ththat way we e always knonow n to help ststop one. ok f flex, just t drop somee knowledgdge on me agagain. oh, okok i will - - i'll turn r ththermostat t to 78... i'i'll unplug g the blendede. the hahair dryer.. - - my blankieie? - yep!p! - let's tatalk about i it! - nopepe. ooo,o, we can sasave the lauauy titil' the mororning! oh, yes s please! oh! lilittle thingngs like ths helplp save our r power and help s save us frorom outag. wiwith flex alalerts, the power r is ours. hi, everyone. thanks for joining us. i'm zinhle essamuah. >> i'm ellison barber. "nbc news daily" starts right now. ♪

♪ today, friday, july 14th, 2023, act two. striking actors join striking writers virtually shutting down hollywood. the impact of both unions walking out and why ai plays a starring role in the fight. worsening wave. stifling heat expected to grip the country into next week. how people are trying to cope with seemingly endless and skyrocketing temperatures. mystery solved. an arrest connected to a decades-long search for a serial killer, what we're learning about the suspect, a and how th victims' families are reacting. and try, try again. the biden administration rolls out a new plan to cancel billions of student loan debt. who will be getting the much-needed relief. we begin this hour in hollywood. and here in new york. two cities now directly impacted by the strikes that ground america's entertainment industry to a halt. for the first time in 63 years, both the actors union and the writers union are off the job.

walking off the job. america's film and television production is all but shut down. there are two major sticking points. money in the form of fair pay and residuals now we're in the new era of streaming and artificial intelligence which has upended the way many industries do business. we will talk about that part of the story with our resident ai expert jake ward and pop culture kpertd brian ball that zar will break down the business. and first kathy park is along the picket line in new york city. many may think of this story as hollywood, california, centered but across the country, especially in new york, so what are you hearing from actors and those striking today? >> reporter: good afternoon to you. that's absolutely right. this impasse of negotiations, the impasse affects both coasts, including right here in new york city. and we are told there are four different locations in the city where roughly a thousand writers, performers, actors,

have joined the picket lines, and this group here, in front of 30 rock, they have been out here since early this afternoon, and they say, look, they need to stand in solidarity, and they need to speak up, because the industry is under attack, they want to be talking about the changes, because if they don't do it now, they are worried it could impact them in the future. so as you mentioned, it is ai, it's also the streaming services, they want fair pay, and a lot of folks, what they don't understand is that a lot of these actors are working actors, and they live paycheck to paycheck. take a listen. >> people think actors as being rich and famous but most of us are working class citizens and blue collar like most of america, and we believe that our industry, just as well as any other industry with ai, and if we don't stand up, nobody will. >> reporter: we should also point out that in the crowd, we

have spotted some a-listers including jason sedakis, you might recognize him from "ted hasso" and we were trying to get a response from him, why he is out here, and he said he just wanted to show his support and this is something that we will likely see play out here in new york, also in los angeles, and there this is a boisterous crowd, you can hear the honking, the cheering, the cars that are driving by, honking in support. meanwhile, the amptp released a statement saying they are disappointing that the union walked away from the negotiations, that this will impact families who depend on the industry, basically impact their pocketbook. guys? >> a lot of solidarity happening out there. brian, let's bring you in here, the shutdown comes as two blockbusters, the barbie movie and open hime remember set to hit theaters. last night in london the stars of oppenheimer voiced their strike and walked off the red carpet of their own premiere.

let's listen. >> we feel that it is needed. >> how is this strike going to impact the movies and shows so many of us love, as well as the ones that are currently in production? >> well, we just saw it happen right there, one of the rules that the union has set forth is that they are not allowed to promote any of the projects that are under their deal, and so you won't see any promotion of these films, barbie and oppenheimer just got through that, mission impossible just barely, you will be seeing that one soon but you will be seeing no more promotions and then we will see how the networks and streamers react and what we're going to be left with is no talk shows because there is a writers strike, we will see news, we will see reality shows, game shows, also exempt from that, and soap operas are still exempt if from that. but it is going to take some time for it to show you know. we will see it start to show up late in the season, late in the winter, when the specials come out and a lot of programming is done at the last minute for that, it is not going to happen. and then we will see films that

were originally going to be airing, starting in may, or june, and they may not be seeing them until 2025, so this is really going to start rolling out at the end this year, the effects of that and the income, it begins immediately, there are sacrifices by not making an income right now. >> we should mention comcast, the parent company of nbc universal is one the companies represented by the alliance. and jake, we want to bring you in here. ai, that's what the writers are concerned about and the actors are concerned about. i think it is a deep fake videos that we recently have been seeing, let's take a look at them. one of them from a couple of years back. and it is not top cruise. we will see it here. it is actually an ai-generated version of his likeness. but it looks a lot like him and i think it is something that actors are worried about. what should we understand about this. >> i think at this point, we know that there are concrete examples of the sag-aftra guild is specifically worried about and that has to do with things

like background actors. if you're one of the actors who sit in a scene, you have an automotive on the table of the studios to get paid a single day's pay to have your likeness scanned in for all perpetuity which means you would never again work for that studio because they wouldn't need you, and you would not presumably make the bare minimum you would need in order to make your health insurance. here is the other issue. beyond that, one that the writers and producers and everyone else talks to me about, what they're worried about in the future, what they talk about is the very technologically feasible possibility that you and i will be sitting in front of a film one day and i would like a movie with tom hanks and tom cruise, and let's make it a vikings buddy comedy, and a little dark but not too dark and that will just pop up automatically. and there is the premise of ai and gen tive ai and it is why you saw the directors guild of america just conclude negotiations with the same alliance and they said no gener tive ai can do their job and in the contract, that is undoubtedly what the guys want. >> so many sticking points and clearly only escalating from

here. jake ward, kathy park and brian balthazar, thank you for your work. let's turn to some weather and the dangerous heat wave that is making life pretty difficult for those coast to coast. >> right now, more than 80 million people are under heat alerts from california, to florida. if you are on the west coast, brace yourself, because the heat is intensifying. at least 50 record high temperatures could be broken this weekend alone. while at least 11 people have already been taken to the hospital in fort worth, texas, for heat-related illnesses. and in las vegas, an air force veteran in his 70s received third-degree burns after he sat on the sidewalk while waiting for a bus. the scorching pavement literally seared through his clothing. nbc news correspondent marissa parra has the latest from phoenix. >> reporter: make no mistake, it is hot. even here in phoenix. people are used to the heat. they're used to the summer sun here in the desert. but they said the difference, well, it just feels different this summer. it is not only a little hotter,

at this time of the year than they were expecting but for a lot longer. in fact, we are seeing this all across the area, take a listen to sort of the compilation of what people have to say about the summer heat right now. >> it is 102. >> it is super hot out here. and so like the bottom of my shoes, i'm worried that it is going to be stuck to the concrete. >> i came prepared, because i knew without it, i would die out here. >> 100 degrees for two weeks almost. crazy. >> very overwhelming and hot. >> so back out here in phoenix, there is a lot of people, putting in overtime, to try to keep the city cool, trying to keep the residents hydrated, and you can imagine, especially for the homeless population, that is a difficult path that they have seen, the salvation army, going out to those delivering water bottles for people who need it and the fire department is responding to so many heat-related calls. we know there are 260 since july

6th. they believe the number may be higher. and here is the kicker. just yesterday, the fire department treated a man with third-degree burns all over his body from laying down on the concrete. the heat is not just uncomfortable, it is extremely dangerous. and the most extreme source of heat-related, when it comes to extreme weather, we know that this is the most dangerous type of it. so this is something that the city is taking very seriously, and it is not expected to cool down any time soon. >> hope people stay safe. let's bring in our nbc news meteorologist bill karins. this heat is going to get pretty bad this weekend. what should folks at home understand? >> they have to understand that the amount of time you're outside, the hot ter is. it takes less time to get heat exhaustion and possibly heat stroke. so you're saying what's the difference. 110 or 120. well, it is minutes that can matter a lot. especially when you get into this. as far as the peak goes now, we're starting to see the temperatures getting the hot nest the southwest. already 107 no one is eating lun

up outside in phoenix right now. rio, 101. and vegas, 102. that is cool compared to what you deal with this weekend. so the heat dome and the heat ridge, sitting right over the top of you. phoenix, it looks like a pair of 117 ths weekend. and palm springs, 119 on both saturday and sunday. the hottest weekend you've ever recorded. and las vegas, that 117 will possibly be, or tie the all-time record of 117. death valley by the way, if they hit 130, right now the forecast is 128, that is one of the top five globally, and of course, el paso continues with their record streak, too, guys. a lot of big numbers will fall. >> meteorologist bill karins, thank you. turning now to some financial news. a strike could be the cotliest in u.s. history and president biden is fighting climate change. we have more on today's cnbc money minute. hey, kate. >> hi there, a 10-day strike by ups workers could be the most expensive in u.s. history.

that is from the research firm anderson economic group which says the economic impact could top $7.1 billion. and the union says it would go on strike august 1st, if a new contract isn't in place. the biden administration is making $20 billion available for clean energy projects. the white house says competitive grants from the federal green bank will be given to states and nonprofits with the focus on disadvantaged communities and will go to clean energy projects for homes, businesses and communities that reduce air pollution and water pollution. and finally, there is a perfect opportunity to cool down this weekend, with some ice cream. sunday is national ice cream day. bass kin robin, coldstone, all offers discounts to celebrate. we love ice cream. >> oh, yes. >> thank you. >> we will get some of that. >> thank you. enjoy. >> i'm celebrating. coming up, why one senator's tough stance on a controversial issue is being called a national

security concern. plus, the new high-tech tools being used in the fight against the country's growing opioid epidemic. you're watching "nbc news daily." don't go anywhere. ♪♪ when y you have chchronic kidney disisease... therere are placaces you'u'd like t to be. like here.e. and d here. nonot so much h here. ifif you have e chronic kidney disisease, farxiga cacan help youou keep l living lifefe. ♪ farxixiga ♪ and d farxiga rereduces ththe risk of f kidney faiail, which can n lead to didialysi. farxigiga can caususe serious e efeffects inclcluding dehyhydr, urinarary tract oror genital yt infectionsns in women n and m, and low w blood sugagar. ketotoacidosis is a s serious sidide effect thatat may lead d to death.. a rarare life-ththreateningg bactcterial infefection in t the skin ofof the perinim could occucur. stop t taking farxrxiga and cl yourur doctor riright away ifif you have e symptoms of thihis bacteriaial infecti, an allergigic reactionon, oror ketoacidodosis. farxiga a can help y you keepep living lilife.

ask k your doctotor for farxra fofor chronic c kidney disise. ifif you can''t affordrd your mededication, astrtrazeneca mamay be able e t. ♪ farxiga ♪ trtrelegy for r copd. ♪♪birds flyiyin' high, y you know h how i feel.l.♪ ♪breeeeze driftinin' on b♪ ♪...y.you know hohow i feel♪ you u don't haveve to take... [coughing]g] .....copd sitttting down.. ♪♪it's a n new dawn,.....♪ ♪.....it's a nenew day,♪♪ it's's time to m make a stan. ♪and i'i'm feelin' ' good.♪♪ starart a new daday with trere. ♪and i'i'm feelin' ' good.♪♪ no o once-daily y copd... ♪and i'i'm feelin' ' good.♪♪ ...medicicine has ththe pr ♪and i'i'm feelin' ' good.♪♪ to treatat copd... ♪and i'i'm feelin' ' good.♪♪ ...i.in as manyy ways a as trelegy.y. with t three medicicines in one i inhaler,..... .....trelegy m makes breatatg easier f for a full l 24 ho, improveses lung funcnction, .....trelegy m makes breatatg easier f for a full l 24 ho, and d helps prevevent future f flare-ups.. trtrelegy won'n't replacee a rerescue inhalaler... trtrelegy won'n't replacee ...f.for suddenn brbreathing prproblems. trtrelegy won'n't replacee tell youour doctor trtrelegy won'n't replacee ifif you havee a a heart condndition trtrelegy won'n't replacee or h high blood d pressure befofore taking g it. do notot take trelelegy more thahan prescribibed. trelelegy may inincrease your r risk of thrhrush, pneumonia,a, and osteoeopor. trelelegy may inincrease your r risk of thrhrush, call your r doctor if f word breaeathing, chehest pain, trelelegy may inincrease your r risk of thrhrush, moututh or tongugue swelling, problems u urinating,.,...

.....vision chchanges, or eyeye pain occucur. take a s stand, and d start a new w day with t trelegy. ask k your doctotor about oncece-daily trereleg. ...andnd save at t trelegy.co. the white house is going on the offensive against a republican senator. alabama gop senator tommy tuberville is trying to block a number of military promotions. the reason, he's protesting a pentagon policy that covers travel costs for service members

who get abortions out of state. president biden called the senator's move, quote, irresponsible, and defense secretary lloyd austin says the stalemate is putting national security at risk. nbc news capitol hill correspondent ryan nobles joins us now. ryan, for people at home who have not been following this closely, can you explain why the senator is blocking is so significant? have you seen anything like this in the past? >> reporter: ellison, it is not uncommon for senators because they have the power of the one senator holding up nominations like this, to view this as a way to exert pressure, or to change policy, but never something as defiant as what we're seeing from senator tuberville. and it is really two ends of this. it is not just the blockade itself, but it is the reason behind the blockade. tuberville does not like the idea that the administration unilaterally decided to allow for this provision to pay for the travel of service members who are in need of abortions and happen to be stationed in a station where abortion is banned, but on the other end of

it, he is holding up these military promotions, some of which are very important, from moving forward. and that has military leaders at the highest levels concerned that it is impacting national security. so we are at an impasse here, tuberville has said that he would be willing to release his blockade, if he got a vote on the floor, related to this policy, and at this point, ellison, that doesn't look like something that is going to happen in the near future. >> nbc news obtained a white house memo that seems to be trying to put some pressure on republicans, part of the memo says this. quote, right now, a republican senator is choosing to erode military readiness and abuse military families in the pursuit of an unrelated and extreme anti-freedom agenda, with barely a sound from his gop colleagues. what are you hearing from republicans on the hill? >> reporter: well, there's no doubt, ellison, that republicans by and large support what tuberville is trying to do. they do not agree with the administration creating this policy without congressional approval. so they do support that aspect

of it. but there is a level of concern that this is the way that tuberville is going about trying to change that policy. senator lindsey graham, for instance, telling my colleague, garrett haake, that he believes that if republicans really believe that this is a problem, that it needs to be waged at the ballot box, and that they need to remove joe biden from office in 2024, not through this process of blocking these military promotions. this was part of the ndaa conversation that is happening this week in congress. we will have to see how it all plays out. >> ryan nobles, thank you. actor kevin spacey finished testifying in the sexual assault trial in london. the actor left a court a short time ago, after his second day on the witness stand. he is facing 12 charges related to incidents involving four men between 2001 and 2013. spacey denies the allegations and has pleaded not guilty. nbc news correspondent ali is outside the courthouse in london. facie faced pretty tough prosecution from prosecutors. what exactly did he say in

court? >> reporter: that's right, there were some fiery exchanges in the courtroom today. the prosecutor accused kevin spacey of being a sexual bully. and she said that his trademark was groping and grabbing people's genitalia. kevin spacey said he objected to the tone of grabbing and groping genitalia and he may have likely touched one man but that was about it. the prosecutor asked him, had he been learning in london and did he seek out sexual contact, and he said welcome to life, and that prompted some laughter from the public gallery. so there was a lot of exchanges in there. but basically kevin spacey said that he admitted that he had led a very promiscuous life, but he said that didn't make him a bad person. at times, during the questioning, he appeared irritated and annoyed and he said the case against him was weak and that the prosecutor was twisting what had happened. but ultimately, kevin spacey

said that, you know, two out of the four of the defendants that he had, the plaintiffs that he had sexual contact with were consensual, he said one of them he had completely misread the situation, and that the fourth person was just making all of this up. asked why would somebody make all of this up, he said money, money, and more money. so there was a lot of exchanges in that courtroom today. he also had some character witnesses defending him in that courtroom, which was also important for kevin spacey's defense. >> we'll see what comes of the trial. thank you. coming up, why a sweetener found in many popular products is now being called a potential is now being called a potential cancncer risk. imagine e if you couould get ad of youour ibs-c..... by t treating itit with linzn. ththen you could startrt proactctively mananaging your conststipation with bellyly pain, and d begin to f find yoursef a lilittle furthther away from thehe symptomss

thatat keep comiming back. say y yess to lilinzess. linzesss is notot a laxativive. itit's a once-e-daily pilll thatat helps youou get ahead of youour symptomsms. it's's proven toto help youu have m more frequeuent and d complete b bowel movemem. and d helps relilieve overall abdodominal sympmptoms - belly y pain, discscomfort, and bloaoating. do not givive linzesss to chihildren lessss than tw. it may hararm them. dodo not take e linzess if you h have a bowewel blocka. get t immediate e help ifif you develelop unusuall or s severe stomomach pain,, especicially with h bloody oror black stotools. the momost common n side effet is d diarrhea, s sometimes s s. if it't's severe,, stop t taking linznzess and d call your r doctor right awayay. these e aren't all the siside effectsts. imaginine...what c could relif from i ibs-c mean n for you? talk to o your doctotor and sy yess to o linzess. leararn how abbvbvie and irorod could hehelp you sasave on linznzess. if y you've had d sensitivit, those e zingers cacan really c e someme of that j jolting pai. there is o one great s solutin out there with senensodyne. it crereates a a protectiveve barrier,, and d now they g get to feelel , ''oh, thisis is a prododuct ththat actualllly works. ♪ tide is bubusting launundry's biggest mymyth...

that colold water cacan't cle. cocold water, , on those s st? ♪♪ cold watater can't cleaean tough ststains? i'd sasay that mytyth is bust. turn to o cold, with tide. ♪ i it's ththe most wononderl time o of the yearar ♪ ♪ ♪ i it's ththe most wononderl time o of the yearar ♪ nonon-drowsy c claritin knococks out symymptoms ♪ i it's ththe most wononderl time o of the yearar ♪ from o over 200 alallergens. ♪ i it's ththe most wononderl time o of the yearar ♪ wiwithout knococking you o o. feel thehe clarity and d make todayay the e most wondederful timee ofof the year.r. live c claritin clclear. depend keeeeps you dririer ththan ever..... so y you can sayay yes to more ththan ever. yes. yes. yes. no. dependnd, the onlyly thing stronger than us, , is you. trying vapapes to q quit smokining might feelel like p progress, no.

but withth 3x more n nicotie than a a pack of c cigarette- vapepes increasese cravings- trtrapping youou in an endless s craving loloop. nicoretttte reduces s cravins untitil they're gone fofor go. happy friday. this is "the fast forward." i'm janelle wang. you don't need us to tell you it's hot out there. we have tips for saving money on your electric bill and staying hydrated during this heat wave. bob redell is in livermore with more. >> reporter: it's approaching 80. that's why within the past hour we have seen a lot of moms and dads bringing kids out here to cool off. it looks like some are taking a break in the shade right now. you have kids who come out here and this is typical when we have a heat wave that people come out here with their kids to get water and just to get some relief from the heat. it's going to get hotter today.

we are expecting mid 90s. that's why the bay area air quality has issued an alert today. it will make the air quality unhealthy. that's why they ask you to take public transportation, avoid using the car, like people are doing here. i will be doing as well. they are asking you to take public transportation and avoid mowing the lawn. pg&e are preparing for the heat wave by pre-placing workers and extra equipment in places like here in the east bay where temps are expected to hit triple digits tomorrow and sunday. if the equipment doesn't have a chance to cool down and recover, that equipment can fail. utility doesn't anticipate widespread outages but there could be failures in isolated areas. the utility is asking you to conserve your electric usage at home, not only save yourself money, but to help relieve the

strain on the grid. >> set your thermostat to 78 or higher. if you can get by with just a fan, that's even better. that's good for your energy bill. it's also good for the overall strain during hot days like this. >> reporter: tomorrow and sunday when it's the hottest, consider opening a window when you wake up to let the morning breeze in. give your house more time before the ac needs to kick in. what's the best way to stay hydrated? water, obviously. not just being in the water but drinking it. you want to avoid caffeine and alcohol. those two substances do dehydrate you, which is not a good thing when you are sweating out here in 80 degree temperatures. bob redell, nbc bay area news. >> thank you. good reminders. we had headlines. police are looking for the gunman in a late night shooting, a ten-car pileup on 880 sends two people to the hospital as a result of a deadly crash on the

same highway earlier in the morning. the first crash happened just after 1:30 a.m., at least five vehicles were involved. one person died and another is in the hospital with unknown injuries. chp says two hours later with traffic control in place, ten cars piled up directly behind the initial crash. it started when an approaching car sideswiped several stopped cars. two more people are in the hospital from this crash. both screens cleared up by 5:00 this morning. police are still on the hunt for a gunman in a late night shooting that took place in oakland. it happened just before midnight on 10th and willow streets. one person is in the hospital. no update on their condition at this time. we have scorching heat and a spare of air warning. there's a lot to navigate today. kari hall breaks it down with our forecast. >> today is a spare the air alert day. unhealthy in the inland east bay as well as santa clara valley,

especially with the high levels of ozone and also the other pollutants we see that get trapped in the valleys as our temperatures heat up. an excessive heat warning saturday from 11:00 to 11:00 p.m. on sunday. valleys are going to see dangerous heat the next several days with our temperature starting to ramp up today. livermore, 95. 92 in martinez. 94 in santa rosa. it stays cool in san francisco thanks to the fog. it will be more sunny as the temperatures there reach into the mid 70s. across the bay, 85 degrees. 105 in livermore. we will look at when temperatures come down in the forecast in 30 minutes. right now, the temps are going up. it might bring dangers you might not expect. rattlesnakes. a 35-year-old man was bitten by a rattlesnake during a hike yesterday morning. he is in the hospital in serious condition. warmer temps tend to bring more

rattlesnakes out in open spaces. hikers are advised to be careful, especially if you venture off the trail. make sure you know where you are so if you are bitten, help can get to you quickly. get to you quickly. that does it for "fast shinglgles. some desescribe it a as an intense e burning sesensan shinglgles. or a an unbearabable itch. shinglgles. thisis painful, , blisteringngh shinglgles. can n disrupt yoyour life for r weeks. shinglgles. it couould make yoyour workdy feel i impossible.e. the e virus thatat causes shshis is likikely alreadady inside of f you. if you'r're 50 yearsrs or o, ask k your doctotor or pharmact ababout shinglgles. ♪ i it's ththe most wononderl time o of the yearar ♪

♪ ♪ i it's ththe most wononderl time o of the yearar ♪ nonon-drowsy c claritin knococks out symymptoms ♪ i it's ththe most wononderl time o of the yearar ♪ from o over 200 alallergens. ♪ i it's ththe most wononderl time o of the yearar ♪ wiwithout knococking you o o. feel thehe clarity and d make todayay the e most wondederful timee ofof the year.r. live c claritin clclear. your best defense against erosion and cavities is strong enamel - nothing beats it. new pronamel active shield actively shields the enamel to defend against erosion and cavities. i think that this product is a gamechanger for my patients - it really works. evever notice e how stiff f c a gamechanger for my patients - can feelel rough on n your sk? for sosofter cloththes that e gegentle on yoyour s in, trtry downy frfree & ge tlte dodowny will s soften yourur s withouout dyes or r perfu es.. the towel l washed witith dows softfte , anand gentler r on your s sk. try dodowny free & & gen le. ♪♪ looking for bladder-leak protection that neutralizes odors and keeps you dry? try new depend® fresh protection™. it absorbs 25-times its weight and featuresdryshield™ technology, that protects better than pads and keeps you 2-times drier. try depend®. [clickcking]

when occasasional hearartn won't t let you sleep. [clickining] get fastst relief wiwith new + heartburn n + sleep susup. [clickining] lolove food baback and d fall asleeeep faster.. ♪tum,m, tum tum t tum, tu♪ bottom of the hour now. here are some of the stories making headlines on "nbc news daily." a new autopsy report reveals

lisa pla repressly died of a small bowel obstruction. that likely developed from a bare at yic surgery she had years ago. the only child of elvis presley died in january. she was 54 years old. major backlash for a school's janitor who groped a 17-year-old student. it sparked controversy after deciding not guilty because the groping lasted less than 10 seconds and in response, italians have been posting videos across social media, demonstrating what it looks and feels like to grope for ten seconds. during the trial, the janitor didn't deny doing it, but claimed he meant his actions as a joke. shein is facing a lawsuit accusing of racketeering, the federal court saying it is using infringement copyright practices in skrilgs of the rico act, typically used for organized crime, the latest challenge for the china based company whose operations were put on hold earlier this year over questions

of forced labor practices. cold cases involving a suspected serial killer just outside of new york city might finally be solved. police on long island making an arrest this morning in a case that has been known as the gilgo beach murders. 11 sets of human remains were found on a stretch of highway in 2010 and 2011, the unsolved case gained national attention and featured in 0920 netflix film called "lost girls" raheme ellis joins us now. the suspect is charged only with three of the 11 murders. what is happening right now? >> a lot. this is unfolding as we speak today. what i have in my behind here is the 32-page bail application that the law enforcement presented to the court. that arraignment was held just a short while ago. this suspect has been remanded without bail. you pointed out there are three counts of murder in the first degree. there are three counts of degree in the second degree. what the prosecutor said about this man, 59-year-old rex

heuermann, an architect who has a business in manhattan, but lives on long island, and authorities and neighbors are saying that he lives in the house he grew up in, he lives there now with his wife and two adult child. what he said, what led them to him in part that this man uses multiple fake names and multiple murder cell phones and recently researching child pornography, and investigators were tracking his recent online activities, and is interacting with sex workers. we know that several of the victims of this case were sex workers, so this becomes a significant access of this. how this is all unfolding is really fascinating because it does appear that they are led to this suspect via cell phone information and dna. there's a news conference that is coming up in the next hour. we hope that we will learn even more from authorities about exactly how they tracked him. after so many years, more than a decade, this was a cold case, so it is a stunning development that they've announced.

>> tell aus little bit more about the victims, i mean in terms of the scale of this, what we heard, and the netflix documentary, which i had watched, talked about these 11 different people, most of the 11, women in their 20s, there was a toddler and also a man who was still unidentified, but only three charged here. what do we know? >> what we know is we need to go back a little bit on the time line of this. when this first occurred, in 2010, police were out looking for a woman who was reported missing, and that was shannon gilbert. in the process of looking for her, along the beach, they zofrped another body. shortly thereafter, they discovered another body. within a year, they had something, remains of 10 to 11 victims. and they were baffled about all of this, not knowing how, what the connection was, but there was a connection that many of these victims were sex workers, and so now we have heard from a sister of one of the victims,

sherry gilbert, the sister of shannon gilbert, she says i'm overwhelmed but relieved that they finally caught him. it has been a long time coming. and i never gave up. we'll learn more in the coming hours. >> thank you very much for bringing that to us. a lot developing, thank you. turning now to today's daily health. there is some confusion this week about a possible artificial sweetener and possible ties to kearns. we're talking about aspartame, found in things like diet soda, ice cream, cereal, chewing gum, cereal and toothpaste and some medication. a new report of the cancer group of the world health organization said it could be a carcinogen. but the food and drug administration is pushing back on those findings. to help us clear up the confusion, we have nbc news medical fellow dr. sael to break down the reports as well as dr. sales-whelna an obesity specialist and endocrinologist. bottom line, how much of this is actually safe for us to consume?

>> i would say most of your show, most of people watching your show right now have had some experience with aspartame as just highlighted, found in basically everything, so there is a lot of concern about this. and i think really the key message here for your audience is, is this phrase that we often say in medicine, which is the dose makes the poison. and so what do i mean by that? it depends on how much aspartame you're having, how much diet soda are you having? how much aspartame in chewing gum are you consuming? it is 40 milgrams a kilogram. and for context, if you're about 150 pounds, we're talk can nine to 14 cans of diet coke a day. i don't know about you guys but i don't know anybody who drinks that many cans of diet soda. so i think there may be a lot of panic around there but the key message is everything in moderation. you don't want to overdo it but if you are somebody like me who enjoys an occasional glass of diet soda, you are going to be okay. >> moderation always key. dr. whelan, i want to bring you in here, you're an expert on how

the things you eat actually impact our bodies. whose guidelines do you support right mow? the fda or the w.h.o.? those are some big institutions disagreeing. >> i mean if you look at the difference, it is only a 10 milligram difference, with the w.h.o. 40 milligrams per day, and the fda says 50 milligrams per kilogram per day. so i think there is a midpoint there, and both of the guidelines are still close to each other and as was mentioned, you would have to consume relatively large amounts of diet soda to actually have an impact of that carcinogenic. >> really important insights on something that a lot of people use and eat every single day. thank you both. long-awaited student loan debt relief has finally arrived. more than 800,000 borrowers are having what they owe automatically forgiven. this comes weeks after the supreme court struck down president biden's broad plan that would have canceled student debt for tens of millions of

americans. nbc news white house correspondent mike memoli joins us now. mike, how would this plan work? is it actually going to stick or could we see this back in the court? >> this announcement from the department of education affects those individuals who take part in what are known as income-based retainment programs. in other words, that you only have to pay a certain percentage each month based on your total income. and at the end of 20 or 25 years, depending on the loan, whatever the remaining balance is, is completely forgiven. according to the biden administration, private companies that help facilitate these payment programs on behalf of the government were making technical mistakes. they were not necessarily crediting individuals for the payments they had already made, or if they missed a payment, they put them into forbearance, where they perhaps shouldn't have done so, and the department of education now saying they fixed that glitch, and so 800,000 individuals will see now some relief, and the good news for them, this will happen automatically. this is not a program that you have to actively apply for, the notifications for those who will

benefit from this are being sent out as we speak. >> so mike, the student loan debt is such a major issue facing americans. does the biden administration have any other plans? >> of course we talked about the student loan forgiveness plan that the president put forward that would have affected ten times the number we're talking about with this new program, in terms of the pandemic era emergency law that the president tried to use to cancel 10 or 20,000 dollars of student debt across the board. the white house says they're back at the drawing board, doing the regulatory process, to try to resuscitate that program, under a different legislative framework, but the biden administration says there are other steps that they're taking through other programs as well. they see this issue of student debt as a major economic impediment. it limits somebody's ability to change job ors start a family or buy a home because they face significant monthly payments and there are other steps the white house says are in the works as well to find other avenues as well. >> mike memoli, we know it is something that the biden administration, president biden

himself wants to get done, because this was a key campaign promise, when he was on the trail. mike, thank you so much. we appreciate it. if you're booked for a european vacation this summer, or thinking about one, you are not alone. tourism numbers are setting records. nbc news correspondent molly hunter takes us on a tour. >> across the european continent, at some of the most glamorous summer destinations, tourists often outnumber the locals in these hot summer months, and this year's numbers are sky high. 55% more american tourists in europe than last year. officials in roam say they could reach a record flow of 30 million visitors this year. there are a lot of tourists, this local resident said, some extraa bususes wououldn't hurt.. many americans descend on italy's famed malti coast, the picture-perfect town of potofino, and be aware, don't linger long or you could be

fined $300 for snapping a selfie. in athens, tourists swarmed the acropolis where visits in june and early july are already up by 80% compared to the pre-pandemic summer 2019. and here in the u.k., just outside of london, americans are flocking to richmond upon 10. you may recognize it from the mega apple tv hit ted hasso. >> how are you? >> a little nervous. >> heck yeah. no such thing. >> whoa. >> here we are. >> what we all came from. the one, the only, the door. >> yes. >> so cool. >> and now, the so-called ted heads are taking tours of the show's stomping grounds. >> super fan, yes? >> truly mega, you know everything? >> absolutely. >> if you watched the season three times, as a family, and then we all live in different places, she is in new york and she is in l.a. and we're in the san francisco bay area. and we love it.

>> people are literally booking their tickets to come see this. >> exactly. they are coming to london, but specifically to richmond, and when they tell, you know, their friends, they say i'm going to richmond, and they're like. why and they say ted hasso of course. >> so far, residents here seem to be enjoying the spectacle. >> one, two, three. richmond! >> or at least not complaining in that very british way. >> in phoenix, switzerland, this small town, stop lation 400 is, overrun with tourists. fans of the korean netflix series "crash landing on you" and for a cool $5, you, too, can take a snap on the pontoon. in the fairy tail town of halsted austria, the inspiration behind arendaell locals put up a

fence for the selfie taking masses, the fence still gone but residents are still begging tour efforts to let it go. what you should know, if you are planning to travel here, really prices are higher from flights to hotels to food, really across the board, across the continent, and it is not keeping tourists away, and this weather is not keeping ted hasso fans away and fans are still taking pictures, and fans here kind of know what to expect with london weather. >> molly hunter, thank you so much. we will turn now to some daily news. hopeful singles with dating apps may not be so single after all. many dating app users are not interested in finding dates at all. instead nearly two-thirds surveyed said they were already in a relationship and some even say they're married. a lot of them said they keep their accounts active for the same reason they use social media. for entertainment. and social connection. coming up, how understanding the impact of mental illness can help support people with all different types of abilities. but first, let's talk about

today's daily snapshot. okay, an artist is literally taking his work to new heights in switzerland. the artist sites used biodegradeable chalk and charcoal to paint two children with their surroundings of the mountains. >> incredible. >> that is amazing.

welcome back. in today's mental health check, july is disability pride month, and today, we're focusing on how the mental health crisis is impacting americans with disabilities. about 40% of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience mental illness. that's according to the national institutes of health. and on top of that, therapists, social workers, medical professionals, and law enforcement, often lack the proper training when it comes to helping people dealing with some sort of disability or mental health issue. joining us now is an organization called the arc that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. lee ann, almost half of the people with disabilities in this country are suffering from some kind of mental illness as well. what are some of the factors contributing to this? >> well, we know that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are likely to be stigmatized in our

country. so even from adulthood, from childhood, they grow up experiencing different types of traumas, and not only from bullying, and other types of victimization, but we know that they're more likely to be, based on series types of crime, so when you take into consideration the stigma and the different types of stigmatization, this can lead to serious mental health concerns throughout their lives and unfortunately, there is very little help that they can find, so we are looking for way at the arc to address this problem head on. >> leigh ann, a mental health check-in and it no secret mental health care is hard for to come by for anything but how difficult is it to navigate the space? >> it is very difficult. in fact, we know there is little, in terms of mental health professionals, that have the kind of training and education that they need to be able to effectively serve people

with intellectual and developmental disabilities. so there's a big issue with that. and the second issue is there is a lack of coordination among the systems that serve these individuals, so you've got the mental health system, and then you've got the intellectual and developmental disability systems and often those two don't talk and that leaves families and people with disabilities just kind of stuck in the middle with no help at all. >> leigh ann, the first thing you mentioned, there not being enough people with the proper qualifications to help. what is being done in spaces to help bridge that gap, so there is more funding for people to be qualified and trained to help? >> well, in looking at trying to develop policies, first of all, that can affect systems of change, so the more that we can push for policies that kind of integrate these systems, the better off that people with disabilities will be. but we're also looking to expand health, we're looking to expand training for health care professionals, and so often, they do not get the training that they need around these issues, and we've got a project

right now, called talk about sexual violence, that is looking to train health care providers, from doctors, to nurses, about how to talk to their patients with intellectual disabilities about sexual violence. >> so briefly, what can viewers do to fost area more inclusive health care system? >> what we're hoping individual will do is when they go to their doctors' offices, they bring this message to them, to really start to think about their own biases. we all have biases. but we need to be aware of that. because it is really impacting how effective we can serve people with disabilities. >> yes. >> and educating themselves about disability rights, and then just being consciously then just being consciously aware that it is going to make a trying to control my asthma felt anything but normal. ♪ ♪ enough wasas enough. ♪ ♪ i i talked to o an asthma spepecialist ♪ ♪ and found d out my sevevere aa isis driven byby eosinophihi,

a type of f asthma nucucala can help control.. now, f fewer asthmhma attatacks anand less oral steroroids that's's my nunormrmal with nucalala. nucala is s a once-mononthy add-on injnjection foror severe e eosinophililic asth. nucalala is not fofor sun breathing g problems.. allergic r reactions c can oc. get helplp right awaway for swswelling off face, , mouth, tonongue, or troububle breathihing. infectioions that cacan caue shingles h have occurrrred. dodon't stop s steroids unless tolold by your r doct. infectioions that cacan caue shingles h have occurrrred. tetell your dodoctor if yoyu haveve a parasititic infecti. may caususe headachehe, injectction site r reactio, backck pain, andnd fatig. talk to o your asththma specialalist to seeee if once-m-monthly nuca may be r right for y you. anand learn ababout savings at nucucala.com there's momore to yourur lie than a asthma. find y your nunormrmal with nucalala. want your clothes to smell freshly

washed all day without heavy perfumes? try downwny light inin-wash freshnhness boosteters. itit has long-g-lasting lighght scent, try downwny light inin-wash freshnhness boosteters. no heaeavy perfumemes, and no dyeyes. finalllly, a lightht scent that l lasts all d day. downy light! ♪♪ whenen you have e chronic kidney d disease.... ththere are plplaces yoyou'd likeke to be. like herere. anand here. not so mucuch here. if you havave chronicc kidney d disease, farxiga can help you keep living life. ♪ farxiga ♪ anand farxiga a reduces the risk o of kidney f failur, which cacan lead to o dialysi. farxrxiga can cacause seriououe effects inincluding dedehydrat, urininary tract t or genitalalt infectioions in womemen and m, and lolow blood susugar. keketoacidosisis is a a serious s side effect ththat may leaead to deatht. a a rare life-e-threateninig babacterial ininfection inin the skin n of the pererim could ococcur. stopop taking fafarxiga and dl yoyour doctor r right awayy if you havave symptomsms of t this bactererial infectc, an allerergic reactition, or ketoacicidosis.

farxigiga can helplp you kekeep living g life. asask your dococtor for fafara for chroninic kidney d diseas. if you can't afford your m medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. ♪ farxiga ♪ this is "the fast forward." i'm janelle wang. there have been multiple incidents in san francisco involving self-driving cars. people are calling for more regulation. demonstrators gathered there front of san francisco city hall. they protested the use of self-driving cars. then they marched to a dmv workshop on the issue. they say in addition to safety concerns, they fear the technology could eliminate jobs. >> we stand with the teamsters, with all of you because it's about quality jobs first. it's about safety first. remembering that artificial and

intelligence is an oxymoron. >> technology sometimes moves fast. but we need to start thinking about how we focus on regulations. >> last week a group placed travel cars on top of self-driving cars in a protest over safety concerns. city regulators postponed a vote on operating them in the city around the clock. they will vote on august 10th. triple digit temperatures coming. how long will it stick around? kari hall has the answer in our seven day forecast. >> take a look at the temperatures for the weekend. it's going to be dangerously hot. the peak of the heat will be on saturday. that's when we will have an excessive heat warning for the inland valleys. 101 on sunday. by monday, we see temperatures come down a bit into the mid 90s. we will get relief from the heat next wednesday and thursday as that sunshine continues. we go back to more seasonable

weather. in san francisco, relief. this weekend, it's going to be a place to escape the valley heat as our highs reach into the mid and upper 70s.

if you are a loyal fan of ours, you know our mission well. nbc bay area responds, our consumer team fights for you. chris chmura is here with one viewer's fight plus a lesson for everyone else. >> good friday morning. this case comes to us from our telemundo 48 responde files. elena in san jose hired a contractor and paid him a $1,000 deposit to redo the roof. guess what happened next. nothing. she said the company didn't show up. didn't reschedule. ultimately, didn't honor her

request for a refund. she called telemundo 48. she got her $1,000 back. $1,000 is the magic number for her and for you. california law is crystal clear. contractors can take no more than $1,000 up front for a job. for small jobs, the maximum deposit might be lower. when you hire a contractor the maximum deposit is 10% of the cost of the job or $1,000, whichever is less. stick that in the back of your mind in case a contractor is trying to stick it to you. we are hammering through viewer cases all the time. scan this qr code to fill out our consumer complaint form online. check this out. it's bastille day. french establishments are celebrating the holiday in style. it's called bastille on belden in the financial district. it's a celebration of all things

french history and cuisine. it's at six restaurants along the same alleyway. live music, fine dining. if you get there early, you may if you get there early, you may get a free beret. when mododerate to s severe ululcerative c colitis keeps s flaring, when mododerate to s severe ululcerative c colitis put t it in chececk with rin, a once-daiaily pill. put t it in chececk with rin, whwhen uc gott ununpredictablble, i got t rapid sympmpm relief w with rin. and leftft bathrom ururgency behihi. check. and leftft bathrom ururgency behihi. when uc gogot in my waway, i got laststing, steroid-d-free remisission with rininvoq. chcheck. and whwhen my gaststro saw dama, rinvoq h helped visisibly rerepair the c colon linini. check. rinvoq h helped visisibly rerepair the c colon linini. rapid sysymptom relilief. lalasting, steteroid-freee reremission. rapid sysymptom relilief. and a a chance to o visibly repair t the colon l lining. rapid sysymptom relilief. check.k. check. anand check. rinvoqoq can lowerer your abily to f fight infecections, includining tb. serious ininfections and blood d clots, somome fa; cancncers, incluluding lympha and d skin cancecer; dedeath, heartrt attack, s st, cancncers, incluluding lympha and d skin cancecer; and tears s in the stotomah or i intestines s occurr. peopople 50 and d older h at leastst 1 heart d diseae and tears s in the stotomah or i intestines s occurr. risksk factor have higheher risks. and tears s in the stotomah or i intestines s occurr. dodon't take i if allergicc to rinvovoq

as sererious reactctions can n occur. dodon't take i if allergicc to rinvovoq tell your r doctor if f you e or may bececome pregnanant. put t uc in chececk and keep itit there, wiwith rinvoq.. asask your gasastro about t ri. and learn n how abbvieie could hehelp you savave. #1 isn't a a status earnrned overnigight. it's eararned in evevery , and re-e-earned everery day. tide.. america's s #1 detergegent.

we'r're in a racace agagainst the e nazis. they have e a 12 momonth head s start. 1818. we'v've got one e hope. our nationons best scicientis workining togetherer. here, secrcret laboratator. kekeep everyonone there until l it's done.e. you're t the great i improvi. but thisis, you can'n't do i in your heaead. this is s the most imporortt thing to ever happen n in the hisistory of ththe wor. - 5. 4. they just t fired a ststarting . - 3. the presidident needss to knonow what's n next. - 2. whwhat's next?t? -1. ] [applause] uh, welcome to access daily from universal studios hollywood. where's the cheers, fellas? woo! anybody out there? [cheering] i'm saying-- i'm kit hoover with scott evans. they were asleep, i think. they were quiet back there. asleep in the wheel. ok, so listen, we're going to have some fun