stay right there, more news now on the way now on the way. not even a week into the new year, and another community left mourning in the aftermath of a deadly school shooting a sixth grader killed. four other students and school

administrator injured. the shooter taking his own life. the alarming device investigators found on the scene the a new batch of epstein court documents. more than a dozen exhibits revealing the scheme to lure young women into his home. a major drugmaker is putting a weight loss drug right into pa p patients' hands. thousand w how it works and the concerns raised many women picking up job just to have a family. how starbucks are helping offset the costs. young players are jumping at new opportunities. meet the two-sport star who's crowned the kifng of nil deals. "early today" starts right now i'm frances rivera hundreds gathered for a vigil

overnight in perry, iowa the governor there says the entire state has been shaken to its core by a deadly school shooting a small community is searching for answers after a sixth grader was killed before the new semester could even begin. our jay gray kicks off our coverage >> reporter: an urgent call for help before the first bell, reports of an active shooter inside perry high school >> the officer first arrived within seven minutes of that activation and located multiple gunshot victims. >> reporter: six hit in the attack a sixth grader killed. five others, four students and administrator wounded. the gunman, a classmate, dylan butler >> butler was armed with a pump action shotgun and small-caliber handgun. butler also maid a de a number f social media mosts in and around the shooting >> reporter: a small town about

40 miles from des moines stunned by the shooting just after the holiday break. >> it's very tough it's overwhelming, like the pain in your heart is just overwhelming >> reporter: counselors are available to students and faculty at the high school, as the investigation continues. jay gray, nbc news a new trove of jeffrey epstein documents were unsealed last night and while no new high-mow profie names were in the 327-page release, it did reveal how girls were lured to the palm beach mansion. epstein's former girlfriend ghislaine maxwell was involved in finding girls to give massages and work at epstein's home he'd interviewed 33 women, almost none of them had massage experience and almost all were younger than 18. one victim said epstein took my clothes off without my consent

the first time i met him she was under age at the time. jeffrey epstein hanged himself in his prison cell in 2019 maxwell is currently spending a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking. we turn to the middle east where the u.s. is getting even more involved, assassinating a militia leader in baghdad with a precision strike onnist vehicle. let's go to claudio lavanga. why was this militia leader targeted >> reporter: good morning, frances. a senior defense official named the target, told nbc news the name of the target, was a leader of an iraqi proxy group linked or backed by iran. and the official said he was targeted because he was actively involved in the planning and carrying out of attacks against american personnel

the official also said that he and another member of the group were killed in the precision strike in baghdad while they were together in a vehicle, that also no civilians were harmed in the attack the iraqi government strongly condemns the strike, calling it a dangerous escalation and assault on iraq. now elsewhere p in the region, members of the u.s. national security team met at the white house on wednesday to discuss or review options on how to tackle or respond to the attacks by houthi rebels on those shipping vessels sailing through the red sea. and president biden has repeatedly called for a stronger military response, and options on the take, able, m among thema targeted strikes

there are fears that the conflict could spill over into surrounding countries. frances? >> claudio lavanga, thank you. we're just over a week away from the iowa caucuses where the question is, can any republican candidate emerge as a serious challenger to donald trump florida governor ron desantis spoke to nbc news about his future >> reporter: florida governor ron desantis began his campaign as a top contender to beat former president trump in the republican primary, but now he's locked in a battle for second place with flnikki haley. 11 days until the iowa caucuses. rivals to dominant frontrunner donald trump, hoping for a breakout night with pressure mounting on ron desantis for a strochk strong showing >> reporter: can you name another state could you win. >> yes, wait until we get out of

iowa we have a great organization in north carolina throughout super tuesday you're going to see this is a very dynamic we're going to be able to win. >> reporter: and and nikki haley locked in a showdown she raised eyebrows with this comment in new hampshire >> iowa starts it. you know that you correct it you know that you continue to go -- >> it's a slap in the face to iowans to say that they somehow need to be corrected it's almost as if she's acknowledging she's not going to do well here, so she's blaming the voters that's unacceptable. >> reporter: s . >> reporter: desantis escalating his attacks. >> she can't get conservative voters she's darling of the never trumpers >> reporter: we asked about the school shooting tragedy. desantis saying cities and states should take the lead on

gun laws >> i don't support infringing the rights of citizens with respect to their constitutional rights people depend on me to hold criminals accountable. be very serious about holding people accountable that represent a danger to society but at the same time predicting their constitutional rights. >> reporter: and desantis has repeatedly called on trump to debate but trump will skip it, opting for a solo town hall in iowa instead. the northeast is getting ready for the first major storm of the season. hardware stores are e storking stocking up people are taking it seriously but there is excitement after there was no accumulation last year >> we've got all of that on tap through the next couple days as

the system works a little further to the east. right now, winter alerts for parts of the plains, east of rockies and watches through the mid atlantic some of these are going to last through sunday we've got this system slowly but surely going to work closer to the gulf coast today then eventually it will start to lift to the north. that doesn't happen until tomorrow the pinpoint is the heavy rain, strong storms that are possible along the gulf coast, places like mississippi stretching into tennessee. that will intensify thanks to moisture from the gulf of mexico and lift up the east coast this is going to bring snow quickly to the east coast as we get into tomorrow and we'll see the potential for freezing rain and travel will be difficult saturday into sunday it does stick around with snowshowers in parts of new england. that's a look at the weather across the country let's see what happeni'sng mobi.

and that's a look at your forecast, frances. coming up, the king of the nil deal meet the college football player teaching other students how it's done but we're back in 60 seconds for a game changer for weight loss medication. for weight loss medication. you won't. it's ripe in here. my eyes are watering. i'm a busy man. look how crusty this is. shameful. ugh, it's just too much. not with this. tide. tide can tackle any pile. that a tackle pun? just clean the pile, ron. okay. this too. that was easy. when stains and odors pile up, it's got to be tide. i love that my daughter still needs me. but sometimes i can't help due to burning and stabbing pain in my hands,

so i use nervive. nervive's clinical dose of ala reduces nerve discomfort in as little as 14 days. now i can help again. feel the difference with nervive. want the power of 5 serum benefits in 1? olay super serum activates on skin to hydrate, smooth, visibly firm, brighten, and improve texture. it's my best skin yet. olay we are back with the newest entry in the growing market for weight loss drugs. eli lilly just aflonnounced a nw program to make a new drug easier to get. >> reporter: lynn has diabetes and has struggled with her weight as long as she can remember the 56-year-old alabama author says she began asking her doctor about ozempic in 2020. he eventually prescribed it but

kept her on a low dose for a year, even though her weight wasn't changing. so she asked about a higher dose or other medications you felt like you needed to keep raising the issue? >> that's it i have seen physicians who almost seem afraid to be proactive with people who are overweight and i think that really impedes getting access to good care. >> reporter: both ozempic and mounjaro are drug fs for treatig diabetes but also for weight loss but as lynn discovered, secure ago presc secureing a prescription for any of these drugs can be a challenge. eli lilly is trying to change that >> people think of obesity as an issue of willpower it's not 40% of adult americans have excess weight or obesity that's a big number. >> reporter: the pharmaceutical

giant launching lilly direct they can ship directly to the patient's door >> obviously, there are going to be questions from people about safety, about oversight. can you explain the role of physicians and health care professionals? >> it's a critical part of how the site works these drugs need to be used under the supervision of a physician. we're just offering more choice in that regard >> are these independent physicians will they get any kind of incentives for prescribing this? >> there is no financial relationship between us and the physicians or the online telehealth platforms >> reporter: in clinical trials, patients taking it lost 20% of their body weight. wall streetanalysts expect it to bring in billions of dollars in sales this year some critics have concerns,

including that easier access could mean misuse of the drug by those who simply want to lose a few pounds >> they're trying hard to make sure that can you find a past to something they absolutely want to sell you. that at least creates the appearance of conflict of interest >> reporter: the price is just over a thousand dollars for a month's supply and is not covered by medicare and many insurance plans. direct acces access durivia t, e says isn't about that. as for lynn who had her dose increase and lost 65 pounds says she's all for making itm making ac accessible maggie vespa, indianapolis still to come, a first of

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nothing but net became nothing but trouble for the brooklyn nets this week. on thursday they were fined $100,000 for violating the league's new player participation policy they are the first team fined for violating the rule after sitting multiple players in last week's loss to the milwaukee bucks, including spencer dinwiddie and dorian finney-smith nba head of basketball operations joe dumars says it violates the actions of what the rule is trying to accomplish about 1300 miles from where michigan and washington will compete is virginia state university and while students from the hbcu won't get the honor of hoisting the trophy, one athlete is showing you don't need national

title to make pro-level money. our richmond, virginia affiliate has more >> it's long overdue, you know i'm glad they're starting to do it now, but it's definitely overdue. they should have had it back in the day. >> reporter: the world of college sports looks vastly different now that student athletes can make money off their name, image and likeness one richmond native is cashing in on those opportunities. >> you're going through this whole day, you have to go to school, weightlifting, all that, you don't have time for a regular job. >> reporter: raekwon smith number 24 saying he started from scratch. >> i did my own research once i figured out what it was, branding yourself and marketing yourself to get partnered with companies. >> reporter: he tossed up hail marys to a hundred companies 97 of those companies ghosted him. two of them said no, but one of

them bought in >> there from there the rest is history. >> reporter: fast forward to present day, smith has been crowned the king of nil, making him tens of thousands of dollars. >> positive is the connection, the networking i'm blessed to be in that position i am in today >> reporter: a hardworking hbcu student now in the same realm of power athletes, include of those include croc, arby's, coach and body armour, but he also reps richmond planet, a local license plate designer now he's launched his own business called sponsor pro, to help student athletes understand the world of nil >> i really want to go to different high schools and start speaking to different student athletes to get them started early. and when we come back. it is the end of an era for best buy, as it says good-bye to some

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we are back with what you need to know "early today. a consumer watchdog group is accusing starbucks of exploiting its customers through app and gift card purchases through what they call dark patterns. consumers have to add $10 or lose their money a customer is suing dunkin' donuts after a toilet exploded at one of the florida locations. he said he suffered severe and long-term injuries and he was covered in human waste and other debris best buy will begin phasing out the sale of dvds and blu-ray discs. it comes as more people stream their media online and is this the new blackberry if you miss the days of cell

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fertility benefits >> reporter: just to get letter shot at motherhood, autumn lucy learned the secret to a perfect latte, making hundreds of them at starbucks >> i never would have thought i would end up with two boys it was not something i thought was in the cards for me. >> reporter: after years of trying to conceive, doctors told her that in-vitro fertilization or ivf was inttheir best option. but it's expensive the average bill is 50,000 dollars. >> when i saw the price tag, i was just like there's no way, absolutely no way. >> reporter: as of 2021, only about a third of large employers cover ivf in their health care programs one of the largest, coffee giant starbucks, which even offers the benefit to part-time employees >> i was able to start working right away and i only need to work 20 hours a week to qualify for benefits

so i worked for 20 hours a week for three months at the end of the three months, i was qualified. >> reporter: and she's not the only one who has pursued a job opportunity solely to help cover the cost associated with ivf >> i started looking and becoming a part of these groups, and these women were saying how starbucks offers benefits. >> reporter: maria has worked at starbucks, amazon and tractor supply didncompany in the past e years with one goal in mind, building her family. probably was a lot for you, physically, mentally >> it was a lot. but for me, it was what i , it o do i guess i adapt. there's a goal there's a goal in mind i know what i have to do i have to be persistent. >> reporter: both maria and autumn sharing their stories honestly online. >> many of you may know that my

husband and i had a miscarriage. >> reporter: maria now planning to be a foster parent, but thankful her journey is helping other women. >> this one says pregnant. >> reporter: and autumn is now a proud mother of 13 month old lourde and has a second little boy on the way >> it's the best thing i could have asked for and it was worth every single latte, every single coffee i poured absolutely i would do it all over again >> thanks to emily for tha

i feel that mayor thao is derelict in her duties as a leader. >> right now at 5:00, a push to recall the mayor of oakland. ahead, a live report on what oaklanders are doing and the reason they say they need to