he didn't just murder someone and have nothing afterwards. he left behind family. he left behind a disaster. and if i'm the only thing to remind him of that, then that's what i'm there for. >> that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. first up on msnbc, critic in chief. former president obama takes an apparent swipe at the trump administration's handling of the pandemic. hear exactly how he did that. the water park is now open. >> could you hear it? they are back open. they are back to business. not as usual. we'll take you across the country for what's happening where and the new rules. fear factor. why dollars may not make too much sense, as the country battles coronavirus. in kids out there saying, what's a dollar? a new twist in president trump's

firing of the state department's watchdog. details on who might have pushed for that move to take place. we say good morning, it's sunday, may 17th. i'm kendis gibson.ynindsaey rei. good to be with you. good morning, baltimore. i want to sing it. >> what is that? >> "hairspray." ♪ good morning, baltimore >> i told you i wouldn't sing. i broke my promise. >> the studio is just cackling. >> the mayor says the city won't reopen until it gets more testing supplies. coming up, we'll talk to a doctor in baltimore what summer may have to do with coronavirus. >> the sun is rising early in may. nearly every state has reopened. and states are gearing up to

ease more restrictions this week. starting tomorrow, minnesota is set to lift lockdowns. mall of america is opening up there, as well. in south florida, miami-dade and broward counties, the last holdouts of the state, will open up. and you can get your pump on in texas, the gyms will be reopening come monday. >> houses of worship will be allowed to reopen in south carolina. a governor blocks an attendance of indoor gatherings of ten people. and it allows stores to reopen up to 50% capacity. up to 50 people can gather for funerals. it's back to the races. nascar returns after a ten-week hiatus. it's the first sport to restart during the pandemic. the first race will be in south carolina this afternoon. there will be no fans in the stands. and new criticism from former president barack obama,

giving commencement speeches in two ceremonies yesterday. he took aim at his successor, giving the most direct criticism of the administration's handling of the pandemic. >> here's the grim numbers. 1.4 million confirmed cases of covid-19 across this country. nearly 90,000, the horrible benchmark, nearly 90,000 people have died. that's again in just about two months here in the united states. >> and more on former president obama's address and the white house's response. monica alba is at the white house. >> reporter: the current occupant of the white house behind me has spent the last few weeks and months obsessed with his predecessor and the obama administration. a fact-check shows that the obama administration left some plans that the trump

administration got rid of and replaced them with others. here, we saw the former president taking very pointed language at his successor. we saw former president obama do that privately in some leaked audio last weekend, this was the first example of seeing him take it head of -on. he didn't mention the current president by name. but listen how he responded to the federal response. >> more than anything, this pandemic has torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they're doing. a lot of them aren't even pretending to be in charge. if the world's going to get better, it will be up to you. >> reporter: the former president, there, trying to send an inspirational message to graduates as part of a national event that took place for the class of 2020. for their part, the white house is responding. again, no surprise. criticizing the obama administration and the former president himself, with press secretary kaley mac nyleigh mce

telling us, president trump filled the stockpile depleted by his predecessor. we have the president who ushered in the hottest economy in modern history, ready to do it a second time. they are pushing back at the suggestion that the president has mishandled this pandemic. there's been many instances in which the administration appeared to be caught off-guard or behind in the timeline. that comes from public health officials. here, we see an interesting dynamic. in the past, most presidents would look too predecessors f forredfor advi advice, would try to usher them in. that's not what we see with this current president. >> we have the earthquakes in haiti, where you have former president clinton and bush, uniting for the efforts down there. we're not seeing that coalition

coming up at all because this president isn't asking for it. i'm sure they weren't happy with the top trending hash tags, #wemissobama, #obamaw #obamawasbetterateverything. >> we have a window how this came down on friday night. when asked why this occurred, why the president moved forward with it and why now, a white house official tells me that it was secretary mike pompeo who recommended the move. and that the president agreed. he went forward with effectively firing the state department inspector general who was an obam obama-era appointee. that will happen 30 days from now. lynnic has had apparently opened an investigation into the secretary of state for

mishandling of the use of a government employee that he and his wife on a personal basis. democrats are framing this as a potential act of retaliation against whatever that investigation might hold. now, yesterday, they announced a larger investigation on the hill, into why this move was taken in the first place. guys? >> interesting timing there. nbc's monica alba for us at the white house. thank you. now, to america reopening. just as the cdc warns the coronavirus death toll in the u.s. could surpass 100,000 by next month. >> this, as a new surge of protests, like this one in illinois. these images are just amazing. obviously, social distancing doesn't happen. masks. there's a shortage of masks in illinois. not really. it is putting pressure on local governments to speed the process. here's nbc news correspondent

erin mclaughlin. >> reporter: from coast-to-coast, states are reopening. things are getting back somewhat to normal. experts warn that for some states, it's too much, too soon. across the country, a patchwork of reopenings. >> i'm excited to get out of the house after two months. >> reporter: for many, it's a weekend of cautiously getting back to business and having fun. >> the water park is now open. >> reporter: in new orleans, restaurants and retail shops, now open. appointment-only. 25% capacity. >> i feel like i'm in the twilight zone. i don't know what to expect. >> reporter: more than a month ago, a very different picture. the city, one of the first hot spots, hospital beds and ventilators on the verge of running out. an extension for washington, d.c., as well, and parts of illinois remain on lockdown. at the state capital, protesters demanding full reopening. >> i don't think the risk is any

higher of me going to a grocery store. >> reporter: and two states remain with full stay-at-home orders. just nine states have met the testing criteria to reopen safely. >> my concern is there's states that get it wrong and the price will be paid in human lives. >> reporter: going into the summer season, the government is considering temperature checks at airports. this, as the holiday states brace for the crowds. cars are streaming into the parks, to the l.a. beachfront, reopenings, restrictions and worry. >> everything at this time is kind of trial and error and unprecede unprecedented. i guess we have to see how it goes. >> reporter: in kentucky, at churchill downs, off to the races. not a spectator in sight. manhattan beached reopen. for the most part, people are following the rules. many sunbathing, many without

masks, all of that in the violation of county's orders. people are doing it anyway. >> that was erin mclaughlin in los angeles. thank you. now, to new york. and andrew cuomo says the number of the virus is declining. the live picture from above of times square. >> there's currently more than 357,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in new york, with nearly 29,000 deaths. msnbc's cori coffin joins us from times square. cori, good morning to you. the number of new cases may be going down. but the governor, yesterday in his briefing, you know, he said the number of deaths that we're seeing is holding steady. he called it a stubborn number. is he expecting numbers to uptick as some of the state reopens? >> it's a frustratingly stubborn

number. it's a certainty as they reopen, even with the partial reopening, and the slow-moving plan. he said, it's an inevitability, why there's is a two-week lag between that phase, to see what the phase looks like and what the numbers end up being. that's why you have to have a way to contact trace. and you have to have the hospital beds available in case the numbers go up. but he said, really, how high those numbers go up is up the citizens of new york. >> if people are smart, yes, you'll see some increase in the numbers. but you won't see a spike. you'll see spikes in countries that have opened. you've seen spikes in states that have opened. we have an intelligent, i think the most intelligent system, but it's reliant on what we do.

it's reliant on human behavior. be smart and be diligent and don't underestimate this virus. >> reporter: so, in parts of the state, almost half of the state, the five regions make up, you can do a low-risk construction, manufacturing, curbside pickup for retail and other things like that. and the rest of new york remains on pause until at least the end of may, which is frustrating some new yorkers. in fact, in the capital region, they took to the capital to protest, a couple hundred of them calling for the govern eoro reopen the state in conformity. >> it would be hard to look at the state and say that new york city is on lockdown, with the good weather. so many people out and about. we'll see if that has a long-term impact. nbc's cori coffin from times

square. thanks, cori. joining us is josh harstein from johns hopkins school of public health. just as the warm weather is bringing people outside, there's new research that suggests that the summer's heat, humidity and sunshine, could inhibit but not halt the spread. "the washington post" reports that a new data base put together by reachers at harvard, m.i.t. and other institutions, examines a host of conditions worldwide. and they found that the temperatures above 77 degrees is associated with the reduction in the virus' transmission. how significant is this? and once people learn about this great news, do people socially distance and think that we're good now? >> that's the concern. there's not a tremendous impact of weather on the virus.

and you see that from very hot areas of the world that are having pretty significant problems with the coronavirus. i think there's a little bit of a benefit and we should use that to our advantage to drive the numbers down. that's best done if we're careful like governor cuomo said and we build a strong response of isolation, contact tracing and quarantine. demonstration o is ecuador because it's on the equator, and has had a huge outbreak of coronavirus. there's a new piece in "the washington post," i want to take note of, that says we could stop the pandemic by july 4th, if the government took these steps -- frequent testing, positive tests until no new positive cases are found. it encourages voluntary isolation to prevent further disease spread.

isolation patients would receive a federal stipen to discourage them from returning to work too soon. it's what australia does and other countries do. is that realistic? and does the country have the capacity to do something like that, as far as you know? >> those are good ideas. i don't think we should be making promises we can get rid of everything by july 4th. we should be honest with the american people, honest with ourselves. this is a very serious situation we're in, with nearly 90,000 people who have already died and many more at risk. it is absolutely true. more testing, contact tracing, isolation quarantine will save a lot of lives and allow us to reopening the economy faster. that's true. and i do think that strong leadership and good explanations to people, will understand why this is important. we started a free online course of contact tracing on johns

hopkins. 8 million views of the website. and more than 150,000 people have signed up for the course. we know there's a lot of solutions. >> that article that kendis mentioned, it talks about dividing the country into zones, red, yellow, green, based on the number per capita. that would be on the tests each state was conducting, what preventive measures could be taking place. there seems to be no cohesive national strategy. and every state is deciding what they want to do. would something like that be within the realm of possibility and would that help? >> i think that's the role that many of us anticipated the federal government would be playing, having a national strategy. unfortunately, we don't have one at the moment. it's up to the states. most of the states are doing some version of dividing up by red, yellow, green. that concept, that the

restrictions can track a little bit, the course of the epidemic, makes sense. i don't agree with everything in the article. i don't think it's a good idea to open large gathering anywhere in the united states because people travel. all it takes is one major event and suddenly, you have deaths. even a minor event, like a choir practice. and there were 70 cases and 2 deaths. >> doctor in baltimore, johns hopki hopkins. when we look at the graphics on the right-hand side of the screen, those numbers are coming from many of your scientists and co-workers at johns hopkins. and many experts are saying that the officials' numbers are too low. lately, the narrative coming out of the white house and the president himself, is that the death count may be artificially high. what do you say? >> i don't think that's true at all. i heard clearly, dr. fauci doesn't think that's true at

all. they're probably low and probably low because people are dying not getting a coronavirus test. there's many, many more people dying than usually die at this time. and there's an obvious reason for that. and that is the coronavirus. >> doctor, quickly, we see the images of people outside. you say that a choir practice will be dangerous. at this point, a trip to the park has many more people than a choir practice would. do you think shaming people into wearing masks is an effective strategy? >> a trip to the park with social distancing, you're outside, plenty of ventilation, a lot safer than a closed room and someone singing, and if someone sick sending viral particles around the room. we have to be thoughtful and not have a one-size-fits-all approach. it's true that outside is a little more safer. but we have to keep our wits about us. people should stay apart from others. they should distance and be

respectful, wear masks if you're anywhere close. those sorts of things, those decisions by individual people are going to make an enormous difference. >> you can tell when you're outside, that people don't know what to do, some are passing too close, some go way out of our way. we're trying to grapple how we should conduct ourselves outside. dr. sharfstein, thank you. cutting out cash? how digital payments could get a push. and the future of flight. the lockdown and how it can change travel habits forever. l r versus the other guys. ♪ clearly, velveeta melts creamier. 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.

it's a great escape. so many great stories from amazing people... it makes me want to be better. it changes your perspective. it makes you a different person. see what listening to audible can do for you. there are times when our need to connect really matters. to keep customers and employees in the know. to keep business moving. comcast business is prepared for times like these. powered by the nation's largest gig-speed network. to help give you the speed, reliability, and security you need. tools to manage your business from any device, anywhere. and a team of experts - here for you 24/7. we've always believed in the power of working together.

that's why, when every connection counts... you can count on us. they have businesses to grow customers to care for lives to get home to they use stamps.com print discounted postage for any letter any package any time right from your computer all the amazing services of the post office only cheaper get our special tv offer a 4-week trial plus postage and a digital scale

go to stamps.com/try and never go to the post office again! we're back with breaking news. a new update on a tropical storm. this is officially arthur, the first named storm of the atlantic hurricane season. tropical storm warning for the outer banks.

>> arthur is also expected to remain well offshore. but people from florida to the mid-atlantic should prepare for dangerous rip currents and rough surf. the atlantic hurricane season officially begins june 1st. paper money could increase the risk of spreading the coronavirus. >> even in the worst economic crisis in decades, cash may no longer be king. here's nbc's chris clackum. >> reporter: paper money, in fact, can carry more germs than a household toilet. >> money is not sterile. neither are credit cards. >> reporter: yet, cash remains king in much of the economy. >> i love having a bit of cash on me. >> reporter: although many are being cautious. >> i have a bag of sanitizer. i literally soak it. >> reporter: the cleveland clinic's dr. kristen england also points out debit and credit carts c cards can be just as dirty.

>> it's not going to harm you touching it. the harm comes touching that and then your face and your nose and your mouth. joining us now, sabile. good morning. good to see you. you write that in an economic downturn, cash is king but it's so dirty. i'm still using cash. before the pandemic, i have my envelopes. this is what i spend on groceries. >> where do you keep this cash? >> my purse. i'm not going to tell you what my purse looks like. is this long-term? do i need to say good-bye to those habits and just use my card now? >> yes. the coronavirus is a game-changer when it comes to using cash. dollar bills can transmit the virus. it's so serious and the u.s. is so concerned about it, the federal reserve is quarantining dollar bills shipped from asia

for seven to ten days, before allowing them to be circulated in the u.s. financial system. the dollar bills are the globes, the world's currency. as a result, the fed says, there's $1.75 trillion worth of cash in circulation globally. this is of paramount importance, as we're dealing with the spread of the coronavirus. >> that's interesting that dollar bills are being quarantined. that's fascinating. you've written about travel. on average, major u.s. airlines are using 3$350 million to $400 million a day, as traffic plummets. 94%. that's amazing. is there any comparison to 9/11 and its toll on the airlines? >> it's a whole different ball game with the coronavirus pandemic. in the past, we had national crises, like the 9/11 terror

attack or 2008 financial crisis. the coronavirus adds this whole combination of financial devastation, fear and social isolation. so, it could take even longer for flight demands to return. and passenger traffic has plummeted 94%. we're seeing the u.s. government with the bailout of the airlines and the companies are doing everything in their power to encourage customers to not be so fearful of flying, by, for example, changing the way we book flights, making the dates more flexible, more change fees. and wearing masks and social distancing. united needs to reassure passengers that planes are safe for travel demand to go back up. >> sibile, we know that people are not shopping as much. retail sales falling 16.4% in

april. but here's what's more shocking. grocery store sales. we think people is flocking to the grocery stores. they are buying toilet paper and canned goods. grocery store sales fell by 13.2%. how can you explain that? >> yeah, lindsey. that was surprising to look at the april retail sales numbers. it was a record plunge from march. and grocery sales fell 13%. that means two things, either americans stockpiled so much grocery food in their homes they didn't need to go back to the stores as often in april. or, and this is much worse, know there's been millions of american families that are devastated by the pandemic last their jobs and could be starting to starve themselves to make ends meet. >> we hope not. but if you're not bringing as much in, you can't spend as much at the grocery store. >> appreciate the additional

flowers in your skype room. >> it was all for you guys. >> appreciate it. opening the borders. europe is scrambling to find ways to revive their tourist industries. >> a return to national travel. s are your crispy currency to pay for bites of this... ...with this. when kids won't eat dinner, potato pay them to. ore-ida. win at mealtime. ibut that doesn't mean ayou're in this alone. potato pay them to. we're automatically refunding our customers a portion of their personal auto premiums. we're also offering flexible payment options for those who've been financially affected by the crisis. we look forward to returning to something that feels a little closer to life as we knew it, but until then you can see how we're here to help at libertymutual.com/covid-19. [ piano playing ]

so to breathe better, i started once-daily anoro. ♪ copd tries to say, "go this way." i say, "i'll go my own way, with anoro." ♪ once-daily anoro contains two medicines called bronchodilators that work together to significantly improve lung function all day and all night. do not use anoro if you have asthma. anoro won't replace rescue inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than once a day. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, glaucoma... prostate, bladder or urinary problems. these may worsen with anoro. call your doctor if you have worsened breathing, chest pain... mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes or eye pain, while taking anoro. the most common side effects are sore throat, diarrhea, and pain in the arms and legs. ask your doctor about once-daily anoro to start treating your copd. we're here for you during this challenging time--and always. find support at anoro.com.

to deliver your mail and packages and the peace of mind of knowing that essentials like prescriptions are on their way. every day, all across america, we deliver for you. and we always will.

here's the latest facts on the coronavirus pandemic. starting tomorrow, uber will now require all drivers and passengers to wear masks or face coverings. riders will have to take a selfie through the app to prove they're wearing it. the company is asking that riders sit in the backseat and agree to open windows for ventilation. and drivers can report passengers who don't follow the new rules. georgia is distributing its first round of antiviral drugs.

remdesivir, to hospitals that are treating covid-19 patients. the shipment from the federal government is enough to treat about 110 patients. skiers are returning to the slopes for the first time since mid-march. this is the scene on mt. hood. the new regulations that skiers visit with people from their household. they had to wear face coverings and make reservations to make sure they didn't have too many people there. >> skiers and snowboarders have been wearing goggles and face coverings for years. this is a norm for them. in hawaii, look at one beach in oa oahu, where the coast was reopened after a month. groups are limited to ten people. residents are encouraged to only gather with people they live with. locals are thrilled.

>> it's nice to be out here. we don't have a restriction. the families can enjoy the beach together. you can lie out on the sand. >> the feeling is amazing. it reminds me of the long summer days now. >> people are social distancing. we're getting to enjoy the beautiful weather. >> long summer days as opposed to what in hawaii? >> the harsh winters. european countries are beginning to ease their restrictions. >> 13 european countries are aiming to be open by next month. nearly all of them could be closed to non-european union tourists. >> we go to carl in dresderesde germany. when could we see tourists going back? >> reporter: countries want to get things open quickly here for this summer tourism season.

some steps are under way in germany. partially reopening boards with neighbors here this weekend. the goal across the e.u. travel zone is to get all internal borders open by mid-june. that's an ambitious goal. we're seeing countries with some creative solutions, forming a travel bubble. you look at the baltic states, lithuania, estonia, and latvia. they have opened up travel for their citizens within those countries. how about foreign tourists? they're not allowed into europe for safety concerns. one way to get them into europe, is a proposal put forward by one study. it's a traffic light system, labeling some regions within countries as green for safe, red for unsafe. could this be a way to get americans over to europe for that well-deserved summer vacation? i spoke with one of the co-authors of the stud study.

this is what he told me. >> if we agree on common criteria in europe and america, we think that green zone in america is as safe as a green zone in europe, i would push our logic further and say, yes. tourism between america and europe or between regions of america that are safe, and regions of europe that are safe, could be implemented and maybe possible in the months to come. >> reporter: of course, the biggest thing in the u.s. is getting the virus under control there before we start traveling abro abroad. >> that's the big concern. i'm sure a lot of americans are leery of traveling abroad. carl nasman in germany. thank you. as america reopens, fast food restaurants are making big changes. >> nbc's joe fryer says they include a new look and new rules. >> reporter: mcdonald's

customers can already drive through. now, in some places, they can dine in. the chain is gradually reopening dining rooms in places where it's allowed. >> an opportunity mixed with some fear in there. but i think we're getting on the other side where we need to be. >> reporter: tracy johnstone is a franchisee who owns several mcdonald's in florida. and she developed a task force with a 59-page guide for owners reopening. >> we have screens on the front counters. >> reporter: she took this video highlighting the changes. self-serve soda fountains will be closed or monitored by an employee. they will sanitize tables and cheers after every use and clean restrooms every 30 minutes. and floor decals keep people six feet apart. >> we can accommodate multiple people. >> reporter: and some tables are

off-limits. how do you handle the guests who don't want to cooperate with social distancing guidelines? >> we have really good coaching in place for our team to engage with those guests. >> reporter: mcdonald's has about 14,000 locations in the u.s. most like this one in l.a. county, are not open for dine-in. so far, nearly 100 restaurants have opened their dining rooms and more will gradually follow, as states ease their restrictions. ultimately, the choice is up to each owner. other fast food chains are also reopen inside, including restaurant brands international, which own owns burger king, pop and tim hortons. dining is now in 1,000 of their locations. >> we will see demand rising. we want it to be done responsibly and safely. >> reporter: they're taking similar steps, spacing out tables, shuttering soda machines and contact with

acrylic screens on the counters and employees must wash their hands every half hour. preparing for the next phase of fast food, a whopper of an undertaking. joe fryer, nbc news. >> every half hour. how often were they washing their hands before that? okay. from the front lines, a doctor who has been working in one of the hardest hit spots explains how things have changed in the last month. he'll weigh in on how emergency rooms can prepare for a possible second wave. ible sece

usaa was made for right now. and right now, is a time for action. so, for a second time we're giving members a credit on their auto insurance. because it's the right thing to do. we're also giving payment relief options to eligible members so they can take care of things like groceries before they worry about their insurance or credit card bills. right now is the time to take care of what matters most. like we've done together, so many times before. discover all the ways we're helping members at usaa.com/coronavirus

discover all the ways we're helping members (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. our best pricing ever. $30 per line for all nurses, teachers, first responders, military, and their families. not for a few months, but for as long as they need. plus, up to $700 off the oneplus 8. because the people we rely on deserve a network they can rely on.

i've been involved in. communications in the media for 45 years. i've been taking prevagen on a regular basis for at least eight years. for me, the greatest benefit over the years has been that prevagen seems to help me recall things and also think more clearly. and i enthusiastically recommend prevagen. it has helped me an awful lot. prevagen. healthier brain. better life.

welcome rng, now, to michige a partial reopening is under way, although stay-at-home orders are in place until the end of the month. >> there's over 50,000 confirmed cases in that state. and nearly 5,000 people have died. dr. davidson is an emergency room doctor in michigan. tell us what have you been seeing on the front lines there? >> thanks for having me. i'm here in michigan. most of our massive surge in michigan was in southeast michigan, the detroit area. i'm in west michigan. we had plenty of cases and hospitalizations. my emergency department, we were able to handle the influx of

patients. as we see the numbers in michigan flattening out and starting to go down, that's driven by the numbers in michigan going down. we see more cases on the west side of the state and in rural parts of the state. that's why we can't have a one size fits all approach. we see that nationally. cases in new york are going down. but in the united states, many places are seeing cases go up. we have to be careful as we reopen. >> one of the big concerns for your state and many other hot spots, is not having enough physical beds in hospitals and also, ventilators. from your experience, did you have what you needed? >> we have had what we needed. but remember, the entire purpose of sheltering in place, of all of the social distancing measures has been to flatten that curve. so, we didn't exceed our capacity. and that happened. and some are using that as evidence, that this wasn't as bad as we thought. the reality is, because of the measures taken, we didn't exceed the capacity.

as we see people emerge and not doing what they're told, not wearing masks, not distancing, our concern is that, we are in the same position we were a couple of months ago. nothing has changed about the virus. and frankly, the federal government has not ramped up testing capability, so we can test, trace and isolate. we may experience a very familiar phenomenon we did a few months ago as cases go up and we start seeing the stressors on the system again. >> many people are concerned about the second wave. a lot of people are concerned about the first wave. you're in the grand rapids area, just about an hour from lansing, the capital. and the governor there in michigan, said she was really worried early on, that many of the people that were protesting in lansing, would go to areas like grand rapids afterwards and would have the covid-19 -- would be covid-19-positive. curious if you've seen people

coming to your hospitals on the front lines, who have been part of the protests. >> i know the committee to protect medicare, the national group i run of doctors has cell phone data. we have more coming out in the coming week, of people at the protests in lansing and shows where they went. and they scattered about their state, to west michigan and rural north michigan. we did see -- we can't correlate. but we did see the number of cases go up in those areas. there appears to be a correlation. and i hope people understand the more they gather in large groups and spread out to communities, the more likely it is we have a longer shelter in place because the numbers go up. >> based on the data that you saw, there seems to be a correlation? >> well, yeah. >> okay. >> you have to take the numbers. but it sure looks like that. >> doctor, thank you so much for your time today. due to the pandemic,

broadway's longest intermission is getting even longer. it's forced the hit musical "frozen" to take its final bow. what are the chances it could be curtain call for other shows? hee curtain call for other shows meat! cheese! and nuts! p3. because 3 is better than 1 hold on one second... sure. okay... okay! safe drivers save 40%!!! guys! guys! check it out. safe drivers save 40%!!! safe drivers save 40%! safe drivers save 40%!!! that's safe drivers save 40%. it is, that's safe drivers save 40%. - he's right there. - it's him! he's here. he's right here. - hi! - hi. hey! - that's totally him. - it's him! that's totally the guy. safe drivers do save 40%. click or call for a quote today.

safe drivers do save 40%. special delivery ♪ - oh.- oh, darn! - wha- let me help. lift and push and push! there... it's up there. hey joshie... wrinkles send the wrong message. help prevent them before they start with downy wrinkleguard. it's where i can just kick back and be totally comfortable in my own skin. you know what i'm sayin'? with rocket mortgage® you'll feel as comfortable financing a home as you are living in one rocket mortgage®. push button. get mortgage.®

the gleaming, bright lights of broadway will be dimmed through most of the summer. new york's biggest tourist attraction will not be able to reopen until labor day at the earliest, which leaves thousands of people out of work. >> as such, several long-running shows say they may not survive the shutdown. nbc's ron allen has more on broadw broadway's struggling to stay afloat. >> reporter: with broadway dark at least through summer -- ♪ somewhere >> reporter: settle in with the stars on stage, from home. ♪ i'm past patiently waiting >> reporter: the great white way extending its longest intermission ever, the spring

season scrapped in mid-march. >> it's been about two months since i have been in this area. >> reporter: how does it feel to be on broadway now? >> it feels lonely. >> reporter: that's brian stokes mitchell, most recently seen appearing from his new york apartment window, urging the city on, as he recovered from a bout with covid-19. he knows it will be tough for broadway to stage its next act. >> live entertainment will be one of the last sectors i think to come back. >> reporter: and you can't social distance on a stage. >> no. it is difficult. we dance together. we sweat on each other. we spit on each other. we hug each other. we kiss each other on stage. that's part of what we do. >> reporter: he says smaller socially distanced audiences won't buy enough tickets to cover costs. a broadway run is steep, $300,000 for a play and twice that for a musical. and sitting apart would destroy the magic. >> even though you have your own place, you're having a group experience that you're sharing

the armrest with and laughing together with, crying together with, experiencing this vision on the stage. >> the hardest part is that there are many shows that may not reopen. >> reporter: charlotte st. martin of the broadway league fears audiences won't come back until there'sed by spread testing for covid-19. this form of art is dependant on science. >> every day, it changes. we could be looking at september. we could be looking at january. we could be looking at next spring. >> reporter: a staggering economic hit on broadway and beyond. some 97,000 workers depend on the theaters to earn a living, from carpenters making sets, to ushers, to the restaurant wor r workers and souvenir sellers down the street. how tough is it? >> it's scary. >> reporter: michael was an understudy. olof in "frozen." now, like many connected to broadway, hoping his unemployment benefits and health insurance hold out.

>> during these times of strife, i don't know how long that money will be able to last. >> walk by the theaters and to see no activity in front of those, it's heartbreaking. >> reporter: is there any doubt in your mind that broadway will come back strong? >> it will be strong eventually, absolutely, i think so. how long will that take? we don't know. >> reporter: it's anyone's guest when the show might go back on. ♪ ron allen, nbc news, on broadway. the economic hit is absolutely staggering here on broadway and beyond. some 97,000 workers in the theaters and restaurants and the souvenir shops, rely on broadway to make a living. and broadway relies on tourists to buy tickets. 65% of the audiences come from out of town. and no one is flocking to new york these days. a lot of drama on broadway. it's very unclear when the show will go back on. back to you. >> our thanks to ron allen. a lot of drama on broadway. the tourists aren't there.

a live picture of times square. they sure aren't. not even the residents. it will be a long sludge for new york city. thanks for watchinging msnbc li. coming up, the approach to lifting lockdowns. the innovative effort is working overseas. will it work here? alex witt is next. t. high protein. low sugar. so good. high protein. low sugar. mmm, birthday cake. pure protein. the best combination to help you stay fit. 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. we hope you find our digital solutions helpful to bank safely from home.

deposit a check with your phone or tablet. check balances, pay bills, transfer money and more. send money to people you know and trust with zelle. stay safe. stay home. together, we'll get through this. pnc bank there he is. oh, wow. you're doing, uh, you're doing really great with the twirling. dad, if you want to talk, i have a break at 3:00. okay, okay. i'm going. i'm gone. like -- like i wasn't here. [ horn honks ] keep -- keep doing it, buddy. switch to progressive and you can save hundreds. you know, like the sign says. switch to progressive and you can save hundreds. it's starting to people are surprising themselves the moment they realize

they can du more with less asthma. thanks to dupixent, the add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma. dupixent isn't for sudden breathing problems. it can improve lung function for better breathing in as little as 2 weeks and help prevent severe asthma attacks. it's not a steroid but can help reduce or eliminate oral steroids. don't use if allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which is severe. tell your doctor right away about signs of inflamed blood vessels, such as rash, shortness of breath, chest pain, tingling or numbness in your limbs. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection and before stopping any asthma medicines, including oral steroids. du more with less asthma. talk to your doctor about dupixent.

first up here on msnbc, a dramatic step forward in reopening the country. this morning, who is all for it and who is not? >> today, i'm going to pick up something from a local store. i'm doing curbside. i'm not ready until i see how other people are social distancing. >> i'm excited to get out of the house after two months. >> my concern is there will be states that get it wrong and the price will be paid in human lives. also, friday night firing. new reporting about who might have urged the president to fire the state department's inspector general. graduate together. the message for the class of 2020 from celebrities and our former commander in chief. >> so much of your generation has woken up to the fact that the status quo needs fixing. >> reporter: that's not all, he said. the other comments that president obama made that are getting a lotf