gabe gutierrez on the ground for us, please stay safe, gabe. >>> we'll be back tomorrow with more "meet the press daily." if it's wednesday, it means a brand-new episode of the chuck todd cast. jackie coombs and olivier knox in a fascinating conversation on whether we're compartmentalizing donald trump too much. >>> msnbc coverage continues with geoff benefit heft. >>> good to be with you. i'm geoff bennett. breaking news out of florida, items belonging to brian laundrie may have been found in a park according to an attorney for the laundrie family. laundrie's parents went to the park this morning to help search for their son. police are conducting a more thorough investigation. what appears to be partial human remains have been found in the carlton reserve. 23-year-old brian laundrie remains the only person of interest in the disappearance of his fiance gabby petito. a medical examiner ruled petito's cause of death was homicide by strangulation. nbc's dasha burns and former fbi agent clint watts join me. dasha, what have you learned about the search? >> geoff, up until today, there had

it's set to start being enforced on monday. >> gabe gutierrez. thank you. >>> powerful and deeply personal testimony by members of congress today about their own abortion experiences as the battle intensifies over restrictive new abortion laws being passed in this country hallie jackson has the story. >> reporter: the emotion obvious. even before congresswoman corey bush spoke a single word, revealing publically for the first time her own experience with abortion, describing being raped on a church trip after high school. >> i found out that i was nine weeks pregnant, and then there the panic set in how could i make this pregnancy work my abortion happened on a saturday i felt alone, but i also felt so resolved in my decision choosing to have an abortion was the hardest decision i had ever made, but at 18 years old, i knew it was the right decision for me. >> reporter: her testimony coming during a congressional hearing led by democrats, several of whom shared their own stories meant to highlight the need to fight new restrictive abortion laws, l

gabe gutierrez has the latest >> reporter: tonight the fda is questioning the evidence johnson & johnson provided in its application for booster shots. while fda scientists did say there may be a benefit from a second j&j dose two months after the initial dose, the agency noted the data is limited, saying a key test used by the company was likely not sensitive enough adding the fda didn't have enough time to independently review much of the raw data from the trial ahead of an advisory panel meeting this friday it is not clear whether these concerns would be enough to delay emergency use authorization. >> we have the vaccine supply, and we will be ready to hit the ground running as soon as any additional boosters are authorized >> reporter: and now a new highly anticipated study by the nih shows mixing and matching vaccine boosters is safe and effective. the study added j&j covid vaccine recipients are better off getting pfizer or moderna boosters the fda advisory panel will review it on friday. meanwhile, the white house is also telling governors to start preparing to vaccinate children

lester >> all right gabe gutierrez, thank you. >>> new tonight a so-called billionaire tax. the latest proposal to try to help end a divide among democrats to help pay for president biden's multi-trillion dollar spending plans kristen welker now with more from the white house. >> reporter: tonight, the urgent scramble by democrats to reach agreement on president biden's multi-trillion dollar spending plans that he wants to have finalized before he leaves for his high stakes trip to europe tomorrow with top negotiators shuttling back and forth between the white house and capitol hill, democrat leaders struck an optimistic note. >> an agreement is within arm's length, and we are hopeful we can come to a framework agreement by the end of today. >> reporter: but there are still a slew of unresolved issues between moderates and progressives, including how to pay for it now a newly suggested billionaire's tax that would tax the revenue of those that earn $100 million or more in three consecutive years, targeting the 700 wealthiest americans, including amazon's jeff bezos and tesla

chief joining a long line of top cops who recently left their posts tonight, he speaks out to gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: miami's mayor once called him the michael jordan of police chiefs. but tonight art acevedo is out of a job. after city commissioners fired him just six months into his tenure. >> pretty embarrassing episode of a 35-year career. >> reporter: he claims he was fighting corruption and punished for sending a moment me accusing city commissioners for interfering with investigations but his critics say acevedo lost the trust of the rank and file, threatened suspension of unvaccinated officers and said the force was run by the cuban mafia. >> reporter: do you regret saying that >> yes, because it was used for political gain by some but also i do believe that members of the community saw that it -- i'm part of that community -- that it was hurtful to them. >> reporter: acevedo has become a national advocate for police reform after leading departments in california, austin and houston. but he also drew intense criticism there after a botched drug raid. let me list a couple of adje

lester >> all right gabe gutierrez tonight. thank you. >>> a well-known south carolina lawyer whose wife and son were killed in an unsolved murder case is under arrest for the second time tonight, this time on charges of stealing millions meant for the sons of his former housekeeper who also died catie beck has late details. >>> south carolina attorney alex murdaugh out of rehab and under arrest for the second time in a month. authorities announcing more charges in the already complex case today two felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses, charges related to a 2018 wrongful death suit after murdaugh's family housekeeper gloria satterfield allegedly suffered a fall at his home and died a civil lawsuit filed on behalf of her sons alleged that murdaugh pursued an insurance settlement and kept nearly $3 million to himself. >> it is not a day they're relishing, but they do have grace and a lot of appreciation towards law enforcement. >> reporter: last month murdaugh was charged with filing a false police report and in

t, but big investment firms have billions gabe gutierrez, nbc news, gwinnett county, georgia. >>> up next, what's driving one of the hottest trends in television >>> it's the show everyone is talking about. joe fryer now on netflix's surprise mega hit and how it may usher in a whole new era for streaming. >> reporter: you'd be forgiven if yo thought a show called "squid game" was a reality cooking competition. you would also be very wrong. the series is, in fact, a korean thriller, a violent dystopian tale about people deep in debt playing a bunch of children's games hoping to win millions of dollars in losing a game, they lose the recently said there's a very good chance attention to koreansr and the korean culture in a very tangible way. >> reporter: it's also proof netflix's big investment in global entertainment is paying off it's not just korea. netflix has really invested in a lot of international content. why is that? >> that content that is very authentic to local culture and does exceptionally well in its home country, can actually travel really well around the world. >> rep

new york city reported a covid test positivity rate of less than 1% lester >> all right gabe gutierrez, thank you. >>> at the vatican today, the president and the pontiff. president biden meeting with pope francis and mr. biden making a striking admission while speaking to the french president. peter alexander is at the vatican. >> reporter: for president biden, a day of devotion and diplomacy. america's second ever roman catholic president having a private audience with pope francis, with whom he's built a personal bond, giving him a ceremonial commander coin and a compliment. >> you are the most significant warrior for peace i have ever met. >> reporter: president biden was later asked whether the issue of abortion came up >> no, it didn't we talked about the fact he was happy i was a good catholic. >> reporter: that has been a source of controversy with some u.s. bishops recently arguing catholic politicians who support abortion rights, including the president, should be denied communion just last month, pope francis called abortion homicide, but he's never denied anyone communion i

lester >> all right gabe gutierrez tonight, thank you >>> now to our series "the price you pay." the cost of everyday items is soaring while massive container ships sit outside america's biggest ports unable to off-load tom costello explains why and what it means for holiday shopping >> reporter: on the water with los angeles port police as the backup affecting the busiest port in the u.s. comes into view from the air a stunning 76 ships headed for the ports of l.a. or long beach now sit idle, extending 40 miles out into the ocean everywhere you look there's a ship just sitting out here on the water. just one clog in a supply chain that extends across the ocean to asia, leaving some u.s. store shelves empty of key products, from toys to clothing, electronics to furniture, to car parts. a typical ship like this carries as many as 14,000 containers and in each container about $100,000 worth of merchandise but right now these ships are sitting, going nowhere, stuck for ten days it's not just california new york's ports are also backed up shipping costs are soaring, and there aren't

nbc's gabe gutierrez gives us more. >> reporter: marking another major step in the booster battle. today, an fda advisory panel voted unanimously to recommend authorizing an extra shot for johnson & johnson's vaccine for anyone 18 and older at least two months after the initial dose. regulators did not see any evidence of serious safety concerns but noted they weren't given enough time to independently review much of j&j's data. >> we are seeing that people who receive the johnson & johnson vaccine have a slightly higher risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death. versus people who got the pfizer and moderna vaccine. so, i do think an additional dose is warranted for people who got one dose of the johnson & johnson vaccine. >> reporter: the vote comes after the panel unanimously recommended the use of a half-dose moderna booster for many americans yesterday. the fda, itself, typically follows the panel's advice, and is expected to rule on both boosters within days before the cdc would sign off. a confusing process for many americans because it usually plays out away from th

dollars big financial firms are pouring into the market and pricing out some would-be buyers gabe gutierrez with more in our series, "the great divide. >> living room here. >> reporter: for toni carr, the dance had become all too familiar. see a house -- >> i love this kitchen. >> reporter: fall in love, make an offer. >> and then my offer was declined. >> reporter: the navy veteran was pre-approved with a loan hoping to move to gwinnett county, georgia, to be closer to her mother. >> reporter: how many offers did you put down >> 30. >> reporter: she was offering full asking price if not more, but kept losing out to all-cash offers. while toni doesn't know who the buyers were, the atlanta area is one of the hottest markets for large financial firms, often backed by private equity that buy up and rent out single-family homes. >> they're very aggressive their offers come in, all cash they come in sight unseen, so as soon as the house hits the market, you can get an offer from them. and they're ready to close within a few days. >> reporter: this atlanta real estate agent says half the listings

gabe gutierrez, nbc news, gwinnett county, georgia. >> our thanks to nbc's gabe gutierrez for that reportinguit for unjust enrichment after years of considering legal action. the biotech giant has created and sold products made from lax's cells taken without her consent decades after her death. this lawsuit is a major step forward, not only for her family, but medicine. benjamin crump will join "the cross connection." this is injustice that america as a whole has needed to address. >> that's right. good to see you this morning, mehdi. >> she was chronicled in that hbo movie a few years ago starring oprah winfrey. now the family is suing the biotech company like you said. they say they unfairly made billions while her family got nothing which is outrageous when you think about it. i'll be talking to henrietta's grandson along with benjamin crump. also joining me is congresswoman sherrice davis. we think of certain demographics and native-americans are also impacted by this voter suppression across the country, as well. and i don't know what you're bingeing lately, mehdi, but whatever it is it

gabe gutierrez tonight. >>> just developing this evening, a bizarre and deadly attack. a man armed with a bow and arrow shooting and killing several people and wounding others in norway before he was arrested. our keir simmons now with late details. >> reporter: tonight the shadowy images of a dark colored arrow lodged in the wall of a building, the aftermath of an attack that killed multiple people. police on the streets of a norwegian town reporting an assailant armed with a bow and arrow was arrested and appears to have acted alone. at 6:13 tonight the local police chief says there was several reports of a man moving around with a weapon, a bow and arrow. there were injuries and fatalities. the bizarre attacks happened in the town of kongsberg, 50 miles from the capital oslo. tonight norway's prime minister describing the attacks as horrifying saying i know people are afraid, but police have the situation under control. tonight police are not searching for more suspects. the motive for the attack still unclear. the method of bow and arrow stunning norwegians. reports

nbc's gabe gutierrez will join us live from columbus with the latest. >>> just this morning, johnson & johnson has submitted data from the fda requesting authorization for a booster shot of its covid vaccine. we'll discuss what that could mean for the fight against the virus. >> we begin with what is happening on capitol hill. any moment, members of congress will get their first opportunity to question frances haugen, the facebook whistle-blower who went public on sunday during an interview with "60 minutes." haugen has called steps facebook took after the 2020 election a, quote, betrayal of democracy. haugen's testimony comes less than 24 hours after facebook faced another crisis, when its site along with several of its apps were knocked offline around the world for hours. by monday night, facebook sites returned online, but no explanation as to what happened has been given. joining me now is capitol hill news correspondent leann caldwell and jacob ward in menlo park, california. leann, i want to start with you. we've received an early look at haugen's opening statement. what can we

we heard from gabe gutierrez there reporting.eve that we're seeing the start to the end of this nearly two-year pandemic? and what would it mean to transition to an endemic? >> i think there's a high like lie hood this delta wave of infection is the last major surge, barring something unexpected where we get a new variant that pierces the immunity we've acquired through vaccination and prior infection. on the back end of this delta wave you'll have a more endemic virus that's a persistent threat but doesn't have the same high prevalence we're seeing with this delta wave. that said, while the national averages are coming down it looks like an improving picture across the country, it's being driven by the fact that you're seeing sharp declines in the south, and big states like texas and florida where there really was a raging epidemic but now you're seeing the delta wave move to other parts of the country like the west and the midwest and they're having outbreaks right now that are on par with what we saw in the south and it remain

>> gabe gutierrez in colombia, thank you very much for that report.. >>> it's now 7:30 on the west coast where that massive oil spill, 126,000 gallons spanning 13 square miles has spurred renewed calls to stop offshore drilling entirely. the department of transportation was saying that the spill was likely caused by an anchor that hooked the pipeline, causing a partial terror. nbc news correspondent steve patterson has details on that and more. what's the latest? good morning. >> good morning to you, sir. there are now questions about the timeline. reports that the operators of that pipeline did not shut it down for more than three hours after an alarm alerted them to a possible breach. the timeline shows that the company was alerted to a low pressure alarm dhated a possible failure at 2:30 saturday morning. three hours later, the pipeline was shut down, according to that report. and three hours following fall, the leak was reported to the national response center. orange county, of course, remains in a state of emergency after tens of thousands of ga

joining us now from colombia is nbc news correspondent gabe gutierrez. us through what you're seeing and what's causing this bottleneck at that resort town where you are. >> reporter: hey there, jeff. this used to be a beach. as you can see behind me, it is now essentially a migrant tent camp. there is some 20,000 migrants in this town in colombia. if you walk with me a little bit, this camp extends pretty far. earlier today we were at a ferry dock where hundreds of migrants each day are taken in by panama. they load onto these boats, they then head over the water, and they head across the bay into the colombia-panama border, which as you mentioned, that's where the lawless jungle is where these migrants essentially must cross. they do so knowing that it will be a dangerous journey. now, we've been speaking with some of the migrants here, and what they've been telling us is that some of them have come following the recent earthquake in haiti. some were actually living in chile, as we reported. they lived there for several years after the major quake a de

there's exhaustion and an opportunity to renegotiate the terms. >> our thanks to nbc's gabe gutierrez for that report. >>> still ahead, moderna gets one step closer to receiving clearance from the fda covid-19 shot. >>> plus burnout and a surge in nurses. those stories plus a check on the weather when we come right back. ather when we come right back why is cvs pharmacy® america's choice for vaccinations? because we all got the covid-19 vaccine and flu shot. and i could make the appointments right here. save time, schedule online. no wonder cvs pharmacy® is america's choice for vaccinations. ♪darling, i, i can't get enough of your love babe♪ ♪girl, i don't know, i don't know,♪ ♪i don't know why i can't get enough of your love babe♪ ♪oh no, babe girl, if i could only make you see♪ ♪and make you understand♪ get a dozen double crunch shrimp for $1 with any steak entrée. only at applebee's. now that's eatin' good in the neighborhood. hearing is important to living life to the fullest. that's why inside every miracle-ear store, you'll find a better life. it all starts with the most innovat

nbc news gabe gutierrez has a report from the capital. gabe? >> reporter: jose, good morning.hief has just resigned, as this country slips deeper into turmoil. and now a chilling new message from the kidnappers. the leader of the 400 mawozo gang is seen on a video shared widely on social media here in haiti, threatening to shoot the kidnapped missionaries if his demands aren't met. now, haiti's justice minister told us this week that the kidnappers were demanding a $1 million per person ransom, but it's unclear the status of the negotiations. the fbi is also on the ground negotiating, but won't comment on the negotiations. and the u.s. has been reiterating it's u.s. policy not to pay ransom for hostages. meanwhile, the security situation in haiti is deteriorating. there are fires being set throughout port-au-prince. tire fires blocking off roads, making them impassable and demonstrators are furious at the government's inability stop the kidnappings, but also, there's frustration over the spiraling economic crisis here, fuel shortages, and this is a situation that many people o

nbc's gabe gutierrez live outside a firehouse in manhattan with our top story tonight gabe >> hi, there, kelly. good evening unions had been looking for an extension here and even suing the city earlier this week asking a judge to block this mandate. the judge denied that request so as you mentioned it's now gone into effect. mayor bill de blasio is not backing down saying the city will be safe and services will continue the nypd police commissioner says the department plans to move resources around to try and make sure that staffing will not be impacted and they will be able to handle these staffing issues but firefighters unions, though, they're warning that dozens of fire stations could close as a result >> new york city is going to come to a crisis on monday morning. response times are going to go through the roof when you close firehouses you affect response times and you affect the time it takes to get people what they need, and that is us to help save their lives >> reporter: now, anger over this debate is bubbling over today we learned that six firefighters have been suspended a

nbc's correspondent gabe gutierrez has the latest. >> reporter: outside the new york city mayor's residenceom firefighters and their supporters over a covid vaccine mandate impacting 160,000 city employees. the deadline for proof of one shot, friday evening. >> i don't feel i should be coerced into taking it before i'm ready to. >> i'm already vaccinated. just to get the mandate. that's all. >> reporter: employees who don't comply face unpaid leave starting monday. union officials say up to one-fifth of fire companies could close. right now new york city police have a 74% vaccination rate, firefighters, only 65%. >> your lives are more important than their mandates. >> reporter: mayor bill de blasio facing pressure from sanitation workers, too, some letting trash pile up on sidewalks in protest. >> anyone who's not doing their job, you're harming your fellow sanitation workers, and you're harming your neighbors and the people in new york city, and it's time to stop. >> reporter: the battle over vaccine mandates is extending beyond new york, not just in street rallies but in courtrooms. miss

gabe gutierrez outside pfizer headquarters there in new york city. now to someone who knows a whole lot about all of it. the director of the national institutes of health, dr. francis collins. dr. collins, honored to be one of your last interviews. let's start with pfizer applying to get that emergency use authorization from the fda for children between 5 and 11. give us a realistic timeline for getting that approved and how optimistic are you that we'll seat shots in those little arms before thanksgiving? >> well, the data i've seen looks pretty encouraging. they tested this in over 2,000 kids in that age range from 5 to 11. they looked see what kind of antibodies would be generated by this one-third strength dose. they didn't want to give the full strength, because these are littler people. and it looked very good. antibody dose in an 8-year-old with a one-third dose is what you would see in a 25-year-old with a full dose. and the side effects are pretty much what you'd expect, a sore arm. let's see what the fda advisory committee has to say about t

nbc's gabe gutierrez is in new york city.hundreds of firefighters and police officers don't show up for work? >> reporter: hey there, good morning. the union says up to 20% of fire companies could close and there will be ambulances off the road. i want to say something that happened a short time ago. a police commissioner in new york on a radio interview said another 100 police officers got vaccinated yesterday. that means 80% of the nypd is now vaccinated. that has been the hope of mayor de blasio and other city officials that as this vaccine mandate deadline gets closer, there'll be a last-minute surge of vaccinations and say they won't have to get to the point where they'll threaten public safety, but this is going to be playing out across the country. the los angeles county sheriff said the vaccine mandates were an imminent threat to public safety. 21 attorneys general throughout the country have just signed this letter challenging the biden administration's vaccine mandate for federal contractors. so certainly this remai

shep >> gabe gutierrez live in port-au-prince. >>> the man who murdered children and teacher at parkland high school walked in court today and admitted that he killed all 17 people the question now, can his legal team help him to avoid the death penalty? >>> spar is hilton takes on capitol hill her push for a bill advocating public teens and why she said this is personal. >>> two weeks after wework teams were crashing and burning, the company listed on the new york stock exchange the comeback story and the fight to finally go public everything you've seen me do was made possible by what you don't see. cause when you're not looking, i go to work. ♪♪ strength isn't a given. it's grown. it's earned and tested. ♪♪ we all have the strength to see what's possible. it's up to us to unlock it. tonal. be your strongest. >>> the man who opened fire and changed the world at parkland high schoolthree years ago pleaded guilty today to all of it in the deadliest high school shooting in u.s. history he appeared in court in ft. lauderdale where he entered 34 guilty pleas, 17 counts of murder and 17 othe

gabe gutierrez sat down with art acevedo for an exclusive interview. gabe, what did he tell you?ice chief was epic. on friday art acevedo was fired after it was said he lost the trust of the rank and file police officers here. as you mentioned, he gave the national profile. he led departments in california, in austin, texas, and houston where he famously marched with protesters following the murder of george floyd. but he claims he was fighting corruption here in miami, but among the controversial things he said was that the police department was run by, quote, the cuban mafia. as you can imagine, that didn't sit well with many people in miami. he has been fired. we won't say where he'll go next, but he will not take the five-month severance offered to him that would allow him to sue the city. this morning we sat down with him for his first television interview since his firing. >> never give up, and there's no quitting. some people say what, you just take -- just take the five months and move on? i'm not a quitter. my mom and dad didn't come here for us to be quitters and i don'

here's nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> living room here. >> reporter: for toni carr, the dance had become all familiar. see a house, fall in love, make an offer. >> i was like, oh, my god, this is the one, i want this one. >> reporter: and then? >> and then my offer was declined. >> reporter: the navy veteran was preapproved with a loan, hoping to move to gwinnett county, georgia, to be closer to her mother. how many offers did you put down? >> 30. >> reporter: she was offering full asking price if not more. but kept losing out to all-cash offers. while toni don't know who the buyers were, the atlanta area is one of the hottest markets for large financial firms often backed by private equity that buy up and rent out single family homes. >> they're very aggressive. their offers come in, all cash. they come in sight unseen. as soon as the house hits the market, you get an offer from them, okay? and they're ready to close within a few days. >> reporter: atlanta real estate agent earline holder says the companies use computer algorithms to identify properties so they can bid quickly. one of them

joining me now is msnbc news correspondent, gabe gutierrez. also with me, amish adalsha with the bloomberg school of public health. thank you for being with me. gabe, where do things stand on the potential fda approval of vaccines for 5 to 11-year-olds? >> reporter: hey, there, jose, good morning. you mentioned that fda advisory panel now set to meet on october 26th to consider that request for emergency use authorization for those children 5 to 11 years old. pfizer saying that this is a smaller dose, a mini dose, if you will. about a third the size of the dose that's already authorized for adults. but once that advisory panel meets on the 26th, soon after that, assuming it's recommended to be authorized and a cdc advisory panel is set to meet soon after that, and if that all goes well, then parents across the country could then expect that these shots could be shipped out as early as before thanksgiving. so that's really the timeline we're thinking of right now, jose. but also next week, and the fda advisory panel is supposed to meet to discus

shep >> gabe gutierrez live in port-au-prince. >>> the man who murdered children and teacher at parkland high school walked in court today and admitted that he killed all 17 people the question now, can his legal team help him to avoid the death penalty? >>> spar is hilton takes on capitol hill her push for a bill advocating public teens and why she said this is personal. >>> two weeks after wework teams were crashing and burning, the company listed on the new york stock exchange the comeback story and the fight to finally go public woman: i have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. now, there's skyrizi. ♪ things are getting clearer ♪ ♪ yeah i feel free ♪ ♪ to bare my skin, yeah that's all me. ♪ ♪ nothing and me go hand in hand ♪ ♪ nothing on my skin that's my new plan. ♪ ♪ nothing is everything. ♪ woman: keep your skin clearer with skyrizi. most who achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months had lasting clearance through 1 year. in another study, most people had 90% clearer skin at 3 years. and skyrizi is 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. ♪ it's my moment so i just gotta say ♪ ♪ nothing

shep >> gabe gutierrez live in port-au-prince. >>> the man who murdered children and teachers at parkland high school walked in court today and admitted that he killed all 17 people the question now, can his legal team help him to avoid the death penalty? >>> paris hilton takes on capitol hill her push for a bill advocating o for troubled teens and why she says this fight is personal. >>> two weeks after wework teams were crashing and burning, the company listed on the new york stock exchange the comeback story and the fight to finally go public (naj) at fisher investments, our clients know we have their backs. (other money manager) how do your clients know that? (naj) because as a fiduciary, it's our responsibility to always put clients first. (other money manager) so you do it because you have to? (naj) no, we do it because it's the right thing to do. we help clients enjoy a comfortable retirement. (other money manager) sounds like a big responsibility. (naj) one that we don't take lightly. it's why our fees are structured so we do better when our clients do better. fisher investments i

>> our thanks to nbc's gabe gutierrez for that reporting. for more let's bring in dr.ildren's hospital. great to have you with us. let's start with this pill from merck. how does this treatment work and how is it different from existing treatments like, say, regeneron or remdesivir? >> it's certainly similar, geoff, to how you would use the monoclonal antibody. in other words you would get the monoclonal antibodies if you start having symptoms, it seems to work very early in the course of illness when the virus are replicating. it's the same for this drug. the important game changer is this drug, the new pill from merck, is just that, it's a pill. you take it twice a day for five days as opposed to having to go to -- find an infusion center where you would have to get an intravenous administration of the monoclonal antibodies. so it will be much more accessible. and so i think that's really important. i think the key, geoff, is to not try to pitch this as a replacement for vaccination. that's going to be the key message, because yes, it is decreasing hospitalization by

here's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: in knox county, tennessee, the fight over mask mandates is ragingrom bus stops -- >> you have three minutes to speak. >> reporter: -- to school board meetings >> having my child's education held hostage for an agenda is not right. >> reporter: florida has fined eight school districts for imposing mask requirements in oregon, a judge denied a state trooper's request to block a vaccine mandate. while the sheriff in los angeles says he won't enforce the county's vaccine requirement among his deputies. >> i don't want to be in the position to lose 5%, 10% of my workforce overnight on a vaccine mandate while at the same time we're barebones with the defunding effort. >> i'm calling on more employers to act. >> reporter: the tension comes as president biden appeals for more private companies to require vaccines about a quarter of eligible americans still haven't gotten their first shot. >> that's why i have had to move toward requirements. >> reporter: but as new covid cases and hospitalizations plummet across much of the country, some public health exper

investigators as the former players face counts of conspiracy to exit healthcare and wire fraud nbc news' gabe gutierrez has that story good morning. >> reporter: phil, good morning, this case is similar to another one involving former nfl players several years ago, now 18 former nba players are facing felony charges. the 18 nba veterans are accused of ripping off the league's health benefit plan by filing fake claims for medical procedures that never happened >> the defendant's playbook involved fraud and deception >> they allege terrence williams orchestrated the scheme, recruiting other players offering fake invoices for chiropractic treatment and dental care. they submitted nearly 4 million of claims. the healthcare paid out 2.5 million. williams allegedly got $230,000 in kickbacks from the other players. >> there industry loses tens of billions a year to fraud these costs are then passed on to businesses and customers. >> reporter: prosecutors say the scheme unfolded from 2017 through 2020, gregory smith is accused of seeking reimbursement for root canals if beverley hills when he was actually play

gabe gutierrez is there. >> reporter: built in the 1960s, this is one of puerto rico's outdated power plants. tonight the island's grid is in critical condition. and the bankrupt, public utility here is under fire what do you say to people around puerto rico that have dealt with these outages for a long time? >> well, we're going to do it this time around. >> reporter: making matters worse this year is, of all things, seaweed. really seaweed? >> it was preventing the putting water to get in. >> reporter: for protesters, frustration is boiling over brenda runs a bakery near san juan. >> very frustrating. it is on a daily basis right now in puerto rico. >> reporter: how much money have you lost because of these black-outs >> i think the last week i lost like a thousand dollars >> reporter: in 2017, hurricanes irma and maria ravaged puerto rico's grid. the power generation is still their responsibility this summer a private company luma energy took over transmission and distribution why is it worse now than it was before you took over? >> in many ways, there have been improvements in the

gabe gutierrez is in port-au-prince. >> reporter: tonight, haiti is a country living in fear as negotiationsintensify for the release of 17 kidnapped missionaries. >> it's heart-breaking, i'm sure, for them, for their families but the point i'm making is it has become almost an every day occurrence because three days before, 50 people were kidnapped. >> reporter: this woman voicing what so many here have been doing since the assassination of the country's president in july >> have you ever seen the violence at this level? >> no. we haven't seen violence at this level, no. we haven't seen -- it's terror. it's pure terror to live here. but it is our country. >> reporter: haiti's justice minister telling nbc news the abductors demanded $1 million per person experts say the gang known as 400 mawozo will negotiate a lower price for anyone willing to pay it is estimated that gangs control about half of port-au-prince right now they set up check points across parts of the city, making it difficult and dangerous to get around the ohio-based christian aid ministry barely escaped another attack in 201

fire department is bracing for a possible first responder shortage as a mandate takes effect gabe gutierrez with late details. >> reporter: outside the new york city mayor's residence today -- >> hold that line! hold that line >> reporter: outrage from firefighters and their supporters over a covid vaccine mandate impacting 160,000 city employees. the deadline for proof of one shot friday evening. >> i don't feel that i should be coerced into taking it before i'm ready to. >> yeah. i'm already vaccinated people's right to choose that's all. >> reporter: employees who don't comply face unpaid leave starting monday union officials say up to one-fifth of fire companies could close. right now new york city police have a 74% vaccination rate firefighters only 65%. >> your rights are more important than their mandates. >> reporter: mayor bill de blasio facing pressure from sanitation workers, too. some appearing to let trash pile up on sidewalks in protest. >> anyone who is not doing their job, you're harming your fellow sanitation workers and you're harming your neighbors and you're harming the

it's the worst we have seen so far. >> our thanks to gabe gutierrez there in haiti. >>> coming up brianremains may have been found but it's adding more questions to the mystery of the gabby petito case. now the suspicion is with the parents and how his belongings being found could offer clues to what happened. we'll break it down with a former fbi agent. family is just very important. she's my sister and we depend on each other a lot. she's the rock of the family. she's the person who holds everything together. it's a battle, you know. i'm going to be there. keytruda and chemotherapy meant treating my cancer with two different types of medicine. in a clinical trial, keytruda and chemotherapy was proven to help people live longer than chemotherapy alone. keytruda is used to treat more patients with advanced lung cancer than any other immunotherapy. keytruda may be used with certain chemotherapies as your first treatment if you have advanced nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer and you do not have an abnormal “egfr” or “alk” gene. keytruda helps your immune system fight cancer, but can

also, an emotional message from the hostage's families gabe gutierrez is in haiti. >> reporter: the newideo shared widely on social media today and apparently shot yesterday shows the leader of the 400 mawozo gang holding the missionaries for $1 million per person ransom he said if his demands aren't met, he will shoot them this morning gunfire from haitian police, breaking up a roadblock near the port-au-prince airport. minutes earlier, a crowd had gathered, furious with the government amid fuel shortages, lawlessness, all-out desperation. we'll occupy the streets until further notice, this man said. across from capital city, pockets of smoke signal the growing unrest this has become daily life in haiti. tires burning on city streets. protesters furious at the government's inability to confront kidnappers this is happening over and over again, making many roads here in port-au-prince impassable humanitarian aid organizations like doctors without borders are struggling to keep operating. earlier this year, one of their staffers here was shot dead. >> the situation is very difficult for

focus today on the question the fda panel didn't decide on can you mix and match vaccines our gabe gutierrez reports. >> reporter: marking another major step in the booster battle today an fda advisory panel voted unanimously to recommend authorizing an extra shot for johnson & johnson's vaccine for anyone 18 and older at least two months after the initial dose regulators did not see any evidence of serious safety concerns, but noted they weren't given enough time to independently review much of j&j's data. >> we are seeing that people who receive the johnson & johnson vaccine have a slightly higher risk of severe disease, hospitalization and death versus people who got the pfizer and moderna vaccines so i do think an additional dose is warranted for people who got one dose of the johnson & johnson vaccine. >> reporter: the vote comes after the panel unanimously recommended the use of a half dose moderna booster for many americans yesterday. the fda itself typically follows the panel's advice and is expected to rule on both boosters within days before the cdc would sign on. a confusing proce

boards from coast to coast are demanding help they want the white house to take urgent action gabe gutierrez has more. cannot believe those images, gabe >> reporter: that's right. but first, some break details. merck is out with new data this morning for a new anti-viral pill that you take once you start to show symptoms the company's data shows a 50% reduction in hospitalizations and death. but all this as the battle over vaccine mandates across the country intensifies. across the country, schools are facing increased violence and threats stemming in part from people frustrated by mask and vaccine mandates this morning, the national school board association is calling for federal action, describing the attacks against staff and students as a new form of domestic terrorism. the group calling on the biden administration to provide federal assistance to local law enforcement agencies a group of new york city teachers is asking the u.s. supreme court to block a vaccine requirement for school employees before it's enforced monday. separately, new york health care workers are arguing before the s

former nba players facing federal charges, accused of a multi-million dollar fraud scheme here's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: the 18 nba veterans are accused of ripping off the league's health benefits plan by filing fake claims for medical procedures that never happened. >> the defendants' play book involved fraud and deception. >> reporter: prosecutors allege ex-nba player terrence williams orchestrated the scheme recruiting other players by offering fake invoices for chiropractic treatment and dental care according to the indictment, they submitted nearly $4 million worth of claims. the health plan paid out $2.5 million. williams got nearly $230,000 in kickback from the other players. >> this industry loses tens of billions in dollars a year to fraud. these costs are then passed on to businesses and customers. >> reporter: prosecutors say the scheme unfolded from 2017 through 2020 ex-power forward, gregory smith, is accused of seeking reimbursement for root canals in beverly hills when he was actually playing basketball in taiwan among the others charged, glen davis, shannon brown and six-ti

they are the latest group to walk the picket line our gabe gutierrez has more. >> reporter: frances, good morning. with a worker shortage, a supply cane crisis and skyrocketing corporate profit, many unions feel they now have some leverage in iowa, members of the united workers walked the picket line kick off the largest private sector strike if two years. >> it's a resurgencer bubble fiy busted. >> reporter: he's worked for john deere more than two decades, 10,000 union members rejected a deal that included 5-to-6% wage hikes the workers argue they deserve more since the company has reported record profits this year 4.7 billion so far. >> this is the first time that the deck has been stacked in our favor. we know it. >> reporter: a john deere spokesperson says we will keep working day and night to understand our employees prior ties but the walkout is under harvesting season. it's smack in the middle of a supply chain crisis. many factors colliding as the american worker decides to fight back >> the president believes in collective bargaining rights, believes in worker's rights, the

. >>> many are still pushing back in new york and beyond gabe gutierrez has the details >> reporter: francis, good morning. with the covid vaccine mandate fast approaching here in new york city, some union officials are warning that as many as 20% of the city's fire companies could close next week. outside the new york city mayor's residence, outrage from firefighters and their supporters over a covid vaccine mandate impacting 160,000 city employees. the deadline for proof of one shot friday evening. >> i don't feel i should be coerced into taking it before i'm ready to >> i'm already vaccinated. just to get the mandate. the right to choose. that's all >> reporter: employees who don't comply face leave starting monday one-fifth of fire companies could close. police have a 74% vaccination rate firefighters, only 65% >> your rights are more important than their mandates. >> reporter: mayor de blasio facing pressure from sanitation workers, too some appearing to let trash pile up in protest. >> anyone who is not doing their job, you're harming your fellow sanitation workers and you're h