Costars. Why did Mark Wahlberg reportedly make over a Million Dollars for reshoots while costar Michelle Williams reportedly got less than 1,000 . A hollywood uproar. This is nbc nightly news with lester holt. Good evening, everyone. Thank you for joining us. Distraught family members and neighbors have joined the grim search under way in california tonight for the missing in neighborhoods swept away by mud slides. There have been some dramatic rescues today from homes that are up to their roof tops in mud. But also a rising death toll. At least 15 following this weeks torrential rains. More than a hundred homes destroyed. And for some of those trapped, time is running out. The disaster is taking place two hours north of los angeles in montecito. Thats where we start with our National Correspondent miguel almaguer. Reporter tonight in montecito, the heartbreak is as overwhelming as the i dont know where she is. Reporter this is where hayden gower is searching for his mother, 69yearold josie. The water and mud just flew in. It took them by surprise. Reporter the grandmother of three was home when a wall of mud barreled through her bedroom. I dont know how far she could have been swept. I dont know. I dont know where she is. Reporter in the hills outside santa barbara, neighbors, friends and family are searching for loved ones. At least 24 are unaccounted for. James and alice mitchell, retirees, were at home when the storm hit. I dont know where my parents are. Its a horrific feeling. Total devastation. The place looks like a war zone. Reporter rescue teams plucked more than 50 survivors after the powerful winter storm. We were there yesterday when firefighters Lauren Canton buried alive for more than six hours. I thought i was dead there for a minute there. Reporter friends say her mother was also rescued, but tonight laurens father and brother are missing, feared to have been washed away. The team that saved lauren is searching for her family today. Oprah winfrey posting on social media from her montecito home. Thats my neighbors house, devastated. And debris is everywhere. Reporter the first of at least 15 victims has been identified as roy roeder. His wife survived the slide. Tonight the rescue effort is growing more desperate. Hayden gower is running out of time. I dont know what to do. I dont know. I havent found her, so im going to do everything i can. Reporter at least a hundred homes have been damaged. And bathrooms buried under five feet of mud. Remember, this storm struck at 4 00 a. M. For those that made it outside, this is what they faced, massive boulders and a mud flow that stretched several city blocks. Even if you could get outside, many could not outrun this disaster. Lester . It is a remarkable and heartbreaking scene. Miguel almaguer tonight, thank you. Turning to another big story. President trump now casting doubt over whether he would submit to an interview in the special counsels russia probe and turning up the pressure on congress to hammer out a new deal on immigration with the clock ticking. Nbcs Peter Alexander has details for us. Reporter President Trump tonight refusing to say whether hed agree to a possible interview with special counsel Robert Mueller. Well see what happens. I mean, certainly, ill see what happens. But when they have no collusion and nobodys found any collusion at any level, it seems unlikely that youd even have an interview. Reporter that comment muddying the president s previous commitment to sit down with investigators i reporter the president again today repeatedly attacking his former rival, now 428 days removed from the 2016 election. Hillary. Hillary clinton. Hillary, my opponent. Welcome back to the studio. Nice to have you. Reporter the reality tv star turned president earlier giving the cabinet room a new nickname and reaffirming his desire to resolve the legal jeopardy facing nearly 18,000 undocumented immigrants or dreamers. We want to see something happen with daca. Its been spoken of for years. Reporter but later showing no willingness to budge on his top demand. We need the wall. We have to have the wall for security purposes. Security is number one. So the answer is have to have the wall. Reporter adding to the uncertainty, a federal judges decision overnight to temporarily block the administrations action to end the dhaka program. Nobody, not even the president of the united states, is above the law. Reporter the white house blasting the move at outrageous insist theyre increasingly optimistic theyll get a deal on daca. Before dawn today, federal immigration agents stormed nearly 100 7eleven Convenience Stores nationwide. A search for undocumented workers. More than 20 arrests in all. As for the president s insistence that an interview with the special counsel would seem unlikely, tonight a source familiar with the investigation tells nbc news, a sitdown with Robert Mueller is still under discussion. Peter alexander, thank you. Maybe its hit you or someone you know. Lets talk about the flu emergency now going from bad to worse across the country. The outbreak now widespread in 46 states. Over 40,000 cases, three times more than this time last year. Now theres a shortage of all things of i. V. Bags making it more difficult to get crucial fluids in dehydrated patients. We send nbc news medical correspondent dr. John torres, an e. R. Doc himself, to the front lines at mass general in boston. Reporter kyler healthy athlete in pennsylvania, now dead at 21. His mother in shock. I just think he ignored it and thought it would go away like most people. Reporter in new york a surge of patients hospitalized at montidies. You are coughing as well . Reporter across the country, a dire situation as flu tightens its grip in almost every state stretching resources thin. I need you to bring some gatorade. Reporter at bostons mass general today many patients who need critical fluids are getting gatorade instead of an i. V. Were at alltime low. Reporter the bags are in short supply at hospitals everywhere after Hurricane Maria slammed major manufacturing plants in puerto rico. Are you getting new supplies at all . Right now in the small bag products, were not getting any new supplies. Reporter none. So that the flu impact is going to make it even worse. Could make it worse. With the flu trends were seeing so far, were very worried. Reporter worry this Ambulance Service scrambling to keep up with a 600 increase in calls for help. Healthcare workers there considering triage tents like these popping up across california, trying to handle the spike in flu cases. And from kylers grieving father, this warning. Whenever you have fever and you have it multiple days, just dont let it go. Just get it taken care of. Reporter today the fda said its still not too late to get your flu shot. Even though it might not protect you 100 , it can alleviate your symptoms. With the i. V. Fluid shortage, its especially important that everyone do everything they can to stay healthy. Lester . Dr. John torres in boston tonight, thank you. Tonight theres a new push to solve one of the worlds most baffling mysteries. Where is Malaysia Flight 370 . Its been nearly four years since that plane vanished with few traces found even after a massive search that lasted three years and a price tag of 160 million. Now the malaysian government has agreed to pay an eyepopping reward if its found. Nbcs tom costello has been covering this story from the beginning. Reporter in the vastness of a southern indian ocean, a new strategy to find mh370. Texasbased Ocean Infinity will send eight underwater drones to search 9,000 square miles, roughly the size of vermont. But unlike the previous searches, these drones would not be tethered to the surface. Without the cable, you get less noise, so the quality of the data is better. Reporter today the malaysian government agreed to pay Ocean Infinity up to 70 million but only if it finds the plane within 90 days. Most important, they must find the debris field. Reporter malaysia 370 disappeared march while pieces of wreckage washed ashore in the western indian ocean, a threeyear search failed to find the plane itself, investigators calling it almost inconceivable. The new search ship will release underwater drones that can descend more than three miles beneath the surface with new sonars, sensors and cameras. Weve had a longer time now to look and review and analyze the data, and that should give us a better area to search in than weve had in the past. Reporter tonight, renewed hope of solving the worlds haunting aviation mystery. Tom costello, nbc news, boston. Now to a story weve been reporting on, the scandal rocking the Veterans Affairs administration. More than three years after a major uproar, wait times at some v. A. Hospitals are once again intolerable. Some patients in eastern colorado are waiting more than a month for appointments. The problem officials blame on higher demand, higher than ever. Gabe gutierrez has the story from denver. Reporter after serving in the army for seven years allison bush now suffers from nerve damage and is worried [000 10 58;00] everything was falling apart. I couldnt take care of my kids. I couldnt do my job. Reporter she says shes waited 3 1 2 months for a primary care appointment at her local v. A. And another 60 days for an mri. Is that acceptable . No, absolutely not, not when its either that or nothing. What are you supposed to do . Reporter the average wait for primary care appointmentings at the denver v. A. Has stopped 42 days, thats nearly twice the national average. Denver leads the nation with the longest delays, even worse than the main facility in phoenix where a wait time scandal first erupted in 2014. Delays there are believed to have contributed to patient death. Now the agency has promised Greater Transparency with Data Available online. In denver, wait times are reviewed every morning. In october we completed 10,350 appointments. Reporter sallie houserhanfeld the vas eastern colorado healthcare system. My highest priority is getting access fixed. Reporter she attributes the long wait times to a perfect storm in denver. 11,000 new veterans seeking care in the past two years and the shortage of doctors and nurses. Working toward getting it down has taken us a long time. And we need to speed up our process. Reporter that process is working for retired air force pilot dennis orr who has had three knee surgeries. I would take the v. A. Care over any other place, hands down. Reporter but for allison bush, the wait for that care is agonizing. People need help. They need help. They served our country. I mean, you asked them to put their lives on the line, now you cant take care of their lives once theyre back. Ridiculous. Reporter years after a scandal, she wonders what the v. A. Is waiting for. Now to the pay gap [000 12 58;00] taking center stage in hollywood tonight after reports that an alist actor, called back for reshoots, made over a thousand times more than his alist costar for doing the same thing. Some big stars speaking out and speaking their minds. We get more on all of it from nbcs kristen dahlgren. I have no money to spare. Reporter tonight outrage over all the money in the world and all the money star Mark Wahlberg reportedly made compared to costar Michelle Williams. Set my boy free. Reporter according to usa today, wahlberg earned 1. 5 million for reshooting scenes in the movie while williams earned less than 1,000 in per diem fees for her retakes. The doovers necessary after kevin spacey was dropped from the film and replaced by Christopher Plummer amid allegations of spaceys sexual misconduct. Hollywood stars were quick to weigh in. Jessica chastain tweeting she deserves more than 1 of her male costars salary. Sophia bush calling it hard evidence of gender gap negotiated by the same agents, no less. Williams and wahlberg are both represented by William Morris endeavor. Neither the agency nor its stars have responded to requests for comment. I was told she was aware of the disparity. Did she agree because she was facing a choice of do it for this month or there will be no movie. Reporter last month director ridley scott told usa today everyone did the reshoots for nothing. In previous interviews williams said she was willing to waive her salary to save the film. Ive just been heartsick for weeks thinking about how this thing that we loved making was going to be all for naught. Reporter many now asking if all the money should have given more to its female costar. Kristen dahlgren, nbc news, new york. Still ahead, the teacher making National Headlines after video showed a law officer handcuffing her. Tonight she speaks to us exclusively. The growing anger over the nightmare pileup at major airports. Anger over vo more dper rollres for mom more doing chores for dad per roll more earning something you love per roll bounty is more absorbent, so the roll can last 50 longer than the leading ordinary brand. So you get more life per roll. Bounty the quicker picker upper. Eight hundred dollars when wet switched our auto and home insurance. With liberty, we could afford a real babysitter instead of your brother. Hey. Oh. Thats my robe. Is it . You could save seven hundred eighty two dollars when liberty stands with you. Liberty mutual insurance. Get ready for centrum microworkouts. The bottle curl. The twist n turn. The stretch n grab. The gummy squish. Centrum micronutrients fuel your body from the inside out. Grab a centrum and join in. Repeat daily. Best. We like cage free, and which ones are more flavorful . Only egglands best. We prefer organic, and which have more vitamins and less saturated fat . Only egglands best. Better taste, better nutrition, better eggs. Replace the full value of your totaled new car. The guy says, you picked the wrong insurance plan. No, i picked the wrong insurance company. With new car replacement™, well replace the full value of your car plus depreciation. Liberty mutual insurance. Were back now with our exclusive interview with the teacher in that video thats been sparking some outrage. Shes speaking to us after cameras caught her being escorted from a School Board Meeting and handcuffed by an officer for questioning why her boss was getting a raise. Nbcs Tammy Leitner has her story. What are you doing . Reporter teacher deesh sha hargrave is still shaken from this moment. I was seriously panicked. Ive never been handcuffed in my life. Reporter when she was removed from a School Board Meeting, cuffed and booked. Stop resisting. Im pretty upset that no one stopped it from happening. Reporter the middle School Teacher says she questioned the superintendents 30,000 raise during the meeting. How are you going to take that money that is basically taken out of the pockets of teachers . Reporter standing up for her fellow teachers who have not had a pay increase in about a decade. It just felt like it was a slap in the face to everyone i work with every day. Reporter this meeting now prompting death threats. The calls that are not threats are obscene, horrible, even criticizing my staff. Reporter School Board PresidentAnthony Fontana says no one ordered the city marshal to remove the teacher, but fontana defended his actions. He was ushering her out of the Board Meeting and she resisted. Reporter arrest records show hargrave was booked into the city jail for resisting an officer and remaining on premises. The city Prosecutor Says no charges will be filed. What are you doing . Reporter hargrave has a hard time looking at the video. And i teacher fifth and sixth graders. I wasnt sure how they would feel about it. Reporter but after the support shes received from the community, she says she will continue to fight. Its sad that a woman has too be forcibly, violently removed from a Board Meeting for people to start caring. Reporter Tammy Leitner, nbc news. N about tonight. Coming up, top dogs. Why the competition for best in show is getting even fiercer. And hes a cop and a caped crusader, bringing joy to very brave kids. Aped what is the power of pacific . Bringing joy to very brave kids. Help you reach your goals. Its having the confidence to create the future thats most meaningful to you. Its protection for generations of families, and 150 years of strength and stability. And when youre able to harness all of that, thats the power of pacific. Ask a Financial Advisor about pacific life. Youre so cold, come in whats wrong . Its dry. Your scalp . Mine gets dry in the winter too. Try head and shoulders dry scalp care it nourishes the scalp and. Keeps you up to 100 flake free head and shoulders dry scalp care essential for vinyl, but maybe not for people with rheumatoid arthritis. Because there are options. Like an unjection™. Xeljanz xr. A once daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. Xeljanz xr can reduce pain, swelling and further joint damage, even without methotrexate. Xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma and other cancers have happened. Dont start xeljanz xr if you have an infection. Tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. Your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz xr, and monitor certain liver tests. Tell your doctor if you were in a region where fungal infections are common and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. Needles. A must for vinyl. But for you, one pill a day may provide symptom relief. Ask your doctor about xeljanz xr. An unjection™. Coaching means making tough choices. Jim youre in but when you have high Blood Pressure simple. Coricidin hbp is the 1 brand that gives powerful cold symptom relief without raising your Blood Pressure. Coricidin hbp. Tomorrow, its a day filled with promise and new beginnings, challenges and opportunities. At ameriprise financial, we cant predict what tomorrow will bring. But our comprehensive approach to Financial Planning can help make sure youre prepared for whats expected and even whats not. And that kind of Financial Confidence can help you sleep better at night. With the right Financial Advisor, life can be brilliant. Continuing chaos for new yorks jfk airport now several days after a blizzard struck and a water main break forced a terminal to be evacuated, more than 5,000 bags separated from their owners remain piled up some outside in the melting snow. Some travelers have been told it will take up to two weeks to get their luggage back. Now former transportation secretary ray lahood has been tapped to lead an investigation into this mess. And some new top dogs are joining an exclusive club. The American Kennel Club is welcoming two new breeds to its roster. The First Edition since 2016. And there are the names right up there on your screen. Usual spellings and pronunciations. Thats the good news. The bad news is they wont be eligible to compete in the Westminster Kennel Club show until next year. This one might leave you a little mistyeyed. 8yearold Bridget Kelly in massachusetts got a big welcome from hundreds of fellow students, parents, teachers, Even Police Officers on her first day back at School Following a 15month battle with leukemia. After a stemcell transplant mom says bridgets cancer is now in remission. We hope its a Great School Year for her. Well take a short break. When we come back, the superhero who also carries a badge. A special mission for kids. Those who serve is next. Cial m fast like stop staring atcaps help youthe clock fast,st, like stop worrying about your boss fast, like wow, youre already asleep fast. When life keeps you up. Zzzquil helps you fall asleep in as little as 20 minutes. You may be at increased risk for pneumococcal pneumonia, that can take you out of the game for weeks, even if youre healthy. Pneumococcal pneumonia is a potentially serious bacterial lung disease that in severe cases can lead to hospitalization. It may hit quickly, without warning, causing you to miss out on the things you enjoy most. Prevnar 13® is not a treatment for pneumococcal pneumonia. Its a vaccine you can get to help protect against it. Prevnar 13® is approved for adults to help prevent infections from 13 strains of the bacteria that cause pneumococcal pneumonia. You should not receive prevnar 13® if you have had a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine or its ingredients. If you have a weakened immune system, you may have a lower response to the vaccine. Redness and swelling at the injection site, limited arm movement, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, less appetite, vomiting, fever, chills, and rash. Help protect yourself against pneumococcal pneumonia. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about prevnar 13®. Alright, i brought in high protein to help get us moving. And help you feel more strength and energy in just two weeks ill take that. Yeeeeeah ensure high protein. With 16 grams of protein and 4 grams of sugar. Ensure. Always be you. No one burns on heartburn. My watch try alka seltzer ultra strength heartburn relief chews. With more acidfighting power than tums chewy bites. Mmmmm. Amazing. I have heartburn. Ultra strength from alka seltzer. Enjoy the relief. Its a like, a dagger . A worm a tiny sword . Bread. Breadstick . A matchstick a lamppost coin slot 10 seconds. A stick a Walking Stick eiffel tower, Mount Kilimanjaro ding time sorry, its a tandem bicycle. What . What . as long as sloths are slow, you can count on geico saving folks money. Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. Finally tonight, hes kind of like the clark kent of policemen. A mild mannered patrolman in one of americas largest cities who springs for kids who face the kind of predicaments that we cant call 911 for. Hes a true supercop and one of those who serve. He is one of americas everyday heroes, a cop protecting the streets of ft. Worth, texas, but beneath the uniform and badge lies the heart of a superhero. On the job, he is officer damon cole Whose Community outreach, appearing as superheroes at local kids events, morphed into something more meaningful. Taking this fulltime cop and father on Heroic Missions using his days off to visit Sick Children wherever superheroes are needed. What prompted you to do this . As a Police Officer you deal with every walk of life. And i was trying to think of a better way to have a better rapport with these kids. Reporter even traveling to visit this Pediatric Hospital in new york. Ive been to 20 states and seen over a thousand kids. Take an emotional toll on you because you are seeing, in some cases, very sick kids and some kids that arent going to make it. It does. God gives me the strength to keep doing what im doing. I look at my little girl, my daughter savannah, and shes my motivation to do what i do. Reporter while he receives some donations, the trips and costumes are largely selffunded. A small price to pay, says cole, for lighting up young lives during rough times and for reminding kids that not all superheroes wear a mask and cape, some just wear a badge. I always tell them when i meet them, i said, did you know that youre batmans hero. And they look at me in shock. And im like, youre my hero. I mean, you get up every day and keep fighting for your life. And they really are the heroes. Reporter our thanks to a viewer who tipped us off to this story via our facebook page. And if you know someone who serves that we should k hear from you, too. That is nightly news for this wednesday night. Im lester holt. And for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. Nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. There are two types of people in the world. Those who fear the future. And those who embrace it. The future is for the unafraid. All because of you you love randal moore. Stop pretending. Its just easier. Was that their most intense scene yet . Access breaks down the this is us family crisis. If anything i think shes