For us. How this cliffhanger ends if we do nothing. But first the nightline 5. The way you make life magical. The way you step up your style with new fall arrivals. The way you light up every place you go. Thats something to love. Fall for you at jcpenney. So nice to meet you. June, jane, ji, tei, raj, and ray. Good job, brain. Say hello to neuriva. Clinically proven ingredients that fuel five proven indicator of brain perf good evening. Thanks for joining us. Im linsey davis. Shocking new claims of Sexual Assault once again shining a spotlight on matt lauer. A former news anchor whose public downfall nearly two years ago sent shock waves. Now the disturbing allegation and the emotional reactions. Its just very painful for all of us at nbc and the today show and, you know its very, very, very difficult. Im looking at you and im having a weird moment that we were sitting here just likeago. Reporter this morning, today show anchor Savannah Guthrie and hoda kotb visually emotional, grappling with new explosive allegations that former today show host matt lauer raped a former nbc news colleague at the 2014 sochi olympics. You know, this is shocking and appalling and i honestly dont even know what to say about it. Its not easy now, and we support her, and any women who have come forward with claims. Truth be told, savannah and i did a little prayer upstairs to sort out what we were going to do, and i think its its like you feel likenomeeor 12 ye all of a sudden like a door opens up and its a part of them you didnt know. We dont know all the facts in all of this, but there are not allegations of an affair, there are allegations of a crime. Reporter the rape accusation detailed in excerpts that variety magazine published from the upcoming book catch and kill. Lauer is speaking out saying, my silence has been a mistake. In a letter provided to abc news lauer says, after not speaking out to protect my children, it is now with their full support i say, enough, saying that the accusation of rape is categorically false, ignores the facts, and defies common sense. The incident in question centers on one night five years ago during the sochi olympic games. Brooke nevilles worked for nbc news. According to published excerpts, nevilles told pharaoh that lauer joined her for drinks and she ended up going back to lauers room twice, once to retrieve her press credential, and another because he invited her back to the room. Neville says lauer, who was wearing a tshirt and boxers, pushed her against the door and kissed her, then pushed her onto the bed. According to excerpts from the book, lauer asked her if she wanted to have anal sex, she said no, but he just did it. It hurt so bad, is this normal . She told pharaoh it was noncons sensual in the sense that i was too drunk to consent, i said multiple times i didnt want to have anal sex, she ultimately stopped saying no and cried quietly into the pillow. According to the excerpts neville told pharaoh back in new york she went on to have more sexual encounters with lauer and reportedly initiated some of their contact. Lauer is strenuously denying the allegations writing his relationship with nevilles was a fully consensual extramarital affair. It began when she came to my hotel late one night in sochi. We engaged in a variety of sexual acts. We performed oral sex on each other, vaginal sex, anal sex. Each act was mutual and completely cons sensual. He adds, after we returned to new york we both communicated by text and phone, met for drinks, she met me at my apartment to continue our affair. Our meetings were arranged mutually. At no time during or after her multiple visits to my apartment did she express in words or actions any discomfort with being there or with our affair. Why would a woman who says she was raped continue to have sexual encounters or relationship with the perpetrator . Most rapes happen between people who know each other, and very often in the context of a relationship. So its not unusual for somebody to have a situation where theyve been assaulted and where they continue to have some kind of relationship with the person. The idea that they continue to have a consensual sexual relationship after this initial encounter, you wouldnt say that negates rape . Absolutely not. Absolutely not. Reporter according to variety, pharaoh says nil nbc uiled. Ei urgt d lar firing a day h late as be terminated from nbc news. This is a very tough morning for both of us. Reporter the next day, lauer released a statement that was read on air. Just moments ago received a statement from matt, and let me read it to you. There are no words to express my sorrow and regret for the pain i have caused others by words and actions. To the people i have hurt i am truly sorry. Reporter in 2018, nevilles went on medical leave and was eventually paid seven figures by nbc, according to farrow. Legally, settlements usually do not carry a statement of fault or guilt. They just say, were paying you for a promise not to sue reporter nbc responded to varietys report in a atement saying matt reprehensi the time. Thats why he was fired within 24 hours of us first learning of the complaint. Our hearts break again for our colleague. I cant convict him, i cant decide what happened that night or what happened in subsequent encounters that they had. But i would say that the case against matt lauer doesnt look any better today than it did yesterday. And that letter, in my opinion, did not do him any favors. Reporter no charges were ever filed. I would be shocked if this accusation wound up in a criminal court, because the core accusation is alleged to have happened in russia. It would be tough, at least in my opinion, to try to make this into a criminal case. Reporter farrow, who won a pulitzer for his investigative reporting on the Harvey Weinstein allegations, talked to nightline back in 2017. This is the hardest topic in the world for anyone to talk about. Its the last thing any of these women want to open up again. Reporter after lauer was fired, the New York Times reported on two more womens allegations. One telling the paper lauer summoned her to his office in 2001 during a workday, locked the door, and allegedly had sex. The woman says she didnt report heaye tn her t unbutton her blouse, which she did. She says he then came around from his desk, pulled down her pants, and had sex with her. She says she does bear some of the responsibility for what happened, but she felt like he was kind of using his power over her. Reporter lauers former cohost, ann curry, tweeted in support of nevilles calling her a credible young woman of good character, adding that she believes her. Is it possible that two people could perceive a sexual encounter differently, that he might walk away and think it was consensual, she may walk away and feel raped . Absolutely, i think that happens quite often. Its part of our conditioning that many men feel entitled to behave towards women as if they are objects, and they may not even realize or be aware that thats what theyre doing. And that could leave them with very different understandings of what happens. Reporter it had been a stunning fall from grace for matt lauer. After his firing, his wife divorced him. Selling his 44 million hamptons home. Went almost totally dark on social media, reappearing this week on the social media site ticktock dancing with his daughter. Shut up heather sorry heather look wlooth with her reporter lauer had been like americas dad, the man that america woke up in the mornings to see, known for his travels around the world. Where in the world is matt lauer . Reporter and his contentious interviews, like this one with tom cruise back in 2005. Arent there examples where it work in this. Matt, matt, matt. Yout even youre glib. Reporter 2016 president ial candidates. They wonder about your temperament. A very special monday morning for our friend, matt lauer reporter from that first today show episode more than 20 years ago, lauer quickly rose to stardom, becoming one of the highestpaid Television News anchors in history. He was in a lot of folks houses every morning. Matt lauer was the face of the today show brand in so many ways. Reporter now lauer joins the ranks of disgraced media titans. Charlie rose. Roger ailes. Bill oreilly. Harvey weinstein. Mark halperin, once the political director here at abc. Me too wasnt moment, its a movement. It is a culture shift. Its happening. Women of all creeds and colors and back grounds, theyre like, wait, its not supposed to be this way, i should be able to just go to work and i want my daughter to be able to just go to work and i want my younger sisters to be able to just go to work. Reporter lauer, once contrite, is combative, determined to recast whats left of his public image. He writes in his letter, i admit i ended the affair poorly, i simply stopped communicating with her. I understand how that must have made her feel. However, being upset or having second thoughts does not give anyone the right to make false accusations years later about an affair in which they fully and willingly participated. Meanwhile, tonight nevilles provided a statement to nbc news saying that his open letter was a case study in victim blaming. Im not afraid of him now. Also tweeting her thanks to the survivors that offered her support. A programming note, journalist ronan farrow joins gma this morning for a sitdown interview. Up next, Climate Change. Fueling the ticking time bomb 10,000 feet above sea level. Performance comes in lots of flavors. Theres the ampedup, overtuned, feedingfrenzyof sheetmetalkind. And then theres performance that just leaves you feeling better as a result. Thats the kind lincolns about. Just between us, you know whats better than mopping . Anything at the end of a long day, its the last thing i want to do. Well i switched to swiffer wet jet and its awesome. Its an allinone so its ready to go when i am. The cleaning solution actually breaks down dirt and grime. And the pad absorbs it deep inside. So, it prevents streaks and haze better than my old mop. Plus, its safe to use on all my floors, even wood. Glad i got that off my chest and the day off my floor. Try wet jet with a moneyback guarantee red lobsters endless shrimp is back for just fifteen ninety nine. Get all the shrimp you want, any way you want em. Ichrid more red lobsters endless shrimp is fifteen ninety nine. Hurry in. You have fastacting power over pain, so the whole world looks different. The unbeatable strength and speed of advil liquigels. What pain . Upbeat music no coverup spray here. Cheaper aerosols can cover up odors in a flowery fog. But febreze air effects eliminates odors. With a 100 natural propellent. It leaves behind a pleasant scent youll love. [ deep inhale] freshen up. Dont cover up. Febreze. Fixfinity internet and mobile, each for 30 a month. That equals awesome wifi from americas best Internet Provider and the best lte on the go. Its the ultimate coverage solution. Its all in the numbers. With Xfinity Mobile, youll save up to 800 a year on your wireless bill. You can even get 250 back. Dont miss out on xfinity internet and mobile, each for 30 a month. Plus, save up to 800 a year on your wireless bill with Xfinity Mobile. Xfinity makes saving. Simple. Easy. Awesome. Click, call, or visit a store today. In the human brain, billions of nefor people with parkinsons, some neurons change their tune, causing uncontrollable tremors. Now, abbott technology can target those exact neurons. Restoring control once thought to belost forever. The most personal technology is technology with the power to change your life. The Climate Change warning clear as day on the slopes of mount blanc. One of the worlds most iconic mountain ranges and also the battleground where rising temperatures are meeting vulnerable glaciers. Heres abcs James Longman with the race against time to protect a melting landscape. The highest peak to the right is the very top of mount blanc. Reporter its the highest mountain in western europe, spanning three countries, mount bl we travel by helicopter to reach mount blancs glacier, about 10,000 feet up. Remarkable up here. You do get a sense of just how much is changing and how fast. These deep cracks represent our planets latest Climate Change battleground. We often think of Climate Change as taking place on the outer reaches of our world, greenland, antarctica, islands in the indian ocean. But whats happening here on mount blanc shows that the changes are happening much closer to home. The glacier on the italian side of the mountain is breaking apart significantly faster than expected and could collapse at any moment, sending ice crashing into the town below. How fast is too fast, if you like . Because all glaciers move. Of course. But this glacier is moving quicker . Enormous speed for this glaci glacier. Would be about 10 centimeters te per day. Right now peaks at 1 meter per day so 10 times. Its 10 times as fast as it should be . Yeah, yeah. Reporter why . A warming climate, say scientists. 66 million gallons at risk of collapse. Thats about 100 frozen olympic swimming pools. This scientist monitors and studies the changing glaciers in the region. So this is it . This is where you do your work . He took us to his office in the outskirts of the area which sits directly underneath the glacier we flew over. Right now the different scenarios say the glacier will disappear under 3,500 meters. Which means the alps will have just maybe onethird or less of the glaciers that they have today. You could lose twothirds of the glaciers . Almost images of how a nearby glacier has changed over the past decade. 2004, theres still quite a lot of ice coming down and coming down in this flat area. But if we go to 2017, in just a few years, all this ice has disappeared and gone back up here in the rocks. A small bit of ice. The change is really drastic. Reporter he warns if we dont continue to make change, it could get much worse. We are working and will work more and more to let people know about the effects of Climate Change. If everybody will do this around the world, it would be a good point to start. Reporter the falling ice from mount blanc, a dangerous hazard. Water supplies for millions drying up. Livelihoods in the balance. This danger zone now evacuated. A main road closed. People here insist life will go on. Their experience is not isolated, its one of many melting glaciers around the world. Earlier this year i traveled to antarctic ka, ground zero for Climate Change. We have 12 years to fight the impacts of Climate Change. We have to act now. Reporter the frozen continent too harsh for humans struggling to cope with a humanaltered climate. Good morning. Welcome to antarctica. Reporter across the peninsula the ice season has shortened by more than three months over the last 40 years, and 87 of the glaciers here are receding. Its not just glaciers. The animals threatened as well. Today were going to look for humpback whales, minke whales. We want to biopsy and fly our drone over them to look at body condition and size. Yeah, i see it, yeah, right there. Its up now. Reporter these marine biologists have come from all over the United States to antarctica to study the pressures facing the humpback and minke whale populations. Biopsy samples are taken using a cross bow. This is the tip that will collect the skin and blubber sample from the whale. It will penetrate an inch, inch and a half into the whale and get some skin and blubber. This first sample we took for pollutant analysis. This sample cant go into the plastic sterile baggies because one of the contaminants were looking for is plastic contaminants. Reporter contaminants have made their way into the whales bodies, tendrils of man making their way into the seemingly Pristine Waters of antarctica. Were presenting issueses of life and death and they are often really serious. Being here, learning about the science, you get the sense this really is life or death. For all of us. Even sysre it. A to the markef w reporter a striking reminder of whats at stake. For nightline, im james long money in mount blanc. Next, repeat after me. You will not want to miss this next story. I have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Now, theres skyrizi. Things are getting clearer, yeah i feel free to bare my skin yeah thats all me. Nothing and me go hand in hand nothing on my skin thats my new plan. Nothing is everything. Keep your skin clearer with skyrizi. 3 out of 4 people achieved 90 clearer skin at 4 months. Of those, nearly so i justtsay 10is afr om notand lower your ability to fight them. Before treatment your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms such as fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches or coughs, or if you plan to or recently received a vaccine. Nothing is everything ask your dermatologist about skyrizi. Hendless shrimp even hotter . S you bring back Nashville Hot oh yeah its back. Crispy shrimp. Tossed in a spicy rub. And drizzled with sweet amber honey. More shrimp more ways. Endless shrimps just fifteen ninety nine. Hurry in. Blow a kiss, into the sun we need someone to lean on blow a kiss, into the sun all we need is somebody to lean on neses their from phone differently. Ouders thats why Xfinity Mobile lets you design your own data. Now you can share it between lines. Mix with unlimited, and switch it up at anytime so you only pay for what you need. Its a different kind of Wireless Network designed to save you money. Switch and save hundreds a year on your wireless bill. Plus get 250 back when you buy an eligible phone. Call, click, or visit a store today. Aaddiction. How juuline hooked kids and ignited an Public Health crisis. Other news outlets report juul took 12. 8 billion from big tobacco. Markets ecigarettes with kid friendly flavors and uses nicotine to addict them. 5 million kids use ecigarettes. Juul is following big tobaccos playbook. And now, juul is pushing prop c to overturn ecigarette protections. Vote no on juul. Finally tonight, the little boy and his worldchanging affirmation. I am smart. I am blessed. I can do anything. 3yearold aion brielle is starting off his day with pep in his step. His mom alisa teaching this toddler the threesentence afirm medication more than a year ago. Ready . Say, i am smart. I am smart. Smart. I am blessed. Blessed. I can do anything. Anything. Remembering that lesson to this day. I can do anything thats nightline. You can catch our full episodes on hulu. Thanks so much for the company, america. Good night