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Morning News NOW Full Episode – Nov. 9 — Transcript

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0:01Developing right now on Morning News now
0:03back in session this morning. Lawmakers
0:05heading back to Capitol Hill for the
0:07first time in months. Democrats already
0:10looking ahead to [music] next session
0:12following that big blue wave in last
0:14week's midterm elections. Meanwhile,
0:16President Trump reflecting on what went
0:19wrong for [music] his party.
0:21>> Why couldn't you win this?
0:22>> I think it was bad messaging. [music]
0:24Um,
0:24>> what was the bad message?
0:26>> We couldn't get the word across. They
0:28didn't like the war. [music] They didn't
0:30like the fact that gasoline went up.
0:32>> You think your deportation policy went
0:34too far? It was too tough.
0:36>> I think it might be too tough. Yeah.
0:38>> Plus, votes still being counted in the
0:41contentious [music] race for Alaska
0:43governor. We will bring you an update.
0:45Also developing, it's sentencing day
0:47[music] for actor and comedian Russell
0:49Brand days after his conviction for rape
0:52and sexual assault. [music] Then more
0:54fallout at Cornell University over its
0:57handling of gay rape allegations at a
0:59fraternity. We'll have the latest. Plus,
1:02outbreak concerns now. The US on track
1:05to [music] lose its measles-free status
1:08as cases surge. The warning from doctors
1:10and what you can do to keep your family
1:12healthy. [music]
1:13And NASA accepting applications for its
1:16newest class of astronauts. [music] Do
1:19you have what it takes? Our friend,
1:21former astronaut Mike Masamino is here
1:23with some advice on making one giant
1:26career leap. I do think they like when
1:29you've got like an interesting
1:30background to bring to them, but I think
1:32you got to be like a little better at
1:33math
1:34>> and in shape and know math. I don't know
1:36if I'm old, but yeah,
1:39>> we'll answer all those questions for you
1:40in a little bit. Good morning. Good to
1:41have you with us on this Monday. I'm Joe
1:42Frier
1:43>> and I'm Savannah Sers. Thanks for
1:44starting your week with us. We are going
1:46to begin this morning in Washington,
1:47where lawmakers will be back to work for
1:49the first time since September.
1:51>> The immediate future for Congress is now
1:52very different from when they left town
1:54to campaign. Some will be out of a job
1:56in January after last week's historic
1:58midterm elections, and those who remain
2:00must find a way to work with the blue
2:02wave of Democrats coming to both
2:04chambers. So, will President Trump, he
2:07spoke about the election in his first
2:08interview since the Republican party's
2:10major losses. The lame duck president
2:12also shaking up his White House staff
2:14with a controversial pick. That raises
2:16questions about just how much he's
2:18willing to work with the new Democratic
2:20majority. Few minutes we'll catch up
2:21with NBC News legal affairs reporter
2:23Gary Grumbach with more on the
2:24president's latest moves. Let's begin
2:26with NBC's Alice Bar and more on what we
2:28can expect in Washington this week.
2:29Alice, good morning.
2:31>> Good morning, Joe and Savannah. We won't
2:33be seeing new lawmakers on Capitol Hill
2:35until January, but the coming changeover
2:38is already remaking the political
2:40landscape and we're getting early signs
2:42of how President Trump may adapt.
2:46It's a full House and Senate again today
2:48on Capitol Hill as lawmakers return to
2:51Washington and a new reality with
2:53Democrats set to take control of
2:55Congress in January. Newly elected
2:58members urging their party to focus on
3:00the cost of living. If we don't figure
3:02that out and get to work on helping
3:04people, uh, this is going to be a a
3:07oneanddone kind of um, you know, kind of
3:09blue wave.
3:10>> President Trump in his first major
3:12post-election interview giving 60
3:14Minutes his assessment of the reasons
3:16for historic Republican losses.
3:19>> They didn't like the war. They didn't
3:21like the fact that gasoline went up. He
3:23again insisted the results would have
3:25been different if he were on the ballot
3:28while acknowledging his deportation
3:30policy may have hurt him.
3:32>> I think it might be too tough. Yeah.
3:33>> And suggesting that's one area where he
3:35could work with Democrats.
3:37>> Let the people that are here and in some
3:41cases here for 10 and 15 years work a
3:43deal for them. that despite elevating
3:46the man credited as the architect of the
3:48administration's immigration crackdown,
3:50Steven Miller to White House chief of
3:53staff, some leading voices on the left
3:55still calling to work together where
3:57possible.
3:58>> Do I think we can work with Trump?
4:00Maybe. I'm not by no means guaranteeing
4:02it, but it is certainly worth the
4:04effort.
4:04>> Even as calls for investigations grow
4:07louder, including a potential
4:09impeachment push against Defense
4:11Secretary Pete Hegath as soon as this
4:13week. led by an outgoing Republican
4:16representative.
4:16>> I'm a hard yes on the Hegsth resolution.
4:20>> The president defended Hegsth while
4:22signaling other changes could be coming.
4:26>> And this Congress still does have work
4:28to do, including preventing another
4:30government shutdown before new lawmakers
4:32move in in the new year. And again,
4:34we're still waiting as well to hear
4:36where the Senate races in Alaska and
4:38Mississippi will land with the Democrats
4:41holding on to razor tight leads. Joe and
4:43Savannah.
4:44>> All right, Alice, thank you.
4:45>> Well, NBC News legal affairs reporter
4:46Gary Grumbach joins us now with more.
4:48Hey, Gary. Good morning. So, we just
4:49heard there from Alice's piece.
4:51Congressional Democrats are preparing to
4:52investigate the Trump administration and
4:55officials when they assume the majority
4:56next year. Now, Attorney General Todd
4:59Blanch is going on the defensive. So,
5:00what are we hearing from him?
5:02>> Yeah, the Trump administration preparing
5:04to investigate the people who say
5:05they're going to investigate them. If
5:07you can keep track of that, this is very
5:09clearly coming from the top down.
5:10President Trump all week has been
5:12targeting specific members of Congress,
5:14including Senator Alyssa Slavkin, saying
5:16they are extortionists and saying they
5:18should be investigated for what they for
5:20what the Trump administration believes
5:22is wrongdoing. Attorney General Todd
5:24Blanch was asked about Robert Garcia's
5:26comments. He's the guy that's going to
5:28be heading up the very powerful House
5:29Oversight Committee come January when he
5:32said lawyer up. Uh the attorney general
5:34said that he should be very concerned if
5:37he was a member of the committee. Here's
5:38what he had to say on Sunday shows this
5:40weekend.
5:41>> My job as the attorney general is, among
5:44other things, is to defend the
5:45administration. We do that in court in
5:48all sorts of ways. And I will tell you,
5:50if Steven Miller, if they try to come
5:51after Steven Miller for these whatever
5:53it is that Garcia thinks he's going to
5:55do instead of actually just conducting
5:56oversight and leading, of course, the
5:58Department of Justice will be there to
6:00defend him, just like if they went after
6:02any cabinet secretary or any person in
6:04government. Now, the administration
6:06certainly does have the ability to
6:07defend itself in courts uh from anybody
6:10who who chooses uh to to file a lawsuit
6:12or anything of that sort. However,
6:14there's been a real blurring of the
6:15lines between the White House and the
6:18Department of Justice. Traditionally,
6:19it's a real independent Department of
6:21Justice. Guys,
6:22>> uh Gary, President Trump made some
6:23headlines over the weekend about who
6:25might be the next White House press
6:26secretary. Of course, the last one
6:27didn't even last a week. So, what are we
6:29hearing now? So, it appears that on s
6:32Saturday uh President Trump offered the
6:34job of White House press press secretary
6:36to his friend uh and the CEO of the
6:39Ultimate Fighting Championships, Dana
6:41White. Uh this doesn't appear to have
6:43been a real serious offer, at least at
6:45this point because on Sunday he said he
6:47was kidding. It was just a joke. They
6:49were just down at Mara Lago this weekend
6:51and threw that on Truth Social. Uh Trump
6:53is expected to meet with Dana White
6:55today at the White House. He says it's
6:57on topics unrelated to the job as White
7:00House press secretary. Guys,
7:01>> uh Gary, one other big piece of news
7:03that we are following this morning. This
7:04is rocking the world of artificial
7:06intelligence, rocking the stock market.
7:08This is the CEO and co-founder of Nvidia
7:11is under investigation by his own board.
7:15This is amid reports he had an affair
7:17with a woman that officials are calling
7:19a Chinese spy. Um, President Trump has
7:22actually closely aligned himself with
7:24tech CEOs, including him right there,
7:26Jensen Wang, during the second term. How
7:28did he respond to this news?
7:29>> Yeah, technology chipmaker Nvidia is
7:31saying they're opening up an
7:32investigation into what they say was a
7:34potential foreign intelligence operation
7:37uh by the by the nation of China.
7:40They're saying that they don't believe
7:41any of Nvidia's secrets uh came out here
7:44or there was any real incident that
7:46occurred, but this did happen. President
7:48Trump uh of course is very close with
7:51the CEO Jensen Huang uh and he actually
7:53awarded him a science medal just last
7:56month. But President Trump seemed to
7:57brush off these concerns last night.
8:01>> I have not spoken to him about it. I
8:04just know he's a fine person, but you
8:05never know what is going on. Um I'm sure
8:09I hope everything's fine. He's done such
8:11an incredible job. Now, in an email to
8:14Nvidia's workforce, Hong did tell people
8:16that he was unfaithful to his wife's
8:18wife. He said he hurt his wife, he hurt
8:20his children, uh, and that he's
8:22apologizing for his actions.
8:24>> All right, Gary Grumbach from DC for us.
8:25Thanks, Gary.
8:26>> For Democrats, the next big challenge is
8:28figuring out their priorities now that
8:30they will control both chambers. Among
8:32those outlining their agenda is Senate
8:34Elect Hamilton. He flipped one Kansas
8:36seat to blue, becoming the first
8:38Democrat to represent that state in the
8:40Senate in nearly a century. As you saw a
8:42moment ago, Hamilton spoke with Meet the
8:44Press moderator Kristen Welker. She has
8:46more on their conversation now. Kristen,
8:48good morning.
8:50>> Good morning, Joe and Savannah. This
8:51week on Meet the Press, I spoke with
8:52Senator Elect Hamilton of Kansas about
8:55Democrats plans to investigate President
8:57Trump after their dominant performance
8:59in the midterm elections. Well, as
9:01Democrats prepare to take over control
9:04of both chambers of Congress, there seem
9:07to be two priorities emerging.
9:10addressing the issue of affordability
9:13and investigating the Trump
9:15administration.
9:17That's according to Democrats. Which do
9:20you think is the bigger priority?
9:24>> Well, clearly the bigger priority for me
9:25and I think for most people in America,
9:27especially people living paycheck to
9:29paycheck, is please help us with the
9:30cost of living. I am very interested in
9:32ending the war in Iran as quickly as
9:34possible. I want to see us claw back
9:36tariff policies back to the Congress
9:38where it started in in our constitution
9:41and to be able to say when the president
9:43wants to impose a tariff, you've got to
9:45make the case for it. You've got to show
9:46us who's going to be helped by this. Why
9:48are we doing this? How long is it going
9:49to last? Who's going to be hurt by it?
9:50And so those two things are going to
9:52bring affordability back in play. That's
9:55uh about $250 a month between the fuel
9:57prices and the and the hidden tariff
9:59taxes. that [snorts] doesn't count what
10:00farmers are paying and the a industry
10:02what they're paying for the hidden cost
10:04of these tariffs and the war uh again
10:06fertilizer input c input prices uh and
10:09and then so we're going to start there
10:10if I spent the next two years my first
10:12two years in the Senate in
10:13investigations I'd be deeply
10:14disappointed I want to get to work
10:16helping the people in my state and
10:18helping the people across the country uh
10:20so what I'm interested in is yes let's
10:21get guard rails put in place so that we
10:23don't see these kinds of things happen
10:25again but let's focus on helping the
10:27American people and I'll tell you the
10:28Democrats if they don't if If we don't
10:30figure that out and get to work on
10:32helping people, uh, this is going to be
10:34a a oneanddone kind of u, you know, kind
10:37of blue wave.
10:39>> You can see my full interview with
10:41Reverend Hamilton at meettheress.com.
10:43You can also get more Meet the Press
10:45right here on NBC Now every weekday at 4
10:48p.m.
10:49>> Thank you, Kristen. Well,
10:50>> let's turn now to London where comedian
10:51and actor Russell Brand is expected to
10:53learn his sentencing fate this morning.
10:55>> The 51-year-old faces a significant
10:57prison sentence. He was convicted last
10:59week on one count of rape, three counts
11:01of sexual assault involving four
11:03different women. The judge has already
11:05denied Bran bail, warning him to expect
11:07a lengthy prison term.
11:09>> Joining us now is NBC News senior legal
11:11analyst Danny Savalo. Danny, good
11:13morning. Um, so as viewers may have just
11:14seen on their screen right now,
11:15convicted on four charges. This is
11:18involving four different women. How does
11:20that impact sentencing?
11:22>> A lot. So the judge will look at the
11:24rape first, that is the lead count, and
11:26then fashion a sentence around that,
11:28then look at the other lesser crimes,
11:31and he may increase the sentence or
11:33worse for Brand, he can actually stack
11:35them on top of each other. That's
11:37similar to what we have here in the US
11:38called consecutive sentencing, which is
11:41always bad news for a defendant because
11:42it can make their sentence just massive
11:44very quickly. Most of the time, the
11:46default is what we call concurrent. you
11:48serve all the sentences at once, but the
11:50judge has some discretion here.
11:52>> Sentencing obviously in England
11:54different from the US. What are the
11:55guidelines the judge is going to have to
11:57follow here in this case?
11:58>> Interestingly enough, there's no uh UK
12:00overall guidelines, but England and
12:02Wales have their own guidelines just
12:04like we do in the federal system,
12:05sentencing guidelines. But for about 20
12:07years in the US, the sentencing
12:09guidelines have been only advisory. That
12:11means the judge calculates them, but the
12:13judge doesn't have to sentence even
12:15within those guidelines. In England,
12:17they are still mandatory. So whatever
12:19the guideline says and they have a grid,
12:21once they get to that, then the judge
12:23has to sentence within that range. But
12:26even within that range, there is some
12:28discretion. So very similar in the sense
12:30that no matter what, the judge does have
12:33discretion to consider all the factors.
12:35>> And Danny, you've written about how
12:36Bran's fame could actually work against
12:38him here. Explain that.
12:40>> Yeah, interesting. Here in the US, we
12:41have something like that in that if you
12:43have a prior record, then that is held
12:45against you. If you have no prior
12:46record, that's about the best thing that
12:48you can have going for you going into
12:50sentencing. In England, I guess kind of
12:52a parallel you'd say is that they can
12:54use the defendant's status, if he used
12:57that status to perpetrate the crime,
12:59they can use that against him as well.
13:01And of course, the prosecution has been
13:03arguing this morning essentially that
13:05here was this famous guy. These people
13:07were very very intimidated by him. He uh
13:11he b he texted them constantly and used
13:14that status to get them into his uh his
13:18control. So that is something the judge
13:20may end up considering.
13:21>> Let's talk numbers here. Realistically,
13:22what could the sentence be and then how
13:24much of it could he actually serve?
13:26>> Look for a range from maybe 5 to 15. Uh
13:29realistically, probably closer to eight
13:31or nine years, but it could get into the
13:34double digits if these aggravating
13:36factors are persuasive enough to this
13:38judge.
13:39All right, Danny Savalos, thank you so
13:41much for joining us.
13:43>> New developments at Cornell University
13:44where faculty members issued a no
13:46confidence vote in the school
13:47administration. They're upset over the
13:49school's handling of that bombshell
13:51sexual assault allegation that led to a
13:53lawsuit. Now, this vote is largely
13:55symbolic. Comes after a former student
13:57accused seven fraternity members of gang
13:59rape and sexual assault in 2024.
14:02Allegations that all seven men deny. NBC
14:05News correspondent Valerie Castro has
14:07more.
14:09A vote of no confidence in Cornell
14:11University leadership by members of the
14:13faculty senate. This vote is only the
14:15beginning as the fallout continues over
14:18the handling of a high-profile alleged
14:20sexual assault at a fraternity house.
14:22>> It says to the Cornell community that
14:23the faculty do not stand behind this
14:26administration's response to this
14:28crisis. And importantly, it says to all
14:31of the Jane Does out there, we have your
14:34backice.
14:36Calls for campus reform have been
14:38growing in the wake of the allegations.
14:40A former student, now known as Jane Doe,
14:42filing a lawsuit against seven members
14:44of the Ki fraternity, accusing them of
14:47sexually assaulting her while she was
14:48under the influence of drugs in 2024.
14:51All seven of the accused have denied the
14:53allegations. The university and campus
14:56police have also faced criticism for how
14:58the allegations were investigated. The
15:00vote of 75 to 50 does little in the way
15:03of action. The resolution does not
15:05recommend the removal of any
15:07administrators or suggest how to manage
15:09the ongoing crisis. Still, those in
15:12support say it sends a clear message.
15:14>> We have helped to open a space for
15:17survivors of rape and sexual assault at
15:19Cornell to share their experiences with
15:22the assurance that they will be ignored
15:25no longer. the chair of the board of
15:27trustees saying in a statement in part,
15:29"The board remains confident that
15:31President Kotloff and his administration
15:33are the right leaders." Jane Doe's
15:36attorney writing in part, "We believe
15:37that the faculty senate did not reach
15:39this decision lightly, and we are
15:42hopeful that this will be yet another
15:44step forward to educate and support the
15:46Cornell community by addressing the
15:48long-standing scourge of sexual assault
15:50on campus. I think we've sent a
15:53resounding message that the changes that
15:56need to be made need to be made now and
15:59they need to be made by a different
16:00administration.
16:01>> Our thanks to Valerie Castro for that
16:03report. New York Attorney General
16:04Leticia James who was named special
16:06prosecutor by the governor has now
16:08appointed a former federal prosecutor to
16:10lead the investigation. The same person
16:11who oversaw the Shawn Diddy Combmes
16:14case. Several of the Cornell defendants
16:16are now calling for James to be removed
16:17from the case. They argue comments she
16:19made on social media before her
16:21appointment show a bias toward Jane Doe.
16:24James says her office is capable of an
16:26unbiased review.
16:28>> Well, this morning, investigators in
16:30Florida are still trying to figure out
16:31why and how a Lejet fell out of the sky
16:35onto a busy road. Nine people were
16:37killed when that plane went down one
16:38week ago. And now we are hearing from
16:41the father of the 20-year-old co-pilot
16:43who fought to keep that jet in the air.
16:45NBC News senior correspondent Tom
16:47Costello has more.
16:50>> Mayday, mayday. We're descending 10,000
16:52ft permanent.
16:53>> The radio call was terrifying. Natalia
16:56Farees was the 20-year-old co-pilot of
16:58that doomed Learjet. Friday, her father
17:01said he'd listened to her final call
17:03several times, searching for answers.
17:06>> She made me so proud. She She showed me
17:10what it is to be a hero. A hero, he
17:13says, for remaining calm on the radio as
17:15she and Captain Jeff Gregory reported
17:18bad weather, turbulence, and icing
17:20conditions.
17:21>> We are in an overseas condition,
17:22descending 25 per minute.
17:25>> Going into a fatal nose dive near Palm
17:27Beach with seven passengers on board.
17:30>> We're going to crash into the ground 7
17:32delta.
17:33>> Alan Vilgaras taught Natalia to fly when
17:36she was just a teenager, earning her
17:38license at 17. Now losing her is almost
17:42too much to bear.
17:44>> She was gifted
17:46and my soulmate.
17:48>> NTSB investigators have recovered debris
17:50and a portion of one engine near the
17:52crash scene.
17:54>> I wanted to be by her side
17:56inside the plane to help.
17:59>> The Phil Goreas attorney citing
18:01Natalya's 1300 hours of cockpit time
18:04pushing back on claims she was
18:06inexperienced. And the purpose of this
18:09is to preserve not just her memory, but
18:13her reputation.
18:15>> Our thanks to Tom Castillo for that
18:16report. Well, the NTSB is still unsure
18:18whether the plane had a cockpit voice
18:21recorder, and the investigation here is
18:23expected to take months.
18:24>> All right, as we head into a new week,
18:25let's take a look at your morning news
18:26now. Weather after weekend of heavy rain
18:28in parts of the country. Well, still
18:30more wet weather to watch. Yeah, in
18:32parts of Texas, they could continue
18:33seeing more heavy rain and thunderstorms
18:35today with even a risk of flooding. And
18:37then in the Pacific Northwest, they're
18:39also expecting more rain and even
18:40mountain snow. Later this week, we could
18:43see more rain right here along the East
18:45Coast. NBC meteorologist Raphael Miranda
18:48is tracking it all. Hey, Raph. Good
18:49morning.
18:50>> Good morning, Savannah. Good morning,
18:51Joe. Yeah, stormy week ahead. Right now,
18:53quiet in the Northeast, but quite wet
18:55across Texas as you mentioned. We're
18:57tracking very heavy rain, showers, and
18:59storms where we've already seen
19:00flooding. Unfortunately, several inches
19:02of rain fallen already. And look at all
19:03the thunder and lightning on this stormy
19:05Monday morning. More rain expected
19:07throughout the day across central and
19:09southern Texas. Areas that don't need
19:10any more rain. An additional inch or two
19:13possible in many spots. For that reason,
19:15we have a flood watch in effect,
19:17including Corpus Christie. Uh back
19:19towards Laredo, Texas. That flash flood
19:22risk is elevated for San Antonio and
19:24even Austin. And we'll be watching this
19:26closely throughout the day today as the
19:28rain continues in heavy waves at times.
19:30We're expecting again a couple of inches
19:31of rain falling on an already soaked
19:33ground. So that's a problem there across
19:35the south. Now the Northwest also very
19:38stormy. The Pacific Northwest has seen a
19:40few storms over the weekend. Another one
19:42moving on shore today and tonight. Heavy
19:44rain along the coast and some mountain
19:46snow is expected there. So watch out for
19:48travel impacts and significant rain
19:50especially right along the coast. We're
19:52talking several inches of very heavy
19:54rain for the Pacific Northwest. Stormy
19:56for today and over the next couple of
19:58days. Now, eventually some of that
20:00energy works its way towards the east
20:02coast. That means we could see rain and
20:04even some snow, not in the cities, but
20:07in the mountains of the northeast. Uh
20:09places like the Appalachian could see
20:11some mountain snowfall. Same story for
20:13New England. First snow of the season
20:15for many. This is coming later on this
20:17week, Friday into Saturday. For the big
20:19cities, it's looking like a chilly rain
20:22Thursday, Friday, and maybe even into
20:25parts of early Saturday, but uh get
20:27ready for that. It's cold right now. We
20:29have freeze and frost alerts in effect
20:31for parts of the South. Take a look at
20:33temperatures there in the Tennessee
20:34Valley. 38°. Contrast that with warm
20:37weather across much of the country
20:39today. Temperatures trending above
20:41average in the plains and the Midwest.
20:42You can see uh for today, isolated
20:44showers in New England. Otherwise, a
20:46very quiet picture nationally except for
20:48South Texas and the Pacific Northwest.
20:51And then again, we'll watch that storm
20:52move across the country, arriving here
20:54in the Northeast with some very chilly
20:56rain. We're talking about high
20:58temperatures in the 40s by Friday with
21:00rainfall. So, uh, first real cold, nasty
21:03storm.
21:04>> That looks like a November map right
21:05there. That is November. I feel like we
21:07haven't seen one in a while.
21:08>> And snow in the mountains just uh in the
21:10mountains of the northeast in the
21:11Appalachian. It's changing.
21:13>> It is.
21:14>> It's time. Thanks Rob.
21:15>> You got it.
21:16>> Much more to come here on Morning News
21:17Now. Later this hour, the accused gunman
21:19in a deadly mass shooting in Poland has
21:21died. [music]
21:22More from police in the latest on that
21:24investigation.
21:25>> Up first though after the break, Pope
21:26Leo in the middle of a whirlwind visit
21:29to South America. His [music] message to
21:31the faithful is next. Stay with us.
21:34[music]
21:38>> Welcome back. Pope Leo is in Argentina
21:40for the second stop of his 12-day South
21:43America tour. Millions are expected to
21:45turn out to attend mass celebrated by
21:47the Holy Father. He was greeted when he
21:49arrived yesterday by Argentina's
21:51president.
21:52>> The trip comes less than a month after
21:53the Pope underwent surgery for lung
21:55cancer. Well, speaking on the flight to
21:57the first stop of his tour, the pontiff
21:59said he was feeling fine.
22:00>> I know some people were doubtful about
22:02this trip taking place. I confess that
22:05from the first day I had no doubt and
22:08was convinced that this trip had to go
22:11forward. and uh very happy to say praise
22:14the Lord and thanks to wonderful medical
22:18assistance. I'm here today I think in
22:21fairly good shape.
22:22>> NBC News international correspondent
22:24Danielle Hamjin joins us now. Danielle,
22:26first of all, just talk to us a bit
22:27about the significance of this South
22:29America tour. What does this trip and
22:31just the continent mean personally to
22:33Pope Leo?
22:34>> Yeah, good morning guys. Well, South
22:35America is the world's largest Catholic
22:37stronghold. However, Catholicism is on
22:40the decline for a number of reasons. But
22:42for the church, the hope is that a papal
22:44visit can help strengthen Catholic
22:47identity, perhaps renew their faith,
22:49especially so soon after that medical
22:51scare. This trip clearly meant a lot to
22:53Pope Leo despite the grueling schedule.
22:56And perhaps that will resonate with
22:58people whether or not they're practicing
23:00Catholics. For Argentinians, this is the
23:02first visit by a pope in nearly 40
23:04years. When it comes specifically to
23:06Leo, yes, he was born in the US, but he
23:08spent 20 years in Peru. First as a
23:11missionary, then a bishop. He has
23:13Peruvian citizenship, so this has been
23:15described as a homecoming for him.
23:19>> Danielle, we know Pope Leo has not shied
23:21away from politics. We've sort of seen
23:23him clash with President Trump on a host
23:25of issues,
23:26>> and it's no different here. Argentina's
23:28president Malay is a staunch Trump ally
23:31uh who's actually frequently insulted
23:33and attacked Pope Leo's Argentinian
23:35predecessor Pope Francis. What was the
23:37Pontis meeting like with Malay and what
23:39kind of message did he have for him?
23:41>> Yeah, Argentina is the most politically
23:43delicate stop on this tour. No doubt
23:45about that. Javier is not only a Donald
23:47Trump ally, as you say, he's also a
23:49supporter of the war in Iran. Something
23:51Leo has also criticized in the past when
23:54it comes to domestic policies. his
23:56austerity measures, radical budget cuts
23:58have been criticized by the Catholic
24:00Church for hitting the poorest the most.
24:02And so hope Pope Leo delivering this
24:04message in front of MLE on Sunday that
24:07the economy must be at the service of
24:09the people rather than the people being
24:11at the service of the economy. In other
24:13words, the economy must benefit everyone
24:15including the poor. When it comes to
24:17Leo's predecessor, Pope Francis,
24:19Francis, of course, was born in
24:20Argentina. His name and his papacy so
24:22synonymous with social justice, his work
24:25for and with the poor, refugees, the
24:27marginalized. Mle had described him at
24:29the time as quote a communist, as evil
24:32on earth. Now, however, in front of the
24:35first Americanborn pope, a completely
24:37different rhetoric yesterday, describing
24:39Francis as the most important Argentine
24:41in history.
24:42>> Uh Danielle, so with that in mind,
24:44what's on the agenda for the pope today
24:45and then just over the next few days?
24:47Yeah, he's scheduled to visit a facility
24:49for disabled people as well as a prison
24:51where he'll meet inmates. He'll also
24:53celebrate mass in various cities across
24:55Argentina. He leaves for Peru on
24:58Wednesday. That will be the longest part
25:00of the trip. And no, no doubt, guys,
25:02it'll be quite the reception for Pope
25:04Leo.
25:04>> Yeah, a bit of a homecoming there. All
25:06right, Danielle, thank you so much.
25:08>> We've got more international news now.
25:10Authorities in Poland say the 24year-old
25:12gunman in a deadly mass shooting has
25:14died. NBC's Matt Bodner joins us now to
25:16take us around the world in 60 seconds.
25:18Matt, [music] good morning.
25:19>> Joe Savannah, good morning. The man who
25:21killed six people in the suspected
25:22[music] far-right terror attack in Kco,
25:24Poland on Saturday has died. The man was
25:27shot by police after he launched a
25:28rampage in the city's main market
25:30square. It's injured more than a dozen
25:32other people [music] that included two
25:34police officers. Those two officers are
25:36in critical condition. Moving along now
25:38to Turkey, where global leaders have
25:40gathered for [music] the COP 31 climate
25:41summit. In opening remarks, leaders
25:43urged the world to accelerate its fight
25:45against climate [music] change, warning
25:46that the world is already on course to
25:48overshoot thresholds that were set at
25:50the 2015 Paris climate [music] summit.
25:52The US has shunned the summit for the
25:54second year in a row. We'll wrap up this
25:56hour in India where millions of people
25:57are celebrating Dewali that is the Hindu
25:59[music] festival of lights. This year,
26:01amid heightened air quality concerns,
26:02India's Supreme Court permitted the use
26:04of so-called green fireworks in [music]
26:06Delhi. These are designed to produce 20
26:08to 30% fewer emissions than normal
26:10fireworks. Back to you guys.
26:12>> All right, Matt Bodner, thanks so much.
26:14Coming up, at risk, the US on the brink
26:17of losing its measlesfree status [music]
26:19as cases floor into the thousands.
26:21>> We come back, our friend Dr. Kavita
26:23Patel joins us with what you need to
26:24know to stay healthy. This is Morning
26:26News. Now
26:29[music]
26:31>> we are back with a look at the growing
26:32measles outbreak across the US. So far
26:35this year, more than 5,000 cases have
26:38been reported, and experts worry the
26:40spread could get worse ahead of the
26:41holidays. So now, the US is on track to
26:44lose its elimination status of the
26:46disease. NBC News national correspondent
26:49Aaron Gilchrist has a look at this
26:50growing public health problem.
26:54>> New fears that the US could lose its
26:56measles elimination status as cases
26:58across the country skyrocket. The
27:00Centers for Disease Control reporting
27:02more than 5,000 cases in the US in 2026
27:05already, more than double last year's
27:07total. Confirmed cases now in all but
27:10four states and deaths reported in New
27:12York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The
27:14state health departments say none of the
27:16victims who died were vaccinated. The
27:18Pan-American Health Organization
27:19expected to make a decision in the
27:21coming week on the elimination status.
27:24Infectious disease expert Peter Chin
27:25Hong says losing the elimination status
27:28would mean the prevalence of measles
27:30cases is primed to put new pressures on
27:32healthcare and communities.
27:34>> We have to continue being anxious about
27:37that person coming through the airport
27:39or the grocery uh potentially leading
27:41off to a lot a chain of transmission
27:44events.
27:45>> Measles was considered eliminated in
27:46this country back in 2000. But as
27:48vaccinations have dropped in recent
27:50years, outbreaks have surged. Just last
27:53week, the CDC calling a meeting of top
27:55public health experts to figure out how
27:57to regain control of measles. In a
27:59statement, the agency telling NBC News
28:01in part it's deploying experts to states
28:03and investing approximately hundred
28:05million dollars in outbreak prevention
28:07and response, adding health secretary
28:10Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CDC Director
28:12Erica Schwarz continue to recommend MMR
28:15vaccination as the most effective way to
28:18prevent measles. But Kennedy has a long
28:21history of claiming without evidence
28:22that measles vaccines are harmful.
28:25>> Can this measles problem be solved
28:27without vaccination?
28:29>> This cannot be solved without
28:30vaccination. Aaron Gilchrist, NBC News.
28:34>> Let's now bring in our friend NBC News
28:35medical contributor Dr. Kafita Patel for
28:37more on these growing measles cases. Dr.
28:40Patel, good morning. So, the
28:42Pan-American Health Organization, that's
28:44who's expected to make this decision
28:46about America's elimination status later
28:48this week, and it seems it's almost
28:50certain that the US is going to lose
28:51that status. Is that what you think? And
28:53what are you most concerned about?
28:56>> I do. I do think we're going to lose our
28:57status. As you heard Aaron mentioned,
28:59it's been decades. And I think that
29:01what's most concerning about this is
29:03also just not what it means for the
29:05United States alone, but it also has
29:07this global implication as you've heard
29:09from the scientists that Aaron was
29:10interviewing. So that combined with that
29:12it is so highly contagious that in order
29:15to get back not just our measel status,
29:17it feels like that's talking about this
29:19kind of one specific label, but I think
29:21Savannah, it's more that the implication
29:22is that we're going to see more cases
29:24and along with it more deaths. And I
29:26think that's the most concerning. We've
29:28heard over and over again, vaccines are
29:29the best way to prevent and lower the
29:31risk of measles. That doctor just told
29:33Aaron, this cannot be solved without
29:34vaccination. So, what needs to change
29:37about our nationwide vaccine strategy
29:39and and the messaging around it?
29:42>> Yeah, I think the messaging around it is
29:43critical, Joe. I think that it's very
29:45much a messaging of even if you think
29:48that I I I think people bringing forth
29:50their concerns is probably the most
29:52important messaging because to just
29:53assume, you know, just go get your shots
29:56and hearing these messages even in a
29:58couple of minutes on television isn't
30:00enough to unpack why people are
30:02concerned and resistant and might have
30:05their own hesitations. I've actually had
30:06people bring in some of the things that
30:08they're reading. I've had people kind of
30:11put websites in front of me that look
30:12like they're claims from scientists and
30:15then when we go in and unpack it, I say,
30:17"Actually, that's not really a fact."
30:20And I do think that fact versus fiction
30:22is really what the messaging needs to
30:24tease out. And then I think the
30:26underlying message is that if in your
30:27community, which is many communities,
30:29but if in your community you're seeing
30:31cases surge, even if you're vaccinated,
30:33you just want to be vigilant about
30:35breakthrough cases. Very small
30:37percentage. They do not lead to serious
30:40complications, but you do know that
30:42something this contagious can also
30:44affect those of us who are vaccinated
30:46when it's populating in a community.
30:48>> Oh, a great reminder there. Um, doctor,
30:50you have a background in public health.
30:52So, so you've seen this firsthand. If
30:54this outbreak continues to grow, if it
30:57stays at the same pace, what does that
30:59ultimately mean for the strain it's
31:00putting on hospitals, on doctors, on
31:02nurses?
31:03>> Yeah. So ultimately this means that not
31:05only in in emergency cases, which I
31:07think is the most obvious one, right?
31:09We're overwhelming emergency rooms and
31:11hospitals, but we're also overwhelming
31:13just primary care offices like mine. And
31:16that's that's not necessarily a good
31:18thing. Every time we're having to make
31:19sure we're ruling out measles,
31:20especially when a school is worried
31:22about it, which is a very valid cases
31:24are happening all over and schools are
31:26coming forward. Those are all people
31:28that are not necessarily getting care
31:30for other conditions as well. By the
31:32way, we saw this during COVID. It's why
31:34public health officials are sounding an
31:35alarm bell. It's not just these over
31:375,000 cases in the United States. It's
31:40that we know that these cases are are
31:42leading to other people not necessarily
31:44getting care. We saw that in CO and that
31:46can lead to worsening of other
31:48contagious illnesses as well as chronic
31:50conditions.
31:50>> We know the winter holidays are right
31:52around the corner. Thanksgiving's two
31:53and a half weeks away. So, a lot of
31:54families are going to be on the road.
31:56So, in addition to the vaccine, if
31:57someone plans to travel, are there
31:59things you should be doing to protect
32:01yourself?
32:02>> Yeah, I know this sounds cliche, but the
32:04good oldfashioned kind of protective
32:05masking as well as hand sanitizer. You
32:08might have seen people bringing some of
32:10this out if you're at train, bus, and
32:11plane stations. It's not that those are
32:14100% proof. This is such a highly
32:16contagious virus. It's different than
32:18flu or the common cold viruses or co
32:20viruses, but it can be helpful when
32:23something is just at least a protective
32:25layer. And look for symptoms. You
32:27sometimes don't see those classic red
32:29spots, but you can see a really high
32:31fever, sometimes an eye infection. Get
32:33those checked out. I know we all want to
32:35spend time with our relatives. We want
32:37to keep our loved ones safe.
32:38>> All right, Dr. Kavita Patel, thank you
32:40as always. Good to see you.
32:41>> Thank you. Coming up on Morning News
32:43Now, NASA launching a new mission to
32:45find its newest class of astronauts.
32:48>> That's right. So, do you have what it
32:50takes to take your career out of [music]
32:52this world? When we come back, our
32:54friend, former astronaut Mike Masamino
32:56will join us with the details. He'll
32:58tell us maybe you at home should apply.
33:00We'll be right back.
33:03>> Welcome back. Have you ever watched a
33:05NASA launch and thought like every
33:07elementary school kid, "God, I wish that
33:09was me." Well, if you think you've got
33:10what it takes to be an astronaut, now is
33:12your chance to shoot for the moon. NASA
33:14is now accepting applications for a new
33:17astronaut class. The goal is to help
33:19grow the Aremis program, which one day
33:20hopes to set up a permanent base on the
33:23moon.
33:23>> Officials announced their search over
33:24the weekend during an air show at the
33:26Kennedy Space Center. This could be your
33:29chance to be part of NASA's 25th
33:31astronaut class. Don't wait around,
33:33though. The deadline for applications is
33:35December 3rd. And if this caught your
33:36attention, well, who better to ask for
33:38more details than Mike Masamino, who
33:40former astronaut himself for NASA, also
33:42the author of Moonshot, a NASA
33:44astronaut's guide to achieving the
33:45impossible essential reading if you're
33:47going to apply. Let's look at the odds
33:50here. They're not great. Uh two years
33:52since we tried this before back then,
33:548,000 applied, 10 made the final cuts.
33:58Uh what is it NASA is looking for in the
34:00ideal candidate here,
34:01>> Joe? They're looking for people who are
34:03qualified. You can read the
34:04qualifications on the website, but tell
34:06us about there's math, right?
34:07>> Well, there's math. Yes. So, it's a it's
34:09a qualifying degree, which is usually a
34:11STEM field. Um, or people from the from
34:13the military. Well, you know, they they
34:16may get journalists in there eventually,
34:18which I think would be a good
34:19>> photography classes in college.
34:21>> I'd play it up, you know, play it up the
34:25play it up as best you can. So, I mean,
34:26you have to have the the right
34:27background and experience, and it's both
34:30civilian and military people that can
34:31apply, but it's a little more than that.
34:33When you really get into it, it's
34:35looking for people that can support the
34:37mission, put the team above their own
34:39individual accomplishment. And then the
34:41other thing, because once you become an
34:42astronaut, you get a little experience,
34:43you start helping to pick the new ones.
34:45Looking for people who you think you can
34:46trust and trust with your life, but I
34:48used to look at it, are these people I
34:50can trust, like with my children's
34:51lives, you know, can I really trust this
34:53person? there's a person that's going to
34:55be there for me for for me and my the
34:56rest of the team and be there to support
34:57the mission. That's kind of that's kind
34:59of hard to find.
35:00>> Okay. So, science or STEM related
35:03degree, you have to like be able to
35:05contribute in that way. You can't just
35:07>> Yeah, that's part that's part of the
35:08requirements. Yeah. [laughter] A
35:10calculator.
35:11>> Yeah.
35:11>> What about the physical components?
35:14>> You have to be healthy. Okay.
35:16>> So, you're g if you get to the point
35:17where you're a finalist, you're going to
35:19go through a pretty extensive medical
35:20exam where they're going to look at
35:21everything from top to bottom. I was
35:23medically disqualified. The third time I
35:25applied, I got an interview. And this is
35:27this was different though. The rules
35:28were different back then. You had to
35:30have pretty good vision. Now it's
35:31completely changed. They've changed
35:33those rules. But I failed the medical
35:34the first time and then was able to
35:36improve my vision through some vision
35:37training. It's a long story. So I could
35:39re reapply again. So that's where
35:41perseverance comes in as well.
35:42>> You got to chat about that.
35:44>> Yeah. Well, you're it was on It's not an
35:47issue anymore, so I wouldn't worry.
35:48>> That's [laughter] good. That's good. I
35:49mean, the other thing to keep in mind is
35:50like we're in sort of this new era. It's
35:52the Aremis mission. Does does the goals
35:54in front of us now with Artemis sort of
35:57change at all what they're looking for?
35:58What what more specifically might they
36:00want in in an astronaut in this era?
36:03>> Yeah, I think as far as like your your
36:04uh your qualifications, your technical
36:06qualifications when I was picked 30
36:08years ago. Can you imagine class of
36:101996?
36:11>> You were six.
36:12>> No, I No, I was. But we're coming up on
36:14our 30th annivers reunion. um that was
36:17we were looking I think what they were
36:18saying was they're looking for people
36:20who could build the space station and
36:22then after that it was people who could
36:23operate on the space station and that
36:25kind of thing and now I think it's those
36:26things still as far as like operating on
36:28a space station but also people who can
36:30contribute to the planning and building
36:32of the moon base.
36:34>> So those skills are what they're going
36:35to be looking at in addition to those
36:37personality traits which I think are
36:38going to remain constant throughout.
36:40>> Oh that's interesting. Something new in
36:42there. Um, okay. So, let's say you make
36:44it through the thousands that apply and
36:46you're on your way. Then you've got, is
36:48it two years of mandatory training?
36:51>> Yes. You're actually you're actually
36:52selected as an astronaut candidate or as
36:54they would affectionately call us, ASC
36:56can hands.
36:57>> So, you're [laughter] an ASCAN. Your
36:59first uh your first two years typically
37:02>> that that is an abbreviation.
37:03>> Yeah. So, it's an abbreviation. It's an
37:05as you're an astronaut candidate. It's
37:07one S, right?
37:07>> What do you guys What's going through
37:08your minds over here? No. Yes. You're an
37:10astronaut candidate. Okay. For the first
37:12couple years,
37:13>> an intern or more elevated than that?
37:14>> Uh well, they pay you. So, it's a paid
37:17intern. No, it's it's uh yeah, you're
37:19you're you're a government employee at
37:21that point and it's 2 years of initial
37:23training and evaluation and most make it
37:25through that and then you're
37:27>> what happens in the training.
37:28>> So, you get so you learn how to fly in a
37:30T38 uh high performance aircraft. That's
37:33pretty cool. And then the things that
37:35build up to that like going through
37:36survival schools and things. It's kind
37:37of that's kind of cool stuff. And then
37:40uh and then you learn how to operate in
37:42the different simulators. So for these
37:44folks who would be know a little bit
37:45space station training and then also in
37:47the simulators on the on the spacecraft
37:49for the moon and how to operate on the
37:51moon and do experiments. Uh and then uh
37:54and then they'll be after they get
37:55through that initial training then it's
37:57going to be waiting around. I shouldn't
37:59say waiting around but continue to
38:01participate in the program. You get
38:02signed a technical assignment to work on
38:04space suits or the spacecraft or the
38:06moon base or whatever it might be. So
38:08you do that and uh and you and you're
38:10hopefully going to be assigned to a
38:11flight, but that process from the time
38:12you walk in the door. So it's still
38:14about what it was when I was there.
38:15You're looking at about five or six
38:17years before you're flying in space.
38:19It's a job.
38:20>> It's like becoming a doctor or
38:21something.
38:21>> It's it's a it's really a job. It's
38:23learning how to become part of the NASA
38:24culture, how to work in the control
38:26center, how to communicate properly. Um
38:29and then you you then you're fully
38:30qualified to go and you'll get hopefully
38:32get a chance and most do. As long as you
38:34stay healthy and do your job, you'll get
38:35a chance to go. When I was in my 20s, I
38:37went to Space Camp, which was a blast.
38:39I'm guessing you need more than that for
38:41your background. What is your advice to
38:43people who are looking to apply right
38:44now? What do you tell them to to improve
38:47their odds here?
38:48>> Uh, put your best foot forward and don't
38:51give up. I mean, the odds are against
38:53you. But, you know, you mentioned my my
38:55my book and what one of the messages
38:57there is that one out of a million isn't
38:58zero. I thought my chances were probably
39:00like one out of a million,
39:02>> but that's not zero, Joe. Right. It's
39:03not zero, Savannah. You got people want
39:05to do your job too, right? It's a cool
39:07job, right?
39:07>> But you guys get to do it. Some people
39:09Somebody's going to do it, right? So
39:10easier than asking.
39:11>> They're going to pick I don't know.
39:12They're [laughter] going to they're
39:13going to pick somebody. So I think the
39:15point is that to not give up. And I
39:17think perseverance and patience are are
39:19important. So So put your name in the
39:21hopper and and do the best you can. And
39:23if if you don't get picked this time,
39:24they're going to be looking for more
39:25people in a couple years. Just keep
39:27trying. keep trying to prove yourself
39:29and and do things that are going to be
39:30good not only for the astronaut program
39:32but what you're interested in too. You
39:34know, don't get blinders and oh, you
39:35know, that's the only thing I want to do
39:36cuz then I think you start making
39:37decisions that might not be best for
39:39you.
39:39>> So, make decisions that are good for you
39:41and your career and your family and and
39:43keep trying.
39:43>> Is there like a networking piece of this
39:45like we're in with you? So, that's
39:46helpful.
39:47>> Oh, you guys? Oh, I write you guys a
39:48recommendation. Yeah,
39:49>> you do reference.
39:50>> Yeah. Yeah, I know. I think you make
39:51great. Yeah, [laughter]
39:53>> absolutely. Even after this
39:55conversation,
39:57>> even more so after this conversation,
39:59Joe.
40:00>> Yeah, absolutely.
40:01>> All right. We appreciate that. Astronaut
40:02candidates, here we come. Mike, you
40:04know, good to see you as always. Thank
40:05you. Pleasure. Thanks for having me.
40:07>> Well, back here on Earth, recent college
40:09graduates are facing a tough job market.
40:12Between that and the rise of artificial
40:14intelligence and the extraordinary cost
40:16of college tuition, career planning is
40:19starting to look a little different for
40:21young people. So, to shake things up,
40:22some middle schoolers are looking to get
40:24their hands dirty. NBC News
40:25correspondent Maris Francis spoke with
40:27kids who are exchanging their textbooks
40:29for hand tools to learn the tricks of
40:32trade.
40:34As early as middle school,
40:38>> some of the youngest Americans are
40:39learning how to work with their hands
40:41for a different kind of future.
40:42>> We're learning life skills. This is like
40:45learning how to survive in the real
40:46world. Seventh graders like Amina and
40:48Parvis, not yet old enough for official
40:51working papers, are learning the basics
40:53of electrical and carpentry skilled work
40:55at Baldi Middle School in Philadelphia.
40:58>> If I want to work as a builder or like a
41:01engineer, I could use this.
41:02>> While trade schools themselves are
41:04nothing new, what is somewhat
41:06revolutionary is now sixth, seventh, and
41:08eighth graders are learning about
41:10skilled trades as part of their
41:11curriculum. If you have the right
41:13teacher and you got somebody sitting
41:14there oneon-one with you that cares
41:16about you and loves their job, they're
41:18going to help you through it. And that's
41:19what we do here in the class.
41:21>> Jason Grant, or Mr. Grant as the kids
41:24call him, is the mastermind behind the
41:26class.
41:27>> Today, we're going to do something a
41:28little bit different.
41:29>> A trained electrician who goes by Mr.
41:32light guy on social media. Grant says
41:34that everyone should know the basics of
41:36how to fix things around the house
41:38regardless of age because according to
41:40him,
41:41>> I'm not able to scream enough that
41:43college is not for everybody. It's very
41:45important to learn and at least expose
41:47them at this level here so that they
41:50know before they get to high school,
41:51hey, I want to do this or I want to do
41:54that. They don't know unless you
41:56actually expose them to them.
41:57>> In this class, students learn how to
41:59properly change out light fixture
42:00receptacles. troubleshoot electrical
42:02issues and make functional custom wood
42:04pieces from scraps.
42:06>> They're confident now. They're banging
42:08on the door. They want to come in on
42:09their lunch break.
42:10>> Across the board, data shows that young
42:12people are increasingly interested in
42:13careers in trades amid college tuition
42:16costs that have continuously grown over
42:17the last 20 years. Trade school
42:19enrollment is on the rise with Gen Z
42:22leading the charge. The number of people
42:24ages 17 to 21 with two-year vocational
42:27degrees in 2024 hit its highest level in
42:30more than 30 years. Because of these
42:32numbers, according to the Philadelphia
42:33school superintendent, classes like
42:35grants aren't a nice to have. They're
42:37essential in preparing young people for
42:39their future.
42:39>> It just proves when kids have an
42:41opportunity to pursue their passions, to
42:44engage in hands-on learning, our young
42:46people can do fantastic things.
42:48>> What do your parents think about the
42:50fact that you're learning about the
42:51trades? They are very happy of me. I
42:54whenever I learn something new, I go
42:56show them and they're like, "Wow, you
42:57can do this."
42:58>> And members of Gen Alpha are learning
43:00from Gen Z tradesmen like Ryan Shikman,
43:02who showcases his career in skilled
43:04trade work online.
43:06>> Come with me in a day in a life of a
43:08full service day. AI is not going to
43:10replace us. Can a robot go in an attic
43:12in 120° weather and fix an AC for Mrs.
43:16Smith? I don't think so. At 21 years
43:18old, Shikman owns an HVAC company based
43:20out of New York City. And he says since
43:2317, he knew that college wasn't for him.
43:26Despite both of his parents earning a
43:28college degree,
43:29>> all you need is one skill or a set of
43:32skills and you'll be set.
43:34>> But make no mistake, just because he
43:36believes his job can't be replaced by AI
43:38doesn't mean he doesn't use AI himself.
43:41>> I don't have to do a lot of my office
43:43backend stuff. I have an AI
43:45receptionist.
43:46>> And just in case the technology fails
43:48somewhere along the way, learning a
43:50skilled trade, according to 12-year-old
43:52Amina, will never go offline thanks to
43:55what she's learning right now.
43:57[clears throat]
43:58>> We're lucky in this school to have a
43:59teacher that teaches us life skills.
44:02>> Maris Francis, NBC News.
44:05>> All right, coming up on Morning News
44:06Now, a heartwarming story about an
44:08unlikely friendship.
44:11When she spends time with Ellie, she
44:12comes home happier than when she left.
44:14>> Who gets more out of the relationship?
44:17>> Me.
44:18100% me. She She is my favorite person
44:22in the whole world. [music]
44:23>> Up next, we'll introduce you to two
44:25classmates turned best friends getting
44:27ready to stand side [music] by side on
44:28the homecoming court. We'll be right
44:30back.
44:35Let's end this place this hour in
44:37Minnesota where one friendship changed a
44:39high school student's life. She'd been
44:41bullied since she was a little girl.
44:43>> Boyd Hoopert from our Minneapolis
44:44affiliate shows us the special
44:46relationship that changed that.
44:52>> So you think Disney has the market
44:54cornered on princesses?
44:57>> Maybe stop by Bel.
45:00There's a pair here. You should meet
45:03[music]
45:06>> behind the wheel. That's Elise Nelson
45:08with Ellie Bosvich riding shotgun.
45:12>> And these are Ellie's parents who feel
45:15sometimes.
45:16>> Yeah. [music]
45:19>> Like they're the ones who've landed in a
45:21fairy tale.
45:22>> This is a true true
45:26example of kindness. Christmas Day 2008,
45:30Ellie arrived and her parents heard
45:33these words,
45:34>> Down syndrome.
45:35>> Then, as Ellie grew, their fears did,
45:38too. Back in my day of schooling,
45:43kids or students with special needs were
45:45treated so much different by the other
45:48students.
45:48>> That was one of my greatest worries that
45:51she wouldn't have friends. Imagining
45:53their daughter alone or bullied broke
45:56their hearts. Enter Elise. [screaming]
45:59>> Enter Elise in fifth grade at the center
46:02of decorating Ellie's locker for her
46:04birthday.
46:06>> The first time Ellie's parents realized
46:08she'd found a true friend.
46:11>> From there, it kept going.
46:12>> Side by side through middle and high
46:14school at parties, football games,
46:18>> and miles of car karaoke.
46:20>> Hey [music]
46:23>> [singing]
46:26>> so good together.
46:27>> Elisa's parents see it.
46:28>> When she spends time with Ellie, she
46:30comes home happier than when she left.
46:32>> What is it?
46:33>> What's it say?
46:34>> It fuels her. It feeds her.
46:37>> All the way to senior year.
46:38>> Oh, we get to take another one.
46:40>> Inseparable.
46:42[laughter]
46:43>> Who gets more out of the relationship?
46:46>> Me.
46:47100% me. She she is my favorite person
46:51in the whole world. I love her so much.
46:53>> Loves their talks.
46:54>> After you miss firecracker
46:55>> about hair and nails
46:58>> and boys
46:59>> and Rick, let's go muscles. You can do
47:01it.
47:02>> Their frequent trips to the bowling
47:04alley.
47:04>> Woohoo.
47:07Nice.
47:09>> There.
47:11Look at these muscles. Ooh. Ooh. Ooh.
47:13>> And Ellie sense of humor.
47:16>> Stinky.
47:17>> Your socks are stinky. I bet mine are
47:19too.
47:19>> She takes Ellie out for coffee and
47:21she'll bring the other girls with. She
47:23got Ellie a prom date. Um, you know, to
47:26walk the grand march at prom.
47:28>> She'd like a Dr. Pepper, please.
47:30>> It was Elise who convinced the leaders
47:32of the local pageant to add a category
47:35for Ellie.
47:36>> Ellie is the first Miss Firecracker and
47:38a true princess.
47:40>> And why wouldn't she?
47:41>> Yes, she's my best friend 100%.
47:43>> Which made
47:44>> Yes.
47:45>> what happened this fall extra special.
47:47Oh, her queen dress.
47:49>> Those are the girls voted on to Bell
47:52Plain's homecoming court.
47:54>> I'm nervous. My heart is going like
47:55this.
47:56>> Including both Elise and Ellie.
47:58>> Can I have a hug? I'm really scared.
48:00Your hugs always made me feel better.
48:02>> You wanted it for her more than
48:03>> Oh, yes.
48:04>> More than you wanted it for yourself.
48:05>> Yes. 100%. Yeah.
48:07>> It's time to introduce our 2026
48:09homecoming candidates.
48:13Standing with her classmates in front of
48:15her bestie, Ellie can't contain her joy.
48:19[laughter] Nor can a mother years past
48:21worrying her daughter wouldn't have
48:23friends.
48:25[screaming] Didn't even matter that
48:27another friend won.
48:29>> Elise really has made it a a point
48:32>> one two three
48:34>> to include her in everything. And as a
48:37mom, that is all you can ask for. That
48:40is all you can ask for.
48:43include.
48:44>> Whoa. Show the camera your crown.
48:47>> What more does a princess even need?
48:50>> I'm just glad she has someone that can
48:52be there to do that for her.
48:54>> Boyd Hooper, Carol 11 News,
48:57>> Bell Plain.
48:58>> Oh my gosh.
48:59>> They didn't need to win the win the
49:01crown. They already won so much more on
49:03[laughter] that story. Thank you, Boyd.
49:04That's going to do it for this hour of
49:06morning news. Now,
49:07>> stay with us though. The news continues
49:08right now.
49:14>> [music]
49:21>> Good morning. Thanks for starting your
49:22week with us. I'm Savannah Sers.
49:23>> I'm Joe Frier. Right now on Morning News
49:25Now, back to work. Lawmakers returning
49:28to Capitol Hill today for the first time
49:30since last week's midterm election
49:32dominated by Democrats and President
49:34Trump speaking out about the election
49:36now in a new interview with 60 Minutes.
49:39Plus, a major shakeup in the
49:40administration. A controversial figure
49:42tapped for chief of staff. We've got the
49:45latest from Washington. Under
49:47investigation, AI company Nvidia looking
49:49into allegations it CEO was reportedly
49:52targeted [music] by a woman he had an
49:54affair with. Someone intelligence
49:55officials are calling a spy. We'll break
49:59down [music] the allegations and what's
50:00next for the multi- trillion dollar
50:02company. Climate [music] concerns. New
50:05research shedding light on the potential
50:07harm of microlastics.
50:09We'll tell you about the new warning
50:11[music] from experts. How microlastics
50:13could impact our climate and our global
50:16food supply. [music]
50:18And the season, the Rockefeller Center
50:21tree finally arriving outside our front
50:23window on the plaza. There's some dorky
50:26looking guy in green on that on that
50:28truck there. The tree overlooking the
50:30iconic skating rink that is celebrating
50:3290 years. Later this hour, Savannah and
50:35I will take a spin on the ice and take a
50:38look back at the landmarks history. The
50:41grace, the grace, the speed, the
50:44elegance.
50:45>> We really had to throw that penguin
50:47video right out the top, didn't we?
50:49>> Just [laughter]
50:50>> we did improve and neither of us fell.
50:53>> Neither of us fell. That was the key.
50:54Spoiler alert. Spoiler alert. So, we'll
50:56get to all of that [laughter] in a
50:58moment. Let's begin this hour in
50:59Washington. Members of Congress are
51:01returning today after last week's
51:02historic midterm elections.
51:04>> Yeah, the Democrats blue wave marked a
51:06major loss for President Trump and now
51:08he's shaking up his White House staff.
51:10So, the big question, will this
51:11administration work with the new
51:13Democratic majority? NBC News chief
51:16Capitol Hill correspondent Ryan Nobles
51:17is in Washington with more on what to
51:19expect this week. Hey Ryan, good
51:21morning. The Democrats won't take
51:22control of Congress until January, but
51:25between now and then, the lame duck GOP
51:27majority still has a lot of work to do.
51:30And today, President Trump is sending
51:31signals he may hold his ground as
51:34opposed to finding ways to work
51:35together. With members of Congress
51:38returning to Washington today after the
51:40blue wave election, President Trump on
51:4260 Minutes Sunday night sounding defiant
51:45in the wake of that historic election
51:47loss. I've had the best two years in the
51:49history of the presidency. The
51:51president, however, acknowledging his
51:53deportation policy went too far. I think
51:56it was too far. It was too tough.
51:57>> I think it might be too tough.
51:58>> Saying that while he could potentially
52:00work on a deal to limit some
52:01deportations, there are some on the
52:04quote far right that would like everyone
52:06taken out.
52:07>> Do any of those people work in your
52:08administration? Are they in the building
52:10with us right now?
52:11>> No. No. Well, there are a lot of those
52:12people. Shortly after that interview
52:14taped, Trump elevated Steven Miller, a
52:17controversial White House aid known for
52:19his hardline immigration views, to White
52:21House chief of staff, taking over for
52:23Susie Wilds. And while the president
52:26said he could work with Democrats,
52:28Miller seen as a confrontational choice.
52:31Trump also acknowledging the Iran war
52:33and gas prices may have contributed to
52:35the midterm losses.
52:37>> They didn't like the war. They didn't
52:39like the fact that gasoline went up. but
52:41overnight continuing to defend the war
52:44and his defense secretary Pete Hgse whom
52:46some in Congress are vowing to impeach.
52:49>> And we saved Israel and the Middle East.
52:51And what are we going to do with one of
52:52the guys that was most responsible? They
52:55want to impeach him.
52:56>> While the president said yesterday that
52:58he has confidence in Hegath, NBC News
53:00reported last week that Trump has told
53:02allies that he was considering replacing
53:04the defense secretary. Representative
53:06Thomas Massie, a Republican who has
53:08broken with President Trump, planning to
53:10introduce an impeachment vote this week.
53:13Democratic leadership in agreement.
53:15>> I'm a hard yes on the Hexath resolution.
53:18>> Still, many of the new Democrats in
53:20Congress say their party needs to focus
53:22on economic issues.
53:24>> If we don't figure that out and get to
53:26work on helping people, uh this is going
53:29to be a a oneanddone kind of um you
53:31know, kind of blue wave. But before they
53:33can enact their ambitious agenda,
53:36Congress has to finish their work for
53:37the year, including funding the
53:39government long-term. And in a truth
53:42social post over the weekend, President
53:44Trump offering Dana White, the head of
53:46UFC and his longtime friend, the job of
53:49press secretary, touting him as a quote
53:52violent fighter and warrior. Now,
53:54overnight, the president said he was
53:55only kidding, but that White loves the
53:57idea. When asked about the offer on
53:59Saturday, White said that they have a
54:00meeting today at the White House and had
54:02and would have more to talk about after
54:04that. The president confirmed last night
54:06that the meeting was happening, but he
54:07said it was for other reasons. The
54:09previous press secretary, Katie
54:10Zachariah, left the role just 5 days
54:13into it last month.
54:15>> All right, Ryan, thank you.
54:16>> Investors are bracing for another
54:17potentially volatile week on Wall Street
54:19following last week's roller coaster
54:21ride.
54:21>> Yeah, of course, you remember the stock
54:23markets initially surged following that
54:25decisive midterm election outcome. Then
54:27though they plummeted a day later amid
54:29these concerns that the buildout of AI
54:31data centers could slow down in the wake
54:33of that blue wave.
54:34>> Here to discuss NBC News chief business
54:36correspondent News Now anchor Christine
54:37Romans. We say roller coaster but it was
54:39more on the the down part of the roller
54:42coaster. Walk us through what happened
54:44last week and what that's telling us
54:45about just where investors.
54:46>> I mean an 1800 point swing on the Dow
54:49and then down a,000 points and up a,000
54:51points and the NASDAQ had a really tough
54:53week as well. But when you step back,
54:55you can see for the week the NASDAQ was
54:57down about 3%. Dow Jones basically
55:00steady. S&P 500, that's what mostly
55:02likely the stocks in your 401k, they're
55:06probably more reflective of what's in
55:07that middle line there. But you go you
55:09go out three years, you go out uh a year
55:11or five years, look, I mean, you're
55:13still positive. AI has been driving so
55:16much of the energy in both the stock
55:19market and the economy. I think it was a
55:21reminder that um when a little bit of
55:24air seems to be going out of the AI
55:26boom, it really got a lot of attention
55:28and and so many of those ballot
55:29initiatives that were voted on last week
55:31were skeptical and downright um you know
55:34uh oppositional to AI data centers and
55:37so that was sort of sparked the freak
55:38out.
55:39>> It's pretty interesting to see that
55:40emerge as a real issue and actually hear
55:41that from voters. What about today this
55:43week? How's the market shaping up?
55:45>> So it looks like you could get a monster
55:46rally here this morning except for
55:48Nvidia shares. So, that's a whole
55:49another separate story, but you're we'll
55:51get there in a second, but right now
55:52we're watching um watching markets look
55:54like they're going to bounce back, which
55:56is is I think that's a good a good sign.
55:58One of the reasons is because oil prices
56:00are falling. You've got West Texas
56:01Intermediate down below $90 a barrel.
56:04That means gas prices have been falling
56:05and you're likely going to see gas
56:08prices below $4 a gallon probably by
56:11tomorrow. I mean, I'm already seeing it
56:12in my neighborhood. Um it's moved
56:14quickly. 16 cents lowered gas prices in
56:17just a week. job market strong. We saw
56:19that on Friday. So, that's kind of a
56:20good news story there. Interest rates
56:22have been falling. So, mortgage rates
56:24have fallen a little bit. They're about
56:257.17% for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage.
56:28So, ironically, a week after an election
56:30about affordability, there are these
56:32little tiny pocketbook positives that
56:34people should start to feel. And I think
56:36that those gas prices can trend lower
56:38into Thanksgiving. So, that's good.
56:39>> Especially who are driving to
56:41grandmother's house and all that. Let's
56:42talk about Nvidia here. We are going to
56:44dig a little deeper into it in a moment,
56:45but the bottom line is here. We know the
56:46headline, these questions about this
56:48relationship between the CEO and a woman
56:50now who is suspected of being a Chinese
56:53spy. That's according to a US
56:54intelligence source. Um what Nvidia's on
56:57the NASDAQ. What what could this mean
56:59for the company, for the tech industry,
57:01and for investors?
57:02>> This is such an important company for
57:05national security, for the buildout of
57:07AI, for the right chips. Everybody wants
57:10these chips. Uh the United States has
57:13been very careful about trying to stay
57:14ahead as a leader in AI. China wants to
57:18unseat the US. China wants Nvidia's
57:20chips and this I mean this goes to the
57:24core of the AI buildout. It on so many
57:26levels this is such a big story. The
57:28size of the company um his particular
57:31role I heard somebody call him an AI
57:33god. You know this is like not a typical
57:36CEO with this kind of a scandal. the
57:40board would have already fired him.
57:41>> Yeah.
57:41>> So, this now there's going to be a board
57:43is going to investigate and we'll see.
57:44But he is so important to this company.
57:46What does that mean exactly? Uh and he
57:49is so important to American national
57:51security. If this is true that a Chinese
57:54asset got so close to him, it just
57:57speaks volumes about how a few people So
58:00true.
58:01>> are at the very top of one of the most
58:03important transformations in the
58:04American economy. It It's just a
58:06remarkable story.
58:07>> What a responsibility that is. Exactly.
58:09Exactly.
58:10>> Christine Rowins, thank you so much.
58:11>> Yeah, we're going to stay on exactly
58:12that because as Christine just laid out
58:14here, this really is this big story.
58:16Now, the AI powerhouse, Nvidia, they are
58:18investigating their CEO, their
58:19co-founder Jensen Hang, amid reports he
58:22was targeted by a woman US intelligence
58:24officials are now calling a Chinese spy.
58:27NBC News business and data correspondent
58:29Brian Chung is following the story. He's
58:30got the latest for us. Hey, Brian, good
58:32morning.
58:34>> Hey there. Jensen Hong's company Nvidia
58:36has become the center of the artificial
58:37intelligence industry. A chipmaker worth
58:40over $4 trillion. But now this affair
58:43along with potential national security
58:44implications has engulfed the company
58:46and its CEO with it. This morning,
58:49Nvidia CEO and co-founder Jensen Huang
58:52admitting to having a relationship with
58:54a woman US intelligence agencies are
58:56calling a Chinese spy. According to a
58:58person with knowledge of the matter,
59:00Alice Hong is an executive from a data
59:02company called Mega Speed and an alleged
59:04Chinese intelligence asset who the New
59:06York Times reported last month was
59:07feeding information directly to Beijing.
59:10Allegations a Chinese official called
59:12unsubstantiated and nothing but smears
59:15overnight. Jensen Hang apologizing to
59:17employees in a staff memo shared by the
59:19company with NBC News, writing, "I was
59:21unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt
59:24her and our children. There is no excuse
59:26for what I did. I am deeply sorry.
59:29Jensen Hang and the Alice Hang sharing
59:31the same last name but no relation. The
59:34two pictured together at events in past
59:36years. Nvidia's board announced an
59:38independent investigation Sunday, but
59:40says it has no reason to believe that
59:42either national security or Nvidia
59:45secrets were compromised and that Hong
59:47will continue to lead the company
59:48without interruption. Despite the news,
59:51President Trump defending the Nvidia CEO
59:53Sunday.
59:54>> He's done an amazing job for our
59:55country. I just know he's a fine person,
59:58but you never know what is going on.
1:00:00>> Huang is a close ally and adviser to the
1:00:02president, having worked with the White
1:00:04House to secure a deal to sell some
1:00:06Nvidia chips to China last year. The CEO
1:00:08even traveling with the president to
1:00:10China back in May. But the New York
1:00:12Times reporting Secretary of State Marco
1:00:14Rubio warned the White House just before
1:00:16that trip of Hang's relationship with
1:00:18the Chinese spy.
1:00:19>> I can't comment on any of that. I I I
1:00:21just can't comment because of the nature
1:00:22of it. Lawmakers on both sides of the
1:00:25aisle have been demanding answers over
1:00:26the alleged ties with three Republican
1:00:29House committee chairs asking last week
1:00:30for Huang to appear for a joint closed
1:00:33door briefing later this month. The
1:00:35Times has said it's not clear what
1:00:36information the suspected spy may have
1:00:38passed on to China, but we do know it's
1:00:40very interested in those super powerful
1:00:42AI chips that Nvidia manufactures.
1:00:44Meanwhile, analysts this morning are
1:00:45starting to wonder if the if Huang may
1:00:47be removed as CEO depending on the
1:00:49outcome of the investigations, which is
1:00:50a huge deal for a company that's as
1:00:52large as Apple. Back to you.
1:00:54>> All right, Brian, thanks so much. Well,
1:00:55for more on this, let's bring in NBC
1:00:56News artificial intelligence reporter
1:00:58Jared Pllo. He joins us Sunset. Jared,
1:01:00as we've been saying, you kind of can't
1:01:02overstate just how big of a story this
1:01:04is, particularly in the sector that you
1:01:05of course report in. And and we want to
1:01:06kind of like roll back a little, put
1:01:08this in perspective because the chips
1:01:10that Nvidia makes, they are so important
1:01:12and so powerful that Washington had
1:01:14actually restricted the sale of some of
1:01:17them, of some of the most powerful ones
1:01:19to China since back in 2022. And then we
1:01:22had Jensen Hong sort of convince the
1:01:25president to roll that back to a degree.
1:01:27Walk us through some of the history
1:01:29here. Yeah. So, it sounds very high
1:01:30level at first, but I think viewers need
1:01:32to understand these chips are at the
1:01:33heart of the AI boom, the AI buildout.
1:01:36They're the the material powering all of
1:01:38the AI transformation that we're seeing
1:01:40today. And Nvidia's chips are better
1:01:41than any other companies on the planet.
1:01:43By some estimates, they own around 80%
1:01:45to 90% of the world's global chip
1:01:47supply. Everybody has been trying to
1:01:49dethrone Nvidia, but they can't because
1:01:50they're so good at what they do. They
1:01:52design the chips and they send the
1:01:53designs to a factory in Taiwan. That
1:01:55factory in Taiwan manufactures the
1:01:57chips. So essentially zooming out we can
1:01:59think of these chips as uh the next
1:02:01commodity right think about gasoline
1:02:03think about energy these are the things
1:02:04that are going to be powering the next
1:02:06industrial transformation essentially
1:02:08like think about when the steam engine
1:02:09came along that's essentially Nvidia
1:02:11right here except their CEO now inspired
1:02:13this mega you know spy scandal
1:02:15>> and the investigations begin now
1:02:16Congress will look into it the DOJ will
1:02:18look into it especially like what kind
1:02:19of influence that this woman had on the
1:02:21CEO the company will do an internal
1:02:22investigation Nvidia's board said it had
1:02:25quote no reason to believe that either
1:02:27national security or Nvidia secrets were
1:02:30compromised. Plenty of people are
1:02:32understandably skeptical of that. I
1:02:34mean, how could this have compromised
1:02:36the chips and national security?
1:02:38>> Yeah. Well, think if you have all of
1:02:40your most important state secrets
1:02:41resting with any one person and then you
1:02:43compromise that person. I mean, we know
1:02:45that Jensen texts with President Trump.
1:02:47Think about all the information that he
1:02:48has on his phones, on his computers, all
1:02:50the designs about chips that they have
1:02:51today, but the chips that they're going
1:02:53to have tomorrow. And in 5 years,
1:02:54China's been trying to build out their
1:02:55own domestic chip industry, but they
1:02:57haven't been able to because they've
1:02:59lagged about 5 to 10 years behind
1:03:00Nvidia. Think about if you could conduct
1:03:02some sort of industrial sabotage. You
1:03:04could steal those designs. That would
1:03:06totally transform China's ability to
1:03:07catch up to America in the AI race. Of
1:03:10course, I want to stress there's still
1:03:11so much we don't know. The story has
1:03:12kind of been developing for a year, two
1:03:14years, couple, you know, even longer
1:03:16than that. But right now, there's still
1:03:18so much we don't know about exactly what
1:03:20information the spy got, if that indeed
1:03:22is a spy, what sort of relationship
1:03:23Jensen had with this person. So, it's
1:03:25really in flux, and I think we're going
1:03:27to be reporting it out over the next
1:03:28couple days.
1:03:28>> No kidding. Um, where are we at in this
1:03:31race with China?
1:03:32>> So, right now, uh, all signs point to
1:03:35the fact that the US is still several
1:03:36years ahead of China, especially in the
1:03:38hardware realm. So, there used to be
1:03:40this gap in terms of AI systems. Think
1:03:42about ChatGpt. Think about Claude from
1:03:44Anthropic. Those systems used to be a
1:03:47year or more ahead of Chinese systems.
1:03:48But now that gap has shrunk to just a
1:03:50couple months. That's on the software
1:03:51side. But on the hardware side, there
1:03:53still is a couple years of difference.
1:03:55And that's why China and the entire
1:03:57Chinese apparatus has been trying to
1:03:58narrow that gap. Now, I should say we
1:04:00just heard from the Chinese foreign
1:04:02ministry. They said that these are just
1:04:03uh slanderous lies. It's meant to, you
1:04:06know, tarnish China's reputation. So,
1:04:07we're going to be seeing what they're
1:04:08going to say as well.
1:04:09>> What could this mean for the AI
1:04:11industry?
1:04:12>> Well, again, there's so much we don't
1:04:13know. If uh Nvidia's stocks tank this
1:04:16morning, that potentially we'll see
1:04:17some, you know, more air let out of the
1:04:19AI bubble there. I don't think the AI
1:04:21buildout is going to be going anywhere.
1:04:23I've been chatting with executives from
1:04:24all of America's leading AI companies.
1:04:26They simply can't get enough chips. They
1:04:28need more chips. They need better chips.
1:04:30So, I think the AI boom is here to stay,
1:04:33but where exactly Nvidia falls in that
1:04:35hierarchy remains to be seen.
1:04:36>> All right, Jared Pllo, really, really
1:04:38great reporting. Appreciate it. Thanks
1:04:39so much.
1:04:39>> Thank you. Comedian and actor Russell
1:04:41Bran is expected to learn his fate in a
1:04:43London court later this morning. The
1:04:4551-year-old was convicted last week. One
1:04:47count of rape, three counts of sexual
1:04:49assault involving four different women.
1:04:51The judge has already warned Bran to
1:04:53expect a significant prison sentence and
1:04:55has denied him bail. Under English law,
1:04:58rape carries a maximum sentence of life
1:05:00in prison, while each sexual assault
1:05:02conviction carries up to 10 years. Bran
1:05:05has denied all allegations of
1:05:07nonconsentual sex. Well, this morning,
1:05:10the disappearance of Natalie Holloway is
1:05:11back in the spotlight as her mother,
1:05:13Beth Holloway, offers a fresh
1:05:15perspective about that story that
1:05:17captured the world's attention in a new
1:05:19Netflix documentary. NBC News
1:05:21correspondent Sam Brock sat down with
1:05:23her to talk about the series. Hi, Sam.
1:05:24Good morning.
1:05:26>> Hey there. Beth Holloway says now felt
1:05:28like the right time to talk about her
1:05:30tireless quest for information since
1:05:32there's finality in her search for what
1:05:34happened to Natalie Holloway. As Beth
1:05:36describes confronting her daughter's
1:05:37killer within hours of stepping foot on
1:05:39Aruba, the pieces that she says were
1:05:42there the whole time. They just had to
1:05:43put them together. It's a fight that
1:05:45lasted almost 20 years.
1:05:47>> One of the organizers tells me Natalie
1:05:50is missing.
1:05:51>> Beth Holloway's pursuit for truth when
1:05:53her 18-year-old daughter Natalie
1:05:55vanished on a high school trip to Aruba
1:05:57in 2005.
1:05:59>> Person that she was last seen with likes
1:06:01to prey upon young female tourists. He's
1:06:04a known predator.
1:06:06>> Now Beth herself narrating her search
1:06:08for answers in the Netflix docu series
1:06:11Taken.
1:06:12>> Why do the documentary?
1:06:14>> Because I finally have a conclusion.
1:06:16There's a finale. I have the answers.
1:06:19>> It took a herculean effort to get them.
1:06:21>> He said, "What do you want me to do?"
1:06:23And you kept hitting his chest. as Beth
1:06:25takes viewers inside that early
1:06:27confrontation with Yuron Vanderlot, the
1:06:30Dutch national and a Reuben resident who
1:06:32eventually confessed to bludgeoning
1:06:34Natalie to death in 2023, but not before
1:06:37spinning lies for years.
1:06:38>> My initial interaction with Yuron
1:06:42was another
1:06:44moment of he knows he knows what
1:06:47happened to her. and a haunting sitdown
1:06:50with Vanderlot's parents at their home,
1:06:52including his judge in training father,
1:06:54Paulace, who was briefly detained in the
1:06:56investigation but released for lack of
1:06:58evidence.
1:06:59>> As I was questioning Paulace of his
1:07:02involvement, his pickup, the times were
1:07:04changing for when Iran was picked up and
1:07:07it was very conflicting
1:07:10and he began to sweat just profusely.
1:07:14>> Did you see those as tells immediately?
1:07:17That was my answer. Right then, I knew
1:07:21it was guilt. That was guilt pouring
1:07:24from him.
1:07:25>> The three-part docue series introduces a
1:07:27variety of voices from former FBI agents
1:07:30to the family's attorney, John Q. Kelly,
1:07:32in never-before-seen video shared by the
1:07:34FBI revealing Vanderlow agreeing to take
1:07:37Kelly to the location of Natalie's body.
1:07:39>> Did you put in the in the contract that
1:07:41that would be paid within a month
1:07:42>> in exchange for a quarter of a million
1:07:44dollars? a promise which [music] proved
1:07:47fruitless.
1:07:48>> I think that people will when they see
1:07:51the video,
1:07:54I think they're going to say
1:07:57it's repulsive to see
1:08:01Yuron taking money
1:08:05from the mother of the daughter that he
1:08:08bludgeoned to death. Now with a sense of
1:08:10resolution, Beth Holloway telling the
1:08:12story in her own voice and remembering
1:08:14her beloved daughter Natalie.
1:08:16>> Every morning I never leave my house for
1:08:18work until I go to her senior portrait
1:08:20and kiss her. Realigning and living
1:08:22through my granddaughter, my grandson,
1:08:25my son,
1:08:27and then I'm able to still be be around
1:08:30Natalie's friends. So that's a blessing.
1:08:34Beth Holloway took a pause for nine
1:08:36years in her role as a public school
1:08:38employee and speech pathologist, but she
1:08:40returned in 2014 and she is still there
1:08:43working. She said a body in motion is a
1:08:45good thing and is glad that she could
1:08:46show other families perhaps dealing with
1:08:48hardship of their own the power of the
1:08:50human spirit determined by hope and
1:08:52driven by love. Back to you.
1:08:54>> All right, Sam. Thank you.
1:08:55>> As we begin another week, let's take a
1:08:57closer look at what you can expect with
1:08:58your morning news now weather.
1:09:00>> Meteorologist Raphael Miranda joins us
1:09:01with the latest. Hey, Rap. Good morning.
1:09:03Good morning, Savannah. Good morning,
1:09:04Joe. A very active week ahead. Starting
1:09:06out with some storms across Texas right
1:09:08now. Very heavy rain, thunder, and
1:09:09lightning the whole nine yards. And
1:09:11flooding is a concern here. We've seen
1:09:12this rain continuing through the early
1:09:14morning. It will linger throughout much
1:09:16of the day today, even into the
1:09:17afternoon, evening hours. An additional
1:09:201 to two ines possible across very soggy
1:09:23ground here. For that reason, we do have
1:09:24a flood watch in effect across much of
1:09:26southern and central Texas here,
1:09:28including Corpus Christi. Uh we're
1:09:30looking at that flash flood risk today
1:09:32as the heavy rain arrives in waves. San
1:09:34Antonio could see flash flooding. Uh
1:09:36same story all the way down towards
1:09:38Brownsville. Now looking ahead to how
1:09:40much additional rainfall we're expecting
1:09:41over what we've already seen. Yes,
1:09:43another 1 to two inches of possibility
1:09:45here in those spots. Now the Pacific
1:09:47Northwest also quite stormy today. And
1:09:50then again another storm, a very active
1:09:52weather pattern as we head into Tuesday.
1:09:55Heavy rain along the coast. Watching out
1:09:56for some flooding there and mountain
1:09:58snows. Now, this storm uh continues to
1:10:01move on shore later today. Several
1:10:03inches of rain a possibility for coastal
1:10:05sections and eventually this low works
1:10:07its way across the country by the middle
1:10:09of the week. This is a problem for the
1:10:11Northeast and the Midwest. Here's a look
1:10:12at Thursday. Rain moving along the I95
1:10:15corridor. Uh it's going to be a chilly
1:10:17rain. Winds picking up as well. And then
1:10:19as colder air gets wrapped around this
1:10:21storm heading into Friday, we may see
1:10:24mountain snow and quite a bit of it in
1:10:26the Appalachians and also New England.
1:10:28Saturday, the storm does pull away, but
1:10:31it'll be quite chilly in its wake. The
1:10:32coldest weather of the season uh working
1:10:34in so far. So again, we're looking at a
1:10:36strong system to bring travel impacts
1:10:39Thursday into Friday. Travel could be
1:10:41impacted along the I95 corridor from DC
1:10:43all the way up to Boston. Again, today,
1:10:45enjoy the quiet here in the Northeast.
1:10:47Maybe some isolated showers in New
1:10:48England, but then we're tracking that
1:10:50storm middle of the week, it starts to
1:10:52push into the Midwest. And then
1:10:53Thursday, Friday, quite stormy here in
1:10:55the Northeast. Otherwise, looking sunny
1:10:57off to the west.
1:10:58>> Not bad.
1:10:58>> Yeah,
1:10:59>> not bad. Not the worst week that you
1:11:03much more to come here on this hour of
1:11:04Morning News. Now, later this hour, the
1:11:06iconic skating rink here at 30 Rock is
1:11:09celebrating a big milestone [music] this
1:11:11season. So, Joe and I laced up and
1:11:13learned about some of that storied
1:11:15history.
1:11:15>> And we didn't destroy the rink. Uh up
1:11:17first, Pope Leo now in South America
1:11:19[music] just weeks after undergoing
1:11:20cancer surgery. Well, the latest on his
1:11:23trip.
1:11:26We're back with the latest on Pope Leo's
1:11:2812-day tour of South America. The Pope
1:11:30arrived in Argentina yesterday for the
1:11:32second stop of his trip where he was
1:11:34greeted by Argentina's president and
1:11:36staunch Trump ally, Javier Malay. The
1:11:38trip comes less than a month after the
1:11:40Pope underwent surgery for lung cancer.
1:11:42NBC News international correspondent
1:11:44Danielle Hamjin joins us now with more
1:11:45on this trip. Danielle, good morning.
1:11:47>> Good morning, Joe. At the very beginning
1:11:49of this trip, the Pope acknowledged that
1:11:51some people thought this very demanding
1:11:53tour might have to be cancelled given
1:11:55his medical scare just a few weeks ago.
1:11:57But he credited good doctors, a healthy
1:12:00lifestyle, and trust in God. And here he
1:12:03is now on day four in Argentina, the
1:12:06most politically delicate stop of his
1:12:08tour.
1:12:10This morning, Pope Leo in Argentina on
1:12:13the second leg of his ambitious tour of
1:12:15South America. The trip expecting to
1:12:17draw millions of faithful in the
1:12:19predominantly Catholic continent.
1:12:22[cheering] In Buenosis, the crowds eager
1:12:24to get a glimpse of the first visit by a
1:12:26pope here in nearly 40 years.
1:12:30A remarkable turnaround for Leo. It was
1:12:32just last month that the 71-year-old
1:12:35underwent lung cancer surgery. The
1:12:37pontiff telling journalists aboard the
1:12:39papal plane as they took off.
1:12:41>> Praise the Lord and thanks to wonderful
1:12:43medical assistance, I'm here today, I
1:12:47think, in fairly good shape.
1:12:49>> The Vatican says Leo has now made a full
1:12:51recovery. And despite the grueling
1:12:54schedule of this tour, no special
1:12:56precautions had to be made. And it is
1:12:59here in Argentina that Leo is navigating
1:13:01the papacy and politics.
1:13:05Leo was greeted by President Javier Mle,
1:13:07a staunch ally of Donald Trump, who has
1:13:10strongly supported the war in Iran,
1:13:12which Leo has denounced. And at home,
1:13:15Malay's radical budget cuts criticized
1:13:18by the Catholic Church for hitting the
1:13:20poorest the most. And so Leo, a former
1:13:23missionary, came delivering this
1:13:25message.
1:13:28>> The economy must benefit everyone,
1:13:30including the poor, he said. Leo calling
1:13:34Argentina personally meaningful. It's
1:13:36here that his predecessor, Pope Francis,
1:13:39was born. Leo began his trip with a
1:13:42packed schedule in Uruguay over the
1:13:44weekend, drawing tens of thousands of
1:13:46people, some waiting all night for a
1:13:48chance to see him in person. Now, while
1:13:51in Argentina, he is scheduled to visit a
1:13:53facility for disabled people, a prison,
1:13:56where he'll meet inmates. He leaves for
1:13:58Peru on Wednesday. That'll be the
1:14:00longest part of the trip, a homecoming
1:14:02of sorts. Peru is, of course, where he
1:14:04spent 20 years as a missionary and then
1:14:06a bishop. It'll be quite the reception,
1:14:08Joe.
1:14:09>> No doubt. All right, Danielle, thank
1:14:10you.
1:14:11>> We've got more international news this
1:14:13morning in Egypt. Several people are
1:14:15dead and more than 100 people injured
1:14:17after two passenger trains collided.
1:14:18>> NBC's Matt Botner joins us now to take
1:14:20us around the world in 60 seconds. Matt,
1:14:22good morning.
1:14:23>> Joe Savannah, good morning. Seven people
1:14:25were killed and 112 [music] others
1:14:27injured when two trains collided
1:14:29yesterday south of Cairo in an incident
1:14:31similar to the train crash in Spain two
1:14:33weeks ago. One of the [music] trains
1:14:34crashed into the back of the other. One
1:14:36of those trains derailed as a result,
1:14:38but the authorities have not specified
1:14:40which. Moving along now to Ukraine.
1:14:43European officials will take [music]
1:14:44part in US mediated peace talks between
1:14:46Russia and Ukraine and the United Arab
1:14:47Emirates later this week.
1:14:49>> [music]
1:14:49>> This comes just days after the Kremlin
1:14:51insisted that there was no seat at the
1:14:52table for European powers at the
1:14:54meeting. France's foreign minister said
1:14:56they will ensure that Europe's [music]
1:14:57voice is heard. It is however unclear if
1:14:59European representatives will take
1:15:01direct part in the talks or just
1:15:02observe. We'll wrap up this hour in
1:15:05Paris. Tennis star Carlos Alcarez
1:15:07defeated Ben Shelton in the Paris
1:15:08[music] Masters final on Sunday, taking
1:15:10home his fifth title this year. Alcarz
1:15:12has now won 29 titles and his latest win
1:15:14follows a four-month break earlier this
1:15:16year due to a wrist injury. He's won all
1:15:18three finals he's competed in since his
1:15:20return. Back to you guys.
1:15:22>> Good for him. Good to see Ben Shelton in
1:15:23a final again, too. That's great.
1:15:24>> That's so true.
1:15:25>> All right. Thank you, Matt. Now for a
1:15:26look at our environment. New research
1:15:28shows microlastics could be changing the
1:15:30color of the ocean. Experts warned
1:15:32ultimately it could hurt our climate and
1:15:34global food supply.
1:15:36>> In a study that was published last week,
1:15:38scientists analyzed two decades of
1:15:40satellite data. They found a growing
1:15:42amount of blue and green light emanating
1:15:45from a part of the ocean called the
1:15:47Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It is the
1:15:50first time that microplastics have been
1:15:52seen in the ocean from space.
1:15:55>> NBC News science reporter Evan Bush
1:15:57joins us now. He spoke with several
1:15:58experts, including one of the authors of
1:16:00this new study in a recent report for
1:16:02NBC News subscribers. Evan, good
1:16:04morning. So, I know researchers looked
1:16:05at satellite data from 2002 to 2022.
1:16:09Help us understand the basics here. what
1:16:11they found, where they found it, what
1:16:12this means.
1:16:14>> Yeah. So, they what they found is that
1:16:16um in parts of the Great Pacific garbage
1:16:18patch, so that's an area between uh
1:16:21Hawaii and Japan, it's about the twice
1:16:23the size of Texas. Um there's plastic
1:16:26floating there in kind of a a vortex,
1:16:28something called a gire. And basically
1:16:30what they saw is that area was about 10%
1:16:33more blue and 2 to 4% more green in some
1:16:36spots. And what they think is happening
1:16:39is that there's so much uh plastic, it's
1:16:41so dense with with tiny little plastic
1:16:44particles uh that it's actually changing
1:16:46how light is scattered when it hits that
1:16:49part of the ocean and then changing how
1:16:51it's viewed uh by satellites from space.
1:16:53A
1:16:53>> and we understand from these experts
1:16:55also that this buildup of plastic on the
1:16:57ocean surface could potentially affect
1:16:59how water warms and cools. The
1:17:02temperature of the ocean has so much to
1:17:03do with the health of the ocean. How
1:17:05could that change the future of the
1:17:08ocean, of wildlife, of the planet more
1:17:10broadly?
1:17:11>> Yeah, I don't think we're entirely sure
1:17:13yet, but any big change to the amount of
1:17:15light in the ocean could change how much
1:17:17photosynthesis is happening there. Um,
1:17:20you know, tiny creatures called
1:17:21phytolanton that form the base of the
1:17:23food web. Um, you know, this could
1:17:25change how much light they're receiving
1:17:27and then, you know, something called
1:17:29their productivity, right? And and the
1:17:31productivity of the ocean and that base
1:17:32of the food web. So that's something
1:17:35that is going to take more research to
1:17:37understand. Uh the other change that
1:17:39they're concerned about is how much
1:17:40carbon dioxide is ultimately absorbed in
1:17:43the ocean. Carbon dioxide of course um
1:17:46you know has a lot to do with global
1:17:48warming and so if less is absorbed in
1:17:51the ocean um or or more is absorbed in
1:17:53the ocean whatever the the change is it
1:17:54would have a big impact. This is all
1:17:56clearly concerning, but experts do point
1:17:58out being able to see microplastics in
1:18:00the ocean from space using satellites
1:18:02could also be helpful. Explain how.
1:18:06>> Sure. So, you know, it's important to
1:18:08know where microplastics are in the
1:18:10ocean to determine what to do about
1:18:12them, where to cleanup effort should be
1:18:14a focus, for example. Um, so this is a a
1:18:18big uh technological advance from
1:18:20science and and it could be really
1:18:22important. And then obviously, you know,
1:18:24the next step is to really get out there
1:18:27and um and for scientists to uh take
1:18:30samples of of what's going on more
1:18:32closely and really uh confirm these
1:18:34findings in more detail.
1:18:35>> All right, Evan, thanks so much for your
1:18:37reporting. Good to have you with us.
1:18:38>> Important stuff.
1:18:39>> Thanks so much. Great to be here. Coming
1:18:41up, data centers were a hot button issue
1:18:42during this past midterm election.
1:18:44>> Up next, we're going to look into what
1:18:46the future of AI holds now that many
1:18:48voters across the country voted against
1:18:50[music]
1:18:51controversial plans in their
1:18:52communities. You're watching Morning
1:18:53News Now.
1:18:56[music]
1:19:02We are back now with a closer look at
1:19:03what is making news in the world of
1:19:05politics this morning. Starting with the
1:19:06federal judge who's tapping a former US
1:19:09attorney to review the Trump
1:19:11administration's conduct ahead of a new
1:19:13golf course renovation.
1:19:14>> Our legal affairs reporter Gary Grumbach
1:19:16has that and some other DC headlines.
1:19:18Gary, good morning.
1:19:19>> Hey, good morning, guys. Here's what's
1:19:20happening in politics now. A federal
1:19:22judge here in Washington said she is
1:19:24planning to appoint a former US attorney
1:19:26to look into whether government
1:19:27officials misled or even lied to her.
1:19:30This all goes back to President Trump's
1:19:31plans to build a championship style golf
1:19:33course in DC. Much to the chagrin of
1:19:36local golfers and preservationists who
1:19:38sued officials from the Department of
1:19:40Justice, Department of Interior, and
1:19:42National Park Service all told Judge
1:19:44Honoras there was no actual plan to
1:19:46build the course. only for President
1:19:48Trump to post on Truth Social that there
1:19:50was a plan and that construction would
1:19:52begin November 15th. This former US
1:19:54attorney could recommend contempt if she
1:19:57finds someone lied under oath. Former
1:19:59President Joe Biden has a memoir out
1:20:01about his time in office coming next
1:20:03week, but he announced Sunday he won't
1:20:04be doing as many public events
1:20:06previewing his upcoming book as he would
1:20:08like. Biden said while doctors are
1:20:10encouraged by his response to cancer
1:20:12treatments, he has been slowed down by
1:20:14the side effects. The former president
1:20:15revealed his cancer diagnosis last year,
1:20:17sharing that the cancer has metastasized
1:20:19to his bones. And seven of the world's
1:20:22top foreign ministers are descending on
1:20:24Paris today to begin two days of talks
1:20:27about some of the world's biggest
1:20:28issues. From the Russia [music] Ukraine
1:20:30war to the war with Iran to artificial
1:20:33intelligence. It comes a week after the
1:20:35midterm elections, which made clear
1:20:37where Americans stand on some of these
1:20:38issues. And as French residents are
1:20:40taking to the streets in protest over
1:20:43education, the cost of living, and fuel
1:20:45prices, that's what's happening in
1:20:47politics now. Back to you guys.
1:20:49>> All right, Gary, thanks so much.
1:20:50>> Millions of voters across America sent a
1:20:52loud and clear message about a variety
1:20:54of issues in last week's midterms. That
1:20:55includes an overwhelming rejection of
1:20:57data centers. There were 41 data center
1:21:00related measures. On ballots across 10
1:21:03states, Americans voted against all but
1:21:05one of those measures. NBC News business
1:21:08and economy reporter Ally Canal explains
1:21:10what it means for the future of
1:21:11artificial intelligence.
1:21:13>> It wasn't just the Republican party that
1:21:15took a beating Tuesday night.
1:21:17>> This is close to an extinction level
1:21:19event.
1:21:20>> Data centers didn't fare much better.
1:21:23From coast to coast, voters sending a
1:21:25clear message about the massive
1:21:27facilities powering the AI boom.
1:21:29>> I voted to just ban them out, right?
1:21:32According to NBC News exit polling, 76%
1:21:36of voters oppose building data centers
1:21:38in their communities.
1:21:40>> Who wants to live next to a data center?
1:21:43>> Nobody.
1:21:44>> That question now front and center after
1:21:47Tuesday's blue tsunami. Texas Governor
1:21:49elect Gina Enahosa, a Democrat who
1:21:52defeated three-term incumbent Greg
1:21:54Abbott, vowing to crack down.
1:21:56>> It is not that I hate data centers. I
1:21:58hate the way they are taking advantage
1:22:00of Texas. and that stops when I'm
1:22:02governor.
1:22:03>> Those comments echoed by other Democrats
1:22:05who chose to target Republican opponents
1:22:07on the campaign trail over their support
1:22:10for the massive facilities. In Ohio,
1:22:12Republican Senator John Houston faced
1:22:15particular scrutiny.
1:22:16>> John Houston led the charge to bring
1:22:18these data centers to our state.
1:22:20>> Ohio voters like Angel Shelton listened.
1:22:24She spoke with NBC's Ryan Nobles ahead
1:22:26of the midterms.
1:22:27>> Confirming John Houston's on the ballot.
1:22:28Is that does this issue take that into
1:22:30account how you're going to vote?
1:22:32>> Absolutely. And he's not getting that
1:22:34vote.
1:22:34>> Houston ultimately went down to defeat
1:22:37despite pushing back against the
1:22:39criticism.
1:22:40>> Local citizens and communities make
1:22:42those decisions. Not me.
1:22:44>> The backlash coming as tech companies
1:22:46pour billions into new data centers. But
1:22:48for some communities, the cost is
1:22:50already too high. In West Virginia,
1:22:53Randy and Marcia Frame once lived next
1:22:55to a soybean field. Now, construction is
1:22:58underway on what's expected to be one of
1:23:01the country's largest data centers.
1:23:03President Trump has been a supporter of
1:23:04the industry, writing in August,
1:23:07communities that resist will end up
1:23:09being backwards and poor. And how
1:23:11significant overall do you think these
1:23:13elections and the results will have on
1:23:15the long-term outlook for AI?
1:23:17>> Oh, I think they're going to be huge.
1:23:19>> Paul Kadoski is a venture capitalist and
1:23:21fellow at MIT and Oxford. Will this give
1:23:25China the edge over the US when it comes
1:23:27to AI development?
1:23:28>> I strongly believe that it will because
1:23:31models are more than adequate right now
1:23:32for doing most of the things that you
1:23:34and I do. And the only thing we care
1:23:35about is if it's fast and cheap. Well,
1:23:37who's going to do it fastest and
1:23:38cheapest? China.
1:23:40>> It's all raising new questions on Wall
1:23:42Street. After years of soaring stock
1:23:44market gains powered by AI, markets took
1:23:48a historic plunge on Thursday, erasing
1:23:50nearly $3 trillion in value. And now the
1:23:54tech industry is facing growing pressure
1:23:56to win over the public that's pushing
1:23:58back.
1:23:59>> If the midterm means more focus on data
1:24:01centers and communities, we're going to
1:24:03keep doing the work to get into those
1:24:05communities and to build trust.
1:24:07>> Alli Canal, NBC News.
1:24:09All right, coming up, NASA looking for a
1:24:12few new recruits who are out of this
1:24:14world. When
1:24:14>> we come back, we'll tell you what the
1:24:15space agency is looking for as it puts
1:24:17out a call for its next class of
1:24:19astronauts. [music] Stay with us.
1:24:24>> We are back now with a job posting
1:24:25that's quite literally out of this
1:24:27world. NASA is now hiring its next class
1:24:31of astronauts, and that could one day
1:24:33mean a trip to the moon. It is one of
1:24:35the toughest jobs to land in the world,
1:24:37but if you are selected, you'll join the
1:24:39next generation of talented space
1:24:41explorers. And it comes just as NASA is
1:24:43getting ready to launch even more
1:24:45ambitious missions in the future. NBC
1:24:48News correspondent Jesse Kur joins us
1:24:49with a closer look at what's required.
1:24:51Jesse, you putting an app in?
1:24:54>> Oh, absolutely. I'm going to be dusting
1:24:55off my resume. However, I must admit
1:24:58there are a few things I need to check
1:25:00off on my uh list of degrees. education
1:25:04wise, Savannah, before I could actually
1:25:06be qualified. Some of the other required
1:25:08skills, teamwork, leadership, and oh
1:25:11yeah, a willingness to go where no
1:25:13humans gone before. That means with so
1:25:16much excitement on the horizon at NASA,
1:25:17the lucky few who are eventually
1:25:19selected will almost surely be over the
1:25:22moon.
1:25:23>> But the thrill isn't just launch.
1:25:25>> This morning, NASA's once again
1:25:27searching for the right stuff.
1:25:29>> The universe is calling. Will you
1:25:32answer? America's space agency has
1:25:34officially opened applications for its
1:25:36next class of astronauts, a highly
1:25:39selective group that will help NASA
1:25:41build a moon base, eventually send
1:25:42humans to Mars. Before you hit send on
1:25:45that application, you'll need to check a
1:25:47few boxes. Applicants must be US
1:25:49citizens and pass a physical. They'll
1:25:52also need to hold certain master's
1:25:53degrees in STEM, science, technology,
1:25:56engineering, and math, or have other
1:25:58specialized experience, including in
1:26:00medicine, or as a test pilot. NASA
1:26:02astronaut Jessica Mir knows what it
1:26:05takes better than most. She spent more
1:26:06than 400 days in space, was part of the
1:26:09first ever all female spacew walk, and
1:26:12she helped pick the 2021 astronaut
1:26:14candidate class.
1:26:15>> I like to think of it as who would you
1:26:17want to go camping with? You know, you
1:26:19going to bring somebody with you that
1:26:21can take care of their own stuff, but
1:26:23they're also good at contributing and
1:26:24helping out with a team when individuals
1:26:26need help.
1:26:27>> You can't just be a super nerd here. You
1:26:30need to also be a people person.
1:26:32>> Absolutely. You have to be very
1:26:33well-rounded.
1:26:34>> This is one of the hardest jobs to land
1:26:36on Earth. Since 1959, NASA has only
1:26:39picked 370 astronaut candidates. The
1:26:42last time NASA opened applications in
1:26:442024, more than 8,000 people applied.
1:26:47Only 10 were picked
1:26:49>> and lift off.
1:26:50>> And this year could be even more
1:26:52competitive with space interest
1:26:54skyrocketing thanks to obsession with
1:26:56the successful Aremis 2 mission. The
1:26:58crew joining today to talk about their
1:27:01historic journey.
1:27:02>> You saw the moon up close. What from
1:27:04that vantage point did you notice and
1:27:07take away?
1:27:08>> You know, one of the most amazing things
1:27:09to notice is actually how much blackness
1:27:11there is around the Earth because it
1:27:13just highlights how special it is. Now,
1:27:15with plans to have people living on the
1:27:16moon, NASA needs more than its current
1:27:18roster of 32 astronauts, the question
1:27:21is, could your career be ready for
1:27:24liftoff?
1:27:26Okay, if this sounds like you, you have
1:27:28until December 3rd to apply. Then NASA
1:27:30will be going through all of those
1:27:32resumes and is expected to finalize the
1:27:34new astronaut candidate class by late
1:27:37next year. Then comes about 2 years of
1:27:39training which will involve
1:27:40conversations about the calculated risks
1:27:43that come with going up on a rocket. If
1:27:45you were not sold yet, the starting
1:27:47salary, it's around $164,000.
1:27:50That's not a bad paycheck. But I do have
1:27:52some bad news, too, Savannah. There is
1:27:55no work from home allowed. I double
1:27:57checked with Jessica Mir, the astronaut
1:27:59I spoke with. Can't work from home. I
1:28:02think that makes sense, though, if
1:28:03you're trying to go up on a rocket as
1:28:05part of your job,
1:28:06>> right? hybrid while all your co-workers
1:28:08are on the moon just feels
1:28:10>> not gonna work
1:28:11>> off and also a missed opportunity.
1:28:12>> Two days on the moon, three days at
1:28:14home, you know, maybe you get that in
1:28:16your second contract.
1:28:17>> Yeah, let's get a city bike. Go back and
1:28:19forth. All right,
1:28:21>> we are back and now it is officially
1:28:23beginning to look a lot like Christmas
1:28:24here in New York City. That's because
1:28:26the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is
1:28:28now standing tall right outside our
1:28:29doors. Over the weekend, that massive 76
1:28:32ft Norway spruce arrived at 30 Rock from
1:28:34upstate New York. Yes, that's yours
1:28:36[music] truly. Clad in green, including
1:28:37a sparkly green Santa hat, riding
1:28:40shotgun for the final feet of the
1:28:42journey. Weighing in at a hefty 11 tons,
1:28:4576 ft tall, [music] the holiday giant is
1:28:47about to get the ultimate glow up. More
1:28:49than 50,000 twinkling lights and a
1:28:52dazzling Swavski star. That [music] big
1:28:54lighting ceremony, of course, is set for
1:28:57December 2nd. I like to remind people it
1:29:00is 50 ft wide. As far as I can tell,
1:29:03digging through the archives, it might
1:29:04be the widest tree center history,
1:29:06[music] which I think is going to stand
1:29:08out when it's finally all lit up.
1:29:10>> There she is. Look at this right here.
1:29:12>> She's [music] scaffolding.
1:29:13>> We will remove the scaffolding at some
1:29:14point.
1:29:14>> I know at some point, but that's all.
1:29:17>> We'll see that right there. Yeah,
1:29:18they'll put that on top.
1:29:19>> It will be there. They have to It's 900
1:29:21lb. So, they have to put like this pole
1:29:23down about it. I like didn't really
1:29:26believe. And then I got to go up there
1:29:28one time and I'm like, "Oh, wow. It is
1:29:29much taller than [music] like it doesn't
1:29:31look that big from afar. It's crazy.
1:29:32It's awesome. Well, we're so excited.
1:29:34And while it'll take some time before
1:29:35the tree is all decked out, there is
1:29:37plenty of holiday magic happening here
1:29:39just below it.
1:29:39>> Yeah. Of course, we're talking about the
1:29:41iconic Rockefeller Center Ike Ice Rink.
1:29:43This year, it's turning 90. Before the
1:29:46tree arrived, Savannah and I laced up
1:29:48our skates to mark the occasion.
1:29:50>> You're welcome for this.
1:29:52>> Thank you so much.
1:29:57>> Why did we agree to this joke?
1:30:00All right, here we go. Oh no,
1:30:04>> it's the first step.
1:30:06>> It is actually slippery.
1:30:08>> We're doing it.
1:30:09>> Look at us. I'm like one of those car
1:30:11wash balloons. You are.
1:30:14>> In my head. We look awesome.
1:30:16>> For 90 years, generations of skaters
1:30:18have been lacing up and hitting the ice
1:30:20at one of New York City's most
1:30:22celebrated landmarks, the rink at
1:30:25Rockefeller Center. A beloved tradition
1:30:28that began on Christmas Day in 1936
1:30:30[music]
1:30:31when what was supposed to be a temporary
1:30:33attraction became a permanent part of
1:30:36NYC history.
1:30:38>> Nine decades later, the rink [music] has
1:30:40become a backdrop for countless holiday
1:30:42memories and a destination for visitors
1:30:45from around the world.
1:30:46>> And for 37 of those years, Nelson Corpin
1:30:49has helped keep this famous patch of ice
1:30:52in tiptop shape. I spend more time over
1:30:56here than my house. That's why I love it
1:30:59and I love what I'm doing.
1:31:01>> Nelson resurfaces the rink six times a
1:31:03day about every 80 minutes.
1:31:06>> But for Nelson, [music] this place is
1:31:08more than just a job. He first arrived
1:31:10here in 1989 thanks to his dad who also
1:31:14worked at Rock Center.
1:31:15>> Yeah, he's my hero.
1:31:17>> He's the guy bring me over here to this
1:31:19company. And after nearly four decades,
1:31:22he has seen his share of special moments
1:31:25>> for me uh to enjoy to enjoy and have
1:31:29fun. That's the best part for me and
1:31:31also exercise. I also met my husband
1:31:34here.
1:31:35>> And for some, the [music] rink is where
1:31:37their own love story began.
1:31:39>> He's been moving.
1:31:42>> For others, it's a chance to make
1:31:43[music] new memories and maybe a few
1:31:45bruises along the way. Mon'nique Dasper
1:31:48is visiting from Australia and
1:31:50experiencing the rink for the first time
1:31:52with her kids.
1:31:53>> It's just all over Instagram. We have
1:31:55this back in Australia, but not this, if
1:31:58that makes sense. And it's New York.
1:32:00>> And let's say not everyone has found
1:32:03[music] their ice legs just yet.
1:32:05>> My daughter's fell over three times, so
1:32:07yes, we're we're all right. I think the
1:32:09boys are down there slipping and
1:32:11sliding. Keeping the magic alive for a
1:32:13new generation of skaters [music] takes
1:32:15a lot of manpower.
1:32:16>> This takes about two weeks. We crane in
1:32:18all the material you can see here. You
1:32:20know, it takes uh, you know, multiple
1:32:23teams. Max Fair is the rink's
1:32:25maintenance operations manager who helps
1:32:27transform this space into a winter
1:32:30wonderland.
1:32:31>> And all that work pays off with an
1:32:33estimated quarter million skaters taking
1:32:36to the ice each winter. And to celebrate
1:32:38its 90th season, the rink is getting a
1:32:40makeover with a renovated skate house in
1:32:43new VIP space. Plus, six new anniversary
1:32:47lodges honoring the rink's history,
1:32:49returning holiday chalets and seasonal
1:32:51menus from chef Greg Bram's 5 acres.
1:32:55>> It's so iconic and the generations of
1:32:58skaters and guests that we've had. Um,
1:33:00to be able to continue that legacy is
1:33:03was just special. It is very cool to me
1:33:06that we work right up there and that
1:33:08this is here.
1:33:09>> It is cool. We sometimes forget. We take
1:33:10we we take advantage of the fact that we
1:33:12are close to the tree. We're close to
1:33:14the rink. People come from all over the
1:33:16world to be here and be a part of this
1:33:18experience. And it's right here,
1:33:20>> right?
1:33:20>> And next year, watch out.
1:33:22>> Yeah.
1:33:23>> Watch out. In the meantime, skate
1:33:25slightly faster.
1:33:26>> Yeah. You won't be able to keep up.
1:33:29>> Okay.
1:33:29>> Look at that. Go.
1:33:30>> Watch out, team USA. [laughter]
1:33:33I mean,
1:33:33>> can we use penguins at the Olympics?
1:33:35>> Oh, like is kind of awesome.
1:33:36>> It is amazing. Yeah, because we didn't
1:33:38go I didn't go fast.
1:33:40>> I really like how us hunch over the
1:33:42[laughter] penguins is what is actually
1:33:44funny. And okay, in my head, like I said
1:33:46in the story a second ago, I really did
1:33:47feel like I looked much better than
1:33:49that. Like much smoother instead of like
1:33:51[laughter]
1:33:52>> actually thought I looked better than
1:33:53was on my head. So
1:33:56>> my god, it's through the roof.
1:33:57>> There [laughter] you go. And if you're
1:33:58looking to get in on the holiday fun,
1:34:00the newly renovated skate house and VIP
1:34:02lounge, those both open Saturday.
1:34:04[music] They offer priority ice access,
1:34:06private lounge spaces, and complimentary
1:34:08warm drinks and snacks for VIP [music]
1:34:10guests. Tickets to Skate at the Rink
1:34:12start at just 22 bucks. Look into it.
1:34:14>> You'll look better than us. That does it
1:34:15for this hour. Morning News Now.
1:34:16>> Stay with us, though. The news [music]
1:34:18continues right now.
1:34:21[bell]
1:34:25>> [music]
1:34:35[music]

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