it comes as a growing number of states consider laws limiting transgender rights our joe fryer spoke with teens feeling the impact >> reporter: for teens facing adversity we begin with a question about positivity dylan, tell me, in the last year what has brought you joy? >> i know that people have my back, and that's one of the best feelings in the whole world. >> reporter: a question i asked dylan, sam, and phoenyx, three transgender teenagers. what brings you joy? >> i'd say love and support from people around me >> reporter: heather, do you see that happiness right now? >> i can see the smile. so that's all that matters to me >> reporter: but they'll tell you joy takes time >> finally, i've kind of been able to express myself and finally can get some relief >> evolved out of the cocoon into a beautiful butterfly. >> reporter: now mental health experts worry a recent wave of legislation targeting the trans community, more than 100 bills in over 30 states, is marginalizing kids who already face higher rates of depression and anxiety. what helps, experts say, is getting gender-affirm

. >> joe fryer is going to share a powerful conversation of hardship and hope with four men from different laughter ] i made us something. when did you have the time? - thank you. there's always time for friendship based crafting. [ laughter ] what we value most should be held in our hands. a trust that fuels us, to know exactly where we stand. when the care we give back shows up in everything we do... then we become the good we can't afford to lose. there's power in our purpose, to reach higher than before. what we value most shouldn't cost more. a lot of people wanted me to compare the microsoft surface pro7 to the ipad pro. so here we go. surface pro has a built-in kickstand. now with the ipad pro... this is a surface type cover. it clicks and attaches it. i love that click. this is the ipad keyboard. it's a lot heavier. with the surface, you have all kinds of ports. ipad has one. you want to be this guy? ipad pro is just a tablet. surface is a full computer and a tablet. and now, the price. mm-hmm. my plaque psoriasis... ...the itching ...the burning. the stinging. my skin was no longe

i am joe fryer.e next hour, we'll focus on the reasons for hope and concern for those who are transgender. we'll have in-depth conversations about politics, mental health, safety, faith, pop culture, and more. but let's begin with a look at where we are right now. >> who's with me? >> it was the groundbreaking tv series with a short title and lasting legacy. this month "pose" came to a bittersweet end, but not before setting a new bar for transgender representation. >> representation is key. we haven't shattered that glass ceiling yet. it's just a bit cracked. >> visibility that's reflected in hollywood and beyond. >> i, dr. rachel levine. >> in the political world dr. rachel levine became the first openly transgender official nominated by the senate. >> i think it demonstrates how important equality and fairness is and that anything is possible. >> she now serves as assistant health secretary for a democratic president when california caitlyn jenner hopes to become a republican governor. >> now i en

joe fryer will introduce us to some pioneers fighting for dignity and visibility in the world of politicss going to join us live. the great kareem abdul-jabbar is going to tell us all about a powerful new project he's been working on. >> sounds cool. >>> all right, mr. roker, how about a check of the weather. let's look ahead to the weekend, see what we've got for you, we'll start off with friday, sunshine on the east coast, tropical downpours in the gulf. that dangerous heat for the western third of the country. saturday that heat risk continues. a flood risk as a tropical system makes its way into the central gulf, turning cooler around the great lakes and wet weather in new england. sunday, sunday, plenty of sunshine in the northeast, but a soaking rain through the gulf for father's day. midwest storms in the plains, and we're also looking at hot weather continuing out west on father's day. >>> good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. our temperatures are going to be hotter today for our inland valleys expect some spots reaching into the triple digits, even hotter tomorrow. so we do

harry, thank you >> pleasure. >>> coming up next, joe fryer with a story about the power of love andprobably know that geico could save them money on car insurance, right? you see the thing is geico, well, could help them save on boat insurance too. hey! okay...i'm ready to come in now. hello? i'm trying my best. seriously, i'm...i'm serious. request to come ashore. geico. saving people money on more than just car insurance. majestic mountains... scenic coastal highways... fertile farmlands... there's lots to love about california. so put off those chores and use less energy from 4 to 9 pm when less clean energy is available. because that's power down time. >>> we're back, 8:44, with our month-long series celebrating pride. >> we meet two men long thought to be the longest married same-sex couple in america >> joe fryer is here with the story. >> good morning. this is a really cool story that i wasn't aware of before in 2004 massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage in 2015 the supreme court made it the law of the land but you have to dig much deeper in histo

nbc's joe fryer hosts trans-america, a one-hour special examining issues facing the transgender community series, "america the vulnerable" and the di country's digital divide the biden administration says broadband should be treated as essential infrastructure to help bridge that gap. but as jake ward reports, some states have roadblocks >> reporter: high school teacher, michelle galloway, spent months struggling to connect with students from her north carolina farmhouse during the pandemic. >> sometimes, i would cry, after a class. >> at times, the slow internet made it nearly impossible to communicate. >> i had one student to hold up a sign saying, ms. galloway, ask that question, again so i wrote it out, and held it up >> reporter: high-speed broadband internet needed for vide get in rural america. because companies make less money connecting remote communities, than they do cities but wilson, north carolina, is an exception you wouldn't think that a place, like this, has world-class broadband speeds but the truth is it does but in order to, actually, connect all of these houses, crews

nbc's joe fryer has a look at his long career. >> reporter: for more than four decades ned beatty lit. >> reporter: the enduring character actor had more than 150 movie and tv roles earning the nickname, the busiest actor in hollywood he first got hollywood's attention with his harrowing performance in the film "deliverance" starring alongside jon voight and burt reynolds. >> i don't want this getting around, okay okay >> reporter: from there he didn't stop, appearing in "all the president's men" -- >> can i help you in some way? >> reporter: and "superman." his remarkable range taking him from homicide life on the street to the animated world of "toy story 3. >> she replaced us come on. >> reporter: in the 1976 film "network" he delivered a brief, but powerful performance >> you will atone! >> reporter: the iconic monologue earned him an academy award nomination for best supporting actor >> ned beatty in "network. >> reporter: he often said the supporting role was where he liked to be, appearing on "today" in 1986. >> a person whose face everybody recognizes and whose name many might

i'm joe fryer. and from all of us here i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is dateline. >> she's a married mother of two. there is nothing about her life that would raise any red flags. >> she amazed them all. her whole group of girlfriends at the gym. >> she was totally dedicated. >> i said heather, turn around. you've gone smaller. >> a stunning, 200 pound weight loss and a whole new life came with it. >> you could see that transformation. you could see the confidence in her. >> then she was gone. missing at school. >> i caught all the girlfriends. >> the clues and email to her husband and a secret she was reluctant to share. >> kind of a bombshell. heather was possibly seeing another man. >> what was really behind her sudden disappearance? that would be the most mind-blowing twist of all. >> do you think that heather would still be alive if you hadn't gone through this transformation? >> welcome to dateline. heather jones, a motivational teacher had shed pounds and her past.

my friend and colleague joe fryer talked to four families that are challenging arkansas' ban on gender-affirming hold your hand so i'm just going to say, joe, great to see you. but talk to me about these families. their children were already going through treatment. what happens when the laws change in the middle of that? >> basically they have two options, neither of which are great options. one is that you stop that treatment that you've already started or in the case of one of these plaintiffs, it's a 9-year-old girl. the family was looking ahead to getting that treatment down the road or you move away. >> oh, let me just pick up my family and move to another state? >> exactly. that's why they filed this lawsuit. this law passed earlier this year in arkansas. it basically bans gender-affirming care for trans minors. this is care that experts say improves the mental health of trans kids who are far more likely to experience anxiety and depressed. the american medical association said this bill was vetoed it. they overrode it. we spoke with some of the families filing this lawsuit to get their

online to address recent accusations of past cyberbullying with more on that nbc news now anchor joe fryerrfacing after what she calls a very humbling few weeks spent thinking about her past online this morning chrissy teigen is publicly a address past tweets and cyberbullying. on monday writing in a lengthy blog post i know i've been quiet, and lord knows you don't want to hear about me, but i want you to know i've been sitting in a hole of deserved global punishment, the ultimate sit here and think about what you've done. last month teigen's decade old tweets resurfaced showing a string of harassment directed at model and tv personality courtney stodden she told the then-teenager in a tweet deleted, that she wanted is the todden to take a dirt nap. stodden who identifies as nonbinary made headlines in 2011 when they married 50-year-old actor doug hutchinson at age 15. the two have since divorced. teigen first addressed the controversy in may saying she has tried to connect with stodden and tweeting i'm mortified and sad at who i used to be. i was an insecure, attention seeking troll. i'm

simpson in the so-called trial of the century >> nbc news now anchor joe fryer is here with more. >>s his stage, the jury, his audience he worked diligently to prepare for cases that, more often than not, made headlines. >> reporter: a tenacious defense attorney whose high-profile cases and theatrical persona made him as recognizable as the clients. >> if he planted the glove, it's not a smear campaign it's a defense >> reporter: f. lee bailey captured attention in and out of the courtroom, representing some of america's most infamous defendants >> this witness says at 10:15, this man's automobile, which is cast as an instrument of murder in this case. >> reporter: the biggest case of his career, the defense of football star o.j. simpson bailey part of simpson's dream team during the murder trial >> anyone, to your knowledge, seen that glove there before your arrival >> not to my knowledge >> reporter: his cross-examination of former lapd detective mark furman, a pivotal moment many point to as a reason for simpson's acquittal, one later immortalized in the series "the people versus