Tropical Storm Hilary heads toward California and Britney Spears is getting divorced: Morning Rundown
Maui tourists and locals recount their vastly different paths away from Lahaina’s deadly wildfires. The first tropical threat to the U.S. this season isn’t on the East Coast or in the Gulf of Mexico. And Britney Spears’ husband files for divorce from the pop star.
Here’s what to know today.
Hawaiians who lost everything watched as wealthy tourists left the blaze behind
While thousands fled the inferno in Maui last week, several firsthand accounts from the evacuations reveal two distinct stories: one of Native Hawaiian locals who faced confusion, loss and limited resources as their homes burned to the ground, and another of wealthy tourists with the means to reach safety, secure a place to stay in some cases and leave the devastation behind them.
Ryan Cabrera, a Native Hawaiian who lives in Lahaina, attempted to drive with his family out of his neighborhood, but black smoke surrounded the vehicle. They made a split-second decision to flee on foot. They eventually reached safety, but he wasn’t sure where his family would sleep that night.
Meanwhile, Joshua Wang, a tourist visiting Maui, said he booked a same-day flight for his kids after wildfires tore through the island. He also was able to retrieve his valuables from his hotel room before most Lahaina residents were allowed to return.
NBC Asian America reporters Kimmy Yam and Sakshi Venkatraman spoke to locals and tourists about what they experienced.
The death toll from the fires reached 111 last night, but is still expected to rise.
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Tropical Storm Hilary rolls toward Southern California
The first tropical threat to the U.S. this season isn’t on the East Coast or in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s in Southern California. Tropical Storm Hilary is forecast to bring intense rain to Southern California by Sunday. Before then, it’s looking like Hilary will increase in intensity over the next two or three days, according to the National Hurricane Center. Find out more about Hilary’s forecasted path and conditions.
If the storm makes landfall, it would become only the fourth storm of at least tropical storm strength to hit Southern California.
Cancer drug shortage hits some hospitals hard
Seven hospitals and cancer clinics in the U.S. said they are being asked to pay five to 10 times more for vital cancer drugs as a shortage drags on. One network of clinics in Florida saw the price of the drug carboplatin surge from about $25 to about $365. The culprits behind the price gouging, they say, are so-called gray market vendors, and how they manipulate the system poses a significant risk to cancer patients, who are then put at risk of losing access to lifesaving treatments if providers are unable to cover the marked-up cost.
The practice is not illegal, but “paying 10 times more for a lifesaving cancer drug, or any other drug — I don’t think that should be allowed,” one doctor said.
Rio Grande buoys were Trump officials’ idea
The 1,000-foot string of buoys that the state of Texas placed in the Rio Grande to deter migrants began as a Trump administration idea, three former Trump officials said. Officials began reviewing applications in early 2020 from contractors who could create a similar system along parts of the southern border, but Customs and Border Protection paused the project when the Covid pandemic intensified in March. Then, in January of this year, former U.S. Border Patrol chief Rodney Scott became Texas’ new “border czar,” and was able to execute the idea at the state level.
Not everyone is as satisfied as Gov. Greg Abbott is with the buoys. The Biden administration has sued Texas over its use of the system near Eagle Pass, and the government of Mexico said Texas is violating its sovereignty. A document filed by the Justice Department in its lawsuit says that hundreds of feet of the buoys are actually in Mexican territory.
Today’s Talker: Britney Spears and her husband are separating…
… after just over a year of marriage, a source familiar with the couple said. Sam Asghari filed for divorce from the pop star, a second source said yesterday, and he has moved out of the home they shared. The pair met in 2016 on the set of one of Spears’ music videos and were married at her Los Angeles home last June.
Politics in Brief
Georgia election probe: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis proposed a March 4 trial date for Donald Trump and the 18 co-defendants, according to a new court filing.
Abortion rights: A federal appeals court upheld parts of a decision limiting access to the abortion pill mifepristone, but the drug will remain available for now.
Election security: Conservative election activists are building a voter fraud hunting tool called EagleAI (pronounced “eagle eye”). Here’s how it would work and why some election experts are concerned.
‘Real breakthrough’: At a summit this week in Maryland, the U.S., Japan and South Korea plan to announce groundbreaking steps to bolster mutual security ties against China and North Korea.
Elder abuse accusation: Sen. Dianne Feinstein is suing the trustees of a fund set up by her late husband, accusing them of committing “financial elder abuse” by refusing to pay the millions of dollars she is due.
Staff Pick: Is pet insurance worth it?
The number of Americans with pet insurance policies is rising fast. But NBC News’ investigative unit found that consumer criticisms about the companies offering these policies have risen too. Buyers are frustrated by soaring prices, denied claims and long waits for reimbursement.
A leading company told one New Jersey man that his premiums would never go up more than 20% a year, and then told him they were going up by 33%. “It makes me crazy when someone sells me something,” he said, “and they make [a] promise they don’t keep.” — Mark Schone, managing editor, Investigative Unit
In Case You Missed It
A teenage Ohio girl broke down in tears after she was convicted of murder in the deaths of her boyfriend and his friend. Both were killed when she crashed her car into a brick building while going 100 mph.
Police in Kansas had “insufficient evidence” to raid the offices of the Marion County Record newspaper, the county’s district attorney said.
NBA star James Harden was left stunned by fans in China after they bought 10,000 bottles of wine from his signature brand in seconds during his appearance on a livestream.
Dozens of migrants are feared dead after a boat that left Senegal with more than 100 people over a month ago was rescued in Cabo Verde with just 38 survivors onboard, officials said.
A Texas woman was awarded $1.2 billion in a so-called “revenge porn” lawsuit that alleged the her ex-boyfriend shared intimate photos on social media and in a public Dropbox folder after they broke up.
In a rare legal move, more than a dozen people who witnessed the mass shooting at a Buffalo, New York, grocery store last year sued multiple social media and gun companies over the trauma they endured.
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