hi, everybody, i'm kate snow. >> and i'm savannah sellers, and "nbc news daily" starts right now. ♪♪ today is monday, march 20th, 2023. grand jury watch, law enforcement agencies on alert after former president trump says he'll be indicted tomorrow. the new witness appearing today in front of a manhattan grand jury as the trump legal team files motions in a separate case in georgia. making friends, chinese president xi jinping arrives in

russia to meet face-to-face with vladimir putin. the visit coming hours after putin himself made a surprise visit to ukraine. cold snap, it's the first day of spring but someone forgot to tell the weather, the whites you conditions in the midwest and more potential flooding in the south. a second look, new scrutiny over a cold case linked to alex murdaugh's surviving son buster. why it might lead to a body be exhumed. we begin this hour here in new york city where a grand jury is hearing another day of testimony as it considers whether it will indict former president donald trump. >> it's not known what exact charges are being considered, but the case involves hush money payments made ahead of the 2016 presidential election. >> over the weekend, mr. trump predicted he would be arrested on tuesday and he called for protests. >> the decision to indict has not been made, but multiple law enforcement agencies are making preparations in case it happens. that is according to senior officials familiar with the plans. >> nbc news national

correspondent gabe gutierrez is in new york city. also with us, nbc news washington correspondent yamiche alcindor. gabe, i'll start with you. just give us a sense of what's happening at the manhattan d.a.'s office today and tell us about whether an indictment could be coming. >> reporter: kate, good afternoon. there is an increased security presence here outside the d.a.'s office. we've seen more steel barricades going up, and that tracks with what we've been hearing from law enforcement officials at several different agencies here in new york city are preparing for the possibility of an indictment. no surprise considering the huge logistical and security concerns, and especially after the former president posted on social media over the weekend saying that he predicted to be arrested tomorrow and calling for protests. we do not have an exact time line on when that could happen or if an indictment will even happen, but what we can tell you is within the past few hours, we have seen robert costello, the former legal adviser to michael

cohen show up here at the d.a.'s office. we understand he's expected to testify today, and according to a source familiar with his testimony, he is expected to tell the grand jury that michael cohen is a liar and convicted perjurer. we understand that michael cohen is also inside this building ready to stand by as a potential witness. legal experts say that this signals that this grand jury investigation could be nearing a close, but again, we do not know if an indictment will come down, kate. >> it sounds like it's not over yet because they're still hearing witnesses. yamiche, let's bring you in here. just tell us quickly the backdrop of the 2024 gop presidential primary. any of his potential rivals saying anything? >> a number of former president trump's potential rivals rushed to his defense on saturday after trump said he was bracing for a possible arrest. former vice president mike pence

told abc news a powerful arrest of trump would be a, quote, politically charged prosecution. and today after remaining silent over the weekend, florida governor ron desantis took shots at the prosecutor in manhattan. take a listen to what he said. >> if you have a prosecutor who is ignoring crimes happening every single day in his jurisdiction and he chooses to go back many, many years ago to try to use something about porn star hush money payments, you know, that's an example of pursuing a political agenda. >> so there you have that going on. meanwhile, there is more trump legal news. today lawyers for former president trump filed a motion in atlanta attacking special grand juries and prosecutors who conducted a criminal investigation into whether trump and his allies interfered in the 2020 election results in georgia. the motion is seeking to squash the final report and would

request that all information and evidence from that grand jury be deemed constitutional. the motion is also questioning that the office of fani willis be disqualified from the case. willis's office has declined to respond to nbc news' request for comment. >> thank you both very much. chinese president xi jinping is kicking off a high stakes trip to russia today. it's his first visit there since the ukraine invasion. he shook hands and sat down with russian president vladimir putin in moscow as the two discussed the ongoing war. this all comes after putin's weekend visit to russian occupied territory inside ukraine. nbc news correspondent josh lederman is in seoul, south korea, for us, and foreign correspondent matt bradley is in kyiv, ukraine. what appears to be the end game for both of these leaders with this visit to moscow? >> reporter: yeah, in fact, they're still talking, kate. that meeting between the two that started some four and a

half hours ago is still going on, and that really says it all. this has been a true love fest between these two leaders who have declared a partnership between their countries with no limits, and just in the first few hours, we saw president xi boasting that president putin would easily win re-election calling him a dear old friend, while president putin has been talking up tremendous economic progress in his words, from china over the last several years. it speaks to the way these two countries really need each other right now. russia really looking for powerful allies on the world stage as it is facing so much isolation globally over its war in ukraine, and president xi as he's starting his historic third term, he is looking for other countries to join him in really trying to stand up more assertively to the u.s. so even though he is getting some blowback globally for associating with someone like putin who is such a pariah on the world stage because of that

war in ukraine, these two ce with each other. >> josh, stand by for us. let me go over to matt. how are people in ukraine reacting to putin's visit over the weekend? he went to crimea, he went to mariupol yesterday. >> yeah, kate and savannah, it really looks like a triumphantless victory lap for putin. in the case of crimea, that's not necessarily surprising. this is clearly something that was planned in advance. that particular trip to crimea was timed to putin's 2014 -- the anniversary of putin's 2014 annexation of that ukrainian peninsula. so while that's still a sore point for a lot of ukrainians here, it was nine years ago. it was a lot different from mariupol, which was a real slap in the face, very insulting. we saw him driving himself around. for mariupol, this is more than just a city for ukrainians. this is a place that stands out

as both a symbol of ukrainian defiance and resilience in the face of the russian invasion and also the civilian loss of life. while we saw the azovstal attacks with civilians holed up underneath the steel works, we saw the pummelling of a theater that killed -- the single largest loss of life of civilians since this war began. really that was a slap in the face for a lot of ukrainians. >> matt bradley for us, and josh lederman, thanks to both of you. it's been a roller coaster few days, but the stock market currently today is up. a weekend of wheeling and dealing appears to have calmed wallstreet's fears. >> there's a promising sign of relief for a troubled bank overseas. gretchen morgenson joins us now to talk about this. how are the moves made over the last 24, 48 hours having an

impact now on the overall situation in the banking industry? >> well, bank stocks are recovering today. they had an awful week last week. the fact is the troubles are not over. yes, we have three banks that failed and some of them are getting buyers and attracting interest, but we still have the main -- the main problem has been rising interest rates, and that has hammered the banking industry. it hammered their investments, made them lose money. that is what caused the run on silicon valley bank, so that fact still remains. it's not over by any means, but things are better. >> better today. >> yes. >> wednesday is the day to look to for the fed's decision on whether to raise interest rates again, right? >> correct. and of course all eyes will be on that. they have said they will continue, so they are expected to. >> gretchen morgenson, thank you so much. it's the first day of spring, but it might not feel like it in parts of the west or the south.

as kate said earlier, someone forgot to tell the weather it's the first day of spring. 34 million people from mississippi to north carolina are under freeze alerts and california is bracing for even more snow and rain. this video here is wild. this is a massive tunnel in lake tahoe. this shows what homeowners are dealing with to try to get to their front doors. of course there's also danger when they're trapped on the outside of that in the their homes. nbc news meteorologist bill karins is tracking the latest forecast for us. how serious is this next storm that's about to hit california? >> the last storm hit in the middle of the night. this storm is going to hit during the rush hours, not as much rain. this actually may have more impact. so let's talk about the timing. this is 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. all the yellow is areas of moderate rain into san francisco bay. eventually during the morning, we'll get it into san diego. i fast forward this to the evening drive home. it's not as widespread, but we're still going to have some downpours possibly from santa barbara to l.a.

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it's been 18 days since alex murdaugh was convicted of murdering his wife and youngest son, but today there is new scrutiny over a cold case that could be linked to alex murdaugh's other son buster. stephen smith was found dead in the middle of a rural county road in 2016. a forensic pathologist ruled the cause of the death as a hit and run. smith's family is not convinced. they are planning to exhume smith's body and perform an independent autopsy. here's nbc news correspondent catie beck. >> reporter: for nearly eight years, sandy smith has been pushing for answers in the death of her son stephen. the 19-year-old was found dead in 2015 in what state investigators originally called a hit and run on a rural road in hampton county, south carolina. >> as a mother, there's questions that i need to ask and

there's questions i need answers to. >> reporter: smith believes the initial findings may have been wrong and that someone murdered her son and staged it to look like an accident. it's a case that's nevada been -- never been solved, but as authorities looked into the murders of maggie and paul murdauaugh they s say informama came t to light p prompting t t reopen smith's investigation. smith's death has received renewed attention from a recent netflixx docusereries about the murdaughgh murders a and other s with potential ties to the once prominent family. in multiple interviewsws, local didiscussed rumumors of an alle rerelationshipip between s stepd buster murdaugh. >> there were so many rumors swirling around that buster and stephen were intimate together. being gay in the murdaugh family would have been looked down upon. >> reporter: but buster murdaugh has never been charged with any crime in the case.

for the first time this morning he's denying any involvement telling nbc news exclusively in a statement, i've tried my best to ignore the vicious rumors about my involvement in stephen smith's tragic death that continue to be published in the media as i grieve over the brutal murders of my mother and brother. i loved them so much and miss them terribly. buster murdaugh who took the stand in his father's trial adding these baseless rumors of my involvement with stephen and his death are false. i deny any involvement in his ket and my heart goes out to the smith family. sandy smith says she doesn't know who's responsible. >> i want to know why you did and i want to find out who you are. >> reporter: now thanks to thousands of dollars in online donations, she wants stephen's body exhumed and an independent autopsy performed. >> when it comes to an exhumation, there's several pitfalls that you have to look out for. namely preparation of the remains.

>> reporter: despite the potential hurdles, sandy smith says she remains hopeful. >> peace, my closure. it will never be closed because he's forever gone. >> reporter: catie beck, nbc news. this is a scary one, a legal street racing is taking over towns and cities across the concern, and police say it is getting more dangerous, even deadly. nbc news correspondent sam brock reports. >> reporter: the chilling scenes playing out on streets across the country. tires screeching, donuts dominating intersections. it looks like an action movie, but this isn't a film set. it's austin, texas. passengers dangling out of windows. it's also west palm beach, florida, and nearby broward county. drivers blocking roads and doing stunts. >> you can see this car nearly careening into onlookers.

nation wade, incidents like illegal street racing and takeovers were -- perform dangerous tricks and maneuvering spiking. >> he loved me unconditionally. >> in 2021 jayden johnson was in the backseat of a car on date just riding normally when two street racers flew through a red light in what police described as very high rates of speed and did this to their car, killing jayden and two others. jayden's mother nicole richardson says he was a gentle person, an aspiring music producer. >> how much did your life change? >> a part of me died. i'll nevada be the same person again ever. >> my apartment is right there, and it's all happening right here. >> reporter: others fear what could happen. cat thomas says her town is under siege. thomas has videos of cars wriping through this round about near her home. she says she's complained to

police. so far there's been little action to stop it. >> how this affects you on a day-to-day, does it change anything? >> it does absolutely. i'm stage four cancer patient, and it's really hard on my tired weeks when i need to get a good night's sleep. i'm waking up multiple times a night to hearing screeching sounds. >> reporter: the orange county sheriff's office tells nbc news this type of activity can be hard to address since drivers often flee when law enforcement arrives and fleeing makes the streets even more dangerous. in texas governor greg abbott has launched a statewide street takeover task force, and back in florida, the broward county sheriff's office giving this new warning. >> we're not going to have any moments of giving someone a break. we're going to take your vehicles, and we're going to take you to jail. >> reporter: now parents like nicole are raising their voices to point out tragedy isn't

likely, it's inevitable. >> the chances are going to go higher and higher you're going to kill somebody, or your parents are going to get the call i got. >> it's russian roulette. >> it really is. >> sam brock, nbc news, sorrento, florida. coming up, breaking news out of france, why protesters are taking to the streets of paris tonight. you're watching "nbc news daily." somemetimes, thehe lows of bipolarar depressioion fefeel darkestst before dada. wiwith caplytata, there's a a chance to o let the e light shinine through. and lighght tomorrowow, with the hope f from today.y. thisis is a chanance to l let in the e lyte. caplyta a is a once-e-daily pl ththat is provoven to delilir sisignificant t relief acrossss bipolar d depressio. unlike somome medicinenes thatat only treaeat bipolar , caplytyta treats b both bipolai anand bipolar r ii depressssi. anand in clininical trialsl, movemement disordeders and weight gaiain were notot comm. callll your doctctor about sudden m mood changeges, behahaviors, orr suicididal thoughthts. antidedepressants s may incree thesese risks inin young adud. eldederly dementntia patients haveve increaseded risk of f death or s stroke. report fevever, confususion,

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one person died. another is in the hospital after they were struck by a car alongside interstate 580. chp says it all began with an altercation inside an uber between the driver and passenger. the driver says he or she felt unsafe then called 911. then they pulled over on the on ramp and told the passenger to get out. a short time later, a different car struck two pedestrians on that onramp. one of those pedestrians was the uber passenger. it's unknown where that other pedestrian came from. pete is working to sort it all out. he'll have answers in our afternoon newscast. and here's a story we're watching now. police and mall security plan to increase patrols following a recent surge in violence at a san francisco mall. video shows young people fighting at stones town mall. we're choosing not to show it. these videos are being posted onlong island going viral. retail workers say most fights involve juveniles.

they happen more frequently especially when nearby schools are on minimum or half days. bart police will increase the number of officers at stations and on trains. leaders have promised up to 18 additional patrols on each shift. this comes as riders are concern about their safety. the bart police chief says he's committed to making change. >> i want our riders and employees to know that we are listening. bart riders have expressed their frustration at the current state of our system. and it's time we take back the trains. >> bart is also trying to add more support staff besides police officers. this includes crisis intervention specialists and fare inspection officers. these are some other stories you need to know about. a historic pier is set to be demolished. teachers in oakland planning a walkout, but first, sentencing for the alleged master mind in

the kidnapping of a south bay baby. prosecutors say the woman took the baby in april. the baby was found safe after a 24-hour search. the sentencing hearing began earlier this morning. we'll still waiting for the decision. ian is going to have a live report this afternoon. high school teachers in oakland are threatening a one-day strike. they say they're frustrated with recent contract talks and planned cuts to necessary services. the walkout is scheduled for this friday. potentially affected schools have yet to respond. and demolition of the ship wreck pier is now underway. it was severely damaged by the storms in late december and early january. engineers determined there was no way to salvage who was left. the demolition is expected to take six weeks. more rain is on the way, but not as severe. we'll have what you can expect.

>> we will be enjoying mostly dry conditions for monday, but here's what we got in store heading into the overnight early morning hours. we've got our next storm system beginning to develop. this is going to come in the form of rain and wind. here's a closer look at what to expect. we're also going to see some gusty winds. a wind advisory will go into effect tuesday morning. also a winter storm warm in effect for the sierra. long range outlook now for san francisco, rain and wind for tuesday. shower activity through wednesday morning. and then things dry out and clear out just in time for the weekend. >> thanks. covid guidelines are being updated throughout the bay area. one school district is making big changes and things are about to be a lot different for healthcare workers. students testing positive still have to stay home for five days, but they no longer need a negative test to come back to

school after those five days. they'll need a negative test if they want to stop masking though. students who test positive must mask for ten days after a pianotive test unless they test negative for two days in a row. and healthcare workers are seeing their restrictions go away almost entirely. as of april 3rd, no masks or vaccines are required. this will apply to homts, dentists and doctor's offices. it was a rough area for bay area basketball teams. st. mary's took on the university of connecticut. they lost the game 70-55. the stanford women upset by ole the stanford women upset by ole miss. this is ththe sound of b better breaeathing. fasenra a is an add-d-on treatmt for asthmama driven by e eosinophilsls. it helps p prevent aststha attacks,s, improve b brea, and lower r use ofof oral stereroids. it helps p prevent aststha attacks,s, improve b brea, fasesenra is notot a a rescue mededication it helps p prevent aststha attacks,s, improve b brea, or for othther eosisinophilic c conditions.

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welcome a back, and thank you for joining us at the bottom of the hour. here are some of the stories making headlines on nbc news daily. >> an american held hostage in west africa for more than six years has now been released. jeff woodkey was an aid worker who was kidnapped in october 2016. national security adviser jake sullivan said in a statement that he is gratified and relieved. woodkey is currently at a u u.s fafacility inn africa unundergo medicacal evalaluation. a search is underwaway for o boboaters missing i in florida.. they're e believed t to have dr in a a lake nearr the legogola themee park.. the countnty sheriffff said two

had d jumped intnto lake eloloi save a another p person from t group w who was struguggling in water. the men becamee s separated a a have not been seen since saturday. that third person was rescued by sheriff's deputies. millions of dead fish have washed up along the southeastern coast of australia. scientists say it's because of low oxygen levels due to floods and hot weather. forecasters say australia is expected to see above average temperatures until june. that's a lot of fish. french president emmanuel macron's government just surf vooifd a vote of no confidence. people are protesting in the streets, this has been going on for days. this is after he bypassed parliament to push through a pension reform bill. that bill increases the retirement age from 62 to 64. nbc news foreign correspondent meagan fitzgerald joins us from paris on this where we have been

seeing these protests behind her for the last few hours. hey, megan how has the crowd reacted? what was the latest after that news? >> reporter: yes, the crowd is angry. the crowd upset and frustrated and certainly after hearing that those two no confidence motions failed. i want to show you that crowd, largely dispersed because the police officers told them to do so, and you can see that this plaza, which is just in the shadows of the eiffel tower is fortiied by police in their riot gear here. people are leaving. >> this is just the start of the protests that we will likely see throughout the coming week. they say they're frustrated for several reasons. the first is because this is a society that works to live. they appreciate their work life balance. they put in 35-hour work weeks here. they take their vacations. they enjoy spending time with their family. they also say that they pay more in taxes than most countries and

in return, they expect an early retirement at age 62. certainly that's not happening anymore. the law of the land, after macron pushed through that legislation on thursday bypassing the vote in parliament. now makes it 64. the concern, they feel, is that this is just a slippery slope, that it will continue to increase, and they're also frustrated because they say the way in which macron did this was very undemocratic, that he didn't allow for parliament to have a vote and e he's not listening to the will of the people. guys. >> so what comes next? where do they go from here? >> reporter: you know, it's a great question. macron's approval rating is just plummeting, right now 70% of the country is against what he did. he's got a popularity rating of 28%. you know, when you take a look at how he did this, this is just one year into his presidency. he's got four more years to go. four more years to paint and change the narrative and the legacy of his presidency. the big question is how

successful will he be at doing that because he's got a lot of people that are angry at him right now. >> absolutely. stay safe in those protests, thank you very much. some more breaking muse, this time out of texas. the u.s. army is investigating the death of a female soldier at fort hood. it's the same army base where a female soldier was murdered three years ago. i want to bring in adriana alexander, she's a reporter at our nbc affiliate in temple, texas. what can you tell us about the soldier who passed away and the circumstances surrounding her death? >> reporter: well, hi, kate, how are you doing? good afternoon. we can't tell you much as of right now due to fort hood not giving us much information and they're referring all questions to the criminal investigation division here at fort hood. now, like you know a week ago on march 13th, the fort hood did go ahead and let people know that officer ruiz was found dead at fort hood.

that's all we know so far. it's been a week, they're not giving us much information. we are going to continue to follow this story now. the parents of let telemundo know when she contacted them that her daughter was experiencing sexual harassment from a superior at fort hood. this isn't confirmed from any fort hood officials. they haven't confirmed that. that's what her parents are saying, and her parents are also saying an official at fort hood did let them know she died from suicide. we did go ahead and ask fort hood when we issued out, when they had a press conference on friday, and we asked if suicide was the reason behind the death, and they did not confirm that and referred all questions to the criminal investigation division. as of right now, that's all we know so far. we are sure to continue to follow this story for sure. >> i know it's a base that's had a lot of issues in recent years, it's got to be tough for the community there. thank you so much for being with us. this week the ceo of the

social media app tiktok will appear before congress. his testimony comes as the white house threatens a potential ban unless tiktok's owners sell the stake in the app. nbc news political reporter sahil kapur joins us. as we've heard little threats, little changes, what cowe anticipate hearing from lawmakers when they're face to face with the ceo. >> reporter: the tiktok ceo will be in the hot seat before the energy and commerce committee. we know from a statement released by the chair of that committee that the hearing will be called how congress can safeguard american data privacy and protect children from online harms. we expect lawmakers to ask about tiktok's impact on consumer privacy, their practices on data security, the platform's exact on children, and of course its relationship with the chinese communist party. that's kind of a glimpse into

where lawmakers are. that ceo should expect aggressive questions from members of both parties. we know based on reporting from our colleague carol lee that he plans to tell congress that tiktok now has a user base of 150 million americans. that's a massive number, and here's a statement from a spokesperson for tiktok in terms of how they are looking at this. this is jamal brown saying, quote, tiktok creators are small business owners, business own owners educators and more who represent the breadth of america. tiktok should hear firsthand from people whose lives would be directly affected by their decisions. you have this back and forth, lawmakers going to be questioning the tiktok ceo. that right there is a glimpse of how they expect to defend themselves. >> on wednesday several dozen tiktok creators, small business owners, people who make their living off of this, they're planning to hold a news

conference and meet with lawmakers. what do they hope to accomplish in that? >> reporter: tiktok has fallen behind the 8 ball here. they seem to be trying to make friends on capitol hill after they have not been expected to do that. it's quite remarkable because this app has more than 100 million users. this is a town where everyone has a lobbyist, even the more obscure causes get some allies, gain some traction on capitol hill, but our capitol hill reporting team has not found any lawmakers who's willing to publicly, outwardly, emphatically defend tiktok. this seems to be an issue that members of congress are not politicking, turning into a political football like a whole lot of other issues. this company has got its work cut out for it if it wants to survive this effort to keep it away, basically, from, you know, american young people in particular with whom this app is especially popular, savannah. >> all right, sahil kapur, one a lot of people are watching and wondering about, thank you very much. >> yeah, we're all going to be watching that. there is a dire new report

out from the united nations about the state of of the earth's climate. >> urgent action needs to be taken now to prevent a catastrophe. the report's six years in the making and it's made up of work from thousands of scientists. even though that message is bleak, it does say there is still hope. >> let's bring in nbc news science reporter denise ciao. great to have you here. i know you've been digging into this six years in the making, what are the big takeaways? >> the biggest takeaway is that time is running out to secure a livable future. that emphasis on livable is important. we've seen the consequences of climate change are happening around the world. there isn't a single person that is unaffected by global warming. we want to stave off the worst effects, the most devastating consequences of sea level rise, extreme heat, flooding. >> what does the report say can

be done to counter this at this point? >> the main thing is we cannot waste any more time in terms of cutting emissions. if we want to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius, which is this landmark part of the paris climate agreement, it's something that we talk about all the time in climate scientists use that as a threshold, in order to do that, global green house gas emissions have to be slashed in half by 2030. that's a very ambitious goal. >> in half by 2030. i'm no scientist, but that sounds pretty hard to reach. the release of this report as i understand it, it's a u.n. report, but there was some division. it was delayed because of disagreements, right, in what should be said. can you elaborate on that? >> yeah, this isn't that uncommon in the days leading up to this report's release. there are squabbles here and there about how something is worded, but the main thing that is at dispute here is between wealthier nations and developing nations and whether the targets being set for reducing emissions

by the wealthier nations, which have contributed most of the climate crisis are deep enough. developing nations want to hold them accountable. another big issue is this financial aid pot that will go towards developing nations, poor nations that are, you know, disproportionately affected by climate change. >> denise chow, very important, thank you for bringing thistous. this conversation we'll most certainly continue to have. last week on this broadcast a report misstated a claim made in a lawsuit against amazon. the lawsuit alleges the company was collecting information such as palm prints. it does not accuse amazon of using facial recognition. still ahead, the alarming

. in today's daily health an alarming new study about childbirth in america. >> it finds black women are at a higher risk of dying while having a baby. nbc news correspondent rehema ellis takes a closer look. >> reporter: this is how aziza bowser clark and her husband jason looked in the early weeks of her pregnancy. >> it was a picture of absolute joy. >> reporter: but for these two highly successful new jersey lawyers, joy turned to fear.

>> we were very worried about making sure that we had all the information, that we had the very best doctors we could find. >> reporter: in her first trimester, she says she was exhausted. when she told her doctor she was concerned about anemia, the response? >> of course you're tired. you're pregnant. and me this is my first child. >> reporter: but this very athletic 41-year-old says it got worse. by her seventh month she could barely hold her head up and demanded a blood test. the results she was dangerously anemic and had to have infusions. >> it felt like my throat dropped into my stomach because it was there and concrete that i wasn't imagining this. >> reporter: after 27 hours of labor, doctors abruptly decided on an emergency c-section. her son was born healthy, but she passed out and spent about eight days in the hospital recovering. >> it was traumatic. >> reporter: and she's not alone. a ground breaking study reveals

a disturbing history of unequal care. researchers analyzed nearly all pregnancies this california over a nine-year period, for the first time factoring in race and income. the findings, money didn't matter in maternal health care. and during childbirth, even the richest black women are more likely to die than the poorest white women. >> take it as an opportunity. >> reporter: dr. camilla phillips is not surprised. >> what's this about? >> this is about racism. we're still dealing with institutions, people, and their bias. >> some people would say that's dramatic that how can you say that it's racism when black women are going to the same hospitals that white women are going to in large measure, and they're receiving the same kind of care, aren't they? >> so i would argue that women of color and in particular black women are not receiving the same type of care, even in the same institutions. >> reporter: she says some doctors often don't take black

women's concerns about their health as seriously as white women's. >> they're not listening, particularly to women of color. >> particularly to women of color, there are terms that often make it into the chart as it relates to black women, difficult, challenging, disruptive. >> reporter: that means early warning signs can be missed, which could lead to negative outcomes. so what can pregnant black women do right now? experts say identify your risk factors with your doctor. bring someone with you to your ob/gyn appointments, and take notes. aziza did all that and still says -- >> my advice for black women who are pregnant, make sure your voice is heard. >> reporter: a powerful message when starting a family, race matters. rehema ellis, nbc news, new jersey. >> what a powerful story there, our thank you to rehema for that. in today's modern parenting,

we have a warning about what could be a dangerous drinking trend appearing on several college campuses. >> one university says it had to call dozens of ambulances to help treat students. nbc news correspondent maggie vespa explains. >> reporter: even on st. patrick's day colleging putting out alerts about the latest tiktok trend, the wave of excess drinking concerning officials, blackout ralk gallons or borgs are a punch-like mixture of vodka, water, flavored electrolytes and caffeine, enough to fill a gallon jug reserved for one person, and topped off with a punny label. >> queen elizabeth borg some claiming the electrolytes and water help curb hangovers, but experts warn it's still binge drinking. >> how you slice it, drinking 8 to 15 shots of alcohol in a short period of time, is still drinking it whether it's straight to the bottle or in a

gallon jug. >> last week 28 ambulances were called at umass amherst for the annual student run blowout. >> reporter: a senior at umass amherst vlogged this year's event. >> i just see all these gallons with like these weird puns. everybody was shoulder to shoulder, it's like literally z the size of a football field. >> reporter: the university in town blaming the controversial drink for the rampant hospitalizations. school officials say it was the first time the university had observed notable use of borgs, and they'll consider steps to improve alcohol education and intervention and communicate with students and families. the drink becoming so popular boston university even warning its students about the risks ahead of st. patrick's day asking students to consider safer alternatives like using less alcohol and skipping the caffeine. >> if you don't want to drink, you don't have to. you don't have to put any alcohol in your borg, and nobody

would know the difference. >> aaron moroe is a preventionist with ten years of experience working in schools and on college campuses. >> what we're trying to do is really to empower these young people to make healthier some things are good to know. like, where to find the cheapest gas in town. and which supermarket gives you the most bang for your buck. something else that's good to know? if you have medicare and medicaid, you may be able to get more healthcare benefits through a humana medicare advantage dual eligible special needs plan. call now and speak to a licensed humana sales agent to see if you qualify. depending on the plan you choose, you could have your doctor, hospital, and prescription drug coverage in one convenient plan. from humana, a company with over sixty years of experience in the healthcare industry. you'll have lots of doctors and specialists to choose from. and, if you have medicare and medicaid, a humana plan may give you other important benefits. depending

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licensed humana sales agent will walk you through your options. answer any questions you have. and, if you're eligible, help you enroll over the phone. call today and we'll also send this free guide. humana. a more human way to healthcare. she e is fearlesess heart's on the l line depepend silhoueuette... heart's on the l line ...keepiping leaks o off her . comfmfortable inin shapeware fafabric... ...keepiping leaks o off her . ...she m moves with h ease. ...keepiping leaks o off her . confidenent on nighthts like thesese. dedepend silhohouette. confidenent on nighthts like thesese. ththe only thihing strongegr thanan us, is yoyou. . this is fast forward on nbc news daily. did you feel it? an earthquake shaking things up in san jose.

it happened just after 9:00 this morning about ten miles outside of san jose seven trees neighborhood. so far, no reports of damage or injuries. a story we've been following. san jose police have arrested a man accused of killing his wife. last tuesday morning, police located the victim as a home along fox dale loop. she was not conscious or breathing. the man is now in custody. police say the circumstances and what led up to her death are still under investigation. today is the first official day of spring at 2:24 p.m. and many are hoping for sunshine, but it looks like there are more showers in our future. >> and we are going to enjoy a pleasant monday but this is your time to prepare because our next storm system is already lining up and developing just off the coast. this is going to make its biggest impact over night into tuesday morning.

we're talking mid night to about 8:00, 9:00 a.m. tomorrow with some heavy to moderate downfall. overnight, we'll also see the winds kick up. a lot of the higher peaks could see 2 to 3 inches. anywhere else, about a quarter of an inch. wind advisories in place, 20 to 40 mile per hours and the rain chance will stick around through thursday morning. we'll see temperatures in the 50s and s for the w60ee

there's always a long line to sign up for gym memberships and by this time of the year, a new line forms to quit. if you signed up online, you can cancel on line. our investigator shows us how to cancel and how to be protected.

>> those resolutions to join a gym fade fast. >> by march, something like 60% of gym memberships are going unused. >> she says they make it easy to join. in person, online, in their app. what's it like canceling? >> be prepared to have to repeat yourself a lot because odds are they're going throw every tactic at you to get you to stay on. >> stand your ground. >> be really polite, but really firm. >> when you're firm politeness wins, get proof of your cancellation in writing. side note, there should be no fee if you just signed up. >> in california, you have five days where you can quit and don't have any cost consequences. >> kevin with consumer checkbook says canceling a membership by mail is best. >> send it certified mail. seems very old fashioned, but that way, you have a record of trying to quit. >> that four bucks for certified

mail should protect you in the case of say the gym continuing to bill you and claiming it had no idea you wanted the cancel. if you use certified mail, you can counter that claim and get that debt wiped clear. >> thanks, chris. if you like frozen fruit for your smoothies, listen up. scenic fruit company is recalling various products due to the risk of hepatitis a. it impacts trader joe's frozen tropical fruit blend. in california, simply nature organic strawberries are also under recall. the cdc has confirmed three hepatitis a cases with two more suspected cases in washington state all are tied to frozen strawberries. strawberries. that does it forme we've stripped a all over thisis mountain.n. i lolove it when h he strips f for me. i strip onon sick daysys. brbreathe righght instantlty relilieves nighthttime nasasal congestition. daytytime, too.. helpining you breaeathe ear for up t to 12 hoursrs. breathe riright. stripip o.

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today on "access daily," we've got company. >> oh, we do. hot off their new show, "the company you keep," milo and catherine are here. >> "access daily" starts now. welcome to "access daily" from universal studios hollywood. i'm mario lopez with kit hoover. it is the first day of spring. where are my allergy people at? we are all stuffy right now. a little sneak peek of tonight's episode of "the voice." check out this four-chair turn.