liz kreutz, nbc news, los angeles. >>> coming up, a look at your money in the 2024 election. why one bellwether district is ground zero for the strange reality in the u.s. economy. >>> when president biden delivers his state of the union address tomorrow, it will be his biggest chance yet to tout his handling of the economy, but in at least one key battleground, many voters say his message is not connecting. here's dasha burns >> reporter: darryl grace has lived in erie county, pennsylvania, all his life the former maintenance worker is an avowed steelers fan and muscle car aficionado. in 2020 he voted for biden, but three years later, he says the economic growth the president talks about isn't helping him. >> how does the economy feel to you? >> it doesn't feel well you know, it says everything is doing better, but it doesn't feel that way. >> reporter: darryl's kids, both in their mid-20s and employed, still live at home. >> when i retired i didn't expect for my kids to be here with me you know, i was like my golden years for me and the wife -- >> you thought you'd be on --

liz kreutz investigates >> reporter: grants pass, oregon, population 40,000. a small city dealing with a big problem >> god, look at that. >> reporter: over the past two decades, as outsiders moved in, housing costs went up, forcing a growing number of people onto the streets. what's it like to be homeless in grants pass >> it's an absolute nightmare. >> reporter: helen cruz, who was homeless here for five years, feels strict anti-camping ordinances, including fines for sleeping in any public space, violated her constitutional rights, the 8th amendment cruel and unusual punishment >> i had probably at least $6,000 to $8,000 in fines. >> reporter: no. >> in tickets, yes >> reporter: but the flip side officials say is a city dotted with tents >> our city deserves to have the ability to hold people accountable to bad behavior and ultimately, our citizenry cannot utilize park spaces. >> reporter: a heated legal battle has now dragged on for years and now the final decision is in the hands of the supreme court. what's happening here in grants pass is a microcosm fo

liz kreutz, nbc news, los angeles. >>> coming up, a look at your money in the 2024 election.district is ground zero for the strange reality in the u.s. economy. if you're living with hiv, imagine being good to go without daily hiv pills. good to go binge-watch. good to go out even later. with cabenuva, there's no pausing for daily hiv pills. for adults who are undetectable, cabenuva is the only complete, long-acting hiv treatment you can get every other month. it's two injections from a healthcare provider, just 6 times a year. don't receive cabenuva if you're allergic to its ingredients, or if you're taking certain medicines, which may interact with cabenuva. serious side effects include allergic reactions, post-injection reactions, liver problems, and depression. if you have a rash and other allergic reaction symptoms, stop cabenuva and get medical help right away. tell your doctor if you have liver or kidney problems, mental health concerns and if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or considering pregnancy. some of the most common side effects include injection-site reaction

here is liz kreutz. >> reporter: tonight, the biggest player in baseball, shohei ohtani, at the centerof a scandal. the los angeles dodgers abruptly firing the star player's japanese interpreter, ippei mizuhara. attorneys for ohtani, who did not name mr. mizuhara say their client was the victim of a massive theft, a bombshell raising more questions than answers. the following follows a report in "the l.a. times" saying mr. ohtani's name came up in a investigation into a sports gambling scheme in california. according to espn, millions of dollars from ohtani's account were allegedly wired to an illegal book maker. mr. mizuhara told espn he had been the one placing bets from soccer matches and other sports, not baseball. and he had asked ohtani to help him pay off his gambling debts, a reported $4.5 million. but before the outlet published their story, they say a spokesperson for ohtani disavowed that account, and mizuhara then told espn ohtani had no knowledge of his debts and had not made the payment. >> i think the public is just shocked. they cannot conceive of something like this ev

here's liz kreutz. >> reporter: as spring emerges all around southern california, the hills are aliveter: that's joe spano seen on "ncis" and "apollo 13" and heard on one of california's most quirky traditions, the wildflower hotline. >> what is it that gives you so much joy about being part of this hotline every year? >> there's no down side to beautiful flowers coming out of the ground. >> reporter: the weekly telephone hotline started 41 years ago by the theodore payne foundation, a way for the group's botanists to let fellow flower enthusiasts find the best spring blooms. >> pick up the phone and call. >> yeah, just pick up the phone and call. there's something charming about it, right? >> reporter: now getting to some of the most popular spots like here in the desert does require a drive, but for all these colors, folks say it's worth it. this is just the start of the season. experts say just wait. this year's rain could lead to another superbloom like recent years in the plain and antelope valley. >> imagine someone taking a paintbrush and flinging paint across the hills. >> i'm

here is liz kreutz. >> reporter: tonight, the biggest player in baseball, shohei ohtani, at the center of a scandal. the los angeles dodgers abruptly firing the star player's japanese interpreter, ippei mizuhara. attorneys for ohtani, who did not name mizuhara, say their client was the victim of a massive theft, a bomb shell allegation raising more questions than answers. the firing follows a report in "the l.a. times" saying ohtani's name came up during a federal investigation into a sports gambling scheme in california. a person familiar with ohtani and mizuhara's interactions items nbc news the allegations center on wire transfers of more than $4.5 million from ohtani's account paid to a book-making operation. the source says mizuhara told ohtani's representatives that he had a large gambling debt that ohtani agreed to cover. mizuhara later admitted to espn that he lied about ohtani's partic participation. the source says the wire transfers from ohtani's account were sent without ohtani's authorization. >> i think the public is just shocked. they cannot even conceive of something li

here's liz kreutz. >> reporter: tonight baseball's biggest star, shohei ohtani, speaking for the firste about the theft and gambling allegations swirling around his former interpreter, ippei mizuhara. >> ippei has been stealing money from my account and has told lies. i'm very saddened and shocked that someone who i'm trusted has done this. >> reporter: speaking through a new translator, ohtani addressing reports $4.5 million was allegedly wired from his account to a bookmaker in southern california, where sports betting is illegal. >> so i never bet on baseball or any other sports or never have asked somebody to do it on my behalf. >> reporter: those remarks come nearly a week after the dodgers fired mizuhara, who allegedly told conflicting stories about what ohtani knew and when. the mlb is now investigating. >> they're going to look at the paper trail with respect to communication between mr. ohtani and his interpreter to see exactly what it is he understood he was authorized when these substantial transfers of funds were being made. >> reporter: according to the "l.a. times" ohtani

. >>> he has been by his side for years, nbc's liz kreutz has been following that story for us, liz. >> reporter: hey there, this has shocked baseball fans. shohei ohtani's interpreter is fired. after a report in the l.a. times surfaced that he used ohtani's money, $4.5 million to place illegal sports bets. accused of sending the money to an illegal bookmaker in california where sports betting is illegal. where things get confusing, he did an interview with espn where he said ohtani knowingly paid the bookkeeper himself in order to help his friend, the interpreter pay off his gambling debts. he said ohtani had zero involvement in the betting. then later, a spokesperson for misuhara changed that account, disavowed it, and said that's not what happened and told espn that ohtani's attorneys would reach out with a statement. ohtani's attorneys saying he had no knowledge of the debts, that he had not made the payments and that he was the victim of massive theft. now, nbc news has not independently verified the details of the espn or "l.a. times" reports. this has raised a lot of questions

liz kreutz takes us there. >> a growing number of people on to streets.t is it like to be homeless here in. >> an absolute nightmare. >> reporter: homeless here for five years feels strict anti-camping ordnances including fines for sleeping in any private space violated her constitutional rights. the 8th amendment, cruel and unusual punishment. >> reporter: but the flip side officials say is a city dotted with tents. >> our city deserves to have the ability to hold people accountable to bad behavior and ultimately our citizenry can't utilize park spaces. >> reporter: a heated legal battle has now dragged on for years. now the final decision is in the hands of the supreme court. what's happening here is a microcosm for an issue that's playing out across the country and ultimately how the u.s. supreme court rules in this case can determine how cities nationwide can navigate their homeless crisis. >> reporter: california governor newsom among the democratic lawmakers taking the conservative side of this issue rand hoping the current conservative supreme cour

we want to thank liz kreutz for that report. and thanks for watching "early today.sday see you back here earlm ellinewk for tom llamas for tom llamas. e >>> breaking overnight, lawmakers reach

liz kreutz with more on that. >> reporter: good morning. a really good question that many are hoping now kate will be left in peace. some calling for those who some calling for those who speculated wildly to now thousands of women with metastatic breast cancer are living in the moment and taking ibrance. ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor is for adults with hr positive, her2 negative metastatic breast cancer as the first hormonal based therapy. ibrance plus letrozole significantly delayed disease progression versus letrozole. ibrance may cause low white blood cell counts that may lead to serious infections. ibrance may cause severe inflammation of the lungs. both of these can lead to death. tell your doctor if you have new or worsening chest pain, cough, or trouble breathing. before taking ibrance, tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection, liver or kidney problems, are or plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. for more information about side effects talk to your doctor. thanks, mom. be in your moment.

>> all right, liz kreutz for us. liz, keep us posted, meez. you. >>> let's get a check of the weather. >> always love to see mr. roker. >> well, you may not feel that way after i get finished with this forecast. >> oh, no! >> we've got snow coming -- i mean, a double barrel low pressure system. we've got winter weather advisories, winter storm watches, and winter storm warnings stretching from the dakotas all the way to new england for 15 million people. double barrel low pressure system. so today, this northern part of the front brings snow to the dakotas, the southern system bringing heavy rain to texas and the gulf. we move into tomorrow, soaking rains through the southeast. snow through the upper great lakes. this low pressure system is going to be the more dominant system as we get into the weekend. low moves off the delmarva peninsula, a mess along the i-95 adore. corridor. heavy rain, wind, an icy mix through parts of new england and more snow back through northern new england, down through florida, through saturday, upwards of 6 inches

nbc news correspondent liz kreutz has been following this for us. liz, talk to us about this new theory being presented by the defense and why is it only coming to light now so many years later. >> reporter: ellison, overall, scott peterson and his attorneys are saying he didn't get a fair trial at the time, there was a lot of evidence that was never properly looked at and one of things that came to light that they want reinvestigated is this apparent bloodied mattress found in a burned-out orange van. a sample of that ma tres was taken and logged into evidence under the scott peterson case but yet it was never looked at 20 years ago during the trial this only came to light a few years ago and there's a journalist, a former tv news producer who had questions about the case, who discovered this, now the big question from the l.a. innocence project they want this mattress to be retested to determine potentially whether or not this could be lacey peterson's dna or blood on it. if so that's cause for a new trial. so we'll see, that mattress has been test

liz kreutz is following this for us. >> reporter: hey, craig. question right now is what ohtani knew and when.a digging into the questions and developments in the shocking scandal coming up. >>> ahead, an unexpected twist in the 15-year battle over michael jackson's estate. one of the music icon's children now taking his own grandmother to court, an ins was he aware of the wire >>> we've got some bad news for the easter bunny. filling up that basket will cost a lot more this year. >> so we're going to break down what's driving those prices and we'll give you some advice to save some money as well. but, first, these messages and a quick check of your local news and weather. p all balloon animals roam free. (vo) there are a lot of miles between today and “someday”. your long-lasting three-row subaru ascent will get your family there. ninety-six percent of subaru vehicles sold in the past ten years are still on the road. (middle boy) someday, i'll be able to read dogs' minds. he's thinking squirrels. (vo) hi, we're visible. the wireless company tha

nbc's liz kreutz is in los angeles with more. through a japanese translator. saying he didn't know about any of it in last week. >> ippei has been stealing money from my account and has told lies. >> reporter: baseball's biggest star shohei ohtani speaking for the first time about the theft and gambling allegations swirling around his former interpreter ippei mizuhara. >> i'm very sad and shocked that someone who i trusted has done this. >> reporter: ohtani denying any connection to the mong aey allegedly wired to his account in california. >> i have never bet on sports or never asked anyone to do on my behalf. >> reporter: the first he heard about the gambling ohtani said is after the dodgers first game in seoul, south carolina. ippei admitted he was sending money to thebookmaker. >> reporter: and reportedly told espn conflicting stories about what ohtani knew and when. >> if you're a fan, you probably feel better hearing this detail of an explanation. >> reporter: multiple sources tell nbc news ohtani's name surfaced into a fed

here's liz kreutz. >> thank you for calling. >> reporter: at magnolia pharmacy in los angeles, it's beenwo weeks of chaos. the pharmacy left in limbo after a cyberattack on change health care, that for days prevented many providers from filling patients prescriptions. this pharmacy has moved to an entirely new server so they can process their prescriptions, but it's not a perfect fix. they still can't look up patients' insurance information or take coupons for name-brand drugs. >> sometimes it takes one two to hours for one person to find their insurance. >> reporter: change, which is owned by united health group, says it processes 15 billion transactions a year and works across 65,000 pharmacies. >> the $590 we paid out of pocket yesterday. >> reporter: siena keller says she had no choice to pay out of pocket for what her stepdaughter needs to treat her diabetes. that's a lot of money. >> yeah. i don't know how much longer we can really afford to go through it. >> reporter: change healthcare not responding to reports it's believed to have paid a $22 million ransom to the hackers. in a s

liz kreutz joins us now. >> reporter: you know, i think there are at hoff people fans of ohtani, fane gave a prepared statement, he explained from his perspective what happened. he didn't learn about any of the wire transfers until last week essentially when the world found out through the media really that day in south korea when we saw them laughing and smiling together. that said, he didn't take any questions from the press, he didn't take any questions from other reporters that packed into this room, that leads questions unanswered still, the biggest question that some have how did he not know about this much money being wired from his account to this illegal bookmaker and not know about his friend's gambling habits, his debts, they were very, very close, i think squaring that they were so close but he didn't know anything will be hard for people to wrap their head around. >> have we heard from the former interpreter facing these accusations? >> reporter: no, we haven't. he's not put out statement of any kind. we have heard from the attorney for this illegal bookmaker also at the

nbc news correspondent liz kreutz is following the complicated story for us. >> reporter: mounting questionstionship with his longtime interpreter. ippei mizuhara was fired, including allegations that baseball's biggest star has been the victim of a massive theft. the controversy stemming from a report in the l.a. times that ohtani's name came up during a federal investigation with an alleged bookmaker in california. >> it could bring criminal charges against someone who has a very limited trusted circling of the biggest player in major league baseball. >> reporter: according to the ap is irs has confirmed the interpreter and boyar are under criminal investigation. a person familiar with ohtani and mizuhara's interactions telling nbc news more than $4.5 million was sent from ohtani's account to an associate of the alleged bookie. questions remain about what ohtani knew about the transfer and when. espn reporting that the players own spokesman told the outlet that ohtani transferred the funds. but the next day the spokesman disasorried muzuhara's account and the interpreter walked back his st