e energy and money... by taking steps to stay cool while using less. keep safe and keep it golden. the showdown between joe biden and president trump over wearing masks escalates. this as the u.s. faces one of the deadliest days and one in every four texans tested is positive for coronavirus. >> get ready for record-setting scorching temperatures in various parts of the nation as the intense heat collides with wildfires across southern california. no relief in sight for those facing economic turmoil as a senate adjourned with no lifeline anytime soon. a nationwide tribute to breonna taylor, five months after she was killed by police we'll hear from her family.

why some schools are change history books. it is friday, august 14th, "early today" starts right now good morning i'm frances rivera. >> i'm phillip mena. the united states response to the pandemic is front and center in the race for the white house. in a sharp contrast to president trump, joe biden is calling on every governor to issue a mask mandate for three months andrea mitchell has the details. >> reporter: joe biden and kamala harris getting briefed by doctors on the coronavirus today. >> every governor should mandate mandatory mask-wearing the estimates by the experts are it will save over 40,000 lives in the next three months. >> reporter: the president did not wear a mask publicly until last month >> this is america, be a patriot, protect your fellow citizens >> reporter: the president jumped on that >> joe biden would allow rioters and looters and criminals and

millions of illegal aliens to roam free in our country he wants the federal government to issue a sweeping new mandate to law-abiding citizens. >> reporter: biden does not support rioters or illegal immigration. and is calling on the governors, not the federal government, to order masks. the president also mischaracterized biden's positions on shutting down to stop the pandemic. >> he wants to shut down our economy, close our schools, and grind society to a halt. >> reporter: biden who was briefed by coronavirus experts weekly included his new running mate >> there may be some grand gestures offered by the current president about a vaccine, but it really doesn't matter until you can answer the question, when am i going to get vaccinated. >> reporter: biden and harris also calling for a pandemic testing board to get tens of millions of testing kits and hiring at least 100,000 americans to contact trace biden and harris are trying to make the president's handling of

the pandemic an election issue, showing how they would govern. >> andrea, thank you. the pandemic hits another grim milestone as california becomes the first state in the union to surpass 600,000 cases nationwide there are now over 5.3 million americans infected, with the death toll creeping up to 170,000 our miguel almaguer has the latest >> reporter: our nation marks the third highest single day death toll since may, the covid crisis is still very much unfolding in states like texas while testing here has dramatically slowed, the positivity rate is through the roof, one out of every four people tested is positive for the virus, one of the highest death rates in the nation is in the rio grande valley. that's her gasping it is horrible next step is putting her on a ventilator, which the family is resisting and we strongly

disagree. >> reporter: in kentucky, just reported its highest number for new daily infections, there are signs of progress. two weeks ago 24 states were seeing a 25% increase in cases it is only three as more american takes precautions while california nears 600,000 confirmed cases of covid, hospitalizations are down double digits and the death rate in l.a. county has stabilized liance parker beat the odds after 31 days on a ventilator, but is still struggling. >> eating, sleeping, just sitting up, i have post covid conditions that unfortunately impact every one of thos my lif >> reporter: with cities like nashville allowing bars to reopen, cdc director dr. robert redfield warns if americans don't take precautions, this

could be the worst fall season we ever had. >> you're in violation -- >> reporter: in miami, thousands of dollars in finz fes for not wearing face masks have been issued the united states divided over the threat of the virus, and how to move forward. miguel almaguer, nbc news. another major group at risk for covid, farm workers. with fears of deportation, they aren't getting the tests they need gadi schwartz has more on what officials are doing to help. >> reporter: good morning, phillip. one of the big things they're focusing on out here in kearn county and the entire central valley is bringing testing to the farm workers themselves. they say one thing they have seen is a fear of getting covid-19 tests for a variety of reasons. there are some farm workers that are undocumented as a matter of fact, the majority of this essential workforce is undocumented. estimates of up to 70%

so they want to reassure this population and this community that they are not going to get deported and that they're not going to lose their job because that's one of the other fears we have heard and so they're making it as easy as possible, bringing the tests to the field, there is testing site inside of that warehouse right now. and they're hoping that that may bring the positivity rate down right now the positivity rate out here in kearn county is 17%. and they need to get that down considerably phillip, back to you. >> their health is so important for all of us. thank you. with talks on new coronavirus relief on hold, millions of americans are still in limbo while unemployment claims dipped below 1 million last week, so many families are still suffering. nbc's jo ling kent joins us with more good morning. >> reporter: hey, frances, good morning. the good news is unemployment claims dipped below a million since the pandemic first started. that's for last week but the bad news is there is still so many people suffering because washington can't seem to hammer out a deal.

dee dee reed was the heart of dodger stadium. >> this would have been my 29th season >> reporter: her entire family worked at the concession stands and bars inside, until they were laid off in march. >> it is just scary to not have a job. to have to pay the rent. have to make our car payments, pay our bills. >> reporter: with fans not coming back anytime soon, she is among the 28 million workers nationwide currently collecting unemployment, struggling since the extra $600 a week of federal aid ended two weeks ago. though jobless claims dropped below 1 million last week since the pandemic began, it is four times more than early march and there is no relief in sight. with a stalemate in washington, some states tell nbc news they can't afford to help pay $100 of the new $400 benefit put forth in president trump's executive order. >> there is just no room in our budget we had to cut so many services >> reporter: how long would it take to implement the

president's executive order and get that extra money to people who need it? >> we know in colorado, four weeks is a good benchmark for us once we get the information we need >> reporter: unemployed workers currently receive an average of $332 a week, varying widely from state to state in mississippi and louisiana, it is less than $200 a week, compare that to massachusetts and north dakota where it is over $400. back in california, dee dee reed is asking washington to put people over partisanship >> it is so stressful. we don't know what's coming next and they're sitting there bickering. >> reporter: as hurting americans hope for better days another big question for a lot of unemployed americans, like dee dee, what happens to their healthcare when that runs out in the coming weeks and months? that new burden, that extra financial burden is likely to take a huge toll on millions of unemployed americans frances? >> jo, thank you breaking news, an extreme

heat wave is fueling multiple wildfires on the west coast. evacuations and road closures were ordered for azusa, california, because of what is being called the ranche to home the mount cokee say there is no imminent threat to any structures. the nearby lake fire has destroyed homes, it has been burning north of los angeles for more than 24 hours now, spreading to 11,000 acres. it is only 5% contained. up in oregon, about 900 homes have being threatened with 150 under evacuation orders near moser. officials say this fire was caused by people, but didn't elaborate any further than that. in colorado, the pine gulch fire is now the fifth largest fire, wildfire in the state's history at more than 68,000 acres. that one is 7% contained all those fires are being helped by the extreme heat as well. for more on that, let's bring in nbc meteorologist bill karins. good morning >> hey, good morning

great to see you guys. it is hard to put the fires out when it is this hot and this dry and the winds start kicking up and the firefighters have their work cut out for them. this will be the worst heat wave of the summer season from areas to the pacific northwest. texas is still in the middle of this too, 8 million people impacted and numerous record highs. we have hundreds widespread today. dallas, lubbock, las vegas to phoenix, above 110 on saturday, the pacific northwest gets into the mix. it won't last long it looks like on monday, you'll cool off, but portland will be 100. on sunday we could be the mid to upper 9 0s in areas around seattle. that doesn't happen all that often. for friends in the middle of the country, 8 million people at risk of severe storms, could see large hail, damaging wind, isolated tornado or two later

too bad in the 80s. once you get south of kansas that the heat really becomes a problem. look at san angelo, 106. weekend forecast coming up we got a few wet spots and few hot spots. we'll point them out to you coming up we need to know for our plans. we'll check in with you then. next week, are you going to be able to buy a movie ticket with one quarter and get change back amc theaters have been closed since march 18th and they're looking to hop 100 locations on august 20th as part of the big reopening they're selling movie tickets for 15 cents that's about the same price of a movie ticket 100 years ago in 1920 >> i'd do it get some change in there. >> why not coming up, one ivy league college is being accused of discriminating against white and discriminating against white and asia

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leading the news, serious allegations against a prestigious ivy league college the justice department is accusing yale university of illegally discriminating against white and asian-american applicants in school admissions. yale released a statement denying that allegation, it goes on to say we are proud of yale's admissions practices and we will not change them on the basis of such a meritless, hasty accusation. the family of breonna taylor marks five months since her tragic death in the hands of police, issuing a new call for justice. nbc's jay gray has more. >> reporter: in the five months since her death, her name has echoed. >> say her name. >> breonna taylor. >> reporter: from kentucky, across the nation -- >> continue to shed light on, you know, justice for breonna taylor. >> reporter: oprah winfrey demanding justice and change on billboards across louisville. >> that important conversation has finally been had in america.

>> reporter: her family now desperate for that talk to turn to action. >> 150 days, five months, yeah. every day is still march 13th. >> reporter: that's the night taylor was gunned down by police, executing a no knock warrant, bursting through the door of her apartment looking for drugs, even though she had no history of drug or criminal offenses one of the officers in that raid has been fired, two others placed on administrative leave, but no charges have been filed in the case. investigators say they're still piecing together evidence and waiting on a ballistic analysis from the fbi >> we do expect charges to be filed sooner rather than later >> reporter: until then, her family gathers their strength from the support of so many across the country >> i want everyone to continue,

continue to be out here on the streets, helping us. >> reporter: to continue -- >> say her name. >> breonna taylor. >> reporter: -- saying her name. jay gray, nbc news just ahead, what some schools are doing to change the history books. and then there's this sticky situation, why s atar duct taped himself to a billboard crafting our authentic fragrances begins with ingredients from the earth ... to create fragrances infused with natural essential oils. air wick scented oils. connect to nature. wouldn't iprotected if there was a place that kept you... playful covered fueled ...and safe?

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as the debate wages over reopening schools, protests over racial injustice are raising questions about what our children are learning. nbc's rehema ellis has more on the changes being made to bring equality to classroom teaching >> our books are the bricks that build our society. >> reporter: columbia university professor chris imden says to understand society's uproar over racial inequities, start where history lessons begin. when children first learn about black people in america, what is the first thing that they see in the textbooks? >> the first thing they see is slavery. they may see an image of a family that is half dressed. you may see slave quarters >> reporter: is that racist? >> absolutely it is racist if your introduction to my history is my downtroddenness, you never see me as a victor. >> reporter: until recently, one textbook passage about slavery said many may not have even been terribly unhappy imden says in current books deliberate omissions are just as bad. for example, this passage

describes government policies after world war ii that made home ownership more attractive than ever leading to growth, but doesn't say how they discriminated against black americans. but change is coming, in north carolina amid state wide demonstrations, social studies standards are under review the state may find a model in chapel hill. >> at best a textbook is a starting point >> reporter: brian link is the director of the social justice academy at east chapel hill high school >> you can only pass down what you have been exposed to or sought out to learn in the first place. >> reporter: in his classroom, renowned poet phyllis wheatley, sold into slavery as a young girl and later earned her freedom, is studied alongside the founding fathers >> it is really made it clear to me that there is a lot of history that i don't know. >> there are black people amazing and great things and, like, it really shows me there

is no limitation to what i can do in this country. >> reporter: pierson, the largest publisher of college textbooks, is already making changes, reviewing 100 of its most popular titles, examining content and diversity of authors. for example, the reference to parts of an electric circuit breaker as master slave were recently changed in all digital textbooks to leader/follower. >> we suspended the physical print products in the warehouse and will destroy and replace them. >> reporter: it is a step in a field where chris imden says there is much work to be done. how do we fix this >> we fix this by having new textbooks from different perspectives >> reporter: writing history by teaching every american story. rehema ellis, nbc news, new york >> so eye opening, even to adults, what a difference. >> it all starts with education. >> right there. a quick break and bill is back with a severe weather outbreak to warn you about. plus, from party of four to is tgeof five, chrsyein

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impossible a woman leading a man's army >> disney is out with a new trailer for the live action "mulan" movie, premieres on disney plus. it will cost you 30 bucks, this after repeated theatrical delays due to the pandemic. a lot of people looking forward to anything new to watch on streaming service, will cost you 30 bucks, but, hey, want to watch it. >> very different from the animated one a lot of music, this one more of the action we'll be seeing in this version. mtv announced lady gaga is slated to perform at the vmas

for first time in seven years. lady gaga received several vma nominations for her hit song "rain on me" from her latest aim bum making her and ariana grande the artists with the most nominations with nine nods each. they air live on sunday, august 30th at 8:00 p.m. eastern time this is one -- first, precovid at the barkley center and now shot at different locations. >> see what they choose. >> yeah. this is all different now. all an adjustment. >> all unexpected. there is an adjustment happening for john legend and chrissy teigen they're a family of five or soon will be after debuting the baby bump in john legend's new music video. the team confirmed they are expecting a third little one in their growing family the "wild," legend embraces his wife while she holds her baby bump. no due date yet, but they will soon be getting a younger sibling. we're following their lives step

by step. >> they put it all out there, everything, including some surgeries she recently had >> it is good. >> we'll follow every step of that, i'm sure. steve-o found himself in a sticky situation in los angeles after he taped himself to a billboard to promote his comedy special. he said on instagram a team of professionals got him fastenned safely it wasn't too long before the fire department brought him back down you got image, the video, the selfie, done >> yeah. we need a little jackass in our life. >> we could all use some of it 2020 may seem look a big prank. >> yeah. >> more ways than one. >> still waiting for ashton kutcher to run out and tell us we have been punked. brocks, candy corn, not just for halloween anymore. they have released a new limited edition turkey dinner themed bag of candy corn in time for thanksgiving the new flavors are all of the favorite holiday dishes like roast turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and sweet potato pie.

you can buy this very unique candy corn at walgreens from now through the fall season. anything to keep looking forward. >> the fact we're talking about thanksgiving and fall is crazy when i'm just freaking out with the halloween stuff that is inready out there

right nout at 4:30, if you thought yesterday was hot, you ain't felt nothing yet. a live look at the tri-valley where the temperatures are expected to top well over 100 degrees and that is not the only place. and fire danger covid-19 concerns and how you could stay safe this weekend. and a good friday as we talk about the weekend. at least there is something to celebrate. it is friday. i'm marcus washington. >> and marcus and the ladies