good morning. patriotism amid the pandemic. coronavirus cases on the rise again this fourth of july holiday weekend, with more than a dozen states seeing record increases and nearly every state in the country seeing infections on the rise. beaches shut down. miami under a curfew, and residents in some cities now facing fines for not wearing a mask. we're live across the country. rage at mt. rushmore. >> angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our founders, deface our most sacred memorials, and unleash a wave of

violent crime in our cities. >> reporter: president trump lashing out during a celebration at the feet of america's most famous presidents. thousands in attendance with hardly any social distancing to be seen. and now another member of the president's inner circle testing positive for coronavirus. anger in aurora. three colorado police officers fired after photos were discovered of the cops making light of elijah mcclain's struggle with police before he died. >> as protesters gather for another night of protesting. what's in a name? the cleveland indians announce overnight they're now discussing whether to change the team's name. all of that plus celebrating the fourth safely. tens of millions across the country urged to stay inside and watch the fireworks from home, as america celebrates its

independence today, saturday, july 4th, 2020. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today," with peter alexander, kristen welker, and dylan dreyer. >> welcome to "today" and thank you so much for joining us on this saturday morning. happy fourth, guys. great to be kicking off the holiday with both of you. >> no doubt. and a big thanks for our neighbor for starting the pyrotechnic just after midnight last night. dylan, you've got a full night tonight, hosting the macy's fourth spectacular with our friend, craig. >> i am so excited. i've never done this before. it's going to be a little bit different than it ever has been in the past. they've been preparing for it all week long and it really is going to be a special show tonight. and i haven't seen craig since december. so i'm excited just to see craig, too, on top of the fireworks. >> it will be nice to see another person outside, outside of your home. all right, well, we look forward to that, dylan, it's going to be

great. we want to get right to our top story, though. a very different fourth of july than we've ever seen. across the country, celebrations have been scaled back or even canceled with authorities urging people to stay home and garther in small groups this holiday weekend. >> that is largely being driven by the rise in cases in 40 of 50 states. authorities are worried this weekend's celebrations can cause even bigger spikes. there are now 2.8 million confirmed coronavirus cases here in the u.s. and the death toll just surpassed 130,000. >> our correspondents are covering this from all across the country. we do want to begin with nbc's erin mclaughlin, who is live in los angeles. erin, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, krist kristen. here in california, it will be a july 4th unlike any other. beaches closed, fireworks canceled, and authorities telling everyone to stay home. across the nation, july 4th celebrations canceled as the

virus continues its deadly surge. infections on the rise in at least 40 states, with a record-high number of cases in at least 16. >> this virus has proven time and again in communities around the country and around the world that it will come back with a vengeance. >> including california, where beaches and boardwalks stand empty. normally crowded for the holiday weekend. >> without people complying, we're back to where we were three months ago. >> reporter: california's spike blamed in part on people not wearing masks. now authorities are starting to issue fines. up to $300 in some cities. this as hospitalizations are on the rise, up more than 50% the last two weeks. >> for every patient that we discharge healthy, home, we're admitting many more. >> reporter: in florida, starting this holiday weekend, miami's under curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., the distraction measure to curb the

virus' drastic spread. >> there's nothing more american than sacrificing for a family member, a neighbor, or a stranger. >> reporter: the positivity rate as reached a staggering 14-day average of almost 20%. there, too, beaches are closed for the holiday. in hard-hit new jersey, beaches packed. and casinos back open and already busy. >> it's great. you know, we missed the friendships that we have built here. >> reporter: as things ease in some former hot spots, a warning out of another. >> we do not want to go back. >> reporter: in new orleans, cases once again on the rise. and in washington state, the country's first epicenter, the virus, which initially preyed on the elderly, is now striking the young. just this week, the university of washington confirming at least 93 positive cases. students there are worried. >> we don't want anyone, any family to have to go through this just because we didn't want to follow guidelines, just because you wanted to party.

>> reporter: not all bad news here in california. america's pastime is making a comeback. on friday, the dodgers and angels started practice. the season is expected to begin in a few weeks. guys? >> that is good news. erin mclaughlin, thank you for that. >> there was practically no masks or social distancing last night at mt. rushmore, where more than 7,000 people gathered to hear the president deliver an ominous message about the state of the country. nbc's jeff bennett is at the white house with more on that this morning, as well as the coronavirus hitting yet another person close to the president. jeff, good morning. >> reporter: hey, peter, good morning, and happy fourth. president trump made an impassioned appeal to his core supporters while standing in the shadow of mt. rushmore last night. instead of using the july 4th event to bring the country together and strike a unifying tone, the president railed against what he called a merciless campaign toe race history. the president announced he would sign an executive order to establish an outdoor park of

statues, a so-called national garden of american heroes, all an attempt by the president to fire up his most loyal supporters. president trump kicking off his july 4th celebrations with a visit to mt. rushmore friday night. but not without incident. police breaking up protesters blocking a park entrance. the president warning against what he called the left-wing cultural revolution. >> angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our founders, deface our most sacred memorials, and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities. >> reporter: president trump intervening at the request of republican south dakota governor, christie nome, to restart an annual tradition that had been stopped over environmental and wildfire concerns. the trip drawing criticism from some native american groups who say the 79-year-old monument in the black hills of western south dakota sits on land illegally seized from the sioux.

>> when you carve out, you know, four white men who were colonizers, who committed genocide against indigenous people, and then steal that land from them and carve these faces into this sacred place, and for that to be okay in society today is fundamentally wrong. >> reporter: the massive gathering included some 7,500 ticketed guests, who were not required to wear masks. the governor, a trump ally, defending her decision ahead of the event. >> we told those folks that have concerns that they can stay home. but those who want come and join us, we'll be giving out free masks if they choose to wear one. >> reporter: the president has faced criticism for holding large events in recent weeks, despite warnings from his own coronavirus task force. certainly jerome adams on "today". >> the cdc says larger gatherings are a higher risk. you have to take that into account again with whether or not you're at rusisk, whether y

live with someone who's vulnerable. >> reporter: and this morning, the coronavirus has hit the president's inner circle again. donald trump jr.'s girlfriend, kimberly guilfoyle, testing positive before last night's event. trump jr. testing negative. neither of them traveled with the president on air force one. the two are now self-isolating together. >> and we're told they're expected to drive back east to avoid, perhaps, giving it to others. jeff, joe biden is out with a new op-ed provided exclusively to nbc news. what is he saying? >> well, in the op-ed, peter, joe biden blames president trump for, as biden puts it, throwing off-course the country's sprpurt of a more perfect union. in this op-ed, biden promises to root out systemic racism and store the voting rights act. and he says, this election will decide, rather, whether we want to shrink our grow our democratic values. whether we'll leave the house of democracy built by generations of architects and activists to decay or whether we'll come together as one nation, to build

it up stronger and higher than it ever has before. so a contrasting view of america's promise on this july 4th. peter, kristen? >> as the 2020 race begins to heat up, jeff bennett at the white house. jeff, thanks so much. we now want to bring in dr. colleen kraft, the associate chief medical officer at emory university hospital and focuses on infectious diseases and pathology. dr. cavikraft, great to see you. we appreciate you jing us this morning. let's take a look at the numbers. we have hit 50,000 cases multiple times this week alone, surpassing some of the highs that we saw even in april and may. we're seeing some states scale back their reopening. so how crucial is it to stay vigilant this holiday weekend so that we don't see another surge in cases? >> yeah, it is absolutely crucial to stay vigilant. we are no longer even talking about flattening the curve. we just don't want it to look like a ski slope. so this is really becoming more and more dramatic, and it's

really important for individuals to take personal responsibility to do what they can to protect themselves and others. >> doctor, let me ask you if i can right now, i want to put up another graphic. this is dramatic. here's another one that shows you the united states. you can see the reds and the oranges there. those show the places, the yellows, as well, where the cases have been growing, rising in the last 14 days. a lot of cities, some counties have been revisiting their requirements as it relates to masks. how effective are masks, particularly for people who are going to be outside this holiday? >> masks are a critical piece and a simple piece of protecting yourself and others against this virus transmission. so as it compares to doing nothing about it, i think masks are actually quite effective. there's been a number of studies that show how much it decreases the spread from your mouth outward, by just simply wearing any type of mask. >> and doctor kraft, while cases

are on the rise, we haven't necessarily seen the same spike in deaths. are we learning more about this disease? and what is that? >> right. so that's a mixture of not only having -- i think what's happening there is that the medically fragile have really gotten the message that they need to stay home and isolate. so we're seeing a lot of spread among healthy, young individuals. and so you can see that the hospitalizations and therefore the deaths are actually going down. but that doesn't mean that the virus transmission is stopping, as you've already seen in the graph that you just showed. it's really the lack of medically fragile people that are getting ill, which is good for health care systems. but in general, eventually, this is going to crush the health care system at the current rate. >> really important information as we head into the holiday weekend. dr. colleen kraft, thank you so much. >> thank you. now to a stunning turn in the investigation of the death of elijah mcclain in colorado.

aurora police firing several officers after votes emerge showing police mocking mcclain's struggle after he was stopped while walking home from the store. mcclain died several days later. nbc's gabe gutierrez is in aurora with the very latest this morning. gabe, good morning. >> reporter: peter, good morning. police headquarters here was fenced off overnight to keep out protesters. four officers are now out of a job and the interim police chief says the department is ashamed. the latest twist in a case that has drawn global attention. overnight, new outrage over the death of elijah mcclain. protesters in aurora, colorado, once again taking to the streets after police released these photos taken by their own officers in october, mocking mcclain's death. >> we are ashamed, we're sin

sickened and we're angry. while the allegations of these internal taaffair cases are not criminal, it's a shame. >> the police department announced these two cops would be fired for conduct unbecoming an officer. a third would have been fired but resigned first. a fourth was also let go after getting the photos in a text and responded "ha-ha." that fourth officer had also been involved in the initial encounter with mcclain. for these protesters, the photos added insult to injury. the police chief says the officers claimed they were reenacting the neck hold. >> reporter: mcclain was a 23-year-old massage therapist. his family says he sometimes wore a ski mask to keep warm because he was anemic. >> i have a right to stop you because you're being suspicious. >> reporter: last august, he was walking home when aurora officers stopped him and then tackled him, applied a carotid hold and later a sedative. mcclain died at the hospital days later. the coroner said the cause of death was undetermined. an internal police investigation found the officers followed

policies and the district attorney declined to file charges. but last week, the governor apoint appointed a special prosecutor to investigate. now, more anger fueled by these newly released pictures. >> the aurora police department has a long, sordid, horrible history of both racism and brutality. that needs to stop today. >> reporter: in a written statement, the aurora police association called the internal investigation a rush to judgment and said the interim police chief was unfit for her position. peter and kristen? >> such a heartbreaking story there in aurora, colorado. gabe gutierrez, thanks. also this morning, the cleveland indians have announced they are open to discussing a possible name change. the baseball team said they will be reviewing their 105-year-old nickname in an effort to advance social justice and equality. in 2018, cleveland dropped its chief wahoo logo, a racist

caricature of native americans. the news come as washington, d.c.'s nfl team said they'll be reeving their name. jimmie johnson has tested positive for coronavirus. johnson says he has no symptoms, but he will miss this sunday's brickyard 400. the race at indianapolis motor speedway. he is the first nascar driver to test positive for the virus. johnson's team said he will not return to the track until he's been cleared by a doctor. sunday's race is part of an historic indy nascar double header that airs this weekend right here on nbc. want to take a turn and check the weather. all eyes are on dylan dreyer on this fourth of july. dylan, how is it looking out there? >> it's going to cook. >> it's always such an important forecast, but this year it's a little different, because the weather looks actually really nice across the country, where a lot of fireworks displays just aren't happening this year. but we are going to see partly

cloudy skies across the northeast, the great lakes out west. we're seeing clear skies, too. the best chance of seeing thunderstorms tonight at about 9:00 would be down across florida. scattered showers and storms likely, as well. another area where we'll see storms today will be across the northern plains. that area in yellow could see damaging winds up to 60 miles per hour, large hail. you can't rule out a tornado, although it looks like the hail and wind threat will be the bigger issue. this will continue to trigger some pop-up showers and storms all afternoon. some of these storms could produce really heavy rainfall. we'll see more of that on sunday, too, and we could see as much as 2 to 3 inches of rain especially down through mississippi and into alabama where the rain will be heaviest. that's a look at the weather across the country. now here's a peek out your window. as we head into the afternoon expect plenty of sunshine. temperatures will be in the upper 60s around 10:00 a.m. by 1:00 p.m. temperatures will

start to climb to the mid and upper 80s. even inland areas could potentially see low 90s. fremont temperatures right now a quick check of the temperature trend sunshine all the way through the weekend with 80s expected in today's forecast. >> and that's your latest forecast. peter and kristen, back to you? >> all right, dylan, thanks so much. we'll give you time to get a nap a little bit later this morning, right? still to come right here, we are live in london where the pubs just reopened. but not everyone is saying cheers to that. and a little bit later, the nation's founding fathers moving from broadway straight to your living room. and peter alexander was up late watching this one. we're back right after this. >> thehole crew. w

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we have a look at our micro climate forecast. happy 4th of july. >> happy 4th of july. it's going to be a really nice weekend. a lot of sunshine but, you know, it does elevate fire danger. let's get right to a sneak peek of the forecast for today. 57 degrees right now in san jose. a quick look at your micro climate highs for the afternoon, we will be pretty hot in the inland areas. san jose predicted highs about 87. we're going to be in the 90s including areas like walnut

creek, concord, danville. however, it is going to be really dry as we continue to see the high pressure really start to dominate into our weekend. 90s up through the north bay which means again elevated fire danger as the humidity begins to fall below 50% or 30% actually. gets even lower. down into the 20s, 19%. right about 5:00 or 6:00 and then looking overnight the lows really start to dip as well. we'll have a concern for that because hopefully nobody should be out there lighting fireworks but this is the reason we don't want to do it. it is dry. a lot of dry brush. which means a lot of fuel. back to you. >> thanks so much. as mentioned, it is going to be a 4th of july unlike any other. the majority of fireworks shows have been canceled across the bay area. the goal of course is to keep people from gathering in large crowds. it will be no different on the coast. all the counties in yellow are closing their beach parking lots. this is in effect in sonoma, marin, san francisco, san mateo,

and santa cruz counties. many beaches will remain open but county leaders are encouraging people to stay home. all the areas in red have closed both their beaches and beach parking lots. that is pacifica, half moon bay, and monterey county as a whole. even with the closures people are expected to descend on popular beach spots in both half moon bay and pacifica. law enforcement are patrolling the beaches to make sure people comply. coming up this morning on "today in the bay" not letting the pandemic put a damper on a major mile stooen. the party on wheels for one man's 100th birthday. we hope to see you at 7:00.

♪ ♪ alexander hamilton >> we are back on this saturday morning, the fourth of july, 2020. no more fitting way to celebrate america's independence than by spending it with some of our founding fathers. that is the original broadway cast of "hamilton." the show is now available to watch on disney plus. and we're going to have much more on it coming up in pop start. the alexander family watching together last night. my wife was in tears, and by my wife, i mean, i was in tears.

my daughter, my 4-year-old said to me at one point, was there really dancing in the revolution. >> it would have been a lot more -- that is -- it's pretty amazing just to see that cast. be honest, were you acting the whole thing out for your family? >> uh, a lot. it's pretty darned good. i'm going to be honest. sitting there watching was a heck of a night. a special performance. >> let's begin this half hour with a check of the headlines. we start with a rapid rise in coronavirus cases over this fourth of july weekend. celebrations have been scaled back across the country, as more than a dozen states have seen record increases and cases are rising in 40 states, in california. beaches are shut down for the holiday weekend. miami-dade county is under curfew. and authorities are urging people to garther in small grous for the holiday to prevent further spread. now to a hit-and-run overnight involving two protesters on a freeway in seattle. we do want to warn you that this video is disturbing. a car drove through a closure and struck multiple pedestrians on interstate 5 near downtown seattle.

two people were transported to a local hospital there. one of the victims is now in critical condition. the other is in stable condition. police eventually stopped the vehicle and the driver is in custody. and baseball is back in action this morning, as teams resumed workouts on friday. for the first time since coronavirus halted spring training in march. the league said 31 players and 8 staff members tested positive for the virus during mandatory screenings. that's just 1.2% of everyone tested. the mlb also announced it would be canceling this year's all-star game, scheduled for july 14th, for the first time since world war ii. opening day for baseball season is set for july 23rd. >> a lot of people counting down the days to that. also this morning, it is a big day in england, where after three months, pubs just reopened. they reopened finally after being shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. and nbc's sarah harmon is in london, outside a pub that just opened its doors.

sarah, good morning. >> peter, good morning. if you take a look over my shoulder, you can see the line of folks waiting to get in for that first drink. and to say that brits love a pub, it's a bit of an understatement. there are more than 30,000 pubs in the uk. that is double the number of starbucks that we have in america. but this morning, there are serious concerns about this reopening, because, peter, this is still a country in the midst of a pandemic. on this july 4th, it's independence day here in merry old england. >> it's lovely to have a nice pint. >> reporter: after more than three months of lockdown, today these world-famous pubs are back in business, at least for now. >> i do want people to feel that it's safe to go and enjoy themselves, to enjoy hospitality. but it's got to be done in a responsible way. >> reporter: pubs are an institution here, beloved by average joes and royalty alike. prince william enjoying a drink

just before the official reopening. >> pubs go back to the 16th century. and in all of that time, during the great fire of london, the great plague, the first world war, the second world war, where we saw the blitz, at no point did they shut the pubs. >> reporter: there are more than 30,000 pubs in the uk and every single one was forced to close during the pandemic. but the decision to reopen is controversial with some public health experts warning it's too soon. and that alcohol and social distancing don't mix. after the uk saw more than 43,000 coronavirus deaths, not everyone is rushing back. >> not this weekend. let's wait and see. >> i can't wait to go to a pub bar. but we've got to wait until it's safe to do so. >> reporter: today as doors open, safety a top priority. that means social distancing, contactless payment, and only one or two commerustomers at a . it may not be just like old

times, but for many, it's reason enough to raise a glass. it's really coming down to the pub owners and managers today to enforce these rules. they're trying to balance a need to sell drinks and stay in business with a desire to keep their customers and their staff safe. peter, kristen? >> always impressive when there's a long line waiting for a pint there in london. sarah harmon, thanks so much, sarah. >> there's going to be lots of long lines, for sure. dylan is back. you've got a marathon day, dylan, but what's the latest with the holiday forecast? >> it's all for fun, though. it's the fourth of july and you get to watch the fireworks. it's pretty special. we are looking at some pretty significant heat across the country. we've been dealing with it for quite some time, now. especially down south and into the midwest, where it's been feeling like it's over 100 degrees for several days. and we'll see more of that today. little rock, once again, will feel like it's up around 100 degrees. tomorrow, we're looking for high temperatures in the 90s. it will feel even warmer with

the humidity, all the way up into minneapolis. 94 degrees for your feels-like temperature. 95 in chicago. and watch what happens as we go into next week. all the way through at least wednesday, high temperatures staying in the mid-90s. as for rain today, we could see some stronger storms through the northern plains. best chance of showers and storms with heavy rain will be down along the we will also notice warmer temperatures here in the bay area. yesterday we were in the 80s for most but today we'll be hitting the 90s. it will be really dry. we have breezy winds right now about 18 miles per hour down through the south bay. 80s expected for san jose. some low to mid 90s in through areas like walnut creek, danville, and concord. expect to see the dry conditions remain. this will mean elevated fire danger for 4th of july weekend. >> and that's your latest forecast. back to you guys. >> all right, dylan.

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two inches over regulation. thanks, cynthia. for bundling made easy, go to geico.com ...to soccer practices... ...and new adventures. you hope the more you give the less they'll miss. but even if your teen was vaccinated against meningitis in the past... they may be missing vaccination for meningitis b. let's help protect them together. because missing menb vaccination could mean missing out on a whole lot more. ask your doctor if your teen is missing meningitis b vaccination. we are back with the new normal. and as you know, the fourth of july celebrations today will be anything but normal. >> that's for sure. how do you celebrate in a safe way? nbc news medical correspondent, dr. john torres is here with everything that you need to know. dr. j., nice to see you.

happy fourth. >> happy fourth to you as well. >> thanks. we're glad you're here. just give us a quick primer. obviously, a lot of people excited to get out to barbecue with family and friends. what are the things you feneed do to stay safe? >> and the more people you're around and the longer you're around those people, the more likely you are to transfer or transmit coronavirus. we don't want to repeat memorial day where people got together and we had a surge. if you are having a cookout, if you are having a gathering, a couple of ticks. one, byo everything. bring your own everything. have mini picnics for everybody. you can be outdoors, which is much better than indoors. but if everything brings their own everything, you can have mini picnics six feet apart, social distancing. remember your circle of trust. it's important to maintain that circle of trust. you can expand it a little bit here, but if you do, the things to keep in mind, ten people maximum. you still want small groups and

you want to make sure you can social distance the whole time. and that means keeping a mask handy. if you have to move indoors or you can't social distance, make sure you have that mask available as well. and when it comes to actually grilling, which is a big thing, obviously, this fourth of july weekend. you want to designate one person who can do the cooking. you don't want people to share withdrew tensi utensils or anything, because that's how the virus can transmit. instead of having the ketchup or mustard bottle, have little packets so people can have that. or little cups that everybody can use themselves. if worst comes to worst, you can have a designated condiments person, as well. have fun, but be creative this fourth of july, so you can go ahead and make sure that you do it safely. >> those are some good ideas. this stuff is hard with kids, by the way. what i'm hearing from a lot of parents is they plan, maybe, a visit to the beach or they want to go to a pool or even a friend's pool. how safe is that and how do you stay safe doing it? >> so one of the main things you

want to do is do your research beforehand and call ahead, either to the pool itself, if it's a community pool, or to your neighbor's and say, what are you doing? how are you keeping crowds low? you're going to get coronavirus from people, not from the pool water. how are you keeping crowds low both in and out of the pool? how are you making sure you can social distance on top of that? what are you doing for safety policies? are you using chlorine? chlorine can definitely kill cyr coronavirus and other germs as well. a couple of questions to ask before you go to that pool. and social distancing in the water is as important as it is out of the water. that's extremely important. don't share towels, don't share sunscreen or water bottles, because that's another way it can transmit. but the bottom line, have fun, but have fun in a safe fashion. >> and dr. torres, "the new york times" reporting that 80% of fireworks have been canceled. we know that some cities and towns are still holding hem.

if you wa if you want to go out to your local fireworks, what's the safest way to get out there and still watch them? >> the safest way is not to watch them in crowds. the more people you're around, the more likely you are to catch coronavirus or give it to somebody. here in colorado, we're doing it from our porches. they're having displays across the city. other places are having drive-ins. tv, you can watch it on tv as well with your family. just ways you can see that without being in the crowds, that's going to be the important point here for this whole weekend. >> porches and roof decks sounding pretty good. dr. torres, always great to see you. great to see you on this holiday weekend. a quick reminder, you can watch the macy's fourth of july fireworks spectacular hosted by craig and dylan. the festivities begin at 8:00, 7:00 central right here on nbc. >> safest place is on your couch. still ahead, protest art in the nation's capital on this back off! you're not welcome here! get out of my face! hpv can cause certain cancers when your child grows up. get in its way. hpv can affect males and females...

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>> we've been talking a lot about the protests in our house and how important they are, and why people are angry and ready for things to change >> reporter: kate sahaley brought her daughters to what's become an open air gallery of protest art, to understand the images they've seen on tv. >> i'm not okay with how people are being treated.ow >> reporter: and to teach the importance of the american right to protest >> i think it's amazing. it's so beautiful and people have such a unique way of expressing themselves right now. >> you have to understand what's going on to actually make a change and difference in the world. >> reporter: andy bremhall left flowers and then visited several older memorials. >> i think we can live in a nation where we both learn from the past and protest injustices today. and that's a beautiful thing it's the sound of freedom to me. >> reporter: as protesters lined

up against police, just a block away on black lives matter plaza, the canvas of instant american history nearby allowed people to grieve and to think. >> the whole world is watching the u.s. >> reporter: a visitor from france wanted to witness history. >> i'm impressed it's very strong, it's very inspiring, it's about survival for people ewing came to >> reporter: adrienne ewing came to capture her own images to share with family back in tulsa, oklahoma >> what do those images and those messages mean to you >> i think it says something that people are willing to engage in a very challenging and important discussion about where we go next i'm glad to see things change. i'm glad to see and understand that art is going to be part of the new culture and language in the city and i hope that it stays >> reporter: the paper, paint, and expressions of pain have survived the elements so far and now several national museums in washington are considering preserving these memories for

future generations from this critical moment in history. does this art deserve to be in a museum >> absolutely. this artwork is a symbol of change, it's a symbol of recognition. and i hope that we will hang it on the walls of some of our most prominent museums, because it's a symbol of progress >> it really does feel like a piece of living history, as you sort of walk through there, and impressed by families, the parents who brought their kid there to experience it it stands as this tribute, even as the streets kind of grow quieter. >> that's what struck me, seeing those kids absorb it and really understand this moment, because they could see that artwork. great piece, peter >> thanks. let's turn to dylan now. dylan, you've got more talkers coming up in pop start >> oh, we certainly do lots of good stories ahead, including like mother, like daughter serena williams hits the tennis court with her little girl

wait until you see this. that's right after this. hi. we're glad you came in.

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we are back on a saturday morning and dylan, let's do some pop start. >> let's do it first up, for those feeling helpless about the lack of live theater, the "hamilton" movie is here ♪ so what did i miss ♪ what did i miss? ♪ virginia, my home, sweet, home, i want to give you a kiss ♪ >> i've already watched it i'm obsessed, again. "hamilton" premiered friday on disney plus. the original cast filmed it in june 2016 and it was originally slated to be released in theaters next year, but creator and star, lin-manuel miranda moved up the release amid the coronavirus pandemic it will be a while before audiences can be in the room where it happens with broadway staying dark until at least

january 2021 it's so good watch it up next, kobe bryant the late basketball legend will be the cover athlete of the popular game nba 2k 21 the game issued a special mamba forever edition to honor bryant. kobe bryant retired in 2016 after a winning career with the los angeles lakers, bringing home five nba championships. bryant died in january when his helicopter crashed in california his daughter, gianna, and seven others were killed, as well. and finally, serena williams the tennis champion, took to instagram to show off her new doubles partner. take a look at this, serena posted some pictures and a video giving her young daughter a high five and if you ask us, olympia and serena make quite the pair the duo sported matching purple outfits and rack ets on the court. olympia is not quite 3 and already showed some pretty impressive composure on the court with her mom serena might be getting ready

for competition, after announcing last month she will be playing in the u.s. open later this summer. that is your pop start wait a second, we have one more thing here in pop start. hey, kristen i heard that july 1st was your birthday i've got a little coffee cake here >> oh, that is so sweet! you guys -- thank you! look at this cake! >> it may be the fourth of july, but at nbc, this is kristen welker birthday observed >> that is so sweet. i am truly surprised and stunned. thank you, guys. best team to celebrate with. >> i spoke to your husband, for clarity, there were some small guidelines, red velvet, super dairyriffic is a no, no heavy whipped cream. we'll keep it socially distance, but -- >> how are we going to eat all of this! we'll share. cake for everyone. thanks, you guys have a great weekend, guys, and happy fourth of july >> love you kristen. >> have a great weekend, everybody. >> thank you, guys ma attacks. less oral steroids. taking my treatment at home. nucala is a once-monthly add-on injection

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good morning. coming up next on "today in the bay" a 4th of july unlike any other in recent memory. the president kicks off celebrations at mount rushmore but locally fireworks shows are canceled to help keep people socially distanced. but people at santana row not complying nor keeping physically distant. how local leaders hope to keep the crowds away this weekend. a beautiful forecast to celebrate america's birthday. we're tracking a warmup in your micro climate forecast. this cheeseburger is the best!

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good morning. it is saturday, july 4th. america's 244th birthday. here is a live look outside at aquatic park in san francisco, which will not be seeing a fireworks display this evening. thanks so much for joining us on this 4th of july. we have a look at your micro climate forecast and it's a beauty.