, you know, do you use AI? It seemed like he might be from
[1:31:25] another generation might not have used it. He said, I use it every day. I use it to check
[1:31:28] on my diabetes and get the news about the world. Well, there you go. Yeah. 75 years old. So more
[1:31:33] than two dozen countries have signed an agreement to start sort of a kind of like global AI coalition
[1:31:38] with China. What is it that China is hoping to achieve with this? Yeah. So that's what actually
[1:31:43] kicked off the conference. And President Xi, it was his first time speaking there, which again,
[1:31:46] gives this whole event an AI more heft. So this is a new international organization. They're calling it the
[1:31:52] World AI Cooperation Organization, Waco, another acronym there. And it includes 29 different
[1:31:57] countries, including Russia, Brazil, South Africa. And they're really trying to, you know, create a
[1:32:02] united front about thinking about how to share AI's benefits with their different citizens. So that
[1:32:07] takes shape in form of hardware. So China is now developing its own chips, trying to share its chips,
[1:32:12] but also developing educational curricula. So having Chinese AI researchers perhaps go to Brazil,
[1:32:17] go to Indonesia and share about the latest in AI techniques so they can develop their own systems there.
[1:32:21] Clearly, China wants to challenge the U.S. when it comes to just who's the AI leader. Just big
[1:32:25] picture, why is that so important? Yeah. And I recognize, you know,
[1:32:29] this might seem really in the weeds here, but AI is now becoming a critical national security,
[1:32:33] military and economic issue. So I like to describe it as kind of the next electricity. You know,
[1:32:39] whoever controls that sorts of, you know, that source, that means of production, I think,
[1:32:43] will just be kind of the next superpower in the next couple of decades. So China sees that,
[1:32:47] China realizes that they've been a couple of years behind and now they have all the
[1:32:50] government support going in favor of developing its AI industry, which is on display.
[1:32:54] This, you've been covering AI, you know it better than any of us here,
[1:32:56] but does this change anything for you going to China and sort of seeing it from that perspective?
[1:33:01] Yeah. I mean, I think there's lots of cartoonish visions. People will say,
[1:33:04] you know, China's catching up. China's really advanced. There is so much energy there. And again,
[1:33:08] I was only there for 10 days, but I think it really does say here in the U.S.,
[1:33:11] we really have one Silicon Valley in China. There's maybe five to 10. So I think it really just
[1:33:15] emphasizes the fact that China is in this and they really believe this is, you know, one of the
[1:33:18] most important technological bets they can make. All right. Fascinating stuff. Thank you,
[1:33:22] Jared Perlo for your reporting. Appreciate it. Thank you. The streets of Washington, D.C.
[1:33:25] are now turning into a racetrack as the city prepares to host the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix.
[1:33:31] It will be the first race of its kind on the national mall with race cars going almost 200 miles an
[1:33:36] hour down the city's iconic streets. Reporter Catalina Perez de Arminian from NBC
[1:33:41] Washington explains how crews are getting ready. We're here on 33 Northwest. This is the start and
[1:33:47] finish line of the race and construction crews are already here working to turn this course,
[1:33:52] which starts right here in front of the capital into a racetrack. D.C. is gearing up for the IndyCar
[1:34:00] Grand Prix event that will soon turn several streets around the national mall into a 1.7 mile long race
[1:34:07] course. The event is just one of the many Freedom 250 celebrations the district has featured on this
[1:34:12] historic anniversary. I feel excited because I think that is the first time that we got that kind of
[1:34:18] activity here. Take a look at where the cars will be racing the weekend of August 22nd and 23rd,
[1:34:24] down Pennsylvania Avenue, over to Constitution Avenue, crossing the National Mall at 7th Street,
[1:34:29] down Independence Avenue, and then back to 3rd Street in front of the Capitol building.
[1:34:34] And if the roads weren't ready before, they probably are now after the makeover they got last week.
[1:34:40] Concrete walls and fencing will be put up to outline the tracks. In March we heard the president of
[1:34:45] Penske Corporation, a sponsor of the event, talk about this work. Our work on the roads putting
[1:34:51] walls and fence up will be between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. We're not out here in the middle of the roads when
[1:34:57] people are out here congregating and driving on to get in their way. Some people think traffic and
[1:35:01] construction work may still be an issue, especially for those that haven't left their jobs by 7 p.m.
[1:35:06] If you work around or you stay around, that will be really nice and will be not cool for them.
[1:35:13] It's going to be bad. You know, I feel bad for the people, but besides that, I am excited for the race.
[1:35:20] Try to leave early. We're going to avoid it. It won't be much of a hassle, but
[1:35:26] it's something that life is uncontrollable, so it might just be an unfortunate situation that you
[1:35:30] got to deal with. The event will begin early Saturday, August 22nd, with the Grand Prix Sunday
[1:35:35] afternoon. Drivers are expected to complete 100 laps of the circuit and maybe traveling
[1:35:40] up to 180 miles an hour, all through some of the most emblematic streets of the nation's capital.
[1:35:46] If you were hoping to get some tickets, it may be a little too late. Tickets were handled
[1:35:50] through a lottery system that has since closed, and over a million people are expected here in
[1:35:55] the district that weekend. So if you'll be around, prepare for some crowds. All right. Our thanks to
[1:36:01] Catalina Perez de Arminian for that report. Coming up, a heartwarming tale of perseverance.
[1:36:05] It's giving the phrase, a perfect match, a whole new meaning. When Morning News now returns,
[1:36:10] we'll introduce you to one loving couple, now part of each other in more ways than one. It's next.
[1:36:14] Stay with us. Finally this hour, there's good news about a life-saving act of love from one
[1:36:25] firefighter to another. NBC News correspondent Emily Ikeda explains.
[1:36:31] When Robert Coleman Jr. and Maddie Gere exchanged vows last year, they never anticipated such an
[1:36:36] early test of in sickness and in health. I started having a little bit of blurry vision
[1:36:41] spots in my eyes, so I ended up going to urgent care and they sent me directly to the emergency room.
[1:36:48] Coleman had reached stage five kidney failure and this spring learned he would need a transplant.
[1:36:54] Finding a donor for many can take years, but it turns out these newlyweds were a perfect match
[1:37:00] in more ways than one. Gere donating her kidney to save her husband. We just always say it was
[1:37:06] meant to be because who knows what would have happened if we didn't meet. The surgery was
[1:37:14] successful and as they both recovered from their operations, Coleman sweet-talked the nurse into
[1:37:21] letting him see his beloved and be present for the discharge ceremony. See, we'll be down to the
[1:37:29] third floor and I just, my heart was overwhelmed. It's just a huge blessing for us. The pair, both
[1:37:37] firefighters now looking forward to returning to duty and saving more lives. This is the biggest test that
[1:37:45] we could possibly have given and she passed in the flying colors. She's incredible and I'm
[1:37:50] extremely blessed to have her as my wife, that's for sure. It's all up from here. Emily Ikeda, NBC News.
[1:37:56] By this hour, be sure to tune into a historic broadcast tomorrow right here on NBC. Pope Leo XIV is
[1:38:04] hosting a concert for peace to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi,
[1:38:10] the patron saint of Italy. It'll air exclusively on NBC and Telemundo starting at 1 p.m. Eastern.
[1:38:16] After the event, you can catch a special edition of NBC Nightly News. Anchor Tom Yamas will speak with
[1:38:23] Pope Leo as he begins his second year leading the Catholic Church. That will air live from the
[1:38:29] Vatican at 6.30 p.m. Eastern. It's going to do it for this hour of morning news now. Don't go anywhere.
[1:38:34] The news continues right now. We thank you for watching and remember,
[1:38:44] stay updated on breaking news and top stories on the NBC News app or watch live on our YouTube channel.