first up here on msnbc, the coronavirus again hitting home at the white house. now it's two staffers testing positive. back to the boardwalk. could this bring about a second wave sooner? my grant workers and their role in the food chain. how the pandemic is hurting them and impacting how your food gets to the supermarket. a father and son are charged with murdering an unarmed black man. let's take a look at the city of detroit this morning. the city and state of course remain under a stay-at-home

order. it will go through may 28th. on monday, manufacturing will be permitted to resume. ford, grandmother, fiat chrysler said they will resume car making the following monday. and this morning, more than 1.2 million confirmed cases of coronavirus across this country. more than 78,000 people have died. let's check out the facts at this hour. more states across the country are open for business. rhode island and nevada lifting stay-at-home orders today while implementing new restrictions. every state in the country has eased lockdowns in some way. governor newsom of california is ordering all california vote stories receive mail-in bat lots for 2020 election. they won't have to choose between safety concerns and

voting. the world health organization as questions swirl over the or swreupbs of the coronavirus. a new report says the w.h.o. is in talks with china to send a mission there to investigate the source of the virus. >> all the evidence we have points out this is a disease, that the virus has been harbored in the bat population and most likely there was a species that transmitted from bats to human. it is extremely important to understand what intermediate animal we are talking about so we prevent that it happens again and to understand the virus better. new developments today on another case of coronavirus at the white house. katie miller, press secretary to vice president mike pence, tested positive for the virus on friday, making her the second administration staffer known to become infected this week. our reporters are following the very latest on all of this this

morning as we get to the businesses around the country opening their doors this weekend to allow walk-in customers. most states, as you see on this map, they are hoping to restart their economies. cori coffin, with a good morning to you, my friend, i suspect these reopenings are creating, yeah, certainly some optimism but a bit of anxiety as well. >> reporter: yeah. there's so much anxiety still out there, alex. very good morning to you. chilly morning in times square for us. small businesses across the country trying to balance that choice that they're making right now between keeping their customers safe, themselves and their employees safe. having those restrictions in place, but also being able to get back to work, start earning an income. many of them just anxious about what that new normal and the new day to day is going to look like. will they have enough business? or perhaps will they have too

much? >> i was squared and frightened this morning. i thought there would be a bunch of people wanting to come in all at once. . >> they are guidelines. they are not strict rules. if you read through it everyone says if possible. >> that is a gray area. we to the floor answers. >> i didn't have to go buy masks, gloves. i have several forms of barbicide. i have used them every day since i have been in practice. >> and these cautious moves forward are going to be key, alex. as you may remember, georgia was the first state to reopen two weeks ago. they have seen a 40% increase in covid cases. in florida, ohio, south carolina, and mississippi, as well as oregon and other states, restaurants, bars, and personal care services will open but with restrictions. in arizona, the same thing. exempt for they have had their highest daily death toll. so they are taking precautions there.

texas hair salons welcomed customers at the stroke of midnight. they were clamoring to get started. in iowa, malls and campgrounds are opening, as well as the troubled tyson's plant which closed to be disinfected with 1,000 testing positive there. in michigan, low-risk work can resume, construction work, that seniority of thing. and colorado, businesses reopen with telecommuting encouraged. alex, some states, a handful of them, still have restrictions in place entirely, including louisiana, illinois, and right here in new york. . >> oh, great, the california dmv is open again, which means lines and lots of frustration every single time. i've been there, done that. cori coffin, thank you so much. retail stores are set to open for business. the state has seen more than

10,000 cases of coronavirus. and the number is 399 deaths. nbc's gary grumbach joins us. what do you know? >> reporter: good morning, alex. that's right. welcome to phase one here in rhode island. there's about 100 businesses here in newport, rhode island that are now able to be reopened for the first time in five weeks. what does phase one mean? i'll tell you. the noncritical retail stores can open. lululem lululemon, banana republic. manufacturing and construction is able to restart. as well as elective surgeries. now, of course gatherings, this is something the governor was very clear on yesterday, gatherings can be no more than five people. here's what the governor had to say in her briefing. >> just do the right thing. know the rules.

follow the rules. do not try to outfox the virus. don't try to outrun the virus. don't think you can sneak and not follow the rules and know everything will be okay. we know that's not true. look what happened after passover and easter. more people wound up in the hospital. if you try to sneak around the rules, bad things will happen. >> reporter: foot traffic here in newport, rhode island has been a little slow. just some runners and joggers. this is an area that relies on the tourist business. i was in hi hotel last night and they told me there were about 10 guests. the reopening begins today. >>ed in, it does. thank you for keeping an eye on that. joining us now, dr. tanya elliott, immunology expert and dr. holly phillips, internist and medical expert for xavier. doctors, welcome to you both. do you think measures being

taken in the reopening of states, we have limited capacity, of course social distancing measures. is it enough to stop a resurgence? cases? >> you know, the good news is we have a better infrastructure in place. remember, we were kind of caught off guard, in a little bit of disbelief and denial the first time this virus hit. now we have more ppe. we do have more testing. we recognize signs and symptoms and flare-ups from this disease. from an infrastructure perspective, we are less likely to be overwhelmed. in terms of, you know, weather these social distancing, these new versions are enough, time will tell. but i think we can be cautiously optimistic. but i would still recommend that everybody be skeptical that this is going to completely curtail the disease. the only thing that worked was when we locked down the country and everybody stayed home. . >> point well taken. let's see where it's being done. there are parts of asia,

specifically hong kong, that has not seen a rise in cases by doing data sharing, targeted testing, and contact tracing. so, dr. phillips, first of all, those rules to live by if you will. as states begin to reopen here, to what extent do we have any of those three in place? >> i think that this is the really the gold standard of how we contain any infectious illness, much less a global pandemic, right? the very first step is confinement. isolation of sick people and contact tracing. when this initially hit the u.s., we missed it. we really pretty much missed the ball there. so now we are into the second phase, which is mitigation. i think what we are seeing in areas around the globe where people have managed to really contain the number of cases, they are doing all of those steps. right? they are following people,

contact tracing. we now know how to do it. i think our infrastructure, i agree with dr. elliott that our infrastructure is much better. i don't know that we're quite there yet. but at least we know what to do and we have some resources to be able to do it. >> okay. there are some experts here in the u.s. which say choosing between the economy and public health is a false die colt my, that there is a third option. increase your testing and contract tracing. dr. elliott, do you have a sense that testing has increased and contact tracing is adequate? >> i don't think we're there yet in terms of the, you know, ability to share data and do contact tracing. i personally am a believer that we need to suspend some of our concerns around data sharing and leverage technology to properly track this disease. we need objective data so we are not assuming, well, maybe there's an outbreak. we need the objective data and the facts. that comes with wide scale

testing. there are guidelines that say certain can't be tested and certain people can't be tested. everyone needs to be able to be tested and tracked if we want to be able to get pack to normal or our best -- a new normal. . >> okay. so, dr. phillips, experts say not a matter of if but when there will be a second wave. almost every state is beginning to lift restrictions. are we accelerating the timeline of a second wave? >> we certainly are. our own coronavirus task force at the white house laid out four criteria to open safely. by safely they meant the ways in which we can minimize there being a significant rise in cases. none of those four criteria, to the best of my knowledge, have been met by any of the states. declining number of cases over two weeks, broad-scale testing,

contract tracing and reasonable ability to treat everyone without overwhelming the hospital system. i don't think any states meet all four criteria. therefore, we will see an increase in cases. . >> let me ask you about a 5-year-old child is believed to be treated to the coronavirus. inflammatory syndrome. a very rare complication. it might be linked to covid-19. we know it affected 85 kids across the country. what do we know about this and when will we know if it's linked to covid-19? . >> there were patients between 2 and 15 hospitalized in new york city with the covid-related syndrome. it's similar to -- it's causing symptoms similar to an illness called kawasaki's disease, an illness that causes inflammation

in the walls of the arteries and can limit the blood flow to the heart. it is treatable in children. most recover without serious problems. but it can also be deadly. all the children that we are concerned about did test positive for either coronavirus, active coronavirus or antibodies, meaning they had been exposed coronavirus. what needs to happen now is an exploration of how these two conditions are linked and what we can do to help to mitigate their symptoms. . >> okay. doctors, thank you so much. from there to the white house where a second aide has tested positive for covid-19. nbc's kelly o'donnell as usual at her post. kelly, what is the white house response to this? >> reporter: well, good morning, alex. on a chilly morning here at the white house, we have been watching as the president and his administration are trying to steer the country toward a safe reopening. they are confronting the

contagious nature of this illness as two staff members whose roles require them to be in close proximity to the president and vice president have contracted the virus. an unexpected hot spot, the white house itself. >> there is a member of the vice president's team who is positive for coronavirus. >> reporter: pence press secretary katie miller has been handling communications for the coronavirus task force. an initial tells nbc news she showed symptoms friday. thursday, she was part of the vp's event in virginia. friday, the vice president continued with a trip to iowa where he did not wear a mask. officials say he tested negative. complicating west wing contacts, miller's husband, stephen miller, is a senior adviser to president trump, who also attended their february wedding. . >> she's a wonderful young woman, katie. she tested very good for a long period of time and then all of a sudden today she tested positive. >> reporter: miller is the

second staffer since thursday to test positive. she follows an unnamed military valet who was last with the president tuesday. . >> this is probably the safest place that you can come to. >> reporter: chief of staff mark meadows insisted the white house is safe. >> we will continue to monitor. >> reporter: the president, who is tested daily -- >> you have a mask in your face. >> reporter: -- chose not to wear a mask with elderly world war i veterans. but stayed at a distance. >> the wind was blowing so hard and at a direction if the plague ever reached them -- >> reporter: the president said he expects coronavirus flare-ups as people return to work. but he also rendered a scientific opinion at odds with many experts. >> this is going to go away without a vaccine. it's going to go away. we're not going to see it again. >> reporter: and the chief of staff to the president said that

in his private quarters, some of those who attend to the president's personal needs with meals and things do wear masks when they are in closest proximity. we have not seen examples of that. very few administration officials or employees of the administration have been wearing masks. we can tell you that the fda director, dr. steven hahn, told his employees through an email that he will be self-isolating the next two weeks, following the cdc guidelines. he has tested negative himself but was exposed someone who was positive for the virus. alex? >> okay. kelly o'donnell, as long as you stay healthy, my friend. we need you. >> reporter: doing my best. a father and son in court after shooting an unarmed black man. now investigators say they are looking into others. y they are looking into others. perfect for. nice. way more unique fixtures and tiles.

pairing. ♪ nice. way more top brands in sinks and faucets. way more ways to rule your renovation. nice! on any budget, with free shipping. wayfair. way more than furniture. you should be mad your neighbor always wants to hang out. and you should be mad your smart fridge is unnecessarily complicated. make ice. making ice. but you're not mad because you have e*trade which isn't complicated. their tools make trading quicker and simpler so you can take on the markets with confidence. don't get mad get e*trade and start trading commission free today.

don't get mad get e*trade and start trading there are so many toothpastes out there, which one should i use? try crest pro/active defense. it neutralizes bacteria for a healthier mouth than even the leading multi-benefit toothpaste. crest.

new today, no bail for two men facing murder charges in georgia. the father and son were charged

just days after video surfaced showing the killing of an unarmed blackman in february. plan alexander has more from brunswick, georgia. >> reporter: this morning we are learning more about the person who recorded this disturbing video showing the final moments of 25-year-old ahmaud arbery's life. >> he's in his yard. this starts happening in front of him. he gets in his car. and he is trying to document that. >> reporter: his client noticed arbery running. both father and son were armed. son travis gets out of the truck. after a struggle, gunshots. arbery shot dead. in a police report, gregory mcmichael said he and his son followed arbery because they thought he was a suspect in recent break-ins. he said he began to violently attack travis and his son shot in self-defense. but arbery's family said their son was out for a sunday jog,

unarmed. thursday, more than 10 weeks after the february shooting, both mcmichaels were arrested and charged with murder. >> how crucial was this video in leading you to an arrest? >> it certainly is important. every piece of evidence is. >> reporter: he said the georgia bureau of investigation is looking into anyone who may have been possibly been connected, including bryant, who showed police his video immediately and was just a witness. >> he was trying to get his picture. >> he was trying to get a picture of mr. arbery? >> yeah. >> why? >> because there had been a number of crimes in the neighborhood. he didn't recognize him. a vehicle he did recognize was following him. >> any person who participated in that should be held accountable as well. >> reporter: on friday, what would have been arbery's 26th birthday, thousands across the country took to the pavement in a virtual run of support using the hashtag, i run with maud.

let's bring in maya wiley here in new york and msnbc legal analyst. very good morning to you. you heard blayne's report there. what do you make of new reporting about this person who recorded that video? >> reporter: you know, one of the things that's really important about this case is that it's what we call a felony murder case. what that means is there was an underlying felony, which was the aggravated assault, the fact that there was an attack on mr. arbery. and then there of course was his killing, which is the murder. when you put a felony, under applying felony with murder, anybody who was part of it is also liable for the murder. so the question here is was mr. bryant just a witness chasing down this scene of something unfolding and witnessing it and documenting it, as his attorney

says, or was he actually part of the entire decision-making to go after mr. arbery and do what they're calling a citizen arrest, at least if i understand what the mcmichaels' defense seems to be? now, that's why this is relevant. and there are these two 911 calls that have not been fully identified who made them. did mr. bryant make those 911 calls? those are the questions that we will start to learn answers to as time goes on. >> if he did make one of those 911 calls or both of them, would that help in his defense? >> reporter: you know, it's unclear. he made -- it may help him in the first defense in the sense -- in his defense in the sense that if he witnessed something, if he said i saw somebody standing in the yard and i'm going to document what's

happening in the chase, it may help bolster his case. the truth is it won't be enough either way. the question is, was he having conversations with the mcmichaels? one thing we heard is mcmichaels have said they were going after mr. arbery because he matched a description. certainly under georgia criminal law, you have to have witnessed a crime or have seen an imminent crime of felony about to happen. those statements don't suggest that's what they saw. was mr. bryant having a conversation with him about that? i think we have to know more about his relationship to the mcmichaels to know whether or not he becomes a person who is charged in this. . >> how about this. in the state of georgia, maya, is it legal to make a citizens arrest while pointing a shotgun and magnum .357 in the face of someone? >> reporter: well, alex, you ask

good questions. the short answer is, under georgia law, the citizens arrest law, you have to, one, have firsthand knowledge that a crime has been committed and are trying to detain someone so that the police can arrest them. but you are not allowed to use excessive force. you can only use enough force that you need to protect yourself. well, as we have seen from the video, the mcmichaels had guns and mr. arbery had running shoes. >> okay. maya wiley, thank you so much. and you have very good answers always. thanks so much. we'll see you again. so it may be key to stopping the spread of coronavirus without a vaccine. one european country seems to have figured it out, but will the u.s. follow? ollow?slow turk. along with support, chantix is proven to help you quit. with chantix you can keep smoking at first and ease into quitting so when the day arrives,

you'll be more ready to kiss cigarettes goodbye. when you try to quit smoking, with or without chantix, you may have nicotine withdrawal symptoms. stop chantix and get help right away if you have changes in behavior or thinking, aggression, hostility, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts or actions, seizures, new or worse heart or blood vessel problems, sleepwalking, or life-threatening allergic and skin reactions. decrease alcohol use. use caution driving or operating machinery. the most common side effect is nausea. talk to your doctor about chantix.

and sometimes, you can find yourself heading in a new direction. but when you're with fidelity, a partner who makes sure every step is clear, there's nothing to stop you from moving forward. new tide power pods one up the cleaning power of liquid. can it one up whatever they're doing? for sure. seriously? one up the power of liquid, one up the toughest stains. any further questions? uh uh! one up the power of liquid with new tide power pods. my time is thin, but so is my lawn. now there's scotts thick'r lawn 3-in-1 solution. with a soil improver! seed! and fertilizer to feed! now yard time is our time.

this is a scotts yard. why accept it frompt an incompyour allergy pills?e else. flonase sensimist. nothing stronger. nothing gentler. nothing lasts longer. flonase sensimist. 24 hour non-drowsy allergy relief

new today, a national federal scientist is speaking out after he says he was removed

from his job for pushing back against the trump administration's treatment of a coronavirus treatment. he filed a whistle-blower complaint earlier this week. on on friday, a federal agent found reasonable grounds to believe the trump administration was retaliating against bright. president trump said bright seems like a disgruntled employee who is trying to help the democrats win an election. i am not disgruntled. i am frustrated at the lack of leadership. i am frustrated at a lack of urgency to get a head start on developing life-saving tools for americans. we see too many doctors and nurses now dying.

and i was thinking that we could have done more to get the masks and supplies to them sooner. and if we had, would they still be alive today. >> you believe you were retaliated against because you raised concerns about hydroxycholoroquine? >> yes, i do. >> well, the office of special counsel which protects whistle-blowers said bright should be rein stated as it vets. other headlines we are following for you today. the a.p. is reporting that top white house officials buried a cdc report outlining the opening guidelines for faith leaders, business owners, et ceteraors and state and local officials. the white house claimed the director of the cdc had not signed off on the report. but emails showed he designed off on the guidance and was in communication with the white house as early as april 10th. nbc news has not seen those emails and cannot independently verify them.

>> in florida, at-home coronavirus testing is under way for residents in delray beach. a new anywhere active funded by $9,000 of community donations were made for seniors who can't travel to testing sites. beaches and board walks will soon reopen to activities. seven miles of the shore will be open to running, biking, fishing with proper social distancing. people are not allowed to sit on the beach nor swim. governor murphy is hopeful all new jersey beaches will be open by memorial day. >> i will be shocked if our beaches are not opened but with very specific guidance as we open county and state parks. and you should expect we will give guidance on beaches before memorial day. and video out of singapore. a canine like robot spot

reminding parkgoers to social distance. spot has a speaker to say stay apart. it's a two-week trial to help reduce the number of humans needed to patrol parks. overseas now where a series of openings are under way with a stark difference. the belgian government announcing the hiring of 2,000 of what it calls corona detectives. joining me now is nbc's tessa srsillia. okay. how is this going to work? >> reporter: the so-called corona detectives are at the heart of the belgium exit strategy. you might see more people walking behind me as restrict n restrictions are lifted. you will have a group of people trained by experienced doctors and nurses and manually trace anyone who might have come into contact with an infected person. i'm told they like to do things differently.

while germany, france, litly and the you can are looking at contract tracing apps, they are adamant they don't need them for effective tracing. they have shelved plans for now. they said to be effective, the majority of people must download it. there are privacy issues and for getting to use an app or not knowing how to. these have serious consequences. they said nothing beats human-to-human interaction. take a listen. >> during a personal conversation, person-to-person, you can gain a certain amount of trust. you can ask different questions about which contacts you had, what was the intensity. make a better evaluation of the risk of the contact. >> from a scientific point of view, they trust the quality of that more. belgians are now allowed to

invite people into their own homes. you must choose them and they must choose you back. it is impossible to track. if this is observed, this could make the lives of corona detectives a lot easier. >> that will be tough for moms with multiple children. andrew zimmer joins me next to talk about the effect coronavirus is having on migrant workers and his show tonight on msnbc. ight on msnbc. han free shipping. you get thousands of items you need to your door fast the way it works best for you. even the big stuff. you get a delivery experience you can always count on. you get your perfect find at a price to match on your schedule. you get free two day shipping on things that make your home feel like you! wayfair. way more than furniture.

proof i can fight moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. proof i can fight psoriatic arthritis... ...with humira. proof of less joint pain... ...and clearer skin in psa. humira targets and blocks a source of inflammation that contributes to joint pain and irreversible damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections, including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. humira is proven to help stop further joint damage. want more proof? ask your rheumatologist about humira citrate-free. if you can't afford your medicine, abbvie may be able to help.

around here, nobody ever does it. i didn't do it. so when i heard they added ultra oxi to the cleaning power of tide, it was just what we needed. dad? i didn't do it. #1 stain and odor fighter, #1 trusted. it's got to be tide. motor? nope. not motor? it's pronounced "motaur." for those who were born to ride, there's progressive.

take a look at the saturday morning papers. one common theme across the board. unemployment numbers. "new york times" saying it is the worst since the great depression. "washington post" echoing that with a detailed timeline across the top of the front page. the los angeles times graph goes back to 1950 but reports gavin newsom is telling counties to forget the rush to open. and the front page of the "houston chronicle", unemployment off the charts while many are letting their hair down attribute salons. andrew zimmerman looked at the role on this episode of "what's eating america." that was before covid. so what is the situation like now? the four-time james beard award-winning tv personality chef and activist is joining me

now. thank you for joining us. hey, you know, you did a great job showing that in "what's eating but the pandemic has to be double trouble. what is happening now for migrant farm workers? . >> it's actually troubling at every single place on the cycle. the last couple weeks the u.s. government allowed 35,000 more in under the visa program. you have to remember a lot of those workers are coming into places like meat factories that are closed or hot zones for the covid-19 virus or coming into the seafood industry. people are not talking about the seafood industry here. 85% of seafood in america gets sold to restaurants. that whole industry has literally stalled out. we speak to the folks at lidy's

for an update. the owner said it has been a crazy season. 60% of the entire crab industry on maryland's eastern shore is currently shut down. and not producing crab meat due to lack of labor. even with the high unemployment we're experiencing, as is typical that everyone jokes about but is not funny. americans simply don't want to do this job. and of course workers who are in the fields, who are in the meat packing plants, are disproportionately at risk because of in adequate and crowded living conditions, lockdown containment, limited access to health care. and what is really scary to me is the demonization that continues of these workers. public officials and business owners are blaming their living conditions for keeping this virus going and rein tpebgting people, infecting new workers. but those living conditions come

with the h 2 b visa jobs. it is shocking to me. they are both the arsonist and the fire department here. >> are they getting the protection they need while living in the close quarters typically? >> no, not at all. underrs are not getting any of the health care assistance that a worker in another system might typically get. one of the big complaints we are hearing from union officials and managers of a lot of these different businesses are that they don't even have protective gear, masks. they're not potentially reinfecting their fellow workers, adequate hand washing. we heard this coming out of the meat packing system. our growing season -- our harvest season, actually, is starting in the south and will creep north as the summer comes around. and i'm really concerned what all of these visa problems means

for some of our harvesting across america if we can't protect the workers. we just went through this with the meat packing industry. we saw how it can grind to a halt, how it can create hot zones. quite frankly, this administration has not had a plan at any step of the way for any issue having to deal with this disease. they have pushed everything back at the states. we need real national leadership and a plan for how to deal with h 2 b workers coming into the planting, growing, and harvesting season in america. >> i want to ask you how this will affect the consumer in the supermarket. but something just popped to mind. you talked about the workers in the crabbing industry. is there any similarities because they are working around water, with water. we are not putting soap in the water, of course. but are there fewer concerns working in that environment than in the field closely among other

workers? the concern is the same and it really is transmission. this is a virus transmitted by particulate in the air. you can wear head gear, masks. but try and pick vegetables, crabs. try to hustle on the chicken cutting line and doing that. it's almost impossible. workers aren't as productive. more breaks are recovered. breathing is hard. the biggest issue here is that these companies, for the most part, especially the big ones, are putting profits over people and not giving proper equipment. >>st that mean we will have to pay more at the supermarket, bottom line? . >> yes. prices are going to rise. there will be shortages. right now we are going through meat shortages on one side of town, in markets that sell mostly to marginalized communities. it's a horrific two-tiered system.

you and i have talked about this before. >> we have. >> there are two systems in america. one for the haves and the other for the have nots and we are continue to go underserve the people who need the help the most. . >> indeed. i'm glad to have you on the broadcast. thank you so much. and you can all watch andrew one more time today midnight eastern, 9:00 pacific. back with his original series "what's eating america" and he will focus on the role the migrants play. he still doesn't do it. why does president trump resist wearing a mask? and will the new white house coronavirus cases change his mind? se coronavirus cases change his mind

a new moment in wireless has begun. t-mobile and sprint are joining forces. by bringing together our two networks, t-mobile will build america's largest and most reliable 5g network... with more towers, more engineers, and more coverage. you'll get the best 5g network, and the best prices. welcome to t-mobile. america's largest 5g network. sprinting past every leak in our softest, smoothest fabric. she's confident, protected, her strength respected. depend. the only thing stronger than us, is you.

she's confident, protected, her strength respected. alice loves the scent of gain so much, she wished there was a way to make it last longer. say hello to your fairy godmother alice. and long-lasting gain scent beads. part of the irresistible scent collection from gain!

what would people gain from wateri wearing a mask? >> it's a recommendation. i think wearing a face mask as i greet presidents, prime ministers and dick tamagotchi ta

dictators and queens and kings. i don't see it for myself. >> you see it for himself. the chris has evolved and he has not. he went to a mask making facility. he said he believes wearing a mask would make him look ridiculous. joining me now is susan delpesio and morgan chalfont with "the hi hill." how important is this message by not wearing a mask and how much of it is getting reelected? >> i think this is not a surprise. we have seen trump resistant to wearing a mask. the issue is it contributes to the mixed messaging from the white house. you have the president not wearing a mask in public. saying he is distancing. he is told by the honey well we

facility he doesn't need to wear a mask. you have the cdc recommend americans wear a mask to prevent the asymptomatic spread. i think the president is trying to project optimism as he moves forward to reopen the economy. this wearing of thele to doing >> he might want to speak with the presidents and dictators and kings and queens if he should wear a mask. there is a culture war percolating over containing the virus. how much doesmage of that president not wearing a mask fuel the fight? >> he had to fight a political war. he wants to get reelected. he believes wearing a mask shows we are still fighting the virus and we're not ready to reopen. that is the only thing he cares about. >> what about the ap reports that it viewed the internal

government email showing top officials shelved the report from the cdc meant to give officials step by step instructions on how to reopen public places? we should say nbc news has not seen the emails and not confirmed the story, morgan. from your reporting, why the decision to shelf the cdc report? >> the white house said earlier this week when the guidance first leaked to the president that they were overly pre-scripted and the cdc was asked to revise the guidance to make it not overly prescriptive. there are varying situations across the country. it is interesting to see what guidance is released. the white house signalled there will be guidance released. how much does that differ from what is reported on that the cdc originally drafted? >> do you know if the cdc report went state by state or general

overview like these are points that one needs to hit before we reopen. >> from the guidance released and leaked out is not the full report according to the ap reporting. it is specific in terms of communities. it directs faith leaders and schools and businesses and restaurants and bars. it gives them guidance which is something that business communities are eager for. some sort of guidance on how to reopen safely. >> there is a disturbing trend highlighted by politico that shows the medical community and media are inflating the death toll for political reasons. >> it is dangerous. extremely dangerous and disgusting this president would use conspiracy theory to help him politically. it is dangerous because it is

affecting people's lives. we lost 2,000 lives just in the last 24 hours alone. this president needs to stop and treat this like a pandemic and immediate health crisis in which it is. >> real quick, the doj, which has chosen to drop the case against trump's former national security adviser michael flynn. morgan, is this a further evidence of the politicized doj in sync with the views? >> that is the case. there is continued focus and pressure on bill barr. >> we will talk about it again. morgan and susan, thank you. that's going to do it for me. i'm alex witt. coming up is ali velshi with the senator bernie sanders

interview. then in the 9:00 hour, a special edition of "velshi." the economy town hall. your questions will be answered by a panel of experts and ceos. kevin o'leary and suze orman. sun as a doctor, i agree with cdc guidance. i recommend topical pain relievers first... like salonpas patch large. it's powerful, fda-approved to relieve moderate pain, yet non-addictive and gentle on the body. salonpas. it's good medicine. hisamitsu. however, there is one thing you can be certain of. the men and women of the united states postal service. we're here to deliver cards and packages from loved ones

of knowing that essentials like prescriptions are on their way. every day, all across america, we deliver for you. and we always will. i know that every time that i suit up, there is a chance that that's the last time. 300 miles an hour, thats where i feel normal. i might be crazy but i'm not stupid. having an annuity tells me that i'm protected. during turbulent times, consider protected lifetime income from an annuity as part of your retirement plan. this can help you cover your essential monthly expenses. learn more at protectedincome.org .

our bargain detergent couldn't keep up. with us... turns out it's mostly water. so, we switched back to tide. one wash, stains are gone. daughter: slurping don't pay for water. pay for clean. it's got to be tide. you should be mad at tech that makes things worse. but you're not, because you have e*trade whose tech makes life easier by automatically adding technical patterns on charts and helping you understand what they mean. don't get mad, get e*trade. atthe perfect schmearnow of cream cheese. the recipe we invented over 145 years ago and me...the world's best, and possibly only, schmelier. philadelphia. schmear perfection.

good morning. it is saturday, may 9th.

i'm ali velshi. contact tracing in the west wing as the trump administration confirms a second case of coronavirus overnight at the white house. the first was the president's personal valet who serves his meals. then yesterday the vice president's press secretary katie miller. married to the aide stephen miller. trump said the concept of tests is not great. he is satisfied with the procedures in place to protect him and his top aides. this is just wrong. it shows the virus can't be kept out of the white house which is the best protected place in america and the office of the special counsel found evidence of the removal of the whistleblower from the health and human services was retaliatory and should be stayed while the investigation plays out. here is