new fallout after the death of matthew perry. five people arrested in the case, including two doctors, a personal assistant and a woman known as the ketamine queen.

the evidence that led to the bombshell charges cease-fire talks shrouded with uncertainty. aimed at preventing all-out war in the middle east. the economy takes center stage. vice president harris expected to unveil her economic plan today. while former president trump tries to tie her to inflation woes. we're in d.c. as the race for the white house shifts into high gear. can a vegas casino roll the dice by catering to criminals? and showing their poker face. lady gaga and bruno mars dropping a new collab overnight. we'll have the first listen as we kick off friday, august 16. good morning. i'm frances rivera. we begin with a break through in the investigation into the killing of general hospital actor johnny wactor. four suspects have been arrested. three male 18-year-old ofn

suspicion of murder. it's not clear yet if they have legal representation. bail is set at $2 million. johnny wactor was shot and killed on may 25th in downtown los angeles after he interrupted a group stealing a catalytic converter from his car. wactor appeared in 163 episodes of the popular daytime soap. his manager remembering him as a kind soul and talented actor. now to the latest updates in the tragic death of another beloved actor. five people were charged thursday in connection with the accidental overdose death of "fr "friend" actor matthew perry pe. >> reporter: federal investigators revealing a web of people motivated by greed, including two doctors, who they say took advantage of a vulnerable matthew perry, supplying him with lethal

amounts of ketamine, a well-known party drug and primarily a drug used in anesthesia and used for treating depression. >> gnmatthew perry went to a lol clinic where he became addicted to intervenous ketamine. when doctors refused to increase his dosage, he turned to unscrupulous doctors who saw perry as a way to make quick money. >> reporter: among those charged, perry's personal live-in assistant whom investigators say delivered the lethal dose. the lead defendants are dr. salvador plasencia, known as dr. p, and the ketamine queen of north hollywood. attorneys did not respond for comment. >> in the fall of 2023, mr. perry fell back into addiction. and these defendants took

advantage to profit. >> reporter: the 18-count indictment lays out how over the course of one month, the ring of individuals supplied perry with dozens of vials of liquid ketamine, charging the star upwards of $64,000. >> they wrote in a text message, he w i wonder how much this moron will pay. >> reporter: this kthey knew he had struggled with addiction. >> they knew what they were doing was risking great danger to mr. perry, but they did it anyways. >> reporter: the medical examiner's office revealed the level of ket meaamine was so hit was equivalent to the amount used during surgery. it comes after michael jackson and prince overdosed and died after also being supplied drugs by medical doctors. jackson's doctor, conrad murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011.

>> if you were in the business of selling dangerous drugs, we will hold you accountable for the death that you cause. >> reporter: chloe melas, nbc news, los angeles. turning to the race for the white house. vice president kamala harris will unveil her economic plan in north carolina today. the democratic nominee expected to build on her first joint appe appearance with president biden since he dropped out of the race. former president trump hammered both biden and harris on the free-wheeling press conference. alice barr is in washington with the details. what we expecting to hear interest the harris campaign today? >> reporter: good morning, frances. we got a little preview from a campaign statement that noted that vice president harris is going to unveil a new proposal aimed at stopping price gouging in the restaurant and food industry. that's part of the broader economic policy we're expected to hear more about this week. and it comes a day after that appearance with president biden, their first joint public appearance since she moved to the top of the ticket.

and that's they announced this major agreement set to reduce prices on the ten costliest prescription drugs under medicare. it will slash prices on drugs that treat diabetes, arthritis, blood cancer, crohn's disease and blood thinners, set to save taxpayers billions. president biden set his sights on donald trump. while the former president vowed to keep up the personal attacks against vice president harris. >> we finally beat big pharma. and i might add, with no help from republicans. not a single republican voted for this bill, period. the guy we're running against. what's his name? donald dump? or donald, whatever? they want to get rid of this that we passed. >> i think i'm entighted to personal attacks. i don't have a lot of respect

for her. i don't have a lot of respect for her intelligence, and i think she'll be a terrible president. she personally attacks me? she called me weird. he's weird. and she's weird in her policy. who wouldn't want to have strong borders and lower taxes? >> reporter: as for the running mates, ohio senator jd vance agreed to a vice presidential debate with minnesota governor tim walz on october 1st. both vance and walz have been campaigning across backgttlegro states ahead of the democratic national convention set to kick offer o off monday in chicago. the estimated death toll in gaza has passed 40,000, according to local health officials. the gaza health officials say that. let's turn to claudio lavanga. what more do we know about these

numbers? >> reporter: good morning, frances. authorities in gaza say a number of people who are still missing, presumably under the rubble of destroyed destroyed buildings is around 10,000, that will bring the death toll to 50,000. that doesn't take into account the number of people who may have died because of the lack of health services due to the war or the lack of the basic necessities. now, israel says that they killed, since the start of the war, 17,000 militants, and even if the numbers given by hamas and israel are correct, that will mean that more than half, a lot more than half of the victims are civilians. now, in the meantime, the latest round of negotiations have begun yesterday in qatar. hamas is not there, is not participating, because they say any deal should be based on the previous proposal, given by president biden. and it should include the permanent cease-fire, permanent

withdrawal of troops and of course also an exchange of prisoners. talking about prisoners, hamas says that a guard, a member of its al qassem military wing has shot and killed a hostage. he was keeping guard of. and in a separate incident, two other hostages were injured, as hamas says, as retaliation of, from recent massacres, as they called it. but nbc news cannot currently independently verify that claim, frances? >> claudio, thank you. a court in russia has sentence add russian-american ballerina to 12 years in a penal colony for high treason. ksenia karelina was visiting from los angeles when she was arrested, accused of donating to a ukrainian charity in the u.s. facebook post from her former employer says the amount was around $50. nbc news was not able to independently verify the figure or the nature of the donation.

karelina's defense attorney says they will appeal, and also will work toward another prisoner swap with the united states. hurricane ernesto's strengthening into a category 2 storm overnight, as it continues to make its way toward bermuda where preparations are under way. the storm center expected to pass near or over the island sometime tomorrow. this, after ernesto left hundreds of thousands without power on puerto rico. as of this morning, more than a quarter million people remain in the dark. let's turn now to nbc meteorologist ryan hanrahan. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. yeah, ernesto did strengthen overnight. it looks hike we've got a bit of a ragged eye starting to form on the storm, which means we may see additional stintensificatio. winds at 100 miles per hour. that's going to get it very close to the island of bermuda by late tonight and tomorrow morning. winds just before it makes

landfall near bermuda up to 110 miles per hour. strong winds and flooding expected ton bermuda. in the lower 48, we've got a lot of heat. it's hotter today than it's been for most of this week. an excessive heat warning from dallas across portions of louisiana, mississippi and arkansas. temperatures today well above average. 102 today in dallas. 101 in little rock. 95 in nashville, montgomery, alabama, n bay. 94, a hot one today, in denver. and that's today's forecast. frances, back over to you. >> ryan, thanks. they were more than ready for it. 90,000 swifties pouring into wembley stadium last night to

see taylor swift return to the stage. it was the pop scar's first concert since a thwarted terror plot canceled three days in vienna. three teenagers have been arrested and one more questioned. security was tight at wembley where fans faced bag checks and aerosols and glass banned. swift will play five shows there in all, before saying so long london and ending the european leg of the record-breaking tour. up next, jordan chiles breaks her silence for the first time since she was stripped of her bronze medal. and authorities show their hand. why a las vegas casino is accused. s casino is accused.

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walmart. arabile geu umede joins us withe details. some high stakes negotiations in vegas. >> it's such an interesting story to really look at, because the glallegation here against resorts world las vegas is actually that they're welcoming illegal book making, people with a history of gambling-related felony convictions as well as individuals linked to organized crime. these are massive allegations here. ultimately, you could see the resorts world las vegas being closed down or at least limited with regards to its license then in future. that's a major part of las vegas' worth. that's a case that we will see develop over the next weeks and months. and it will be very interesting to look at, and what it means for the broader casino world around that area. on the other side, you've been speaking about shoppers and consumers in the united states and whether they've actually changed their ways.

the retail sector doesn't seem to point to that. the anticipation was that you'd see a retail sales number of 0.3%. it was actually 1%. walmart produced a set of earnings that shocked the market in some ways. it was significant growth. and they even see future growth going up a whole lot more. no recession in sight on them. and what it clearly indicates then is that the upper end of retailers, perhaps, are the ones suffering, but a lot of consumers perhaps trading down. but they are still spending in that u.s. economy. >> arabile, thank you. a team usa star's breaking her silence on an issue that's gone beyond the paris games. jordan chiles took to instagram to address losing her medal. the ioc stripped her of the medal after the inquiry they say was filed after the one-minute deadline. in her post, chiles thanked everyone for their support before calling the decision

unjust and a dig blow to her and those who rooted for her. she also re vealed she has been the subject of unprompted racially-driven attacks. usa gymnastics has said they will continue to fight for chiles. still to come, bruno mars goes gaga in a new collaboration. and break out the turducken. find out which national treasure is bringing the nfl's most iconic coach to the big screen. iconic coach to the big screen. e 1 fire extinguisher. and to fight heartburn, why take 10 antacids throughout the day when you can take 1 prilosec. for easier heartburn relief, one beats ten. prilosec otc. one pill. 24 hours. zero heartburn. when your clothes come out looking newer, longer... you get to take them for a spin. again... ...and again... ...and again. persil cleans and helps keep clothes looking newer, longer. get that new clothes feeling. wash with persil. whoa! how'd you get your teeth so white? you gotta use the right toothpaste! dr. c?! ♪♪ not all toothpastes whiten the same.

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♪ nobody's promised tomorrow ♪ ♪ so i'ma going to love you ever night like it's the last night ♪ ♪ like it's the last night ♪ ♪ if the world was ending ♪ ♪ i want to be next to you ♪ ♪ ♪ >> lady gaga and brew uno mars channeling their country side in their new collaboration "die with a smile", the two had been teased on social media, and it

was officially announced on thursday. she says she hopes this tides them over until the next release of her studio album. she was invited to look at music, she went over there around midnight, and this is what came out of it like only these artists can. >> you have to be talented to get invited over at midnight. let's come up with something. >> and heres it. >> they've got the part down, too. the nfl's most larger than life character is being brought to the big screen by an equally-iconic actor. nicolas cage has been cast to play iconic football coach and broadcaster, john madden. the film from director david o. russell won't focus on the main two hustles but chronicle the origins of the best-selling madden video game series which has been running consistently since 1988. will ferrell and hugh jackman

were also rumored to be in the running. nicolas cage, john madden. i don't know if i see it. but looking forward to see what they do with it. >> the transformation's going to be there. and tom hanks was one of the guys rumored. >> really? >> nicolas cage is where it's going to. all right, up next, a salty shakeup in the new federal push to cut sodium levels in food. and more proof that elmo loves you. how the "sesame street" icon helped inspire a nationwide mental health check. nationwide mental health check. it's in your nature to stand strong. supplement your bones with high-absorption magnesium. nature's bounty. it's in your nature. with cascade platinum plus, i have upped my dish game auntie, in that dishwasher? watch me platinum plus gives you the highest standard of clean, even in your machine. clean enough for you? yeah! scrape. load. done. cascade platinum plus. zyrtec allergy relief works fast and lasts a full 24 hours

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this follows early success from 2021 combating salt intake to prevent high blood pressure and heart disease. new studies show humans age dramatically at ages 44 and 60. the findings could potentially reduce the impact of aging on health. and "sesame street" and the harris poll surveyed 2,000 americans finding that mental health is almost as important as economic stability. . was a way to make it last longer. say hello to your fairy godmother alice, and long-lasting gain scent beads. part of the irresistible scent collection from gain. it ain't my dad's razor, dad. ay watch it!

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the latest trend under consumption core. >> reporter: so much scrolling is about buying stuff. >> okay, you seriously do not want to miss today's haul. >> reporter: but now a new movement online rejecting the consumption overload. >> i don't want to see your haul. i don't want to see anymore products. >> reporter: it's called underconsumption core. ♪ till i saw the sun ♪ >> reporter: with many of the videos set to relaxing music like norah jones. it's about being frugal. getting more use out of old things and taking the pressure off of yourself to keep up with the influencers. >> underconsumption is seeing oh, what shoes are we wearing this fall come up 24 times and knowing that the shoes we already have will work perfectly fine. >> reporter: the trend takes offer, casting aside

aside aesthetically pleasing settings. down sizing on makeup, beauty products and new clothes. >> they care about the environment. they like buying second hand. they don't care if things are used or beaten up. >> reporter: while the name underconsumption core is new, the idea isn't. the no-spend trend going viral and buying-nothing groups gaining popularity. it could be linked to younger americans feeling persistent economic pressure like the pinch of inflation. >> it has bubbled up in other times of economic slowing. it happened in the '90s. it happened when the dotcom bubble burst and during the great recession. >> reporter: relentless consumer spending helped drive a lot of america's post-covid growth. but some companies are seeing customers looking for deals and buy less. >> consumer spend has basically

been fueling the economy for years. i mean, post-pandemic, everyone wanted to go outen travel. b now high prices and interest rates have taken a toll. maybe it's time to reassess the revenge spending. >> reporter: the big question is whether underconsumption core is a deeper shift to economic slow down. >> everything on tiktok seems to be a core these days. hope you enjoy it now that it's friday. thanks for ending the workweek with "early today." i'm frances rivera. have a great weekend. ve a great.

tom llamas. more news on the way. more news on the way. re news on. major arrests in two shocking hollywood deaths. five people now charged in connection with the overdose death ofh