ann thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> still ahead tonight, we go to the green hills of northern ireland where some think the soil could help cure what ails us. >>> also, he broke barriers serving as a navy s.e.a.l. and at 82 years old he's still giving back. incredible discovery in northern ireland. it's about the soil there, and how it's used as an ancient folk cure can actually help modern medicine fight infections. our chief medical correspondent dr. johnakes a urgent warning tonight about the alarming rise in deadly germs resistant to antibiotics. >> every year in the united states 23,000 people at least die from an antibiotic-resistant infection. that's like a jumbo jet crashing every week. >> reporter: these germs are called super bugs and scientists say if new antibiotics are not could be at risk. microbiologist jerry quinn believes the answer may be here, northern ireland. a land where the rolling green hills are dotted in sheep and the drink of choice is a pint of ginnes. >> you have a hint that something is going on here. >> yeah. around this area there is still ethnopharmacol

anne thompson traveled there and has more. >> reporter: frozen dawn near korea's dmz. this rumble comes from nature. here amid the military arsenal of a 65-year standoff is a safe haven for the endangered red crown crane and the vulnerable white neck crane. what do the cranes symbolize? >> crane bring peace. korean people believe crane giv. >> reporter: and now, he says, a common purpose on both sides of the world's most militarized border. >> cranes could connect those korea people and the south korea people in history and culture. >> reporter: the river is a winter playground for the cranes after their trips from russia and china. fallow rice patties on the southern border offer food. how close are we? that mountain behind me just three miles away is north korea. from the peace observatory on the south side you can see the land of the dmz itself, untouched for decades, perfect for cranes and now as political tensions thaw perhaps again perfect for people. this railway comes to an abrupt end in the border town of chedwau. talk of it to reconnect could resurrect this o

we get more from nbc's anne thompson. >> reporter: designed to drive sales of the spray version of the powerful opioid fentanyl -- ♪ it's therapeutic >> reporter: this parody video is part of a federal racketeering trial. ♪ shout-out to what you created ♪ >> reporter: the founder of the drugmaker insys and four executives accused of paying bribes and kickbacks to doctors, and urging them to up the doses, a process called hitration. ♪ hitration is not a problem ♪ ♪ i got new patients and i got a lot of them ♪ >> reporter: today the executive inside the dancing bottle, former vice president of sales alec burlakoff, testifying against his one-time colleagues. telling the court he followed directions to recruit and bribe doctors. burlakoff pleaded guilty to racketeering. lawyers for the executives deny all wrongdoing. an nbc news investigation last year revealed how bonuses were tied to the strength of prescriptions, with higher payouts for higher doses. former u.s. senator claire mccaskill investigated the opioid maker for two years. >> they're promoting it like it's a soft drink. this is

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> we want to tell you about a new crackdown on a cruel trick that may have hit members of your family. the feds have charged hundreds of people with scamming america's seniors out of $750 million. our pete williams has details. >> reporter: don holmes, a retired business consultant in arizona, says he was using his computer when a message popped up like this. a computer virus warning telling him to call for help immediately. he did, paid up. but the problem kept getting worse. >> i said, you know, i think this is a scam. and he just laughed d he says, you can't do anything about it. we're into your computer. >> reporter: he ended up having to buy a new computer, total cost $1,500. the justice department today announced a roundup of more than 260 people in the u.s. and overseas accused of cheating 2 million of them seniors, out fastest-growing scams. >> it's despicable because the people involved are vulnerable, and because of their stage in life, they don't have the opportunity frequently to recover. >> reporter: how to avoid it? don't fall for sudd

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> this evening there is a food safety alert to tell you about. butterball is recalling nearly 80,000 pounds of y salmonella cases. the products being recalled have establishment number mark of inspection, and a sell or freeze by date of july 26, 2018. we've put more information for you on our facebook page. >>> just ahead as we continue tonight, the highway of the future. take a ride in one of the new semi trucks driven by robots. >>> the terrifying near-miss on the road caught on camera. >>> the teen who beat the odds. why so many colleges are competing over him. stay with us. >>> next for us tonight, the future is here. you've heard of self-driving cars. now robotic semi trucks could be coming soon to a highway near you and in your rear-view mirror. our gadi schwartz takes us along for the ride. >> reporter: it's 2019. the truck driver of the future is a female robot. >> she can talk. >> reporter: rumbling down the road at 65 miles an hour you'd never know it. a computer is actually in the driver's seat. this technology created by a company cal

anne thompson, nbc news, chicago. >>> back in this country tonight, airbnb back in the spotlight after another guest found a camera hidden in their rental home. the couple now warning others to beware. here's morgan chesky. >> reporter: the listing promised a cozy and romantic getaway. when christian arrived with his girlfriend, their airbnb felt off. >> i see a smoke detector. i'm like, looks fishy. i go and i touch it, and it's just dangling right there. >> reporter: dangling inside, a hidden camera pointed directly over the bed. police say the device was off, no crime committed. but the couple reported it to airbnb. the company gave a full refund, telling nbc news, policies prohibit hidden cameras in listings, and we take reports of any violations very seriously. we promptly removed this host. airbnb clients have found cameras in lightbulbs and even battery chargers. >> you don't know who you're dealing with, and frankly, airbnb doesn't know either. >> reporter: after paige blair found two cameras at her airbnb in plain sight, the company beefed up privacy policies. as for hidden ca

anne thompson, nbc news, orion township, michigan. >>> a lot more still ahead on a very busy night. the murder of a young woman unsolved for decades and the remarkable steps her family has taken to try and find her killer. >>> also, it was designed to save lives. now some teachers say their active shooter drill was just too realistic. stay with us. >>> in recent years roughly 40% of homicides in this country have gone unsolved according to the fbi. th, the 1996 murder of a young college student, is now back on the to wo the sign above baltimore's pulaski highway is hard to miss. "find my killer." the face belongs to jenny's identical twin jody. >> we were inseparable. from the beginning. and always together. >> reporter: jenny has posted three billboards 23 years after the unsolved murder of her sister, jody lecornu, outside baltimore. >> when i saw the movie "three billboards outside ebbing, missouri," i thought it was brilliant. and i thought, i'm going to do this. >> why did you put up these billboards? >> my daughter angela was murdered -- >> reporter: in the film a mother place

anne thompson, nbcnews. >>> big changes for facebook. tech giant which pularized public sharing announced wednesday it is shifting towards private communication after a series of skantd dals involving user's personal. data mark zuckerberg said it will have a new platform t encrypt messages. . cebook lost 50 million users last ye >>> with over a dozen democratic candidates expected to run in 2020, who will get the nod is anyone's guess at this point but we do know one thing, fox news will not be hosting any of the party's primaryebates citing a new report on the cozy relationsh between fox and the white house, the chairman of the democratic committee said they're not in a pition to do that. >>> a homeless veteran and a new adjersey woman p guilty in federal court after scamming more than 400,00 from donors on go fund me. their scam went viral in 17 after johnny bobbitt jr. posed as a homeless man to give this couple t20ir last so she could buy gas for their car. now they cou face serious jail time. bobbitt is looking at 100 years and mccl

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> thanks for watching "early today".mpting a new world record. your news continues right here. have say great monday. >>> this is our entrance. insane. >> the virtual oceans of water in the midwest consuming farms, homes, and entire communities as the bomb cyclone from days ago leaves behind massive flooding. >>> funerals and memorials by the dozens inew zealand following friday's master error attack. social media now works to control the spread of the actual shooting video. >>> then the state that accidentally gave out $26 million in cup cat tax returns. can you guess what happened next? >>> dozens of atv riders take to the streets of nashville, many driving erratically. one hits and dra

our anne thompson explains. winner in today's settlement, oklahoma state university. a nearly $200 million endowment for its opioid treatment center from purdue pharma and the owners, the sackler family. ending a lawsuit brought by the state against the oxycontin maker, accusing it of driving the opioid crisis with aggressive and deceptive marketing. the suit called the damage catastrophic, with oklahoma drug overdose deaths increasing eightfold from 1999 to 2012. >> i wouldn't say that we're ground zero, but we're pretty close. >> reporter: among oklahoma's 10,000 fatal overdoses, gail box's son austin, a 22-year-old football player at ou. >> this settlement today lets us know, lets the public know this is dangerous. >> reporter: the sackler family says accusations about their role in the crisis are inaccurate, yet london's tate museums and new york's guggenheim are no longer accepting their financial gifts. now facing more than 1600 lawsuits nationwide, purdue pharma is exploring bankruptcy. >> we've gone to great lengths to ensure that this is real money, that it's

with the latest is anne thompson. >> reporter: this suv with bloody handprints is where authorits say francesco "frankie boy" cali tried to hide while being shot at least six times outside his house last night. >> units respond to shots fired. >> confirmed. >> reporter: the brazen crime caught on surveillance video, starting authorities say when cali's suv was rammed by a pickupruck. >> his car is involved in an h accident we individual that winds up shooting him. >> reporter: cali, police say, was a leader in the gambino crime family. left to die as a blue pickup truck fled. >> mafia was in his dna. >> reporter: selwyn raab wrote about the new york underworld's five famils. does the nature of the murder tell you anything about who did it? >> well, it tells you one thing, itas done so viciously tha normally mob murders are done more quietly. a bulletn the back of the head. >> reporter: it's been more than three decades since the last mob boss was assassinated. paul castellano of the gambino family, a t organized by the flamboyant cme boss john gotti, the so-called dapper don. cali was

anne thompson, nbc news. >> and we are all sending him our very best tonight. up >>> next, facebook's new privacy promise. at walgreens, we want you, to keep doing you... and we'll take care of medicare part d. by helping you save up to $5 on each prescription... so you can get back to doing the things you love. stop in and start saving on your medicare part d prescriptions today... walgreens. trusted since 1901. in't easy. 12 hours? 20 dogs? where's your belly rubs? after a day of chasing dogs you shouldn't have to chase down payments. (vo) send invoices and accept payments to get paid twice as fast. (danny) it's time to get yours! (vo) quickbooks. backing you. you could take the treatment in a different direction.s talk to your doctor about xeljanz, a pill, not an injection or infusion, for adults with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis. xeljanz is the first and only fda-approved pill for moderate to severe uc. it can reduce symptoms in as early as two weeks, improve the appearance of the intestinal lining, and provide lasting steroid-free remission. xelja

nbc's anne thompson has more. >> reporter: the waters of the atlantic, the site of aegal and political storm over theds so underneath, seismic testing, to find oil and gas. south carolina congressman joe cunningham tried to replicate te the . was that disruptive, mr. oliver? >> it was irritating but i didn't find it particularly disruptive. >> reporter: noise that can disturb sound marine life. >> to communicate, find mates, food and avoid predators. >> reporter: the trump administration has approved seismic testing along the atlantic coast from delaware to miid fl air guns dragged behind a vessel it sound waves every ten seconds, that penetrate the sea bed. the reflected pulses create a map of the oil and gaseposits below. how far can these sounds travel? >> 1,000 to 2,000 miles. >> reporter: scott krause from the new england aquarium. how loud is it? >> imagine you're at the end of laguardia's runway and aah jet flied every 10 to 15 seconds at 100 feet. h >> reporter: hay colleague most at risk? north atlantic white whales. >>s seismic adding a very big ndressful impact on top of eve

anne thompson went in search of answers. >> hi, everyone. >> reporter: in revealing his !"age 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis, "jeoparost alex trebek was both pragmatic and positive. >> i plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for thisisease. r: >> repor pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate among major cancers.se estimated to c almost 46,000 deaths this year, it is the third leading cause of cancer death ahead of breast and prostate. why is pancreatic cancer so deadly? >> so, one, there's no early detection test that's standardly used for patients. o two, it's very difficult treat. >> reporter: dr. diane simeone is director of nyu langone's pancreatic cancer ce she said this typef cancer is resistant to combination chemotherapy.e' working on developing a screening test. how close are you to the early detection blood test? >> i think in the next five years we'll have such a test for high-risk indi >> reporter: such as anyone with family history of pancreatic cancer. symptoms can include sudden, unexplained weight loss, abdominal pain, jaundice. the disease has

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> this evening there is a food safety alert to tell you about. arbutterball is recalling 80,000 pounds of ground raw turkey products nationwide as heal officials investigate several salmonella cases. the producteing recalled have establishment number estp7345 in the usda mark of inspection, and a sell or freeze by date of july 26, 2018. we've put more information for you on our facebook pa> . >>just ahead as we continue tonight, the highway of the future. take a ride in one of the new semirucks driven by robots. >>> the terrifying near-miss on the road caught on camera. >>> the te who beat the odds. why so many colleges are competing over him. stay with us. with advil, you'll ask... what sore muscles? what pounding head? advil is... relief that's fast. strength that lasts. you'll ask... what pain? with advil. i swibecause they let metual, customize my insurance. and as a fitness junkie, i customize everything, like my bike, and my calves. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty.

here's nbc's anne thompson. >> reporter: in court today, 24-yeaold anthony comello, the man police say put 10 bullets into alleged mob boss franceo "frankie boy" cali, scribbled on comello's left hand, "mauga forever," "united we stand." comello nabbed in new jersey blalong with police say th pickup truck used in the crime. >> is it true you're waiving your right to extradition? >> yes, sir. >> reporter: waiving extradition to sten island where cali wa gunned down in front of his home last week. >> we do not believe this was a random act >> reporter: but is it connected to ali's role a leader in the gambino crime family? tonight law enforcement sourc say comello was angry he was told by cali to stop seeing his niece. at ended in cali's death began with comello ramming his truck into cali's parked su according to police, every step captured on surveillance video. >> was he acting alone?he wacting for other people? are there others involved? what is the motive?ta i simplying here do not have all those answers for you. >> rorter: comello's attorne says his family has no answers either, pr

anne thompson, nbc news. >>> a crisis at another school to report in nigeria. a desperate search for survivors after a building collapsed. as manas 100 children inside. n it's clear how many may have died, but dozens have been rescued from the rubble. >> just ahead tonight, with a blizzard bearing down this evening we go behind the scenes with the elite patrol targeting avalanches. >>> big news if you're battling high chole >>> the young unknown starring in one of broadway's biggest smashes. stay with us. avy, overwhelming . introducing febreze one; a new range of innovative air fresheners with no heavy perfumes that you can feel good about using in your home l to deliverht, natural-smelling freshness. febreze one neutralizes stale, stuffy odors and releases a subtle hint of fragrance gr like bamboo or lems ginger. to eliminate odors with no heavy perfumes,fe try neeze one. brand power. helping you buy better. come hok., babe. nasty nightime heartburn? try alka-seltzer pm gummies. the only fast, powerful heartburn relief, plus melatonin so you can fall asleep q

here's anne thompson. >>> off the line, and in -- >> reporter: on international women's day, a yellowom the u.s. women's soccer team. all 28 playe suing their employer, the u.s. soccer federation, for gender discrimition, accusing it was paying them less than the men'sm nd denied equal treatment in everything from training to travel to promotion. >> this is huge. i think what you're seeing is e women saying, listen, we are your most valuable product, and you are not treating us as such. >> reporter: it's the women who brought glory to old glory. four olympic gold medals, three world championships. the men's squad hasn't en come close but wins big when it comes to money.e wsuit says in 2014 u.s. soccer provided $5.3 million in bonuses to the men who lost in the world cup quarterfinals. en offered less than $2 million to the women who won the world cup. >> the pay disparity between the men and women is -- is just too large. >> and score -- >> reporter: tonight, noomment ilom u.s. soccer on what the women insist is l an uneven bcaying field. anne thompson, news, new york. >>> up next her

we get the latest from nbc's ann thompson. ♪ >> this is "jeopardy!" >> reporter: on "jeopardy!"e's the man with all the answers, but tonight 78-year-old alex trebek sharing devastating news with his millions of fans. >> now just like year, this week i was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. >> reporter: this means the cancer has spread to other parts of trebek's body. only 3% of people with this diagnosis live more than five years. >> i'm going to fight this. and i'm going to keep working. i plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease. >> reporter: trebek has been a fixture in american living rooms for 35 years. tonight, "wheel of fortune" host pat sajak tweets he would never bet against trebek. trebek himself says he's counting on three more years, the number left on his contract. ann thompson, nbc news. >> and we are all sending him our very best tonight. >>> up next, facebook's new privacy promise. to keep doing you... and we'll take care of medicare part d. by helping you save up to $5 on ea pio.. so you can get back to doing the things you love. sto

our anne thompson has this report. >> reporter: today gm's mary barra with a message for america. >> general motors is committed to supporting u.s. manufacturing -- >> reporter: the ceo announcing a new electricehicle, 400 jobs, and a $300 million investment for thor on onfacility near detroit. after a week of presidential pummeling for gm decision to >>ose the lordstown plant this month. et that plant open or sell to it somebody and they'll open it. >> are you being bullied by president trump?ot >> no,t all. i mean, i think, you know, we're having conversations. i think it's always important to understand different people's perspectives. >> reporter: the orion plant dedicated by president ronald reag today builds three vehicles, including the all electric chevy bolt. originally chevy planned to build a new vehicle outside the u.s. f the rra says because workforce here and the revised nafta agreement, it will now be made in the usa. why didn't you move that new hi e to lordstown? >> we look at where does it make sense because of the common base from an architecture perspective. and t

anne thompson has the latest. and a warning, some of the images are disturbing. >> reporter: one official called it unspeakably brutal. school students in brazil massacred during their snack break. police say two young men wearing hoods armed with homemade bombs, crossbows, and guns opened fire. where children and elementary to high school age learn near sao paolo. "they just came out shooting at anyone who was close by," this student says. the police say the gunmen, both former students, took their own lives. among the dead, five students and two employees. several others were injured. this school worker says she opened the kitchen door, rushing students to safety when they heard shots. school shootings are rare in brazil even though it's one of the world's most violent countries. now the local governor has declared three days of mourning. anne thompson, nbc news. >>> a crisis at another school to report, this in nigeria. a desperate search for survivors after a building collapsed. as many as 100 children inside.

let's bring in msnbc's anne thompson in chicago, msnbc legal analyst danny cevallos joins us by phone. we're waiting for him to come out of the court. tell us what's happened so far. >> he was in court earlier this morning, andrea, where the charges were dropped. he was, we are told by our producer who was in the state court, that he was -- mr. smollett was suppressiexpressio. he did not smile at the charges being dropped, he did not appear to be happy. he was very, very stoic. what this means is that all the charges, 16-count indictment, goes away. his record is wiped completely clear. cook county prosecutors' office issued a statement saying mr. smollett will have to forfeit his bond, that's $10,000 in cash that he posted when he was initially arrested on these charges. and they also praised his volunteer service to the community. now, his attorneys have been emphatic that this is not a plea deal, that there is no community service attached to today's decision. they say that all the charges have been dropped, that's it, he walks away, he's clean. there seems to be some discrepancy t

i want you to wake in with what anne thompson just talked about. there's no plea deal here, no community swurvervice, what doe that say to you? >> it's like what i said earlier. it confirms for me my one question, which is -- >> oh, yes, i'm sorry. >> what kind of an arrangement is this? it he going to be community service? almost every state has some form of -- >> danny, just to stop you, anne thompson said there's going to be no community service whatsoever. >> that's right. yes, squlaeexactly. that's one of the questions i had initially. it's confirmed with ann's reporting that that is not the situation. this is is one of those one free bite of the apple where you do probation, community service. this is something very different and more rare in the criminal justice system, a complete motion for dismissal. no questions asked. and an agreement to expunge. that's giving the defense everything they ever could have asked for short of a written apology. i'm not being glib. that's something that's exceedingly rare. it's moving, apparently, at very, ve

anne thompson, nbc news. >>> tonight there is an escalating fight under way over the future of obamacare. a new move from the trump administration aims to strike down the entire law, an ou outcome that leave millions suddenly uninsured. here is peter alexander. >> reporter: tonight from president trump, a promise without a prescription. >> the republican party will soon be known as the party of health care. you watch. >> reporter: that vow following a surprisingmo by his justice department overnight, escalating its attack a federal appeals court that the entire affordable care act is unconstitutional and should be scrapped. agreeing with the lower court ruling. until now, the federal government was arguing only parts of the law, including protections for people with preexisting conditions should be ruck down. if the court agrees, more than 28 million loamericans could their health insurance, gained through medicaid expansion and the shbamacare exchanges. the nedown looming over an issue democrats say helped propel them to take back the house. ve>> the gop will stop trying to destroy the

ann thompson, nbc news, new york. >> new at 11:00, we have an adorable story tonight involving a tiny kitten in need of a rescue. t they were standing by ready to save the day for this furry knee line. the woman discovered a cat trapped in a drainpipe. they got to the home and found the cat dropped down 14 feet into the pipe and there it is. it took crews several hours to pull the cat out. they named him or her after the firefighter that rescued the kitten. >> coming up, has it happened again. the scary story a truck driver is telling us after driving along a south bay highway and ending up with a broken window. ♪ [ camera shutter clicks ] the new galaxy s10 on xfinity mobile. the phone and network designed to do more. get $250 back on a new galaxy and save on the network with millions of wifi hotspots. say "get a galaxy" to learn more. ♪ ♪ with the chase mobile app, jason wu could pay practically anyone, at any bank, all while putting on a runway show for new york fashion week. ♪ ♪ he could. or, he could make it even easier - and set up recurring payments to his neighbor. for cat sit

and i'd like to thank claire fally, and mary anne thompson at the oewd, and the office of the small business and tom tomrano to work to plan and coordinate the launch to open to all. and thank you to daniel and the merchant association for their help to kick off the campaign this morning. colleagues, i hope that you will join me support of this resolution and the open to all campaign so that san francisco can send a message of acceptance and inclusion and safety to the rest of the country. >> president yee: supervisor fewer. >> supervisor fewer: please add me as a co hea-sponsor. thank you. >> president yee: okay. the house has changed, supervisors just left the room. can i take this item, same house, same call? without any objection, this item passes unanimously. madam clerk, let's go back to item 25 which is scheduled pursuant to motion number m m-19-015 approved - approve arkd on january 29th, 2019. >> clerk: item 25 is closed session for the board of supervisors to convene today with the mayor's office and the department of human resources with labor negotiations with labor unions repres

. >> joining me now is an thompson and also danny cevallos. ann, let's start with you. do we know why the charges were dropped? >> we don't. and that is the big question this afternoon. and also are there going to be charges brought against the two brothers. those are the two men of nigerian descent who were briefly detained. and that is when the story began to unravel. they apparently claim that they were paid by jussie smollett to do this attack. but his attorney today stressed in the interview that she gave or in the press conference she gave after today's hearing that that $3500 check was always for what jussie smollett said it was for, training and nutrition. he said he had used the services of these brothers to get in better physical shape. so that is just one of the questions. and remember this case was brought to a grand jury, that is how these charges came about. and now all of a sudden you've done -- the prosecutor's office has done 180 degree turn, expunging the records, dropping the charges. and the only thing that smollett has had to do is he had to forfeit