Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, August 15, 2024

Episode Date: August 16, 2024

Tonight's Top Story has the latest breaking news, political headlines, news from overseas and the best NBC News reporting from across the country and around the world.

Tonight, the bombshell charges in connection to actor Matthew Perry's overdose death, a doctor and a drug dealer known as the ketamine queen under arrest, Perry's personal assistant and two others pleading guilty. Prosecutors alleging that assistant administered the fatal dose of ketamine, the extensive trove of evidence, text messages, cash, and a stash of drugs. Will this indictment set a new precedent? Also tonight, Ernesto's new target, the Category 1 hurricane strengthening as it charges towards Bermuda. Dron footage revealing destruction in Puerto Rico, roads completely cut off. The island grappling with widespread power outages are Guadivinagus in Bermuda with how

the British territory is preparing. Former President Trump speaking out saying he is, quote, entitled to attack Vice President Harris. Trump's surrounded by groceries, bashing his opponent's economic policies and saying he'll drive down prices without explaining how. The new reporting just in about how the former president will resume outdoor rallies after the assassination attempt on his life. And cruel punishment, a teen's field trip to a courthouse ending with a judge off the bench. That judge ordering a teen into handcuffs in a jail uniform after she fell asleep in his courtroom.

The judge claiming he was teaching her a lesson. But others saying he crossed the line what that teen's mom is saying tonight. And a massive data hack, the alarming data breach. reportedly stealing social security numbers, the billions of sensitive documents allegedly being sold on the dark web. Could your information be in jeopardy? We speak with an expert about how to prevent

and protect yourself. But remembering the beloved creator of famous Amos cookies, how Wally Amos took his family recipe and turned it into one of the best known sweets on the market, the charismatic founder's legacy going far beyond his bite-sized

baked goods. And the monumental price cuts to Medicare drugs, what the historic move means for out-of-pocket costs. Top story starts right now. Good evening, everybody. I'm Yasmin Vasugan in for Tom Yamas tonight. Five people are being held responsible for the death. A beloved actor, Matthew Perry, his live-in assistant, two doctors, and a woman dubbed the ketamine queen among those charged in his opioid opioids. overdose. The sprawling indictment coming just 10 months after Perry was discovered dead in his Los Angeles home. The Friend Star long struggled with drug addiction, even writing a memoir about it. Prosecutors announcing the arrest of a doctor who worked at an urgent care facility and helped

get Perry ketamine as well as a known drug dealer. Others, including his personal assistant, who allegedly gave him the lethal dose, have already pled guilty. Here's a look at some of the evidence, text messages with pictures of the ketamine and how much it would cost. more than $20,000 in cash to pay for the drugs, and a massive pile of narcotics held at a stash house. Federal authorities arguing this group of people chose to put profit over the actor's well-being. NBC's Chloe Melas explains the connection

between these individuals and how they were all traced to Matthew Perry. Paper! Shut up! Shut up! Shut off! Tonight, federal investigators revealing a web of people motivated by greed, including two doctors, who they say took advantage of a vulnerable Matthew Perry, supplying him with lethal amounts of ketamine, a well-known party drug, but primarily a medication used for anesthesia, and in recent years prescribed as an alternate treatment for depression.

Matthew Perry sought treatment for depression and anxiety and went to a local clinic where he became addicted to intravenous ketamine. When clinic doctors refused to increase his dosage, he turned to unscrupulous doctors who saw Perry as a way to make quick money. Among those charged, Perry's live-in personal assistant, who investigators say administered that final lethal dose that resulted in his death last October. Officials say the lead defendants are Dr. Salvador Placencia, known as Dr. P., an alleged drug dealer, Jasvine Sengha, known as the Ketamine Queen of North Hollywood, according to the Department of Justice.

Attorneys for both did not immediately respond for comment. the fall of 2023, Mr. Perry fell back into addiction. And these defendants took advantage to profit. The 18 count indictment lays out how over the course of just one month in the fall of 2023, prosecutors say the ring of individuals supplied Perry with dozens of vials of liquid ketamine, charging the start upwards of $60,000. He wrote in a text message, quote, I wonder how much this moron will pay. Investigators say that these individuals knew Perry had struggled for years with addiction. They knew what they were doing was risking great danger to Mr. Perry, but they did it anyways.

After Perry's death, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office revealed the level of ketamine in Perry's body were so high that they were equivalent to the amount used during general anesthesia during surgery. The arrests after Perry's death comes after high-profile celebrities like Michael Jackson and Prince, overdosed and died after also being supplied drugs by medical doctors. Act since Dr. Conrad Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011 for improperly administering Propofal to the singer. If you are in the business of selling dangerous drugs, we will hold you accountable for the deaths that you cause. A lot going on there. Chloe Melas, joining us now from Los Angeles. Walk us through, Chloe. I think a lot of folks are wondering if we're going to hear anything about the court appearances for the people arrested today.

Hey there, I am standing here in front of the federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. And those five individuals, they just had their first appearances. Their attorneys were in tow, and they were basically having their charges read. This is really like the first step, according to NBC legal analyst Laura Jarrett. Sometimes an arraignment can happen, but it's looking like the arraignment will happen at a later date. And that could be in the coming weeks. But again, they have to post bond. And those can be significant amounts of money before they're able to.

get out. Chloe, I want you to stick with us if you can. I want to bring in Katie Sharkaski. She's a former federal prosecutor and criminal defense attorney to talk more about this. So a couple things to talk through here, Katie. First and foremost, the doctor who provided the syringe used in the overdose. And then there is this woman also being charged, the queen of ketamine who actually provided this ketamine. There is a heck of a lot of evidence here, right? I talked a little bit about it as we led into Chloe's piece here. We're looking at text message exchanges, a cache of money. they used to pay for the ketamine, a trove of drugs. This seems like an open and shut case here.

I would say that it seems like the feds and all of the agencies that were involved did a very thorough job here. And the way that they've charged this case does make it seem quite open and shut because these are essentially drug distribution charges and some obstruction charges that they seem to have strong evidence for. Now, of course, all these people are presumed innocent until they are convicted. Some of them have already pled guilty. But I agree that it does seem to be very straightforward with the evidence that they've collected. So one of the highest charges here right now that we're talking about is conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Would you suggest a plea deal here if you were representing any of these

individuals? Well, the decision to take a deal obviously depends on the evidence and so many other factors that kind of come up in these cases. But as we've seen here, three people already took deals probably because they were facing insurmountable evidence. There was no good way out. They're still facing very hefty sentences even with those deals. So to minimize that jail time, that sometimes could be in people's best interest, certainly. Matthew Perry's longtime assistant has already pled guilty to one count of conspiracy. Chloe and her piece actually mentioned Conrad Murray. Many of us remember Conrad Murray, who is convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the case of

Michael Jackson's death. Why aren't we seeing any charges of involuntary manslaughter here? It's very interesting that the feds did not pursue any sort of homicide charges or manslaughter charges. They certainly could have the standard of proof in those cases. cases is a lot more difficult because you have to show that it was foreseeable that they were ignoring a clear danger to someone's life. Now, obviously, I think there is evidence of that here, but the way that this case is charged, which essentially is distributing ketamine that caused

a death, that is very clean cut because they know that these people did, in fact, supply the drugs that ultimately killed Matthew Perry. So it's a little bit easier to prove on the federal prosecutor side. Any possibility they could amend these charges? They certainly could. And the other thing that could happen is that the state could pursue charges separately because it's a separate jurisdiction. So it's not a double jeopardy issue. It doesn't seem like that's going to happen because the feds took the lead on this investigation. But there are state offenses here as well, potentially. Chloe, being in Los Angeles, Sarah, I know the press conference happening, right? There was a lot of pushback from the folks of the presser when it came to the resources that were dedicated to this investigation because it was this high profile celebrity, Matthew Perry. Walk us through that. Well, you know, look, obviously when the medical examiner released the autopsy findings saying that Matthew Perry, yes, he was getting these ketamine infusions for depression and anxiety, but that the amount of ketamine in his system was equivalent to that use for general anesthesia. Obviously, that raised so many questions for the federal investigators and for just everyday people and his loved ones. And so obviously there was a lot of pressure to get to the bottom of what happened.

But I do also want to point out that the federal prosecutors said that the point of all of this is, not just about Matthew Perry and, you know, seeking justice for a celebrity, that they've already prosecuted over 60 similar cases like this. And they want to make a clear point to any drug dealer, to anybody involved in nefarious situations like this, especially in the California area, that they take this seriously and that they will investigate and bring charges. Boy, my loss for us. Thank you. Kays Rasky.

Thank you as well. Thank you. Want to shift now to Hurricane Ernesto and Puerto Rico. up the pieces. The storm leaving behind massive flooding and damage. Roads completely washed out. In eastern Puerto Rico, water rushing through a dam, some parts of the island, seeing over nine inches of rain in 24 hours' time. Residents now tasked with cleaning up the aftermath with hundreds of thousands that are still without power. That storm now taking aim at Bermuda. I want to get right to NBC News meteorologist Angie Lassman, who joins us now with more on this. This storm now, Angie,

take an aim at Bermuda, walk us through the timing of all this, and what we can expect? So, Yasmin, there's still a little time for folks to finish their preparations on the island of Bermuda. We've got basically through the day tomorrow where we'll start to see things deteriorating for his tropical storm conditions, and then hurricane conditions by the time we get into Saturday, really overnight Friday into Saturday. But right now we've got a category one, wins at 85 miles per hour. It's headed due north at a pretty good pace, 13 miles per hour. We'll see that slow down just a little bit over the next 24 hours. But it's going to be just enough for the system to gain some strength. We're talking a category two by the time it makes,

it passes either over or very near the island of Bermuda on Saturday. You can see 3 a.m. Winds coming up to 105 miles per hour. We'll watch for those hurricane force winds to be problematic, so power outages and things like that potential. But we're also going to see really impressive rainfall amounts. We're talking up to a foot of rain, much like what we saw in Puerto Rico. The flash flooding will be an issue for folks in Bermuda as we get through Saturday and potentially even into Sunday as this system pulls away. We know they have lots of experience with these kinds of systems. Last time they were talking about a strength of this or hurricane of this size passing this close was back in 2020 with Paulette, but they've got kind of a really good

system for dealing with these things. When you are out in the middle of the ocean, you start to learn how to deal with this. As we get into Sunday and Monday, the system will start to weaken. We'll maybe look at some minor impacts for parts of Atlantic Canada. But if you live along the east coast or maybe you're heading to the east coast of the United States here through the weekend. We're going to see the impacts from this system, even though it's over 600 miles away, as far as rip currents, rough surf. That'll all be something folks will have to deal with Yasmin through the weekend. Angie Lassman for us. Thank you, Angie. Appreciate it. Want to go to Bermuda now, residents rushing repair, boarding up buildings as Hurricane Ernesto sets its sights on that island.

Want to go to Guadvinigas, who is standing by for us. So Guad, it seems as if according to what Angie just kind of walked us through, that you're going to start to see the effects of Ernesto in the next couple of hours or so as it makes its way towards Bermuda. What is being done there on the ground ahead of landfall? Yasmin, local authorities here are alerting residents, making sure they don't drop their guard. I spoke to the minister of national security here, who's overlooking a lot of the efforts as residents prepared. And he wanted to make sure that people understand that there's a hurricane heading towards Bermuda. He said that the last few big storms that were headed towards Bermuda have often shifted their path. And sometimes that makes residents think that the storm will not impact the island.

But according to the current forecast, they have to be prepared today and tomorrow are the days to prepare with food, water, flashlights, and all the necessary things that residents here know how to do. We did see some residents and some businesses boarding up their windows and other parts of their structures today. That's all they can do as we wait for the storm to make its way here. We expect to feel the effects as early as tomorrow evening and into Saturday as Bermuda prepares for Ernesto. Yasmin. Guad vanegas for us. Thank you, Gwad, please stay safe. As we mentioned, hundreds of thousands still without power after Ernesto ripped through Puerto Rico for more on the state of the island's power grid.

I'm joined now by Juan Saka. He's the CEO of Luma Energy, the private company in charge of power distribution inside Puerto Rico. Welcome. Thanks for joining us on this. Earlier today, your company earlier today put out a statement that as of this afternoon, 4007,000 customers are still without power. Those customers located especially in the eastern and central areas of Puerto Rico. What are you doing to get the power back to those residents? We're rapidly reducing the number of customers without power. Yesterday, at 5 p.m. We had 740,000 customers without power. We now have specifically 323,088 customers without power. So within 24 hours, we've been able to reduce the number drastically.

What we're doing right now is that we're doing repairs throughout the islands and safely bringing service back on. So it's a very straightforward, you know, recovery plan that we have. We were able to fly over the lines today. We could do it yesterday because of weather. We flew almost about 1,000 miles around the island, assessed the damage, and started making repair. So we're making great progress in terms of getting things back to normal. We're taking a look at images now on our screen as you were speaking, down trees, down power lines as well. We have some of our own reporting talking about how government officials there, they had anticipated these widespread power outages across the island, much of it because of kind of

the fragile electrical grid that has not been permanently rebuilt since the devastation of Hurricane Maria back in 2017. Were you prepared to handle this storm? Absolutely. So let me explain, you know, you've got two issues in Puerto Rico. One of them is, in fact, the electric system, it's still in the process of being transformed. Luma started in 2021, and when Luma started, there weren't any projects in progress, and the money had not been available to Puerto Rico until December of 2020. Since then, we have about 150 projects taking place, and one of the main ones that will make a huge difference is the vegetation clearing, which is all the trees that are under the lines that are constantly

touching the lines, and whenever a storm comes, you combine the fact that the system still needs to be transformed with the vegetation under the lines, then you have a real situation. From a response perspective, we were absolutely 100% ready to do it. And as a matter of fact, within the day, you know, last night and today, we reduced that number from 740,000 to the 323,000 that I've just mentioned to you. What are you doing to help residents right now that are without power? It's hot. It's summertime. Folks need water. How are you helping?

Yeah, the number one thing we do is to ensure that we have all of our resources focused on bringing service back on. Number two, we are absolutely in coordination with the government of Puerto Rico and all of the agencies of Puerto Rico. They are much better prepared than they were in 2017 when Hurricane Marquis. came through. I was in Puerto Rico at the time. I was working in the telecommunications industry. I went out with the crews. We were sent back home because it was not an essential service. Puerto Rico is a whole different place today, much better prepared to handle any emergency. What's not prepared to handle, you know, rain and wind especially is, you know, the system that is still in the process of being transformed and the vegetation, so much so that FEMA, for the first time in

history of FEMA, they have approved a project that we estimate will be about $1.2 billion to clear 16,000 miles of vegetation that are right under the power lines. And until that work gets done, we will continue to have outages, but we're very diligently working on it because we started two weeks ago, and we've got, you know, quite a bit of miles to go in getting the clearing done. We don't have a lot of time, Juan. I know that you are a busy man as well amidst all that is happening on your island right now, but this is a busy hurricane season. It's August. Oftentimes it gets busier in September.

Are you prepared for the next one? We're prepared. We have the personnel. We've got the resources and we've got our plan. We're certainly prepared. What's important for people to understand, however, is that when you have winds of 50 miles an hour or above, you'll definitely have outages. And then if you go to a hurricane level, keep in mind that, you know, we're in the process of making the network or the grid more resilient. An example of that is we've installed 12,800 poles that would stand winds of 160 miles an hour, but we still have another 100,000 poles to install.

So, you know, it takes a while to get this done, but we're on our way of doing it. Juan Saka, CEO of Luma Energy. Thank you. Thank you. Good afternoon. I want to get to the 2024 presidential race and the campaign trail. Former President Trump holding a news conference at his New Jersey Golf Club late today. His remarks focusing heavily on his opponent, Vice President Harris.

This happening as Harris and President Biden made their first appearance together since he dropped out. NBC's Garrett Haake has the latest from the trail. Tonight, Vice President Harris holding her first joint. event with President Biden since he dropped out of the race and endorsed her. She's going to make one hell of a president. Appearing in front of a raucous crowd to tout a White House-led effort to lower drug prices. And today we take the next step. Thank you, Joe. Forward in our fight.

Thank you, Joe! Thank you Joe! Biden taking aim at Republicans. But they're trying to turn this into a race war. They're trying to turn this into a war about who you are. what your ethnicity is, what your background is. Beforehand, President Biden was asked if Harris might try to distance herself from him on the economy. She's not going to. Later, in a press conference, former President Trump tying them together, hammering both Harris and Biden for inflation.

You don't have to imagine what a Kamala Harris presidency would be because you're living through that nightmare right now, and it is a nightmare. And he was pressed about fellow Republicans calling for him to focus on Harris's record instead of unleashing personal attacks. I think I'm entitled to personal attacks. I don't have a lot of respect for her. I don't have a lot of respect for her intelligence. And I think she'll be a terrible president. I mean, she certainly attacks me personally. She actually called me weird.

He's weird. And she's weird in her policy. Who wouldn't want to have strong borders? Who doesn't want to have lower taxes? Meanwhile, tonight NBC News learning from two sources familiar with the planning that the Secret Service will start using bullet-resistant glass to protect former President Trump so he can resume outdoor rallies after he survived an assassination attempt last month in Pennsylvania. Ballistic glass is already available to President Biden and Vice President Harris.

Garrett, joining us now from New Jersey. Garrett, good to talk to you. Let's talk timing here. Why this news conference happened today by the former president saying it would focus on the economy as we saw markets really closing today all in the green. I think two reasons. Number one, the Trump campaign wanted to get out in front of what they understand to be a Kamala Harris' economy-focused speech tomorrow, essentially try to pre-but that.

And also, I think they like the idea that they can continue to put pressure on her to do a news conference, to hold a sit-down interview. It's the Trump campaign's belief that the more people see of Kamala Harris away from a teleprompter, the less they will like her. And to the degree that they can ratchet up the pressure by putting Donald Trump in situations like this, they're going to continue to do that. I don't think it's going to happen before the Democratic Convention next week. But even the Harris campaign acknowledges that that pressure will ultimately build to something.

Speaking about being away from a teleprompter, what news do we have when it comes to a possible face-off between the former president of the United States and Vice President Kamala Harris? Yeah, look, we have dates now for the presidential debate on September the 10th, on ABC. I believe that debate's ultimately going to be in Philadelphia. The Trump campaign wants more. They want them sooner. There are other debates under discussion, including perhaps one on NBC News. They could happen in September or even later in October.

thing you have to remember on this, Yasmin, is we don't think about this as a November election day anymore. Even by mid-September, ballots will start be going out. By the end of October, huge portions of this country may have had the option to have already voted in this election. So earlier is better for those who want to get debates that could actually change the course of this election. Gareth, thank you. Want to go now overseas mediators from the U.S., Egypt and Qatar meeting in Doha to try and come to a ceasefire deal. Hamas not participating in those talks, saying they already agreed to a U.S. ballot. deal last month. It's happening as the death toll in Gaza, past 40,000, according to the health

ministry there. I want to bring in now NBC News correspondent Danielle Hamamjin from Tel Aviv to talk more about this. Danielle, the U.S. has tried to pitch this as kind of the final stage bid to make a ceasefire and hostage release deal. This is, of course, following the assassination of Ataup, Hamas, and Hezbollah leader as well. How did those talks go today? Well, one U.S. officials speaking to NBC News described the talks as constructive. Egyptian state television, quoting a high-level official, said the talks have gone on for seven hours and will continue tomorrow. Look, Hamas's refusal to take part in the talks could be seen as political posturing. But the fact that they're not physically present doesn't mean they're completely absent from the process.

Remember, they have an office, they have a team in Doha, and the expectation is that mediators from Qatar and Egypt, once they've met with the Israeli representatives, will then consult with the team from Hamas. Accusations from both sides, as you know, throughout all these months, that demands have been made at the last moment from both sides to shifting the goalposts. But Hamas has made this clear that now is no time for new demands. They say it's about implementing a framework, a mechanism to implement what's already been agreed on and figuring out a timeline. They've also signaled that if they see that Israel is ready to commit on what's been previously agreed, then they will re-engage. Some of the sticking points, how to move from a temporary ceasefire to a full, permanent ceasefire, as well for Israel, what's called the Philadelphia Corridor.

That's the area between Gaza and Egypt. Israel is concerned that Hamas will once again smuggle weapons through that stretch of land. They're also concerned about what they say is unvetted movement of palisible. Palestinians back to the north of the enclave? I want to talk about a potential attack from Iran while I have. I know that area has been on edge quite a bit since the latest assassination happening inside the border of Iran, of a political leader from Hamas. At the White House, National Security Council, at the White House press briefing, I should say,

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby saying that an attack by Iran against Israel could happen soon and without warning. What is the status on the ground now? Well, Israel earlier this week put its military on high alert on all borders. The U.S., of course, has beefed up its naval presence in the region. People have stocked up on generators, on basic supplies. But I have to say, here in Tel Aviv, you know, this is in a city often called a country within a country. Life strangely still goes on, even though there's a threat of war.

yoga classes on the promenade, beach volleyball, the beaches are full. But this, as diplomats, are furiously trying to diffuse tensions, to calm tensions. We heard President Bind saying earlier this week that it's his expectation that Iran will hold off an attack if an agreement is reached in Doha. Yeah, key word there if. Danielle Hammamgen, thank you. Appreciate it. Breaking tonight, everybody, the arrest just announced in General Hospital star Johnny Wachter's murder, the LEPD, taking several people into custody. The new details just in months after the actor was shot and killed, plus the

massive data hack, billions of sensitive documents, including social security numbers reportedly stolen, what you need to know about the alleged breach. And the judge pulled off the bench after putting a girl into handcuffs in a jail uniform while on a field trip. That judge arguing he was teaching her a lesson after she nodded off in his courtroom, how her mom is responding. Stick with us. We are back now with a troubling story out of Michigan. A teenager falling asleep while on a field trip to a Detroit courthouse. The presiding judge admonishing her and having her put in handcuffs, her mother tonight tells us she and her daughter do not have a permanent home

and that the teen has been having trouble sleeping. Now that judge has been taken off the bench. NBC's Maura Barrett reports. Why have you been disrespectful to this court? It was the moment of field trip to a Detroit courtroom turned into a scared straight lesson for a Michigan team. You fall asleep in my courtroom over time and putting you in the back in the suit. A young girl ending up in a jumpsuit and handcuffs after falling asleep in front of 36th District Court Judge Kenneth King. A live stream of that court hearing was recorded and then broadcast by local news outlets.

You sleep at home in your bed, not in court. And quite frankly, I don't like your attitude. Tonight, that judge has been removed from his criminal case docket as he underwent. undergoes necessary training, according to a statement from the court's chief judge. But the teen's mother says the experience traumatized her daughter. Yes, she was having trouble sleeping, eating, you know, thinking about, you know, why did the judge do that to her? You know, because she have done better. The 15-year-old was in King's Court as part of a visit organized by nonprofit, the greening of Detroit.

You're old enough to know better. What is your problem? At one point, the judge is heard threatening her with time in juvenile detention before releasing her. I'm thinking maybe she needs to go to the juvenile detention facility. You do understand we have a jail for kids. The mom telling NBC News they don't have a permanent address and that the pair got in late on the night before the incident. You didn't disrespect the court or your honor in the courtroom room. Falling the sleep shouldn't is not a crime. King telling the AP before he was sidelined, quote, I wanted this to look and feel very real to her.

even though there's probably no real chance of me putting her in jail. But the nonprofit saying in a statement that King took it too far and that his methods were unacceptable. It was supposed to be, from my understanding, it was a learning experience. It's supposed to show love and sympathy and implement the law. And he didn't do none of that. The teen's mother says she has hired an attorney and is thinking about pursuing legal action. And Yasmin, the teen's mother also tells us that Judge King reached out to the nonprofit that

set up the visit and offered to be a mentor to the young girl. Yasmin? Thank you to more for that. We move now to a huge data breach, potentially impacting billions of people around the globe. A new class action lawsuit detailing how personal information, including addresses, social security numbers, they could now be for sale on the dark web. Here's a look at how it happened. Tonight, fears a massive data breach may have impacted billions of people across the globe, according to a new class action lawsuit, which means social security numbers and other sensitive information could now be up for sale on the dark web. So how did this happen? A company called Jericho Pictures, which operates as national public data, is a Florida-based

background check company. NPD takes data from public record databases, national and state databases, and court records. It then sells that data to a range of organizations like background check websites, investigators, app developers, and data resellers. According to the the lawsuit in April of this year, a hacking group called USDOD, breached NPD systems and stole private information. The suit goes on to say in a post on the dark web on April 8th, USDOD claimed they stole 2.9 billion records of personal data, and we're trying to sell them for $3.5 million. That personal data includes names, address histories, relatives, and social security numbers. In a statement on their website, NPD acknowledges the breach and says,

We cooperated with law enforcement and governmental investigators and have implemented additional security measures. We reached out to MPD, but did not hear back. Since the information was posted for sale in April, other hackers have released different copies of the data, including a hacker known as Phineas, who posted the most complete version for free in August, according to cybersecurity news site, bleeping computer. Some good news, the database does not contain information from individuals who use object. opt-out services, according to the lawsuit. This year has just been the year of the hackers. But people on social media still panicking. Biggest data breach, possibly in human history.

As many fear their private data is up for sale. All right, for more on this concerning data breach and what it means for you, I want to bring in cybersecurity expert David Kennedy. David, thank you so much for joining us on this. This is huge. 2.9 billion records were in fact breached. Help us put this into context, and does that actually mean, if we're talking about social security numbers, for instance, 2.9 billion social security numbers were in fact leaked? We don't know fully if it's 2.9 billion individual records or if these are multiple reports.

This is a background checking company that basically looks at making sure you don't have a record if you go to a job employment, but they have access to all of these national databases that can pull information on any U.S. citizen. And there's hundreds of thousands of these organizations, you know, background check facilities, companies around the country. And with the $2.9 billion, that number may dwindle a little bit, but it's not going to be substantially lower than that. We can pretty much assume that this is the largest data breach we've ever seen around Social Security numbers in the history.

I mean, I was impacted by OPM, which was the big data breach around classified, top-secrette folks that are contractors or folks that were in the military. I was part of that as well. This pales in comparison to that. This is a much larger data breach. So you have people at home right now saying, is it me? Am I one of them? How do you find out if, in fact, you are one of them? And if you find out you are, what do you do? There's a class action lawsuit out right now for this particular area, and there's information being basically set up so you can actually go and check.

It's not fully up in operational yet for checking. But I mean, I would assume, you know, 2.9 billion people, there's a good chance that you're going to be on there. I mean, I would say statistically it's going to be in the upward of 90 percentile of U.S. citizens that are probably impacted by this. So you should assume that your Social Security number is now compromised in British, unfortunately. Wow. That is incredible.

reported that some people were actually safe because they took extra steps like opting out services. What are other things that people can do to protect themselves from future breaches? Two things that are really important to note is that, you know, social security numbers in general are such a legacy piece of data. We need to move to more of a digital format, and the government really needs to be pushing for more digital ways of identifying individuals that are unique to an individual. Social security numbers were never designed to be a security mechanism. I mean, they're designing like the 50s and 40s, and I think a lot of us has changed since then around technology. So we need to do a better job around Social Security numbers and how we actually protect people's personal information. What you can do, though, my number one recommendation, and this is regardless of a data breach or not, is go to the three major credit bureaus, so Equifax Experian and TransUnion and lock your credit and what happens is you just go to the website, you call them up, and they'll lock your credit.

And what that means is that when you go to take out a loan or you're looking at a new credit card or something like that, you have to call and you have to answer a few questions specific about yourself that you would only know. And it's very difficult for hackers to get around that. So it locks your credit in place. And that's one of the most protective features you can actually do. That is a great tip and something I'm likely going to do after this project. It takes 10 minutes. Dave Kennedy, thank you. Coming up, cutting medication costs for millions of Americans.

The landmark move dropping the price for common prescriptions. and when it's going to take effect. We are back now with Top Stories News Feed as we begin with late breaking news and the investigation into Johnny Wachter's death. The LAPD announcing four people have been arrested after warrants were served at various locations across the city. The beloved general hospital actor was shot and killed in May

after trying to stop a group of men from stealing his catalytic. converter late at night. A major price drop announced today on the 10 most common high cost prescription drugs under Medicare. The move following months of negotiations between drug makers and the Biden-Harris administration as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. The medications treat a wide range of illnesses, including diabetes and cancer as well. The prices you see here reflect the new cost for a 30-day supply of those medications. The new prices will take effect in 26. And an American Russian ballerina who was detained after giving money to a Ukrainian charity has been sentenced to a penal colony. Cassania, Carolina, sentenced to 12 years and a nearly

$4,000 fine after pleading guilty to high treason. Her boyfriend saying she donated just $51 and 80 cents to this charity. Carolina is the latest in a string of high-profile American arrests as Russia cracks down on dissent over its war with Ukraine. Sticking with Russia and its war on Ukraine just today, President Volodymyr Zelensky announcing Ukrainian troops have seized its largest town within Russian borders. Ukraine's new offensive coming nearly three years since the war began. But off the battlefield, Russia's been engaging in a different kind of war. And a special profile from our digital doc unit, Josh Letterman spoke with one video game influencer,

now crucial in Russia's propaganda war. Goida. His friends call him Grisha. He worries about finals. I just got to complete my exams. Good enough to get dragged into university. He loves his mother. Yeah.

Well, let me, well, why you're on stream? That's still. Mom, no, all, but it's cring jove. He loves his country. And in the two and a half years since Russia invaded Ukraine, he's gone from a kid who loved playing video games. Yes! to a key figure in Russia's all-out propaganda campaign.

Nazi pigs don't deserve to be remembered. What we're doing? In the battle of ideas raging over Russia's war in Ukraine, games have become a battleground. And Grisha Putin, as he's known, is one of the campaign's most famous fighters. Mr. Putin, I'm your fiercest warrior. We're holding the hordes of the gay, trans, LGBTQ battalions sent by the Americans. When special interoperation began, I was just a 16-year-old guy who loved playing games. I made something bigger.

His weapon is a webcam, and he logs thousands of hours streaming video games. He's targeting young people. NATO tanks encircled total Z. Games is a great place to broadcast with a very big young audience, which is easy to influence. Don't underestimate the impact games can have on people, especially the youth. His real name is Gregori Korolev. He lives with his mother, who bought him his first computer when he was 14. Oh, yeah, yo, yeah, yu, yu, yeah. Yes!

What the fuck is happening with my game? Ah! Do you view yourself as kind of a political influencer? I don't call myself that, but I could see someone saying that I am. What Grisha is doing isn't new. Propaganda has always been around. But experts say gaming is different. different. Gaming is the new social, and games eventually create an alternative reality.

Noam Schwartz is the CEO of ActiveFence, a cybersecurity firm that helps protect gaming platforms from fraud, identity theft, hate speech, and extremism. They also monitor disinformation in propaganda. Disinformation in games sometimes can be even more dangerous than disinformation in social because it feels so much real. It's an immersive experience that sucks you in and really change the way you see the world. One of the major gaming groups Act Defense is tracking from its headquarters in Tel Aviv is called Z-Shaker Central. Grisha Putin is its founder. He uses his platform to encourage his audience to donate money to the Russian war effort. I have an American guy who sent me $550 for two artillery shells to be fired.

One with President Biden's photo. Then there was enough. Another one with President Trump, his presidential motto, it's a good way to troll. It gets money. For money, I get equipment. Grisha Putin, the society, Z, Shaker, Central. Grisha uses these donations to pay for fresh supplies, like drones and body armor, for Russian soldiers in the field.

Grisha Putin, thank you, thank you. Pizza already already. In return for his support, Russian soldiers and Grisha Putin mementos from the front lines. This is a field Ukrainian army jacket. Unfortunately, it's a little bit blurry. Ukrainian army vest. It has actual plate armor inside of it with a bullet hole.

I launder them before keeping them in my room. It's like a deer head that you get on your wall after a successful hunt. Grisha's popularity eventually impressed the Wagner Group, Russia's notorious mercenary company. They even let him live stream from inside their St. Petersburg headquarters. Others are also seeing possibilities in war gaming. Athletes demonstrate their team play in tactical combat e-sports.

Barred from most international sporting competitions, the Russian government is promoting esports to show it's still accepted on the international stage. Games of Future. Made in Russia for new generations. And a Russian company is developing a Call of Duty style game about the invasion of Ukraine, with Russia as the hero. We know that we'll get in the war, but we will be better.

You've become kind of a cyber warrior for Russia. Do you hope to become an actual warrior for your country? You're talking about enlisting into the military. Yeah. I don't exactly think that I want to enlist because the work I do

is more valuable than whatever else I could do in the field. I'm unstoppable. I'm a Rambo. Sometimes you can make something much, much bigger than money can buy. You can shape entire generation's view of history of your own nation. And Josh Letterman, joining us now. Josh, this is such a fascinating story. Is there any way of knowing how many people this propaganda is actually reaching?

Riesman, millions of people have watched Grisha Putin's streams, and he had tens of thousands of followers on his channel on Twitch, which is kind of the main platform that live streamers in gaming use. I say it had, because while we were making this documentary, his Twitch account was actually banned for promoting propaganda. And a lot of these are Americans. In fact, I found this so interesting, Yasmin. Grisha Putin told me that many of the Americans who watch his streams specifically referenced their opposition to El-Strecht. LGBT rights in America. They seem to be gravitating towards President Putin's Russia, in part because of its symbol as kind of this bastion of traditional values and anti-wokism. How widespread, Josh, is this propaganda machine? How many others are being employed in this way? You know, this is a big thing, Yasmin, and it is supported by the Russian government. The

Russian state now has been setting up e-sports leagues inside the occupied. parts of Ukraine in the Donbass, for example, in Crimea, to try to really recruit young men who are in Ukraine to feel more Russian. And now the Ukrainians are trying to get in on this, too. The Ukrainian government is supporting a charity that has created its own game in Minecraft, where they reenact the invasion by Russia of Ukraine. And so really, we are seeing streamers from both sides of the border trying to use this platform to get their message across, specifically to young people around the world, Yasmin. Josh Letterman, thank you.

Coming up for all you Swifties, Taylor Swift, returning to the stage after her terror scare in Vienna. Her heiress tour resuming in London with new security measures in place. How fans are reacting tonight. We are back now with some good news for Swifties. Taylor Swift now back on stage. It's coming after that foiled terror plot

forced the cancellation of her three-day leg in Austria. Kelly Kobayya is in London where the pop star is making her return. So it should be a great night. Taylor Swift fans from around the world were ready for it. I'm going to cry. 90,000 Swifties descending on Wembley Stadium today to watch and sing along as she returned to the stage. Swift's record-breaking Erez tour back on today after all three shows in Vienna were canceled last week, following a foiled terrorist plot targeting the venue and concert goers. Three teenagers have been arrested and one more questioned. London police said there was no sign of a threat here.

Were you worried about coming tonight? I wasn't really. I assume we've heard that they have up the security here. The Sundells surprised their daughters, Bryn and Ellie, with tickets to night one, bringing their bracelets and sparkle all the way from Wisconsin to Wembley, where fans faced bag checks with glass and aerosol. band and ticket holders only allowed close to the stadium. Even with everything that happened last week, why is it important for you to come?

I believe that our music should be shared with the world. It brings people together. It brings people joy and happiness. A joy seen on thousands of bejeweled faces with friendship bracelets, eras-inspired outfits, and hand hearts all around. Her songs, they touch our hearts. We've built such a great bonds together, thanks to Taylor Swift. The Swifties will remember this moment for years to come.

Kelly Kobiella, NBC News, London. Guess who else has the bracelets? Thank you to Kelly Kobiea for that. Coming up next, celebrating the man behind famous Amos cookies, how Wally Amos took a family recipe and turned it into a cookie empire. His son speaking a top story about his sweet-filled legacy. Stick with us. Finally tonight, saying goodbye to cookie connoisseor, Wally Amos, founder of beloved cookie company bearing his name, the 88-year-old sweets icon and father died from complications with dementia.

Dana Griffin takes us on a stroll down memory lane to highlight the man behind the brand. Wally Amos, the founder of one of the most recognizable cookie brands in America, famous Amos, who started what would grow to be an empire nearly 50 years ago, is being celebrated today for introducing his beloved, cookies to the world. If you want to make it big in the West, you've got to be too good to resist. Sean Amos grew up working alongside his father. What was the greatest lesson you learned from your dad? Oh my God, joy, joy, the power of joy. He was the most joyful person on earth. This is where Wally Amos' cookie empire was born. It's now a Brazilian restaurant. But if you stroll through the front doors, you'll see where the city of Los Angeles has dubbed this area famous Amos Square, immortalizing the legacy.

of the cookie cane. We got, you know, we remodered a little bit. The restaurant manager here showed us some of the original architecture and says Amos' spirit lives on. This place is going to, it's very significant for a lot of people. Today is not a, you know, a happy day

because he's not here anymore, but I'm pretty sure that, you know, he definitely left the sign in the world. Amos, Amos. Several times a day, this Hollywood tour guide share stories outside of what used to be full of sweet treats. I used to eat a pound on famous Amis

cookies every single day. I had a higher metabolism back then. Amos dropped out of high school to join the Air Force and later became a talent agent known for sharing his homemade chocolate chip cookies with artists. Marvin Gaye and Helen Reddy giving him a $25,000 loan to start what would become a booming supermarket brand. It was just the two of us and I learned the value of hard work. I learned the power of personality.

I learned the power of persuasion. I learned the audacity of believing in yourself, despite all doubts that people may put upon you. And soon, Amos was a household name. The famed cookie tycoon appearing in commercials for major companies like United Airlines. With United's West Coast Service, I can keep my business cooking and still stay in the chips. And making guest appearances on hit shows like Taxi and the Jeffersons. Famous Amos cooking. Reverence for Amos even extended into the 21st century,

with his more recent appearance on the office. Famous, I'm sure you get ideas for new cookies all the time. Not oatmeal with no raisins. I'm sorry, you've wasted your time. In 1988, Amos eventually lost control of the company and began taking on new business ventures that included this pitch to shark tanks. Why would you start all over again?

Because I love cookies, and I think that I can build a business out of this cookie. Attempting to regain momentum with Cookie Cahom which has since folded and co-founding Uncle Wally's muffin company whose products are sold nationwide. Amos also finding success as a literacy advocate, writing eight books and serving as a role model for Black Americans. I believed in myself. I made a commitment to doing something with my life, and I did it. On social media, Quest love writing, sad to see a part of our history leave. Thank you, Famous Amos. Is there anything you want to say to those fans out there?

Oh, thank you. Thank you. You're giving our family a lot of a lot of laughs and a lot of good tears. A sweet legacy that lives on through generations, one chocolate chip cookie at a time. Dana Griffin, NBC News, Los Angeles. Oh, you've lost the icon. His cookie legacy lives on. Thank you so much for watching. Top Story. I'm Yasmin Vesugan in for Tom Yamis. Stay right there. More news now on the way.