Top Story with Tom Llamas - Jan. 5 | NBC News NOW

[Music] tonight breaking news the deadly inferno in philadelphia flames ripping through a three-story row house early this morning at least 13 people killed including multiple children philadelphia's mayor calling it one of the most tragic days in the city's history what we've just learned about the smoke alarms inside the building also tonight flash freeze the new video showing a car losing control on an icy road before crashing freezing rain and ice causing a mess on the roads along the east coast the area now bracing for snow as the massive system sweeps from the south to new england al roker is here with the timing and the track covered in schools classes canceled in chicago after teachers voted to stay home due to a surge in omicron cases several other districts now going remote and tonight growing confusion over the cdc's flip-flop quarantine guidance sean hannity in question the january 6 committee revealing text messages from the fox news anchor in the days leading up to the riot at one point writing quote i'm worried this as our pete williams gets an exclusive look at how authorities are still searching for everyone involved in the siege that was one year ago tomorrow emergency in kazakhstan protests exploding over rising fuel costs thousands taking to the streets storming an airport and setting government buildings on fire authorities responding with tear gas and water cannons and out of the open the world's number one tennis player denied entry into australia and his visa revoked as he finds himself at the center of a vaccine battle top story starts right now [Music] and good evening i'm tom yamas we begin top story tonight with that deadly and devastating fire in philadelphia fast-moving flames tearing through a three-story row house in the fairmont neighborhood early this morning at least 13 people killed more than half of them are children multiple people also taken to local hospitals and officials fear the death toll could rise authorities say more than 26 people were crowded into two apartments owned by the city's public housing authority investigators are on the scene throughout the day and at night trying to figure out what sparked this tragic blaze we are also learning new details about the smoke alarms that were inside let's get right to nbc's ron allen who leads us off tonight from philly [Music] cries for help awakened neighbors around 6 30 a.m as fire erupted from the three-story row home converted into apartments in a neighborhood where a lot of families with children live i've passed by that house for years now and seen the faces so it's just sad to think what might have happened seven children died in the blaze and six adults eight occupants escaped please keep all these folks and especially these children in your prayers losing so many kids is just devastating investigators say smoke detectors that passed inspection last spring failed to work that the building had just two first floor exits and that 26 people appeared to be living in the building officials say the fire apparently started in a second floor kitchen and swept up the building's stairwell there's nothing slowing that fire down from moving that fire was moving it's feeding on contents it's feeding on oxygen and it's feeding on fire all right ron allen joins us now live from philadelphia ron we heard you just report there that this fire may have started in the kitchen and i understand you have some new reporting about where else the fire may have started well it seems have started on that second floor and gone up the stairwell up to the third floor and it's our understanding that there are as many as 18 people on the third floor this is a big question why were so many people living in the particular residence the mayor alluded to the fact that there's a lot of housing and security in this community and that families are forced to live together or live on the streets there's also the issue of the smoke detectors they were inspected last spring but they didn't go off it's unclear how many were there but the point is that this was a property that had been inspected it wasn't an illegal dwelling of any sort this is a relatively nice neighborhood we're not far from downtown philly you can walk from here to the art museum and those famous rocky steps it's about a half mile away so people are just devastated and shocked by what happened and this again happened at 6 30 in the morning out of nowhere but again it's going to take some time for officials here to understand exactly what caused this and how to prevent it something like this mapping again tom all right ron allen leading us off tonight on top story the other major headline tonight rain snow and freezing temperatures causing dangerous conditions along the east coast take a look at this a home security cam capturing a car sliding down an icy road in connecticut before the car crashes into a house freezing rain turning to ice on roadways across the northeast and mid-atlantic today leading to numerous accidents and road closures and now that same area bracing for more snow as a massive system sweeps across the country al roker joins top story tonight with more on all the extreme weather moving in al good evening hey good evening tom and it is going to be a cold evening for at least 15 million people stretching from the plains all the way down into northern texas frostbite can occur in minutes wind chills 50 below in some spots plus coast to coast 78 million people under winter weather advisories watches or warnings as a system develops tomorrow morning and in the afternoon racing into the appalachian second system develops off the coast knoxville nashville all looking at some snow into pennsylvania friday this low pressure moves off quickly but morning snow slick travel for the i-95 carter bangor to boston we could be looking at six to eight inches of snow even more going into the appalachians and the lake effect may be a big problem too three to six inches in washington dc three to four elsewhere upwards of a foot near the great lakes and out west tom we are talking about another big storm coming in hit the pacific northwest we've got flood watches and warnings from seattle to portland tomorrow and then friday rain lingering to the coast with snow moving into the rockies we're talking anywhere two to five inches of rain from seattle and portland to missoula montana and heavy snow from jackson wyoming just to the east of seattle town plus we're going to be looking at much colder temperatures making their way into the northeast by the weekend with temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below normal tom all right now we'll have much more tomorrow on the today show al we thank you turning now to the coronavirus 29 u.s states shattering their seven-day average record for new covet cases as school districts around the country grapple with how to proceed some opting for returning to online learning while others are trying to reopen and are being met with a shortage of covet tests nbc's stephanie gosk reports late last night chicago school doors abruptly slammed shut up ending the lives of hundreds of thousands of chicago families we had all winter break to have this planned out and here we are kids are kind of caught in the middle and parents like myself are really scrambling to get coverage concerned about soaring coveted cases and limited testing chicago's teachers union voted to go remote i have a 90 year old grandmother with underlying health conditions and issues and so i would just appreciate being able to work in an environment where at least the students are all pcr tested weekly but city officials called the union's decision a work stoppage and canceled school altogether a clearly frustrated mayor speaking out we can't forget about how disruptive that remote process is to individual parents who have to work late today word of a plan being worked on to go remote next week and be back in person by the 18th this first week of school after the holiday has seen a dramatic jump in school disruptions nationwide more than 4 500 back in october there were 28 still small compared to a year ago but omicron is straining school systems to their limits rapid tests are hard to find pcr results are delayed if you do not have adequate testing you cannot keep a school open safely unless you accept the risks that potentially as high as half of your students could be positive and not know they are most school-age children can get the vaccine but just over half of 12 to 17-year-olds are fully vaccinated that drops to less than 16 percent for five to eleven-year-olds teachers and staff are out sick in record numbers over a thousand in boston where today the superintendent jumped into action teaching a fourth grade class herself just excited to be here today to represent all of the incredible all hands on deck approach that we're taking here unlike at the start of the pandemic there is a much more concerted effort to keep children in classrooms there are some people right now who believe keep the schools open at all costs is that really cannibal no keeping the schools open at all costs means that you are not acknowledging that all costs involve lives a dilemma so many parents and teachers are facing this month nbc news correspondent stephanie goss joins us now and steph i know we have some news from the cdc advisory panel they're now backing the fda's recommendation to get kids 12 to 15 years old their booster shots yeah that's right tom it's the pfizer booster and as we know the fda signed off on this author emergency authorization a few days ago now what they're saying is that children in that age group as long as they're five months after their final vaccination shot at pfizer can now get this booster which would be a big deal for families that are worried about keeping their kids in school they also have said that kids five to 11 can get a third shot a third pfizer shot if their immune systems are compromised and that could be really important for families who have children that they're worried about so important all right steph we thank you for that now while schools try to figure out how to handle the omicron surge many people with the virus now struggling to keep up with the shifting health guidelines it is so confusing the cdc under fire for changing their guidance on how long americans need to isolate after testing positive nbc news correspondent von hilliard spoke to people who have coveted right now about how they're making sense of it all while in isolation have you been tracking cdc guidance tonight confusion over isolation timetables as the cdc this week changing its covet guidance again this as thousands across the country including raphael tyler and selena all three in isolation with kovid question their next moves so i track it but i have a hard time feeling comfortable with the new stuff after we released our guidance our recommendations early last week it became very clear that people were interested in using the rapid tests daily demands like work in school prompting the cdc last week to cut its guidance for how long individuals should isolate after testing positive from 10 days to 5 days if the person is fever-free for 24 hours now after pushback the agency writing if an individual has access to a test and wants a test the best approach is to use an antigen test towards the end of the five day isolation period this has nothing to do with the shortage of available tests the cdc says that if an individual tests positive after five days you should continue to isolate until day 10. i still don't know if i'm safe to go back into work or if i'm so contagious or not what is clear is the coronavirus is all around us more than at any other point yet our understanding of just how far one should go to stop the spread is still evolving in fact on tuesday the cdc posted explicitly the science is evolving on omicron and is still pointing to data on previous variants doesn't that data rightfully leave some americans skeptical of the five-day guidance from the cdc yes it should leave americans skeptical because we probably still have anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of people who are still infectious even after those five days even with no symptoms whatsoever which is why i think the best basic guidance is that if you get a positive test or you have symptoms 10 days tyler crowe on day 7 of isolation waiting for the cdc's previous marker i go with what we've had from them for a while the 10 days rafael alvarez currently on day three of his isolation says he will follow the cdc's new timeline my whole game plan is to eventually get tested on the fifth day because according to the cdc's guidelines you can go back to work in school after five days i'm personally concerned that this is discouraging people from believing what the cbc has to say i understand skepticism the difference to me is critical the cdc is not putting out policy that has no evidence the problem is the evidence is shifting it's all that folks in isolation to go looking for tests in lines like these new yorkers abby and ray 15 days after testing positive deciding to finally go out and look for their tests do you agree with the cdc changing it from 10 days to 5 days scientifically i'm not sure why they changed that but i personally would prefer if people stayed in longer i'm forced to obviously go into either a urgent care or clinic to get tested by a physician which is honestly unfortunate because i don't want to be in contact with people out there all right von hill you're hearing from real people tonight who are fighting covet as we report this out vaughn you know the cdc director today made an important distinction for folks who are taking those rapid at-home tests on day number five after testing positive there's another rule they have to follow yeah that's right tom wolenski and other health officials are clear just because you may get a negative result from one of those rapid tests doesn't necessarily mean that you are no longer infectious meaning there may no longer be enough virus in you to trigger a positive rapid test result for yourself but that doesn't mean that for potentially several days you may still be carrying enough virus to still infect others that's why wellensky and the cdc continue to have a 10-day requirement that folks were masked for those 10 days after first testing positive tom von hilliard live for us tonight on top story with so much confusion over the latest cdc guidelines we know you have so many questions we want to bring in dr nahib adelia to help us clear this up she's an nbc news medical contributor and the director of the boston university center for emerging infectious disease policy and research so doctor let's start from the top when should you get a covet test if you've already been exposed and should you get a test if you've already tested positive so um tom let's just echo what you said i think the confusion has been massive but the the big part here is that if you are vaccinated um then you you do not have to quarantine quarantine and isolation is you know basically the same thing which is you're separating yourself from others you do not have to quarantine but you should get tested within five days and if you are not vaccinated you should isolate for the whole period of time if you're already sick that's this is when you know this is the change one of the changes that they've made because previously what they had said is if you're if you're vaccinated or if you're not vaccinated at about five days of isolation you can go back to normal now what they have introduced is that around five days you're able to get tested and if you're positive you need to get another test to make sure you can go back however if you cannot find a test you want to finish your isolation separating yourself from others at around five days and then you want to continue wearing that mask for another five days just in case you might be one of those folks who might still be transmitting a little bit of virus so you're not transmitting to others you know during the white house covet briefing today the head of the cdc and the coronavirus response coordinator said pretty definitively that they're not changing the definition of fully vaccinated to include booster shots but they're also still encouraging people to get their booster shots do you think at some point they're gonna have to change that i think we're headed that way tom i think there's a lot of evidence that shows that that third dose is really offering a lot more protection in terms of protection against infection particularly against infections even though those two doses that people got may provide some protection against hospitalizations very good protection against hospitalization severe disease the omicron is helping reduce transmission because it's reducing the number of people who are getting infected so i do see that there's a benefit for that in my community of medical experts and infectious diseases there's also a conversation that that third dose actually allows your immunity to mature in a way that potentially you could have protection over a longer period of time dr bedalia for us tonight doctor thank you next we want to turn to the investigation into the january 6 insurrection almost one year since the siege on the capitol the committee investigating the attack now urging fox news host sean hannity to cooperate revealing they have dozens of text messages that suggest the top trump ally knew about the former president's plans leading up to the riot garrett hake has more tonight the committee investigating the january 6th insurrection seeking cooperation from fox news anchor sean hannity the committee looking to question one of donald trump's top television allies as a fact witness revealing it's in possession of dozens of text messages between hannity and trump chief of staff mark meadows in a letter to hannity according to the committee those texts suggest that hannity may have had advanced knowledge regarding president trump's and his legal team's planning for january 6. hannity reportedly writing to meadows on the night of january 5th quote i'm very worried about the next 48 hours and a few days later reportedly texting meadows and gop congressman jim jordan about an apparent call with trump writing he can't mention the election again ever i did not have a good call with him today he knows a great deal that should be shared with the committee that should be shared with the american people about planning before the six about conversations or text messages on the sixth about things after the 6th of january hannity never shared his concerns with viewers on the night of the insurrection and although he did condemn the violence he continued to sow doubts about the election president was right our election frankly was a train wreck hannah's attorney jay sekulow responding to the commission's letter in part saying quote we remain very concerned about the constitutional implications especially as it relates to the first amendment the committee chairman also saying they want to reach deeper into trump's inner circle urging mike pence to speak with them the former vice president the target of threatening chance that day [Applause] [Music] so his life was in danger uh i would hope uh that he would do the right thing and come forward and with that garrett hake joins us now from the nation's capital so garrett it's been almost one year since the insurrection that will happen tomorrow where does the investigation stand right now because you know you get all this new information it sounds like they're still trying to talk to so many of the key players yeah i mean look the committee investigation only got stood up this past summer already they say they've interviewed more than 300 people but like a football team behind in the fourth quarter their biggest problem now is the clock because so many of these top trump administration officials have decided they can simply wait out the committee and hope that it'll be disbanded if republicans can take control of congress in the next year pushing them to testify sooner rather than later their biggest challenge and one without a good solution tom all right garrett hage for us tonight garrett thank you but it's not just congress investigating the capital riot the fbi is still working on identifying people using facial recognition technology and hundreds of thousands of tips that have been coming in in what has become their largest investigation in history here's nbc news justice correspondent pete williams a year after the worst attack on the u.s capitol since the british torched it 200 years ago the fbi hasn't stopped working to identify rioters this exclusive look shows agents and analysts still combing through tens of thousands of photos and videos investigators also use facial recognition software and cell phone records that allow them to plot the movement of individual people inside the capitol the largest use ever of that technique the attacks happened all over the capitol grounds stephen d'antuano the man in charge of the fbi's washington field office says a priority now is identifying the riders who attacked police like this man using a long probe to administer shocks it's giving them an electrical jolt correct yeah so that must that must be painful i would imagine it would be yes it would be like any taser or this video of a man beating a police officer with a long pole that officer in particular right there just hit him in the head or this one showing one of the rioters spraying a chemical at officers he gets rid of it throws the cannon in and grabs a riot shield and starts beating the offices people have sent in hundreds of thousands of tips reacting to photos and videos like these posted on the fbi website tips have even come from ride share drivers and waiters we've had restaurant workers turn somebody in because they've overheard them talking about about it federal criminal charges have now been filed against more than 700 people and about one-fourth of them have pleaded guilty but a big question remains unanswered was there actually a plan well in advance to storm the capital or was it a case of seizing the moment it does matter in terms of a record of history to get a sense of what this event was all about was it a perfect storm of failure of security of extremists kind of all coalescing around the capitol or was it something greater members of the far-right proud boys and oath keepers have been charged with conspiracy but court documents say they were preparing for violence in the streets and the fbi has yet to figure out who planted two pipe bombs last january 5th at republican and democratic national headquarters no breakthrough so far despite releasing surveillance video showing the suspected bomber that night on capitol hill why don't you know yet who placed these bombs the night before they're wyatt they're covered from head to toe right they have a hoodie on glasses a mask gloves you know fully fully clothed the fbi has even compiled this map showing the bombing suspect's movements that night what do you see in the video of that person what are they doing you know the person is walking down this uh this road here one bomb was placed just outside the democratic office entrance pretty close to that corner pretty close to that area right around there all right pete williams joins us now from washington pete i want to start where you just left off is there anything more we know about this bombing investigation well just how thorough it is it's certainly not for lack of trying that they don't know who the bomber is they've interviewed over 900 people they know the route the bomber took because they can see from piecing together surveillance video where he's walking through or i should say he where the bomber is walking through the neighborhoods and they've talked to every neighbor people who were walking their dogs at that time of night and they haven't come up with who that person was and one of the difficulties is the person is so heavily uh camouflaged with clothing they don't even know whether this is a man or a woman one of the big mysteries that still remains out there i also want to mention before you get out attorney general merrick garland spoke from the justice department today about the federal response to the riot right this was ostensibly a thank you to doj employees for the work they've been doing but he did say the justice department is committed to holding anyone accountable at any level who was criminally responsible for the riot whether they were at the capitol that day or not tom pete williams with a lot of new reporting for us tonight pete we thank you overseas now to the growing tensions in kazakhstan demonstrators turning more violent by the day protesters storming government buildings and ransacking the airport all of this over an increase in fuel prices and building frustrations with the country's leaders here's nbc news foreign correspondent matt bradley [Applause] tonight kazakhstan's violent protests spiral even further out of control as thousands take to the streets furious over rising fuel prices and government corruption armed protesters storming the city hall in the commercial capital of almaty appearing to set parts of the building on fire protesters even raiding the city's airport forcing staff to flee riot police using flashbangs to disperse crowds gathered outside the mayor's office aiming water cannons at protesters in the city center president kasim jomar takayev taking sweeping actions in an attempt to ease tensions removing the prime minister and his entire cabinet from office and reinstituting price caps on fuel he even blocked the internet for most of the country but none of that was enough to quell the unrest instead a fourth straight night of violence charred police vehicles lining the streets more than 200 people detained in the protests at least 95 police officers injured demonstrators first took in the streets over the weekend angered over rising prices for liquid petroleum gas in this oil-rich nation they've since morphed into a broader expression of anger at the government economic inequality and perceived corruption among the ruling elites this oil worker calling for the president and his predecessor nurse to step down many believe nazarbayev a communist party leader who ruled the former soviet state for three decades until 2019 still wields great influence behind the scenes you've seen similar dynamics play out in other former soviet countries where you know the old generation of leadership that came of age during the soviet period uh has lost touch with a younger generation that's more uh connected that's more globalized it's more open to the outside world that has different aspirations the announcement about the the rise in fuel prices was just the match that kind of lighted the kindling in a tweet kazakhstan's president blamed destructive persons interested in undermining the stability and unity of our society but after so many years of autocratic rule there are almost no opposition politicians capable of rallying nationwide support leaving an unclear end game for these leaderless demonstrations matt bradley nbc news we thank matt for that next up the breaking news involving tennis star novak djokovic who just hours ago had his visa application to enter australia rejected his chances of playing in the australian open now in doubt he's one of two high-profile athletes who are also vaccine skeptics looking to return to their respective courts morgan chesky has the latest tonight the world's top ranked men's tennis player caught in the middle of an international covet incident novak djokovic landed in melbourne today to play in the australian open but his visa has been rejected according to the country's border officials he's now in danger of being deported his coach posted an instagram of djokovic saying not the most usual trip down under according to reuters his lawyers are appealing the decision australian open officials had granted the star a covet 19 medical exemption to compete earlier today australia's prime minister scott morrison sending out a sharp warning that all foreigners entering the country need to be vaccinated unless they qualify for an exemption including djokovic if that evidence is insufficient then he won't be treated any different to anyone else and he'll be on the next plane home so there should be no special rules for novak djokovic at all not none whatsoever djokovic has said in the past he's opposed to getting vaccinated while consistently keeping his own status private so whether someone wants to get a vaccine or not that's completely up to them reuters reporting that djokovic sought a type of visa that does not apply to those granted a medical exemption from the coveted vaccines the 20-time grand slam winners participation has drawn criticism from even fellow players if it was me that wasn't vaccinated i wouldn't be getting an exemption another superstar athlete and vaccine skeptic is getting set to make a return to his sport brooklyn net star kyrie irving is expected to play his first nba game tonight since refusing the vaccine new york city's indoor vaccine mandate has kept a seven-time all-star from playing in home games all season long after initially barring irving from competing as a part-time player the nets have now decided to allow him to compete in road games things happen for a reason and now we're here and i'm just grateful for this all right morgan joins us now so morgan i understand you have some new reporting on the entry issue into australia that's on that's right the australian government has made it clear that that entry visa for djokovic has been denied and they have suggested potential deportation the prime minister saying that no one is above the law when it comes to entering their borders not even djokovic in the meantime we have heard that his team could file an injunction that would essentially appeal that decision but for now djokovic was last seen heading to a hotel in melbourne a lot of drama heading into that open and before you go morgan i know that some government officials in serbia where novak's from are responding pretty heavily to australia that's absolutely right the top elected officials there saying that they are backing the number one tennis star in the world saying that they'll use whatever power they have at their disposal to try to make sure he is able to play in this australian open keep in mind that this could be a history-making moment for the star here tom if he wins he would surpass both roger federer and rafael nadal with 21 grand slam victories making him the all-time leader a chance at sports history here that could be totally overshadowed yeah a lot of fans looking forward to this tournament all right thanks so much for that morgan still ahead tonight you'll remember we have an update tonight on that seven-year-old girl missing for two years the father of harmony montgomery arrested what he told police about her whereabouts plus excessive force the shocking body camera video showing a police canine attacking a driver after his rental car was wrongfully reported as stolen an omicron derailing award show season the two major events just canceled as the variant spreads stay with us top story just getting started [Music] back now on top story with a violent police k9 attack caught on camera when a driver got pulled over with a car he rented to use as a ride share nbc news correspondent zinc clay essenwa gives us the latest on this developing story we do want to warn you the video you're about to see is disturbing put your head out of the window chaotic moments after police pull over a driver out of the window both hands according to a federal lawsuit ali botter was driving a rental car that was wrongfully reported as stolen both hands out of the window come out of the car and pull your hands in the air this police body cam video is from december 2020 in california show us your hands right now showing a k-9 attacking the driver and the moments leading up to the dog's release put your hands in the air do not reach into that car walk back towards the sound of our voice [Applause] get on the ground ali botter's arm was in the dog's bite for what appears to be at least 45 seconds we've paused the video because of its graphic nature now he's suing the city of san roman as well as the police chief and the officers involved botter needed surgeries and has not regained full use of his arm according to the suit he alleges excessive force and a breach of civil rights according to the lawsuit there is a place for canine use and and public safety the people who are fleeing the scenes they can you know send them and track them and help locate people carmen is a former police chief and nbc news law enforcement analyst there should be a lot a high level of concern before a dog is deployed to bite and we all know the history of what how dogs were used during the civil rights area botter is also suing the two car companies he rented the vehicle from hire car and car mommy to use as a ride share the contract he signed said the company could report the vehicle as stolen if the car wasn't returned according to the contract provided by the attorney but botter's attorney says we know this the car was not stolen it never should have been reported to stolen did botter miss any car payments we're looking into that but it looks like he did he missed a short period of car payments now attention is on the san ramon police department as to why the dog was deployed when botter was making no attempt to flee according to the suit what are you calling for who needs to be held accountable in your opinion well i mean primarily the police department i mean primarily the police department and um it just shouldn't happen i mean it that's who we think should be primarily held responsible this case as activists and groups like the marshall project call for more police and k-9 oversight as police use of canines is not widely tracked in the u.s there's a huge amount of liability if a k-9 is set upon a subject without a reasonable probable cause to make an arrest and to take that person into custody how is your client doing how is botter doing well thank you for asking that um he is as you might imagine still traumatized by nbc news has not reviewed the police report and the san ramon police department has not responded to the lawsuit or nbc news's request for comment all right zinc clay joins us now live from here in 30 rock it's such a disturbing video and a really strange situation i understand you also have reaction tonight from the car company yeah that's right tom and it is disturbing we reached out to car mommy and a spokesperson responded with this statement it reads in part we extend our sympathy to mr botter at this time for what he endured with his injury and the extent of his recovery process as a result of his interactions with the san ramon police department karmami last received a payment from hire car for mr botter's rental on december 9 2020 after extensive efforts to have the car returned or paid current car mommy filed a missing vehicle report with the san jose police department on december 20th 2020 and it's worth noting tom that day is the same day of the incident i did speak with his lawyer earlier today and they say their hope is that this lawsuit will ensure this kind of incident doesn't happen again tom all right sinclair esma for us tonight here on top stories and clay thank you when we come back the disappeared tonight we take you inside mexico where mothers are desperately searching for their sons believed to be victims of cartel violence some even digging up graves to find answers and remembering a hero the country's oldest veteran dying at 112 years old what he said kept him going all these years that's next all right time now for top stories news feeding we begin with an update tonight to a story we brought you yesterday police have arrested the father of seven-year-old of a seven-year-old missing for two years adam montgomery facing several charges including endangering the welfare of a child and refusing to provide information about harmony's whereabouts authorities say they found adam who has legal custody of this girl living in his car new court documents show he was accused of abusing harmony before her disappearance in 2019 he claims he has not seen her since dropping her off with her mother that year there's a forty three thousand dollar reward for information all right officials have confirmed the cause of last summer's devastating dixie fire in northern california cal fire said the blaze began when a tree hit pg e power lines in july the deadly fire the second largest ever in the state scorched nearly 1 million acres and destroyed 1300 buildings the company has already acknowledged its involvement in the fire and is facing more than one billion dollars in liability cost the grammys have been postponed to the omicron variant tonight organizers announcing the show which had been scheduled for january 31st in l.a will be rescheduled no word yet on a new date and the sundance film festival in park city utah scrapping its in-person plans today announcing the multi-day event will be fully virtual for the first time ever all right the oldest living us veteran has died at age 112. the national world war ii museum confirming the death of lawrence brooks who was also the oldest living american man born in 1909 outside of baton rouge he served in a predominantly african-american unit during the second world war he is survived by five children 13 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren he said his secret to longevity was being very nice to people all right we want to turn now to the americas where we take a look at stories from across latin america and the u.s tonight a mexican mother pleading to a cartel leader to stop the threats and let her continue searching for her children her two sons are part of the tens of thousands of victims of forced disappearances in mexico desperate mothers now taking matters into their own hands searching for clues and often human remains but some say their efforts are now being met with threats nbc's isa gutierrez has more a fearless plea from a desperate mother in mexico in this video posted to social media ceci flores addressing cartel leaders by name who she says are keeping her from searching for her missing sons she clutches the photos of her dear alejandro guadalupe and marco antonio who she says disappeared in 2015 and 2019. her sons just two of the nearly 100 000 people who are missing in mexico many of them falling victims to the country's ongoing violence often rooted in organized crime these appearances are not new in mexico there is a history of disappearances that comes from the dirty war which was a period between the 60s and the 80s but it has grown to be an extreme level that i think nobody like nobody expected more than 95 000 people have disappeared according to the country's national search commission and most of those disappearances occurred since 2006 when the government began its war against organized crime even human rights organizations have been hesitant to recognize these cases as enforced disappearances but the aliens from mexico is really overwhelming in that in many many of the cases it is clear that in some way or another state authorities have been involved in the majority of cases no one has been held accountable leaving groups of mothers with no other option but to pick up a shovel and search for their loved ones women like ceci finding solace and search groups popping up across the country these groups of women often behind grim discoveries their searches leading to hundreds of clandestine shallow graves and human remains located across the country in november the u.n committee of enforced disappearances urged mexican authorities to quickly locate the tens of thousands missing identify the deceased and investigate all enforced disappearances ceci says it was the authority's inaction on her son's disappearances that led her to search for them herself [Music] she had to flee her home and has been living and hiding for months after being threatened by cartels and following the murder of another member in her group of searching mothers in july [Music] what is the threat to mothers and family members who are searching for their loved ones themselves i think the crime of disappearance is the one of the crimes that creates the wars psychological toll for families people who are searching for their loved ones don't stop and their entire lives just crumble in the face of their efforts now more than anything ceci just wants to get back home to keep searching for her boys isa gutierrez nbc news we thank issa for that report now to top stories global watch and we begin with the missile launch by north korea south korea's military confirming pyongyang fired the projectile towards the sea of japan north korea state media claims it was a hypersonic missile the u.s and south korea are now investigating it's the first known missile test by the north since october and comes after kim jong-un promised to ramp up his nation's military capabilities in the new year outrage tonight in france over comments made by the country's president president emmanuel macron saying he was aiming to quote piss off millions of unvaccinated citizens by blocking them from restaurants travel and other activities the comments come as the french parliament debates a health pass that requires vaccines to access most social venues and long distance public transportation and rio is canceling carnival events to do a surge in covet 19 cases the city's mayor calling off its world-famous street parade and parties for a second year in a row the public celebrations usually draw millions of revelers from all over the world the city's official parade which takes place in an arena will be held with some health precautions all right coming up the olympics versus omicron the winter games in beijing now less than a month away but how can china keep its zero coveted policy while welcoming athletes from all over the world the steps the country is taking stay with us all right we're back now with omicron and the impact it might have on the winter olympics in beijing set to begin in less than a month china has some of the strictest coveted protocols in the world but despite the fast spreading omicron it still seems dead set on holding the games joining us now is olympic sports writer and author alan abramson alan thanks so much for joining us live on top story so you know we just got through the tokyo games i was there covering those olympics they were able to have an olympics granted no no fans in the stands with the strict lockdowns like the ones were seen in china right now in one city 13 million under lockdown how are they going to realistically have coveted free olympics with people sort of flying in from all over the world that was in tokyo too uh you know as far as china goes there's theory and then there's practice right the the theory is that the chinese are going to implement what they're calling a closed loop system basically it's a hermetically sealed system once you're in you're in no one gets in or out not even omicron but you know life has a very funny way of working out we'll see viruses are small and slippery things we will see you know with the effectiveness and speeds at which omicron seems to be spreading right now in china's strict strict policy does it seem like they're trying to hold the olympics no matter what so that is the easiest question you or anyone else could ask me all day long uh the olympics are going to happen let me say this again the olympics are going to happen no matter what they are an important statement an important statement for and from china to the world the olympics are going to happen bank on it all right and what what steps do we know that that they're taking already to stop the spread so number one is the closed loop this hermetically sealed system number two is that anyone and everyone who goes to the olympics to the olympic scene has to take two tests within 96 hours of showing up if you get to go again you get to take those tests i get take those tests number three is that all of us have to be tested daily and i mean daily we get spit into a little tube number four is that we are all going to be monitored up down and sideways just like we were in japan civil liberties not a chance not a chance you know we've seen that the nhl players aren't going to send their players to play on the u.s hockey team there do you think countries could drop out over cobin concerns no uh so just today the swiss team had a meeting with the ioc over this very thing and the swiss team said you know we have some concerns about covid and the ioc said hey guess what we've taken care of those and you will be there and the swiss team said yeah you're right we will be there so uh everyone will be there this is an important statement olympics for the chinese government and it's important games for the for the ioc to get through two uh everyone will be there you can bank on that too you know uh one of the big things is going to be covering the politics of these olympics what do you think is going to happen if an athlete tries to make some kind of political statement so um generally speaking uh unless you're on the podium uh an athlete has the right to say whatever he or she wants that that is a fact this is a delicate subject but the fact is that an athlete could say whatever he or she wants but but at the same time a game takes place under the laws of whatever country the games are in right these games are in china so the first amendment is not a thing in china so here's the question do you really want to run the risk of seeing the inside of a chinese jail knowing that for instance the american embassy is not inside the closed loop that's the balance that's the question straight up alan finally you know having covered the tokyo games just like you as you mentioned um i'm wondering you know once the game started in tokyo that the sports action took over and it was a lot of fun and we could focus on the sports and kovitz sort of took a back seat do you see any of that happening in in beijing or do you think omicron and kovid may supersede the sports so traditionally and these are only quote unquote only going to be my 12th olympics the run-up to any olympics is marked by what i call fud fear uncertainty and doubt and and then once the games start it's all about the sports i'd be super shocked if that wasn't the case here once the once the games start once the sports start it's all about in the case of the winter olympics figure skating skiing snowboarding especially snowboarding for me uh and skiing and and it's a lot more fun than writing outside i'll tell you about that all right alan abramson uh we will watch your coverage we will uh be looking for your stories uh hopefully you'll play the guitar for us in a later segment uh thanks so much for joining top stories there you go all right thanks so much when we come back a look into the future top story travels to the biggest consumer tech show in the country getting a sneak peek at all the gizmos and gadgets that could change our everyday lives stay with us all right back now with money talks what consumers and investors need to know from the business world and beyond real estate giant zillow is predicting that 2022 will be another hot year for the housing market with factors like high job growth driving buyers to cities all across the sun belt specifically zillow economic economist nicole basho joins us now live nicole thanks so much for joining top story um i read your report that was out today on your side it was really sort of interesting the top five markets you identify tell our viewers what they are so our top five markets for 2022 are tampa jacksonville raleigh san antonio and charlotte all of those are within the sun belts that's been the hot region throughout 2021 and that's not changing for 2022. what we are seeing this year versus last year is that these are a lot of secondary and smaller markets compared to some of the superstars of last year like austin phoenix and miami that have now priced themselves up to a point that they're becoming increasingly more unaffordable that's one of the reasons why we're seeing a lot of demand for some of these smaller more affordable areas tampa landed at the top of our list given its increasingly high level of home price appreciation nearing 30 percent for last year we're expecting that to grow another 25 throughout 2022 as well and as you mentioned job growth is a big factor for what's driving people and bringing them to this area in bigger cities the housing markets have soared especially in this area here but your research has identified some risks namely what happens with interest rates and the stock market can you explain that to our viewers yeah so interest rates and stock markets are things that can impact funding on the interest rate side especially in expensive markets that can really impact the amount of a monthly payment on a mortgage and so that's going to change the the amount of a home somebody can afford in more expensive markets that's going to put a lot more pressure on the lower price tier and really drive up competition for these more affordable homes so we're going to see a lot of the more expensive coastal markets struggling with that throughout next year on the stock market side that really is going to play into down payments particularly for first-time buyers and people who don't have a lot of equity from a previous home sale that's going to be funding their new purchases so that's something that we're looking forward uh looking to as well um the markets that have topped our list including raleigh and san antonio are markets where we see you know pretty pretty light risk on both of these factors both when mortgage rates rise and when stock markets go through some fluctuations we see these housing markets continuing with sustained levels of demand that's resistant to a lot of these external changes all right zillow's nicole basho thanks so much for that we appreciate it and finally tonight ces the biggest consumer tech show kicked off today but like so many things it looks a little different this year nbc news business and tech correspondent jolene kent got a futuristic look inside the event the future has landed at ces and it wants to lend you a hand from futuristic robots that wait on you to an avatar named sebastian when you meet me i'll show up on a nearby screen carrying out tasks in the metaverse the pandemic ushering in a new generation of personalized tech to help transport us into a virtual world like a smart contact lens putting you into augmented reality a battery free thermometer that charges with a few shakes and a smart faucet that warms up with simply a wave of the hand after years of testing the coolest tech in person i went to ces this time a little differently it feels like i'm in las vegas at ces in person but surprise i'm actually here in los angeles nearly 300 miles away i'm being beamed into las vegas with portal technology it's 3d holograms that get me there the idea is to offer more human interaction when a facetime or a zoom just doesn't cut it what more do we really get out of this when you beam somewhere you no longer have to book your flight you don't have to book your hotel you don't have to worry about coronavirus coronavirus an ideal future that for some is already here it's also important to point out there were a lot of major companies that were only at ces in spirit amazon microsoft and google all pulling their physical footprint out of las vegas citing the omar khan variant making this year really unlike any other tom all right joe we thank you thanks so much for watching top story tonight i'm tom yamus in new york we'll see you right back here tomorrow good night thanks for watching our youtube channel follow today's top stories and breaking news by downloading the nbc news app you

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Length: 52min 9sec (3129 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 06 2022