>> president trump calling for houses of worship to reopen this weekend. deeming them essential and threatening to override governors with the move. welcome to america's news headquarters, i'm alicia acuna in denver. leland: great to be with you at home. i'm leland vittert in washington. the c.d.c. has new guidance wore houses of worship, a beautiful summer or i guess spring saturday, hi, mark. >> we'll call it summer, why not? the president is calling for

religious facilities to reopen, churches, synagogues and mosques. it's important to point out there's not one national lockdown. instead up to each governor what to do going forward, but that did not stop the president from making these comments on friday. >> governors to allow our churches and places of worship to open right now. if there's any questions they're going to have to call me and they're not going to be successful in that call. these are places that hold our society together and keep our people united. >> the white house was asked what would happinessly if this was to be challenged. they say they're not answering hypotheticals, but the group interfaith alliance which advocates for the separation of church and state blasted the president. >> the president is wrong plain and simple to order be opened up without guidelines and necessary precautions flies in the face of

medical and scientific advice. avoid from the pandemic, politics remains top of mind in washington and there's another battle brewing between the president and former attorney general jeff sessions. sessions, you may know is in a runoff for his old senate seat in alabama to get the republican nomination and calling out president trump by name, something he hasn't been doing lately. this is what he's doing quietly, donald trump, look, i know your anger, but recusal was by law, it resulted in your exoneration, your persons don't predict who will pick as senator, the people of alabama do. and alabama it set to have a runoff in july and the president has endorsed not sessions, but the former football coach down there. and the latest back and forth, we'll see if it impacts the race. as for the president, nothing is scheduled. 's not the white house, instead at his golf club this virginia,

the first time we've seen him make that trip since march. leland: a beautiful day to do it. >> leland, more states are easing their restrictions and giving the green light to reopen some of their beaches, parks and businesses in time for memorial day weekend. christina coleman is live with the latest. hi, christina. >> hi. well, all the states have lifted restrictions in some capacity and yesterday, memorial weekend added new reopening measures from florida's lifting restrictions on youth activities and summer camps to new jersey reopening its public and private recreational campgrounds. here in california we're in phase two of reopening, people can be on the beaches as long as they keep moving and operate social distancing, and offices and some entertainment studios can reopen with special distancing in place. some beaches in new york reopening with restrictions. the jersey shore beaches already having visitors though there's no arcades, rides or any special

concerts as people try to remain safe, and do the social distancing. and in florida, governor ron desantis approved a reopening plan submitted by universal orlando. the company announcing it will reopen its theme parks on june 5th. the first of orlando's parks to announce a reopening date since the theme parks closed back in mid march. the u.s. leads in confirmed cases of the virus with more than 1.6 million cases. president trump attributing that high number to the increased number of testing and accurate reporting in the u.s. compared to other countries. alicia. >> christina coleman in los angeles. leland: the department of justice had a few things to say about what's happening. water parks in mississippi open on monday, even though the safer at home until next month. and now joining us with jackson,

mississippi, tate reeves. explain to us, you're having some things open, but the safer at home order extended. >> well, we're doing a phased-in approach. we're trying to get our economy back reopened. basically in mississippi today, the only venues that are not currently open are entertainment facilities that are indoors. and so, we left the safer at home order in effect for one more week because within our safer at home order, we do have a shelter in place guidelines for those that are in the most vulnerable population. those over the age of 65 and those who have compromised immune systems, this particular virus is much more cruel to that population than it is to others. leland: yeah, we're looking at pictures right now. some of the casinos down in the cities along the gulf coast that remained closed. churches in your state are able to have worship services on sunday, my understanding, and we saw a pretty devastating scene

with that church being burned and hateful messages sprawled there in spray paint. it makes you hark back to the images of churches burning in mississippi which has a terrible history with that. any idea on who did this? is this an isolated incident? organized? where do things go from here and stand on the investigation? >> well, the investigation is ongoing, but it certainly appears to be that this particular church and some of the locals have had a challenging history, to say the least. and the fact. matter is, in mississippi we made it very clear, very early on, that no governmental entity, the state government, the local government, cannot shut down churches in our state because we believe in the united states constitution and we believe that it gives us the freedom to-- freedom of religious, now, i've worked with pastors throughout our state and talked to them virtually every single day and encouraged them to be smart where we don't spread the virus and our pastors in mississippi are great.

what happened in holly springs makes me angry and wonder what's going on in this country and quite frankly, makes me believe we all need to pray more and ask in almighty god to protect us through the challenging times. >> i know it's something you took personally and we saw your tweets about it as well. moving on to where mississippi goes from here, no secret that mississippi economically has its challenges, historically has had challenges and often is the first to get hit and the last to recover. where are you on trying to bring back so many of these jobs that are going to be lost, not necessarily because of the closure order, but because of the greater economic effects across the country? >> well, let me just say this, there are almost 250,000 mississippiens have filed for unemployment insurance over the last 10 weeks, just to put that in perspective the week before we received our first case, less than 11,000 mississippians

filed. we had an economy that was booming prior to the coronavirus and we believe we can bring it back. we've got to do some things, invest in our small businesses, we've passed a plan to get them back operating and functioning and a work force development training plan. leland: real quick and this may tie into what you're just talking there. 250,000 applications for unemployment. how many of those folks are now actually getting unemployment checks? nationally we keep hearing there are millions, if not more than 10 million people who have applied who are unemployed and can't get a check. is that a problem in mississippi? >> it certainly was a problem early on. we went from, again, we went from less than 1,000 to almost 45,000 in one week at its peak and so, it took us a while to scale up, but now we have our employment security commission is working hard and we've scaled

up and people are able to get through. what we're seeing now as more and more of the economy reopens, more and more people are going back to work. we had less than 200,000 actually file for weekly benefits this week and so, obviously, it ran up to over 250,000, but now it's coming back down as more and more of the economy reopens. that's a message that we have to send across it country particularly to those governors that don't want to reopen their states. the fact of the matter is, we have to reopen our states because while we have a public health crisis in our country, and we have an economic crisis and it can do more damage long-term and even this current virus that is certainly wreaking havoc throughout our nation. >> governor, we appreciate it. we'll have you back to talk about the small business initiatives and work training you're putting through the house there. we appreciate your time, sir. >> thank you for having me. god bless. leland: a lot more on the crohn's response and the-- coronavirus response and the

c.d.c. with dr. deborah birx, fox news sunday. howard kurtz and his guest look at the fallout from joe biden's comment. media buzz breaks it down at 11 a.m. eastern tomorrow. >> as we prepare to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice. memorial day will look different this year as many stay home and practice social distancing. joining us to talk about this is veterans affair, robert wilke, for joining us. we appreciate it. before we talk about how we commemorate memorial day. i'd like to talk about something that happened in the last 24 hours. in a back and forth between your department and senate minority leader chuck schumer, it came to light that approximately 1300 veterans have been treated with hydroxychloroquine. and i'd like to put up a statement that senator schumer gave in response to this. he said, quote, we need to know

what the basis was for using this drug against the consensus of science, which called into question its effectiveness in treating covid-19. we also need to know who is authorizing these new trials, what facilities are participating and what families are being told. secretary, i'd like to give you an opportunity here to respond there. the first question, who did authorize these new trials? and should there be concern? >> let me take a step back with the senate democratic leader. i think he's trying to divert attention. he knows better than anyone that we use this drug on a daily basis, 42,000 doses a day. we use the drug in coordination with guidance that we received from f.d.a. and senator schumer voted for the right to try act, which is underlying our efforts when it comes to doing everything we can to save life and prolong life. we do this, we've used this drug in conjunction, not only with

the f.d.a., but our doctors and in conjunction with families and veterans. we're doing everything that we can to try to preserve life and we follow guidelines. the other thing i would also note, is that on the day i was on fox a few weeks ago, senator schumer's own governor, the governor of new york, was asking the president of the united states for tens of thousands of doses. and i also want to note for senator schumer he is conveniently skipping a lot of facts in this argument at the same time that he has been silent in seven languages about the thousands and thousands of deaths that have occurred in his own back yard because of mismanagement of nursing homes. so, i want to put this in the context of someone trying to deflect attention from what is going on in one's own back yard. >> do you have an update on the 1300 just big picture, how things have gone? >> well, we've used this drug,

normally we've used it as a last effort to keep people alive. what those studies did not investigate were the underlying medical conditions that these veterans were facing. in the original report we used this in the last hours of a veteran's life in the hopes that it could prolong that life and again, if you've been in the military or you've been in va since 1955, we've all used it. we know its side effects and as with any drug, even aspirin, there will be someone who has a negative reaction to that drug. but we're going to continue to work under f.d.a. guidelines. that's the science. and i would also note that dr. fauci himself, someone i sit with in the national coronavirus task force, is conducting the same kinds of trials in his institute that we are. >> okay. and just before we run out of time, i really want to make sure we talk about this weekend and the importance of memorial day

and it's looking so different this weekend. >> sure. >> can you explain what's being done? >> well, we've never closed our cemeteries, alicia, all 142 are open. the only difference is that we haven't allowed large groups of people come celebrate. we issued a joint statement with our friends in the boy scouts who are usually out there planting flags, they will be tied into our veterans legacy project, which all of our veterans in our development tris have a biography on our website. at 3:00 on memorial day, they will all be in their uniforms, standing at attention, listening to a bugler blow tapsment we'll have the flags out, but it will be our people putting them down and we ask people to remember that the american warrior is a unique person in history. the only warrior in history who's offered a helping hand not only to the people he's bound to serve, but to the enemies that he fought and i think that's a

legacy that all americans can be proud of. >> it's so easy to forget the real reason for the day. so many folks get caught up in their barbecues and enjoying the sunshine and all of that, but is really is important, it's a solemn days, an important day. i want to make sure that everybody knows that on monday, you, secretary, will preside over the wreath laying at quantico in virginia, and we appreciate it and hope folks remember. >> thank you for reminding people what memorial day is about. >> thank you. leland. leland: investigators have recovered or are now examining the black boxes from a pakistan international airport flight that crashed on friday. here is video from the aftermath. where 97 passengers and crew members died and when the plane crashed into a crowded karachi neighborhood. two passengers survived the crash. a survivor says there was a sudden jolt when the plane was trying to land. the pilot had warned that the landing would be, quote, troublesome. moments later, the plane hit the

ground, bursting into flames. although investigators right now say it's too early to determine the cause of the crash. >> a combat medic and medal of honor recipient joins to us talk about the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. that's next. hey, can i... hold on one second... sure. okay... okay! safe drivers save 40%!!! guys! guys! check it out. safe drivers save 40%!!! safe drivers save 40%! safe drivers save 40%!!! that's safe drivers save 40%. it is, that's safe drivers save 40%. - he's right there. - it's him! he's here. he's right here. - hi! - hi. hey! - that's totally him. - it's him! that's totally the guy. safe drivers do save 40%. click or call for a quote today.

balanced nutrition for strength and energy. whoo-hoo! great tasting ensure with 9 grams of protein, 27 vitamins and minerals, and nutrients to support immune health. and nutrients to overnight, they became our offices, schools and playgrounds. all those places out there are now in here. that's why we're still offering fast, free two day shipping on thousands of items. even the big stuff. and doing everything it takes to ensure your safety. so you can make your home... everything you need it to be. wayfair. way more than furniture.

the xfinity voice remote will find exactly that.for, happy stuff. the group's happy, i'm happy. you can even say a famous movie quote and it will know the right movie. circle of trust, greg. relax, the needles are jumping. you can learn something new any time. education. and if you're not sure what you're looking for, say... surprise me. just ask "what can i say" to find more of what you love with the xinity voice remote.

>> we have live pictures coming in of the remnants of a warehouse fire on san francisco's fisherman's wharf. the fire broke out early this morning. the fire department department officials say this they have no reported injuries. more than 130 firefighters were called in to fight the flames. an unusual memorial day weekend during the covid-19 pandemic, and the nation is finding new ways to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. lucas tomlinson is at the pentagon with the details. >> that's right, alicia. a very unusual memorial day weekend here at arlington national cemetery located a short distance away. without the thousands that usually come to pay respects. yesterday, president trump paid this respect to those who made the ultimate sacrifice. >> they laid down their lives to

ensure the survival of american freedom. their names are etched forever into the hearts of our people and memory of our nation and some of you it's been very close, very, very close, it's very close to your heart. we'll cherish them and our goldstar families for all time. we take good care of them, they're very special to us. >> amid the coronavirus pandemic, arlington will only be open to families with special passes this year so they can honor their loved ones. several thousand family members are expect today attend, memorial day began in 1868, consolation to the members of the public, arlington national cemetery has posted pictures to their page and videos online. and the first aviator to become chief paid reflects. >> i was honored to recognize the flag-in hosted by the old guard at arlington national

cemetery. this tradition has taken annually since it was a ceremonial unit in 1948. secretary esper and joint chiefs of staff, mark milley are expected in arlington before going up to join the president. alicia: thank you, lucas. leland. leland: and receiving a medal of honor as a combat medic in the vietnam war and his story has been captured in a book. gary joins us now from his home in rochester, new york. we appreciate you being with us, sir. thank you. >> thank you. leland: what are the enduring lessons that go from your time in vietnam where you stayed behind against incredible odds and an enemy that far outnumbered you guys and wanted to overrun you. what are the lessons from that that now apply in today's world? >> i think one of the lessons

that sticks with me the most is-- was taught to me boy a young boy, a 15-year-old that when i first got to the camp i told him that i was afraid of being in the jungle because i hated tigers and snakes and he needed to teach me to be able to survive. he laughed at me and he said i don't want you to teach you how to survive, i want to teach you how to live. he said because the jungle is our way of life. the jungle provides life for us. so the time i was with him, he enabled me to learn how to live in the midst of something that was uncertain, something that i feared, something that threatened me. he taught me how to live, rather than just survive. and especially during the many challenges that all of us faced in life, i think that's an important lesson is that no matter what we go through. if we look for things that are able to be positive, things that we can use as a strength, those things can help us get through those challenges and then we

will live rather than just survive through that challenge. leland: give me a couple of the things that kept you focused on learning to live and how you learned to live in the jungle and then through those dark days and nights where your actions received the medal of honor. >> i think there was probably mainly one thing and that's the thing we tried to highlight in our book. blaze of light. and whether it was in vietnam or living in a cave in new hampshire for a year and a half, it was love. it was the love that the mountain yard people had for me. it was the love that made that village a home. it was the love that in the midst of a war and in the jungle brought me a peace and a sense of community, a sense of belonging and it was that same love, experience of love that helped me learn how to live again and survive as i was

living in that cave. leland: that's such a -- that one word and that one message carries us through so many things spiritually or places where you learned it as well. i'm interested in how we express those feelings and our appreciation in your mind to the families that have given so much and sacrificed, goldstar families this weekend? how do we express that when we can't go celebrate their family members in a way we all have to do it from home. how is it best expressed in your mind? >> in my mind. one of the things i went to the cave to do was to try to forget about the war, believing if i could just forget about it, that would make me better. that would be healing, but i think what i learned, i know what i've learned in that cave is that forgetting is not getting better. getting better is finding someone to love you, to help you remember and honor a loved one

that meant so much to you. so i think that any way we can to be able to provide a message to those who have lost loved ones, that their loved one is not forgotten. that forgetting is not getting better. getting better is sharing love, finding someone who agreed with you. finding someone who will honor the memory of your loved one. leland: i think about the friends i have lost and remembering with their families the good times and what they fought and what they died for was so important. gary, we appreciate you coming in, the book is "blaze of light", a message for the time that we're in today. all the best. >> thank you very much. leland: alicia. alicia: memorial day marks the unofficial start of summer. just in time some beaches across the country are reopening. arabia hutney is looking how things are different.

>> they're opening for memorial day weekend and new york city beaches are open sort of, we'll explain and why it could be dangerous coming up. don't bring that mess around here, evan! whoo! don't do it. don't you dare. i don't think so! [ sighs ] it's okay, big fella. we're gonna get through this together. [ baseball bat cracks ] nice rip, robbie. ♪ raaah! when you bundle home and auto insurance through progressive, you get more than just a big discount. i'm gonna need you to leave. you get relentless protection. [ baseball bat cracks ]

you get relentless protection. i but what i do count on...ts anis boost high protein...rs, and now, there's boost mobility... ...with key nutrients to help support... joints, muscles, and bones. try boost mobility, with added collagen.

>> as we kick off memorial day weekend, some beaches across the country are reopening with a few restrictions. aishah hasnie live at coney island where it says on the teleprompter that visitors are enjoying the sand, but not the surf. it looks like you're by yourself because it's range. >> leland, i have the entire beach to myself. i don't think it's a good thing, but it is what it is. it's memorial day weekend and, yes, the beach is technically open, sort of, and here is why. let me show you. so walking, running, exercising, sitting, that's all allowed, but then gathering and sporting situations like volleyball, that's prohibited and also

swimming is prohibited because there aren't any lifeguards on duty. in fact, a man drown off rockaway beach and friday. this has been an unpopular decision by the mayor here, but it's just way too risky to allow crowds on new york city beaches. >> i think it's very important that we go slowly and carefully with the beaches and i think we're in the right place right now to say there won't be swimming, there won't be lifeguards on duty, there won't be gatherings, there won't be sports. we're going to be very cautious. >> now, beaches around new york city are reopening though, that includes the jersey shore. in fact, some new jersey beaches reopened last weekend to some pretty large crowds. governor murphy increasing the gatherings from 10 to 25 with social distancing. festivals and concerts though, they're still prohibited. this comes as new jersey is second in coronavirus deaths in the entire country. pennsylvania led the country in

one-day deaths yesterday. governor tom wolf there asking residents not to travel to the jersey shore over fears that people will bring the virus back to that state. >> the concern we all ought to have is, again, with the virus, not with the regulation. you know, you go anywhere where you're going to be in close contact with other people for whatever reason, you're taking your life into your own hands. personally, i'm not going to the beach. leland: now, some florida and california beaches have reopened. hundreds of people laying out on venice beach yesterday, surfing, eating, shopping, this is what memorial day is supposed to look like. coney island not looking like that this weekend. now, leland, i know you're concerned, probably, about what he is going to happen with nathan's hot dog heeating conte, classic america, a decision has not been made yet. they have not canceled it yet. i believe they'll make an announcement sometime this

coming week, leland. leland: we will anxiously await that and quick, what about the vendors on coney island on the boardwalk? there are no customers, but are they allowed to open? >> they are. we did actually smell some fries earlier. i believe that came from nathan's. so folks are able to walk the boardwalk, but they have to keep moving and that's the problem, can't sit around. >>. leland: you can eat a funnel cake while you walk slowly. aishah hasnie, we'll check back with you. alicia: all 50 states are at least partially open this weekend, each with its own unique timeline. let's bring in two lawmakers on the front lines of the covid-19. from the mayor from aurora, colorado, and thank you. mayor, i want folks to know you served a come wind--

combined 20 years, and thank you so much. first off, how is aurora doing as it begins to open? the city of aurora was hit so hard in terms of revenue and the people who live there just like so many other cities. how is it going? >> well, it is tough. we've had certainly hardships from job losses and how it's impacted families. inability to pay rent and food insecurity problems, so, the city certainly is rising up with our state and federal counterparts to address those issues, to help small businesses weather this storm, to provide rental assistance and to have a mobile food pantry program to distribute food to those in need. >> in fact, your city does have now a rental assistance program that helps folks for two months? that's amazing. >> yes. what we want to do is, you know,

prevent mass evictions, although evictions are suspended right now in the state of colorado, as soon as we come out of this crisis, they're going to be -- they're going to start up again. during the depth of this crisis, we're trying to help family weather the storm with two months of rent. >> and executive kern, i have questions about the beaches. nassau is part of long island and so i'm wondering about your concern that the beaches begin to open up and the people begin to flock as they feel this unofficial start to summer. how is it going? >> right, so nassau county is the first county in long island right next to new york city and we're following the governor's rule for 50% capacity at the beaches. so, i made sure that i put my residents first there and my priority and we're giving them priority. if it's only 50%, we're allowing nassau residents until new york city sides it's safe and enforceable to get to their 50%.

alicia: that's tough. you're considering your proximity and propensity for folks to just get upon a train and get in a car and travel. how concerned are you about that? >> well, i've spoken with the governor of new york city and completely understand his rational, his beaches are smaller and a lot more dense and people normally get there by public transportation. our beaches are bigger, they drive, it's easier to enforce that 50%. when he deems it safe to open his beaches, we're going to open ours to everyone again, but i have to give my people priority. alicia: right, of course. mayor kaufman, how is it that your city is planning to handle folks that don't pay attention to the warnings, don't wear the ppe's, they just go into crowded areas, into parks and the like? >> well, we are still maneuvering through the process of opening up, so, that would be a nice problem to have in a way, but we're not there yet. our governor though is--

has announced, will announce in probably about a week or so that he's going to devolve, a lot to the local county level and that's the flexibility we need in terms of each business having its own plan to safely reopen and so, we are in that process of opening up and so, i think we're about halfway there. >> okay. and executive kern, that a tough thing to enforce, especially when you're talking multiple municipalities and trying to get people to follow the rules? >> you know, our people have opinion amazing in gnaw nassau county. i've spoken to them and

forward-thinking. phase one of long island, i know that everybody is ready to get back to what our new normal will be. alicia: absolutely. we hope people keep their heads about them. thank you for joining us on this saturday. >> thank you. alicia: leland. leland: hertz rental car company filed for bankruptcy. the major amount of travel and debt as well. hertz laid off 12,000 workers and furloughed 4,000 more in late march. if you have a hertz reservations be sure to check with them. alicia: and community banded together to protect their tradition of honoring veterans. we'll tell you how coming up.

>> for decades, folks in becks county, pennsylvania have placed flags on the veterans graves.

law enforcement and veterans called the blue knights, you can see them there on their convoy. hear with us blue knights member, retired police officer u.s. army veteran louis gonzalez. as we watched the slingshot make their way through town, what were we seeing? >> we were escorting 50,000 flags we picked up from flagstone company. they finally got a waiver and release form to give out the flags to our county, at which time we were called the blue knights law enforcement motorcycle club was called to give a good presidential escort for the flags to make sure they're secured. leland: so there's 50,000 flags you picked up from the flag company. where do they go and what happens to them? >> after we picked them up, we went over to the berks county veterans affairs. they will be in a secured

facility. they would be handed out starting the day after, which was wednesday, and all the cemeteries will come out to the location and pick out the amount of flags that they needed for their grave sites. we have, like i said, we have multiple graves, cemeteries with at least 50,000 veterans. >> so 50,000 veterans in berks county that will now have flags on their graves. what are you doing differently for memorial day. arlington says only family members can come into the cemeteries. have you had to change your celebrations and the way you honor folks? >> well, after the flags are picked up from veterans affairs, they go out to the cemetery and then we have volunteers from all over berks county and their families who have relatives or some type of friend or just the volunteer to go out and

distribute the flags for memorial day. so each cemetery will have a different group, like, for example, forest hills here have the foundation that they'll go out and distribute 7,000 flags there. so-- >> wow. >> each cemetery has their own volunteers. leland: i've been asking this of our guests who are all veterans who obviously have friends who did not come back and give the last full measure of devotion to our country. in so many different ways we're not able to honor their sacrifice this year in the way we normally would. you can see it across the board in what you all had to do to get the flags out is evidence of that. how would you think that your friends who aren't here with us, that you were in iraq with, how would they want us to honor them given the pandemic and given the restrictions at the time? >> well, that's why it's called memorial day. try to remember the good things that they did for this country. i mean, they're american patriots who made the ultimate

sacrifice while protecting and defending the country they bede bly believe in. >> i was making multiple times and i was one of the lucky ones. what i can do to is place the flags on their headstone and honor them. leland: i remember speak to go a goldstar family on one memorial day, toward the afternoon when the barbecues began on the washington mall? and i said what would you have thought about this? >> our son would have wanted us to remember him in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. our thoughts and prayers for you and those who didn't make it home this memorial day. >> god bless you, thanks for having us and god bless america.

leland: alicia. alicia: do you think you have what it takes to be a pilot in one of the nation's elite machines? a flight with the navy's blue angels after this break. it's best we stay apart for a bit, but you're not alone. we're automatically refunding our customers a portion of their personal auto premiums. learn more at libertymutual.com/covid-19. [ piano playing ]

you get way more than free shipping. you get thousands when you shop for your home at wayfair of items you need to your door fast the way it works best for you. even the big stuff. you get a delivery experience you can always count on. you get your perfect find at a price to match on your schedule. you get free two day shipping on things that make your home feel like you! wayfair. way more than furniture. staying connected your way you're just a tap away from personalized support on xfinity.com. get faster internet speeds with a click.

order xfi pods to your home in a snap. or change your xfinity services with just a touch. all in one place. you're only seconds away from all of that on xfinity.com. faster than a call. easy as a tap. now that's simple, easy, awesome. that's it. i'm calling kohler about their walk-in bath. [ sigh ] not gonna happen. my name is ken. how may i help you? hi, i'm calling about kohler's walk-in bath. excellent! happy to help. huh? hold one moment please... [ finger snaps ] hmm. the kohler walk-in bath features an extra-wide opening and a low step-in at three inches, which is 25 to 60% lower than some leading competitors. the bath fills and drains quickly, while the heated seat soothes your back, neck and shoulders. kohler is an expert in bathing, so you can count on a deep soaking experience. are you seeing this? the kohler walk-in bath comes with fully adjustable hydrotherapy jets and our exclusive bubblemassage. everything is installed in as little as a day

by a kohler-certified installer. and it's made by kohler- america's leading plumbing brand. we need this bath. yes. yes you do. a kohler walk-in bath provides independence with peace of mind. >> just in time for the long holiday weekend, fox nation brings you the story of blue

angels and the back story of the iconic movie "top gun". in 1985 the production of one of the most iconic movies began right here in southern california. we're at marine corps nation miramar. this is where they have been training in real life for years and we have a unique opportunity to go inside and experience the real top gun story. >> wow! this is the coolest thing. >> joining me now, host of the fox nation show becoming the top gun. abby. how exciting were you to do this? what a great assignment. >> i know, i'm blessed to have this assignment. i don't know if you agree with me, but top gun is one of the

greatest movies in cinematic history, right? that's what i think. and with the new movie coming out it's the perfect time to see exactly what it takes to become a top gun pilot. that's what we did. we went to marine corps air station down in miramar and learned about what it takes. these pilots aren't just training to do things in the air, they have to train for uncertain circumstances, let's say they're flying and they get ejected from the jet and land in the water? how they have all of their gear and parachute trying to drag themunder water, what do they do? i was able to look at all of that and get an inside look from them over at the air station. and then, i got to go on a blue angel flight and i was told by your producer that you might have the clip of me passing out. which i guess we have to show it, right? >> absolutely, yes. let's show it. >> oh, my gosh. i passed out. . alicia: i cannot imagine. what was that like?

>> well, i think it gave great perspective into what these pilots go through. the forces they're dealing with, they taught me the hick maneuver, i didn't do it right. they're not wearing g-suits in the blue angel airport. what i had to do is send blood to my brain and i didn't do it right. i give respect to men and women who fly these aircraft, it's not easy. >> absolutely, not at all. such evidence shown in had a video. i'm curious because i've seen that happen sometimes where someone will pass out who is not used to the situation. did you know it was hitting you? did you realize something was about to disappear in your head? >> yeah, i slowly went to sleep. i went right to bed. well, you can feel the g-force, we pulled 7.4g and you feel that pulling you down into the seat and you can't even sit up straight. i don't know how the pilot was doing it, i'm sitting there, don't have to pay attention to

anything and couldn't keep my eyes open and unfortunately, afterwards through up a little bit and the conditions they fly under, a lot of respect for them. alicia: oh, yeah, absolutely. yeah, and hey, barfing sometimes comes with the job, i don't know, tough going out there. >> it does. alicia: and that's good. and you kind of learned in the movie top gun, i agree it's one of the best, and i love it. some things are more myth than fact, right? >> right, they definitely are and we went all through that in the special and i think, you know, tom cruise and maverick, he makes it look so easy. the reality is, you're not just training to sit in that cockpit, you're training like i mentioned earlier for everything and i was actually able to go inside of a flight simulators and i saw the movie, this is easy i can do twists and turns and fly straight. i couldn't get off the runway and then to land on an aircraft carrier, and you have to hook the back of the hook to the line

so you don't fly off the aircraft carrier, that's hard in and of itself. let alone doing things in the air and i learned you cannot do an inverted dive against the mig 28. that was unfortunate to learn because that's part of the movie. that's what tom cruise did. alicia: abby horncheck thank you so much. if you want to watch becoming top gun head to fox nation.com and start your free trial now and check your subscription options. leland. leland: joe biden is apologizing. will democrats buy it? when we come back. right now is a time for action. that's why usaa is giving payment relief options to eligible members so they can pay for things like groceries before they worry about their insurance or credit card bills. discover all the ways we're helping members today.

. . . you're clearly someone who takes care of yourself.

so when it comes to screening for colon cancer, don't wait. because when caught early, it's more treatable. i'm cologuard. i'm noninvasive and detect altered dna in your stool to find 92% of colon cancers... ...even in early stages. tell me more. it's for people 45 plus at average risk for colon cancer, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your prescriber if cologuard is right for you. i'm on it. that's a step in the right direction.

leland: the backlash continues against democratic presidential candidate joe biden for his comments about black voters. this exploded in the past 24 hours. welcome to america's news headquarters from washington. i'm leland vittert. alicia, nice to be with you. alicia: nice to be with you too, leland. i'm alicia acuna in denver. biden's words stirring up controversy as the trump campaign and some lawmakers call him out. jacqui heinrich has the details. hi, jacqui. >> reporter: hey, alicia. former vice president joe biden walked back his comments after considecriticism, it sounds liks taking for granted the very population that propelled him to

the position of likely no nomin. >> if you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or for trump then you ain't black. >> never, never, ever, take the african american community for granted. >> reporter: the backlash was swift from liberal activists, black community groups and trump allies alike. the trump campaign planning an ad blitz highlighting the remarks and focusing on biden's support for the crime bill which med to dispr disproportionate -- >> south carolina's african american population stood up and trusted not joe biden as much as they trusted jim clyburn and followed jim clyburn's endorsement of joe biden. that's why he's the position he's in, which reinforces the negative narrative that joe biden ain't woke.

>> reporter: biden's comment come at the perfect time for the trump campaign which has been courting the support. they took the lime light off favorable turn for biden in another story that's been dogging his campaign. the sex assault allegations from former staffer tara reade. yesterday, her attorney don't her case after defense lawyers questioned whether reade had lied about credentials when serving as an expert witness in domestic assault cases. they said the decision to drop reade as a client doesn't imply the allegation against biden is unfounded. alicia. alicia: jacqui heinrich in new york. thank you, jacqui. leland: the fbi director is ordering an internal review of the investigation surrounding

former national security advisor michael flynn, how it was handled, who knew what, when. garrett tenney with more on what they will look into. hi, garrett. >> reporter: this is known as an after-action review. it's going to be handled by the bureau's inspection division, similar to an internal affairs office in a police department. according to the fbi, the internal probe would look into the bureau res handling of the investigation into michael flynn to determine whether any current employees engaged in misconduct and evaluate fbi policies, procedures or controls implicated by the flynn investigation and identify any improvements that might be warranted. the statement makes clear the fbi doesn't have the authority to bring a criminal case and that only current employees can be disciplined. that's important because president trump and a number of republican lawmakers have become increasingly vocal in their criticisms of fbi director christopher wray and in their

calls to have him investigate and hold former officials, none of whom still work at the bureau. >> this should have happened in 2017. we've all been calling on director wray to look at the fbi for good reason. you know what he needs to do? clean up the fbi. we love 99% of these fbi agents. they are out there. he needs to restore the reputation of the fbi as well. >> reporter: those calls for action have only grown since the justice department moved to drop its case against michael flynn earlier this month. following a doj review of the case which found improprieties in how the fbi handled the interview of flynn in which he lied about his contacts with the russian ambassador. so far, the federal judge hearing the case has refused to dismiss it. and a federal appeals court has given him until june 1st to explain why. leleland. leland: we wait for that response to the flynn filing. garrett tenney, thank you very much. alicia. alicia: states are moving

forward with plans to reopen as memorial day kicks off. christina coleman joins us on how states are gearing up for what is like throw be a different type -- likely to be dairchdifferent type of tourist season. >> reporter: yes, definitely different. all states have lifted restrictions in some capacity. yesterday memorial weekend kicked off with 22 more states adding reopening measures, from florida's lifting of restrictions on youth activities and summer camps to new jersey opening public and private recreational campgrounds and in florida the governor approved a reopening plan from universal orlando, announcing plans to open theme parks on june 5th, the first of the major parks to announce a reopening date since they closed in mid-march. many beaches are reopening, including jersey shore beaches, although there's no arcades, concerts or rides, social distancing in place. in california, we're in phase

two of reopening. people can be on the beach as long as they keep moving and operate social distancing,. heather.offices and entertainmet studios can reopen. gyms are still closed. in southern california you'll notice people running around. the doj sent the mayor of los angeles and the director of la county's department of public health a letter. it warns them against going overboard with the stay at home order by suggesting some form of coronavirus restrictions for the next three months. the letter says in part, reports of your recent public statements indicate that you suggested the possibility of long-term lockdown of the residents in the city and county of los angeles regardless of the legal just at justification for such restrictions. any such approach may be arbitrary and unlawful. now, the mayor of la, eric garcetti, responded to the letter saying in part, quote, that science will always guide us forward, that nothing else

will, there's no gangs, there's nothing else going on and that's the way we're going to continue to safely open and this letter also goes on to say they will monitor the numbers because people's lives are at stake. alicia. alicia: christina coleman in los angeles. thank you so much. leland. leland: joining us now with perspective from the east coast, republican new jersey congressman, member of the house homeland security committee, jeff van drew. i believe this is your first appearance on the program as a republican. thanks for being here. we're looking at what's happening right now in your district specifically atlantic city, it's been incredibly hard-hit by the restrictions that were put in place by the cdc and by the governor there. any chance business is getting back to usual yet? >> well, we want to get business back to usual. you know, we can't let this virus destroy our bodies, our faith and our future. i talk about all three. now, when we speak about

atlantic city, it's critical that we figure a way out to open up these casinos because we rely upon them a great deal in the entire region and the problem i have, the problem i have with all of this is the governor has been very resistant and has not been so much for pushing us open and forward rather than really keeping us back and i dhiengt that's good. -- i don't think that's good. we must be careful. we must be sir coupl circumspec. nobody is ever saying otherwise. when you tell me it's okay to go to a big box store and buy things there but that somebody that has a small specialty shop that is constantly cleansed and kept beautifully and clean and sterile that you can't go in there, that doesn't make sense. leland: we're watching video right now from new jersey where some stores have reopened, we've seen a florist, a gift store,

among others. the jersey shore is such a huge part of the economy in new screr sigh, especially -- in new jersey, especially in your district. what's happening there? are summer rentals going to be allowed? will folks be able to open ice cream stores and sweatshirt shops? >> in certain ways. you're going to have to be a distance away are from the shirt shops. so it's going to be interesting if you're going to be able to see the shirt that you're buying, certainly certain stores like ice cream, et cetera, we fought hard and long to make sure that the governor would at least allow those. but many other stores -- restaurants aren't allowed to be open, other than curbside or having it delivered. there's ways of opening restaurants with having less people in the restaurant, with having more ventilation and being able to go forward. what i'm saying, it doesn't have to be one or the other. leland: give me -- help me understand this real quickly. think about tourist communities like on the jersey shore,

they've got three months to make their entire year. >> you're not kidding. leland: seems as though we're in a place right now, me memorial day to lay doo labor dy week is one-twelfth of their yearly business is not going to happen. >> a significant number of businesses, not only at the shore, but everywhere, with governors that have that attitude are going to close. period. i don't mean for a period of time. i mean period. i don't think that's good. let me be clear. we can do both, leland. we can have all the medically done appropriate types of activities, make sure we're clean, make sure we're sterile. but we don't have to shut everything down or what we haven't shut down, we have such minimal ways of really delivering the product, it's really hard. yet a walmart's okay but a beautiful little corner store is not. leland: we've heard this

arrestingment. obviously different governors are approaching it differently. in georgia, brian kemp, they've set the standard for how to reopen. america's dentists, for so long dentists across the country were totally shut down and these are effectively small businesses in addition to needed medical procedures. where are we at now for these guy whose have lost eight weeks of business, they had to lay off a number of employees, hygienists, et cetera. are you worried about them being able to come back or do you feel like enough have enough savings? >> well, they had a ppp. they had to borrow a lot of money, unemployment, the unemployment for individual contractors like them, dentists are going to be profoundly and are profoundly hurt. there's no question about it. many businesses are profoundly hurt in the area. there's no question about it. if i just may, for a second,

another little side bar here. so locals to me, there is a church. they decided they wanted to have a service. they drove cars to the parking lot, didn't get out of the cars, didn't open the windows, had the sermon done through the radio, did not go into the church, didn't even use the bathroom, and they were even shut down and told they had to leave. leland: wow. we know the doj has had a few things to say about that. so we'll follow up in terms of this church you mentioned. we appreciate it, congressman. all the best and god speed to enjoy a little bit of the memorial day weekend. >> leland, god bless you and god bless america and our troops. thank you for the opportunity. leland: alicia. alicia: small towns across the country are feeling the impact of the coronavirus as many rural hospitals and farming communities are struggling. joining us now is democratic michigan congresswoman and house democratic policy and communications committee co-chair, debbie dingell.

congresswoman dingell, thank you so much for being here. really appreciate it. i want to begin with rural hospitals and the situation there. a lot of farming communities, rural areas, are the same places where you see food processing plants and that's where we see concentrated outbreaks and small surges. that's really hard on these rural hospitals and i want to put um some numbers so folks can see what we're talking about here. this is from the national rural health association, 121 rural hospitals have closed since 2010 and more than 163 and counting closed since 2005. right now, 673 additional facilities are vulnerable and could close, representing more than one-third of rural hospitals in the u.s. that is frightening. and they said one more thing, congresswoman. if congress doesn't act to stop the bleeding and prevent the further rural hospital closures,

an estimated 11.7 million patients will lose direct access to care while local economies suffer. congresswoman dingell, what do you say to that when you see those numbers and the number of people who could suffer in this situation even going forward. >> i'm very worried about it. in michigan, which has been one of the hardest hit states, while we're starting to get control of covid in southeastern michigan, it is growing in some of the more rural areas and some of the upstate communities. we need to have the hospitals open. and they are suffering. in the cares bill we put additional money in for hospitals, some of that money has gotten out to hospitals. i work with our hospital association every day. i talk or connect with the people representing them to figure out how we're going to get more money to them and how we keep them alive. some of our larger systems like the university of michigan are reaching out and trying to give them support and figure out ways. these are critical healthcare providers and also not as

equipped to handle some of the serious problems of covid, et cetera. so it's a problem and we've got to work on it together. alicia: we're talking about the nation's food supply in these communities, so much pressure that maybe americans in larger places don't realize, that these are the folks who are there for us in ways we don't even understand. what can you tell us about what's being done for farmers? they needed assistance even before we were looking at covid-19. >> we're going to have to do more. we know that we're looking at putting more money into snap programs, something the farmers will benefit from. they were made eligible. we're looking at the hero's bilker trying to get more aid. i want to thank you for one thing, that -- nine weeks ago, we weren't paying people $15 an hour and suddenly our whole lives are dependent on people we didn't think were worth $15 an

hour nine weeks ago and they range from a whole branch of different services and the very people that you're talking about right now are some of the people we are the most dependent upon. these times have caused us -- i hate the partisanship we see right now. every time there's been a crisis in america, we pulled together as americans. we put aside partisanship and we worry about each other. we come together. alone, we can do little. together, we can do much and that's what we need to do. and we need to make sure people that we depend on who give us that structure of a civil society are taken care of. alicia: when you talk about reopening and the need to reopen, as you know governor gretchen whitmer just extended the stay at home order to june 12th. this is the fifth time she's extended that. when folks in your state see other parts of america reopening, what message does this send them about what they're facing in their economy and trying to put food on the table? >> okay. so i want to be really clear

about what the stay at home order is and isn't. i work hard with the auto industry. every day, the head of the uaw, the companies, the suppliers, and they began that process two weeks ago with supplier community beginning initially, the autos reopening this week. yesterday, she announced that retail will be allowed to reopen next week with appointments. you can have -- she has begun the slow reopening. i'm going to also tell you i went to a funeral yesterday of a dear friend that was 54 years old. i lost five more people last week. one week. that died. there are still too many people getting covid and people are still dying of it. so we have to figure out how we're going to keep people safe and how we're going to keep those jobs safe. and we've got to do it -- i did a -- i thought it would be a simple speech this morning. i had 50 different questions

from workers that were back in the plants, things that they were scared about, things that were happening. we've got to work with everybody. it is scary. if you're a worker that's going back into that plant, some people are ants and want to get out of the house and some people are scared to death. we've got to work with everybody. alicia: such a difficult balance to attempt to strike. congresswoman debbie dingell. we appreciate your time on this saturday. thank you. >> thank you. alicia: leland. leland: just look at the numbers, the united states and italy have both been crushed by the coronavirus. but the two countries had very different responses and as the numbers will show us very different outcomes. mike toebin is digging into that. >> reporter: a doctor with the polish military worked the crisis in italy and came and observed the u.s. if you're complaining about the precautions taken, money spent

on things like field hospitals which didn't get widely used, he says you're missing the point. >> the institute for medicine came to chicago, saw the united states go to extremes with prevention and italy which did not. >> what we have seen was the total collapse of medical services and possibilities to provide appropriate quality for treatment. >> reporter: hospitals and staff were overloaded, protective equipment, pharmaceuticals were in short supply and doctors were making the choice about which patient would get a ventilator and which would not. what he saw in the u.s. was different. the population took the threat seriously. the government tapped into every available resource, like the national guard. he came to chicago because the polish military has a long-standing partnership with the illinois national guard. >> we use a lot of those war

time trained skills and our equipment to quickly jump into action and be able to fill the void. >> reporter: together, they converted chicago's mccormick place convention center into a field hospital which ultimately did not get much use. they credit precautions. >> it's always better to be prepared for things which won't happen than to fight in a war which we don't expect. >> reporter: coming from a doctor from eastern europe, he says the challenge moving forward is freedom. balancing the responsibility to minimize the spread of the virus, with the pursuit of life's goals. leland. leland: he would know and we see that debate ongoing here in the united states on an hourly basis. mike tobin in chicago. when we come back, we'll tell you how this atv ride ended for a young boy. at fisher investments, we do things differently and other money managers don't understand why. because our way works great for us! but not for your clients. that's why we're a fiduciary,

obligated to put clients first. so, what do you provide? cookie cutter portfolios? nope. we tailor portfolios to our client's needs. but you do sell investments that earn you high commissions, right? we don't have those. so, what's in it for you? our fees are structured so we do better when you do better. at fisher investments we're clearly different.

to deliver your mail and packages and the peace of mind of knowing that essentials like prescriptions are on their way. every day, all across america, we deliver for you. and we always will. and its mission is to give you truly transformative sleep. so, no more tossing and turning...

or trouble falling asleep. because only tempur-pedic uses proprietary tempur® material... that continuously adapts and responds to your body, to relieve pressure... so you get deep, uninterrupted sleep. all night. every night. the tempur-pedic summer of sleep starts now, with all tempur-pedic mattresses on sale, and savings up to $500 on adjustable sets. with all tempur-pedic mattresses on sale, across america, business owners are figuring things out. finding new ways to serve customers... connect employees... and work with partners. comcast business is right there with you. with a network that helps give you speed, reliability and security. and enough bandwidth to handle all your connected devices. voice solutions like remote call forwarding and readable voicemail. and safe, convenient installation. when every connection counts, you can count on us. get the connectivity your business needs.

call today. comcast business. leland: check out this aerial video from arizona near phoenix. a teen fell 50 feet into an abandoned mine shaft while riding his atv. we're told the 17-year-old was pulled out and air-lifted to a phoenix hospital. there's no word yet on the extent of his injuries.

♪ alicia: the white house and china have been in a back and forth over the coronavirus, despite their strained relationship the u.s. still relies on china for many important products. benjamin hall explains. >> reporter: a new report by a british think tank shows the u.s. is strategically dependent on china for 414 categories of important goods, of those 114 service critical national infrastructure. that could be a national security risk. china has steadily increased its share of many markets under the increasingly tho authoritarian leadership of xi jinping who has made clear need for dominance. >> president trump fully understands, is engaged in the economic war that the chinese communist party is visiting on the world. >> reporter: the u.s. is dependent on antibodies, rare earth metals, vitamin

supplements, safety glass, laptops, cell phones, life jackets and anchors. as china continues to bully economies, experts say that to turn it around requires a decoupling of forming of new partnerships in the indo-pacific region. >> rebooting international trade and free trade agreements and relationship with partner countries who are reliable is how to win this. president trump and the administration see both sides of the picture. >> reporter: the coronavirus pandemic has made clear the dangers. chinese control of supply lines that produce critical equipment like face masks and ventilators were initially turned inwards to help china alone, leaving other countries in short supply. >> it's been a wake-up call to all of us, the realization that the globalized world brings the enemy to our gate. unless we wake up from that complacency, the realization that golden eras were in china, is setting out to destroy us. >> reporter: the idea of decoupling from china's economy

is well-established in the u.s. and has bipartisan support and is something from day one president trump said would be a priority. in london, benjamin hall, fox news. leland: what does summer camp look like this summer? will it happen? a guy who is going to have a lot to do with that, the answer to that question, when we come back. alright, i brought in ensure max protein to give you the protein you need with less of the sugar you don't. [grunting noise] i'll take that. yeeeeeah! 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar ensure max protein. now available in twelve-count. stock up today!

now available in twelve-count. ♪ (announcer) reliability is everything. so, if your network's down, you're down. verizon knows your customers need to reach you seamlessly. your team needs to work from different places across many devices. plus, you want the security trusted by some of the largest companies in the world. and that's why you trust us. the most reliable network in america.

♪ alicia: take a look at these pictures of a warehouse fire on san francisco's fisherman's wharf. the fire broke out early this morning. you can see smoke and flames risinrising out of the building there. there have been no reported injuries. 130 of firefighters were called in to fight the flames. leland: we're getting new polling on the 2020 presidential race. former vice president joe biden with a lead over president trump. 48% of the respondents saying

they would vote for biden if they were to cast their ballots today. if we look at that from last month, that is up 6% for biden, down 2% for president trump. liz hairington joins us now. what do you make of the numbers? >> well, i'm starting to think you guys are calling the same 1,000 people who said hillary clinton was going to win by 10 points in 2016. leland: liz, hold on, we go through this every time when we talk about polling. at the end of the day, hillary clinton was up by a couple points in the national average, the rtp polling before the election. she won the national vote by a couple points. is there some reason to say something other than just the polling's bad. >> the polls, they have -- when you look at the facts on the ground and you look at the energy we're seeing, president trump is growing with support, he delivered on his promises.

it's interesting in your poll that slanted toward the democrat, it polls more democrats than republicans, joe biden still doesn't win on his signature issue of who would you prefer on the economy because the american people know president trump -- [audio difficulty] leland: we're having trouble hearing your microphone because of the skype connection. we'll try to get that fixed. we'll put up the dnc versus rnc fund raising numbers. it's important to look at the fund raising numbers, this is 2019 through latest cash on-hand, dnc, 40 million, rnc, almost double that with $76 million. we look at the trump versus biden april haul as we look at this, biden, 60.5 million, donald trump, 61.7 million. the trump campaign is going to put $1 million into advertising

centered around joe biden's comments around if you don't vote for me, you're not black. what are those ads going to look like? >> it's going to show joe biden's history of racially insensitive remarks. this didn't just happen this week. this is a man who said in 2008, called barack obama clean and articulate and that's a storybook. this is a man who bragged about getting an award from george wallace in the 1970s and bragged about delaware being on the south side of the civil war. this is who joe biden is. and if he's running on character, there is a lot to be asked for when you look at these racially insensitive remarks where he doesn't see an individual, he just sees a voting block that he feels he's entitled to as a career politician and it's really insulting. leland: we've seen him walk those points back in the past couple days. back to the polling that we started with and we'll put up --

you mentioned that president trump leads on the economy, 42/45 in this. he's lagging behind on china, the coronavirus, and healthcare. but this brings up a different question. is it better for president trump to be the underdog going into a general election? he certainly used that place in the race effectively against hillary clinton. >> president trump, he wrote the art of the comeback. if you're talking about the state of what we had with this unprecedented pandemic coming from china, he's the one that's going to lead us out of it. and president trump fights for america. that's always what this contrast has been, whether it was in 2016 or now 2020. you have establishment democrats who have never done anything except live in the swamp and you have a real outsider who loves this country and delivers real results for the american people. he still fights every single day, president trump, for this country. he's going to continue to do it and there's an amazing -- leland: along that line,

there's a quote from president trump, saying in an interview tomorrow, i have a chance to break the deep state. that interview airing tomorrow from cheryl atkinson. we appreciate it, liz. good to see you as always. enjoy the rest of your weekend. >> you too. thanks for having me. leland: alicia. alicia: while some states release guidance for reopening summer camps with additional safety guidelines, new york governor andrew cuomo has some concerns. >> i would not send my children to day camp. if i won't send my children to day camp, i wouldn't ask anybody else to send their children to day camp. alicia: joining us now to discuss how to reopen summer camps safely is american camp association president and ceo, tom rosenberg. thank you for being here today. my first question, is it safe to send your kids? >> i think we have to balance -- across the country, as we reopen our states, we have to balance

our need to get ourselves back to work with the need for appropriate child care. so across the country, there are a number of day camps that are beginning to open up. it's happening state by state. the state public health officials are saying it's safe and appropriate, so some states it's not safe and appropriate as i'm sure the governor was referring to there. the kinds of things that states are going to be requiring camps to do when they permit camps to operate in their jurisdiction is they're looking for frequent screening and monitoring to make sure that kids are coming to camp and staff who are working at staff are safe and appropriate for that program. they're looking for staggered arrivals and departures, looking for constant cleaning and disinfection, making sure that camper whose have high risk profile and members of a family household with members that have high risk profiles are not attending camp and campers are

not coming from high risk, high infection areas. alicia: i want to put up a map so folks can see exactly what states. there's 16 states right now that have camps reopening in some capacity. and are these day camps, are they overnight camps, sleep-away camps, how is the breakdown? >> it's a mix between overnight and day camps depending on the locality. each state is responsible, the public health authority is responsible for determining when and how and if really day camps and overnight camp may operate. so in some localities, you're going to see day camps open up earlier than overnight camps. for example, where i am in georgia, i believe day camps are beginning to open up where overnight camps have not yet been told when they can operate. alicia: we're talking about kids. i'm a mom. we have a blended family of five kids. they listen to a certain extent but they forget things almost

instantaneously, sometimes when i'm speaking, right here. how when they're at camp, how are they supposed to remember to wash their hands for 20 seconds, to maintain certain distances, even maintain distances at all. because kids forget and they just like oh, start wrestling or do whatever they want to do. how on earth do you account for that? >> so camps are highly structured programs with a lot of adult staffing. so you're going to see camps are going to be required to operate with very special covid-19 rules this year and beyond from now, down the road, just like schools will. and you're going to see small -- as small as practically possible group cohorts, like family households but activity groups in camp parlance. inside those small as possible activity groups, the kids will be able to socialize like brothers and sisters, and they'll be supervised carefully by a lot of staff.

but between that activity group and other activity groups, they'll be required to maintain physical distancing. so i think you'll see that camps are -- they're always very organized and structured but even more so this summer. alicia: and let's not forget, most parents can't forget, kids have been with them constantly, doing remote learning, some parents are teaching. i've got teenagers who are like hi, mom, you're still right in front of me. parents need kids to go to camp too. some of them are on the edge of sanity right now. they need their kids to go experience something else, learn in a different way. that's a very real need, isn't it? >> absolutely. you know, i like to think that many kids right now are surrounded by four walls and are cast adrift in a sea of screens. some kids who don't have screens face increased loneliness, isolation and depression. kids need activities during the summer months, they need summer

learning. they need education. we have all kinds of summer programs that are available, typically across our country, as the kids are in their out-of-school time. but this year obviously we've been sheltering in place for quite a while. i think kids really do need this summer more than any other summer to be outside, at camp, in fresh air which apparently is an optimal environment for covid-19, like it's better to have kids outside than inside in terms of protection from covid, so i'm told. so i think camp might be a good possibility for some of the localities across the country and we're going to do our best at the american camp association to help camp directors make the safety and health and including the mental health of their campers and staff a number one priority. alicia: exactly. tom, thank you so much for your time. appreciate it. have a great summer. >> you too. bye. alicia: bye. leland: jerry sloan died on friday, sloan spent 23 seasons

with the utah jazz and was one of only two coaches in nba history to win 1,000 games with a single team. sloan announced in 2016 that he was diagnosed with parkinson's disease. he died at 78. alright so...oh. i'll start... oh, do you want to go first? no, no i don't...you go. i was just going to say on slide 7, talking about bundling and saving...umm... jamie, you're cutting out. sorry i'm late! hey, whoever's doing that, can you go on mute? oh, my bad! i was just saying there's a typo on slide 7. bundle home & auto for big discosnouts. i think that's supposed to say discounts. you sure about that? hey, can you guys see me?

an herbal stress reliever ashwagandha, that helps you turn the stressed life... into your best life. stress less and live more. with stressballs.

the roar of a racecar. a secret whispered in your ear. a good joke. at eargo we believe in hearing life to the fullest. but we also believe in tuning out. tuning out the confusion, the news, the fear, the noise. tune into your loved ones. we promise that the world and all of its beautiful sounds will come back louder than ever

i but what i do count on...ts anis boost high protein...rs, and now, there's boost mobility... ...with key nutrients to help support... joints, muscles, and bones. try boost mobility, with added collagen. leland: record high unemployment numbers has many americans have found themselves suddenly without medical coverage as well. hawaii's been especially hard-hit. the lieutenant governor there and local doctor found a way to provide free medical services to uninsured hawaiians. here to join us one of the organizer, dr. james ireland. we appreciate you being here with us, sir. help us understand what happened to hawaii and to the folks who live there who relied on tourism for their livelihoods for so long. >> well, thank you for having me. we do have a tourism based

economy. we enjoy having visitors. that stimulates the economy and provides many jobs for the island. when the president made the decision to shut down travel from china, which was the right thing to do, the governor imposed a quarantine which was the right thing to do. it did greatly affect the economy. we find ourselves with about 22% of people unemployed. leland: i'm looking there at video of ho honolulu. i'm guessing this was last sunday where some people returned to the beaches. those aren't the tourists bringing the dollars in. what are you seeing in terms of free clinics, from folks who had good high paying jobs or their own business in hawaii who are suddenly on their own. >> well, we are opening the clinic june 1st. we started taking calls and booking people. the people who lost their jobs, it's a wide group of people. hotels, food and beverage, retail, car rental, and others and so the e-mails we're getting are heart-breaking.

it's just reinforcing our belief that we need to do this. we have a good community health system in hawaii. but this will add an extra layer of coverage and local pharmacy, five minute pharmacy is donating all the medications so we'll hopefully be able to give those as well. yeah, i was working, my husband was working, we're both unemployed and we don't have insurance and they have medical conditions, diabetes, heart problems, things like this. leland: when you say that, are those some of the e-mails you're getting about mom and dad unemployed? >> yep, we have two children, our son has asthma, is one story i heard. but yeah, people with medical conditions that now don't have their insurance, we partnered with hawaii pacific university, a local college here and they've basically put their nursing school on standby and we're going to get nursing students and nurse practitioner students from them. overwhelming support from the medical community, physicians and emt and nurse volunteer as

well as folks who just -- leland: we have another 30 seconds. does this work only in hawaii? hawaii's got a number of islands that folks are spread out on. are you trying to open up locations on the other islands or primarily for folks in honolulu. >> we're going to do telemedicine so we can touch anyone in the entire state. the program could be anywhere, could be in nevada, california, oregon, anybody can do this with a little bit of work and a lot of love. leland: last question for you. i heard and been reporting about shutdowns across america. there's a lot of docs who are hurting as well, you think about eye doctors and orthopedics, et cetera, who are down. i'm guessing a number of the doctors who are donating services to the free clinic are also experiencing hard times themselves. really appreciate you coming on to talk about it, sir. all the best. >> thank you very much. leland: thank you. alicia. alicia: millions of muslims across the world are celebrating the end of ramadan while trying to protect themselves from the

coronavirus. we'll have more on that, up next. is mealtime a struggle?

introducing ore-ida potato pay. where ore-ida golden crinkles are your crispy currency to pay for bites of this... ...with this. when kids won't eat dinner, potato pay them to. ore-ida. win at mealtime.

alicia: some parts of europe continue to ease coronavirus restrictions, this as the muslim world prepares to celebrate the

holy month of ramadan coming to an end. amy kellogg has details from milan, italy. >> reporter: ramadan is a solemn and reflective month in many ways but there is also that very lively social aspect of it in the evening when people break their fast and that has all changed of course due to the coronavirus crisis. here in italy, it is the first weekend since the lockdown was lifted and some italians are quite cautious about putting their toe back in the water, going to restaurants, spending money, going to shops. but others seem to be throwing caution to the wind, they call it the movita and that is the sort of lively european outdoor night life scene. the prime minister warns specifically against that but it seems to be happening at least in the trendier spots here. cops have warned they will be out and about this weekend enforcing social distancing, checking that people have masks on and are generally behaving responsibly. at the same time, there are

warnings about the impact on business, 90,000 out of 330,000 bars and restaurants in italy have not yet reopened as of a few days ago and may never be able to reopen. in the u.k., they estimate 10 million pints of beer will not be sold this weekend as a result of closures. it's what they call a bank holiday weekend in britain. they have monday off, just as americans do. pubs and restaurants remain closed and there's been a bit of a european backlash against london's announcement that from june 8th all visitors arriving in the u.k. with few exceptions must self isolate for 14 days with france threatening a reciprocal measure. in germany religious institutions reopened earlier this month. one berlin church opened their doors to muslims for the last days of ramadan. it's taking spillover from a mosque who can't accommodate all who wish to play due to social distancing.

markets in bosnia were stocked with delicious looking things as shoppers got ready for badram there. due to coronavirus restrictions, large family gatherings will not be allowed, though, and alicia one person on the streets of sarejevo put it this way, we had it worse, we had to deal with holidays with mor mortars fallin our heads in recent membe memor. we can handled a scaled back celebration. alicia: thank you, amy. leland: new challenges for small businesses trying to open in america's tourist hot spots, how they're dealing with it when we come back. usaa was made fo. and right now, is a time for action. so, for a second time we're giving members a credit on their auto insurance. because it's the right thing to do. we're also giving payment relief options to eligible members so they can take care of things like groceries before they worry about their insurance or credit card bills. right now is the time to take care of what matters most.

like we've done together, so many times before. discover all the ways we're helping members at usaa.com/coronavirus discover all the ways we're helping members and 24 hour relief from symptoms caused byn. over 200 indoor and outdoor allergens. like those from buddy. because nothing should come between two best friends. feel the clarity, and live claritin clear.

it's my own thing that i can do for me. since i don't have time to read, i mean i might as well listen. if i want to catch up on the news, or history, or learn what's going on in the world, i can download a book and listen to it. i listen to spanish lessons sometimes to and from work. yea, it makes me want to be better.

audible reintroduced this whole world to me. it changes your perspective. it makes you a different person. see what listening to audible can do for you. ♪ leland: president trump now says houses of worship are essential, threatening governors and telling them to reopen them right now. that debate continues this weekend. welcome to america's news headquarters from washington. i'm leland vittert. alicia: hi, leland, i'm alicia acuna in denver. so parks all 50 states are at least partially reopening. governors have been following their own road maps. mark meredith is at the white house with more. >> reporter: president trump is spending his saturday at his golf club in virginia, the first time he made a trip out there since early march. it comes as the president has been calling on governors to ease public health restrictions as you were just talking about,

now he's putting his focus specifically on religious facilities. this is what he had to say yesterday. >> today i am identifying houses of worship, churches, synagogues, and mosques, as essential places that provide essential services. some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential. but have left out churches and other houses of worship. >> reporter: but since this outbreak began, there has been no one national lockdown and instead it's been up to each governor to decide how best to proceed. the group interfaith alliance which ad advocates for the separation of church and state blasted president trump over this move. this is their statement, faith is essential and community is necessary, neither requires endangering the people who seek to participate in them, protecting the most vulnerable among us is shared among all of

us. dr. birx said they should only reopen under certain conditions. >> i think each one of the leaders in the faith community should be in touch with their local health departments so they can communicate to their congregants. certainly people who have significant co-morbidities, we want them protected. i know houses of worship want to protect them. >> reporter: the cdc put out guidelines on how they can safely reopen. president trump is set to travel in the week ahead, on monday making a stop in baltimore. the city's mayor is asking for the president not to come because of the the coronavirus and alicia he's set to head to florida on wednesday for the spacex launch, the first time nasa sent up u.s. astronauts from u.s. soil since 2011. alicia: thanks, mark. leland: the department of justice is warning los angeles and the state of illinois it's watching their extended stay at home orders and says the doj might step in. christina coleman live in long s

angeles with this. >> reporter: all the states have liftelifted restrictions in some capacity. 22 more states added new reopening measures and they vary from delaware opening beaches and community pools until 5:00 p.m. daily to iowa reopening movie theaters, zoos, aquariums and wedding reception venues with social distancing measures in place. and florida governor ron de santis approved a reopening plan submitted by universal orlando. the company announcing it will reopen its theme parks on june 5th. it's the first of orlando's major parks to announce a reopening date since many of the parks closed back in mid-march. many beaches along the east coast reopening with restrictions including jersey shore beaches. there's no arcades, concerts or rides for the holiday weekend. and here in california we're in phase two of reopening so people can be out on the beaches, as long as they keep moving and operate social distancing,

offices and entertainment studios can reopen but gyms are still closed. so people are working out at home or getting their jogs in here in southern california to keep up their beach bods. the doj sent the mayor of los angeles and director of la county's department of public health a letter, warns them against going overboard with the stay at home order by suggesting some form of coronavirus restrictions for the next three months. the doj letter says in part, quote, reports of your recent public statements indicate that you suggested the possibility of long-term lockdown of the residents in the city and county of los angeles regardless of the legal just a justification for h restrictions. any such approach may be both arbitrary and unlawful. la's mayor responded to this letter. >> we are not guided by politics in this. we are guided by science. we are guided by collaboration. there's no games. there's nothing else going on. and that's the way we're going to continue to safely open. i think the proof's in the

pudding. we've been doing that. we've been doing it safely. and we will monitor those numbers because people's lives are at stake. >> reporter: and as people look forward to reviving the nation's economic health, the fight against this deadly virus does continue. there's been more than 1.6 million cases of coronavirus in the u.s. and the daily death toll on a seven-day average in the u.s. continues to decline but there's been 95,979 deathingdeath sofar. at the current pace we're projected to reach 100,000 deaths on tuesday or wednesday. leland. leland: and that will be a sad milestone, christina, thank you. alicia. alicia: many businesses are gearing up for memorial day weekend. the unofficial start of summer. and while things still aren't fully back to normal, retailers and restaurants are eager to welcome back customers. joining us now are the owner of the kite lost in ocean city maryland and kim shapiro, co-owner of twisted citrus

restaurant in north canton, ohio. thank you to you both. appreciate you being here. jay, i want to start with you. you own a kite store which to me seems like the ultimate social distancing activity here. you opened a little more than a week ago. how's it going, coming back into the market. >> actually, we are very excited to be back open. customers have been coming down from the moment we opened into ocean city. ocean city is marylanded only atlantic -- mayo maryland's only atlantic coast resort. people want to come to ocean city. hotels are open, businesses are open. we've had a good response so far. alicia: you have a 4,000 square foot store. you have to keep it at 50% capacity. i can only imagine how you manage that. how's it going? >> that's a bit of a challenge. we implemented the necessary social measures, so we have hand sanitizers, shields, we require all customers to wear masks.

we've had to monitor the amount of people who come into the store. prior to this epidemic, we could have 150, 200 people in the store. now we're limited to 60 people. so we have to do a visual count as people come in the door and hold people back if necessary. alicia: and kim, with your restaurant, what has that been like? folks coming back in, sitting in a restaurant. how are you managing that? >> so we were a little different here in ohio than some of the states where our governor did not necessarily implement a percentage occupancy. we were allowed to open with whatever occupancy we could while still providing either social distancing or barriers between tables if six feet facing wasn't allowed. for us, we're able to get about 70% of our seats using those parameters. and we're off to a little bit of a slow start in ohio. we just opened for in-dining on thursday. the people that are coming out

have been great and we're happy to see our regular customers but i think it's going to take a little longer for people to feel comfortable venturing out. alicia: i want folks to understand what they're seeing there. it looks like you have shower curtains in your restaurant. is that true? >> we do. so we used shower curtains in the restaurant as our barrier. we're a breakfast restaurant so we were trying to have a little bit of fun and play on how we could do something and you shower in the morning before you eat breakfast so we decided to use that instead of maybe a more traditional flexy glass -- plexiglass which is hard to come by. we're trying to make the best of it. it's hard to be a place where people go to have a great time and they're reminded of the pandemic and the steps we have to take. so -- alicia: i have a question for both of you. jay, i'll start with you. having been closed for a time and then having to come back, how much difficulty are you having when it comes to

operating costs and getting things going again? >> well, of course that was a huge financial hit for us to be closed for two months. it was pretty devastating. i was able to keep my staff employed, my year-round staff, which i have about six year-round managers. and that definitely was a financial strain. fortunately, i was able to get the ppp money and federal grant money which came in at the right time. i pretty much depleted my cash reserves. alicia: kim, what about you? a restaurant, that's tough. >> it is tough. we have a uniquely different cash flow system. we had already placed orders for st. patrick's day, march madness, we took a hit because those products are perishable, they became loss. we didn't have the ability to rely on business interruption insurance because most companies are denying those claims. we were fortunate to get some ppp money.

for us, with only being allowed to reopen this week and at a reduced capacity, we're already four weeks into our timetable and with only four weeks left, unless we're -- unless congress makes an extension, we're probably not going to maximize that money which we really could use if we can get the extension. alicia: well, best of luck to both of you and all those small businesses out there that are getting up and running again. america needs you so much. we really appreciate your time. jay ner r and kim shapiro, good luck to both of you. >> thanks so much. >> thank you. alicia: leland. leland: now onto the medical side of the coronavirus pandemic. a new study casting doubt on hydroxychloroquine, showing a link between the drug and, quote, decreased in-hospital survival when used to treat covid-19. professor of policy and health management at the john hopkins school of public health,

dr. marty makaray. decreased survival makes it sound like people who take it die more often or sooner, is that a fair interpretation? >> the conclusion was no benefit and slight increase in mortality associated with the arrhythmia side effect which is a rare side effect but people in the hospital that are sick their heart is under stress and they may be more prone to the side effect of hydroxychloroquine. leland: somehow people aren't able to talk about hydroxychloroquine at times without making it political. from the science based understanding of it there was anecdotal yo studies in the beginning that said it might work, it might be something that can save people who are at the very end for lack of a better term from covid-19. is there now information of things that might be better than that? >> well, i think we've seen this tremendous enthusiasm around medication that's were already on the shelf or already fda approved before covid-19 because that approval and research

development process is so complex. so when there was an early indication in france, for example, that 20 patients had a 70% cure rate, it generated enthusiasm but remember, six patients were excluded in the study including fle three in anu and two who died. the problem with covid-19, it has 99% cure rate if you do absolutely nothing. so it's easy to inappropriately attribute something as having caused the cure when it has such a positive outcome with nothing. leland: i know my parents are watching who are a little bit older and obviously take the threat of this a lot more serious than somebody who is my age and your age and has a better chance if they contract covid-19 because of their ages. is there any treatments or therapeutics that we now realize a couple months in that if you get covid-19 it gives you a better chance of survival? >> well, we have a pretty good toolbox right now that's building remdesivir has been shown to be effective and it's

showing more and more promise. convalescent plasma is something many doctors in the icu are very optimistic about. the vaccines are looking more and more promising. we got good news this week in human and monkey studies. the toolbox is getting better. we have a therapeutic that's 100% effective, called soap and water. and distancing. so those things do work and combination we could have a pretty good way to tackle this come the fall. if there is a resurgence. leland: help us understand, speaking of the fall and going further in terms of the vaccine, you listen to moderna who came out perhaps early, perhaps not, depends on who you ask in the stock market in terms of what their release was on data, you ask -- listen to some other press releases, who say we're going to have a vaccine by the fall. and you listen to fairly acclaimed and successful doctors who say, look, 2021 at the very earliest for a vaccine. why is there such a wide gap

about something that conceivably should be relatively simple when it comes to what the science is. >> i think the answer is pretty simple. we've never moved at this pace before. and this operation warp speed and the public demand for a vaccine has accelerated things. while many of us thought three months ago that the idea of having a vaccine that's been shown to be effective and prevent infection in monkeys, which is the closest animal model to humans and has been shown to produce neutralizing antibodies in patients as was announced this monday by moderna, i would have probably told you that sounds unrealistic, too good to be true. we are seeing this intense mobilization of resources and the sort of lack of enthusiasm that came after the announcement on monday was probably because moderna simply released the data they most likely had which was for eight patients, not the whole group of 45. not that the other 37 didn't do well. it's just they released the data

they had at the time. leland: i got a text from my mother who said you asuaged some fears of mama and papa vittert. >> thanks, leland. alicia: fallout today from democratic presidential candidate joe biden's comments during a radio interview on friday. jacqui heinrich joins us live with the details. hi, jacqui. >> reporter: hi, alicia. joe biden walked back his comments after criticism, it sounds like he was taking for granted the very population that propelled him to the position of likely nominee. >> if you have a problem figuring outs whether you're for me or trump then you ain't black. i never, ever, ever have taken the african american community for granted. i've had their support. i shouldn't have been such a wise guy. i shouldn't have been so cavalier. >> reporter: the backlash was twist from liberal activists,

black community groups and trump ally's alike. the trump campaign is planning an ad blis blitz and highlightie support for the crime bill. senator tim scott, the only black republican in the senate, grilled biden again this morning. >> south carolina's african american population stood up and trusted not joe biden as much as they trusted jim clyburn and followed jim clyburn's enforcement of joe biden. that is why he is sitting in the position he is in which only reinforces the negative narrative that joe biden ain't woke. >> reporter: biden's comments come at the perfect time for the trump campaign which has been courting black support. a recent fox news poll shows 14% of african americans have a favorable view of trump. versus 75% look at biden favorably. and it also took the limelight off the favorable term for biden in another story that's been

dogging his campaign, the allegation from former staffer tara reade. yesterday, her high profile attorney dropped her case after defense lawyers in california questioned whether she lied about credentials when serving as an expert witness in past domestic violence cases. she testified she graduated from antioch university with a bachelor's degree which the school disputes. alicia: jacqui, thank you. leland. leland: so many of who's want to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice this weekend, memorial day will look a lot different both in celebrations and in the way we show appreciation. lucas tomlinson at the pentagon with that. >> reporter: thousands would

formally pay respects at arlington national cemetery, a short walk away from here, robert wilkey gave americans something to think about. >> we ask people to think about the american warrior is a unique person in history, the only warrior in history who has offered a helping hand to those who he serving and the enemy that he fought. that's a legacy all americans can be proud of. >> reporter: amid the coronavirus pandemic, arrest art link cemetery will only be -- arlington cemetery will only be offered to family members. several thousand are expected to attend. memorial day began in arlington cemetery in may of 191868 -- 1868. they posted photos on twitter and other videos are online. a wreath will be laid at 9:00 a.m. eastern on monday. over 7,000 miles away, the u.s.

military was honoring the fallen with live fire training. this gun ship began target practice in the persian gulf earlier this week with the uss baton ready group, embarked 26 marine unit. the live fire exercise began tuesday, the same day the u.s. warned iran to keep gun boats away from war ships after being harassed last month. president trump threatened iran on twitter saying he would destroy the gun boats if the harassment continued. leland: timing on this is probably not a coincidence. rarely is when things happen at the pentagon. thank you very much. alicia: investigators are examining the black box from a pakistan international airlines flight that crashed on friday. 997 passengers and grew members died when the plane crashed into a crowded neighborhood. two passengers survived the crash. one of them describing the crash saying there was a sudden jolt when the plane tried to land.

the pilot warned it could be troublesome. officials say it's too early to determine the cause. leland: lori loughlin says she will now plead guilty in the college admissions scandal. will she face prison time, when we come back. state farm is announcing the good neighbor relief program we're returning $2 billion dollars to our auto policyholders through may 31st. because now, more than ever, being a good neighbor means everything. like a good neighbor, state farm is there.

being a good neighbor means everything. did yocould be signs that syour digestive systemwn isn't working at its best? taking metamucil every day can help. metamucil supports your daily digestive health using a special plant-based fiber called psyllium. psyllium works by forming a gel in your digestive system to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down. metamucil's gelling action also helps to lower cholesterol and slows sugar absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. so, start feeling lighter and more energetic... by taking metamucil every day.

alicia: groups gathering today in california for a protest outside the capitol building in sacramento. the state is in the process of slowly reopening with dine-in restaurants, bars and other businesses and other activities are still closed. leland: there's been a stunning reversal in the college admissions scandal with lori loughlin and her husband now pleading guilty to conspiracy charges. molly line has been following this story from the very beginning and tells us what's next for the power couple. >> reporter: lori loughlin and her fashion designer husband changed their plea to guilty. the two become the 23rd and 24th parents to admit guilt the college admissions scandal. they appeared before a judge i a video conference. loughlin pled guilty to to one

count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. she will serve two months in prison. her husband would get five months behind bars. the couplthe judge has not decid whether he'll accept the deal. >> everyone seems to think they would head to trial in october. this decision was a bit of a surprise and seems to indicate they believed it was too risky to take the case to trial. >> reporter: the pair is accused of paying half a million dollars in bribes facilitate r&d by rick singer to get their two daughters into the university of southern call importan californy crew team members. the couple created fake athletic profiles for the girls. attorneys have previously argued they believed the payments were legitimate donations to usc or singer's charity. 19 defendants have been sentenced in the case. among them, fel felicity huff bn

served 11 days. the sentencing is slated for august. molly line, fox news. alicia: here to talk about this and what it could mean for the other parents wrapped up in the scandal is attorney and northwestern law professor andrew stoltzman. these two were defiant for the past 11 months or so, even making accusations against the prosecution for withholding evidence. what happened? what changed? >> it really did get nasty for a while and i think ultimately what happened is the two defendants were looking down the barrel of a gun in so far as if they were convicted in theory they faced 45 years in federal prison. they wouldn't have got that if they were convicted. they probably would have got two to three years. but those risks, specifically the risk of a very long jail sentence, was enough to kind of get them to the table and plead guilty to something that if you look at what they've said previously, they clearly believe they didn't commit a crime.

>> you mention the sentencing guidelines. i want to put up first -- we'll show you what the maximum sentence could be. i'll use lori loughlin as an example. the maximum sentence for her charges, incarceration for 20 years, supervised release for three years and a fine of $250,000. this is what her attorneys are hoping for in the offer that they have made with this plea. it would be two months in prison instead of 20, two years supervised release instead of three years and a fine of $150,000. what does that look like to you? because there are a lot of critics out there who are saying this is laughable. >> yeah, i get it. there's some people who say this is a slap on the wrist. but in the same sense you have to remember, at usc, harvard, yale, all these top schools, for such a long time this sort of activity has been going on, for literally 100 years, if you donate a library, make an endowment you get your kids in. and i think lori loughlin and her husband really struck a vein

on a motion that they filed with respect to discovery to get all of the records at usc relate r&d to the donations the school has got over the last 25 years to establish this is business as usual. alicia: what we've seen in so many places, though, prisoners being released, people in jail being released early because of covid-19. do you think that played anything into the calculation here that even though they're offering like months in prison, that that might not even happen because they can't do it for safety purposes. >> you know, it's questionable as to when they would start serving their sentence. now, there's a deal that they would serve two months. the judge doesn't have to bless that. the judge could say no prison or the judge could say years in prison. it's his discretion. i don't know how much the coronavirus related pandemic will have on their sentence. i think they're going to serve a little bit of time. in reality, this really is a slap on the wrist. alicia: what does this mean for the other parents out there, the ones who are still holding out?

>> yeah. well, that's the $64,000 question that these parents have is do i go to trial and do i try to win this case but if i lose it, my sentence is going to be substantially longer and that's what would have happened to lori loughlin if she was found guilty. she probably would have got two to three years instead of only two months. i don't know how much impact this plea deal will have on other parents but i'm dying to see one of these cases go to trial, right. because we're so used to prosecutors having slam-dunk cases against people who don't have the resources to afford to fight. well, lori loughlin and most of the parents did have the ability to fight so i'm kind of disappointed that they settled. alicia: well, you know, we're all paying attention to so many other things right now but obviously we're still paying attention to this. we will see how this goes. thank you so much for your time. >> any time. leland: what a story. beaches are starting to reopen just in time for the memorial day weekend. aishah hasnie at coney island with whether anybody's braving

the weather to come to the beach, hi, aishah. >> reporter: well, take a look behind me. the beaches are practically empty, the board walk not looking any better. coney island is not the same on this memorial day weekend. coming up, i'll have the restrictions in place as beaches open up all across the country. robinhood believes now is the time to do money. without the commission fees. so, you can start investing today wherever you are - even hanging with your dog. so, what are you waiting for? download now and get your first stock on us. robinhood.

i've been involved in. communications in the media for 45 years. i've been taking prevagen on a regular basis for at least eight years. for me, the greatest benefit over the years has been that prevagen seems to help me recall things and also think more clearly. and i enthusiastically recommend prevagen. it has helped me an awful lot. prevagen. healthier brain. better life.

alicia: as we kick off the memorial day weekend, some beaches across the country are welcoming visitors but will folks show up. aishah hasnie has more. hi, aishah. >> reporter: hi, alicia. right now here on coney island things are very surreal. it's eerie out here. the beaches are practically empty, the boardwalk not looking any better. can you see some of the businesses didn't even bother opening up today and the wonder wheel back there, i don't know if you can see it, at a standstill. nathan's is closing up now.

and a lot of this has to do with the rainy weather today but also due to restrictions in place for new york city beaches. they're technically open, no swimming is allowed, no lifeguards on duty. new york state run run beaches are reopening this weekend. governor cuomo said people are socially distancing. he's allowing gatherings of up to 10 people as long as people follow social distancing guidelines. >> it depends on how people act. you can have safe gathering of 10 people. you can also have a wholly unsafe gathering of 10 of people. you can have an unsafe gathering of three people. you can have an unsafe gathering of two people. it only takes two. >> reporter: on osome of the new jersey beaches reopened last weekend to large crowds. governor murphy increased the limit from 10 to 25 people with social distancing, festivals and concerts are prohibited. this all comes as new jersey is

still second in coronavirus deaths in the entire country. pennsylvania led the country in one day deaths yesterday. governor tom wolfe of pennsylvania asking his residents not to travel to the jersey shore over fears that people will bring the virus back to his state. now, some florida and california beaches have also reopened. hundreds of people laying out at venice beach yesterday, folks surfing out there, people eating, shopping. really what memorial day weekend is supposed to look like but here on coney island it is pretty much desolate. for those wondering about the nathan's hot dog eating contest, that hasn't been canceled just yet. officials are hoping to make an announcement about that some time this week. alicia: i'm sure leland has not stopped asking about that thank you for the update. leland: we'll see if that happens on july 4th weekend. in the meantime, -- part of our proud american segment here, the

usaa is taking its poppy wall of honor digital this year, pays tribute to those that have lost their lives in conflict since world war i. joining us now retired vice admiral john bird. this is a different interview than when we were out on the national mall last year, we had the wall of poppies next to the lincoln memorial. tell us why it's important to remember and celebrate this even virtually if we have to. >> good afternoon, leland. thank you for having me. it's good to be back with you. it is different this year. we'll have to do a virtual gathering. we have a website, poppy memory.com. we take one day a year, just one day a year to remember the american men and women that gave their lives in service to our country so we can enjoy this weekend, every other weekend and our freedoms. it's a small thing to do for the incredible sacrifice they made.

leland: i asked this a number of other veterans as you are who obviously have friends that did not make it back and gave their lives in service of our country. you're right, it is worthy of our thanks, our praise and our pause to remember them. for families that are thinking to themselves that's hard to do because they can't go to a parade, can't go to a cemetery and pay their respects, they can't visit loved ones. what is the proper way to say thanks? >> well, i think you start with remembering. you mentioned throughout your broadcast the gold star families, just understanding their sacrifice. as i mentioned, we have a website, poppyin disinmemory.co. i'm wearing a poppy on my la pee--on my lapel as a sign of remembrance. you can help your children make a poppy. there's instructions on that website. although we can't get together physically because of the

pandemic, we gather virtually, we still remember. of those people we lost as we said, you can never thank them enough. but you can never forget them either. you know, we determine the meaning of the lives they gave for us. and we do it through remembering them. leland: very well-said. i know one of the big parts of the usaa is not only insuring and providing financial services for current members of the military but also gold star families and those who have served. right now we're in a unique time, especially for military members, because so many military families are two income families, oftentimes that second job comes from a job that's been hit by the coronavirus layoffs. what are you all doing as an organization to look after your customers and your community? >> thanks, leland. i think as an organization we're really stepping up for this challenge. we can't do everything but we're looking to inspire others. since the covid-19, usaa has given something more than $10 million and a lot of it's gone to military organizations,

military relief societies, for the army, navy, the air force, marine corps and our guardsmen who are on our front lines today, many who are activated. the reason why there's challenges, they're like most americans. many are living paycheck to paycheck. when the spouse loses their job it puts a real stress on the family, not to mention some have been extended at sea or on deployment. that adds more friction, causes more dollars to be spent. there's just a whole host of reasons. but certainly all of us need to help out those military families because of what they do for us. leland: i will -- i said it before, i will say it again, which is that this quarantine and time of us all being locked in our houses has given me new respect for your profession under the sea. it's a very different way of living. if you got a couple seconds for us, we just have a couple, but give us some advice for people

coming back from this quarantine in the same way you came back from sea, all of a sudden you're able to see your friends, able to go out to eat again, any advice for people coming out of quarantine so-to-speak? >> well, we used to think about take it slow. if you haven't been driveing in a long time, take it slow. don't start out and get out on the interstate too quick. be a little more thoughtful about distances and things like that. so i would say just that, take it slow, go on a measured approach. many you haven't been outdoors as much. that's a different dynamic. there's a lot of things you can do. hopefully we'll get past it soon. leland: take it slow at happy hour at the local bar. admiral, good to see you as always. thanks for all you're doing to remember those who served, sponsored by usaa, poppyinmemory.com. thank you, sir. >> thank you, leland. thank you for all you do. alicia: after recovering from the coronavirus, these two michigan law enforcement members

are helping others to fight it off, that story coming up next. i've always loved seeing what's next. and i'm still going for my best, even though i live with a higher risk of stroke due to afib not caused by a heart valve problem. so if there's a better treatment than warfarin, i'll go for that. eliquis. eliquis is proven to reduce stroke risk better than warfarin. plus has significantly less major bleeding than warfarin. eliquis is fda-approved and has both. what's next? sharing my roots. don't stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer than usual for any bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures.

eliquis, the number one cardiologist-prescribed blood thinner. ask your doctor if eliquis is what's next for you. some companies still have hr stuck between employeesentering data.a. changing data. more and more sensitive, personal data. and it doesn't just drag hr down. it drags the entire business down -- with inefficiency, errors and waste. it's ridiculous. so ridiculous. with paycom, employees enter and manage their own data in a single, easy to use software. visit paycom.com, and schedule your demo today. i but what i do count on...ts anis boost high protein...rs, and now, there's boost mobility... ...with key nutrients to help support... joints, muscles, and bones. try boost mobility, with added collagen.

"show me what you're made of." so we showed it our people, sourcing and distributing more fresh food than anyone... our drivers helping grocers restock their shelves. how we're helping restaurants open pop-up markets. and encouraging all americans to take out to give back. adversity came to town. so we looked it in the eye. and it won't be us... that blinks first. and right now, is a time for action. so, for a second time we're giving members a credit on their auto insurance. because it's the right thing to do. we're also giving payment relief options to eligible members so they can take care of things like groceries before they worry about their insurance or credit card bills. right now is the time to take care of what matters most. like we've done together, so many times before.

discover all the ways we're helping members at usaa.com/coronavirus alicia: a pair of michigan sheriffs officers finding a new way to help their community by donating their blood plasma after beating covid-19. joining us now is just one of those officers, cass county undersheriff, clint roach, undersheriff roach, thank you so much nor joining us today. good to see you. >> thank you for having me. alicia: can you walk me through -- walk all of us through exactly how you came to donate your plasma after your recovery. how did that process go? >> well, we had heard through the news and through other sources that it was possible to donate, that the plasma could help others fight the covid-19. our health department helped us reach out to a hospital locally that was doing that and we were able to sign up, did through a

couple short questionnaires and tests and call tie. qualify. we both decided we were going to donate our plasma. captain jacobs has done it once and i've done it twice now. alicia: how does that go? just curious, how do you feel after? >> i healt felt fine. i never donated blood before. i was hesitant the first time. i had no effects whatsoever, i felt fine when i was done. alicia: you donated this morning, i understand? >> correct. alicia: so you've been very busy. you have a very busy day today. how are you feeling now? you caught the virus early on, in march, when i say early on i mean as it hit the country. how are you feeling today? >> i'm still catching myself sometimes being a little short on energy. it really took a toll as far as energy-wise when i first got it and it's taken me quite a while to gain back my strength and

stamina for keeping busy and doing things all day. alicia: and captain jacobs, do you know how he's doing? >> he's doing well. we're both back to work full-time, doing well. alicia: fantastic. so as someone who has been through this before and as you're watching the country go through this reopening and some people are resistant, they're resistant to the ppe, they're resistant to staying closed. as someone who has been through this and as a member of law enforcement who has to maintain peace, what do you say to folks out there? >> we advise them to take it serious. it's a serious problem. we need to protect ourselves to keep from getting it, it's very serious and should be taken that way. alicia: and just so of folks understand, the antibodies, your antibodies help folks in the future and this is something that any american who has been

through this can talk to their doctor about donating plasma as well, isn't that right? >> that's correct. alicia: and what do you say to folks out there who have been through this? because i mean, as you just described, it's awful, it's quite the hit but we still need to move on from this and there are ways that americans can give back. >> yes. if you've had it, tested positive and now tested negative for it, donate if you can. if you're willing to do that. it's beneficial for other individuals that are in the process of getting or are going to get it. it's painless. it took about two hours of my time the first time and only an hour the second, so relatively simple to do and could help many people. alicia: and you are serving your community of cass county in so many more ways than one, undersheriff clint roach we appreciate your time and thank you for all you've done. >> thank you. thank you for having me. alicia: leland. leland: look outside on this

beautiful spring day in washington, across the white house to the washington monument. we'll tell you where it's not exactly this nice out west when we come back. tempur-pedic's mission is to give you truly transformative sleep. so, no more tossing and turning. because only tempur-pedic adapts and responds to your body... ...so you get deep, uninterrupted sleep. during the tempur-pedic summer of sleep, all tempur-pedic mattresses are on sale!

because i trust their quality they were the first to have a vitamin verified by usp... ...an independent organization that sets strict quality and purity standards nature made, the #1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand

the #1 pharmacist recommended this virus is testing all of us. and it's testing the people on the front lines of this fight most of all. so abbott is getting new tests into their hands, delivering the critical results they need. and until this fight is over, we...will...never...quit. because they never quit.

leland: been a rough start to the weekend in north texas where severe storms have caused damage with winds and hail the size of soft balls. meteorologist adam klotz is in the extreme weather center with the forecast. hi, adam. >> hey there, leland. unfortunately some of the storms you're talking about are going to continue over the next couple days, really the entire plains, stretching up into the midwest. let's take a look at the problem areas right now and we are again talking about north texas all the way through the northern plains and another chance getting up into the midwest. this is fueled by some heat, temperatures are running up into the 80s, 84 degrees in dallas, 87 degrees in chicago. that's a trouble spot where we're seeing big storms popping up everything in the red box, stretching into northern indiana, that is a tornado watch, the inagreed yefnt ingren the ground that we could see tornadoes. the one pink box is a tornado warned storm. this is going to continue to pop

up big storms, possibly tornado as we continue into the afternoon and that is going to be fueled by some of this heat. here's your forecast, highs are well above that in chicago, some of the heat being fueled up to fuel the storms. we are close to 90 degrees. we continue to see warm weather into sunday. and into monday. so pleasant, warm temperatures, feeling like summer but that is bringing as we know some of the summer like storms the next couple days in the heartland. leland: important to stay safe and keep an eye to the skies this moon weekend. thank you very much. alicia: a high school in las vegas getting cree sa creative,g their event at the las vegas motor speedway. students drove by with their families to receive diplomas and got to take a victory lap around the track. they were able to listen to their commencement address through the car radio. i really feel for the class of

2020 because their grade weighses are like no -- graduations are like no other. they will be remembered as the most unique class ever. leland: it's so different in so many ways and all of these touch points in american life from weddings to funerals to graduations that we all look back on, now will be forever different because of this unique time we live in. we think about memorial day, where at arlington now you have to have a pass and just you get to be with your family member rather than the rest of america coming to pay respects. very different times. alicia: absolutely. so much to be grateful for as well during this time. leland: well-said indeed. we'll be back here tomorrow. alicia from denver and from washington, take care. alicia: bye.

♪ ♪ ♪ arthel: memorial day weekend and across the country people are enjoying some time outside, beaches, parks and restaurants expected to be busy despite restrictions on attendance as americans kick off the unofficial start of summer, and honor men and women who pay the ultimate sacrifice for our country this as the coronavirus continues to spread in the u.s. with more than 1.6 million infections while more than 350,000 have recovered. 96,000 americans have died from this horrible virus. hello, everyone, welcome to america's news headquarters, i'm arthel