[inaudible conversations] >> worst recovery ever. steve: i like to conclude but thank you so much all of you. thank you so much all of you. >> out of respect for each other, as americans that care for each other, we need to be wearing masks in public when we cannot social distance. >> we have to and we can get back to work, to school, to community, to engagement. because it's not an issue of health versus our economy. jillian: it is monday, may 25th. americans mark memorial day despite coronavirus restrictions as white house experts urge travelers and beach-goers to keep their distance from others. rob: the big test will be controlling crowds after sociall packed parties were seen of the weekend. breaking overnight, the rnc sues

california governor gavin newsom over his vote by mail executive order. jillian: it's the latest major development in the trump administration's fight to end voter fraud. rob: if you thought his split with the patriots was bad, tom brady being roasted for splitting his pants on the golf course. jillian: so funny. "fox & friends first" starts right now. ♪ rob: of course, it is memorial day, monday, good morning. you are watching "fox & friends first" on this monday morning. i'm rob schmitt. jillian: i'm jillian mele. thank you so much for starting your day with us. as we get into this memorial day monday, let us never forget the true meaning behind this day, taking a moment to appreciate those and honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice so we can be here today and have our freedoms. rob: and to the families that lost somebody fighting for this

country, our thanks to you. jillian: absolutely. today, millions of americans will commemorate memorial day in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. rob: beaches and lakes nationwide expected to attract massive crowds. jillian: tod todd piro joins s live as health officials beg americans to celebrate safely. >> reporter: great to see you. memorial day is also a time to kick off summer, but the white house warning this is not a time to let our guard down in the fight against the virus. >> out of respect for each other, as americans that care for each other, we need to be wearing masks in public when we cannot social distance. it's really critically important. we have the scientific evidence of how important mask wearing is to prevent droplets from reaching others. >> reporter: but not a lot of mask wearing or social distancing in the ozarks. take a look at this, huge crowds

packing pools, going viral, looking more like vegas in the heart of summer. there were reports that temperature checks were done at at least one establishment. beach goers enjoying the sun and sand in florida, california, maryland and texas as well among other places. meantime, more reopenings today in kentucky, massachusetts and new york, moves the president and the hhs secretary reiterate are vital to our nation. >> we had the greatest economy in world history. no country has ever done better than what we were doing a number of months ago and we had to turn it off to save a lot of lives which we've done and now we're opening it up again. i think we're going to get the economy back fast. we did the right thing and now we're doing the right thing by getting things open. >> we can get back to work, to school, to community, to engagement. it's not an issue of health versus our economy. it's actually an issue of health versus health, by being locked up in our homes there's very

real health consequences. >> reporter: this as the president announces he is donating his quarterly salary to fight the virus. we always like to give this number as well. more than 366,000 people have recovered from the virus so far here in the u.s. rob and jillian, back to you. jillian: thanks, todd. rob: chaos erupted in florida as thousands of party goers flood daytona beach. officials are looking for the man in this car seen waving and throwing cash from his sunroof. he was allegedly making a rap video. >> we got slammed. disney's closed. universal's closed. everything is closed. where did everybody come? the first warm day with 50% opening, everybody came to the beach. rob: nearby, at least five people were hurt in a shooting. police did arrest a suspect. no officers were hurt.

jillian: nearly 140 people may have been exposed to coronavirus from a hair salon. missouri health officials say a second stylist worked for five days at this springfield great clips while being infected with covid-19, possibly exposing 56 clients. this comes after officials say another stylist went to work for more than a week, potentially exposing 84 clients and seven coworkers. great clips is temporarily closed. rob: the republican national committee and california gop suing governor gavin newsom over his vote by mail executive order. jillian: david spunt is live in washington with reaction from the governor's office overnight. good morning, david. >> reporter: good morning to you both. this happened yesterday, this lawsuit. it was part of an executive order that governor newsom signed on may 8th. he wants everyone in the state to be able to vote because of this pandemic. now, groups that are suing, they're calling this a, quote,

brazen power grab by governor newsom. the california gop, also the rnc filing this lawsuit against the governor in his official capacity and secretary of state alex padilla. the complaint argues the plan invites fraud and ballots could be intercepted by the wrong people if they're in the mail. part of the quote, it says this brazen power grab was not authorized by state law and violates the election cause of the u.s. constitution. the secretary of state of california is responding, in part, quote, expanding vote by mail during a pandemic is not a partisan issue, it's a moral imperative to protect voting rights and public safety. vote by mail has been used safely and effectively in red, blue and purple states for years. we will not let this virus be exploited for voter suppression. the lawsuit comes days after

president trump publicly threatened to withhold federal funding in michigan after the secretary of state there began the process of sending ballot applications to registered voters. she said she used 4.5 million of the cares act money set aside during the pandemic to do this. secretary of state benson in michigan points out it's part of michigan's constitution to be able to have people vote by mail. she said the sail thing is going on in georgia, iowa and nebraska. guys. rob: it's going to be a big fight. this is interesting stuff. thank you so much. jillian: we'll have more on this a little later in the show. four people are dead, 19 others hurt following a violent memorial day in st. louis. one of the victims just 15 years ago. the string of shootings started saturday evening. it's unclear if any of them are related. the mayor calling the weekend a, quote, sad, tragic beginning to summer and asking residents do put down their guns. rob: the fbi coming up empty

after searching a construction site for a missing colorado woman. suzanne morfhew disappeared during a bike ride on mother's day. authorities say her husband was paid to lay dirt at this site and that sparked a search of the site. investigators used x-ray devices to scan the area to see through concrete that's laid on top of the dirt as well. so far, no new leads on this case. we'll keep you posted. jillian: caught on camera, the very moment a michigan dam burst, burying parts of the state under water. this followed days of heavy rain. one of the two that busted had been under krut any-under scrutiny for years who feared it would not stand up to major flooding. roads and homes were completely destroyed. rob.♪ rob: the president and first

lady will mark memorial day by laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier. the annual ceremony honors america's fallen heroes at arlington national cemetery. jillian: the vice president will also be at the ceremony. it is nine minutes after the hour. president trump doubling down on his fight against voter fraud as the rnc takes on california's governor. and his campaign takes the keep america great message to the skies. rob: deputy communications director erin freeney joins us with what she says voters need to hear. jillian: and we honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country. rob: jim of hampton, virginia says to say thank you to his father, john atkinson, who served at a glider pilot during world war ii. jillian: tom and carol would like to thank their son,

specialist thomas barberry who served in the 82nd airborne and gave his life during operation iraqi freedom. thank you all.

rob: california's governor, gavin newsom heading to court, republicans suing newsom over his executive order sending mail-in ballots to all of his state's registered voters. jillian: republicans argue it can lead to voter fraud. democrats say it's the safest way to cast votes. rob: set the table here and tell us the concerns that republicans have over this method. >> well, election integrity isn't a republican or a democrat issue, it's an american issue. free and ferrell exes are --

fair elections are integral to a democracy. that's what president trump and republicans are fighting for is to make sure our election is safe and secure. what governor newsom is trying to do in california is send ballots to every voter but that includes inactive voters, those who may have moved, those who may have passed away and that is ripe for fraud. we want to make sure that those who can legally vote can do so and do so once. what governor newsom is trying to do is flip a switch and upend the election process in california, undermining its integrity. that should worry every american and it's something that president trump and republicans will stand together to fight against. jillian: a couple of statements to get to here. let's start out with the rnc, this says, quote, governor newsom issued an executive order purporting to rewrite the election code for the november 2020 election. this power grab was not authorized by state law and violates the elections clause of

the constitution. he created a recipe for disaster. now, newsom's press secretary says, quote, california will continue to defend the right to vote including the right to vote by mail and right to hold an election that is safe, secure and accessible. voters shouldn't have to choose between their health and the right to vote. democrats will say the pandemic and health concerns and safety concerns warrants this action. what do you say to that? >> safety and security is always of the utmost importance. what the democrats in california are trying to do is remove safeguards to election integrity. americans don't support that. americans overwhelmingly support going to a polling place. social distancing and wearing covers are what the cdc recommends for safe going out of doors at this point. and americans are worried about fraud with the majority. and about the integrity of mail-in voting. when we talk about ballot harvesting where people can go

door-to-door, you worry about chain of command, worry about chain of possession of someone's vote and whether or not it maintains its integrity. we want to make sure people can vote, absolutely. americans should want to vote and be part of the process. we want to make sure it's done freely, fairly and safely. and safeguards are necessary to be able to do that. democrats are trying to remove those safeguards in california. rob: let's talk about michael flynn. the judge, emmett sullivan, who is not letting him off the hook even with the doj's recommendation, has hired an attorney to defend himself against the moves that he has made in regards to the michael flynn case. i want to read the attorney's statement for michael flynn, talking about this judge. judge sullivan, emmett sullivan. sullivan's orders reveal his plan to continue the case indefinitely, rubbing salt in general flynn's open wound from the government's misconduct and threatening him with criminal contempt. republicans have a big problem with this judge.

is it interesting to you that he hired an attorney? >> it's very interesting that this judge would hire an attorney. when asked by the circuit court why he refused to dismiss the charge as recommended by the department of justice, this judge lawyered up instead of providing his reasoning. and providing reasoning by a judge is very common. it's done with great regular rey because should there be an appeal to a case, it already shows in writing the merits, the legal basis and the reasoning behind the decision. this judge decided to lawyer up instead of dismissing the charges like the department of justice recommended. this has been a political witch hunt against president trump and against michael flynn. enough is enough. follow the department of justice recommendations, dismiss the charges. there are nor questions based on -- more questions based on this judge's actions than there are answers, enough is enough. jillian: it's the same attorney that represented brett kavanaugh during his confirmation, just a

little note for people following along with that. erin, before we let you go on this memorial day, i know the trump campaign is taking to the skies. tell us what's going on. >> across the country at beaches where people are safely social distancing you can see a beautiful keep america great banner flying. we're going across the coast of the united states to remind people what's at stake in the 2020 election. we hope beach goers stay safe this holiday. we thank those families who paid the ultimate price for our freedom and we remind you what's at stake for november. rob: thank you so much for coming on. we do appreciate it. jillian: it is 18 minutes after the hour. crowds flocked to beach towns across the country including the jersey s shore for memorial day weekend. as communities face their real reopening test what are they doing to keep people safe. rob: beach city's mayor tells

us what people are doing, he joins us coming up next. you doing okay?

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♪ jillian: wow, look at that, a powerful tribute to our fallen heroes, an air force bugler playing taps in a veterans ceremony in virginia. the site will hold a small private ceremony to mark memorial day today. rob: gorgeous scene, really is beautiful. the department of defense is

slamming the new york times overnight for a memorial day editorial about our troops. the opinion piece is titled why does the military celebrate white supremacy. it argues we should rename bases after american heros, not racist traitors. the pentagon's chief spokesman firing back on twitter, quote, on a solemn day for remembering those who have given their lives for our country, the fork times has more than -- the new york times has more than a million possible stories about american patriots that they could tell, but they don't. jillian: americans flocking to the beach this holiday weekend despite the covid-19 pandemic. rob: states like new jersey slowly reopening tourist destinations while keeping coronavirus guidelines in mind. >> new jersey has done an extraordinary job following our guidelines. i'm heading to the shore myself after i fish this shoavmen show.

for the most part, folks have done an extraordinary thing in this state. i expect that will continue on the beaches. jillian: how are local leaders keeping communities safe and open? joining us live now is new jersey wildwood mayor, pete brian. thank you for joining us, sir. appreciate it. >> good morning. thank you for having us. jillian: as someone who grew up outside philadelphia, spending summers at the jersey shore, i know what memorial day is like. tell us what the weekend has been like so far. have people been okay with different regulations and safety restrictions that have been placed? >> you know what, actually for the most part i think it's really been fantastic. people have definitely been practicing social distancing, not so many people wearing the mask. but i think overall after two months of having it instilled into all of us, i think everyone seems to know what they need to do. rob: as we look at what's open here on the jersey shore, kind

of what the rules are, i want you to talk about this a little bit. you're limiting beach access. you can swim, exercise and fish. you can't just lay out in the sun. the boardwalk is open. some restaurants are open for take-out and delivery. how will you maintain a reasonable amount of people on the beaches. there's a lot of concern that it could be an absolute flood as it gets hot, everyone looking for somewhere to go. >> rob, that's a good point. to back up a moment, you can lay on a blanket or sit on a chair. basically, you can do everything as long as you're practicing social distancing. rob: okay. i'm sorry about that. so you're not like california. you can lay out in the sun? >> yes. i mean, it would be kind of crazy to say you can go swimming, but then you have to get out and stand in a crowd which you don't want people to do. jillian, you said you're from the area so you're aware of the size of the beaches. jillian: huge.

>> we're blessed. if this were a typical memorial day weekend, social distancing would not have been an issue. we don't have those issues here. frankly, if people sit on top of you, you should have enough sense to get up and move a couple feet to your right and left. jillian: the beaches are huge, they're beautiful. the boardwalk, so many businesses there, how's that going with business owners on the boardwalk. i'm sure a lot of people are anxious to get business up and running. how is that? >> well, at this point the amusements, the arcades, games of chance, they're not open as yet. we're hoping that maybe within the next couple weeks we'll start to see some movement on that part. food businesses are open for take-out. the stores on the boardwalk are open for pick-up, sidewalk pick-up only which means the front of their stores can be open, people can kind of walk up and kind of point to i like that wildwood 2020 sweatshirt but they're not allowed to go into the stores yet.

rob: supposed to be a pretty day today. hope for some good weather. thank you for coming on, appreciated it. jillian: thanks. have a good day. rob: okay. 26 minutes after the hour. joe biden in damage control over comments on black voters. >> if you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or trump, then you ain't black. >> we stop putting the burden jillian: should democrats be concerned about potentially losing their support. republican congressional candidate kimberley klasik and democratic strategist wendy obepo are here to debate that.

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but i'm obsessed with it now. there are a lot of like, classic and big titles that i feel like i missed out since i don't have time to read, 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. because i listened to her story over and over again, i made the decision to go ahead and follow my own dream, which was to help other veterans. i think there's like 180 books in my, in my library now. it changes your perspective; it makes you a different person. it's true, it's so true. to start your free 30-day trial, just text listen35 to 500500. rob: welcome back. israel working on a nationwide antibody testing plan to tackle coronavirus. the health ministry hoping to

test 200,000 people by the end of the month. trey yingst is live in israel, tel aviv university, that could be a game changer for treatments. trey. >> reporter: rob, good morning. there are antibody testings taking place in israel and around the world, they're giving countries the ability to determine who among their population has had the coronavirus. we do know two professor at tel aviv university are testing israeli soldiers, an example of how a sample group can be used to determine the percentage among a larger population that has had the coronavirus. i did take this simple blood test today to learn more about the search for antibodies and this process. right now, my blood is being collected. it will then be put on a tray with coronavirus proteins. if i have antibodies for covid-19, the proteins and the antibodies will bind, giving these professors an idea of whether or not i have had coronavirus in the past. this antibody testing right now

is being used to determine how many soldiers in the israeli military have coronavirus but there are also a lot of other opportunities for antibody testing to help in the larger global fight against covid-19. >> using the antibody test could have ther they're mute cal benefits. -- they'r therapy benefits. the test will examine how much antibodies have been generated in response to the vaccine or if people want to do plasma transfer in terms of therapeutics, we can take individuals and see how many antibodies they have within the plasma and see whether this is a good candidate to take the plasma from him. >> reporter: it takes around an hour to get the results of this antibody test. i did test negative for the blood test. these professors say they can scale this larger test that's taking place here at tel aviv university using robots, that's going to be something to look at

in the near future as not only israel and other countries look to expand antibody testing. rob, jillian. rob: trey, thank you so much. the white house banning travel from brazil as coronavirus cases spike in that country. any non-u.s. citizen who has been in brazil during the last two weeks will not be allowed to enter. the president saying the move is in the best interest of our national security. it goes into effect on thursday. brazil has more than 363,000 confirmed cases of covid-19, the second highest total in the world behind only the u.s. the u.s. warning of new sanctions for china over its controversial national security law for hong kong. officials say the measures would be used to silence critics of beijing and undermine civil liberties as china tries to take more control of hong kong. new protests growing over the weekend. national security advisor robert

o'brien says china has a lot to use. >> china is dependent on capital from the rest of the world, to grow the economy and grow the middle class, they're dependent on liquidity and financial markets. if they lose that from hong kong that's a blow to xi jinping and the chinese communist party. i hope that take that into account. rob: china saying overnight it will retaliate if the sanctions are imposed. ♪ jillian: radio host charlamagne calling out democrat reliance on the black vote after these comments from joe biden. >> you've got more questions, if you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or trump, then you ain't black. >> i don't even care about the words and the lip service, the best apology is actually a black agenda. it has to come to a point where we put the burden on democrats to show up for black voters. jillian: do democrats have to work harder to win the election.

joining us now, kim klacik and wendy osefo. thank you for joining us. when dirks i'll start -- wendy, i'll start with you. what's your initial thoughts on those comments? >> i believe that vice president biden's comments were made in jest. were they offensive? absolutely. the truth of the matter is that while democrats do take the black vote for granted, republicans don't even see us existing when it comes to the political sphere. we have to stop taking black voters for granted. because in 2016 -- jillian: can you elaborate on that? how are you getting to that mentality when you say republicans don't even see you exist? >> there's not a black agenda. when you look at the republican party, they do not have a black agenda. donald trump does not have a black agenda. when you look at the 2016 general election, 89% of black voters voted for a democrat. so it's clear that any path to the nomination runs through the

black people. whether republican or democrat, we have to stop talking at black people and start working for black people. that's the issue here. is that we are not just pawns in the political process. we are human beings. we have needs. and those needs need to start getting addressed and not just us going to the election ballot every november and punching a ticket, simply because one person aligns with one political party or another. and those are the facts. jillian: kimberley, i don't want to spend too much time on this because i want to talk about the subject at hand but i also think it's worth talking about, the fact that this administration has done a lot nor criminal -- for criminal justice reform and there are things people i think would argue what wendy's saying right now. what's your opinion? >> absolutely, criminal justice, first step act, republican congressional nominee, i'm very much known in the republican party, they haven't ignored me. let's be honest with this. joe biden should be answering questions. he doesn't feel like he has to and that's been what the

democrats have always done. for a democrat to have a stronghold in urban america, they have to leverage the urban struggles to get federal funding. as soon as they stop doing that, the money stops. this is not a black, white thing. black democrats are famous for it. you look at baltimore and see that happening. as far as 2016, hillary clinton didn't put predominantly black cities on her campaign tour because she thought she had the votes locked down. she was wrong about that. jillian: is this apology enough? let's play this. >> i never, ever, ever have taken the african american community for granted. no one should for any party based on their race, religion, background. jillian: kimberley, i'll go to you first on that, then wendy. is that enough? >> no, it's not enough. i love that charlamagne stopped joe biden in the middle of the interview. the questions from the black community have existed for

decades. they need to be answered. and i feel like joe biden was kind of giving an apology because that's what people wanted but joe biden is joe biden. he's been an elected official for over 30 of years. he hasn't done anything for the black community yet. i don't know why people think he would start now. jillian: joe biden's senior advisor said this was a joke, he said the comments made at the end of the breakfast club interview were in jest but let's be clear about what the vp was saying, he was making the distinction that he would put his report with the african american community up against trump's any day, period. is that enough for you, wendy? >> it's not enough and that's why i'm glad that the biden campaign doubled down and released the black agenda. i know kimberley stated what trump administration has done but most of those things that kim jonkimberley stated are juss he signed. african american congressional candidates or those in office are the people who wrote the bills.

i think it's important for us to start putting forth an agenda. that's something i do agree with charlamagne. i don't care about the apology or what joe biden says. i care what he does. his agenda itemizes the issues plaguing the african american community and the ways he will address. that's what i want to see. no more lip service. i want to see action. jillian: kimberley, your final thought. >> if trump signed them, how come president obama didn't sign them and push them through. people are going back to work. >> look at your facts before you say that. he did write things. jillian: i think we can talk about this for a while but we are out of time. i appreciate the two of you getting up early and joining us. it is a conversation that i think is going to continue to be had. kimberley, wendy, thank you. rob: a frontline hero making sure a beloved memorial day tradition lives on. >> right now, with the pandemic, it's taken lot from everyone. i feel like we need a little

something to celebrate. rob: she took money out of her own pocket for this patriotic display. jillian: it's the rip heard around the sports world. the moment when tom brady became too big for his britches. rob: this memorial day we asked you to send in photos sharing why you are a proud american and the photos have come flooding in. jillian: pam hodges would like to thank her no few. he made the -- nephew. he made the ultimate sacrifice at 19 years old during operation iraqi freedom. rob: that is sad. jared olds would like to say thank you to his father, staff sergeant jerry olds who died heroically in vietnam in 1966. thank you.

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the pandemic, a frontline worker knew she had to act. rob: as our boston affiliate reports, she soldiered on to set up the display of stars and stripes. >> every memorial day flags flood the boston column, more than 39,000 fluter in the breezes to honor those who we lost. >> this is what we're about. >> reporter: this year, the event to honor those heroes fell victim to covid-19. >> right now, with the pandemic, it's taken a lot from everyone and i file like we need something to celebrate. >> reporter: mary who works at mas general as a respiratory therapist had enough. >> that hit a cord with me. i figured i would buy my own flags and let our community enjoy a little heros celebration herhere.

>> reporter: mary ordered 500 flags and placed them in charlestown for her fay bores and anyone else -- neighbors and anyone else to enjoy. >> i love it. mary's active, always thinking of other people, always doing something good for people. >> reporter: military blood runs in mary's family. >> my brother is a former marine, my husband's uncle was a commander of the uss constitution, and i have many in-laws that have served for us. >> reporter: so this honors them. it helps her neighbors and mary too. >> this makes me smile and that's what we need right now. we need a little happiness and we need something to celebrate and it just makes me feel good. >> reporter: john monaghan, boston 25 news. rob: check this out boat loads of people, the event began at the u.s. coast guard station. earlier this month voters in jupiter, florida held a similar event in support of the

president. jillian: nascar's memorial day race won by a star-spangled speedster. watch this. >> on turn four, into the checkered flag, michigan's brad kozlowski's wins nascar's longest ever race. jillian: brad kozlowski won the coca-cola 600 at charlotte motor speedway. nascar had a huge patriotic display before the race that including a fighter jet flyover of the empty stands. each racer had the name of a fallen soldier on their car. rob: quarterback tom brady having an eventful day at the golf course during a charity match, the quarterback wowing phil mickelson, tiger woods and peyton manning by putting this one in from the fairway for eagle. jillian: that was a beautiful shot. what happened after that is what everyone is talking about.

that is this moment right here, that is the shot that led to that. he split his pants down the center, brady joking after the match on twitter, saying, quote, pant wanted. rob: did you see it or did you hear it? >> jillian: i didn't hear the split but everyone saw the split. rob: and that wasn't the only person on social media talking about it. adam tweeted tom brady ripping his pants is the second most embarrassing thing to happen to him on national tv, behind his golf game. jillian: another wrote roughing the passer, pants size 32, automatic first down. rob: another wrote so tom brady is bad at golf, who knew i had so much in common with him. jillian: they raised $20 million for coronavirus relief. it was really fun to watch it yesterday. i will say, peyton manning is a pretty good golfer.

it was pouring rain. the conditions were horrible. but they were all joking and having fun. it was entertaining to watch. rob: there's some good personalities there. peyton manning is a funny guy, a prankster too. jillian: from sea to shining sea, americans honoring those who died fight forge our freedom. rob: our -- fighting for our freedom. rob: our panel of veterans on deck to reflect on the sacrifice of military heroes as they share the true meaning of memorial day. that's coming up. [♪] think you need to buy expensive skincare products to see dramatic results? try olay skin care. just one jar of micro-sculpting cream has the hydrating power of 5 jars of a prestige cream, which helps plump skin cells and visibly smooth wrinkles. while new olay retinol24... provides visibly smoother, brighter skin. for dramatic skincare results, try olay. and now receive 25% off your purchase at olay.com

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rob: the ultimate sacrifice, today we honor and remember the fallen heroes who gave their lives for this country. but a new poll claims that less than half of americans actually

know what memorial day commemorates. imagine that. joining me to discuss why today is so important, u.s. army veteran, ashaa castleberry and war veteran, graham. asha you're a veteran and major in the army reserves. give us your memorial day message. >> yes. my message is that i am thinking about many of our fallen soldiers who have made the sacrifice while protecting our country and this is a time where all americans should take the time and honor those who have made that sacrifice because it's such a patriotic move and we should never forget the true meaning of memorial day. rob: chris, want to go to you. you fought in iraq. you see that number, less than half of the people that know what memorial day stands for. how disappointing is that? and do you think in this country

we take what we have here for granted and all the sacrifice that has been made? >> sure, rob. i mean, i think maybe there's too many liberal professors. maybe if we had conservative professors, people would pay attention in school. yeah, it's disappointing. we take this opportunity on memorial day to remember those who served and for those of us who are here we do our best to make sure we have good policies for our veterans, va, make sure we have new technologies to make sure the military can be stronger going forward and do the things we can do and enjoy the weekends with our families. it's a tough time for everybody. it's nice to honor service members today. rob: absolutely. graham, want to go to you. we look at the total of military casualties, all the wars fought for this country, and you have 1.2 million, more than 1.2 million have died fighting for the united states. you've got almost 82,000 technically still missing since world war ii.

what do nos -- what do those nus mean to you? >> it's a grave reminder that freedom is not free and i think especially right now a message that americans may need to hear is that we should live by the example of our greatest citizens that we have to offer, and we should live in freedom over fear, because like you said, you have almost 1.3 million reasons to remember what memorial day is all about and to live like americans -- like america is worth dying for. rob: asha what do you do on memorial day to commemorate the day and what does this day mean to somebody that's actually fought for this country? >> oh, it means a lot. it's important to recognize those who fought for our country since the american revolution. i'm also thinking about those that are still in war right now, whether it's in iraq and afghanistan.

unfortunately, in this country, we're still at war, we're still fighting against our global threats and we can never forget that. i'm thinking about those. i'm also thinking about my grandfather who was a world war ii veteran, the sacrifice he had made, how proud we have been of him for so long. i'm also thinking about the veterans community as well as military family who have supported those while they were sacrificing their life in war. so there's plenty to think about right now. it's such a special day and it's unfortunate we are quarantined because many of us would be outside barbecuing and enjoying the grave. rob: chris, that's a good point. chris, you fought in iraq. when you see somebody that doesn't come home, i'm not sure how close you were to people who died during your fight, how impactful is that moment? what does that do to the family? >> yeah, rob, it's very impactful. i would say in brief, kenneth naily i went to basic training

with, he lost his life in 2003. he was from iowa. my grandfather, a veteran that passed away. just remembering them. there's a lot of good organizations out there that are doing great work for veterans here. i would say in brief, university of california san diego is doing great work with dod, making sure military has up-to-date technologies. reboot recovery, featured on fox news, doing great work. we have to focus on making the future better. and remembering those that have been lost. it's a great sacrifice but at least on memorial day it gives us an opportunity to remind folks why the holiday is there, the gold star wives and husbands, the widows, great time to learn about it. there's a lot of great groups worth supporting. rob: we have run out of time, thank you so much, chris, graham, asha, thank you for your time and your service. we really appreciate it. and we'll be right back. >> thanks.

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jillian>> out of respect for eh other, as americans that care for each other, we need to wear masks in public when we cannot social distance. >> we have to and we can get back to work, to school, to community, to engagement, because it's not an issue of health versus our economy. rob: it is monday, may 25th. americans marking memorial day despite the coronavirus restrictions as white house