Morning News NOW Full Episode - June 1

[0:00] Developing right now on Morning News Now, war and peace talks this morning. Iran claiming it [0:05] attacked a U.S. air base in Kuwait after U.S. forces launched what they called self-defense [0:11] strikes on Iranian drone and radar sites. This latest exchange as both sides work to end on a [0:17] deal to end the war. Any deal that the president is willing to make, he's only going to make it [0:24] if he believes it's a great deal. They can either do this now through a deal, and we think we're in [0:30] a good place to make that deal, or they can deal with the war department. Meanwhile, in Washington, [0:36] President Trump facing a new wave of legal and political setbacks. We will bring you the latest. [0:42] Also this morning, cleared to sail a cruise ship hit by a deadly Hantavirus outbreak, now disinfected [0:48] and ready to return to sea with some of its quarantine passengers set to go home as soon [0:53] as today. We'll have an update. Plus, a major breakthrough that could save millions of lives. [0:58] What we know about a new treatment for pancreatic cancer that researchers say could also work [1:03] against several other forms of cancer. And the finals countdown. Hoops fans, the stage is set [1:10] for an epic NBA final after the Spurs' thrilling Game 7 win over the reigning champs, the Oklahoma [1:17] City Thunder. Now San Antonio getting ready for a party like its 1999 finals rematch against [1:24] the New York Knicks. Will history repeat itself with the Spurs' win, or will the Knicks finally [1:29] end their half-century championship drought? We will run it back as the excitement grows. [1:36] Oh, what a time to be a New Yorker. It feels like the Knicks haven't played in about two months. [1:40] I know, I know. If they can pick it back up again. Meanwhile, the Spurs are absolutely exhausted. [1:45] Yes. Hopefully it was like a good rest, not like a cool down. Exactly. I think they'll be in good shape. [1:49] All right. Good to have you with us on this Monday morning. I'm Joe Fryer. [1:52] And I'm Savannah Sellers. We are going to begin our show in the Middle East, [1:55] where the United States and Iran continue to engage in back-and-forth attacks as peace talks drag on. [2:00] Over the weekend, U.S. Central Command said it carried out strikes, quote, [2:04] in response to aggressive Iranian actions that included the shootdown of a U.S. MQ-1 drone [2:10] that was operating over international waters. They added that fighter aircraft responded by [2:15] eliminating Iranian air defenses, a ground control station, and two one-way attack drones. [2:21] Iran said it retaliated by attacking a U.S. base in the region without identifying the target. But [2:26] this morning, Kuwait, which houses a major U.S. military base, said it was responding to drone [2:32] and missile threats. In another front of this conflict, Israel expanded its ground invasion [2:37] of Lebanon. Israeli forces captured Lebanon's 900-year-old Beaufort Castle. And this morning, [2:43] Prime Minister Netanyahu says that he has ordered the bombing of southern Beirut as part of his [2:47] country's war with Hezbollah. NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel has the latest [2:52] from Tel Aviv. Richard, good morning. [2:53] While the world waits for President Trump and Iran's top leaders to agree to a ceasefire, [3:00] there have been renewed exchanges of fire over the weekend and into this morning, with Kuwait saying [3:06] that it intercepted an incoming barrage of Iranian drones and missiles. There are many U.S. troops [3:13] based in Kuwait. There were no reports of any casualties. And the U.S. military says it fired on a ship [3:19] launching a hellfire missile into the engine to prevent the vessel from docking in an Iranian port, [3:26] keeping the U.S. blockade in force. And the U.S. says it also carried out strikes against [3:31] Iranian drone command and control sites on an island and on the Iranian mainland, [3:37] with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard promising to respond in new ways. All of this complicating [3:46] efforts to achieve a ceasefire after President Trump on Friday said that he was close to making [3:53] a deal but didn't announce any decision and saying that he is in no rush to come up with a decision. [3:59] Iran also insists that any peace deal must also include an agreement on ending the war in Lebanon. [4:07] But that war between Israel and Hezbollah is only intensifying. Israeli troops who are already in [4:13] southern Lebanon will advance deeper into the country, according to Prime Minister Netanyahu, [4:18] who released a statement this morning. He also said that Israel would renew strikes in Beirut, [4:24] in the southern suburb of Dahye, which has long been considered a Hezbollah stronghold. Netanyahu said [4:30] that Hezbollah cannot be allowed to have a safe haven in Beirut as long as the group continues to [4:36] carry out attacks over the border into northern Israel. All right, Richard, thank you. Well, [4:42] as the war with Iran rolls into June, President Trump is facing back last year at home. Now, [4:46] even some of the president's most loyal voters are starting to disapprove of his performance. [4:51] It comes after a week of legal setbacks for Mr. Trump that included new developments around the [4:56] Anti-Weaponization Fund and several performers dropping out of his America 250 celebration. [5:02] NBC News correspondent Alice Barr has the latest from Washington. Alice, good morning. [5:06] Good morning, Savannah. President Trump is defending his administration's moves and slamming his [5:11] critics in a series of posts on social media as he pushes ahead with his priorities. [5:16] President Trump entering a new month with a series of legal setbacks, [5:23] a judge halting the administration's $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund using taxpayer money [5:31] to pay back people claiming unfair prosecutions under the Biden administration, potentially including [5:37] January 6 rioters. Former Vice President Mike Pence weighed in. [5:42] It's deeply offensive to me that you could have a fund that could even possibly compensate people [5:48] who assaulted police officers or vandalized the Capitol on January 6th. [5:52] The fund now on pause after a prosecutor on January 6th cases filed suit while the Justice Department [5:59] defends its legality. That as another federal judge ordered President Trump's name removed from the [6:06] Kennedy Center and temporarily blocked it from being shut down for renovations. [6:10] The president said he would back away and hand the institution over to Congress, while he also suggested [6:17] canceling the concert at the Great American State Fair after several artists dropped out over concerns the event [6:25] was too politicized. Some musicians seem to have segmented their audiences the same way, you know, [6:32] politicians have. But this is Freedom 250 and the celebration of the 250 is a nonpartisan event. [6:38] President Trump is now expected to headline the fair while proposing a MAGA rally instead of having [6:44] quote, overpriced singers who do nothing but complain. All as he insisted overnight, Iran wants to make [6:51] a peace deal, slamming his critics and telling them to sit back and relax while it works out. [6:56] We're going to make it to be a deal. We'll just go back and finish it off militarily. [7:00] Despite the U.S. and Iran again trading new strikes. [7:04] And Democrats in Congress are promising to fight the administration's anti-weaponization fund. [7:11] In a new letter to his colleagues, the Senate's top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, [7:16] promised to force votes to, quote, kill the slush fund before one cent goes out the door. [7:22] And a group of Senate Democrats is set to introduce new legislation today [7:26] aiming to shut the fund down. Savannah? [7:29] All right, Alice, thank you. [7:30] Let's dig in a little more on the fight over that so-called anti-weaponization fund. [7:35] The next hearing and a court challenge over the fund is scheduled for the end of next week. Until [7:38] then, no claims can be considered. No money can be dispersed. The fund is drawing sharp criticism [7:44] from Democrats and Republicans alike. In a Meet the Press interview, former Vice President Mike Pence, [7:51] who hid from insurrectionists on January 6th, called the fund a bad idea. He says the DOJ should drop it. [7:57] Moderator Kristen Welker shares more from their conversation. Kristen, good morning. [8:03] Hello there, Joe and Savannah. This week on Meet the Press, I spoke with former Vice President Mike [8:07] Pence about President Trump's so-called anti-weaponization fund. You've heard about [8:13] the president's $1.8 billion fund, the so-called anti-weaponization fund, to pay people who say [8:19] they were unfairly investigated or prosecuted by the government. It's tied up in the courts right now. [8:24] But, Mr. Vice President, should the government in any instance compensate people who attacked [8:30] law enforcement officers on January 6th? Well, look, I think that the weaponization fund is a [8:35] bad idea from the start. And I would encourage the administration just to drop it. The Justice [8:42] Department has the ability to settle cases like they did with that pro-life family who was put upon [8:49] during the Biden administration. Got us a well-deserved seven-figure settlement this week. [8:54] But let's get rid of this fund. I mean, it's deeply offensive to me that you could have a fund [9:02] that could even possibly compensate people who assaulted police officers or vandalized the Capitol [9:08] on January 6th. And I think that's broadly held by most Republicans and most Americans. [9:14] You can see my full interview and a whole lot more at meetthepress.com. You can also get more [9:18] Meet the Press right here on NBC News Now every weekday at 4 p.m. All right, Kristen Welker, thank [9:24] you. NBC News political reporter Megan Leibovitz joins us now with more from Pence's interview and [9:29] some other big headlines out of Washington for us today. Megan, good morning. So, Pence, of course, [9:33] there, as we just heard, fairly critical of the Trump administration on Meet the Press yesterday, [9:37] in addition to his comments on the anti-weaponization fund. Tell us what else he talked about. [9:41] Hey, guys, good morning. Yeah, former Vice President Mike Pence with some strong pushback [9:47] to the administration, saying that President Trump's second administration has [9:51] departed from the conservative agenda of the Republican Party. Now, in that interview with [9:58] Meet the Press, he had pointed to things like the Trump administration's tariff policies, for example, [10:03] as well as the Trump administration pulling back from some of these international alliances, [10:07] as well as, in his words, nationalizing American businesses. Take a listen to how well he framed [10:13] this. I think what's lesser known right now is the way the second Trump administration has departed [10:21] from the conservative agenda that we governed on, the conservative agenda that has defined the [10:26] Republican Party since the days of Ronald Reagan and before. And that's an agenda of American [10:33] leadership, limited government, free market economics, the right to life. And on a number [10:39] of those issues, the president's been good. At the same time, though, he said that he didn't think [10:45] that there was any question about the president's popularity and said that he gave President Trump [10:49] credit for his hold on Republican voters. Now, also, Joe and Savannah, in that interview, [10:54] moderator Kristen Welker had asked him about whether he was ruling out a potential run for president [10:59] in 2028. And Pence responded, saying that he's a man of faith and that he and his wife would pray [11:05] about it, but said that he did not have any active ambition right now to reenter politics, guys. [11:10] And, Megan, we've seen some concerns expressed over the president's health in recent months. Over [11:14] the weekend, Mr. Trump appeared to try and tamp down any concerns, claiming he got a, quote, [11:18] perfect score on a recent cognitive test. So what do we know about his health? [11:23] Yeah. So the White House late on Friday night had released a memo to summarize the president's [11:28] visit last week to Walter Reed for his physical exam. And in that memo, the White House physician [11:33] had said that President Trump is in excellent health and said that the president is fully fit [11:39] to carry out all duties as commander in chief. And also in that memo, we learned a little bit more [11:45] about the types of tests that the president underwent, including a cognitive, cognitive screening [11:50] where the president, according to the position, scored a 30 out of 30. Now, President Trump then over [11:56] the weekend had bragged about that score and posted about it on Truth Social, saying that his score [12:03] was, in his words, considered to be extreme intelligence. I do want to note here, guys, [12:08] though, that that test was not an intelligence test. That screening was called the Montreal Cognitive [12:14] Assessment, which is used to screen for things like mild cognitive impairment and early dementia, [12:20] guys. [12:20] Megan, let's switch gears. Also, three people were killed in a U.S. strike on an alleged drug [12:26] trafficking vote on Saturday. Our viewers may remember we've been talking about incidents like [12:30] these for a while now, and this was actually the military's fourth attack just last week. [12:34] Tell us about this one and what the military is saying at this point. [12:38] Yeah, that's right. So that that strike last week and the other strikes that it followed as well [12:44] bring that death toll of known strikes to more than 200. That's according to the Associated Press, [12:50] the account by the Associated Press. Now, in that post where U.S. Southern Command had [12:55] announced that latest strike, it had said that the boat was, in their words, transiting along no [13:02] narco trafficking routes in the eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco trafficking operations. Now, [13:08] Southcom, though, did not provide evidence to back up those claims. And the the wording of that post [13:14] had also mirrored wording from the previous strikes of last week and a whole lot of the strikes over the [13:19] past several months where they've claimed that these boats were engaged in narco trafficking [13:24] operations, but have not provided evidence to back up those claims. And remember, big picture [13:28] here, guys. Democrats have consistently pushed against the Trump administration's move to strike [13:33] these alleged drug boats. Some Republicans have well have called into question the legitimacy [13:38] of these strikes, too, which have began last year back in September, guys. [13:43] All right, Megan, thank you so much. Tensions flared outside an immigration detention [13:48] center in New Jersey over the weekend. Law enforcement faced off with demonstrators who've [13:52] been outside that facility for more than a week. The protesters are showing support for detainees who [13:57] they say are enduring inhumane conditions inside. NBC's Valerie Castro has the latest. [14:06] Authorities cracking down outside a New Jersey immigration center after protests against conditions [14:11] the facility spiraled out of control for a second straight night. The mayor of Newark implementing [14:18] a new protest curfew near Delaney Hall between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. after demonstrators tried to push [14:25] past metal barricades around a designated peaceful protest zone. Off the fence. Off the fence. [14:32] Thanks. The violence escalating with the crowd grabbing makeshift shields facing off against police [14:38] into the late hours. Fighting through tear gas, even burning a pile of tires. [14:45] Stop it. That's not what we're here for. Governor Mikey Sherrill condemning the clashes. [14:49] They take the focus away from people inside Delaney Hall and their families. And they raise the [14:55] temperature with ice. And announcing the Department of Homeland Security agreed to bring back family [15:01] visitation for detainees there. Is that a step in the right direction? Absolutely. The family members [15:07] need to see that their people, their loved ones, are safe. The unrest, now 10 days in, sparked by [15:12] reports of a hunger strike inside the 1,000-bed facility, with detainees complaining of unsanitary [15:18] conditions and spoiled food. Shut down Delaney! Shut down Delaney! DHS denies those allegations. [15:26] I just think that any human being deserves to be treated somewhat respectfully. [15:31] While lawmakers visiting the site calling for it to be shut down. [15:34] And our thanks to Valerie Castro for that report. So far, at least 15 people have been arrested since [15:39] the protests began. Well, this morning, a civil trial will get underway in Baltimore over the [15:43] collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Billions of dollars in damages are at stake for two companies [15:48] behind the Dolly cargo ship. That's the vessel that lost control and slammed into the bridge back in [15:53] 2024. Just days ago, the families of all six construction workers killed in the collapse [15:59] settled their claims with the ship's owners and operators for an undisclosed amount. [16:03] For more, let's bring in NBC News legal analyst Danny Savalos. Danny, good morning. So the shipping [16:08] company here, they're trying to cap their liability at $44 million, and that would be using a law from the [16:15] 19th century. Walk us through exactly how that would work and what we can expect today. [16:19] Well, a lot of the families have already settled along with some state entities. So now really, [16:25] it's just some businesses and the city and county of Baltimore. But here's the thing. This is not a [16:30] normal trial. We're in what's called admiralty law now. And really what happens here is the judge [16:36] is going to have to decide, and it is the judge, not a jury, a narrow legal issue of whether that law [16:42] that dates back to the 1800s and was designed to protect ship owners when they sailed literally [16:49] under sail and avoided things like pirates and blackbeard and those kinds of dangers on the high [16:55] seas. One law that is very frustrating for practitioners like me. I practice in the U.S. [17:00] Virgin Islands, and I've come right up against this law in my cases. And I got to tell you, [17:05] a lot of plaintiffs' attorneys do not like it. So, Danny, Maryland officials estimate, [17:10] I mean, rebuilding costs for this could exceed $5 billion. But what's the reality check here about [17:15] the law? What does it say about how much these companies could actually be on the hook for? [17:19] Yeah, a couple centuries ago, because ship owning was such a risky business, because we didn't have [17:25] Doppler radar and all the technology that we have today, even communications abilities, [17:31] they wanted to promote the shipping industry. So they limited liability to this post-incident. [17:38] In other words, after accident value of the ship and its cargo, which, by the way, [17:45] with a large ship like this, we're talking about $44 million. But think about a small pleasure cruiser [17:49] or just a yacht. Post-accident, the value could be anything from a few thousand to zero. So this can [17:56] have catastrophic consequences for plaintiffs. And in this case, $44 million is still not enough to [18:02] cover all the damages. So this is an antiquated law, heavily criticized, but it still exists, [18:08] and the courts have to follow it. [18:10] Danny, though, we understand about this. I'm going to read a little bit of it. There's essentially [18:13] this exception here. It says, without the privity or knowledge of the owner. How would that play into [18:20] this case? [18:21] Sure. It has to do. So what happens is the judge has to decide whether the ship was not seaworthy, [18:26] but here's the key. The owner has to have some knowledge. And again, this takes us back hundreds [18:31] of years where there were no communications abilities. A ship at sea was literally at sea [18:37] cut off from all communication, including communication from the owner. So the owner [18:40] couldn't know about an unseaworthiness issue back then. And the law is designed so once the claimants [18:47] prove that there was something unseaworthy, the burden shifts to the owner. And if the owner can be [18:53] ignorant enough, the owner can be rewarded for his ignorance of the problem on the ship. [18:58] Danny, this is all separate, of course, from the criminal charges that we covered when they [19:02] were announced a few weeks ago, accusing multiple parties of conspiring to defraud the U.S. by [19:06] violating these maritime safety laws. So how could other cases and settlements, they're separate, [19:11] but could they have any impact on how this trial plays out or vice versa? [19:15] This kind of thing happens all the time where you have a criminal case and a civil case, [19:19] and there's all kinds of fighting about which should go first. But the criminal case is great [19:23] for the claimants because the allegations are essentially what they have to prove [19:27] to win against the boat company who's seeking to limit its liability. In other words, the indictment [19:32] essentially says that the defendants knew what they were doing was wrong. And that's kind of the [19:38] burden that the claimants have under this ancient law from hundreds of years ago. They have to show [19:44] that the owner had knowledge. So all of that evidence, every time you have a criminal case [19:49] and a civil case, the civil attorneys want the criminal case to go forward because they get [19:53] extra discovery out of it. It's beneficial to those plaintiffs and claimants. [19:57] All right, Danny Savalos, thanks as always. [20:00] The cruise ship at the center of that deadly Hantavirus outbreak is set to return to sea. [20:04] It's been disinfected and cleared for its next cruise starting in two weeks. [20:07] Some American passengers from that ship, though, they've been isolating at the national quarantine [20:11] unit in Nebraska. They could go home as soon as today, but they will have to undergo further [20:17] monitoring. For more, let's bring in NBC News medical reporter, Erica Edwards. Erica, good morning. [20:21] So first of all, let's talk about the ship actually returning to service. It has been deemed safe, [20:26] but are there any precautions going into place for passengers who might be going on the first few [20:30] trips who might be worried? Precautions will be the same whether you're boarding any cruise ship, [20:36] right? Hand hygiene, the number one way to protect yourself against any virus. Flu, COVID, [20:41] even the more commonly found norovirus on cruise ships. So wash hands early and often. And for [20:47] extra security, you know, you could use disinfectant wipes on door handles, tables, [20:51] even bathroom sinks. Joe, Savannah. [20:53] Let's talk about here at home, those passengers you mentioned that have been held here in quarantine [20:57] in the U.S., in Nebraska. Some of them essentially have the option to be released between today and [21:03] tomorrow. Others are saying they will stay during that full incubation period. How long will they have [21:09] to self-quarantine? What does this look like? Yeah, these passengers are only halfway through that [21:15] six-week quarantine. That period does not end until June 22nd. And they'll have to stay isolated [21:21] at home, checking in with health officials every few, a couple times a day to monitor for their [21:27] symptoms. Now, as you said, Savannah, the passengers are not required to go home. In fact, [21:31] at least one passenger said he's going to stay at the Nebraska quarantine unit where he has [21:36] immediate access to doctors just in case he does test positive. He said he's not going home until [21:41] there is a zero chance of him getting sick or infecting others. Joe, Savannah. [21:47] I think we've all been having some flashbacks to COVID during all of this. So do we know, [21:51] I mean, local or state health departments, are they going to be involved in any of this, [21:54] similar to some of the contact tracing efforts and monitoring that we saw back during COVID? [22:00] Yeah, there's been a lot of back and forth on this between the White House, the CDC, [22:03] local and state health departments as to how closely these passengers will be or should be [22:09] monitored once they get home. Officials have discussed positioning a police officer even [22:14] outside of their homes to make sure that they abide by these quarantine rules. That situation [22:18] still evolving this morning. We should learn more today. Joe, Savannah. [22:22] All right. Erica Edwards, thank you so much. [22:24] Well, back to back midair scares forced two United flights to turn around just hours apart. One of them, [22:30] a transatlantic flight returned to Newark after a passenger's Bluetooth device sparked a security [22:35] concern. NBC News correspondent Camila Bernal has more. A possible security threat midair on a United [22:45] flight from Newark to Spain causing it to turn around. Because of the problem, a passenger's [22:59] Bluetooth device, which a source tells NBC News was named bomb. So frustrated. Jordan Moore was on the [23:10] flight Saturday. She says they had to deplane and be rescreened. Takeoff delayed almost 12 hours. [23:17] It was kind of back and forth between like, is somebody playing a sick, selfish prank or are we [23:23] actually concerned? And it comes just hours after another emergency diversion on a different United [23:29] flight from Chicago to Minneapolis. We might have to close the airfield due to potential hijacks. [23:36] An unruly passenger trying to breach the cockpit multiple times, according to authorities. [23:42] The sheriff's office says the 75-year-old man was subdued by FBI agents on board and appeared to be in a [23:49] mental health crisis. Two startling incidents, leaving some passengers wary about safety in the skies. [24:00] We want to make sure we're safe and like guaranteed that comfort before we take off. [24:05] Camila Bernal, NBC News. We have got a closer look now at what to expect this week with your [24:11] morning news now weather. Meteorologist Rafael Miranda joins us today with more. Good morning. [24:15] Good morning, Savannah. Good morning, Joe. Quiet across much of the country, but not in St. Louis [24:20] right now. We're tracking some severe, strong to severe thunderstorms there. Waking up lots of folks [24:24] with thunder and lightning. Some storms moving out of Chicago as well. Hundreds of lightning strikes [24:29] moving through the St. Louis metro. Expect significant travel issues and delays. Very heavy rain as well. [24:34] This is just round one. We have a severe thunderstorm watch in effect through 9 a.m. [24:39] We're going to watch this for the next couple of hours. There are storms eventually will move out. [24:42] But later today, another round of severe storms, a possibility in the plains. [24:46] Heavy rain possible in places like Colorado and back towards Mississippi as well. [24:51] And we're watching the possibility for large hail, two inches in diameter or more in the western plains and [24:58] the Rockies. That's going to be potentially causing some damage later on this afternoon evening. [25:02] And the severe threat lingers into tomorrow out west, especially in the western plains [25:06] and the Rockies here. The flood risk ramps up in western Texas. As far as rainfall, isolated amounts [25:13] over an inch of possibility. So watch out for some potential flooding there. Not much going on around [25:17] the rest of the country, though. You can see we still have that omega block, the omega block that's [25:22] given us that chilly weather in the northeast over parts of the weekend, especially in the Boston area. [25:27] But it has also allowed the middle of the country to warm up. Now, this block is beginning to weaken [25:31] a bit. But today, we're still well above average here in the plains, Memphis 92. Look at Boston, [25:37] though, 59 degrees. I saw a lot of social media posts out of Boston. Very angry this weekend. [25:43] Tomorrow, the block continues to weaken. Still a little mild in the plains and a little cool in [25:48] some spots. But then we spread out the warmth more evenly and we are warming up. First week of June, [25:53] of course, look at these temperatures into the 80s and 90s, even in New York City, [25:58] getting up to 90 by Friday. Temperatures well above average there. And that looks to be the trend for [26:03] much of the month of June. Above average temperatures for the northern tier of states, [26:07] especially. One final look at the big picture today. Again, watching out for severe storms [26:11] in parts of the Mississippi Valley and also in the Rockies, hot and dry in the desert southwest. [26:17] That's look at your weather. Quiet here in the northeast, but a little stormy for parts of the [26:22] middle of the country. All right. We'll take the quiet. Thanks, Raph. Appreciate it. [26:25] Much more to come here on Morning News now. Later this hour, a critical rescue mission in Southeast [26:29] Asia. We're going to take you to Laos, where crews are working to rescue two men still trapped inside [26:35] a cave after five others were safe. At first, though, celebration turns to chaos in Paris. Soccer [26:41] fans and police clashing after the Champions League final. More on what happened after the break. [26:47] Stay with us. Welcome back. A victory celebration turned violent this weekend when hundreds of [26:56] people were arrested in Paris after clashes broke out between soccer fans and police. PSG fans were [27:03] out reveling in their team's Champions League final win over Arsenal on Saturday when things took a turn. [27:09] NBC's Hallie Jackson has the story. French officials bracing for the possibility of more chaos [27:16] after scenes like these clashes after France's top soccer club, Paris Saint-Germain, or PSG, won Europe's [27:26] biggest sports prize against England's Arsenal. Piles of bikes set on fire in the streets. Police [27:36] shooting off tear gas to break up the crowds. Nearly 800 people were arrested, according to the French [27:42] Interior Minister, with the clashes leaving almost 60 officers hurt. [27:47] French President Emmanuel Macron condemning the violence and thanking the responding officers for [27:55] restoring order. PSG hoisting the Champions League trophy in front of the Eiffel Tower and thousands of [28:01] fans. With now more than 8,000 police officers and firefighters deployed to make sure celebrations [28:07] remain peaceful. Our thanks to Hallie Jackson for that report. Now, despite losing against PSG in that [28:14] Champions League final, Arsenal painted North London red yesterday. Look at these pictures. [28:20] Hundreds of thousands of fans showed up for the team's trophy parade, celebrating Arsenal's first [28:25] English Premier League win in 2022, in 22 years. Early estimates indicate between 750,000 and 1 [28:32] million Arsenal fans descended onto the streets of London to watch the open top bus parade. [28:37] Staying overseas, rescuers in Laos are in a race against time. They're working to free two men [28:42] still trapped inside that flooded cave after five others were rescued over the weekend. [28:47] NBC News international correspondent Janice McFrayer joins us now with the latest on this. Janice, [28:51] good morning. Joe, good morning. A massive search operation is underway to find two men [28:58] still missing deep inside that flooded cave in a remote area of Laos. Five others made it out [29:04] alive over the weekend, and they're now advising rescuers on where to look. This morning, it's a race [29:10] against time and harsh terrain to free two men still trapped in that cave in Laos. In the high-stakes [29:16] rescue operation, so far, the breakthrough came one survivor at a time. Four men trapped for 10 days [29:25] deep inside the flooded cave walked out on Saturday, exhausted, hungry, but elated to survive. [29:33] 24 hours earlier, the first survivor was brought out by divers, giving the mission a burst of momentum. [29:38] The multinational rescue team involving specialists and divers from at least half a dozen countries [29:44] now focusing on those two men still missing. Inside the cave system, the risk for rescuers is all around [29:52] them. Claustrophobic tunnels filled with sharp rocks and dirty water. But divers using ropes to [30:00] rappel down into shafts say they've heard knocking and scraping noises below, while a second team is [30:06] exploring a hole that may be another way for them to get into the cave. I can hear water below. [30:12] I can hear things dripping, which is a really good sign for us that there's something down there. [30:16] The wild card is weather, torrential rain slowing the rescue. The head of the operation telling NBC News [30:24] they will not give up on their search, though he admits he's feeling the pressure with lives on the line. [30:30] The seven men, all local villagers, first went into the cave here to search for gold when a flash flood [30:36] blocked the entrance. Now the clock is ticking as rescuers keep hope alive for another miracle. [30:42] Several of the divers were involved in that 2018 cave rescue in Thailand that freed 12 boys in their [30:49] coat. They say the conditions in Laos are different, but they're no less difficult. They know that there's an [30:55] air pocket about a thousand feet into the cave, but it's getting there through those tunnels that are [30:59] tight and they're dangerous. That remains the challenge. Joe? All right, the world is holding [31:04] out hope. Janice, thank you so much. Coming up on Morning News Now, a potentially life-saving treatment [31:09] giving hope to millions of cancer patients. Believe me, it's not lost on me. I just feel like God's given [31:16] me another chance. You better make the most of it. We return a look at the new drug showing [31:21] unprecedented results for treating an increasingly common form of cancer. My doctors say that could [31:27] just be the beginning. We'll be right back. We are back with a promising breakthrough in the [31:36] fight against one of the deadliest forms of cancer. A new study suggests a treatment for pancreatic cancer [31:41] could double patient survival rates. It may also work against lung, colon, and ovarian cancers. [31:48] NBC News medical reporter Erica Edwards is back with us with more on what doctors are calling [31:52] a game-changing drug. Erica, good morning. Good morning, Joe. You know, when researchers [31:57] presented their data on this drug yesterday at a big cancer conference, the entire room of doctors [32:03] stood up and gave them a standing ovation. Actually, sorry, I just got a little emotional [32:07] thinking about it. It's that big of a deal. The results are that huge and are giving great hope [32:12] to the thousands of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year. Debbie Orcutt is beating the odds. [32:20] Thanks to these three pills, she takes daily, an experimental drug for a dire diagnosis, [32:26] stage four pancreatic cancer after chemo stopped working. You know, I knew my diagnosis was bad, [32:32] so what have I got to lose? More than a year later, Orcutt's cancer has stopped growing, [32:37] instead shrinking by 80 percent. Unprecedented success for a cancer that often kills within months. [32:45] Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's Dr. Brian Wolpin led studies for the drug called [32:49] Direxon Rasib. I think this is the breakthrough we've been waiting for. [32:53] This is the breakthrough you've been waiting for all these years? Yes. A new study out today [32:57] finding it doubled survival rates. Among 500 patients who'd already gone through chemotherapy, [33:04] those who got a second chemo drug lived on average 6.7 months, compared to more than 13 months for [33:11] patients who received Direxon Rasib instead. This is a new medicine that blocks a really critical part [33:17] of how pancreatic cancer grows. It targets a gene called KRAS that works like an on-off switch, [33:23] controlling how cells grow in the body. In more than 90 percent of pancreatic cancers, [33:29] that gene mutates, causing the switch to get stuck in the on position, making cancer cells grow out of [33:35] control. Direxon Rasib blocks the mutation, stopping it from doing more damage. The side effects, [33:42] researchers say, not as toxic as chemotherapy. Some patients can get mouth sores and a blistering rash. [33:48] Clinical trial participant and former Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse telling a New York Times podcast [33:54] in April that it's nuclear. Burning, bubbling. Yeah. It's already fast-tracked for FDA approval, [34:03] now being studied to see if they can work as well for other tumors. The mutation at targets is also a key [34:09] driver in lung, colon, ovarian, and endometrial cancers. Now the floodgates open, right? And pancreas [34:16] cancer may be the first for this drug, but there will then be others I think that may also benefit. [34:21] Despite the drug's success, patients like Debbie Orcutt know it's not a cure, [34:26] making the most of her precious extra time with family since her diagnosis in April 2024. [34:32] It's been more than two years for you, Debbie. I know. Believe me, it's not lost on me. I just [34:39] feel like God's given me another chance. You better make the most of it and do all good things. And I [34:44] try. I really do try. Direxon Rasib has been put on a fast track for FDA approval. We could see the [34:52] drug maker submit its application any day now. Joe. All right, Erica, thanks so much for bringing [34:56] us that good medical news. We appreciate it. Incredible. Well, coming up, barbecue beef. The [35:01] barbecue joint's getting burned by the rising price of a specialty menu item. When we come back, [35:06] we'll take you to Texas where some businesses say they are struggling to keep the grill on. And [35:11] spurs of the moment. That's right. The San Antonio Spurs heading to the NBA finals against the New York [35:16] Knicks after unseating the reigning champs in the Western Conference finals. Now the licks. [35:21] Knicks looking to lick a half century championship drought. Don't drop the ball. Morning news now. [35:26] We'll be right back. Welcome back. There are a few things more synonymous with Texas than barbecue [35:32] joints, of course. And barbecue joint means brisket. But the high cost of that signature item [35:38] is making it hard for these businesses to keep their doors open. NBC News correspondent Ryan [35:42] Chandler explains when the prices could start to drop. In Texas, it's not a barbecue joint unless [35:49] brisket is on the menu. Thank you so much. At Austin's iconic Ironworks barbecue, owner Stephen [35:56] Yule's been working these pits since he was seven years old. Oh, cool. Where all the magic happened. [36:02] It's an art that has cemented his mom's old joint as one of the last relics of historic Austin. [36:08] Nowadays, it's harder than ever to stay afloat. Margins are very thin, [36:13] very thin on brisket. But, you know, like we make probably three dollars on beer, [36:18] dollar on brisket. You're relying on on the sides and the beers and everything to make up [36:23] for for the high price of brisket. Sure. Yeah. Yeah, it helps. Everything helps. [36:28] The cost of beef has skyrocketed. Steak prices spiking 17% in the last year and up more than 70% [36:35] since 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. All right, with that discount, it's going to be 77.36. [36:42] The high prices are now forcing some of Texas's favorite spots out of business and leaving some [36:47] customers in shock. Does their jaw drop when they see the prices? A lot of times they'll see the menu [36:52] and if they've been in a couple of times, they'll see the price changes, they'll leave. [36:56] This huge platter of Texas staples, about 130 bucks to feed three people. Risk it is king in Texas. [37:03] But that is also the most expensive now. Correct. Industry leaders point to inflation, tariffs and a cattle [37:10] crisis at home. The national herd is at its smallest in 75 years. When we had a chicken crisis [37:16] or an egg crisis, we could recover pretty quickly. In the cattle industry, you're talking about two or [37:22] three years to sort of get the cattle ready, beef it up and then put it in the market. Business owners [37:27] like Steven say they have to charge more to keep up. Cattle ranchers are having to reduce their herds [37:33] because of weather, because of food, hay, you know, all the things it takes to run a cattle ranch. So [37:39] their prices are going up and it just trickles down and eventually ends up to where we have to pass [37:45] that on to the customer. Institutions like Ironworks hope to hang on, not just to preserve their own [37:50] business, but a key part of Texas culture. I love fire, love smoke, love what it does to a brisket. [37:57] It's close to magic as you can get. Now, Ironworks worries it could be another three to five years [38:03] for the cattle population to go up and beef prices to start coming down. But listen, this place has [38:08] been here since 1978. And judging by the lunch rush line that we saw before that shoot, they're doing [38:14] everything they can to make sure they're here for another 50 years. All right. Thanks, [38:19] Ryan. Let's stick in Texas for another story or a happier one of your texts. And for the first time [38:23] since 2014, the San Antonio Spurs are the NBA's Western Conference champions. They beat the Oklahoma [38:29] City Thunder in OKC 111 to 103. It was a pretty dramatic Game 7 Saturday night, capping off just [38:35] an incredible series that won't soon be forgotten. Well, led by their one of a kind superstar Victor [38:41] Wembenyama, the Spurs took down the reigning champs to book their ticket to the NBA finals. [38:46] They will now host the New York Knicks in San Antonio when the finals took off on Wednesday. [38:50] Joining us now for more, Baker Machado, the host of Front Office Sports today, [38:54] set to premiere its daily revamped show later today. It'll be available everywhere. Podcasts [38:58] can be found. Baker, congrats on that. Good to have you with us. I mean, [39:02] we have to give hats off to the Thunder. Another incredible season. SGA, once again, the MVP. [39:07] This was supposed to bring the entertainment and the drama, unlike the Knicks Cavs series, [39:11] which is just a blowout. Which is OK. Yeah, which no one is complaining here in New York. [39:15] Give us some of the highlights of this Game 7, where the Spurs really dominated, [39:18] but the Thunder just would not go away. No, and a lot of people thought this would never happen, [39:23] given how good Oklahoma City was. You mentioned them being the reigning NBA champions, [39:28] and the Spurs coming back three games to two to win that series in the final two games. Guys, [39:34] we all knew the Spurs were going to be better than their 35 games that they won two years ago, [39:39] but nobody expected them to be so good so fast that they became the second best team in the [39:44] Western Conference, and now they're in the NBA finals. This now means, guys, the Spurs dynasty [39:49] is ahead of schedule, and it all comes from Victor Wimbanyama, who you mentioned, Savannah, [39:54] the 22-year-old 7'4 alien, they call him, from France, who won the Western Conference MVP honors. [40:02] Just an incredible story for him. Now, as you mentioned, the Spurs have won this before. They're back [40:07] in this since 2014. The Knicks have not won an NBA title since 1999. The last time, guys, [40:13] the Knicks were in the NBA finals. They played the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs won that series, [40:19] so obviously, this is very exciting. You mentioned, Baker, with Wendy that, like, [40:25] this talk about sort of like, is he ready? You mentioned they're ahead of schedule. It was like, [40:29] is this his time? Like you said, he's 22 years old. Well, clearly, it was, and he even ends up being [40:34] named the Western Conference Finals MVP. Walk us through the difference he makes on this court [40:39] and what we should expect against the Knicks. Yeah, look, it's the leadership. It's his height. [40:44] It's his defense. It's everything. This, by the way, guys, is just his third NBA season, [40:50] and he finished as a finalist for the league MVP award this last year. He finished with 27.3 points [40:57] per game and almost 11 rebounds per game in the playoffs. And again, just his third NBA season. [41:02] So if he's this good now, imagine what he's going to be 10 years from now, which is going to be crazy. [41:08] No kidding. Yeah, the Spurs have home court advantage, so they'll host the Knicks in game [41:12] one of the NBA finals. Tip off is on Wednesday. Do we know? I mean, who has the advantage right [41:18] now? The Knicks are so unbelievably hot, but the Spurs are just so good. [41:22] Yeah, the Knicks are coming in red hot. They've won 11 games in a row, and they've led all playoff [41:28] teams right now in three-point percentage assists and field goal percentage. And the Knicks' best [41:33] advantage right now is guard Jalen Brunson, who also, like Wemby, was the unanimous Eastern Conference [41:39] MVP winner. The Spurs' defense is going to be really good, but the Knicks have really surprised [41:44] everybody from the get-go. So this is going to be an amazing matchup no matter what. But I should say, [41:49] the Knicks are an underdog. Right now, according to the sportsbooks, the Knicks, a four-and-a-half [41:54] point underdog in game one in San Antonio on Wednesday. All right, now that the thunder are [41:58] out, the NBA will crown a new champion for the eighth consecutive season. So what are you most [42:03] looking forward to with that in this matchup? Guys, the most fascinating part of the NBA finals, [42:08] the ticket prices. No kidding. The get-in prices to go to these games is insane. So game one Wednesday [42:14] in San Antonio, the get-in price is $1,100. Game two is about the same. But when game three comes [42:21] to New York, which again, the Knicks fans have been winning 27 years for this, the get-in price [42:26] just to walk into Madison Square Garden, according to TickPick, $4,247 for the worst seat in the arena, [42:35] which is amazing. That's like a Knicks tax. You've been winning 27 years for this. [42:39] Yeah. Yeah. I'm just like... It's so crazy. In fact, we're going to keep talking about that. [42:44] It looks great on TV. That's all I'll say, Baker. It looks really... Those TVs are so nice. You see [42:49] all the action. You're not like, what just happened? So there's an option. There is an energy, [42:53] though, in the garden that's just wild. That is true, but I'm not paying that. All right, [42:57] Baker Machado, thank you so much. All right, coming up on morning news now, [43:00] one man putting others on the road to self-confidence. You're doing it, dude. [43:05] Crushing it. Nice job. And is he a good coach? Yes, he is. We're not buddies. [43:11] Up next, more on his mission and the inspiration driving it. We'll be right back. [43:16] Finally, this hour, which started as one man's effort to help his brother, [43:24] has grown into a mission that's helping others gain confidence behind the wheel. [43:28] Reporter Kevin Guise from NBC Connecticut has this moving story of one man and his golf cart. [43:33] Is it on or off? There you go. Ask anyone, and learning to drive isn't easy. [43:40] You're doing it, dude. Crushing it. Nice job. [43:43] But it's a little easier with a good coach in your corner. Just ask Will Gibson or Captain Will [43:48] behind the wheel. I'm on how you drive it. Him and I play basketball. [43:53] Captain Will might not be chasing a driver's license, but the confidence that comes with [43:57] learning to drive a golf cart is a step toward independence. Just gentle tap. [44:04] Gentle? Yep. That's perfect. Keep the stakes low. Have some fun. [44:10] Drive down to the beach, right? And kind of took off from there. [44:14] This is the Golf Cart Project, a beginner driving experience launched by Dennis Rinaldi [44:18] in honor of his late brother, Daniel. I watched him navigate the obstacles of [44:24] Proteus Syndrome, but then also trying to live a normal, independent life on his own. [44:29] Rinaldi described his younger brother as his best friend, best man, and his general North Star in life. [44:34] He describes his inspiration drawn from his brother's unwillingness to let Proteus Syndrome, [44:38] a rare genetic disorder, slow him down. He wanted to drive a car, right? Like, [44:42] that was his, like, biggest goal post-college. With the help of family and friends, he taught him, [44:47] starting slow, stripping away pressure, and building confidence all the way up to this. [44:52] And that's where, you know, the Golf Cart Project kind of came into light. He's keeping that experience [45:00] going in honor of Daniel, teaching individuals with disabilities or anxieties the basics of being [45:05] behind the wheel. You're doing great. That is why I do the work I do kind of every day. I kind of [45:11] take Dan's spirit and heart into my work. I'm going to go backwards. From three-point turns to [45:17] parallel parking, it's all done low pressure, low speed, and low tech. Rinaldi currently works with [45:22] 10 clients, some with the goal of going for a license this summer. [45:25] Part of it is just, like, this is, like, a mission driven by my heart. He believes in support, [45:30] not pressure, and makes it clear sometimes the best way to learn to drive... [45:33] I kind of start off slow, right? And we ramp it up. Keep going. Perfect. Yep. [45:39] How's that? And we'll drive right up straight. [45:41] ...is with a good friend and coach riding shotgun. And is he a good coach? [45:46] Yes, he is. Give me that, buddy. A little bit more to the right. [45:51] Hold. Yeah. We take it nice and slow. [45:54] Our thanks to Kevin Geis for that story. Rinaldi takes all the proceeds [45:59] from this project, donates it to the Proteus Syndrome Foundation in honor of his brother. [46:04] I love their parallel parking. I mean, that's... I don't think I could parallel park with a golf [46:07] cart. I can't parallel park with a regular cart. And I grew up in California where that's, like, [46:11] kind of necessary. Maybe start with the golf cart and see if it works. All right. That's [46:14] going to do it for this hour. Morning news now. Stay with us, though. The news continues right now. [46:18] Good morning. Thanks so much for starting your week with us. I'm Savannah Sellers. [46:32] I'm Joe Pryor right now on Morning News Now. Trading blows. The U.S. military saying [46:37] forces carried out self-defense strikes on Iranian radar and drone control sites over the weekend. [46:43] Iran now saying it targeted an air base. Both sides trading strikes several times [46:48] since agreeing to a ceasefire back in April. We're going to bring you the latest from the [46:52] Middle East as a peace deal remains in the balance. Also this morning, calling it off, [46:57] President Trump responding to a growing controversy over America's 250th birthday celebrations. [47:03] The president announcing he wants to cancel a planned concert as part of the Great American [47:07] State Fair with several performers backing out. The latest on the president's setback and his fight [47:13] over the future of the Kennedy Center in Washington. Setting the record straight, [47:19] former First Lady Jill Biden opening up and reflecting on her time in the White House [47:23] in a new memoir. This morning, she's speaking with our friends on Today, discussing her husband's [47:28] presidency, including Joe Biden's widely panned 2024 debate performance and his battle with prostate [47:35] cancer. We will bring you the latest. And celebrating a Hollywood icon. Fans across the world are marking [47:42] what would have been Marilyn Monroe's 100th birthday today. I'm going to take a look back at her legacy [47:48] and why she still resonates decades after her passing. I spent the weekend watching some of her [47:54] movies for inspiration while putting it together. And it was just like such an amazing time. And she [47:59] was talented in so many different ways. She certainly was. My grandma has the name Marilyn, [48:03] so it always makes me think of her. There you go. There you go. We'll get to that in a little bit. [48:05] Let's begin this hour in the Middle East, where another exchange of attacks between the United [48:10] States and Iran are threatening hopes for a peace deal. Over the weekend, U.S. Central Command [48:14] said it carried out what it called self-defense strikes, targeting Iranian air defenses, [48:19] a ground control station and two one way attack drones. Iran said it retaliated by attacking a U.S. [48:26] base in the region without identifying the target. But this morning, Kuwait, which houses a major U.S. [48:31] military base, said it was responding to drone and missile threats. NBC News chief foreign correspondent [48:36] Richard Engel has the latest from Tel Aviv. Richard, good morning. While the world is waiting for President [48:42] Trump and Iran's top leaders to agree to a ceasefire deal, there were new exchanges of fire over the [48:48] weekend and into this morning, with the U.S. targeting Iran, Iran firing missiles and drones at Kuwait, [48:56] where many U.S. troops are based. There were no reports of any casualties. Hopes of a quick deal [49:04] are fading. In Kuwait, air raid sirens were wailing this morning as explosions rang out. The Kuwaiti military [49:11] says it intercepted a barrage of Iranian drones and missiles. U.S. Central Command is back in action, [49:19] too, launching new, quote, self-defense attacks on Iranian radar stations and drone-commanded control [49:26] sites on at least one island and the Iranian mainland. Iran's Revolutionary Guard threatening [49:32] to escalate with a, quote, completely different response. CENTCOM announced it also fired a hellfire [49:39] missile into the engine of a ship in the Persian Gulf, stopping it from entering an Iranian port. [49:45] The U.S. naval blockade still in effect after President Trump on Friday said he would soon [49:51] make a decision on the ceasefire. Overnight, Trump claimed in a social media post that [49:56] too many voices from Republicans and those he called Democrats are slowing him down, writing, [50:03] it is much tougher for me to properly do my job and negotiate when political hacks keep negatively [50:09] chirping at levels never seen before. Democrats pushing for a deal. [50:14] There's been this talk of a deal for months and months and months. I think the terms of the deal [50:20] are pretty humiliating in and of themselves, but we just need this war done. [50:24] While Trump says high gas prices will eventually come down and he's taking his time. [50:30] Very tough negotiators. It takes a long time. I'm in no hurry. [50:35] Iran too is hesitating. Its leaders refusing to sign off on a deal to extend the ceasefire [50:42] and open the Strait of Hormuz. A U.S. official says it could take several days to hear a response [50:48] from Iran because of the time it takes to get messages to and from the supreme leader who hasn't [50:54] been seen in public since the start of the war when his father, the late supreme leader, [50:58] was killed at a joint U.S.-Israeli operation. All right, Richard, thank you. [51:03] President Trump is now planning a new rally to kick off America's 250th birthday. The change [51:08] comes after several musicians backed out of the planned celebrations. Now the president is lashing [51:13] out and urging organizers to cancel the main event. NBC News senior White House correspondent Gabe [51:18] Gutierrez joins us with the latest. Gabe, good morning. [51:20] Joe, good morning. A spokesperson for the organizer, Freedom 250, tells NBC News that the president will [51:26] instead kick off the 16-day Great American State Fair with an opening ceremony now on June 24th. [51:32] Now, the Trump-backed celebrations have drawn criticism from Democrats that argue that they [51:38] are centered around himself instead of the country. This morning, President Trump is preparing to kick [51:45] off America's 250th birthday celebration himself after several performers dropped out of America's [51:52] state fair. The president now saying that instead he may focus the country's landmark birthday on a [51:58] campaign-style rally, quote, bringing the number one attraction anywhere in the world, Donald J. Trump, [52:04] adding the original event should be canceled and that the singers, quote, do nothing but complain. [52:10] Some musicians seem to have segmented their audiences the same way, you know, politicians have, [52:17] but this is Freedom 250 and the celebration of the 250 is a non-partisan event. [52:22] But several artists originally scheduled to perform disagree. Martina McBride saying she was initially [52:28] told it would be a non-partisan event, but that turned out to be misleading. She, along with Poison's [52:34] Bret Michaels, rapper Young MC and Milli Vanilli, backed out. Go Ninja, go Ninja, go. [52:40] Vanilla Ice, meanwhile, has not, posting this is not a political platform. This is celebrating America's [52:45] birthday. This is the problem with Trump. He's a divider in chief. [52:49] President Trump urging organizers to cancel the fair, just like he canceled his involvement with [52:55] the Kennedy Center after a federal judge ruled Friday that his name must come off the building. [53:00] He'd wanted to close the performing arts venue for two years for renovations and is now suggesting [53:05] the landmark will collapse both structurally and financially without his time and money. [53:10] The president also lashing out at the judge and he's frustrated at mounting legal challenges, [53:16] including attempts to stop construction of his planned White House ballroom. [53:19] The ballroom will be right here. [53:21] While Democrats have argued Trump does not have the right to renovate the White House without [53:25] Congress, the president says the opposition is just political. [53:29] Only because it's me. [53:31] Another federal judge has temporarily blocked the administration's $1.8 billion so-called [53:36] anti-weaponization fund. The Justice Department had created it to pay anyone who [53:42] claimed they'd been unfairly prosecuted by the Biden administration. Senate Democrats, [53:47] Senate Democrats, rather, are now launching a coordinated effort this week to try and kill [53:52] what they call a slush fund. Joe, a court hearing is now scheduled for next month. [53:57] All right, Gabe, thank you so much. [53:59] Well, let's now get a look at the week ahead with your morning news now. Weather. [54:02] Meteorologist Raphael Miranda joins us now. Hey, Raf, good morning. [54:05] Hey, good morning, Samantha. Good morning, Joe. We've got some big temperature changes coming our way [54:09] as we head throughout the week, but right now we're focusing on some strong to severe thunderstorms [54:13] moving through the St. Louis area. Watch out for significant travel delays. A whole lot of [54:18] lightning waking folks up as well. Heavy rain continues. We can see some flash flooding in the [54:22] area. That's one area to watch right now. Later today, we'll be watching the plains into the Rockies. [54:28] Large hail a possibility east of Denver. We're talking about hail up to two inches. Could certainly [54:33] cause a lot of damage out there. Another area of possible severe weather, including Memphis, [54:37] heading into the deep south. That's later today. Tomorrow, watching the plains again, [54:42] the western plains into the eastern Rockies. We're tracking that severe threat for your Tuesday. [54:47] Rainfall today, some heavy rain possible in places like Bismarck down through [54:52] portions of Colorado and the southwest as well. We'll keep an eye on that. We've had this omega block [54:57] in place for the past several days. It's finally going to start to weaken, but we're still feeling [55:02] the effects this morning. Chilly again across New England. We had a very chilly and wet at times [55:08] weekend. Not a great weekend for Boston. Temperatures have been above average and they continue to soar [55:12] today in places like Texas into the northern plains. As the block weakens, the heat starts to be more [55:17] evenly distributed. So we finally see these warmer temperatures expanding east. Chicago in the upper 80s [55:25] as we head towards the end of the week here. Even New York City below average today. But look at this, [55:30] we're in the 80s and even 90s heading into the weekend. Places like Raleigh also will soar into [55:36] the 90s. So June heat really showing up out west. Temperatures stay hot in Phoenix and Texas. [55:41] Temperatures are back into the 80s there. Right now, the trend is for a warm June. The trend [55:47] looking at above average temperatures across much of the northern tier of states here. So it looks like [55:51] it could be a quite of a warm month there. Now for today, we're looking at some dry weather across [55:57] the northeast. 75 for your high temperature in New York City. Good travel weather here. Again, [56:02] those areas of severe weather possibility across the middle of the country. Hot and dry towards the [56:07] southwest. But again, even though it's a little bit below average today in the northeast, [56:11] temperatures are going to really surge as we head towards the end of the week. And it looks like [56:15] beach weather coming our way this weekend. All right. It's about time. It's June. Rob, thanks so much. [56:21] In central Africa, that deadly Ebola outbreak continues to grow with more than 350 suspected [56:27] or confirmed deaths. 200 suspected deaths make it the third largest on record. Doctors are now [56:32] racing to contain the outbreak as officials disagree about the crucial next steps. NBC News [56:38] international correspondent Molly Hunter joins us with the latest. Molly, good morning. [56:42] Joe, good morning to you. So thousands of miles away from the epicenter in the DRC, [56:46] the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Brazil, health officials are now monitoring two patients, [56:51] one in Rio de Janeiro, one in Sao Paulo. Both are exhibiting or presenting Ebola-like symptoms [56:57] and both traveled from central Africa in the last couple of days, Joe. This comes as the WHO on the [57:03] ground in the DRC ramps up its response. Take a look. This morning, the World Health Organization's [57:10] top doctor is in the Ebola hot zone. Looking forward to stop this Ebola with the community. [57:16] The director general of the WHO touching down in the Democratic Republic of Congo over the weekend. [57:22] The key is to come forward as early as possible. [57:25] This outbreak, already the third largest in history, as the international response ramps up, [57:31] doctors on the ground racing to play catch-up. Are you worried this could be worse than 2018, [57:37] that this could be worse than 2014? I think it's a bit early to say that, yet, [57:43] we still don't have the complete picture of the epidemic. We still need more testing. [57:47] With more than a thousand suspected cases, no specific treatment and no approved vaccine, [57:52] the WHO estimates the fatality rate is between 30 and 50 percent. The outbreak mostly contained to [58:00] the DRC with a small number of cases in neighboring countries. But now, thousands of miles away in Rio [58:06] de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brazil, hospitals now testing two patients with Ebola-like symptoms. [58:12] Meanwhile, a U.S. planned to treat exposed Americans in Kenya instead of flying them to the states, [58:18] triggered immediate backlash there. And among some U.S. experts, too, who say they should be treated at home [58:24] at the world's leading specialized facilities. A Kenyan high court now blocking the U.S. facility, [58:30] and senior U.S. administration officials say any infected Americans would instead be treated in Europe. [58:36] Like American doctors Peter Stafford and Patrick LaRochelle, now speaking to CNN from his biocontainment unit for the first time. [58:43] I'm doing great. No symptoms. Tolerating this, the biobox. Tolerating the biobox. [58:52] He also told CNN that his colleague and friend, Dr. Peter Stafford, who is receiving treatment in [58:56] Berlin, is doing better and better every day. And Joe, we also got some news overnight from the WHO, [59:02] who says that four health, four of their health care workers, four nurses who've received treatment [59:07] for Ebola in Eturi, it's that hard-hit province in the DRC, well, they have recovered. [59:12] That brings the number of total confirmed treated survivor cases to five, so a little bit of hope, [59:18] even though there is still no approved vaccine. Joe? We'll take every little bit we can. Molly, [59:22] thank you. Well, today overseas, rescuers in Laos are racing against time to free two men still [59:27] trapped inside a flooded cave after five others were rescued over the weekend. Well, now heavy rains, [59:33] they are threatening to slow the search for the men. They've been trapped underground for more than a [59:38] week now. NBC News International correspondent Janice Mackey-Frayer joins us now as the rescue [59:42] unfolds. Janice, good morning. So let's start with the latest on that search effort. What are [59:47] rescuers facing on the ground today, especially with those weather conditions complicating the mission? [59:51] Well, the rescue team from at least half a dozen countries is now focusing on those two men [59:59] who are still missing. Inside the cave system, the risk for rescuers is all around them. These tunnels [1:00:06] are claustrophobic. They have sharp rocks. They're filled with dirty water. But divers are using [1:00:11] ropes to rappel down into shafts and say they hear knocking and scraping noises below. And there's a [1:00:16] second team that's exploring this big hole that may be another way for them to get into the cave. Now, [1:00:21] one diver said that when he was in there, he could hear water dripping, which he took as a good sign [1:00:26] that there's something like a chamber or a crawl space that's further down. The wild card, of course, [1:00:32] is the weather. Torrential rain overnight slowed the rescue and reflooded the cave. Volunteers are [1:00:39] trying to work around the clock to pump the water out. And it was because the water level had dropped [1:00:43] inside that those four men were able to walk out on their own on Saturday, just as divers were getting [1:00:48] ready to go in and get them. Joe and Savannah. Janice, just what do we know about the condition [1:00:53] of those two men who are still trapped and also the five who were rescued? How are they doing? [1:01:00] Well, on the two, it isn't clear. None of the divers or rescuers are saying much about the men. [1:01:05] They instead describe the conditions as being extremely harsh. There's little air inside. [1:01:10] It's increasingly toxic. One of the teams that went in said they did hear these noises, though, [1:01:16] and they're confident that those noises weren't an echo. They don't know if there's some kind of [1:01:21] wildlife that may be inside as well. So there are some unknowns. It's been 12 days since these two other [1:01:27] men vanished. Rescue teams are using satellite imagery of the cave system, and they know that [1:01:32] there's this air pocket about a thousand feet from the entrance. The challenge, of course, [1:01:37] is getting there, especially with all of this dirty water flooding in again. Joe. [1:01:42] Jenna, some of these rescuers we understand helped with that high stakes Thailand cave rescue [1:01:47] back in 2018. The world was watching. Our viewers might remember this. How confident are those divers? [1:01:54] I mean, given that they've been in at least similar situations in terms of a rescue, [1:01:58] are they confident that they can still reach those two men? Well, the conditions in Laos are [1:02:06] different than the cave in Thailand, but they're no less difficult for the divers and rescuers. [1:02:10] The five men who did make it out, they are giving information to the rescue teams. They're describing [1:02:15] parts of the cave system. They've talked about this other possible entrance. Remember, they went in [1:02:21] there because they were trying to their luck at finding gold. So they were kind of familiar with [1:02:25] the cave. The two men still missing went in a bit earlier than the other five. But rescuers say the [1:02:30] information they've given them can help them prepare a plan because this operation is getting riskier. [1:02:37] Again, so much of it depends on the weather. Every hour is making a difference. We spoke with the head [1:02:42] of the operation earlier, and he became really emotional because he says he feels the pressure [1:02:47] of the world watching and there are lives on the line. Savannah, Joe. [1:02:52] Janice, thank you so much. More international news this morning. Colombia's presidential election [1:02:57] is heading to a runoff with a controversial pro-Trump candidate taking the lead in the first round of [1:03:03] voting. NBC News international correspondent Claudio Lavanga joins us to take us around the world in 60 [1:03:08] seconds. Hey, Claudio, good morning. Savannah, Joe, good morning. Yeah, that was a bit of an unexpected [1:03:16] turn of events in the Colombian presidential election after yesterday's surprising good result [1:03:22] for the right-wing candidate on Sunday. Now, Abelardo de la Espriella considered a new breed of [1:03:28] populist leaders in South America who on lines with President Trump's policies received more than 43% [1:03:35] of Sunday's vote just ahead of Ivan Sepeda, a senator from the left-wing party of the outgoing president. [1:03:42] The runoff vote is scheduled for June 21st now. Let's go to Malaysia, where on Monday, [1:03:48] millions of children under the age of 16 will no longer be able to own social media accounts, [1:03:54] including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. The government said the measures are aimed at [1:03:59] protecting children from dangers of social media, including cyberbullying and excessive use. Social [1:04:06] media companies that fail to comply face fines of up to 2.5 million dollars. Malaysia is among [1:04:13] several countries across the world introducing heavy restrictions to social media to children. [1:04:18] Let's end this tour of the world around here in Venice, where it's not only tourists who are [1:04:23] flocking in record numbers. Flamingos appear to also love the lagoon. Now, the fenicotteri, [1:04:28] that's the Italian name for the birds, started showing up in and around the Venetian lagoon in [1:04:33] around in early 2000s. But their population has now reached record numbers. Environmentalists say [1:04:40] it's a sign of the lagoon's health and sustainability as a feeding ground. And just as you thought that [1:04:46] Venice wasn't beautiful or romantic enough, you get flamingos. There you go. Not where I'd picture [1:04:52] them, but that's good to hear that it's a good sign of the environment. As long as people are happy, [1:04:56] there you go. Thank you, Claudio. We've got much more to come here on morning news now. Later this [1:05:00] hour, if you live in New England, you may have heard a loud thunderous boom over the weekend. [1:05:06] We will tell you what experts think is behind it. Up first in her own words, former First Lady Jill [1:05:10] Biden opening up in a new interview about her time at the White House and her husband's health. [1:05:15] We're going to bring it to you next. Welcome back. It has been a year and a half since the last [1:05:22] presidential election, but questions remain over the final months of the Biden presidency. Well, [1:05:27] now former First Lady Jill Biden is offering her most detailed account yet. In a new memoir [1:05:32] titled View from the East Wing, she reflects on her years in the White House and the events that led [1:05:37] to her husband's decision to end his reelection campaign. Our colleagues over at the Today Show [1:05:42] sat down with her and discussed that infamous debate moment between President Trump and former [1:05:46] President Biden in which Mr. Biden stumbled heavily during a question. Take a listen. [1:05:53] I'm watching just like everybody else was scared to death. Like what is going on? He gets off the stage. [1:06:00] I see he appears to be OK. He says to me, Jill, I really, in other words, messed up, didn't I? And I [1:06:09] said, yes, you did. And so we get off and I know we're going into another event or we have two more [1:06:15] to do. And my mind is racing. What do I say to him? What do I say to him? I'm his wife. I've got to lift [1:06:22] him up. So we go to the next event and I'm thinking, what do I say that will lift him up? That is true. [1:06:28] I want to say the things that are true. And so I said, you know, you answered every question. [1:06:32] My mind's racing. You know, that's a pretty low bar. Well, and so, you know, I had to sort of lift [1:06:40] him up. I mean, I'm his wife. I'm not going to get out on the stage there and say, Joe, you really [1:06:45] screwed that up. I mean, I and we have all our supporters there. So, you know, that was my that's [1:06:53] who we are. I mean, as I had to support him, I couldn't come out and I mean, really publicly say, [1:07:00] Joe, you did a terrible job in that debate. In the book, you also write that was you write that [1:07:05] that was essentially sort of a one off that this is not who he had become. No. But special counsel, [1:07:11] Robert Herr, as you probably know, he described the former president, quote, as an elderly man with a [1:07:16] poor memory. George Clooney, George Clooney, the actor, said at a private fundraiser before the debate, [1:07:22] quote, Biden was the same man we saw that we all witnessed on that debate stage. [1:07:27] Even his former chief of staff said that his memory had worsened over the course of his presidency. [1:07:31] He aged. He did. He got older. And we we all saw him aging. We you know, [1:07:38] there were the words that they would forget. But, you know, we were all aging. [1:07:44] You wrote something. This is quite revealing in the book. And I want to put an excerpt on the on [1:07:48] the screen. You write because you questioned some of your decision making, it seems in the book. [1:07:53] Had he grown too old for the job? And I hadn't noticed. I didn't think so. But could I be [1:07:59] objective enough to be sure? The doctors assured us that he was healthy and able. In hindsight, [1:08:06] were you able to be impartial? Well, you know, the doctors did assure us. I mean, [1:08:13] he had a exam every every year, a health exam like every president does. The doctors assured us he [1:08:20] was, you know, he was healthy. And I saw him doing the job every single day, every single day. He got [1:08:29] up. He went into the office. He did the job. He passed bipartisan legislation. You know, he he worked [1:08:36] and I saw him work hours into the night. So I, you know, yes. Did I see him, you know, slowing down [1:08:44] a little bit when he got tired? Did he stutter a little bit at night? Yeah, sure. But he was still [1:08:49] doing the job and he was doing a good job. You're as close as confidant. You're described as Joe's [1:08:54] gut check. If you could go back in a time machine and do it all over again, would you have encouraged him [1:09:00] maybe to not run again? You know, as I look back, would I want to put Joe through the hurt and the [1:09:07] pain that we felt during that time? Never, never. I mean, it was so hurtful. And so it sounds like [1:09:16] you're saying if you could do it all over again, you probably would have encouraged him to to be a [1:09:20] one term president. But it had to be his decision, Craig. It had to be his decision alone because he had [1:09:28] to live with that decision the rest of his life. I couldn't say, Joe, do this or Joe, do that. [1:09:33] It was his decision to run in the first place, only his, even though the family had their input, [1:09:40] especially the grandchildren. But, you know, it was his decision to get out. It's interesting because [1:09:49] in the book, you know, you write about this scene at a restaurant where you two are talking about the [1:09:55] decision to run. You could have said there, you could have said, you know, Joe, you've done. [1:10:00] Oh my gosh, that was in 20, what was that? 2021? Yeah. Or 20, I forget what year it was myself. [1:10:08] But what do you mean I could have said you're, no. Okay. Everybody was saying, Joe, you have to run. [1:10:15] You have to run. Everybody was encouraging to run. In my book, I write about that, how people were [1:10:21] encouraging him. Because in the beginning, he thought, you know, should I run? Shouldn't I run? [1:10:26] But everybody was so positive. And, you know, all our supporters were so positive. Everywhere we go, [1:10:33] supermarkets, down the street. Dr. Biden, to be fair, I mean, there's a poll, [1:10:37] there's a poll from 10 months before that debate moment. I mean, you're, you're, you're noting the [1:10:42] folks who, who wanted him to run. This is August, 2023. We're not talking Republican voters here. [1:10:48] We're talking 77% of everyone asked is, was he too old to be effective to serve in other terms? [1:10:52] Nearly three quarters of them said, yeah, he's too old. Democrats, seven and 10. [1:10:57] How do you, how do you square that with the decision to put him through it again? Because [1:11:01] he really wanted to. Well, you know, I square with, uh, in 2023, the Democratic Party was behind my [1:11:09] husband and, uh, then the debate happened and, and things changed. So, you know, in my book, [1:11:16] I write about everything that happened. I put it all in context. You read my book and thank you for [1:11:21] that. Yes. And, uh, so I think readers will understand from my point of view. And I think [1:11:27] we have to point out Craig, like that's one chapter of my book. My book is not about politics. It's about [1:11:35] me, my reflections, my life, my life as a teacher, my life as the first working lady, you know, [1:11:44] first lady. I mean, I went to work. I taught at a community college. I took a paycheck. I wanted [1:11:50] to say to American women, look at me. I am like you are. I'm balancing a job, my family, and then my [1:11:59] duties as first lady. And that's what my book is about. It's not all about this debate, which was [1:12:05] one moment in time of our, of our four years. All right. Clearly that was former first lady, [1:12:12] Joe Biden speaking to our Craig Melvin over on the today show and our thanks to Craig for that [1:12:16] conversation coming up. There's a fight brewing in state capitals across the country over the [1:12:21] future of artificial intelligence. When we come back, we will tell you about the big push to regulate [1:12:26] AI. You're watching morning news now, but the closer look at what's making news in the world of politics [1:12:40] this morning, starting with the latest on protests at an immigration detention center in New Jersey. [1:12:45] Joining us now is political reporter, Megan Lebowitz with more making good morning. [1:12:49] Hey, Savannah. Good morning. Yeah. Let's start at the New Jersey ice detention facility [1:12:54] that's been at the center of protests over alleged poor conditions. Governor Mikey Sherrill announced [1:12:59] yesterday that family visitation would start up again after it was paused. The Department of [1:13:05] Homeland Security had paused visits last week saying that it was because of safety concerns during unrest [1:13:11] outside of that center. Now a DHS spokesperson said that visitations could resume because the area near [1:13:17] the center was secured. The governor, though, attributed it to the push from state officials [1:13:22] and advocates who had called for better conditions. Next, let's go to the Democratic National Committee. [1:13:28] That's where Chair Ken Martin has faced criticism for his handling of the so-called autopsy from the 2024 [1:13:34] election, which was released in May. Now, despite facing backlash, which has come mostly from outside of [1:13:41] the DNC, Martin hasn't faced any organized effort to remove him from leadership. He's apologized for [1:13:47] his handling of the report and reportedly told DNC staffers that he'd hoped that they'd move forward [1:13:52] with him. Finally, let's turn to Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who said in an interview on Meet the Press [1:13:58] that he thinks Texas is in play for Democrats. Beshear is a Democrat, and he pointed to Ken Paxton winning the [1:14:06] Republican primary last week, setting up a race between Paxton and Democratic candidate James Tallarico. [1:14:13] Now, in the interview, Beshear argued that Paxton was corrupt, pointing to Paxton's 2023 impeachment [1:14:19] on bribery and corruption charges. Now, although he was impeached by the Republican-controlled statehouse, [1:14:25] Paxton was later acquitted by the state Senate. And that's a look at what's making news in politics [1:14:31] this morning, Savannah. All right, Megan, thank you so much. Well, staying in politics, [1:14:35] controversy is swirling around Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Plattner after claims he [1:14:39] sent sexually explicit messages to several women came to light. Well, now his wife, who originally [1:14:45] flagged those messages to the campaign, is speaking out about the information becoming public. NBC News [1:14:51] Capitol Hill correspondent Julie Serkin reports. The White House and Republicans closely watching [1:14:55] Democratic Senate candidate in Maine and the likely nominee Graham Plattner, who is hoping to edge out [1:15:00] incumbent Susan Collins this fall. He's now under fire once again, this time for sexually explicit text [1:15:06] messages he sent outside of his marriage. The wife of embattled Maine Senate candidate Graham Plattner is [1:15:12] speaking out. I just really wanted to make sure that everyone knows that Graham and I have a great marriage. [1:15:21] Amy Gertner's marriage with the likely Democratic nominee now scrutinized after Plattner's former [1:15:27] campaign manager, Genevieve McDonald, said at the start of Plattner's insurgent Senate bid, [1:15:32] Gertner told her her husband had sent sexually explicit texts to other women and that she feared [1:15:38] it could eventually hurt his campaign, according to The New York Times and Wall Street Journal. [1:15:42] I find it really shameful that there's a group of media outlets and people who are willing to spread [1:15:53] gossip instead of talking about real issues that Graham is running on. [1:16:01] The texts are the latest in a string of controversies for the veteran and oyster farmer, [1:16:06] hoping to defeat incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins in November. [1:16:10] Yeah, I have concerns. That guy has questions to answer. [1:16:14] NBC also confirming Plattner once used the messaging app Kick. [1:16:18] His profile features a suggestive shirtless mirror selfie, [1:16:21] a spokesperson saying he deleted the app and hasn't been active on the account in years. [1:16:26] Plattner also faced backlash last fall over this tattoo on his chest, [1:16:30] a skull and crossbones emblem historically linked to Nazi symbolism, [1:16:34] which Plattner says he didn't know at the time. [1:16:37] I am not a secret Nazi. [1:16:39] He later covered the tattoo with a different one. [1:16:41] Years ago, Plattner also posted online, criticizing police, suggesting victims of rape should quote, [1:16:47] take some responsibility for themselves and allegedly using anti-gay slurs. [1:16:51] I am deeply sorry. [1:16:53] Democratic leaders see Maine as one of their best opportunities to take control of the Senate. [1:16:58] Now, both sides are very closely watching this race. And so far, [1:17:01] Plattner is not losing support among his voters. A new poll conducted before these latest revelations [1:17:07] shows Plattner surging ahead of Susan Collins by nine points. Back to you. [1:17:11] All right, Julie, thank you. Well, the push to regulate AI is heating up and so is the lobbying [1:17:16] effort from big tech. As states consider hundreds of new proposals aimed at the rapidly evolving [1:17:21] technology, Chris Glorioso from NBC New York has a look at the fight taking shape in state capitals. [1:17:27] I was truly thinking to myself, how could someone do this to me? [1:17:31] When New Jersey's Francesca Mani learned two years ago she had been digitally disrobed with a phony AI [1:17:39] deepfake, she and her mother became what you might call citizen lobbyists traveling to their state [1:17:45] capital of Trenton, urging state lawmakers to crack down on deepfakes. When I heard how many girls were [1:17:52] being affected by this and women and children, I knew I started to have to go for the lawmakers, [1:17:59] and that's exactly what I did. It turns out the professional lobby for big tech is taking note. [1:18:05] Because of political gridlock in Washington, lobbyists for AI are now turning their attention [1:18:10] to the 50 state houses, among the biggest. A group called TechNet representing the likes of OpenAI, [1:18:18] Anthropic, Meta, Amazon, Google, Nvidia, a who's who of big tech and media companies, [1:18:24] including Comcast, the parent company of NBC. Last year, TechNet boasted of trying to influence more [1:18:30] than 800 pieces of state legislation and of getting its way 87 percent of the time. [1:18:36] They want to be the ones to write their own safety rules. [1:18:39] In New York, each of these state lawmakers told us TechNet and other AI lobbyists have sought to slow [1:18:45] down or even bury their AI safety bills. [1:18:48] They, you know, last year when we tried to move this bill, they actually killed the bill last year. [1:18:55] A rep for TechNet said the industry group does not work to kill bills, but rather to strengthen them [1:19:01] and educate policymakers. In an emailed statement, TechNet wrote, in part, [1:19:06] we believe innovation and responsibility go hand in hand and are always working to develop smart guardrails [1:19:11] that promote safe, responsible use of AI. [1:19:14] Of course there will be rules. Of course there need to be some guardrails. [1:19:17] In public comments, AI CEOs have urged lawmakers to pass new safety rules, [1:19:23] even warning AI can pose grave dangers. I think it's going down a very dangerous path. [1:19:29] But ethics filings from across the nation show TechNet often flatly opposes AI safety rules. [1:19:35] The group is listed as opposing a chatbot safety bill in Wisconsin, opposing a Nebraska bill with [1:19:42] provisions addressing AI-generated child sex abuse material, opposing regulations on AI data centers, [1:19:49] and opposing tougher rules on AI liability, privacy, and social media. [1:19:53] TechNet told us it supports the aims of all those bills, but pushed for changes believing the policies [1:20:00] would conflict with existing law, deprive people of key services, or have unintended consequences. [1:20:05] Publicly, big corporations will say they want regulation. And then in practice, [1:20:10] we'll try to lobby against every meaningful bill against them. [1:20:13] One of the bills TechNet is listed as opposing was this New Jersey legislation championed by Francesca Manny. [1:20:21] It criminalizes the use of AI deepfakes to harass or extort. Lobbyists for NBC's parent company, [1:20:28] Comcast, also sought changes on the bill. But Comcast did not respond when we asked for specifics. [1:20:34] This is now the law of the land. [1:20:36] Last spring, Manny and her mother were there as the bill was signed into law. [1:20:40] Do you feel like your example shows you can beat the lobbyists? [1:20:44] One hundred percent. [1:20:46] Our thanks to Chris Glorioso for that report. Now, despite opposing the New Jersey deepfake bill, [1:20:52] TechNet told us it lobbied in support of the federal Take It Down Act that was signed by President Trump last [1:20:57] year. Well, that law makes it a crime to share non-consensual intimate images [1:21:01] and requires companies to remove them upon request. [1:21:05] Well, coming up, a mystery boom in the sky is the talk of New England. Over the weekend, [1:21:10] we're going to tell you what likely led to dozens of emergency calls. Stay with us. [1:21:14] We are back now with this thunderous boom that startled people all over New England this weekend. [1:21:24] The force was strong enough to shake houses and it led to dozens of emergency calls. Listen to that, [1:21:30] all in search of answers. And it all happened just days after a similar occurrence down in South [1:21:35] Carolina. NBC News national correspondent Erin Gilchrist has the latest on this mysterious [1:21:40] phenomenon. New England rattled by a mysterious boom, a deafening blast, even setting birds aflutter. [1:21:51] There isn't heard across Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, prompting calls to 911. [1:22:01] Multiple locations, but nothing confirmed as an explosion. [1:22:05] An afternoon of arts and crafts interrupted for Bianca DiLorenzo and her kids outside Providence. [1:22:11] What the heck was that? Talk to me about your reaction. I mean, [1:22:15] I saw the video that you posted. We actually thought a tree fell on our roof. [1:22:20] So my husband ran outside and he's like, there's nothing. NOAA satellites picking up bright flashes [1:22:25] around the time of the boom. Some weather experts think it may have been a meteor entering or [1:22:31] exploding in the atmosphere. NASA confirming to NBC News a fireball over Massachusetts at 206 PM today, [1:22:38] adding the energy released at breakup is estimated to be equivalent to about 300 tons of TNT, [1:22:45] which accounts for the loud booms. This thunderous noise coming less than 48 hours after a similar [1:22:52] situation baffled residents across South Carolina. The U.S. Geological Survey saying that cacophony was [1:23:01] consistent with a sonic boom, where an object like a jet travels faster than the speed of sound. [1:23:07] For now, silence simply shattered by sounds from the skies. Erin Gilchrist, NBC News. [1:23:16] All right, for more on the mystery of that sonic boom, let's bring in Dr. Emily Rice. She's an associate [1:23:21] professor of astrophysics at Macaulay Honors College of the City University of New York. Dr. Rice, it is [1:23:26] great to have you with us, and this is certainly a talker. So, okay, it's been a couple days now. [1:23:30] What more do we know about this at this point, this meteor causing this boom? [1:23:35] Yeah, now we know that the meteor over Boston was actually a space object. We don't expect to be able [1:23:41] to pick up the pieces of it, but from the NASA observations, from all of the kind of citizen [1:23:46] observations that were compiled, this is very, very consistent with a meteor. [1:23:51] And where do investigations go from here? Like, what is it that scientists would want to know [1:23:56] and are digging into now? Yeah, so there's not too much more to learn from this one, [1:24:02] because we don't expect to be able to find the pieces. So, given the trajectory, given the [1:24:07] observations, we think that the pieces from the explosion are going to have fallen into the ocean [1:24:12] off of the east coast, and so the chances of recovery are very, very unlikely at this point. [1:24:17] People can still look. It would be fun to find one. But this is another observation. It's going [1:24:23] to go into the database of these now kind of potentially hazardous asteroids that NASA is [1:24:28] constantly monitoring. And we'll have the satellite data that we can continue to look at at lots of [1:24:33] different wavelengths, hopefully, and compare that to other information that we have and just learn [1:24:38] more about kind of the space weather of things affecting Earth. [1:24:41] This seems at least like sort of a rare occurrence, because look, we're all talking about it, [1:24:45] right? People in New England thought, oh my goodness, what is that? Not something that you [1:24:48] hear every day. So, how unusual is it for an object like that to enter into our atmosphere or [1:24:54] essentially get as close as it did that caused this noise down here on Earth? [1:24:57] Yeah, these things are not as rare as you might think. So, meteor showers make the news a lot of the [1:25:03] time. Those are caused by really, really small particles that enter the Earth's atmosphere. So, [1:25:08] more like grains of sand or pebbles, like kind of on that size. And those we can predict really [1:25:12] well. Something like this that's a little bit bigger, but not big enough to monitor in space [1:25:18] is a little bit more unexpected. But still, there's a lot of these things out there. And so, [1:25:22] they do enter the Earth's atmosphere. I think what's the most unusual about this one is that it [1:25:27] entered the Earth's atmosphere over such a populated area. And so, a lot of people heard the boom. [1:25:32] Not as many people saw the fireball because it was overcast that day. And it was during the daytime. [1:25:37] So, if something like this happens at night, we get a lot prettier of a show. And probably a lot [1:25:42] fewer people scared because they've seen the light that was associated with the sound. [1:25:47] Right. Or maybe more scared. I see that starting a whole conversation about aliens or something. [1:25:52] Could the force from one of these explosions pose a danger at all? [1:25:58] Yeah, potentially. So, 300 tons of TNT, that's bigger than the biggest bomb, [1:26:03] a non-nuclear bomb that exists on the world. Wow. [1:26:05] And so, that's potentially scary. Wow. [1:26:07] But this detonated, well, this exploded really high in the atmosphere. And so, that renders it [1:26:13] relatively harmless once that energy reaches the ground. It's dissipated a lot. It's still [1:26:18] relatively small. And so, even something this big, as long as it explodes high up in the atmosphere, [1:26:24] which it is mostly usually going to, it's not going to be super-duper dangerous. [1:26:28] If you do see a big fireball and it lasts for a long time and it, you know, seems pretty close, [1:26:34] then I would recommend moving to a safe place like you might do in an earthquake. So, [1:26:38] away from windows into a very solid structure, just in case. Because we remember that, [1:26:43] we remember the Chelyabins event from 2013, where there was a lot of damage and a lot of injuries [1:26:49] from the sonic boom of that meteor entering the Earth's atmosphere. [1:26:53] Dr. Emily Rice, fascinating stuff. Thanks so much. Good to see you. [1:26:57] Now to a first-of-its-kind grocery store in Maryland that's providing fresh food and [1:27:02] groceries to families for free. Reporter Mauricio Casillas from NBC Washington takes us inside [1:27:08] the store, which is located inside a library, to show us how the space is helping nourish both minds [1:27:12] and bodies. This small grocery store is bringing big relief to a part of Prince George's County [1:27:20] that leaders describe as a food desert. Located inside the Fairmount Heights Public Library, [1:27:25] the store will provide fresh food and groceries to 175 families every week. This is a blessing for [1:27:31] the community and we need this because this day and time, so many families are in need. So, [1:27:38] we want them to come out and get this, come and get some groceries. The grocery store was created [1:27:44] through a partnership between the county and Gooder, a company focused on fighting hunger and reducing food [1:27:49] waste. I think if you give people their dignity, give them their hope and I often say that we're [1:27:53] giving people hope in their darkest hours. County leaders say the need has only grown tougher in [1:27:58] recent months. The store is the first of its kind in Maryland and it's located in council member [1:28:02] Shayla Adams Stafford's district. Families can apply for access online, with most applicants so far [1:28:07] being seniors and single parents. So many people have been laid off or experiencing, you know, just [1:28:15] insecurity in so many different ways that so many people did not imagine that they would be in this [1:28:21] position, that they'd have to go to a food pantry. For community members getting their first look inside, [1:28:26] the store represents more than groceries. It's peace of mind during difficult times. I don't have the money to [1:28:33] buy what I want to buy. So I'm glad they opened the stores up out here to help me out and anybody else [1:28:39] that want to do that same thing. So I appreciate that. It's something that we needed in the community, [1:28:44] in the community. You know, I'm a senior citizen myself. So yes, I will be using it. Everything is [1:28:52] hot and sometimes you may need a little help and it's okay to get the help. County leaders say this is [1:29:00] just the beginning. The second free grocery store is expected to open in district seven in the coming [1:29:04] weeks. All right. All right. Thanks to Marisa for that reporting. Very cool. Yeah. After years of [1:29:09] streaming movies from the couch, well, more people are heading back to the big screen. Theaters are [1:29:12] seeing renewed interest just as the summer blockbuster season heats up. But it's more than just the films [1:29:17] that are selling tickets. NBC news entertainment correspondent Chloe Malaz has a look at what is bringing [1:29:22] us back to the movies. Hi, my name is Peter Parker. At the cinema, what's old is new again. From the Star Wars movie, [1:29:32] are you scared? You should be. To a Devil Wears Prada sequel. I am the new features editor at runway. No, [1:29:40] you're not. But it's not just familiar titles coming back. Many experts predicted after the pandemic [1:29:46] that the movie going experience just like the dinosaurs would go extinct. But call it a plot twist. [1:29:53] So far this year, box office revenue is up more than 10% compared to 2025 and on track for potentially [1:30:00] the biggest haul since the pandemic on target to pull in a whopping $9.5 billion in 2026. [1:30:08] According to Comscore movies, it's all thanks to an unusually strong blockbuster lineup this year [1:30:14] with hits like Project Hail Mary and Super Mario Galaxy racking up hundreds of millions. Chris [1:30:20] Randleman is the chief revenue officer for Flicks brew house, a mid sized movie theater chain in the [1:30:25] South and Midwest. Chris movie theaters are back. Any explanation as to why we really took a hit during [1:30:32] you know, the pandemic and there was dual strikes and the rise of streaming. So the key was always volume [1:30:38] getting enough films back in theaters. We've reached that level again. So you're seeing the box [1:30:42] office start to come back in a big way. Also coming back in a big way. Some legendary directors [1:30:48] like Steven Spielberg. What are you going to do? Full disclosure. And Christopher Nolan. He's coming [1:30:57] back. No, he's not. Along with big name stars and sequels like Spider-Man brand new day, [1:31:03] Toy Story 5. I'm Lily Pat. Extinction. Not again. And Dune part three. I'm not afraid to die. [1:31:14] Opening this weekend, horror film Backrooms directed by 20 year old Kane Parsons, [1:31:20] who like 26 year old Curry Barker, who directed Obsession is connecting directly with younger [1:31:25] audiences. They really grew an audience on YouTube and gave them legitimacy. And now you have just [1:31:33] this appetite to go see them in theaters on the big screen. Gen Z's theater attendance rose 25% last [1:31:39] year, more so than any other generation, according to a report by Cinema United. What do you think has [1:31:46] sparked Gen Z's return to the movie theater? Yeah, I think they spent so much time not being together [1:31:53] that being together is really special to them. But while box office gross has roared back, [1:31:58] it's coming from fewer but more expensive visits to the theater with ticket sales not back to pre-pandemic [1:32:04] numbers. Randleman says theater chains like his are making up the money via concession deals. While we [1:32:11] don't have those same ticket sales, there are other ways to recover and make our businesses [1:32:16] sustainable across the board. Despite those difficulties, movie theaters still hoping for a [1:32:21] happy ending. Nice poncho. It's good to see them fighting again. It sure is. Our thanks to Chloe Malas for [1:32:29] that report. This past weekend, Backrooms debuted at number one at the domestic box office. Get this, [1:32:33] pulling in $81.4 million. That is a big haul. I am dying to say it's so interesting how these horror movies [1:32:40] are doing so well. We thank you for watching and remember stay updated on breaking news and top [1:32:45] stories on the NBC News app or watch live on our YouTube channel.