hi, everyone. i'm zinhle essamuah. kate snow is on assignment. "nbc news daily" starts right now. today, thursday, january 25th, 2024. trump under oath. the former president takes the stand in a high-stakes civil trial, but his testimony did not last long. we'll break down what just happened inside the courtroom. "project runway" paves the

way to get boeing's max 9s cleared for takeoff. what travelers need to know. meta rolls out new safety features meant to protect teenagers. who is blocking from sliding into their dms and how. and what is swatting? it can happen to pretty much anyone. our swat teams called in to investigate it. we'll explain it. a lot of stories to get to. we start with this breaking news. former president donald trump just testified in his own defense in the defamation trial brought against him by writer e. jean carroll. mr. trump answered only a few questions in front of the jury. carroll is seeking millions to of dollars in damages. the jury was tasked with deciding how much the former president should pay her over defaming her when he accused the writer of making up a sexual abuse claim against him back in 2019. this is just one of many legal cases trump is facing as he tries to win back the white

house. today's case is all about the civil defamation case brought by carroll. last year in a separate civil trial, a different jury found trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming her. mr. trump has repeatedly denied her accusations. joining me is rehema ellis and angela. rehema, former president trump just left the courthouse, not visible to reporters. walk us through his testimony today. >> according to our reporters and producers in the courtroom, they said it was incredibly tense in there. prior to mr. trump taking the stand, the judge had asked his attorney to offer a proffer, if you will. that is basically, tell us what your client is going to say. tell me what the questions are. at within point while this is going on, mr. trump says, "i don't know who this woman is. i have never met this woman." at that point, the judge admonishes him, telling him t

"keep your voice down, mr. trump. you are interrupting these proceedings while your counsel is talking. that is not allowed." this happened before the jury came back into the courtroom. this is just the judge and the defendant and e. jean carroll and their attorneys. it was tense. he was told -- she was told -- she said there are questions you can't ask. it was four minute base the time he took the stand to the time he got off the stand. others say three minutes. there were only a couple questions asked. one was, have you viewed your deposition? yes. do you stand by it? 100%. do you deny the allegations to defend yourself? yes. i consider it a false accusation. at that point, he's now on the stand being questioned by his attorney, the judge chimes in, "it is stricken." in other words, the jurors are not to consider his response of,

"i consider it a false accusation." he's already determined that this is true. then on cross-examination, he was asked about whether or not the deposition occurred back on october 2022. that was very formal. next thing you know, he's off the stand. i should mention one thing to you. just shortly after this happened, i got a text from donald trump junior asking for donations to president trump's -- former president's presidential campaign. >> of course all of this is happening in the shadow of this soon-to-be general election. >> not uncommon he's used the courtroom as a form of campaigning. >> a lot of what you described, that heated exchange happened before the former president was under oath. angela, i wonder what you make of the fact that the testimony didn't last long. >> he said one thing i think was strongest for him, when he said, "i was just defending myself, my family, and the presidency." look, the jury has to believe that. but that is important because the jury also has to look at his intention in deciding what

damages to allocate. so, was it hateful, or was he just defending himself? i think that is likely the strongest part of what he said today. >> rehema, what do we expect next? >> tomorrow we expect closing arguments. the judge thinks that we could hear the end of the closing arguments by late morning, and he might be instructing the jury either by late morning or early afternoon. then it will be time for the jury to deliberate. as the former president was walking out, he said, "this is mott america," but that was not in front of the jury. >> rehema ellis and angela, thank you so much. there are major developments today stemming from that midair scare on an alaska airlines flight. a door plug exploded off a boeing 737 max 9 plane just minutes after takeoff. the faa now says it's temporarily halting all future production of boeing's max 9 planes. and federal authorities are laying out new steps the airlines must take before their max 9s can fly again.

nbc news' tom costello covers aviation. a big move. what's it looking like? >> reporter: it's unprecedented for the faa to halt any expansion of an airline production line out of concern that the quality control on the line isn't there. today boeing has ordered a quality stand-down on the production line to refocus on this. it has lost a lot of confidence of the airlines, of the faa, and now some airlines are preparing to start flying the max as soon as tomorrow. >> reporter: alaska is preparing for final faa inspections and its first max 9 flight coming this friday, resuming its full schedule on february 2nd. united says it flights will return starting sunday. but the faa now says it is freezing future production of all boeing 737s, announcing it

will not grant any production expansion of the max "until we are satisfied that the quality control issues uncovered during this process are resolved. ". >> i'm more than frustrated and disappointed. i'm angry. >> reporter: alaska airlines' crowe had a similar demand. >> my demand is what are they going to do to improve their quality programs in house. >> reporter: boeing's ceo david calhoun met with senators on david calhoun. rin rian nobles was there. >> what's your message? >> we fly safe planes. we don't put airplanes in the air we don't have 100% confidence in. >> reporter: but they'll have to pass a rigorous inspection process, just laid out by the faa. >> this is the door plug. >> right there. >> reporter: in the u.s., only united and alaska fly the max 9.

they're checking with the bolts are in place and men measurements and gas and torque. it is a long process. in some cases, that could take 12 hours per door plug. the two airlines taking it on now to get more customers flying as soon as this weekend. >> people could be on those planes as soon as this weekend. what's being done to reassure passengers the planes are safe? >> reporter: both united and alaska will not put a plane in service until it passes faa inspections. they've all looked at the bolts, made sure they're tight. the faa will not allow a plane to fly unless it's 100% sure. the faa also saying it will not allow business as usual to return at boeing. boeing needs to dramatically improve its quality control. >> they've been feeling the pressure.

tom, thank you so much. new numbers show more encouraging signs for our economy with few signs of recession on the horizon. the economy grew in 2023 by 3.1%. the gdp, which measures the value of goods and services, grew at an even faster annual rate than predicted of 3.3%. nbc news business and data correspondent brian chung joins us to break down the numbers. brian, what does this report tell us about the state of the economy last year? >> yeah, look, you cut it or slice it any way, it's good, because we were expecting recession going into 2023 with forecasts saying the economy might only grow by 0.7%. instead for the full year, it grew by 2.5%. that 3.3% is quarterly at the end of last year, the rate at which this economy grew. what's driving all this is the u.s. cuomo, accounting for about two-thirds of the economy. consumers were spending, dining, buying vehicles, and that buoyed economic activity. that bodes well for 2024, as well, where that rescission risk is still out there, but because

we staved one off in 2023, maybe we can do it again. >> we've been talking about how consumer confidence has been higher. what do the numbers practically mean for our wallets for everyday buyers? >> it's not always the case that the economy is the stock market, but 2023, it appeared to be because we had low unemployment, good economic growth. during that time, the s&p 500 went up by over 20%. so, not advised to check your 401 dhashgs often, but in the case of 2023, it wasn't that bad. you looked under the hood and said my retirement nest egg is looking pretty good. that's welcome news. whether or not that holds in 2024, i don't want to predict anything yet, but -- >> but what are folks predicting for this year, 2024? >> economists are saying that recession risk is still there, but with the federal reserve perhaps cutting interest rates for the first time since the end of the pandemic, well, it could be possible that we might see better interest rates on our credit card, slightly lower interest rates on our mortgages. again, it will depend on what

the inflation data looks like in these early parts of this year, because that's what the federal reserve is trying to do, make sure inflation continues to go down. >> brian chung, thanks so much. we stay on your money. time for our "money minute." major car companies are betting on a diesel fuel alternative and are warning about those popular stanley cups. bertha coombs joins us now. >> hey, zinhle. gm and honda will begin to produce commercial hydrogen fuel cell systems with part of an effort to offer alternative zero-emission solutions. it's part of a 50/50 joint venture wean the automakers, the first of its kind in a multimillion-dollar detroit facility. the u.s. government will hold an auction today to sell its helium supply in texas as part of cost-cutting measures. many industry players have spoken out against that sale, saying the plant isn't safe they they question the reliability of the supply. the plant in amarillo holds about 20% to 30% of the nation's

helium, an important component for the production of semiconductors and of course beloved macy's thanksgiving day parades. and for the stanley tumbler fans, the company released a statement that, while their tumblers contain a bit of lead inside the cap that seals them, customers are not at risk for exposure for the beverages they put in them or themselves. the bottom cover, they say, would have to be damaged in order for that to happen, and the company added, it's very rare for something like that to happen. and if it does, customers can submit a claim through its lifetime warranty. >> this one raised my eyebrows as someone who has not a real stanley, but i use similar cups. it definitely has people talking. >> they say it's in the inside, so it's not exposed to your skin, it's not exposed to what you drink. >> okay. we like to hear that. berp that coombs, thatnk you so much. coming up, over and out. coming up, over and out. the iconic

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back with breaking news. a controversial and historic execution is set to happen today. kevin smith is set to be killed by nitrogen gas. some call it inhuman amounting to torture. it's the second time the state will try to execute him after a

failed lethal injection in 2022. morgan chesky joins me now. how exactly is this method supposed to work, first of all? and why not use another form of lethal injection? >> reporter: the inmate is attached to a gurnee and they affix a respirator to their face using five different points of contact to strap it down. critics say there is a risk it could not go smoothly if any air, any oxygen gets into the mask. it could prolong death, leave the inmate in a vegetative state. the state alabama says nitrogen is delivered through that mask to kill the inmate by means of hypoxia. and it continues minutes after they flat line on that gurnee. of course we've heard from the attorneys of smith pushing back against this, making multiple arguments, but as of right now, this execution is set to happen this evening, although we do

anticipate potential -- more legal challenges to come nm the final hour. zinhle? >> morgan, you said we've been hearing from the attorneys. what are they saying? what about the victim's families? >> reporter: the legal team has made two arguments to two separate courts telling the supreme court that he shouldn't be put to death if he's already faced an execution, which they overruled, allowing things to proceed today. they failed to properly attach tubes to his veins to deliver that deadly combination of drugs. the supreme court saying that, no, this execution can, in fact, move forward. and a federal appeals court, they made the argument because this is so new and untested that he shouldn't be treated as a, quote, test subject. those judges ruled even though this is a, quote, new and novel form of execution, his team failed to properly prove it is a form of cruel and unusual punishment.

the fact he's facing the death penalty goes back not to the original conviction but another conviction after he won on appeal back in 1996. it was in that instance that a jury recommended he have life in prison. a judge overruled that and said, no, no, he will, in fact, face the death penalty. that is something that, as of this moment in time, an alabama judge can no longer do. zinhle. >> morgan chesky, thank you so much. millions of people on the west coast are bracing for another round of potentially dangerous storms. just take a look at this newly released video of a rescue in northern california. highway patrol crews used a helicopter to reach a woman who's been tracked in her truck for nearly 15 hours. she got struck when she tried to cross an overflowing creek. she's expected to be okay. but more rain and potential flooding could be on the way. meteorologist bill karins joins me now. what's this new storm heading for the west coast?

>> a minor atmospheric river-like pattern for the northwest this weekend. there won't be exceptional flooding, but there will be rain and high snow levels. right now is the calm before the storm. we have some scattered showers in the pacific northwest. you can look at the screen, all the bright white, that's the big, huge storm system where all that moisture is going to be pushing towards the west coast from. so, we stay soggy in the northwest tonight, but as we go into friday, that warm front comes into areas of oregon and all the bright yellows, the coastline of oregon into the coastal areas of the pacific northwest, we'll get a lot of heavy rain in the olympic peninsula. if we're getting flooding anywhere on the river, that's where it will occur. snow sea level above 8,000 feet, so bald for the ski resorts too. for saturday, the warm front goes through, but then the cold front kicks in with more periods of heavy rain. how much rain do we end up with in the olympic peninsula? possibly 2 to 4 inches, isolated

to up about 5. i don't think we'll see river flooding or flooding for that matter in any of our big cities. in the mountain passes, all rain, so travel-wise, it should be okay. saturday, the western washout, also very warm. we'll near-record highs in the northern rockies on sunday. yeah, wet and warm. yeah, wet and warm. >> we'll take some warmth rsv can severely affect the lungs and lower airways. but i'm protected with arexvy. arexvy is a vaccine used to prevent lower respiratory disease from rsv in people 60 years and older. rsv can be serious for those over 60, including those with asthma, diabetes, copd, and certain other conditions. but i'm protected. arexvy is proven to be over 82% effective in preventing lower respiratory disease from rsv and over 94% effective in those with these health conditions. arexvy does not protect

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this is "the fast forward." we just got an update on an investigation into the shooting of a deputy. our crew caught workers loading what appears to be at least one body into a vehicle. we know after that news conference that union city police s.w.a.t. team found two dead bodies, a man and woman, inside a building. they had suffered gunshot wounds. police believe the two people were responsible for the shooting of the deputy. their identities have not yet been released. that happened yesterday afternoon. we have learned the deputy underwent surgery and is recovering from critical but not life-threatening injuries. here are some other stories. santa cruz is dealing with erosion on the coast after heavy rain. a second body has been recovered near the site of a plane crash near half moon bay.

a single engine plane crashed into the ocean sunday, january 14th. we are told the body was found near ross cove yesterday. the coroner confirms the victim is 26-year-old cassidy pettit. the other body was recovered shortly after the crash. some northern california ciies on the coast are worried about erosion. west cliff drive is one area that's eroding. no set schedule on when repairs will start. city engineers say it depends on funding. the cost of the damage is around $1 million. volunteers are combing the streets of oakland this afternoon as part of an annual count of the unhoused in the bay area. bob redell is there with more. >> reporter: we are outside lany college in downtown oakland. can see volunteers throughout this obvious homeless

encampment. the man in the ball cap is a volunteer. they are going out to the encampments and counting the people living here. they are reaching out to them. they are marking them on the census. they hand them a bag that has socks, some water, small snacks and toiletries. the unhoused is a big problem. in 2017, there were 5,600 people without permanent housing in the county. that grew in 2022, just over 9,700. that's a 73% increase. city of oakland expects that number here within the city limits to go up because the last count in 2022 was during covid. the volunteers were maintaining social distance back then. sometimes just estimaing how many people were in an encampment without going in and counting the individuals. they expect the numbers to go up because of that and because of

the fact, sadly, this problem is not getting any better. here is the mayor of oakland when we spoke to her earlier this morning. at what point is this a failure of city government leadership? >> you know what? i think there's always room to grow with a partnership from county to city to the state to the federal government. at this point, we also know that it's a larger problem nationwide in regards to our mental health facilities and lack of them. having people go through our county jail is not actually the appropriate resource or methodology in regards to getting people off the streets. we gotta target the root causes. the root causes, as you heard, it's the housing cost, not just that but making sure we have resources for mental health and wraparound services. >> reporter: this was earlier this morning. san mateo county, they are doing their count today, as required by the government.

here in oakland, bob redell, nbc bay area news. we are going to see lots of sunshine today. temperatures near 60 degrees. for the east bay, low 60s from fremont and in san francisco expect a high of 59. sunny skies today and slightly warmer tomorrow. we will still have low 60s in the north bay as we get more clouds and a slight chance of rain there. we are looking to stay mainly dry and temperatures headed for the mid 60s. hayward, up to 64. on saturday, even warmer as we get a few more peeks of sunshine. we will talk about that and what's ahead in the seven day forecast in 30 minutes. >> thanks so much. >> thanks so much. imagine if you could get ahead of your ibs-c by treating it with linzess. then you could start proactively managing your constipation with belly pain.

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bottom of the hour now. here are some of the stories making headlines on "nbc news daily." peter navarro was sentenced to four months for being convicted for refusing to cooperate with the investigation into the january 6th capitol attack. the former adviser filed an appeal of his conviction minutes after receiving his sentence. a seattle man arrested twice this week for lurking around taylor swift's new york city apartment was back in court for

a third time on sunday. he was taken into custody after he was spotted digging through the garbage across the street from swift's home. he made a court appearance earlier that day when he was arraigned on stalking and harassment. prosecutors allege that he's gone to swift's home 30 times in just the last two months. university of michigan head coach -- football coach jim harbaugh is leaving the defending national champions and heading to the nfl. the l.a. chargers announced on wednesday harbaugh will be the head coach for the team next season. this will be his second time coaching an nfl team. he was a coach for the san francisco 49ers before taking his job in michigan. parents, listen up. there are new safety features coming to your kids' instagram and facebook accounts. the company is announcing important changes to direct message and search settings aimed at protecting the platform's youngest stephanies go sk here with the details. >> reporter: this is the second

time this month meta has announced changes to instagram and facebook. today the changes are about who can direct message teenager users. there will be a default setting on instagram and messenger on facebook that will block anyone who is not a part of the friend group for a teen age user or they have any connection with. it will also allow more parental control so that, if a teenager tries to remove that and it's an account supervised by a parent, the parent will have to approve that removal. this goes with some other changes that were made earlier this month that restrict some information. kids are allowed to access things on suicide or perhaps eating disorders and have been blocked, as well as nudges that kids have been given if they spend too much time on these platforms at night. so, that kind of sums it up. >> this is coming as meta has been under a lot of criticism, right, for their app, for what it's doing to minors or what it's alleged to be doing to

minors. what are the updates going to do? are they going to fix anything? can't the minors just create another account? >> critics are saying this is like putting a screen door on a submarine, that kids can lie about their age and get around this really, really easily. and they -- those kinds of age controls are not requirements. there are some people calling on the federal government to make it a requirement, make sure age assurance is something required by law, because right now these companies don't do that. when we asked meta about this criticism, they said that it's very difficult to construct that kind of assurance. one of the things they're calling on congress to do is to make parents responsible for what apps are downloaded onto their children's devices and have that be how age appropriateness is established. obviously, this is a battle far from settled, zinhle. but what is announced today is just a step in the right direction but not the full

story. >> parents pointing at the companies, companies pointing at the parents. >> exactly. >> thank you. the director of the cia is reportedly being deployed to help with a deal to release israeli hostages remaining in gaza. a diplomat with knowledge of the matter confirmed to nbc news a meeting is set to take place this weekend. raf sanchez is following the latest developments from tel aviv for us. raf, what do we know about this meeting, and who would be involved? >> reporter: zinhle, cia director bill burns expected to head to europe this weekend to meet with his israeli counterparts, the head of the mossad spy agency, as well as the prime minister of qatar, who has been the lead mediator during this crisis. and the hope is that these meetings will build momentum towards a fresh deal between israel and hamas, leading to a cease-fire and the release of some or all of those remaining israeli hostages. now, the big sticking point here has been how long this

cease-fire will last. hamas has been saying they will not release any more hostages until the war ends. israel has been saying the war will not end until hamas is destroyed. so if there's going to be a deal, it will be somewhere in between those two, potentially a long-term but not permanent cease-fire in return for the release of some or all of those hostages. tensions are running high between israel and qatar. the israeli prime minister was caught on a recording being disparaging about the role qatar is playing in the region, and the qatari is accusing israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu of politicizing this conflict, putting his own political needs ahead of the lives of israeli hostages, a pretty serious accusation. >> raf sanchez, thanks so much. let's turn to a major

announcement from in-n-out burger. they're closing a location for the first time in its history. dana griffin has the details. ♪ in-n-out ♪ >> reporter: for the first time in it 75-year history, they're shuttingering a location, not because of sales but a troubling rise in crime. the iconic west coast institution planning to close this open location in march, which has been opened since the early 2000s, citing rampant theft, break-ins, and property damage in the area. it sits just north of offensive coordinator international airport, which has seen excessive crime in neighborhood. according to crime mapping, which aggregates data from local police, 60 incidents of theft and armed robbery were reported in the area in the last week alone. the location making travelers an easy target.

>> you know, first thing, traveler, anyone using their car. take it to your hotel first. >> reporter: the c.o.o. saying in a statement sunday, "this location remains a busy and profitable one for the company, but our top priority must be the safety and well-being of our customers and associates. we cannot ask them to visit or work in an unsafe environment." the fast-food burger giant is not to only restaurant to move away because of crime concerns. a subway shop shutting down on 98th avenue. and a nearby restaurant closing their dining room, only taking drive-through orders. in august, oakland business owners fed up with increased crime urged city leaders to take action. >> maybe give us a business credit or exemption, city and county taxes, a and let us hire security. our business has to thrive. you can't rob me every day for a thousand dollars. >> reporter: some are

challenging the true reason major companies are choosing to shut down stores. target, which kited crime as a reason for nine store closures, now attracting skeptic who say the decision has more to do with financial performance than safety concerns. a cnbc investigation found areas where stores were closed saw fewer reported crimes than other locations. in response, a target spokesperson telling cnbc that incidents vary widely in severity and police data won't show the extent of the team's experience on the ground. but local law enforcement is increasing patrols and adding more surveillance cameras, which has led to a 40% decrease in auto burglaries and they want, the department says. still, robberies are slightly up. >> it's not enough. we need more, and we need sustained support in this part of our system. >> reporter: former oakland police chief armstrong voicing his concerns to our tom llamas last september. >> a free-for-all when it comes

to crime in oakland? >> i think it's a combination of lack of enforcement, not enough resources, and then not strong enough prosecutions. >> reporter: as the cost of doing business in oakland forces more companies to consider drastic safety measures. dana griffin, nbc news. a new netflix series that debuts today is already causing quite a stir. it's a story of a miami drug lord at the height of her powers in the '70s and '80s, but it pits her real life family against the giant and the lead actor, sofia vergara, both named in a new suit. sam brock has more. >> quite a showdown, zinhle. the blanco family says michael, her sole surviving son, had taken these deeply personal ideas and experiences and things he'd gone through them and memorialized them without compensation. netflix didn't talk to us directly but said in court there

was a literary document produced he shared with a third party, and they obtained it that way. as this plays out, the show is streaming right now. in fact, it's getting critical reviews, 86% on rotten tomatoes right now. it's not clear if an injunction may come or when. >> i know whooo i'm doing. >> reporter: colombian actress sofia vergara, known as the cocaine queen of miami and the black widow. but the buzzy series spot lighting south florida's wild drug trafficking in the 'service and '80s covered by nbc news. >> they were a huge name in colombia. >> reporter: it's hit a real-life hurdle with her son, michael blanco, and hers tate, claiming years of personal narratives taken with no compensation. >> netflix is using these ideas that were part of interviews,

that were memorialized in writings and notes. nobody else could have those ideas and nobody else could have those stories. >> reporter: the emergency motion filed by blanco and his team names netflix, sofia vergara, and the company he co-founded, latin world entertainment. netflix has declined comment. and vergara -- >> i'm proud of the show. i think i could haven't done anything without, you know, this -- >> reporter: seen here at the premiere with "access hollywood's" telemundo this week saying she was not very aware of the lawsuit because she's been on tour. but explained she's always been a fan of michael's and plans on reading his book. behind court doors, netflix's attorneys pushing back on blanco's claim that the stories and ideas for misappropriated, arguing he agreed to share his work with two intermediaries before netflix obtained it. novel, original, and unique, but it's not being expressed as an idea, they told the judge. he's attaching it to the

literary work. it's a duck. this is about copyright infringement. blanco's attorneys telling us they never pursued a cause of action on copyright grounds. the son just wants to shape the story of his own mother. >> he wants to be able to make sure that whatever he says or is displayed to the public about his mom is a real basis and not something you pulled off of on the internet. >> sam, what comes next in the legal battle? >> the judge has to decide if it's a state issue or a federal case. is it misappropriation or copyright? the judge said he would act quickly. that was yesterday. so far, no ruling yet. zinhle? >> sam brock, thank you. coming up, from a teenager prank to even a white house prank calling people's homes for no reason in what's called swatting.

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let's kick things off with our first installment of "simply explained." >> let's explain swatting. it's a practice where someone makes a false emergency call claiming there's a hoax threat. >> keep your hands up in the air! >> all in an effort to enlist a s.w.a.t. team-like response. put sump simply, it's like a prank call but can turn deadly. >> andrew finch was shot and killed by wichita police thursday night. he was a father of two. >> even the white house was swatted. a 911 caller falsely claiming there was a fire. >> fire in the white house, 1600 pennsylvania avenue northwest. >> reporter: law enforcement officials now say there's been an alarming rise in the practice. >> a deeply disturbing spike in threats against those who serve the public. >> recently, a long list of politicians on both sides of the aisle have been targeted by the practice. it's hit celebrities, too, like

nikki minaj, justin timberlake, miley cyrus and others. an influencer saying she was swatted after coming out as lgbtq. >> our house has been swatted 42 times now. >> 42 times police have come in some form to your door. >> yes. >> reporter: a history lesson. >> we have a report on phone freaks. >> reporter: back in the 1970s, phone freakers would manipulate phone systems to make free long-distance calls. >> i've invested about 20 years of my life in phone freaking, really. it's discovering things piece by piece. >> reporter: years later, as the practice evolved, the term "swatting" emerged. among the earliest incidents, the fbi found five swatters called 911 in over 60 cities nationwide between 2002 and 2006. why do people make these calls? >> when you are the recipient of a police response, this is distressing, and particularly for a victim who has no idea that it's coming.

all of this is designed to harass and disrupt a victim. >> reporter: the disruptions also hitting schools and colleges, authorities warning of a spate of threats and coordinated swatting efforts behind school shooting hoaxes. >> police department. anybody inside? >> reporter: and these hoaxes can be costly, with some police departments reporting between $15,000 and $100,000 spent per incident. sometimes swatters are caught, like after this prank 911 call placed when serial swatter tyler barrett lost a video game. >> shot him in the head and he's not breathing anymore. >> reporter: the call and subsequent response resulted in the death of andrew finch. finch was shot by authorities, and the caller, tyler baris, was later sentenced to 20 years in prison. law enforcement says most of the time, due to new technology, that's not the case. >> with spoofing, you can create different numbers and make it appear i'm calling you when it's really not even from my phone number. >> reporter: just last year, the fbi created a national database

to track the incidents, with virginia and ohio passing anti-swatting legislation. on a federal level, efforts to combat the issue have largely failed, though a new bill was just introduced in congress. >> the consequences of this are oftentimes not thought out. it may be done as a prank or as a joke, and the people doing that don't realize that it's going to have significant impact on the person. >> reporter: and that's swatting simply explained. as mentioned, it is hard to catch swatters, and penalties vary by state. it's a state and federal crime and can result in felony charges. new legislation just proposed includes stricter penalties of up to 20 years in prison if a victim ends up seriously hurt in an attack. notably, one of the lawmakers behind that bill, senator rick scott, was actually a target of swatting in december. now, we want to hear from you. what other stories do you want simply explained? let us know by connecting with me on your favorite social media platforms.

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this is "the fast forward." we will start with a trial of a man accused of fatally stabbing a tech ceo and how it could be moved out of san francisco. in april, police arrested the man for the murder of bob lee. late last year, photos were published of him inside his jail cell. attorneys who handed in arguments this morning, they are requesting a venue change. his lawyers argue the photos may prevent him from getting a fair trial. >> people will be embarrassed to do anything but convict. that's really the thing to avoid. that's the simple way of putting it. you want people to be objective about the case. that's what we are looking for. >> what did you say about how often this actually is granted? >> motions for change of venue are rarely granted. >> arguments will continue at 2:00 this afternoon.

the murder trial is scheduled to begin in march. it's is uny today. it might not last into the weekend. here is kari hall with her seven day forecast. >> look for lots of sunshine today and highs in the inland valleys in the low 60s. there will be more clouds coming in. we are watching out for some spotty showers, early friday. then again early on sa.our temp up several degrees each day. we reach the peak on sunday. 73 degrees and a mostly sunny sky. looking nice and monday as well. looking ahead to the middle of next week, potentially more heavy rain coming our way. it will be nice to have a chance to dry out. spotty showers possible in san francisco for friday and saturday. it does look dry on sunday. >> you want to see who we are as americans? i'm peter dixon and in kenya... we built a hospital that provides maternal care.

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if information in your credit report is wrong, you may have to pay a hefty price. you should check your report for any errors. it's free. chris chmura shows us how. >> the three big credit bureaus just extended a pandemic perk. free weekly access to your credit report. you should take advantage. to see your file, only go to annual credit report. >> there are other websites out there. annualcreditreport.com is the only website that is authorized under law. >> select, request my free credit reports. you can request your file from one, two or all three credit bureaus. it only takes a few minutes. the reports show bank, credit and loan accounts in your name plus payment history. look for errors. and any account you don't

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his is astrazeneca may be able to help. "dateline daytime" on nbc. [ music playing ] i call, and her phone went straight to voicemail. over and over and over. and i realized something was wrong. ll that they had found heather's car. we popped the trunk, and there's our victim. andrea canning (voiceover): a body of evidence that made no sense. she was wearing an oversized mickey mouse shirt. she own any mickey mouse clothing? no. she had long hair. and her hair was cut? her hair was cut. who could be this sick in the head to do this? andrea canning (voiceover): potential suspects would pile up, so why did loved ones