first up, too soon for some. not fast enough for others. states reopening despite not meeting federal guidelines. this hour, a look at the risks. the white house putting the pressure for a coronavirus vaccine on the fast track. whether the timeline president trump wants is really possible. plus, thousands of essential workers getting a paycut.

now some grocery store employees are taking a stand. a very good morning to all of you. it is saturday, may 16th. welcome, everyone. i'm alex witt. we're going to give you a live look right now at austin, texas, where restaurants have reopened with some restrictions. on monday, the next phase of reopening includes gyms, manufacturing plants, and office building with capacity limited to just 25%. let's get to the facts for you at this hour. this morning there are 1.4 million confirmed cases of coronavirus across this country. more than 88,000 people have died. overnight, the house passed a $3 trillion coronavirus relief package, which cloughs another round of stimulus payments for americans. but it is unlikely to become law. the president this week calling it dead on arrival. the house yesterday also approved a rules change allowing lawmakers to cast votes remotely for the first time in congressional history. by the end of this weekend, nearly every state in the nation

will be partially reopened for business. the grand canyon partially reopening. and starting today, new mexico will ease lockdowns, allowing retailers, offices, and houses of worship to open at limited capacity. mar-a-lago will also partially reopen its restaurant and pools. members will be required to practice social distancing and bring their own towels. beaches along the coast of new york, new jersey and connecticut, all three, plus delaware, are set to open just in time for memorial day. each beach will have social distancing enforced. >> and doubling down to have a coronavirus vaccine available by the end of the year. some experts, however, expressing skepticism with this timeline saying anything less than 12 to 18 months would be a medical miracle. let's go now to the latest in

new york where hospitalizations are certainly down, but the number of new cases going up. the state is now reporting near 356,000 coronavirus cases. nearly 29,000 deaths. but parts of new york are now eligible to reopen for business. you have five regions moving into phase one after meeting the governor's seven benchmarks. cori coffin is joining us from times square in new york city on what looks like a beautiful saturday morning. but phase one for these regions, what does it look like and how does that bode for the rest of the state, cori? >> reporter: yeah. phase one here, alex, looks like low risk. those are the key words the governor used when describing who could open. construction, manufacturing, agriculture, and some retail, as long as they offer pickup by curbside. all of this with the contingency they still have to use masks, social distancing and adhering

to the guidelines. as all of this moves forward, new york city is not in that. other parts of the lower state are not part of that. they will be under the new york pause until may 28th at the very leave least. listen to all the restrictions and metrics they used to decide who opens. >> they are the regions that meet the numerical critericrite. there's no politics to this judgment. there is no arbitrary nature to this judgment. it's all on the numbers. seven criteria, which measure hospitalization rate, testing rate, et cetera. that's how the decision is made for the regions who don't qualify to open today, we are extending the new york pause order, which is the closedown of services and institutions that have been closed down. if a region hits its benchmark

at any time regardless of the pause order, then that region can open. >> reporter: and we're now seeing how tough it is to hit that benchmark, alex. even though the numbers have been going down quite a long time, we are reporting a slight uptick in the number of cases. it will be tough really to get to that bench mark for the lower parts, more denser parts of new york state. in fact, here in new york city, they are closing off more sparks and restricting more parks with more police out enforcing, handing out marks masks, asking people to adhere to social distancing to get the numbers down as quickly as possible. especially with this gorgeous weather today and next weekend with that great weather. >> you hit the nail on the head there, cori. density is the challenge. thank you so much. now the president friday reunveiling operation ward speed. geoff bennett has the story. >> reporter: the push for a

coronavirus vaccine put on the fast track. >> we'd love to see if we could do it prior to the end of the year. >> reporter: president trump unveiling a new white house effort he says is aimed at developing and districting a vaccine for the deadly virus. >> it's called operation warp speed. that means big and it means fast. >> reporter: mr. trump tapping a four-star army general and pharmaceutical expert to lead the effort. >> i have very recently seen early data from a clinical trial with a coronavirus vaccine. and these data made me feel even more confident that we will be able to deliver a few hundred million doses of vaccine by the end of 2020. >> reporter: the trump administration's end-of-year goal outpaces what most experts believe is possible, that it will take 12 to 18 months to develop test and produce a vaccine and that anything less would be a medical miracle. >> i just want to make something

clear. it's very important. vaccine or no vaccine, we're back. >> reporter: experts say the u.s. will not fully be able to recover until a vaccine is widely veil. the president not wearing a face mask during the rose garden news conference. although dr. anthony fauci and dr. deborah birx did. >> that's his choice. he's tested each and every day. >> reporter: there are new questions about the reliability of the test the white house aotsz to ensure the president's safety. the fda issuing an alert thursday night that the rapid coronavirus test from abbott laboratorys may give inaccurate results. after a new study found it may miss half of new cases. >> if you're testing positive or negative, it could always be double-checked. but it's a very good test. >> reporter: the president insists the coronavirus could disappear without a vaccine, something his own top health

advisers say is unrealistic. the senior scholar at john hopkins university. is it realistic to have millions of doses of vaccines available by the end of 2020? >> i don't think that that's possible based on what we know about other vaccines. we are moving at really a quick pace. we have vaccine candidates in phase one and phase two clinical trials around the world. but to think we will have hundreds of millions of doses doesn't follow what we know about other vaccines. it would be great if it could happen, but i don't think we should expect that to be the case. >> absolutely aspirational. but in terms of the expectations are you concerned about it moving taoft and, if so, what dangers that does present? >> i'm less concerned about it moving too fast. nobody is going to approve this

vaccine until we get enough safety and efficacy data. there are questions how big of a study you need to do, to follow the people, to pick everything out. we have to be cognizant, many people in the population will be hesitant to take a vaccine if they think things went too fast. we saw that in h1n1. we live in the anti vaccine movement. anything will be exploited by them. we know this is the only way to take the threat off the table for us. we want to make sure people are confident and do the studies appropriately and get to a point where we can confidently say this is safe and efficacious. >> you make a good point by the anti-vaccers pushing back. you have the president saying the virus could disappear without a vaccine, something his own health advisers dismissed as utterly unrealistic. how about you? is there any scenario where that

is possible? >> no. in my analysis, as soon as we knew it was spreading efficiently throughout humans back in january in china, we thought it would be an endemic or seasonal coronavirus. it will take some time to get to full season alley. remember, this is the 7th coronavirus. and four are with us every year. this is likely to be the fifth. >> yesterday the president also saying it's very important that we all know we're back. the country will reopen with or without a vaccine. right now, yeah, er seeing gradual reopenings with restrictions still in place. is it possible, doctor, to return to normal normalcy. noted, normalcy may have a different view on how that is defined. but can we do it without a vaccine? >> no. people will be able to start going out, getting back to,000

their lives were a year ago. pwup they will not feel comfortable without a vaccine. people will be at risk until there is a vaccine. mass gatherings will be there very difficult to have. you can imagine how much contract tracing would have to be done in a national football game had exposure. we are keeping our vulnerable populations to participate in activities. i think we will see a lot of opening, but it's not going to be what we were until there's a vaccine. >> i'm curious, doctor. last question. how long do you think masks are going to be worn, part of our culture? >> so this is something that's a little bit controversial even in our field, the recommendation for masks. they are trying to prevent asymptomatic transmission. you are protecting someone by wearing a mask. there are some questions about that. i think that will be the norm probably until there is a vaccine. there may be lifting of those.

certain states might have different rules. but i do think people are going to get accustomed even if there's isn't a rule and you will see it be a big part of our future. >> i think it will be a way for a long time to come, even if it just makes people feel better. thank you. the message it sends for the president not to wear a mask. is it more about politics than public health? ic health?

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64,000 cases and 4,400 deaths. sadly, one of those deeply affecting my next guest. the it's awfully good to see you once again. i am so sorry to hear about the loss of your mother-in-law joan. i know this has been hard for your family. there are unfortunately things you now share with some of your constituents. so what is your message to them? >> well, good morning, alex. i thank you for your having me on and the kind word for the death of my mother-in-law joan who died earlier this month of covid from a nearby nursing home. my message is my heart goes out to all the families affected by this deadly disease. now in this country we are approaching 90,000 deaths. we had to say good-bye to my mother-in-law on zoom or through a window. they moved my mother-in-law to a

room near a patio. we were able to look in the window. to those who have suffered this, my heart goes out to you. and i grieve the loss of these nearly 90,000 people to covid. >> i know. and i know you are grateful for the wonderful care she got and the caregivers making sure she was not alone. so this is a blessing there. let's move to the protesters who tkpwaerdz outside the capitol in harrisburg demanding for businesses are reopen. social distancing not being practiced right there. how many constituents are demonstrating against the shutdown versus those who want to adhere to stay safe at home orders? >> it's clear, alex, though protests are very small and represent i would think very few, if any of my constituents. in the southeast, we have been particularly hard hit. as you pointed out, 4,500 deaths

in pennsylvania. in my two counties, 600 are dead. i would tell those folks think about the men and women in the nursing homes who are at great risks of themselves are taking loving care of our family members who are sick and sometimes recover and sometimes as they are sick and too often die. i think that is a rather idle protest. former governor ridge of pennsylvania, republican, and the first secretary of homeland security at the time of the last protest, again, a very small protest in harrisburg, said that that is not patriotic. that is actually being self-absorbed. you might be tired of staying home, but let's pay attention to the science. and until we have tested and traced and isolated this disease, you should stay back. you should stay home. >> here's quite a photo. the president touring a medical supply distributor in

pennsylvania this week while not wearing a mask. and we know that -- by the way, look at everybody else around him is wearing a mask. i mean, it really defies logic. we know he is pushing tom wolf for a quicker reopening. to what extent do you think the president is fueling protests like the one we were showing there in harrisburg yesterday? >> the fact that the president doesn't wear a mask is evidence of his vanity, his insecurity, and his in abiliability to lead. we lead by example. we say that all the time as parents. this president has no ability to lead. i wish he would have stayed home, stayed out of the way and let the scientists lead us. this is very ironic and so political. this is at a time when the governor has loosened some of the regulation on the shutdown in the counties where they have not been hard hit. so this is not based in fact, data, science or leadership.

>> well, you mentioned the president's vanity. you also talk about it being an election year. pennsylvania is a key battle ground state in 2020. it is joe biden's home state. how much do you think this factors into the president's decision to thrust himself into the spotlight there? >> you know, alex, our nickname is the keystone state. we will be the keystone state that holds everything together. joe biden is very well thought of in my state of pennsylvania. he is considered a native son. and i think he will do very well for the very reason that was on display at that factory. we are desperate for a president who will lead, surround themselves with the best and brightest, challenge the norms, and the idle thought that we should just reopen having not tested and not followed the science. we are desperate for leadership. joe biden will show us that leadership and compassion. the other thing that is missing

in this president, as nearly 90,000 people have died in this country, have you seen this president express any empathy or compassion? he simply doesn't have it. in joe biden we have the exact opposite. a man of strong values, of a heart, and a sense of compassion greater than anyone i know. we're desperate for that kind of leadership in this country to get us out of this rudderless place. madeline dean, thank you so much for joining me. so sorry for your loss. look forward to seeing you again. >> and with yours. >> yes. my father last year. now facing a paycut. why so many grocery workers are stocking our store shelves are about to feel more economic pain. about to feel more economic pain so i listen to audible almost any time that i can. it's my own thing that i can do for me. since i don't have time to read, i mean i might as well listen. if i want to catch up on the news, or history, or learn what's going on in the world,

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let's go now to the very latest facts on the coronavirus this hour. the number of people getting

over the virus continues to rise. more than 250,000 people have recovered from covid-19 in the u.s. this according to johns hopkins university. more than 1.6 million people have recovered worldwide. retailer jc penney has filed for bankruptcy after stores were forced to close because of the coronavirus pandemic. they are planning to use the filing to restructure. the retailer will continue online sales and has implemented curbside pickup at all stores. florida governor desantis is taking steps to reopen the state's theme parks. he asked for reopening plans and safety measures they plan to implement. they would need to be approved by local officials before moving forward. >> my goal is keep safety first. but let's work and innovate to get to yes on this stuff. i can't tell you when this is going to be.

but i think we need to say come up with your plan, show us what you got and work with local officials and we will see what we can do. >> a group of semi truckers rallied along constitutional avenue in washington, d.c. protesting low shipping rates. more than 70 small business truckers held signs, honked their horns with signs that said make shipping great again. now to reopening america. by the end of this weekend, almost every state will have started to partially reopen. but this morning voices of caution are being increasingly drowned out by calls to get back to business quickly. nbc's gabe gutierrez is in syracuse, new york. good saturday morning to you. what's allowed to reopen where you are? >> reporter: hi, alex. good morning. well, here in upstate new york, construction, manufacturing, and some retail businesses with curbside pickup are back open. but across the country, what was once seen as a tug-of-war between the economy and public

health is now turning increasingly political. from arizona to oklahoma, wisconsin to virginia, this morning parts of more states are back in business. >> it felt normal. like it felt like we haven't gone anywhere in six weeks. the agency's's models predict 100,000 deaths by june 1st. by the end of this weekend, 48 states will have started to partially reopen. including parts of new york where this construction company in syracuse laid off 22 employees. >> to get back to where we was before this happened, i see it being two years. >> reporter: in some states the political divide is growing wider. the republican-controlled legislatiure is suing the governor over her emergency order. while in pennsylvania -- >> i am not seeing democracy. i am seeing tyranny. >> reporter: gop lawmakers are

urging residents to defy the sta state's shutdown. >> nobody has the right to take my freedom from me. >> reporter: only nine states have met the testing levels and the rest have fallen short. . >> what i'm worried about is states are really playing with fire. they might have big outbreaks. and in the worst-case scenario, may have to shut down again. >> reporter: it's clear summer is on the horizon. outer banks is welcoming back visitors again. and several states have announced they will reopen beaches on memorial day weekend and have capacity. after nascar and golf returned for the first time without spectators, nfl can begin reopening facilities on tuesday if state and local governments allow it. travel is also up in the air. aft preliminary discussions to get rid of social distancing efforts altogether.

instead, worried passengers will be allowed to cancel or change flights without fees. a summer like none other. eric hicks managing a clothing store near syracuse university. he's open for online orders and curbside pickup. >> to turn the lights on after the last two months or however long it's been, it's an exciting feeling. >> reporter: here in syracuse, some have chosen not to reopen. students are not back on campus just yet. four hours from here, new york city's shutdown order has been extended. and the mayor says not top expect any partial reopening until at least next month. alex? >> i have to tell you, gabe, that picture of that packed airplane with all those passengers, that was really disconcerting. okay. thank you for all that. gabe gutierrez from syracuse. well, new pressure this morning on some large grocery chains as they start cutting extra pay to essential employees right there on the front lines.

joining me now is jo ling kent. why are these workers losing hazard pay now? >> reporter: alex good morning to you. that's right. kroger is the biggest grocery chain in the country. they own ralph's here. they put it into place at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. and now shoppers are really asking new questions about where they should be spending their money. take a look. thousands of grocery workers are about to see their paychecks shrink. and some are taking a stand. starting sunday, kroger, the country's largest grocery chain, is ending the extra $2 an hour of hero pay for essential workers. amazon, walmart, starbucks and target are following suit at the end of the month. . >> it makes me upset pause we are dealing with the pandemic stuff. the coronavirus is still here.

>> reporter: she worked the checkout at ralph's for more than a decade. . >> they just want to save a dollar. they can afford to give it to us. they want us to work like normal business and it's not normal business yet. >> reporter: kroger said as the country moves toward reopening, we will continue to safeguard our associates' health and well-being and recognize their work. instead, kroger will offer a new bonus payment, up to $400. but frontline grocery workers continue to be exposed to the virus. the largest union representing grocery workers say 10,000 have been infected or exposed to covid-19. amanda barr is one of them. >> it was really rough. i didn't have just the mild symptoms. >> reporter: barr has worked the checkout at king for 16 years. she tested positive for covid-19 during the height of the panic buying. >> how much does the difference of $2 an hour for you? >> reporter: we're not doctors

or surgeons or anything. but we are, you know, putting our lives at risk. and we are putting our families at risk. >> reporter: that risk is not left on shopper esmeralda rivera. >> it's not fair because they are risking their lives in working here. >> reporter: alex, now, we have talked to so many grocery workers in addition to the folks that you just saw there. and the prevailing sense is that they did not sign up to be on the front lines of coronavirus. but they are happy to be there. they just want the simple protections and the proper compensation to be able to do this without putting their families at risk, alex. >> yeah. i've got to say, i think you ought to get extra pay for a 4:15 a.m. live shot out of los angeles. but let me just ask you about this, jo. we know overnight jc penney filed bankruptcy, adding their name to j. crew, neiman marcus.

what does this mean for shoppers? >> reporter: well, jc penney is the biggest retailer to file for bankruptcy. this retailer has been struggling for decades. you have seen the headlines, the struggle. what matters is some of the stores will permanently close. you have 800 plus stores of jc penney. then behind the scenes you have 85,000 workers. so the ceo of jc penney saying in a statement, look, it was accelerated by the pandemic. they had to figure out what to do with all of this debt saddling the company for a long time. coming out to the bigger picture, as you know, retail sales are taking a huge hit. last month in april, retail s e sales sank 16%. that is what drives the economy, alex. . >> thanks, jo. two things the president surely does not like, watch dogs and face masks.

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house democrats overnight passed a $3 trillion coronavirus relief package. but the president says it's dead on arrival. monica alaba is at the white house with this. monica, with a good morning. what's in this? why are the senate republicans all against it? >> reporter: good morning, alex. that's right. $3 trillion in this house-passed

package that is likely to never reach the president's desk. if he did, he vowed to veto it. they say it is a liberal wish list. $1 trillion set aside for different states, which has been a sticking point in the negotiations, as well as money for small businesss and other essential workers. this is something from which the democrats wished to negotiate but know it likely won't advance beyond this. the white house says it's not time for more stimulus yet. they are allowing lawmakers to participate remotely. essentially telling them they can now vote from home, alex. >> hey, monica, something big went down overnight with the firing of a political watch dog. we have been here bright and early on a saturday morning. but what's it like this time?

>> reporter: inspector general steven linick with the department of state. this is somebody the president has the full-out authority to remove. he wrote that he no longer has confidence in linick and that is because we believe there may have been an investigation that was opened up into secretary of state mike pompeo, possibly mishandling some of his appointees who may have been helping both him and his wife as it relates to certain travel he was doing for the state department. we heard outrage from democrats that this inspector general is now being removed, this watch dog. i want to read a part of a statement from eliot engel who says this is an outrageous act of a president trying to protect one of his most loyal supporters from accountable. i have learned that the office of the inspector general had opened an investigation into secretary pompeo. mr. linick's firing amid such a probe strongly suggests that this is an unlawful act of retaliation. and we have also seen this before with the inspector general of the intelligence

community. it also similarly occurred on a late night. we haven't heard more from the president on this, alex. we know he does express his displeasure of anybody who is looking into things he is worried may be damaging to him. >>st we haven't heard the last of this. thank you so much, monica alaba. when the president made the announcement to develop a coronavirus vaccine by year's end, his top health advisers, dr. fauci and dr. birx stood behind them, look, wearing masks. the president opted not to do that despite the new white house guidelines. with me now, msnbc political analyst and jeff mason, white house correspondent at reuters, big welcome to you both. good to see you. >> good morning. >> jeff, you first here. how strict are these new guidelines about having white house officials, and that includes the president, wear masks, especially surrounding people who may have been, you know, potentially exposed to the virus? >> well, i think number one the new guidelines issue tphtd a

memo to white house staff and people who work on the white house complex applied basically to everybody but the president. they are largely to protect him. who has been holed up for the white house except for a couple trips now. other people are obviously going home and probably going to grocery stores and elsewhere. and it wasn't until katie miller, who is the vice president's spokeswoman and a military valet came down with the coronavirus just a little bit over a week ago that the white house then insisted essentially that people who are working there wear masks when they're working around the president and working around other people. but your question was how str g stringent are they, the regulations? obviously not enough to apply to everyone. secretary azar was mott wearing one. the president has not donned a mask not only at the white house but on two of the trips he has taken, one to arizona and this week to pennsylvania. both of which were to facilities that deal with or produce masks.

and in addition to just the visual being the one person there who was not wearing a mask, it raises questions about showing a contradictory message when he is encouraging americans, not to mention people around him, to wear them. . >> extraordinary. when the rules apply to everyone but me, according to the president. so, sue san, the politics of no having to wear a mask, how do you see them? >> the president said he doesn't think it will be a good look for him. he is afraid of being mocked. >> isn't he being mocked now, though? if he were, weren't everyone saying he's like everyone else playing by the rules. >> once again this president is reckless and proving he is not someone we should look up and follow as a nation. that is what he is doing. what he thinks he's doing is a different story. he thinks he is showing strength, we're open for business.

but it is exactly the opposite. if the president wanted to show the country is ready to open for business, he would be wearing a mask saying we can go forward if we take the right precautions. but he's not. frankly, he's skaerg a lot of people, alex. >> jeff, i have to get to one of this. the president tweeting about what he calls obamagate. a lot of fact checking rejecting any notion of the existence of obamagate. and reporters even asked to explain it without much success. what is driving this? >> well, i mean, i think one of the classic moments to answer that question was that the news conference that the president held in the rose garden in which our colleague from the "washington post", phil rucker, asked president trump specifically, what crime are you accusing the president of -- the former president of committing? and president trump didn't have an answer. he said, oh, it's obvious. you know what the crime is. if the president of the united

states can't articulate at this press conference, there are clearly big questions what he is referring to. and he has used it effectively over twitter to get supporters ginned up again. that is his primary goal, to get the folks he wants to come out and show up to vote for him in november upset again about the origins of the investigation into him that ended up sparking his impeachment. . >> all right, guys, unfortunately i'm out of time. it's always good to see you both. thank you so much. so it's a space plane on a secret mission. it's about to launch in about 45 minutes. we've got the details next. tes. we've got the details next is boost high protein... and now, there's boost mobility... ...with key nutrients to help support... joints, muscles, and bones. try boost mobility, with added collagen. (vo) what does it mean to be america's most reliable network? it means helping those who serve stay connected to their families. and now verizon wants to give them something back.

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and you'll be surprised at how easily starting small can lead to something big. start stopping with nicorette. so the u.s. space force is preparing to launch a secret space plane an hour from now. this is the first of its kind since it was established last year. we have courtney kube in washington. what can you tell us?

>> reporter: alex, the details about the mission and launch are classified. including any information about the secret space plane and pay load. one thing is sure. the u.s. space force, the newest branch of the u.s. military is prepared to send the plane in orbit. space force enters a new frontier, launching the space plain from cape canaveral. >> the space plane we launch on a rocket. it can done experiments and it is unmanned. >> reporter: the x-37 vehicle will attach to the atlas rocket. it is the first time it will launch the secret plane. it will orbit the earth for months or years. carrying many experiments in space classified. it will release a satellite released by the air force

cadets. >> it worked on the falcon set 8 satellite. the satellite is about the size of the small dishwasher. >> reporter: the x-37 b has been used since long before president trump created the space force. this mission will have a different feel. dedicated to the victims of the covid-19 pandemic and frontline workers. with russia and china battling the u.s. for dominance in space, the pentagon presented space force last december with the goal of protecting u.s. and allied interests in space. set to receive the first air force academy graduates this year, the chief of space operations presented the official space force flag to president trump last friday. from the white house to pop culture, americans have renewed interest in space. from a new series on netflix. >> we're going back.

>> reporter: to the nasa announcement. a mission to send astronauts back to the moon by 2024. including the first woman to walk on the moon. the longer term objective? a mission to mars in the 2030s. today's launch is the first of two scheduled to blastoff from cape canaveral, florida this weekend. both if they take off on time, will launch within about 20 hours of one another. potentially breaking a record for the quick turn around. the launch window opens at 8:24 eastern time. so far, the weather is looking good, alex. >> it all is cool. lots to watch. thank you, courtney. from washington. let's get to university students heading to court after paying full price for spring tuition and ended up studying online. tanya, what are you hearing from students? >> reporter: it seems like many students won't be seeing a front

of the classroom until 2021. it appears you universiti s unit prepared to provide this level of education. students say they are not happy with the new standard of learning. students include gio sanchez. a senior at uc davis. she says she cannot get online. >> we haven't had any internet access. today we do. yesterday, i didn't. i had to find a friend to let me go to their apartment for my lecture times to sit in my lecture. i think for me, i learn better when i'm able to interact with my instructors. the classes are so large, you can't do that. sometimes our classes cut out because of internet. twice already we have not had internet access in all of davis.

>> reporter: the american council on education which representing 1,700 colleges across the nation. universities are doing their best to provide the same level of education to the students. we still have hundreds of thousands of students across the nation who are asking for money back. to top it off, some students i have spoken to here in california tell me that they are unsure about the upcoming semester and if they are going to come back or not. many are considering taking a leave of absence or going to community college instead. who knows what the fall semester will look like. >> tanya, a lot of questions around that. thank you for the report. it always leads into what i will tell you now. i invites you to the virtual town hall i'm hosting on msnbc. class of covid-19 focuses on the generation who grown up after 9/11 and great recession.

i'll speak with dr. jill biden and arne duncan and presidents from the university of michigan and florida a&m. with the cancellation of the graduation ceremonies across the nation, join us for the msnbc saturday night at 7:00. joy reid previewing the keynote speech. graduate together. america honors the class of 2020. and debate over reopening america. ali velshi will hold the efforts on how to do that. that is all starting at 7:00. thank you for watching. i'm alex witt. see you at noon and 1:00 p.m. next on "velshi." the latest disconnection with the cdc and the white house. no

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good morning. it is saturday, may 16th. i'm ali velshi. we begin with breaking news overnight. state department inspector general steve linick has been fired from his post as watch dog at the pentagon. no specific reason given for the sudden removal other than quote he no longer had the full confidence of the president. we'll have more on this in just a few minutes. also overnight, the