Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Episode Date: April 18, 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, dangerous storms on the move after tornadoes carve a path of destruction across the Midwest. Violent twisters touching down in at least four states, severe storms ripping apart homes and businesses. Trees ripped from their roots. In Michigan, lawmakers evacuating the house floor as tornado sirens go off. 24 million Americans in the threat zone tonight as storms charge east. the areas on alert tomorrow as the system refuses to let up. Also tonight, Republican impeachment fail. The Senate rejecting impeachment articles against DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas,

the contentious showdown, capping off a high-stakes day on Capitol Hill, as in battlehouse speaker Mike Johnson, releases separate aid packages on Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, the mounting pressure he faces to carry the measures over the finish line. An NBA player banned for life, the out-of-bound side hustle just exposed. Toronto Raptors Jonte Porter thrown out of the league for betting on NBA games, even tapping out of a match to help other gamblers win big. Pulled from the flames, jaw-dropping video capturing the moment a neighbor rescues two people from a burning house. The man risking his own life, climbing onto that roof, to drag a man trapped inside to safety.

Plus, can OZemPEC stop you from snoring? The potential new option for millions of Americans suffering from sleep apnea. We speak with a doctor and sleep expert about how it works. And what about those with sleep apnea who don't need to lose weight? We're going to explain it all. And 100 days to the games, Paris gearing up for the Summer Olympics, the venues at iconic sites like the Eiffel Tower, officially coming to life.

We take you to the city of lights as excitement soars ahead of the history-making games. Top story. It starts right now. All right, good evening. Tonight, 24 million people on alert. Dangerous storms charge across the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. This after a violent system ravaged the Midwest. Take a look at this.

Severe storms, unleashing numerous tornadoes, massive twisters, forcing people to take cover across at least four states. And in Michigan today, look at this lawmakers. evacuating the house chambers as tornado alerts went off. Officials sheltering in place there in an underground parking garage. Pretty incredible. In Iowa, dash cam video capturing the intense lightning strikes that happened there near a highway as thunderstorms rumbled through.

And the storms leaving a trail of destruction. In Missouri, roofs ripped off homes and businesses, trailers flipped over. Trees left mangled on top of a child swing set, damaging winds, toppling power lines. And tonight, power outages are climbing. These storms are far from over, more than $20 million on alert as this multi-day threat stretches into tomorrow. NBC meteorologist Bill Kerrins is with us now. Bill, the Midwest got hit pretty hard. Walk us through where this thing is headed and what's happening. Yeah, after 20 tornadoes yesterday, everyone wanted to know what was the same storm going to do today over highly populated areas of Ohio, Michigan, and now heading into Pennsylvania.

Here's the good number. No tornado reports today. Zero. We've had wind reports. We've had hail reports. A lot of hail in the last two hours around Columbus. Ohio and we're still watching the strong line of storm capable of 60 to 70 mile per hour winds knocking power out now into Pennsylvania. Tornado watch is up until midnight. So just because we haven't had any tornadoes, doesn't mean we still can't get one to spin up. And as we take a look at the current warnings, all of the oranges areas that we could see the damaging wind gusts. Right now we got about 30 to 40,000 people without power. Notice this little red polygon to the north here. There is a little spin showing up here on radar, a little rotation. This is a tornado warning in northeastern Ohio, just north of the Warren area. I've got to like see a little hook in here.

So that's a radar indicated. So we'll let you know if we have any reports of anything spins out of that. And this is that time of year, Tom, that we're going to do this just about each and every day. Tomorrow, once again, with a new storm system, elevated risk of severe storm St. Louis to Paducah, back down to Little Rock. Dallas is included in this too. And if we have tornadoes at this time tomorrow, the most likely spot would be here in southern Illinois, including areas around St. Louis. Okay, we'll keep our eye on all of that tomorrow. bill, we appreciate that, and now to Washington and the major meltdown happening

on Capitol Hill. Tonight, Senate Democrats blocking efforts to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas. This is the House moves to push substantial aid bill sending billions of dollars to the growing conflicts across the globe. NBC's Ryan Noble breaks this down for us.

Tonight, an impeachment showdown in the Senate, with Democrats essentially dismissing charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a of hours. Here are ye. Here are ye. Arguing the impeachment by House Republicans was unconstitutional.

To validate this gross abuse by the House would be a grave mistake and could set a dangerous precedent for the future. But Republicans blasting the move to not hold a trial, arguing Democrats are defying hundreds of years of Senate precedent. This process must not be abused. It must not be short-circuited. history will not judge this moment well. House Republicans accused Majorcas of willfully ignoring immigration laws with a record 9.3 million

migrants crossing into the U.S. during the Biden administration. Majorcas calls the accusations baseless. Democrats say there's no impeachable offense. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson facing off with his own party tonight, releasing his plan for aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan in three separate packages. Combined, the proposal would provide. $95 billion in funding and is very similar to the already passed Senate bill that bundled the plans together. Though in Johnson's proposal, $9.5 billion of Ukraine aid is through loans, not grants, a demand of former President Trump. But bringing Ukraine aid to the floor means Johnson is putting his

job in danger. House conservatives railed against the plan. I don't think we should be throwing $95 billion overseas when we have wide open borders and American people are being in danger. Tonight, Johnson arguing the stakes around the world are too high. I'm doing here what I believe to be the right thing. I think providing lethal aid to Ukraine right now is critically important. If that, Ryan Nobles joins us tonight from Capitol Hill. So, Ryan, let's pick up right there. It sounds like Speaker Johnson is trying to take the high road.

He says it's the right thing to do. Is it going to cost him the gavel? It very well could, Tom. And this is a market shift in the way that Mike Johnson has talked about Ukraine, basically from his entire time in Congress. Remember, he voted against Ukraine aid before he became Speaker of the House. But he said now that he is in that job, he receives these classified briefings that he did not receive before. And he believes that the threat is real and that there is a real danger for democracy toppling in that part of Europe. And that's part of the reason

that he believes it is important to put Ukraine aid on the floor. And he says if it costs him his job, he's not worried about it. But there are several conservative Republicans who view this as a red line and are ready to move forward with a motion to vacate as a result. So listen, he's taking some major positions here, right? And it could cost him the gavel. He's also showing that he can evolve on issues. Do Democrats want to work with Speaker Johnson, or would they like to see more infighting within the Republican Party? Well, they are really holding their fire. That is for sure, Tom. And there was a lot of credit given to Speaker Johnson because he's taken this step. And Democrats still do want to go

through the fine details of this legislation before fully endorsing it. But you are The party saw the White House say that they want this plan passed as soon as possible, and we have seen some Democrats say that they would be willing to step up and help defend Johnson if there was an attack from his conservative flank to try and remove him from his job. We have to see how that process plays itself out. There will obviously have to be some conversations between the leadership of the Democratic Party and rank-and-file members, but there does appear to be at least some momentum toward this idea of not throwing the House of Representatives back into the chaos that we saw over the fall

and finding a way to preserve Speaker Johnson's job, especially if aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan ultimately passes and is signed into law. You know, I know Speaker Johnson was down there with former President Trump at Mar-Lago last week. The former president was asked recently about Speaker Johnson. He didn't really give a ringing endorsement. Does the former president still have the juice to fix those problems with the Republican Party, help Johnson out and essentially call the dogs off within the conservative wings of the party? Tom, he absolutely does. But the question is, is he willing to extend himself in that fashion?

In general, when there are challenges like this for allies of Donald Trump, he tends to only concern himself with himself, not the person who could potentially be his ally. But there is some utility for Donald Trump in that if there is chaos in the House Republican caucus, that could reflect negatively on him because he is the de facto leader of the Republican Party. You know, Johnson did make some changes to this legislation as a result of Donald Trump's urging, turning the Ukraine aid from just an outright handout to Ukraine to a forgivable loan. So that is something showing that Donald Trump's having an impact on all of this. Donald Trump has yet to give that full-throated public endorsement of Mike Johnson,

but Johnson has said that he's in regular contact with the president and that the president supports him and his efforts to stay in this speakership. All right, Ryan Noble's another great report and analysis. We appreciate that. We want to stay on Capitol Hill, though. Today, top officials of Columbia University were questioned about their handling of recent incidents of anti-Semitism on the campus.

This coming, of course, after the presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania resigned following their testimony at the end of last year. NBC News, Senior Capitol Hill Correspondent Garrett Hake, has this one. New York's Columbia University tonight, again a flashpoint in the rise in anti-Semitism on college campuses.

As pro-Palestinian protests continue across the country and Jewish students report being targeted or feeling unsafe. I feel a tremendous amount of hostility towards me. Columbia's leadership testifying before a House committee today investigating its response to recent incidents of anti-Semitism. President Manu Sheffik says that's included curtailing access to campus and stiffening penalties for unapproved protests. Anti-Semitism has no place on our campus and I am personally committed. to doing everything I can to confront it directly. Administrators press to respond to some of the most appalling examples of anti-Semitism. Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Columbia's Code of Conduct?

Mr. Greenwald? Yes, it does. Ms. Shipman? Yes, it does. Dr. Chafee. Yes, it does. Columbia's leaders clearly prepared after the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard's presidents stumbled over the same line of questioning last year, ultimately resigning their post.

That calling for the genocide of Jews violates Harvard Code of Conduct, correct? Again, it depends on the context. It does not depend on the context. The answer is yes, and this is why you should resign. Some questioning focused on work and commentary of certain faculty members. Support of terrorism is acceptable if you're a Columbia professor? Not at all. Some Democrats criticized the Republican-led committee, noting they've now held three.

hearings on anti-Semitism on college campuses and none on bills designed to actually combat the problem. Tom? All right, Garrett Hake, also there on Capitol Hill for us. Next tonight, the new development and a massive settlement between the Justice Department and the victims of former USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. Reports saying a deal appears to be in the works over the failure of the DOJ to act on reports of abuse of star athletes by Nassar. NBC's Ann Thompson is this one. How much is a little girl worth? A potential answer tonight to Simone Biles' question at a Senate hearing on the FBI's failure to take seriously gymnast complaints of sexual abuse by Dr. Larry Nassar.

Two sources familiar with the negotiations tell NBC News, the Justice Department is far along in settlement talks with Nassar's victims. The final amount, the sources say, is likely to be close to $100 million, an amount first reported by the Wall Street Journal. In 2021, Biles and her fellow gymnasts described how the Bureau ignored them. The agent diminished the significance of my abuse. It made me feel my criminal case wasn't worth pursuing. Michaela Maroney says she told the FBI of her abuse before she told her mom. They allowed a child molester to go free for more than a year. And this inaction directly allowed Nassar's abuse to continue.

By one estimate, Nassar abused at least 70 more gymnasts after the FBI was first told. The Justice Department Inspector General in a scathing report found multiple failures and policy violations by the Indianapolis Field Office, which first handled the Nassar allegations. Nassar is serving what amounts to a life sentence in prison, while his victims now may be near some kind of justice. Ann Thompson, NBC News. Okay, now to the whistleblowers making startling allegations about safety problems with Boeing. It comes one day after one of them broke their silence in an NBC News exclusive interview. Now lawmakers from both parties are demanding answers in those hearings. Here's NBC's Tom Costello with that follow-up.

Today, two hearings with Boeing in the crosshairs. Boeing is in a moment of reckoning. As a former FAA engineer, a former Boeing engineer, and a current engineer all told senators, Boeing is putting production and profits ahead of safety. Effectively, they are putting out defective airplanes. Engineer Sam Salapur, who told us Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, has a potentially fatal flaw. Would you put your family on a 787 right now? Right now I would not.

Today, telling senators he warned Boeing the 787's fuselage could break apart. I raised concerns internally. I was sidelined. I was told to shut up. But Boeing is pushing back hard, insisting it to. does not tolerate retaliation. And after more than 4.2 million flights, 13 years of service, and extensive stress testing, it has zero evidence of airframe fatigue.

Today, the CEO of United Airlines with 70 Dreamliners said he's not concerned. I am totally confident. The 77 is a safe airplane. In the hearing room, relatives of the 346 people who died in two maxache crashes overseas, demanding change at Boeing. There was no accountability. Not a single person from Boeing went to jail. Also today, a panel of outside experts commissioned by the Senate reporting back on Boeing's culture. They hear safety is our number one priority. But what they see is that that's only true as long as your production milestones are met.

Boeing's culture and safety management needs drastic improvement. Boeing says it will act on the panel's findings, but it insists safety already comes first. Tom. Okay, Tom, thanks for that. Now, to the latest update in those deadly wildfires that devastated Maui last August. A new 400-page report released today revealing key details on the fire and the response. Hawaii's Attorney General and Fire Safety Leaders addressing the findings in a press conference this evening. Let's get right to NBC Steve Patterson, who joins us live from Los Angeles with the latest. So, Steve, talk to us about the major takeaways from this report.

Yeah, Tom, first of all, I think it's most important to note that the report is essentially an extremely, detailed timeline of what happened during the fire. It is part one of three from the AG, meant to simply lay up the facts so that later portions of the reporting have clear receipts for making recommendations. So full stop, we start there. That being said, looking at this, there are clear and consistent breakdowns in communications between Maui's mayor and top state and local officials. And it's clear that those communications breakdowns made it more difficult to realize how serious of a situation this was. In fact, the report details conversations from the mayor, realizing very slowly how serious things are in Lahaina, giving the impression

of what residents have been saying for months that many officials were woefully unprepared for the danger that was being forecasted before that fire hit. But as far as anyone being blamed or a cause being laid out or something even immediately actionable, that's not what this is. Yeah, and I was going to ask you about that, right? Because those would be the head lines. Do we know where we'll get some of those answers? So the investigation into the cause, we should say, is being handled by the ATF. We are hearing that those findings are at least several months away, which may line up with the next phase of this AG report expected in about six months or so, Tom. If those two things meet, it would make a whole lot of sense for the next

phase. And then how is the report playing in Hawaii? Yeah, so I spoke to several residents today, one that I think you've interviewed on the ground here in Lawrence. She is saying, and the ones that I spoke to, you know, obviously there's some disappointment. I think a lot of people thought they would be getting direct answers about how this fire started and who is to blame. We've had two reports back-to-back, an action report yesterday, today's Attorney General report. Neither one of those is addressing sort of the baseline factors of people who have now been out of their homes for eight months. These people want answers. And that is the primary thing that she said above even housing. his answers on why this happened, who's to blame, and where this investigation goes. Next, those answers simply aren't ready and available yet. All right, Steve Patterson, with that big update, Steve, we appreciate that. Still ahead tonight, the NBA player banned from the league, a member of the Toronto Raptors, accused of placing tens of thousands of dollars in sports bets. The allegations he may have also given inside info to betters and manipulated his own performance for a payout.

Plus, new video showing a man climbing onto a roof to rescue his two neighbors from a burning home the moment he realized he needed to jump into action. And Caitlin Clark smashing another record while sales of her new WNBA jersey are putting Clark in a league of her own. Stay with us. All right, we're back down with the sports betting scandal rocking the NBA. The league issuing a permanent band of Toronto Raptors player, Jonte Porter, for rocking up thousands in illegal bets. Porter even gambling on his own team.

Here's Sam Brock with more details. Tonight, the NBA is doling out a lifetime ban to Raptors forward Jontay Porter Jr. After a league investigation uncovered blatant violations of our gaming rules. Porter is accused of manipulating his own performance and tipping off betters, which Commissioner Adam Silver commented on days ago. It's Cardinal Sin, you know, that what he's accused of in the NBA. Porter is the first active player or coach expelled from the league for gambling. in 70 years.

Adam Silver had no choice but to drop the hammer today. According to a league investigation, Porter placed at least 13 bets on NBA games, netting about $22,000, shared confidential information about his own health status to a known NBA better and limited his own game participation to influence the outcome of bets tied to his performance. He then gets into a game against the Sacramento Kings and within three minutes takes himself out saying that he's sick. He only played three minutes. He didn't take shots. He didn't get rebounds. So he underperforms. They win the bet. NBC News was unable to reach Porter for comment. The rush of attention around professional sports leagues and gambling.

All the stars with all your friends is coincided with those same leagues going into business with the gambling companies. How are we going to integrate gambling into professional sports while simultaneously making sure that the players aren't gambling? It's the most important thing. What he did speaks to the heart of why this is. such a bad idea to have leagues partner with gambling companies. A new terrain that leagues like the NBA must now navigate. All right, Sam, Brock, joins us tonight from Miami. So, Sam, how did NBA officials find out about Porter's betting scheme? And can we expect the league to make any changes when it comes to their partnerships with gambling companies? Sure.

So, Tom, it's not like Jonte Porter is, you know, a household name in the NBA. He barely plays. And yet, on March 20th for a basketball game, a wager was placed on. on a Porter Parlay, which is one of those combo bets for $80,000. And the winner, obviously, won the bet, would have been a million plus bucks. The NBA stepped in and said, wait a minute, this makes no sense, starts to investigate and then realizes that Porter had gambled or bet on 13 other games, and that includes another parlay or combo bet where he bet on his own team, the Toronto Raptors, to lose.

That was an immediate red flag right there. It's how we end up where we are right now. As for what sort of changes might be afoot here, there is so much money being. made by the NBA and other sports leagues, not just with sponsorships from gambling companies, but also the individual NBA teams, some of them, have set up shops in their arenas for the gambling company so people can just come in and place their bets. Everyone's making money hand over foot. I would not expect any sort of severance in that relationship. However, prop bets on player performance, like what happened here, that could go away, conceivably, experts say,

as a result of these events. Yeah, you mentioned John Tay Porter and he hasn't commented. What What is the players union saying? So this is interesting. The players union came right out with a statement today. They said, look, we represent 450 NBA players. Their best interests holistically is what we're looking at right now. And they said, you know, this is the integrity of the game and also of the athletes that's at stake. We do not support any sort of violations of the gambling policies by the NBA.

But we do support Jonte Porter, at least having accesses to the resources that he needs. And hopefully, you know, he's able to get due process. and we'll see where the chips fall, Tom. Okay. Sam Brock for us, Sam, we appreciate that. Next to a heart-stopping rescue caught on camera in eastern PA. A man climbing to the top floor of a burning home to rescue his neighbors. Plumes of thick smoke surrounding them just before the house is overtaken by flames. Thanks to him, everyone involved is expected to be okay,

our Ellison Barber with that incredible video tonight. Get out! Come on! A life-saving act of bravery caught on camera. Come on. A Pennsylvania man being hailed a hero by officials after rescuing two of his neighbors who were stuck inside of a burning home. Oh my God, get him! The man identified as Oscar Rivera speaking with WFMZ TV. I was in the backyard with my kids playing, and all the sign, we hear boom.

And I looked at the guy who was on top of the roof, like on the window sticking out, saying, help me, help me. And then that's when the adrenaline came and I just started jumping, jump and jump. Eyewitness video showing the terrifying moments after Rivera climbs the three-story home. Thick smoke is seen pouring out of a house as Rivera tries to pull a man out of a window. Onlookers screaming in horror. Grab his pants! Grab his pants! After some struggle, Rivera is eventually able to get the man to safety.

The smoke blew. So I had to move out the way. And then that's when I grabbed them and he was burned and I just pulled them out. His community applauding his courageous act before firefighters climbed to the roof to help. Two people pulled from the home were hospitalized. But the town's mayor says Rivera is the reason they're expected to survive. Ellison Barber, NBC News. Wow, what a rescue.

Okay, we thank Ellison for that. When we come back, the new drug. that could help Americans suffering from sleep apnea. A new drug in clinical trials reducing symptoms of sleep apnea by more than 60%. So will the medication replace CPAP machines and could it also be used to treat heart disease? Dr. Carol Ash joins us to break down

what you need to know next. Okay, we're back down with Top Stories News Feed. We start with an update on the kidnapping of a nine. year old in New York last September. Craig Ross Jr. sent it today to 47 years to life for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a girl who went missing from a state park. You may remember she had been on a bike ride and never returned. Her disappearance prompting a massive days-long search, police arresting Ross after he tried to drop a ransom note at the girl's house. She was found alive in his camper. Arizona Republicans once again blocking efforts to repeal a near

total abortion ban. Earlier this month, the state Supreme Court giving the green light to revive the written in 1864. It gives no exceptions for rape or incest. The court's decision has received criticism by both Democrats and Republicans, including former President Trump. The law could take effect in less than two months. Arizona Democrats tried repeatedly to repeal it. An Iowa Hawkeye star turned pro, Caitlin Clark, smashed yet another record. According to sportswear retailer fanatics, her new Indiana fever jersey is the top earning jersey ever for a first round draft pick across any sport. Fanatic says that her jersey is already sold out

and restocked jerseys will not arrive until late August after a record-setting career at Iowa. Clark was picked number one in the WNBA draft on Monday. Okay, we want to turn out of some major health news that could impact millions of Americans suffering from sleep apnea. New trials from drug company Eli Lilly show their weight loss drug, Zepbound, help produce irregular breathing episodes by as much as 63 percent

These results coming as evidence shows other weight loss and diabetes drugs on the market could have additional health benefits. For more on this, I'm joined now by Dr. Carol Ash. He's a board-certified internal medicine doctor and an expert in sleep and pulmonary health. Dr. Ash, thanks so much for joining Top Story. So walk us through. Tell us what this drug was intended for and how it's helping with sleep apnea. Well, you know, all the excitement over these weight loss drugs that originally came about, GLP is the fancy word.

It's a glucagon-like peptide that suppresses your appetite. And studies now are showing that it can do more than actually reduce your weight. And as you're suggesting, improve sleep apnea and even reduce cardiac disease. So significant findings with these drugs. Do you know, explain it to us. You're a sleep specialist. How would that work? Well, so most people that have obstructive sleep apnea have sleep apnea because they have extra fatty deposits in the back of the tongue and in the throat.

And when you go to sleep at night, your airway, the tone is lost, so it starts to narrow down. So if you have fatty deposits, it's going to narrow the airway further and the potential for it to collapse. So people who are overweight usually have issues also with sleep apnea? Yeah, very commonly. So if you're not overweight, could you take the drug to help with your sleep apnea? Well, if you're not overweight, it would probably not be as effective. There's people who have large tonsils. It wouldn't be a benefit in that.

And your face shape can cause you to have sleep apnea as well. taking this medicine it helps you lose some weight and the side benefit is that you are also your sleep apnea you get rid of that it will come back to sleep apnea if you keep the weight loss off usually correct but you have to continue to take the drug so um this is pretty much a lifelong drug but sleep apnea for people that are having trouble losing weight is deadly when you say it's lifelong why because people you don't think can pick up the habit once they stop eating you think those cravings those urges to eat more will come back right away well typically most people that are going on the drug, have worked with their doctor, and they've done all the usual things to

try and lose the weight, the exercise, the diet, and they may have a health problem that's contributing to their ability to lose the weight. So, yes, it would be lifelong. But again, the risks that are associated with obesity, the decrease in longevity, the cardiac disease, and the same thing with sleep apnea. It's a significant move forward for those people that are struggling with it. Right. So we just know that last month Medicare said it's going to cover Wagovi because of the, it helps with heart disease. as well so that's huge right because now you have insurance companies come into this game as well do you see them covering this for sleep apnea is that the next phase i think it will i think you know

this this is really everybody knows somebody on this drug right is very or with sleep apnea yeah correct so and and the studies are showing more and more and more obesity sleep disorders are significant problems in terms of your longevity your long-term health the cardiac disease the risk of strokes, and it's likely going to be something that all insurances will pay for in the future. So explain this to me, since you're an expert here, the CPAP machines that people use, those masks they use that's attached to that device, insurance covers those devices? Absolutely. So in theory, I mean, they should cover this if it helps with sleep apnea, correct?

Correct. I mean, they always want to see the studies, right? Are we paying for something that's really going to get the outcomes you're looking for? So that's why these are groundbreaking significant studies. They're showing the results. In fact, we know, and we will tell patients who have sleep apnea, if you lose 10% of your body weight, you're likely to get rid of it. This actually up to 20% of your body weight was lost on this drug.

So it's really a significant... Wait, go back to that. You're saying if you lose 10% of your body weight, you don't have to usually use the CPAP machines is what you're saying? Correct. If you can lose 10%, it likely will resolve the sleep apnea for you. So this drug dropped body weight by 20% and a marked reduction in the sleep apnea. You know, it almost sounds too good to be true, you know, you even, we've done stories where

people say this helps people stop smoking, gambling, it almost stops all urges, and now it can help with sleep apnea. I mean, does it kind of worry you? Is that this is, is it a miracle drug? Well, sleep apnea is significant, so I'm glad to see another treatment in the toolbox to help patients. There are consequences to these weight loss drugs. We know that it can cause muscle atrophy, and it can cause GI symptoms.

So, you know, you don't want to take it lightly. You want to work with a doctor. Truly, though, you have, if you have obesity or you have sleep apnea and you're struggling to use the CPAP or you're struggling to lose the weight, then it is a good option. Is this something that you can prescribe? Yes, any physician can prescribe. And are you thinking about doing this for sleep apnea? Are you waiting for more studies? Well, it makes sense.

I mean, you've seen significant weight loss in people that have just been using it for obesity. And so we've known for a long time, weight is a contributor. You've already seen these cases sort of work. people, your patients that are on this treatment, the sleep apnea is going away. Correct, absolutely. Okay, you put them in your sleep lab, you find out, see how they're sleeping, and it works. They're like, thank you, Dr. Ash, I don't need you anymore. Yeah, right, it puts you out of business.

Anyways, Dr. Ash, thank you for explaining this, because I know it can be confusing to people because there's so much attention on these drugs. Yes. Thanks for having me, Tom. All right. Okay, time now for Top Stories Global Watch and a check of what else is happening around the world. We start with a massive volcanic eruption in Indonesia. New video showing lava spewing from Mount Wrong. Ash reportedly shooting 70,000 feet in the air.

So far, no reports of any injuries, but hundreds of people have been evacuated. Residents and tourists urge to stay at least three miles away from the volcano's crater. Ecuador declared a national emergency as a drought persist in the region. The country now rationing electricity in major cities and warning residents to prepare for blackouts. The drought linked to this year's El Nino, depleted reservoirs and a straining hydroelectric plant. that produce 75% of Ecuador's power. Colombia has also stopped electricity exports to its neighbor as both countries feel the droughts impacts.

And the U.S. will reimpose sanctions on Venezuela. The U.S. Treasury Department moving to reinstate sanctions on the country's natural gas sector, just months since removing them. They were initially removed due to President Maduro's commitment to fair upcoming elections. However, U.S. officials say he is not upholding that commitment after his leading opposition candidate

was blocked from registering to run for president. We had to Dubai now a massive storm bringing the city, grinding to a halt. Heavy rains flooding roads and runways, straining some passengers for more than 24 hours at one of the world's busiest airports. That same system killing at least 18 people in neighboring Oman. NBC foreign correspondent Josh Letterman has this one. The scenes in Soaked Dubai tonight look apocalyptic. Roads turned into rivers, trees barely still standing as wind sends debris

flying. The tarmac flooded at Dubai International Airport, the second busiest in the world. Imagine being a passenger on this plane battling rising waters, seeing this out your window. For hours, flights were halted as stranded passengers piled up. Tonight, Dubai airport telling passengers don't show up unless you've confirmed your flight still leaving. There are hundreds and thousands of other passengers just like me in this airport who have been waiting for 10 hours, 16 hours. In 24 hours, Dubai drenched with more rain than the city usually gets in nearly two years, shattering records in a desert metropolis known for being hot and dry. Since the UAE started keeping track of rainfall in 1949, it's never seen anything like this. So this is not

a time lapse. This is real. I've never seen this much lightning in my life before. This is crazy. The extreme rainfall disrupting life across the region. Private schools closed and government workers sent home with many roads impassable. A cat clinging to a car in water as high as the headlights saved by a rescuer in a boat. This historic rain has turned deadly. At least one man killed in Dubai when his car was swept away. While in neighboring Oman, authorities say at least 18 were killed in flash flooding. Dozens more rescue, some by helicopter. And in nearby Pakistan, the death toll has now surpassed 60, officials say. In the UAE, the unprecedented rain is raising concerns about something called cloud seeding, which the UAE has been doing for years.

Cloud seeding is an attempt to get more water out of clouds. This is largely by making the droplets larger and more able to survive. Cloud seeding uses airplanes to disperse chemicals like silver iodine inside clouds to give moisture something to cling to. Badly needed in deserts like the Gulf, but not when it falls this fast. The UAE's National Center of Meteorology says no cloud seating took place during this rainfall. but doesn't deny cloud seeding flights took place in the days before. But weather experts say it was unlikely a factor, given how the whole region was inundated with rain.

The weather system that produced the rain in Dubai is over hundreds of kilometers, really very many organized thunderstorms. There's a real mismatch between what you might do in a local way with ceding and this regional rainfall we've seen over a really wide area. Tonight, Dubai is cleaning up from the chaos and bracing for more extreme weather to come. Across the globe, extreme weather events are becoming more common due to climate change, with the warmer atmosphere soaking up moisture and then dumping it in massive storms like the ones in Dubai. Tom?

All right, Josh Letterman for us. Coming up, the six-figure phone bill, a Florida man receiving a $143,000 T-Mobile statement after a month-long trip to Switzerland. The mistake he says he made with roaming data that sell users should know about. Stay with us. all right we are back now with one couple's very expensive trip to switzerland but surprisingly neither airfare nor hotels were to blame this time instead a whopping one hundred forty three thousand dollar phone bill waiting for them when they got home what that couple did to rack up such an enormous charge and how they got it reversed mbc stephen robo has the story traveling

overseas can be pricey but a hundred forty three thousand dollars for a cell phone bill was not That's something the Raymond's budgeted for during their European vacation. I'm getting ready to pay all my bills. I look at the T-Mobile bill and I thought it was $143. And I said, oh, that's reasonable. And then when I get on the computer, I look at there's three more digits behind that. The couple traveled to Switzerland for three and a half weeks last fall, but the biggest surprise happened when they got home and saw that T-Mobile had billed them well into six

figures for sending and receiving data. Were you watching movies or what was, do you know what it was for? No, I'm not a, I'm not 20 years old anymore, okay? So I do very little on my phone. I'm not on YouTube. I'm not on Facebook. I'm not on the, what's it, Twitter. I'm not on, I am not on any social media network.

Renee Raymond, who works in property management in Tampa, says he and his wife travel often, and they know to first alert the phone company when they'll be leaving the U.S. This time, Renee says he went to a T-Mobile store and told employees about their trip. He says they told him they were covered for international roaming. So during their three-week trip, they used their phones and sent messages without batting an eye. And never any trouble with your phone bill before? No, heck, no, never. Never. Not even close. Not even close. And I've done the same thing. After finally getting that bill, the couple realized they were not covered and instead we're on the hook for $143,000 for 9.5 gigabytes of roaming data.

Analysts say the average smartphone user goes through about 21 gigabytes each month. Renee called T-Mobile and hoped to get that price adjusted. So I media called T-Mobile, and they put me on hold, says, yes, Mr. Raymond, this is a good bill. It's a good bill. Maybe good for you, but not good for me. What happened here? And she couldn't come up with an explanation. T-Mobile said it worked with Raymond to resolve the issue.

Writing in a statement, we always recommend that customers double-checked the travel coverage in their wireless plans to understand their international data roaming terms, adding that it notifies customers before roaming charges start. After getting a lawyer and local media involved, the couple says T-Mobile called and told them they were getting a credit for the full amount. Of course, by then I was already with Verizon. All right. Stephen Romo joins us in studio. Stephen, it's good that you sort of figured out how this happened, we think. He got the charges reversed, which is the most important thing. What can people do when they're traveling to make sure that they don't come back from a great vacation? They have a $100,000-plus phone bill? Yeah, you don't want that wake-up call. T-Mobile and other phone companies, they say it's best to check your plans and your settings on your phone when you're traveling overseas. I want to make sure the Wi-Fi is on just to make sure everything is where it should be. Team Mobile says, saying it's mostly these older plans that need these changes before you head overseas, which makes sense because Renee says he's had this account with T-Mobile for decades now. And he was happy with their service until this happened. He's glad the charges were reversed, but they did lose a customer in all this from here.

All right, Stephen, we appreciate that. When we come back, countdown to the Olympics, there's now just 100 days left until the summer games kick off. Keir Simmons is in Paris with a look at how the city is preparing, including the venues ready to welcome athletes, in just a few months. That's next. And finally tonight, the countdown is on, just 100 days until the 2024 Paris Olympics. Arkear Simmons is there with this sneak peek

at what you can expect as the world's athletes prepared to compete in the city of light. There's an air of anxious excitement in Paris tonight. Oh, my goodness. It's incredible. 100 days before.

its first Olympics in 100 years. Venues now visible from the Eiffel Tower, the CEN still set to host the opening ceremony and triathlon as officials allay fears over security and pollution. Will the river be ready? There's a little bit of concern. For every big event you have to think about contingency plans. I think that's part of our work. Construction is underway at the stunning beach volleyball venue.

Just a month ago, this wasn't even here. By late June, they'll be seating for 13,000 people underneath the Eiffel Tower. While in the historic Plast de la Concorde, they're now building the venue for modern sports, like breakdancing and skateboarding. Team USA skateboarder Jagger Eaton hopes to be there. I'm just ready to be there in the Jersey competing. That's what I'm most excited about. Equestrian athletes will go for gold while riding past golden horses at the Chateau de Versailles.

And more gold at a French jewelry house, the Paris 2024 medals set with tiny fragments of the Eiffel Tower and encased in bespoke Louis Vuitton trunks. The Olympic flame, now en route, a massive police operation underway and 45,000 volunteers chosen. I found out there was 165,000 applicants, and I was picked out of that, and I'm so excited. Marion Gieshort owns a bistro a short walk from the Eiffel. Tower. Server Daisy Kirshiklanyan's mom is from Idaho. So how do Americans differ from Parisians? Where do you want to start? American are really, really friendly,

but they expect a particular service that we sometimes don't have in France. French people, they don't like to be bothered so much. And Americans like us to like to come to the table, have recommendations. They like all those special treatments. all those special treatments. I see. Paris has never seen anything like it.

And in 100 days, we'll all get to share the celebration. Kier Simmons joins us tonight from Paris, and Kira looks so exciting where you are. We're going to get back to those American manners that server was talking to you about in a minute. But first, you've been there in Paris a lot over the last year, covering the run-up to the games. As you walk around the city this time, what do you think is drawing the most excitement and anticipation? Well, Tom, how about that sparkling Eiffel Tower behind me there? This has got to be the best live shot of the day, best live shot of the year, honestly, hasn't it? There is excitement building here in Paris.

There really is. The weather is a little cold, but of course, by July and August it's going to be beautiful. And we really just can't talk enough about how unprecedented these games are going to be because of, for example, as you saw in my report there, for example, the beach volleyball underneath the Eiffel Tower, the events in historic places all across the city, as you saw in my piece, it just is going to be fantastic to be here

and amazing to watch on TV. And then with the events taking place in iconic parts of Paris, as you've been showing us over the last year, what are organizers most worried about those? We talk about security and things like that. Yeah, I mean, look, it is a security challenge. Of course it is, because you're trying to hold these events outside. Just on the CEN, for example, you know, 10,500 athletes, 160 boats, more than 300,000 people lining the banks of the CEN. The apartment, for example, that we're broadcasting from now, they are expecting, the owner is expecting a visit from the French security services to make sure that, you know, things are saying. and every single apartment overlooking any venue or any location like this is going to get the same kind of visit. So, yes, there are worries.

I will tell you this, though, Tom, and I've covered a lot of Olympics, as you know, and you've been to many yourself, of course, as well. There are always the worries beforehand, aren't there? And then there's the opening ceremony in the party begins. And then talk to me about the controversy, because I know it's already buzzing about the new Team USA uniforms, one of the new Nike design track and field options facing some backlash online. Do you know about this? Yeah, that's right. Of course, look, I mean, this is France. This is Paris. This is a city of fashion. But it just does underscore that, you know, if you are a big corporate company like Nike and you make, let's be honest, what online is being described as a serious mistake, it does, it can backfire on you. And this is about that the outfits for the female athletes are considered to be sexist, frankly. People can.

and judge for themselves, but, you know, times move on, and companies have to watch out for that. You know, Keir, you had that server in your piece. I wanted to go back to complaining about that. Americans have to be sort of, you know, mindful of the way they behave in those restaurants there. The last time we went out to eat, I remember you told them Major D, you wanted that, you wanted your napkin iron, that it wasn't iron properly. So are you using those kind of tactics in Paris, or is that just when you're here? No, I look, nice, nice. No, listen, I learned something from that, you know, actually.

It's really interesting, and I think it's interesting when you come to a different country and you learn about different cultures. So I hadn't realized this, but in a French restaurant, when they kind of ignore you, that's actually being polite because they're letting you just enjoy, they're letting you have the time and space. Whereas, of course, in the U.S. at a restaurant, if you kind of don't get enough attention from the waiter or the waitress, that is considered not good service.

So there are those differences. And if you are lucky enough to be coming here to Paris for the games, it's worth just paying attention to that and maybe having little patience. I'm going to follow your league here. We thank you tonight. You're looking great there in Paris. Enjoy your time there, and we'll see you soon.

And you'll be able to watch all the Olympics coverage this summer on NBC and Peacock. Thanks so much for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way. Thank you.