Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, June 15, 2023

Episode Date: June 16, 2023

20 million Americans are under weather alerts from powerful storms, nine more women accuse Bill Cosby of sexual misconduct, a police officer is arrested after leading another officer on a high-speed chase in Florida, Gloria Estefan becomes the first Latina to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and an interview with the director and two subjects of a new documentary about children who serve as translators for their parents.

Tonight, violent storms, record-breaking heat and that wildfire smoke coming back with a vengeance. More than 20 million people in the bull's eye of this pre-summer slam. Strong winds, heavy rain, and hail battering the south. Just hours after a string of violent tornadoes tore through the region. Triple-digit heat stifling millions across Texas with fears the power grid won't be able to hold up. and air quality alerts in effect across the Midwest, where that toxic smoke from the Canadian wildfires is heading next. Also breaking tonight in emergency situation unfolding at the Denver Nuggets Championship Parade,

a police officer struck by a fire truck and rushed to the hospital. Two people shot, the shooter still at large, with nearly 1 million people crowding the city streets, the chaotic images coming in late today. And NBC News exclusive, Richard Engel, sitting down with Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky, what he's revealing about the long-awaited counteroffensive and the new warning tonight about the threat of nuclear disaster. The new case against Cosby, nine women filing a lawsuit against disgraced actor and comedian Bill Cosby, decades after they alleged he sexually assaulted them, the new law giving them their day in court after all these years.

And what they're telling NBC's Kate Snow about their... decision to come forward. Runaway cop, an Orlando police officer, refusing to pull over for a traffic stop, leading a sheriff's deputy on a high-speed chase. The heated confrontation been captured on body cam and the charges he's now facing. Overseas fleeing the flames, dozens of students forced to repel down the side of a building after it caught fire, what they used to get themselves to safety. And oh, oh, oh, so boring.

the surprising new side effect of OZEMPIC tonight, why one of the scientists who helped develop the weight-loss drug is warning it could cause your life to become, quote, miserably boring. Top story starts right now. And good evening tonight, hail, heat, and haze reeking havoc from the Midwest all the way down through the south. 20 million people under severe weather alerts at this hour.

And for many, No relief is in sight. Powerful storms tearing through Jacksonville, Florida, packing strong winds and blinding rain and hail. That same system overnight sending these baseball-sized chunks of hail flying into people's backyards and damaging their cars in Arkansas. Look at that. In Texas, a dangerous heat wave is settling in tonight.

Temperatures already soaring into the triple digits, why the mayor of Houston is warning the fragile power grid may not be able to keep up as residents switch on their air conditioners. And the Midwest now choked with the smoke from the Canadian wildfires. The Minneapolis skyline, look at that. Starting to look like those eerie orange images we saw just here in New York City last week. In a moment, we'll show you exactly where that toxic cloud is heading next and just how bad is expected to be this time.

But we begin first down south with Sam Brock, who leads us off tonight. On the heels of a tornado outbreak. Another round of severe weather, relentless. recklessly rocking the country again from the Central Plains to the southeast. New storms breaking out in Florida and Oklahoma where residents felt the force of high winds and hail, which in the last 24 hours, goled out a jaw-dropping output. Hail coming down in buckets on this person's boat west of Little Rock, Arkansas, putting a basketball-sized dent in the hood of this car and thrashing the windows of several other vehicles. The medley of stormy strikes, keeping more than 20 million in a severe weather zone that's already produced at least 10 reported twisters across three states, including Texas, where this building in Cass County had its side sheared off in a couple states over in Warrior Alabama, uprooting these massive trees. The weather picture as a whole going from wind and hail to heat hell in Texas.

The city's emergency operation centers keeping a close eye in conditions and taking the rare step of deploying a heat emergency plan. mid-June, not July or August. We're looking at approximately 10 days of over 100 degrees. That spawned a quick rush to get some 350 air conditioning units to Houston area seniors like David Diaz, a 70-year-old Air Force veteran. Hot. I was sweating. Who was relying on a single fan to stay cool. This heat wave, also reigniting concerns about Texas's aging electrical grid,

Urquat, which has never failed during a heat wave, but has experienced a massive. fatal disruptions during snowstorms. How much faith do you have in Rekot's electrical grid? Shall we pray now? I pray later. I don't have a great deal of faith. I'm just being very direct. I hope for the best. But the system hasn't been fixed yet.

All right, with that, Sam Brock joins us tonight live from Houston. Sam, we'll get to that power grid in just a minute, though. Southeast Alabama and northwest parts of Florida still experiencing power outages. That heat is coming. What's the latest there? Yeah, it's the big bend area of Florida, Tom. Right now, you're looking at about 15,000 customers with no power in Alabama. It's 21,000, most of those in hard-hit Butler County.

Now, when you look at the full span of customers in those two states, 11 million in Florida, 2 million in Alabama, we're only talking about a fraction, but still for those communities, in heats that are 90-degree or communities, I should say, are seeing 90-degree plus temperatures. That is certainly a devastating circumstance to find yourself in. And then, Sam, let's pick up there about Houston. And ERCOT, the operators of Texas electrical grid, has struggled in the past to handle demand during extreme weather, whether it be cold or hot. What did they say about the grid's reliability during this heat wave? Yeah, it's a great question.

The expectations from ERCOT that they could see a peak all-time demand usage reached in this heat wave in the next 10 days. But the reality time is that that happened 11 times last year. And all of those times, energy was still delivered reliably. Now, as far as the context here, it was a snowstorm in 2021. that temporarily created disruptions that affected lives, killed people. Also a fatal situation back in 2011 as well. But heat has never been the culprit of widespread disruptions. They don't want it to start now.

And at the moment, there's 7,000 megawatts of available energy. That is a lot for this community right now. All right, Sam, Brock, just off the grid there for us tonight here on Top Story. Sam, we appreciate it. The threat of severe storms in the South, not over yet. Let's get right over to Bill Carrens. And Bill, we should actually expand this, right? I've seen some action there in the plain states as well.

Tom, in the last 15 minutes, I've heard of a tornado that has done damage in Suddsky, Ohio, Sandusky, Ohio. And I've also heard about multiple structures destroyed in the northern portion of Texas up here on Perrytown. That's that little right icon you're seeing here. There's a little tornado that has been associated with this line of storms. We've been keeping track of this huge supercell, though, this one, in areas from Oklahoma. It went through Lawton, had baseball-sized hail, and it's had periodically tornadoes with it. So that's this storm we're watching. It's probably the most powerful in the country right now. It's going to be approaching Interstate 35 in the Ardmore area.

It's also another storm starting to fire up that will be near you in Wichita Falls, give it probably another half hour or so. This storm's had a lot of rotation. Anywhere you see the dark purple is likely baseball to at least maybe tennis ball size hail. And this is where the tornado is likely located in between Rika and Ryan right in here. And that'll be heading due east over rural area over the next couple minutes. So as far as the severe outlook goes, The areas that we're really focusing on is going to be this red bullseye.

That's where all the big storms I just showed you. And these storms will all be heading down towards the Dallas-Fort Worth area as we go throughout the rest of this evening. So that's why you have to have your heads up there. And you can talk to anyone in central and north Texas. It was as hot as could be and extremely humid today. And that's all the fuel for these storms as we go throughout the evening. And these little hash blue lines, pretty rare. We don't get these too often.

This is where we're calling for Hurricane Force wind gusts with these thunderstorms. Not everyone's going to get it, but if you get in the middle of one of these supercell thunderstorms, like I just pointed out, you could have power outages, wind goes up to 80 miles per hour, and those tornado watches for areas of Oklahoma and Texas go until 10 o'clock local time this evening. It's going to be a wild night of weather. All right, Bill Caron's first, Bill, we appreciate that. And as millions of Americans are at risk for severe storms in the South, we're also monitoring the Canadian wildfires yet again and the impact on air quality in the U.S. This was the scene in Milwaukee earlier today as wildfire smog blanketed the city skyline. And now that polluted air is on the move again. NBC news correspondent Maggie Bestb joins us now from Chicago where the air quality has been unhealthy. But Maggie, your skies are looking a little more clear than what we saw in New York City.

Yeah, Tom, definitely. And we should say the smoke is unfortunately headed back your way in the near future. More on that here in a second. But as you said, Chicagoans breathing a lot easier than they were this morning. today the air quality index earlier today was in the 90s here that's about twice where it should be we all unfortunately become pretty familiar with that index and that system over the last couple of days also you showed many uh you showed Milwaukee I want to show you parts of Minneapolis and kind of that area as well Duluth Minnesota they have been hit hard these last couple of days

they saw their worst air quality index ever yesterday and you can see the smog and the smoke was so thick there just as recently as today again it's all moving east now though as we speak And unfortunately, Tom, we know what you all went through on the East Coast last week. You could be in for something, experts say, of a repeat performance, that they say it's not going to be as bad as it was last week in all likelihood. But that smoke is set to roll in tonight into tomorrow morning. All right, Maggie, that's bad news for us here in the Northeast. I do want to ask you because this is sort of stunning, and I don't think our viewers know this. These Canadian wildfires are going to burn for a long time.

And this is an issue we're going to have to monitor for the months ahead. Yeah, I mean, think about it. We're not even a meteorological summer at this point. And Canadian officials have essentially said that this will last, I mean, to put it bluntly, for a while. But they put out a press release last week saying that they obviously have fires burning. We've been covering this from Vancouver, B.C., over to Quebec. And they essentially say that with the heat and the dryness of the summer and the size and the strength of these fires, and by the way, this wind is what's helping us here in Chicago with the smoke rolling out.

But the size and the strength of these fires in Canada, Canadian officials say this, fight will likely last them all summer. So think about what that could mean for everybody to the South who's already been blanketed with smoke. All right, Maggie Vespa for us. Maggie, we appreciate it. And that is some breaking news we're following out of Denver. Chaos erupting during the Nuggets championship parade. A police officer struck by a fire truck that was carrying some of the players and at least two people shot in a separate incident. Steve Patterson has the latest. Tonight, chaos in downtown Denver, after a shooting erupts near crowds of thousands, celebrating the Nuggets championship win. Police say the shots rang out shortly after the team's victory parade, an unidentified male suspect firing, striking two people.

The chief telling reporters all involved likely knew each other. And we had a black male firing a weapon, striking two individuals. We believe that this was a targeted incident. officials say two people were injured both in serious condition. Authorities say the shooter is still at large. I think in our investigative ability to ultimately identify that person and bring that person to justice. Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a veteran Denver police officer was injured after a fire truck rolled over his leg during the parade. Officials calling it limb threatening. There were people that were that had kind of made their way into the street and he was sort of trying to protect those

individuals from the fire truck. Today's shooting is the second this week. On Monday, 10 people were injured in a shooting after the Nuggets Finals win. Police characterizing Monday's incident has a drug deal gone wrong. And here we are again having to talk about someone, endangering their lives of people who came to celebrate. A week of mild high jubilation marred by violence. All right, Steve Patterson, though, joining us live as well from L.A. tonight on this story. Steve, we heard there that the suspected gunman in that shooting is.

still at large tonight. What's the latest on the manhunt? Yeah, Tom, at the very latest news conference, the chief again said that several cameras were active during the shooting and that they already have a picture of the suspect. He says at this point, it's an investigation with confidence of a swift capture. Tom? And Steve, I want to ask you about that police officer. It was a horrific injury. The video is kind of tough to watch. What have we learned about him and how's he doing? Yeah, Tom, first, I want to make this clear. This was a decorated veteran officer assigned to the SWAT division who used his body to shield people in that crowd from injury. Tonight, emergency room doctors say he is in stable condition, but they are worried he may very well lose that leg.

That's horrible news. Okay, Steve Patterson on that breaking news out of Denver. We want to turn to an NBC news exclusive tonight. Ukrainian president, Vladimir Zelensky, speaking about the new offensive against Russia, he tells our Richard Engel that this stage of the war is proving to be very difficult, stressing the continued need for allied and American support across the political spectrum. Ukraine tonight is in a full-scale fight to take back Russian occupied land. Hi, Richard. Good to see you again.

A pivotal moment for our interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the presidential compound in Kiev. This must be a very critical time for you. Critical and very busy. For over a year, Ukraine has been fighting. successfully to defend itself. Now, going on the offensive to break through Russian front lines, is proving to be challenging. We are now in the early days of this long-anticipated counter-offensive. How is it going?

I cannot give you all the details. There are both defensive and offensive actions. Things look not bad. I would say it's generally positive, but, but it's very positive. But it's difficult. Our heroic people, our troops, who are now at the front of the front line, are facing very tough resistance. And you understand why. Because for Russia to lose this campaign to Ukraine, I would say actually means losing the war. President Zelensky also had a dire warning.

He blamed Russia for blowing up a dam, which Russia denied. flooding dozens of villages and tells us the next Russian target is the Zaporigia nuclear power plant. Russia does want to blow up the station. Why would they want to do that? Because, like with the dam, they are not interested in Ukraine's security. They always need instability here and want the world to pressure Ukraine to stop the conflict. conflict. He says Russia is getting desperate as more Western military aid is coming. Today, the U.S. and other allies agreed to train Ukrainian pilots to operate F-16s, but it's still unclear

when they'll arrive and how many. You've been talking about planes since day one. I remember seeing you the very early days of the war in this building, in the basement. Now they're somewhere in the pipeline. What has been the effect of having? weapons rolled out like this, given slice by slice over time. It's prolonged the war. If we are supplied with the machinery that is currently held by our partners, we will win faster. In many ways, this country is very survival.

Depends on the assistance of the United States, other allies, and several Republican presidential candidates are expressing concerns about support for Ukraine. What would you say to them? What would I say? Is any candidate or senator who thinks it costs too much for the United States to support Ukraine? Is he ready to go to war? To fight, to send his kids, are they ready to die? Because anyway, they will have to do this if NATO gets involved.

And anyway, if Ukraine would lose, if Russia would occupy Ukraine, Russia will continue going towards Baltic countries, Poland, etc. They will start war with one of the NATO countries. And at this moment, the United States will have to choose the collapse of NATO or go to war. And Tom, one thing that struck me was that President Zelenskyy said, yes, they're fighting Russian troops, they're fighting them in this country, on the ground. It's a tough fight. but he said they are keeping one eye on the United States political situation, and I asked him, do you feel like you're fighting on a U.S. timeline? Is that imposed on you? And he said, yes. And I hadn't heard a wartime leader say that kind of thing,

that they're fighting their enemy, but they have to also adhere to the political time frame imposed by their key allies. It may be true in many conflicts around the world, but it's rare that. that you hear somebody say it so openly. And I think it shows also how dependent this country really is on the flow of weapons, the flow of money, the support from the United States. Tom. How reliant they are on the American help.

Okay, Richard Engel, great interview. Next, actor and comedian Bill Cosby is facing a new sexual assault lawsuit. Nine women have filed a civil suit in Nevada accusing him of sexual misconduct that dates back decades. It comes just weeks after a new law was signed in this state. that eliminates the statute of limitations for such cases. NBC's Kate Snow got an exclusive interview with six of the accusers.

Tonight, a new chapter in the legal saga of Bill Cosby. I tell me needs something on me, right? Accusers aiming a fresh lawsuit at the comedian after years of battling to have their stories heard. Why are you filing suit? To take back my power. It's time for him to be responsible for his actions. Culpability, justice. lawsuit filed by nine women says Cosby drugged or attempted to drug each of these women before

sexually assaulting them in either Reno or Las Vegas, several women alleging Cosby assaulted them in his suite at a Vegas hotel. We started out small and frightened and scared. And through the years and through the support of everyone, I think we're all a force to be reckoned with. It's a new legal avenue. Some of those same women actually helped create. He insisted that I I have two drinks, and within a few minutes, I became dizzy and disoriented. Accuser Lisa Lott-Lublin lives in Nevada and teaches middle school. She and her husband, Ben, have spent eight years lobbying to change state laws around sexual assault. We said we got to do this, because honestly, I didn't see it for myself.

I saw it for these incredible women that are on this video, and I saw it for the children that I teach. Then other Cosby accusers joined her, testifying before the state legislature. I was raped when I lived in Reno. Lobbying for a new law that would allow any adult alleging sexual assault to file a civil suit no matter how long ago the incident happened. Two weeks ago, Lublin was there when Nevada's governor signed it into law. What these laws changing means is that perpetrators can no longer hide behind an arbitrary time limit called the statute of limitations. that victims, plaintiffs will be able to present our evidence, our testimonies, and our witnesses in a court of law, no matter how much time has passed.

That law enabled their new lawsuit. I didn't expect this to be the outcome. And it's kind of like, is this really happening? Their suit seeks compensatory and punitive damages. This is an incredibly powerful group of women right here. I first met these six women when I interviewed a group of 27 Cosby accusers in one room. in 2015. The conversation needs to be had.

In 2018, Bill Cosby was convicted of indecent assault. But three years later, Pennsylvania's Supreme Court overturned his conviction. The court found Cosby was denied protection against self-incrimination. I'm still angry. And that right there is why I'm part of this suit. And I know that people are going to say, oh, yeah, sure, you got the law changed. And now you're after his money. I can promise you, many, if not most of us, never planned on doing this.

This is the only recourse I have left. Cosby has long denied all allegations of sexual abuse. Reacting to the new Nevada lawsuit, Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt accused the women of being motivated by their addiction to massive amounts of media attention and greed. And Wyatt said from this day forward, we will not continue to allow these women to parade various accounts against Mr. Cosby anymore without vetting them in the court of public opinion and inside of the courtroom. The women are seeking a jury trial, in part, they say, to help other survivors. Look at all of us now. It's never, ever too late to take our lives back and to get

the justice every single one of us deserves, and we're living proof of that. You don't feel human unless you fight back. In some way, there has to be a fight. And when you've been drugged, you never even got the chance to fight. And I didn't get the chance to fight for over 25 years. There's nothing more empowering than trying to take back your control. You're all fighting now. Together. And with that, Kate Snow joins us now in studio.

Kate, I want to pick up there where Lisa Lott, Lublin left off. What a journey for her, right? She says she was attacked by Bill Cosby, and it took her years to lobby. and change the law, and now she's here. Yeah, I mean, it's been eight years since I've known her and since she started lobbying. Not just for the current law that we were talking about, but some previous ones, like changing the statute of limitations

for children who were making allegations of sexual assault. So for her personally and for all these women, I think this has been a long journey. I also think you have to think about they found their voices, they came out, they supported Andrea Constance. She got a criminal conviction, and then that was overturned three years later. these women felt shocked. I talked to them at the time, and now they feel like this path of states changing the law and being able to file civil suits may they think be their path forward

toward justice. And going back to Bill Cosby, we heard about these cases in Nevada, but there are still other lawsuits? Right, this one case in Nevada and a suit in New York where five women have sued, including Lily Bernard, who was one of the women you saw in Nevada. Bernard also filed a suit in New Jersey. Another woman separately sued Cosby in California. As we've noted, has no criminal convictions. He was found civilly liable, Tom, for molesting a 16-year-old back in 1975. Okay, Kate Snow with us, Kate, we appreciate that. We want to head to Mexico now where authorities have confirmed the deaths of two Americans at a luxury hotel while an investigation is still underway. Police suspect the California couple died of gas poisoning. NBC national correspondent Miguel Almagir has this one.

The bodies were discovered at this exclusive upscale resort in Cabo San Lucas. Abby Lutz and her boyfriend who lived in California found unresponsive in their room by hotel staff. Mexican police in the seaside community suspect the cause of death is inhalation of gas. She got really sick and they thought I was food poisoning. Lutz's family says the couple started feeling ill after they arrived at Rancho Pescadero and headed to the hospital. They spent the night with IVs, getting IVs and things, and then they felt better when they went to bed. they didn't wake up. On GoFundMe, the family writes,

we have been told it was due to improper venting of the resort and could be carbon monoxide poisoning. I think that's the hardest part is going to a resort that you think you're going to be taking care of that. And it was just so senseless. At Rancho Pescadero, where the rooms can cost up to $1,000 a night, the hotel owned by Hyatt says,

out of an abundance of caution and respect for the families and all of those affected, We are refraining from speculation about the cause. The deaths, the latest in a string of similar accidents in Mexico. Last October, after renting an upscale apartment, three Americans appeared to have died from carbon monoxide poisoning in Mexico City. In 2018, a couple in their two children also lost their lives in Tulum. We love her family, all friends, women's her so much.

Tonight, the hallmarks of another preventable tragedy for a, young couple on vacation. Tom, Abby Lutz's family says they're still working to bring her home. She planned to spend this weekend with her dad for Father's Day. Now the family is planning her funeral. Tom. Oh, so terrible. All right, Miguel Almaguer, still ahead tonight. This is just in shocking allegations against UFC legend Connor McGregor, a Miami Heat fan accusing him of sexually assaulting her during an NBA championship game. The response from McGregor tonight, plus the Orlando police officer refusing to pull over for a traffic stop leading to a high-speed chase, now he's finding himself on the other side of the law. And another Megxit? Spotify, reportedly

parting ways with Prince Harry and Megan Markle, what it means for the multi-million dollar deal they had with the company. Stay with us. All right, back now with the story developing tonight. UFC champion. Connor McGregor accused of sexual assault during an NBA finals game. The alleged victim claiming the incident happened the same night McGregor knocked a team's mascot out during a promotional stunt. You may remember, we brought it to you here on Top Story. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez has this new turn.

Tonight, mixed martial art star Connor McGregor is denying allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman at game four of the NBA finals last week. In a letter obtained by NBC News, the woman's attorney says her client was attending the game in Miami when she was separated from her friend by NBA and Miami Heat security staff and taken into a bathroom where she says McGregor was waiting. The woman alleges he aggressively kissed her and forced her into a sex act, but she says she elbowed McGregor and escaped. Instead of a lawsuit, she's seeking a settlement from McGregor as well as the NBA and the Miami Heat. A representative for McGregor tells NBC News the allegations are false and that

McGregor will not be intimidated. The 34-year-old is the biggest name in UFC. Mixed martial arts largest promotion, but he hasn't fought since 2021. McGregor was a guest at the finals game between the Heat and the Denver Nuggets and staged a mock fight with the Heat mascot during halftime. The man wearing the costume reportedly needed medical attention after McGregor punched him twice, the McGregor later said, and it was all part of a skit. Gabe Gutierrez for us.

Okay, and we've got a story out of Florida with some wild video. A police officer is now fired and in legal trouble after leading another officer on a high-speed chase. He was pulled over, then fled the scene. NBC's Valerie Castro has the play-by-play of that shocking encounter. Tonight, a high-speed chase of a Florida police officer. Over 100 miles an hour trying to catch up with his butt here. Trying to catch one of his own, clocking him at nearly double-stop. a speed limit in a marked car. You're going to pull over? Please say a command. Pull over.

A Seminole County deputy eventually making the traffic stop. What? Do you? I am going into work, my man. Why are you trying to pull me over as I'm going? Because you're going to 80 and a 45. I am going into work. Okay. Where are you going to work for? What does it look like I am dressed for? I have no. The conversation coming to a dead end. My name is Deputy Hilton and they see your driver's license. No. The Orlando officer, Alexander Shawnee, who left the scene, was later charged with reckless driving and eluding the county deputy who even engaged his emergency lights and sirens during the chase, according to the county incident report. Orlando police saying in a statement, Officer Shawnee now relieved of his duties pending a criminal and

internal investigation. Attempts to reach the officer went unanswered, but a friend who spoke with him telling NBC News, quote, he's repentant, he's sorry for what he did. Another repentant officer of the law? Tampa Police Chief Mary O'Connor, flashed her badge in December after the golf cart her husband was driving was pulled over outside a residential community for no license plate. Is your camera on? I'm the police chief in Tampa. Oh, how are you doing? I'm doing good. Okay. I'm hoping that you'll just let us go tonight. Later calling the move, poor judgment and handing in her resignation at the mayor's request. In Oklahoma City, I'm drunk? No, I'm the captain. Captain James Matt French was a

arrested in March on suspicion of drunk driving. How much we had to drink tonight, sir? Repeatedly asking the arresting officer to turn off his body camera video. Please. Huh? I cannot, sir. Please. I know you're aware of a body cam policy.

French, now on leave with pay pending criminal and internal investigations. In all three cases, the bad behavior eventually catching up with consequences. We asked the Orlando. police department if that officer was in fact on his way to work as he told that deputy but they did not answer that question tom it is a good question all right valry cassell for us when we come back the explosion investigation a massive plume of spoke captured on camera in san jose what's behind those trees that actually sparked the blaze we'll explain we're back now with top story

news feed, and we begin with the government agencies hit in a massive global cyber attack. Cyber security officials saying hackers gained access to data for multiple U.S. federal agencies using a weakness in a popular file transfer software. Details on which agencies were involved have not yet been released, the director of the U.S.'s Cybersecurity Agency telling MSNBC it is still investigating the scope of the attack, but does not expect any significant impacts. An investigation is underway into a massive warehouse fire in San Jose. Jose. Video showing the moments of public storage facility exploding.

Thick smoke billowing from the side of the blaze visible from miles away. Residents nearby reporting they heard multiple blast. Luckily, no one was hurt. New condos may be coming to the side of the devastating surfside collapse. Plans were submitted today for a new 12-story luxury building nearly two years after that collapse killed 98 people. A developer purchased the land for $120 million last year, but the Surfside Planning Commission will need to approve the plans before building can begin. And Prince Harry and Megan Markle's $20 million deal with Spotify, you may remember that. It's reportedly coming to an end.

Multiple outlets reporting the audio company is not renewing Markle's podcast archetypes. And the pair will not receive the full payout from their original deal amid concerns they're not producing enough content. NBC has reached out to representatives for the Sussexes and Spotify. we have not are back just yet. Okay, now to a surprising warning that caught our attention from the scientists who discovered, whose discovery led to the blockbuster drug, OZempic. Nearly 40 years ago, Dr. Johns Jewell-Holtz discovered the hormone

GLP-1 that OZMPIC mimics. This week in an interview with Wired magazine, Dr. Holst is claiming, quote, you don't eat through GLP-1 therapy because you've lost interest in food. That may eventually be a problem that once you, you've been on this for a year or two, life is so miserably boring that you can't stand it any longer and you have to go back to your old life. NBC News medical contributor and a good friend of top

story. Dr. Uche Blackstock joins us now. Dr. Blackstock feeling miserable. We've heard so much about OZMPIC, right? There's been so much reporting. This is the first I'm hearing about this. So like I'm a five-year-old, explain it to me. So how does this happen if you're taking OZMPIC? Right. So essentially this medication, it keeps you full. It decreases all that what those cravings you have for food, ice cream, all that good stuff. And so you essentially feel full all the time and you eat less. That's how you lose weight. That's how your diabetes resolves itself.

So you have a beautiful dinner set with all your friends and you get to the dinner table and you haven't eaten anything, but you already feel full. Yeah, you already feel full and you may pick a little bit at whatever is on the dinner table, but you really won't feel like eating much. You almost have an aversion to food. It almost feels like you just don't want to have any of it. And so this is the problem because, you know, You want these people on the medication for a while, but after one to two years of feeling this way, a lot of patients may want to discontinue it.

And he predicts that as well, and he's been obviously working with the drug for a long time. What happens when people get off it? So when they get off, what happens is they end up gaining the weight back again. But that's the part I don't understand because do you not develop a habit? I mean, they say after, you know, what is it, two weeks, you develop a habit. I mean, do they not? So the medication is given most usually weekly, and you have to keep taking it. weekly. It's like it's a maintenance medication.

So once you stop taking it and it wears off and it's out of your system, the effects of it go away. So essentially, you get those cravings again. You start eating like you were eating before. And probably over weeks to months, you end up gaining the weight back and you may even develop diabetes again. We've reported a lot about the cost of Ozzympic, right? If you don't get a prescription for this, it costs a lot of money. Insurance is not covering it. Most people can afford it.

But the people that can, what is happening with the price? because sometimes when drugs come to market, other drugs, companies figure it out, they mimic it, and they offer a better price. Is that happening with Ozmpic? Not yet. It's about $1,000 a month for OZMPIC and WIGOV. So EGOV is the one that's approved for weight loss. But there are other medications, other GLP-1 medications that are out like Mungaro.

It's also the same cost. But even others are on the market and researched. And I think that prices are probably going to go down as the demand increases. Because people see this as a quick fix. You give yourself a shot and you lose weight over. weeks to months. You're a doctor. I feel like Ozempik has sort of kind of been here now for maybe about a year and a half and we've covered it a lot. I'm sure you've seen it with patients. What are you seen and sort of what more are we learning? Because I feel like every three months we sort of learn

like something else about the drug. Well, it's pretty well tolerated. The most common side effects are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. But people should be aware that they can develop pancreatitis, that's inflammation of the pancreas. And there is a rare type of thyroid cancer that can develop also over time. There's some people that don't have these side effects. Right? There's some people, most people tolerate it very, very well. Most do. Yeah, and the nausea vomiting actually resolves after a few weeks on it. What about the issues of muscle loss? Because I've heard that too. Yeah, so what's interesting is when you're on these medications, you have to eat a lot of protein. Because essentially you're starving yourself. And what's going to happen is you'll lose fat, but you'll also lose protein.

And that's in your muscle. So you have to make sure that you're eating enough muscle for your size so that you don't also lose that lean muscle mass as well. Wow. Okay, Dr. Blackstock. Great to have you. We've missed. Good seeing you again. Thanks for all the info. Coming up next, fleeing the flames. We have this incredible video out of India showing students, look at this, repelling down the side of a building that was on fire. What they used to get out, we'll explain. Back now with Top Stories Global Watch, and we begin with the horrific crash on a major Canadian highway. Authorities say a bus carrying more than two dozen people collided with a semi-truck on the Trans-Canada Highway in Manitoba.

At least 15 people were killed and about 10 others injured. Authorities revealing most of the people on the bus were seniors. That highway stretches across all 10 of Canada's provinces. A massive fire breaking out at a tutoring center in India's capital. New video showing students climbing out of windows. Look at this to escape the flames. Lowering themselves down the side of the building with loose wires. Authorities say the blaze started after an electricity meter caught fire.

Luckily, everyone made it out and no one was hurt. That is incredible. And global outrage tonight after a Guatemalan court sentenced an outspoken journalist to six years in prison, Jose Huan Zamora was convicted of money laundering in connection to a $38,000 donation made to his newspaper. Zamora, who has openly criticized the country's government, says the case against him is political persecution. He plans to appeal the decision the U.S. called the verdict a threat to independent journalism and freedom of. of expression. Okay, with that, we want to turn now to the Americas in the latest honor for global superstar Gloria Stefan. Tonight, she becomes the first ever Latina to be inducted into the songwriters' Hall of Fame, and Marissa Para takes a look back at Estefan's life of achievements that help catapult Latin sounds into U.S. pop culture and pave the way for other Latino

artists. Gloria Estefan once again making history. The Cuban-American superstar, now the first Latina ever inducted into the songwriters' Hall of Fame. Honored not only for her award-winning lyrics, she wrote and performed in both English and Spanish, but also for the dozens of songs she's helped write for others, including, of course. Jennifer Lopez's 1999 smash hit, Let's Get Loud. Estefan rose to stardom in the 1980s as the lead vocalist for Miami Sound Machine, alongside her husband, legendary music producer Emilio Estefan. One, two, three, four, come on baby, say you let me.

The band brought Latin flavor and style to American pop music, opening doors for other Latin musicians. It combined the appeal of pop in English with the flavor and freshness of the Latin rhythms. it sounded like nothing else back then. But as she climbed the charts in the U.S., Gloria never strayed far from her own roots. Her 1993 Spanish language album, My Tierra, or My Homeland, pays tribute to Cuba, where she was born before her family fled to Miami in 1959 during the Cuban Revolution. And the Grammy go. My theater, Gloria.

Yes, Gloria. The album, winning us. Stefan, her first three Grammys. Many Latin artists, both in the U.S. and abroad, have looked up to Gloria as a singer-songwriter, as a performer, and as a testament that success can be achieved in the United States, regardless of your background. Her mainstream success would continue to skyrocket through the 90s, co-writing the official theme song of the 1996 Summer Olympics with Diane Warren. Bringing salsa to the Super Bowl halftime show in 1999. Across four decades, she sold over 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling female artists of all time. In 2015, her beats brought her to the White House when she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Even the Obamas couldn't help feeling the rhythm. With a store on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a Kennedy Center honor, her very own Barbie doll, is Stefan's incredible impact immortalized in a Broadway show, named none other than get on your feet. And the Stefan's still at it, recently releasing a Christmas album with her daughter, Emily, and grandson Sasha, even appearing in the reboot of Father of the Bride. Do you still want this marriage to work or not? I'm here. No.

The Queen of Latin pop, clearly not done yet. With another history-making moment under her belt, she's keeping the industry on their toes and the world on their feet. Rissapara, NBC News. A big congrats to Gloria, and we thank Marissa for that story. Coming up, the emotional struggle facing immigrant families, a powerful new documentary showing how children are acting as translators for their parents, providing a critical lifeline in an unfamiliar new world.

the filmmaker and one of the families right here to tell their story. My name is Hattie, and I'm 13 years old. I live with my mom, dad, and little sister. My name is Denzel, and I am 11 years old. My name is Virginia, and I am 16 years old. It was super difficult for me to learn English. Did you have difficulty understanding your book? I'm the only one that can actually speak English,

so I'm the only one that can help my parents. They don't get English classes like I do. They are at work doing everything they can for me and my brother. When I grow up, I don't know if I'm going to be there for help them and translate. The thing I really appreciate about you, Denzel, is that you don't give up. I always think it's a responsibility very great for you? What, if I'm equivocal, saying something? That was a trailer from the short documentary translators.

That shows the life of three kids as they navigate school and extracurricular. curricular activities, while also serving as translators for their parents, a reality for so many immigrant children in the U.S. Most recently, the documentary was featured at the Tribeca Film Festival and just won an award. And tonight, we are so lucky to be joined by the director, Rudy Valdez, and Virginia and Wendy Vasquez, whose story is featured in the documentary. Thank you to you all for being here tonight. Muchis my gracias. Rudy, I'm going to start with you. So how did you come up with the idea? Yeah, what's interesting is, you know, this sort of came to me in a way that other films don't. It actually came to me from U.S. Bank who had been doing research because they,

you know, in their communities, they were noticing that in their banks, there were children who were there translating for their parents or their grandparents and small business owners and things. And they started to do a little bit of research around what that means because they want to connect with their clients. And they came up with these stats or found these stats of 11 million translators, kid translators in our country, which is a staggering amount in a third of Hispanic households don't speak English. And so they came to me and said, we want to tell sort of a larger story about this.

And so we set out to go and tell that story and sort of a broader way to bring it to the forefront. Virginia, you know, you're obviously one of the stars of this documentary. They profile you. Do you feel any type of pressure, or is this just everyday life for you? Well, at the beginning it was,

because I didn't manage English very well. but now that I have a lot of practice it's an everyday thing now and since I have so much practice it's so easy for me and I have no problem with it at some point I get a lot of pressure not only with translating but I have any other stuff on me but I just like try to keep going and take a break and all I want all I can think is just that I need to help her or my dad or whoever needs my help And it's such a daily thing now that it doesn't take me a lot. Wendy, you know, you're college educated, both you and your husband, and yet you come to this country, and you have to have your teenage daughter translate for you.

That has to be difficult. I'm going to ask you in Spanish, too, for you understand. It's difficult to have your daughter, that's so young, to have to work so to translate all in, if some bills, if a sit with the doctor, all of that. Yes, it's and a sometimes I think

that I'm more than what she's a school basically, which is what we're going that we're

going to and see ahead. And in these moments I think in the things basic

I try to make my more effort for to understand, for to learn for that

not a pressure for her but is a strong for her

but I have to think there's also some pride there right because your daughter is stepping up

and she's helping the family. I have to think that you also have to do you because you're helping to the family. Summantly

orgoyous, is really, that Virginia has been our, like we said in the video, our energy, our force,

our support. We don't, we canbem of the felicity, the orgoyoso of what she has done,

and has helped us to do you have done to us. It's very gratificante for us as

father. The effort that we've actually has given the fruit. Well, it's, it's valid a pain, and all with love and with effort, it's got to be. I mean, I got to tell you, like, it really got to me when you hear a little Denzel

and he's 11 years old, it breaks your heart. How did you find the families? It was tough. You know, we did sort of a nationwide search looking for people who fit this criteria, but also, you know, just people who would be comfortable in front of the camera, and, you know, we spoke to

a lot of families across the country This is a very common thing that happens, and I'll be honest, there was a lot of luck. I mean, to be able to find people like Virginia and Wendy who are not only comfortable in front of the camera and able to speak to me in a way, and I explain their situation in a way that feels so natural and really just allow us into their homes. I mean, there was a lot of luck involved with that when we finally started filming with these three subjects. Yeah. We actually have another clip from the film.

We want to show this one as well. I don't know if they're going to be to the level where they can understand it and speak it. I don't know if I'm going to be there for helping to translate. So this is a tough time in the film, right? Because you're getting older, 16, soon you're going to be off to college. Do you worry that maybe you won't be able to go away to school if there's an opportunity there because you don't want to leave your parents who don't speak English perfectly just yet? Oh, yeah, I am worried.

But I'm also, I love my family a lot, and not only because I need to translate for them, I just know that if I leave, I'm going to come back. And if they call me, I'm going to come back. And I really don't want to, like, go too far. So at the beginning of the film, like I said, I didn't want to stay in town and close to them. But through the time, that might change. I don't know what other possibilities might come in my way. but I feel my baby brother is going to stay alone

and he's learning English as well and I know that when he's going to keep growing up I know he's going to be there to help them and since he saw me translating for them I hopefully think that he's going to do it for them too and I know that if my parents need me I will try my best to do as much as I can to help them and I'll just be there for them

like they have always been there for me. Rudy people are sharing they're coming up to you I know you guys screened at Tribeca, but people are coming up to you saying, this is my story, and there's a way for people to share their experiences? Yes, hashtag translators film. I mean, one of the things that's happening after all the screenings is we have this long line of people coming up and saying, this is my story, this is my story, I feel seen. And I think, you know, we want to make sure that everyone feels seen and everyone feels heard,

so we're giving them an opportunity to share their story because, you know, we were able to find these three amazing families to film with. but this idea of being a translator so nuanced and so different, we want to be able to share all of those stories and give everyone a platform to be able to share their experience. Rudy, Virginia, Wendy, thank you so much. Muchissimo Gracia. It's a very, very powerful film,

and we invite you all to watch as well. Thanks so much for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yamis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way. Thank you.