and lawful robocalls. just curious as to what your organizations do to try to treat these calls differently and in your work. perhaps start with denise. >> i think it's easy to differentiate between the fraudulent telemarketing calls and those that are legitimate. the fraudulent telemarketing calls have those consistent red flags. high pressure sales tactic, you have to pay me now, the offer is going to end soon, and then later i couldn't cancel or get a refund and then i cannot get in contact with whatever good or service was provided over the phone, so it's very easy for our investigators and our staff to differentiate and sort out those that are really the fraudulent robocalls versus those from legitimate businesses. >> and i'd say on our side, i mentioned earlier us empowering voice providers to block illegal robocalls. at the same time, call completion of legitimate calls, all legitimate calls, including robocalls, is also important to the fcc. so, what we've done is encourage voice providers, you hea

. >>> fighting back against a surge in robocalls, chances are they are flooding your phone. tonight the fcjust levelled its largest fine ever to a man whose been called a robocall kingpin. >>> outrage after police questioned a black student that fell asleep while writing a paper in the common area of her dorm. what yale is saying about this video. >>> a consumer alert as the weather heats up about all those sunscreen claims, sport, natural, mineral and this one. >> i usually look for dermatologist recommended. >> tonight what all those words on the bottle really mean. >>> the surprising tech boom far from silicon valley. >> what's it been like to watch the change overall of the city? "nightly news" across america, why people are flocking to pittsburgh. >> announcer: this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt. >>> a look tonight at the andy warhol bridge bridge above the allegheny river in downtown pittsburgh. stop four as we travel across america this week. good evening, everyone, from the city of bridges, our reporting on pittsburgh and its remarkable transformation from a

. >>> still ahead, the fcc takes aim at robocallers with a massive fine.the latest action really keep callers from flooding your phone? you're watching "early today." a. starts with one person... you. this red nose day... stop by walgreens and help end child poverty... one nose at a time. because every. one. counts. walgreens, trusted since 1901. dinner date...meeting his parents dinner date. why did i want a crest 3d white smile? so i used crest. crest 3d white removes... ...95% of surface stains in just 3 days... ...for a whiter smile... that will win them over. crest. healthy, beautiful smiles for life. only tylenol® rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast, for fast pain relief. tylenol® your hair is so soft! did you use head and shoulders two in one? i did mom. wanna try it? yes. it intensely moisturizes your hair and scalp and keeps you flake free. manolo? look at my soft hair. i should be in the shot now too. try head and shoulders two in one. ♪ dixie® ultra's flexproof™ technology makes it twice as strong as the leadi

million robocalls. it breaks down to 55 per person per month. that's more than one per day. all right, the fcc just fined an accused robocaller $120 million. now enforcement here is a big step forward, but regulators are at a huge disadvantage. technology allows robocallers to dial from just about anywhere from the world at warp speed and spoof caller i.d. which lets them inundate us from the shadows. our best advice? simply don't pick up the phone when you see an unknown number. if the robocall thinks your line is dead, perhaps it will stop calling. >> it's very annoying. grad you' glad you're tracking that. if you have a complaint, call us. 888-996-tips or visit us at nbcbayarea.com/responds. >>> get ready, san francisco. light installation is about to go live. the steel topper turns on permanently tomorrow night. using imagery, video artist jim campbell will translate things like traffic and the sky into art. it will be visible for 30 miles in every direction. >> it's so cool. have you seen it testin

. >>> and cracking down on robocalls. the fcc slaps a $120 million fine on one of the worst offenders. but will it work? >>> "today" exclusive. a tour of grace kelly's home, courtesy of her son, albert. >>> and mr. markel goes to london. how meghan markle's dad is preparing for his important role in the royal wedding, today, friday, may 11th, 2018. >> from nbc news, this is "today," with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >>> hi, everybody. bm good morning. happy friday. the royal wedding is eight days away and you're palling around with royals. >> prince albert. >>> let's get to our top story, though. the president returning to full campaign mode in an overnight rally in indiana. he touched on north korea, iran, and immigration. he issued a warning to his supporters ahead of the midterm elections this fall. we have full coverage from the white house and capitol hill. let's start with peter alexander. >> reporter: good morning. the president is wrapping up what has been the most cons

. >>> robocalls in mandarin are flooding the bay area. it is deceptive because the calls usually come from a local area code. these calls are aimed at scamming people out of money. jean elle has more. jean? >> reporter: people here in chinatown and all over the bay area are getting these calls. sometimes daily. the robocall is impersonating the chinese consulate, demanding credit card information or a bank transfer. robocalls in mandarin are lighting up cell phones across the bay area. >> usually it's in the morning, 9:00. sometimes i'm still sleeping, and it's also ways so annoying. >> reporter: the calls are more than annoying. they're a scam. >> you have a package delivered to the embassy. >> reporter: the robocall is impersonating the chinese consulate, telling mandarin speakers to get the package, they must provide credit card information or other personal information, a trick some fall for. >> no one should be asking for your credit card information over the phone. >> reporter: the district attorney's office and the police departmen

if i might, chairman simons, on robocalls. i think all americans are fed up with robocalls. as i was trying to get sleep last night i got 10:00 p.m. call that seemed to be from my home state home exchange. so i answered it, was greeted with a a delightful situation. i didn't listen long enough but i think it was for a cruise or time-share. i commend the work that the fcc has done, you've done in this area, evolving technology by robocallers make this difficult. supreme court overruled the fcc recent ruling in that area. will that impact on fcc ability to move forward? how do you see the path forward on appropriately allowing access to folks who want to solicit for business while protecting americans privacy? >> so i think the, so let me say that i think the case you're talking about involved a part of our authority and left most of it untouched but i want to, we need to talk to the staff in more detail to have a better understanding of that. in terms of going forward, so i think, i think what it is, i think it is really a technological solution that needs to be had in order

tech crunch says there were 3.4 billion robocalls last month alone.ada is starting to roll out technology next year designed to prevent robocalls. that same technology was actually recommended to the fcc more than a year ago. still no plans to roll out that technology here in the u.s. >>> this morning we're getting an inside look at new homes that are built with smart technology. >> so, yesterday we told you the country's largest homebuilder, lennar, will incorporate amazon's alexa as a standard feature in future homes. here's a look inside a model home in irvine, california. you can tell alexa to control almost everything -- the blinds, the lights, the temperature, entertainment, even the door lock and the doorbell. the technology is built into the home itself. they're calling this the home of the future, but what does this mean for privacy in the future? you can watch matt gutman's full report and walk-through coming up at 7:00 on "gma." i know you have one of these roombas that go around. >> i do. >> you know what disturbs me about the roomba is wh

if i might, on robocalls, i think all americans are fed up with robocalls. as i was trying to get some sleep last night, i got a 10 pm call that seemed to be from my home state, home exchange, so i answered it and was greeted with a delightful solicitation. i didn't listen long enough, but it sounded like it was going to be for a cruise, maybe for a timeshare. i commend you for the work that the fcc has done, that you have done in this area. i understand evolving technologies make this job difficult. an appeals court recently overruled a portion of the fcc's rule in this area. will that decision have an impact on the fcc's ability to move forward and how do you see the path forward on appropriately allowing access to folks who want to solicit for business, while protecting americans privacy? >> let me say. i think the case you are talking about involved part of our authority and left much of it untouched. i would need to talk to the staff in more detail to have a better understanding of that. in terms of going forward, i think it is really a technological so

. >>> fighting back against a surge in robocalls, chances are they are flooding your phone. tonight the fcjust levelled its largest fine ever to a man whose been called a robocall kingpin. >>> outrage after police questioned a black student that fell asleep while writing a paper in the common area of her dorm. what yale is saying about this video. >>> a consumer alert as the weather heats up about all those sunscreen claims, sport, natural, mineral and this one. >> i usually look for dermatologist recommended.

. >>> the fcc is trying to do something about the robocalls that have us thinking twice before pickingne. in this case, we see that the fcc levies the largest fine yet, $120 million on a florida man who the fcc said made nearly $100 million robocalls. that is the exact number. 100 million. the caller adrianne abramovich denies he is the king pin of robo calling and says his work is legit, offering vacation deals an the democrat on the fcc saying more needs to be done, there were 3.4 billion robocalls last month and it is not enough when we are drowning in nuisance calls. be sure to tune in this sunday morning for state of the union. john bolton and senator bernie sanders will join jake tapper at 9:00 a.m. eastern and 12:00 # p.m. eastern here on cnn. that is it for "the lead." i'm jim sciutto in for jake tapper and i turn you over to wolf blitzer in "the situation room." >>> happening now, breaking news, embarrassed and distracted. white house chief of staff john kelly walks back his comment that the president is embarrassed by the russia probe and now saying the president is distracte

and welcome to the fcc, ftc policy forum on fighting the scourge of illegal robocalls. i'm patrick weber, chief of the consumer and governmental affairs bureau. we're very pleased to join forces with the ftc to further the fight against illegal robocalls. and caller i.d. spoofing. unwanted calls are a major source of complaints to the fcc and ftc, and we look forward to the policy discussions today that will address ways to protect ns

and robocalls are on the rise pape federal court recently reversed rules that were put in place duringhe obama administration to protect us from getting so many of these obnoxious calls, and since then these telemarketers have been going wild. i don't know if you know this, but in the month of april alone there were 3.4 billion automated sales calls, which is up 900 million per month from last year. that's how many i get in the weekend. 900 million. and one of the worst things about them is because of cell phones we don't even have the satisfaction of slamming a phone down anymore. young people will never know the satisfaction of angrily hammering a receiver into the cradle. all they get to do is this now. you know, that's -- my new trick when i get a robocall, i hand the phone to alexa and i let them fight it out amongst themselves. you know, donald trump keeps talking about the border. that's not an emergency. this is where we should be sending in the national guard. let's get our troops out of the desert and have them start invading some of these robo call centers. let's call in the

. >>> now to a miami man who is facing a record penalty for allegedly making 100 million robocalls. fcc has fined adrian abramovich $120 million and say his operation tried to trick consumers into answering the phony calls and listening to his advertising messages. he's accused of falsifying caller i.d. information to make it look like the calls were coming from the same area code as the recipient making the recipient more likely to answer that call. >>> and in milwaukee a wild scene played out on this highway. watch this truck take down two light poles on interstate 43. you see the poles fall on both sides of the highway but luckily missed oncoming cars. the driver was arrested after a sobriety test. >>> an officer caught on camera choking a former nfl player has now been fired. video of the december incident outside atlanta surfaced last month. officers were responding to a road rage allegation. now, the video shows one officer putting his hands on desmond marrow's throat. he could be heard telling officers that he couldn't actually breathe. investigators have already dropped the

gerri: i will believe it when i see it and major crack-down on robocalls, we are so excited about theyou're talking about, fcc fining a florida man $120 million for allegedly making nearly 100robo calls, tricking people into buying exclusive as he called them vacation deals, adrienne denied any, quote, fraudulent activities and said these were legitimate tale marketing. cheryl: stop calling us in the middle of the night or all day long. lately that's been chinese. tracee: i've gotten that one too. gerri: 5:00 o'clock. cheryl: mother's day is this weekend. tracee: mother's day this sunday. a lot of businesses celebrating offering deals, mom with freebies, moms get free 25-dollar dining card saturday and dining, hooters feel meal with drink purchase, ufc gym, free workouts, check social media, promotions online as well. gerri: is it me but who takes mother to hooters. cheryl: that's really not a good place. i'm just going the say that. tracee: the free meal might be enticing. gerri: tracee, thank you for that. coming, game of thrones and drinking. >> what would make our time truly enjoy

. >>> we have all heard of robocalls, but lately, political campaigns have been doing something else. now they're texting you. >> ah, they are. abc 7 news reporte jonathan bloom explains how they got your number and why it's legal. >> how would you react if you got a random text from a campaign? >> not favorably. >> reporter: and yet that's exactly what happened when our co-worker reggie got a text from gavin newsom's campaign. >> it's like an invasion of your privacy. how did this political like whatever get my number. >> some company sells it? >> reporter: turns out they had your number all along. just like political phone banking, campaigns are texting you at the number you gave when you registered to vote. >> i am so grateful to all of you. >> reporter: it started durk the last presidential campaign. now newsom's campaign is one of many. >> texting hundreds of thousands of voters for a week. and this is an effort to talk to voters in a way that's native to them. >> reporter: in 2018, texting is how we communicate. campaigns have seen the results and they're giving it two thumbs wa

>(ken) parents later received a robocall from the principal about the video which was called "potentially inappropriate." some students are coming to the defense of that teacher...sayin g he jokes around. but some say it's no laughing matter. (ken) the family (ken) the family of the student in the incident says they first took their concerns directly to officials. they say no action was taken, so they posted the video online. (ken ) now to our four zone forecast. you're looking live at the golden gate bridge.(pam) kron-4's chief meteorologist lawrence karnow joins us with a look ahead lawrence karnow: it was a beautiful day all the way to the coast but tonight the winds are going to howl. a high wind advisory has been posted over the north, east and south bay mountains. some gusts could be as high as 55 mph. it will b

. >>> we have all heard of robocalls, but lately, political campaigns have been doing something else.exting you. >> ah, they are. abc 7 news reporter jonathan bloom explains how they got your number and why it's legal. >> how would you react if you got a random text from a campaign? >> not favorably. >> reporter: and yet that's exactly what happened when our co-worker reggie got a text from gavin newsom's campaign. >> it's like an invasion of your privacy. how did this political like whatever get my number. >> some company sells it? >> reporter: turns out they had your number all along. just like political phone banking, campaigns are texting you at the number you gave when you registered to vote. >> i am so grateful to all of you. >> reporter: it started durk the last presidential campaign. now newsom's campaign is one of many. >> texting hundreds of thousands of voters for a week. and this is an effort to talk to voters in a way that's native to them. >> reporter: in 2018, texting is how we communicate. campaigns have seen the results and they're giving it two thumbs way up. >> it's

. >>> a robocall circulating in california has anti-semitic references to dianne feinstein and tellsoters to support a neo-nazi candidate running in opposition to dianne feinstein. >> vote for patrick little for u.s. senator from california. >> patrick little was kicked out of the california republican party convention earlier this month in san diego. he is openly anti-semitic but told the chronicle that he had nothing to do with the robocall and didn't know it existed. >>> the oakland police officers association says it is disappointed in a feature that they say is missing from a new app that allows people to file a complaint about police officers. now, the app allows the public to post about police misconduct but it doesn't include a way to thank or compliment police officers. the union says it is upset that the city chose to unveil the new app last week ahead of national police week when leaders from across the country come together to honor police officers who died in the line of duty. city leaders say the new app is part of a campaign to provide more accountability after recent

the effect of one ad, robocall is zero. senator grassley senator whitehouse. senator whitehouse: you said cambridge analytica are effectively the same thing. and that cambridge analytica was the front company for the s.c.l. operations, is that correct? mr. wylie: yes. senator whitehouse: what is s.c.l. elections? mr. wylie: there is a group company in u.k., was, called s.c.l. group which had several different divisions. the largest division when i irst joined was defense. s.c.l. defense. elections, commercial, etc. they all handled different markets for the company. s.c.l. elections handled political. senator whitehouse: what are s.c.l. canada and aggregate i.q.? mr. wylie: those were subcontractors set up during the time i was there to build out software infrastructure. they played a very significant think of ilding the them like a franchise. senator whitehouse: the ripon program was the one to develop the software to use the facebook data? mr. wylie: yes. once you have algorithms and a target -- set of targets, you need something that can connect those targe

president trump is taking some extra steps in pennsylvania, recording a robocall for republican congressmanquent feature of the campaign trail out there. the candidate is expected to advance and take on democratic senator bob casey this fall. the state also has kongal races. there is a competitive democratic primary for the seat left open by charlie dent. john morganely has the strongest name id but also hasdy deleted tweets previously praising trump. susan wild has the backing of emily's list. and a pastor has the backing of bernie sanders. there is the race with republican hillary clinton is a cone. he loss to democrat connor lamb in the pennsylvania race earlier this year. he is now running again in a new area redrawn by redistricting. the republican challenging him in a primary is guy refreshenthal, who is airing this ad. that calls him out for the loss saying lamb already lost a safe republican seat. we'll be right back. dynamic lighting elevated comfort powerfully efficient and one more thing the world comes with it ♪you can go your own way... the 2019 jeep cherokee my dai need my blo

>>> the fcc has fined the alleged kingpin of robocalling a whopping $120 million.ovich were responsible for millions of calls. >>> and officials are warning the kilauea volcano can erupt again in the coming days, prompting more evacuations. the volcano has been releasing lava and toxic gas for the past week and scientists say the next eruption could be the largest in with 100 years. keep your eye out for that. >> thanks for watching this hour -- >> this week! >> that's true. but i'll be back at 3:00 p.m. with a non-velshi and ruhle. >> and i am stephanie ruhle, i won't see you until monday so happy mother's day. >> oh, yeah. >> he said oh yeah as though he's unprepared for it. >> i just realized this is the friday before, tiff go quickly, bye. >> i was just helping you out. clearly he's going to be doing something tomorrow. >>> right now i hand you off to my friend -- i like it like this. "velshi and ruhle" right like this. right now i hand you off to "andrea mitchell reports." >> the mccain smear. senator john mccain's daughter just now responding to cruel remarks

a familiar voice cutting a new robocall for abrams in these final hours. >> hello, this is hillary clintonking you to vote for my friend stacey abrams for govern nor the georgia this tuesday, may 22nd. >> so, second you've got the democratic primary in kentucky sixth district, lexington mayor jim gray up against mcgrath who busted in the race with this video highlighting her time as a fighter pilot in the marine corps. then the third texas district, the progressive candidate that they tried to sink is now in a runoff there. we're watching all of it this morning. steve, take us through these three race as whantd most important thing is people need to know. >> let's start in georgia put teed it up there, that dratdic primary, the bigger picture of course it's a republican state, republican governor recan't run for re-election so it's an open seat as well. this is a state democrats, georgia have been eyeing for a while because of bigger picture demographic changes in this state. there's been a big influx of people in the last generation or so, a lot of younger people, a lot of nonwhite people

had a robocall last night with the chairman of women for trump.ald trump will be just fine with me. jim renacci is not an outsider. four terms in congress. mitch mcconnell recruited him. they have gotten the cooperation of the president. mitch mcconnell has donated $10,000 to his campaign. he doesn't want me in office. he doesn't think i will be responding as cooperatively as he would like somebody to respond if i get to the senate. i can certainly be a team player but i'll vote on the basis of my principles and what i told the voters i will do. >> he goes after you being anti-trump and a vote for pro-choice in washington, d.c. give our viewers a sense of what you think ohio voters are looking for right now 18 months removed from a national election, sir? >> well, i can tell you what they are looking for. every time i go out. i've been in all 88 counties. i've talked to a lot of people. my best applause line is when i start out by saying i'm not a politician. i'm running because i think career politicians are a problem. and jim renacci started as

had a robocall last night with the chairman of women for trump.ald trump will be just fine with me. >> bill: there is mike gibbons optimistic about his -- polls are open in ohio, west virginia, indiana, north carolina. republicans hoping to hold that majority in november. fox news senior political analyst brit hume back in washington how are you doing, brit? you're back in the swamp. everything aligned okay? >> everything i left behind, traffic, air conditioning not working too well at home. all those things i remember and don't love about being here. >> bill: send a postcard back to florida. don blankenship seems to be the character of the day. last week he said i am trumpier than trump. what about these candidates running to trump on nearly every answer they give? >> they know the republican electorate overwhelmingly supporting trump. if you want to be nominated in a republican primary you can't really afford to get crossways with trump and so they're all trying to be the trumpiest of the candidates and blankenship, who is a pretty exotic candid

renacci is the one president trump had robocalls going out yesterday and today urging republicans, gopolls, vote for jim renacci. if renacci pulls this off, close to $5 million in cash whereas sherrod brown has over $11 million in cash. if renacci gets the nod to be the candidate, more money will be coming in. when you talk about sherrod brown being vulnerable, this is a democrat who supports president trump's trade policies especially when it comes to the tariffs on aluminum and steel because cleveland, sherrod brown, ohio, that is steel country. so sherrod brown is saying he's with president trump and, in fact, when those tariffs were announced, sherrod brown put out statements saying i am with the president. renacci is on the house ways and means committee, they brought us tax reform in the house. sherrod brown on the senate finance committee, when he was slapped down by orrin hatch. if the two are going head-to-head, you're going to see commercials that show orrin hatch slapping down sherrod brown and renacci making claims of tax reform. back to you. neil: i'm glad i did clarify h

after that, fcc and federal trade commission officials look at ways to combat robocalls. next, the secretary of the navy, the chief of naval operations, and the commandant of the marine corps testify on navy and marine corps readiness. they will also talk about sexual misconduct. >> the meeting will come to order. the committee meets today to receive testimony on the posture of the u.s. navy and its fiscal year 2019 budget request. we welcome witnesses. honorable richard spencer, secretary of the navy. admiral richardson, chief of the naval operations and general robert neller, commandant of the marines. welcome all three of you and we thank you for your dedicated surface. the national defense strategy aims for a lethal and ready force and the department of defense for greater affordability and look forward to hearing from each of you with the navy and the marine corps plan to support these objectives. i was pleased to see requested procurement increases that align with the new strategy, including 11 ships, dozens of aircraft and expanded investment in long range fires. a

. >> a florida man is find 1120 million dollars for making 200 million robocalls, tricking people intoys the live of individuals emergency services but agronomists say call you were legitimate telemarketing practices. >> elon musk a launch debut latest of the rocket this afternoon after company delayed the launch for florida ken recipe space center red going to but bannigladesh in space. >> working to make a transit nshg the loop under the sea, says plans to have rides for public in a few months, i might sign up for that assignment not only is may military appreciation month but today military self appreciation day in honor of veterans, to bring awareness appreciation funding for veterans bakery potato chip crusted brownie hit more than 8,000 locations i spoke with ceo earlier this morning about the mission. >> i think it shows the dedication also the need to make sure our veterans military families are getting the support, and not a handout it is a handup, this partnership has been in -- for to get mission out human spirit for o those who serve their country. cheryl: if you want get h

steve: tell you what, bob, get robocalls at least once a week where somebody is selling solar panels.me of the panels they are selling, they sell to you, but actually they're leasing it to you. so what happens if you contract with one of these solar panel companies and you're leasing them on your house, and then you decide, you know what, i'm going to move and i'm going to sell my house? >> let's assume you leased the solar panels pause you don't have the money to pay cash to buy the solar panels and you lease them, and i want to buy your house. steve, i don't want solar panels. you are stuck with paying that lease, literally the solar panels would have to come off the house and move on, so you're paying for something you may not be able to use again, you go to another house, i suspect you talk to the solar panel company to put them on that house. bottom line, people don't recognize like leasing a car. you don't own them. you possess them. you pay for them, but the bottom line if you sell your house you are still responsible if that new homeowner doesn't want them, doesn't want to pay

numbers first $120 million that's how much the sec is fin ing this man for making almost 100 million robocallsory. next, 3,200 equifax now admitting that thousands of passports were also stolen in a massive security breach, despite repeated denials and finally, $600, the cost of about two pounds of pure vanilla skyrob bing" and that means there will likely be a shortage of ice cream this summer. vanilla ice cream at least. the price going up after a series of natural disasters in madagascar where most of your vanilla of our vanilla is produced. who knew that i didn't. now we're a little smarter pete. pete: i didn't know you made me a lot smarter. thank you more and more states are legalizing pot as you know, and a recent survey found the number of companies in colorado leading the curve on that testing for marijuana is on the decline. is this a good idea? here to debate former police officer federal prosecutor, and deputy white house drug czar joe peters and jessie johnson, ceo of purple peace so i don't like to put people in boxes but joe, you're generally anti-pot and jessie, more pro-legali

i do want to associate myself with everything that senator coons said about robocalls. both of your entities have a role in that in helping to determine how to solve that. the do not call list provided a great deal of joy for most americans, and then now the robocalls are all attacking their systems. and so i understand that completely. this is an issue that we have to be able to resolve long-term. let me move on, as well, though, to talk about pharmacy benefit managers. this is an issue with the mergers. several insurance companies have purchased pharmacies to acquire the pharmacy benefit manager in the middle. that is pushing people, especially in rural areas that used to use an independent pharmacy in a rural area, now the cost increases for that, because their insurance company owns a pharmacy company in another town, and now they're being pushed to say you've got a mail order or go over there to make it much more difficult for the consumer. tell me how that is going right now with the discussions on merger, and with oversight on anti-competitive issues. >> right. s