good day, everyone, from msnbc headquarters in new york. welcome, everyone. dramatic steps, what's happened so far in the effort to reopen the country and whether it's being rushed. how much longer will we all be wearing masks and seeing empty sports arena s? friday night firing. reaction on the sunday talk shows to who might have urged the president to fire the state department's inspector general. plus this -- >> so much of your generation has woken up to the fact that the status quo needs fixing. >> that's not all. the former president said. the other comments he made that are getting a lot of attention

today. at this moment, we are waiting for new york governor cuomo -- there he is. he has just sat down. he is getting ready to start his daily briefing. here we go. we will take you there live. >> to take off nine years now. let's look at the facts today. total hospitalization is down. good news. intubation is down. new covid hospitalizations are down. it's a good day across the plate. it is interesting. we have always been talking about this and been looking at this. it's interesting to see how the decline has actually been relatively flat. remember, we talked about we knew how steep the incline was. what was the decline going to look like? what was the contour of the mountain going to look like?

look how long on the way down compared to the way up. that's why the spikes are dangerous. once you have the spike, coming down from the spike is a prolonged period of time. number of deaths are down. 139. at a different time and place, if i had that news to deliver, that would be incredibly shocking to people. only in this environment is it not shocking. and relative will to where we were, it's good news. again, we're right about where we were when we started. we just want to make sure we never go back to where we were. the question is reopening, not reopening or not. everybody wants to reopen. nobody wants to reopen more than i do. the question is how. we have said the five upstate

regions are reopening. we have said there's a dashboard with all the facts and data that are driving these decisions. there's been a shift in the capital region and in western new york where on the seven metrics on the metrics they are now qualified for reopening. there is still a need to increase tracing -- the number of people who are prepared to do tracing. and that is a pure administrative function. we will be working with both capital region and western new york to get that tracing up. but that is a purely administrative function. in the capital district, we need 383 tracers. we need an additional 166 identified. western new york, we need 521. we need an additional 352.

we will be talking to the regional heads today to find those additional personnel and get them trained and get them ready. but that's the only function that has to be performed for those regions to open. again, that's something that we anticipated and that's just administrative and working together with the regions, we can get that done. so that's good news. today is day 78. day 78. 78 days, a long time or a short time. you can argue both. when you shut down everything and you have gone through the trauma that we have gone through, 78 days is a long time. people are feeling it and they're feeling it in a number of ways. we have talked about it, but i don't know any of us have explored the depths of the mental health issues that have

been created inadvertently through these 78 days. we have been so anxious about the day to day and operationally oriented, we have been talking about hospitalizations, talking about deaths, talking about infection rates. but there's also a more subtle but very present mental health crisis that has been going on. don't underestimate the trauma this created for people. out of the blue comes this virus, something we have never seen before. you are living a science fiction movie. it's been incredibly anxiety producing, traumatic, disturbing and we have felt and seen all along evidence that this is creating a significant mental health challenge for people.

look at some of these numbers now that people are reporting. the number of americans who are reporting serious mental distress, up to 38%. doesn't even discriminate by age. right? 18 to 44. it's a multiple of what it has ever been. and this is something that i think deserves more attention than it has gotten, because it's very real. how are you is a simple question that we ask. how are you really? mental health coalition is working on a project. my brother-in-law kenneth and his daughter, my niece, are working with the mental health coalition. they have a website, how are u

howareyoureally. not just how are you, i'm doing fine. how are you, i'm okay. you know pretty much all right. getting by. forget that answer. how are you really means let's get to a different depth in the question. a different depth in the answer. how are you really? you can't be fine. right? it's not a trite answer. we're going through hell. how are you when you are going through hell? not good. that's what happens when you are going through hell. i'm not good. i'm anxious. i'm stressed. i'm nervous. i'm afraid. i'm afraid. i'm living a science fiction movie. i'm afraid. that's how i am. we're not comfortable talking about that. right? that's not the normal social back and forth. the how are you doing question

is almost a throwaway. how are you doing? expected response is fine. it's almost a rhetorical yes. how are you doing? fine, good. how are you doing really? let's talk about it. let's be aware of it. government can do a lot. groups can do a lot. we can do a lot in our own lives with our own families. i'm trying with my family. on the telephone, the ones i have in person. how are you doing, really? let's talk about this. i want you to understand how i feel and the stress i feel and how are you doing really? it sounds simple, but i think it can be very constructive individually. i know it's been helpful for me. this how are you really can actually provoke a good conversation. i would suggest people look at it. for people who have issues, we have a support hotline where we

have asked mental health professionals to volunteer their time to connect by face time ti the telephone. we have had a tremendous response. use it. had is nothing this is nothing to be ashamed of in life, but else now. of course there's going to be mental health issues. of course, people are going to have stress that they need to work through and anxiety that they immediate to work through. nothing to be ashamed of ever, but especially now. also at headspace.com, that's been very helpful. we thank them for their support. on the reopening strategy, we have said all along it's data driven. a big piece of the data driven strategy is the testing component. we have all been talking about this testing, especially diagnostic testing which has been very important. in the beginning, the challenge was, what is diagnostic testing, how do we ramp up diagnostic

testing? this is a scale that this nation has never done before. how do we do it? it involved the state government, fda had to approve tests. we then had to get our labs up and running. we set an initial goal march 13th, seems like a lifetime ago, but it was just about a month -- over a month. 6,000 tests a day we were going to try to do. that sounded like a very ambitious goal. we got to 10,000 tests a day. then got to 15,000 tests per day. 20,000 tests. i then met with the president and we talked about an institutional agreement between states and the federal government with the federal government would help with the supply chain and getting terms materials to the national labs. we said, we were going to try to double our capacity at that time. that was on april 21 or

thereabouts. everybody said, you are being too aggressive. you can't do it. can i tell you, that's who i am? we're at 40,000 tests a day. that's may 17. we started with 6,000 tests. we now have a really significant number of tests that we can do. so much so that per capita, we are doing more than other countries. significantly more. we're double the national average. thank you to the department of health team and everybody working so hard to do that. when you compare us to other states in the nation. again, we're double the percentage, not raw numbers, because we're bigger than many

state states. by percentage, we're much higher. this is a very dig advantage for us because testing originally was used to control the virus. now testing is really going to be very helpful in monitoring the virus. right? we're all talking about what is the spread of the virus when you increase economic activity. how do you know what the spread of the virus is? testing, testing, testing. not only do we have a large capacity to process the tests, we also put together a network of testing sites all across the state. we have a new agreement with cvs which has a tremendous network across this state where they are going to be bringing on testing capacity. so we thank them severy much fo that. we have 700 testing sites. we can do more tests.

we have 700 testing sites. which means there's a testing site near you. so much sites that it doesn't fit on a map. that's how many sites. that's what a map likes like when you plot all the sites. it's meaningless unless you like those blue things all over the state. so it's 700 testing sites. what's the new problem? the new problem is we have more sites and more testing capacity than we are using. okay? that's a good problem. but that is the next from hurdle to hurdle, right, stone to stone. i see it from hurdle to hurdle, down the track. now we have more testing capacity and more sites than we are actually using. we have drive-in sites that can do 15,000 per day. we are doing about 5,000 per day. the more tests, the better for

the state, the better for society, the better for your family, the better for you. who can get a test today? any individual who thinks they have a covid symptom. covid symptoms, coughing, sneezing, fever. what else? >> fever you mentioned. >> snooeezing, cough, chest pai. because covid symptoms are like flu symptoms. if you think you have symptoms, get a test. get a test. it's up to you. any individual who has had contact with a person who you find out had covid. right? you get that phone call. i was with you last night at a

party. turns out, i tested positive for covid. okay. you now qualify for a test. you lose your sense of smell. you lose your sense of taste. that's a symptom of covid. any individual who is on quarantine, precautionary or mandato mandatory, any health care worker, any nursing homeworker, any first responder can go for a test today. any essential worker who interacts with the public. food delivery personnel. person working in a retail store. they're all eligible. we're increasing it today. any individual who would return to work in phase one, construction, manufacturing, curbside retail. okay? it's anyone who thinks they have covid symptoms.

it's a tremendously large universe of people who can get tested. all you have to do is go to the website, find the testing site near you and get a test. it is a fast and easy thing to do. we've been working on this for a period of time. get the testing capacity up and the sites up and make it easy and we increased eligibility. we just don't have enough new yorkers coming to be tested. i've been asking people, have you been tested? no. why not? well, they can't say it's inconvenient because we have 700 sites. they can't say they're not eligible, because you have any symptoms you are eligible. there is a general proclivity where -- i don't mean any disrespect to the medical profession. my sister is a doctor.

some people just don't like to go to the doctor and don't like to get tested. on a personnel level, they love doctors. how can you not? but there's a reluctance to go to a doctor's office, which i understand. i am not good when it comes to this. i don't do the scheduled -- all the scheduled check-ins i'm supposed to be doing. it's like do i really want to know? do i want to go and be poked and prodded and investigated and have a test and then worry about what the test says? let's just be honest. so i am not good at this. but this test is not an invasive test. there's no pain to this test. there is nothing about this test that should intimidate people

from not taking this test. it's fast. it is easy. it's so fast and so easy that even a governor can take this test. that's how fast and easy it is. for you doubting thomases, which is what you all are, gender neutral, because by profession you are doubting thomases, i'm going to show you how fast and easy it is to take a test. and demonstrate why there should be no reluctance. this is dr. elizabeth dufort who is in the appropriate ppe wear. nice to see you, doctor. you make that gown look good. head up. close my eyes. why do i need to close my eyes? you can question the doctor. that's okay. why do i need to close my eyes?

>> for comfort. it might make you tear. >> if i fall asleep? >> we will have you sit down. >> there's it? that's it? nothing else. >> that's it. >> told you. thank you very much, doctor. that is the whole test. i'm not in pain. i'm not in discomfort. closing my eyes was a moment of relaxation. there is no reason why you should not get the test. you don't even have to be new york tough to take that test. you do have to be smart to get that test. and you have to be united and you have to be disciplined for the period of time that you close your eyes.

you have to love yourself and love your family and love new york. questions? >> is there any update on unemployment? we are getting reports from people on a daily basis, even after the new website came out saying that they hadn't been called after 72 hours or there's some sort of glitch in the system. is there any problem? >> maybe that's a melissa question. what are you saying? that i'm not competent and knowledgeable to answer that question? >> you have deferred those questions. >> are you say -- you think i don't have a command of the facts? is that what you are implying? >> i'm saying, that's her specialty. >> all right. that's a good thing to know. you happen to be right. i don't know. i will defer to melissa. >> there has been tremendous progress with the unemployment system. we will have another update middle of this week. we're getting to a point where the only claims that are longer

than three weeks old are either suspected fraud, not certified or partial information, meaning the person that's applying has left out their social security number, some form of identification that's mandated by the federal government. we feel very, very good about the progress that we have made. the new system we put into place has been incredible. the people -- i've seen people tweeting people who applied last week have gotten their money this past weekend. we have gotten through the backlog. the people remaining are either certification issues, partial information issues or suspected fraud. for those folks, we're trying to update the website to tell you specifically what it is that's holding you back in that pending status and those updates should come in this week as well. there's been tremendous progress in the unemployment system. "the new york times" reported that there has been suspected fraud attempts on states on their unemployment insurance system. that speaks to the need to make sure that as we're processing these claims, we're making sure

people that are getting the money are the people that they say that they are and not just jamming the money out the door so quickly that then at the end of this when this is over, you come to the press office and say, you gave out millions of dollars to people who didn't believe it, did you have a proper vetting system in place, did you do what you needed to do? we are maintaining a careful balance of making sure the people who are in need are getting the money they need and also being diligent and vetting people so that taxpayer dollars don't go fall into the wrong hands. >> how many are outstanding? >> we have them batched into pre middle of april and post. we will have a call tomorrow to go through the numbers. >> just to reinforce those points, backlog is a claim that's more than three weeks old. is that what we call backlog? the backlog has been finished. doesn't mean everyone has gotten a check. if you don't get a check, just

because you applied doesn't mean you necessarily automatically get a check. you have to meet certain criteria, which are in the federal bill, for good reason. you filled out the application. but there are questions, you didn't fill out the whole application, they're investigating something about what you said. the backlog is done. i said this, i said, you know, the pendulum swings in life. right? process the claims, process the claims, process the claims. yeah. but just remember what's going to happen when the pendulum swings 30 days from now when somebody says, i have john smith here who got an unemployment check and he didn't qualify, it was a fraud. why didn't you check it before you authorized payment? that is going to happen.

that's why balance is -- yes, get the checks out the door as far as you can. but make sure the person who is getting the check is actually eligible for the check, because no one is in the business of shoveling money out of a window and nobody wants to be taken advantage of. these are tax dollars. they have to be exercised diligently. every state has gone through this. if you look at what we have done compared to other states, it's not even close how many claims we have processed and how fast we have processed them. the backlog is all gone. we still have to make sure eligible people receive it and you are starting to hear already where there was fraud in people who got it. that's the ying and the yang. >> what's our max capacity of testing? what is the better way to test inmates and nursing home --

what's the max capacity? the slide said some of the drive-thru have a max of 15,000. >> we're at 40,000 today, which meets our goal of saying we were going to double our ability to test. right? we were at 20. i met with the president. we said we're going -- our goal is doubling. we have met the goal of doubling. we're now at 40,000. we want to test as many as we can possibly test. what is the maximum testing capacity? you don't know yet. how many test kits can we get in how many viles can we get? how many reagents can we get? how many machines can we get? how many more labs and cvs? how many more doctors offices can we get? how many more hospital employees can we get? you calculate that, you would be

at a theoretical maximum. >> if i could add to that. on the nursing home question, in addition to -- >> okay. we are breaking away from the governor. we will keep monitoring the q & a part of the briefing for you. with a welcome to everyone. joining me right now, we have three folks. monica alba from the white house plus our medical contributors, dr. natalie azar and dr. roy. the question when he asked people, how are you doing, and you know, a polite person will say, fine, thanks, how are you or something like that. he said there's a lot more to that answer right now because of the fact that we're all living through hell is the way he put it. i quote him. mental health capacity, the component for people to deal with this, how important is that right now? is that something we are really

focusing on or should be? >> that's a poignant and relevant question, especially right now. it should be a relevant question every day, but particularly now. one thing that resonates with me when i hear governor cuomo speak is i hear empathy. i hear somebody who really is putting himself in another person's shoes. not only of the constituents of new york state but that includes health care professionals and people who are home and really trying to understand what's bothering you and don't just say a trite, yeah, i'm okay, but really talk about what you are concerned about, what are you worried about. paying bills? the health of your children? about getting a job again? these are really important. as a doctor, all of these what we call environmental stressors, unemployment, food insecurity, also can adversely affect your health. these are important questions to

ask. >> let's get to a couple of things. he went through five steps, things being done right now. he was putting together the list of criteria, those people who should be tested now before phase one really, really gets f underway. people in construction, curbside retail pickup, how they should be tested. talking about tests a lot, that we're up to 40,000 a day here in new york. it's really leading the nation not only in terms of states but also leading the percentage of new york residents that are being able to be tested, even doubling that which the country is doing right now. granted, we have had the most cases of covid for sure. to you, is testing still the major component to us managing and dealing with this testing and tracing? >> absolutely, yeah. that is definitely -- that's the first step is to identify and

then if you have a positive case, you isolate and trace their contacts. which is just ironic to me in a way that that's what we were talking about in february or late january when we still were in the containment phase of this pandemic or wasn't even a pandemic then, before we went to mitigation, which is the social distancing. i think that i'm certainly encouraged by the idea that we have more capacity than we have people seeking tests. i like the fact that you can go online and find a testing center. the one piece that was missing for me and perhaps this is a question that could have been asked is, do you need a doctor's order? can you do this yourself based on symptoms? i think making it as easy as possible for people will be crucial. >> can i just say one thing? >> testing is part -- >> that piece that you are saying, it seems to -- i interest prese

interpreted -- he talked about kv cvs. anybody who needs or wants a test will be able to get one. can i ask you about watching him get that test? some of us were going -- oh, boy. it didn't seem like it was that bad. >> i know. meanwhile, i was watching it. i was like -- i kind of cringed for a second. i had to get tested last week before i went back into the office. the person doing my test said, put your head back, close your eyes. while he was doing it, kept asking if i felt okay. it's uncomfortable. they get really far up there. i give him credit for not flinching. he needed to demonstrate it's an easy test. doesn't last long. it's not not completely uncomfortable. >> probably a moment or two. he did very well. the both of you, thank you so

much. look at it, that's quick. it made us uncomfortable. that swap goes in deeply as you have so aptly described. thank you for that. let's get some new reaction from the trump administration with you, monica, following remarks the president made about reopening the country with or without a vaccine. what's being said on that, monica? >> reporter: the president raised eyebrows on friday when he debuted what they are calling operation warp speed, which is this entire vaccine effort. the president did say he thought they could get through the pandemic with or without a vaccine. that's something the health officials don't find to be accurate. they believe a vaccine will be the only way through this health crisis. health and human services secretary aczar was asked about the president's comments this morning. he tried to clarify. take a listen to what he said. >> what the president was making the point on is everything does not depend on a vaccine.

we will put the full power towards getting to a vaccine. that's one part of a multi-factorial response program. >> reporter: there were also questions about once we do have a vaccine that would work, how it would be distributed, where americans could get it and what it might cost. all of those questions continue, in addition to the time line. some experts like dr. fauci said 12 to 18 months from now where we have one. the president and his top officials here are projecting more optimism, aiming to have that by the end of the year. >> wondering if the tone was as optimistic with this next question, because we had the white house responding to former president obama, as you know, after he criticized the administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. what's the reaction to that? >> reporter: obama expressed these feelings privately last week. we are seeing him publically state at much without using president trump's name.

he did go after the administration's response, slamming the coronavirus pandemic as a major issue for the country and not necessarily identifying the person at the top but criticizing all of the leaders who have been in charge of it. i want to play you a little bit of what the former president said last night as part of a graduation special. >> more than anything this pandemic is fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they are doing. a lot of them aren't even pretending to be in charge. if the world is going to get better, it's going to be up to you. >> reporter: the white house is pushing back strongly on those remarks. the press second issretary issu statement. it shouldn't be surprising, but i want to read you, the president's unprecedented coronavirus response has saved lives. his early travel restrictions and quarantines protected the american public.

you see there, they are not saying that they agree with the former president. they take with it. in the past, we have seen the president's club come together in moments of national crisis. that's not something we have seen here in this instance. >> thank you for that. we will head to south carolina where it's back to the races. nascar is returning today after a ten-week highatus. today's race may look different because there won't be fans in the grandstands. morgan, masked up. lots of excitement but pressure being the first out of the gate, out of the starting gate there with the races. what's the mood on the ground? >> reporter: you are right. a lot of nervous anticipation

surrounding the event. not just for nascar fans, but sports fans watching to see how this plays out. this could very well set the stage for the return of other pro sports. as all these leagues try to figure out how to navigate this strange new normal. nascar fans and sports lovers, more than two months after last race, drivers are litting t ing track in darlington. >> we're going to be the first to do it. >> reporter: one of the 47,000 fans who won't be packing grandstands. tuning in to live tv coverage. >> that fan interaction and energy is not going to be there. it's going to be the weirdest experience as a driver. >> reporter: one driver who can't wait to get back on the track, ryan newman. suffered a terrifying crash at the daytona 500 in february. the father of two walking out of a hospital days later. >> whethn i'm in the race car,

couldn't tell you if there's one or a million people in the grandstands. >> reporter: every driver and pit crew screens before and after the race. leagues facing billions in lost revenue, nascar marking a turning point. life may be getting back to normal. >> you can't sit in the standing yet. come tomorrow, does that matter? >> no. i'm glad sports are back. i think most people are. there's going to be naysayers out there. most people are glad it's back. nascar is back. it's going to be awesome. >> reporter: nascar fans not the only ones rejoicing. live golf making its televised return this afternoon. taylor made putting on a charity match. two teams, rory mcilroy and dustin johnson facing off against each other, offering audiences a more quiet option than what we will see here in a few hours. >> doesn't it make more sense to bring back those sports that have big tv contracts?

they're the ones as opposed to those that are more reliant upon gate admission, concessions, that kind of thing? it's those that are going to be televised like golf? not so much aloany along the gr that are able to pay for admission. that's why these are the first to stay, we're going to give this a shot? >> reporter: those lucrative tv contracts are the engines that drive a lot of these sports leagues. that could be a very large reason why we are seeing nascar move out the way in which it is. major league baseball has issued a draft proposal for rules that they could be changing how the game play goes in order to get them back in action as well. it is time will tell here. we know they're doing temperature checks at the track. they're doing that before and after the race. hoping everything goes normal to get everything back to normal. >> absolutely. morgan, thank you so much.

developing right now, house lawmakers can cast votes and conduct committee meetings remotely for first time in its more than 200 year history. my next guest defending the historic temporary rule, that change senate passed friday, sfr stressing it's paramount to safety. >> washington is a hot spot. it's under a stay at home order. you are not supposed to meet in groups of more than ten people. we're more than ten. if they expand, it will be 50. we're just protecting our members and protecting their loved ones and their constituents. the great john lewis is going through chemotherapy. that means he cannot come up here and vote. that should not be the facts. >> joining me now is steve cohen without the mask because you are in your own home. it's nice to see you. you made a passionate speech there defending your remote voting. you have gop congressman andy

biggs who says it's giving pelosi more control than any previous speaker because under the new rule change, he is saying it's not being allowed to make any parliamentary inquiries about bills they are voting on, not makin a motion to adjourn. that's going to handicap the rights of the minority party. how do you respond?g a motion t. that's going to handicap the rights of the minority party. how do you respond? >> motions to adjourn cause trouble. watching nancy pelosi, we're watching a virtual florence night -- nightengale. when i was there, people came up to me and talked to me. i did not feel comfortable. republicans did not have masks on. everybody has to have a mask.

my republican colleagues flying from memphis to charlotte and charlotte to d.c. talked to each other with masks like it was normal times. within a foot of each other. that's dangerous. if people do that, we're in trouble. some people compared it to the civil war. some compared it to spanish flu. those folks lived in washington. they didn't get on airplanes with people. they didn't have the same problems that we have. >> hang on. you are saying that by and large, you found democrats -- your colleagues in the house wearing masks but republicans not so much? >> i think that's right. i think it's almost become a difference. if donald trump wore boxers or jockeys, they would do it. they think it makes them macho, i think. it makes them be stupid and risk their health and the health of their loved ones. >> let's get to the house, which passed that $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill on

friday. there's a big roadblock. it's got to face that in the senate. what do you think the chances are that it actually gets through the senate and on the president's desk where he has said it's doa? is there any chance this bill sees the light of day? >> of course it does. it goes effort over to the sena. they will send back their bill which we will not concur and have a conference committee or nancy and mccarthy could get together with schumer and mcconnell and come up with a bill. we would vote on it in the house and pass it. nothing gets passed first round. it just starts the legislative process. the last c.a.r.e.s. bill contained that awful $100 billion tax break for millionaires and billionaires snuck in there by rasputen and her dunce, that shouldn't have been in there.

we need to repeal that. we need to get together. we amend the senate bill and made it better. >>rasputen isn't in the house. >> he is the majority leader. >> let's just move on. let's go to what president obama was saying. the graduates yesterday. he gave pointed criticism to the trump administration's response. let's listen to one comment during a virtual address to graduating high school seniors across the country last night. here is part of that. >> all those adults that used to think were in charge and knew what they were doing, turns out they don't have all the answers. a lot of them aren't even asking the right questions. do what you think is right.

doing what feels good, what's convenient, what's easy, that's how little kids think. a lot of so-called grown-ups, including some with important jobs and fancy titles think that way. which is why things are so screwed up. >> no names. when he is talking about the so-called grown-ups and that's how little kids think, is he talking about president trump? do you endorse that? >> whether you talk about somebody who thought a nuclear bomb would stop a hurricane, injecting heat into a body could cure them, you are talking about somebody who is defunk of knowledge and talks like a third grader. he is right. navarro said lobama left our stockpiles empty. they had been in office three years. you go in and you can see the

pantry doesn't have supplies, you go to the store and buy food. they are blaming obama for the stockpile not being where they want it three years later. they have been in charge of it for three years. they haven't taken care of it. absurd. president obama was right. he is respected. this attack on obama, it's fantasy. that's a hoax. it's typical of what trump does. he projects and he lies. it's dangerous at this serious time that we have somebody in office who is not capable of facing reality, dealing with science and being a leader and putting the country first. >> representative steve cohen, never afraid to speak his mind. thank you for doing so. good to see you. take care of yourself. virginia starting the process of reopening. outdoor spaces have been the

go-to. long lines at wine riries. there are changes that had to be made. where are you? what have you discovered? >> reporter: good to see you. we are in leon, virginia. doors opened at noon. there were folks trickling. some of the changes here have actually restructured a lot of how people are experiencing wineries. i want to take a listen to what the manager of the vineyard here told us on friday when we were here about some of the precautions that they are having to take. >> we have quite a long list of procedures that we're following. we're following right along the cdc guidelines. the governor's newest order, we're allowed 50% capacity, even outside. everything is marked, even

outside as far as being six feet away from each other. >> reporter: so it's interesting. you see them follow some of the guidelines of spreading the tables apart. obviously, everything is outdoors only. some of the nitty-gritty stuff is changing. think about how folks experience some of the wine tastings and what they are expecting. if you are coming here and wanting to experience a bottle of line, you are drinking out of disposable cups. they clean down. there are difference precautions taken to keep folks safe. we did talk to people who had come here friday. a lot of folks wanted to get out of the house. they told me that some of the precautions that they were seeing that were available, they had posted online, that's what made some of the folks feel safe enough to come out of their houses and sit outside at these vineyards in the first place. >> i'm sure they enjoyed it. was the weather good? good day to get outside, have a glass of wine?

>> reporter: on friday, it was beautiful. >> thank you so much. a new space invader makes a historic launch. probably not a giant leap for mankind. effortless is the lincoln way. so as you head back out on the road, we'll be doing what we do best. providing some calm amidst the chaos. with virtual, real-time tours of our vehicles as well as remote purchasing. for a little help, on and off the road. now when you buy or lease a new lincoln, we'll make up to 3 payments on your behalf. nyou get way more than free shipping. you get thousands when you shop for your home at wayfair 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.

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weather and the new relaxed restrictions. joining me now harley ruda. i think you are in laguna beach. there you go. many beaches in your district open. how about the businesses in that area, how are they doing and when do you think more restrictions could be lifted? >> well i hope we continue to see the restrictions lifted. it is great to see people out on the been and enjoying it. and we have to remember the original goal was to flatten the curve so we wouldn't overwhelm our hurrica-- our hurricane word now we have to remove restrictions so people could get back to more ordinary type of activities consisten with what it was in the past. >> i did want to make mention of the disneyland in shanghai, that has reopened with a lot of restrictions and safety procedures and disneyland in anaheim is not in your district

but how critical in your perspective that that park open. you have heard anything about that potential reopening? >> i haven't heard a time frame but your absolutely right. it is critical and not just for critical for disney, but for all of our businesses to be on a path to reopen. we have to continue to recognize that we have to maintain appropriate physical distancing and wear a mask around other people and provide guidelines that allow the businesses to remove restrictions to get back to business. and we also have to recognize and, alex, this is important, we went have one size fits all. we have rural communities and countys that have had very few cases of the coronavirus, let alone deaths. it is very different than what we're seeing in the major metropolitan areas. so one size fits all doesn't make sense, we have to understand what is going on there and have rules that apply to that situation. >> that is a lot to sort out for

sure. here is something i want to talk about. which is the $3 trillion relief bill you and your colleagues in the house passed this week. there was debate during which time tim ryan made quite an emotional plea for the funding. here is part of what he said. >> 36 million people unemployed, 40% of families who have a worker that makes $40,000 a year or less lose their job last month. 4 million people didn't pay their rent and the republican party said we don't have any money to help you. are you kidding me? where do you guys live? food lines around the blocks at our food banks in the united states of america. one in five kids are going hungry. you're party can't even get food to them. this isn't a wish list. if it is a wish list it is for the working class people. >> powerful. what was that like hearing that

on the floor? >> congressman ryan is spot on. this is a crisis across the country as he pointed out. the basic facts of over 30 million people being unemployed and i'm working in food banks every week and i see firsthand the people coming through. there is fear across the united states and we have to continue to provide the appropriate support to allow us to get through this pandemic. keep in mind, the republican tax cut provided $2 trillion to the top 1%. 80% of the benefits went to the top 1%. surely as a country we could find the money necessary so businesses don't go bankrupt and children and families don't go hungry. >> i want to ask you about politics. mike garcia flipping the 25th district seat in the special election in week after katie hill resigned last year. i'm curious about your reaction to those election results because look at what you did two short years ago, you flipped dana rohrbacher's seat and now

gotten the democratic hands there so juxtaposition this week and what were you thoughts when you say that race underway. >> great question. on one hand we're saying because it was a special election we shouldn't be that concerned but on the other hand as democrats we should be concerned. we should be concerned that this is a election that shows if we don't get the vote out, we don't win. we have to get the vote out. and if we do, we win. and that is we'll have to do come november to take that seat back and hold the other seats that we took in 2018. >> okay. democratic california congressman, good to see you, thank you so much. do take care. to parts of italy will open tomorrow with plans to open borders by early june. pope francis chiming in telling church-goers to follow rules when public masses resume. italy is one of 13 countries planning to open by june and joining me now matt bradley from venice. what about the precautions in

place for tomorrow's opening? what are they? >> reporter: there is a lot of things open upping. this country has been waiting for so long. there is an incremental opening for the past couple of weeks but starting tomorrow we'll see big changes. restaurants, bars, cafes, hairdressers and churches. all of these places, they'll have to be observing social distancing inside. we're walking around today and a lot of restaurants are setting out tables and tape in place showing where the tables should be and separating everybody. the police have been walking around telling us to stand away from each other. it is still very strict and this is affecting some of the greatest traditions including the catholic church. i spoke with a priest and here is what he told us about how they're observing social distancing in the midst of worship. >> they could enter in a distance by one meter and six feet. can invite people to sit in a

proper place that is signed with a special color, green. the red is not allowed to sit. after that there is the communion so this is not a particular important moment to take care about that and so one person after the other, they receive the holy communion. >> reporter: so, alex, the important thing here in venice is tourism. travellers will be allowed to come back at the starting of the next month. that is crucial for the economy here and we've been talking to people and they're probably not opening tomorrow on monday because they don't expect to have customers to sustain their business. but if you look around here in saint mark's square there are a lot of people here and they are italians and not the tourists that you see here. that is what native venetians have been telling us. even though they lost the tourists the city has gained j

authenticity, it is breathing and coming into itself. >> and the canals, they've been beautiful. we saw jelly fish and dolphins in them. they're beautiful right now, clean? >> reporter: some of the stuff was not truthful and not taken nearby. >> no. >> reporter: the canals are clean but they don't look as pristine as you might expect. a lot of fish were in the canals already. but, yeah, things here are much, much cleaner. it is not as loud and frenetic. you're walking around and what you're seeing is ordinary venetians and italians don't flock to the city because it is crowded with tourists so they're gaining authenticity here and venice is now for venetians. >> timing for the chime in saint martin's square. at least the canals are better.

thank you, matt bradley, stay safe there. benjamin crop, the attorney for ahmad ash berry will join me next to talk about the new information in the case. ♪all strength, ♪we ain't stoppin' believe me♪ ♪go straight till the morning look like we♪ ♪won't wait,♪ ♪we're taking everything we wanted♪ ♪we can do it ♪all strength, no sweat me too. me too. and if you're a small business, we're with you.

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good day, everyone, from msnbc world headquarters in new york, welcome to "weekends with alex witt." a lot happening and we'll bring you up to date. as we get to the facts, every state in this country has partially opened and starting tomorrow minnesota is set to lift lockdowns. in south florida, miami-dade and broward counties will begin reopening and gyms in west virginia will also open for business on monday. new criticism from former barack obama while giving commencement speeches in two virtual ceremonies taking aim at president trump giving his most direct evidence of the handling of the coronavirus crisis.

starting tomorrow uber will require all drivers and passengers to wear a masks or face coverings. riders will have to take a selfie through the app to prove they are wearing a mask before the driver arrives. drivers could report passengers who do not follow the new protocols. and reality check today from former cdc director tom frieden said it is unlikely the virus will go away any time soon. >> this is a really bad virus and we are just at the beginning. we're in different places in different parts of the country. in new york city where i am today and where i live, we're at the end of the beginning. in some other places of the country, it hasn't yet hit in full force. >> we have a team of reporters and analysts following the latest this hour. first to the white house where one of the president's top economic advisers today criticized in fact the cdc early response to the coronavirus spread saying that it let the country down. let's go to monica alba with that story for us.

what more could you tell us? >> reporter: alex, white house trade adviser peter navarro in the same interview where he didn't want to look in the rearview mirror and wanted to look at what is coming in the weeks ahead, said that he did place blame on the cdc specifically when it comes to testing and this is significant because in the initial part of this pandemic the cdc did admit a setback with some faulty tests and some labs that had issues and that really affected the administration's timeline and ability to respond. but take a listen to what peter navarro had to say in terms of why he feels he could blame the cdc in this manner on the sunday showin showings this morning. >> early on in the crisis, the cdc which really had the most trusted brand around the world in this space really let the country down with the testing because not only did they keep the testing within the

bureaucracy, they had a bad test and that did set us back. >> reporter: and that was mr. navarro on "meet the press." alex azar was asked to respond to navarro's comments and azar took a completely different turn. he said he did not believe the cdc had let the country down and that instead the cdc played a vitally important public health role. so differing messages there from the administration this morning, alex, when it comes to blame and testing. >> i guess you choose which one you want to believe. thank you. to the latest in new york where we just heard in the last hour an update from governor cuomo taking that coronavirus nasal swab test during his news conference. but he's doing to because he wants to urge more new yorkers to get tested and showing them how it is not that bad. if i could go to cori coffin in times square. it doesn't look that bad but i'm telling you that swab was very

long. other than that, what the big takeaways from that news conference? >> reporter: alex, i have to tell you, i'm laughing because that is my initial thought as well. it just looks like it went so far into the nose. but i'm glad he did it because he really gave people an understanding of what they would experience, it took a whole five seconds. the doctor asked him to close his eyes and asked why and did it anyways and he was emphasizing testing that here in new york they have doubled the number of tests which is such progress in being able to open the state. as we know half of the state is now open. but a major announcement that he made today is that two more regions will open. so that is a big step toward getting everybody back to phase one as we start this process. now bill de blasio spoke today about within the city itself, their testing and tracing efforts. take a listen to what he had to

say. >> in the next literally two weeks you're going to see a vast testing and tracing operation come alive like we've never seen before in this the city and this is just the beginning, as i've said, we expect the army of tracers to grow to at least 5,000, could be between 5,010,000 because we want to reach everyone who needs that. >> reporter: right here in the epicenter in new york city we have met four of the seven benchmarks so we're slowly getting there. >> thank you very much from "times" square. cori coffin for that. delaware looking to reopen on june 1st after the state saw the deadliest day yesterday. reporting an increase of 286 confirmed cases in one day on top of the total of 7,500 cases. joining me now mora barrett from newark, delaware.

so i know you're at a farmer's market. what is the reaction to all of this, the new numbers, what are people telling you? >> reporter: hey, alex. people here at the market today are welcoming the opportunity to get out. this is the first time the farmer's market has been open this season because delaware has been one of the most strict states actually whether it comes to containing the coronavirus because it is part of that northeast alliance with pennsylvania, new jersey, new york and tackling the spread of the virus in tandem. but we saw way higher numbers in the other northeast states and delaware is a lot smaller but people are crediting the governor's action for shutting things down for might -- more tightly for a longer period of time. beaches are open for exercise and looking ahead to the june 1st reopen for retail and restaurants but people here tell me they are looking to pay attention to the data and the science because that is subjective and not emotional. take a quick listen to what

folks told me here today. >> i prefer to listen to what the scientists say about this because if we listen to 45, we're not going to learn anything and we'll all die. because he doesn't even wear a mask. the governor is sane and responsible and trying to do his best and i know a lot of people object to the slowness of it, but we don't want to go back to where we were before. i would rather take it -- listen to the science. they knew what is going on. my emotions don't count in this. i need to know i'm going to be safe. >> reporter: even with following the science, other shoppers here expressing hesitancy and then wondering why the governor is rushing ahead in the next two weeks because obviously as we've seen other states reopen, we haven't seen the two week decline in states as the cdc has recommended so there is hesitancy about getting out and making sure people are wearing

masks because they want to stay safe and not see the spikes that experts are telling us could happen if we go back to business too quickly. >> i think masks are going to be an emotional crutch if not much more for quite sometime to come. thank you so much. a big push toward reopening in california. restaurants and some countys are resuming dine in services after the stay-at-home restricts them to takeout only. dr. waxham, in a moment, but if we could get to scott, we want to get to the restaurants that are open for business. so there you are, scott. good to see you. so the restaurants typically are in some enclosed spaces, right. so are there making changes to move things outside and have sidewalk dining? >> reporter: yeah, the phrase we're hearing so much now, it is a new normal. and just to give you a sense of where we are, this is hollister,

the county seat in san benito county, a county with only six active cases of covid-19 and that is one of the reasons they've gotten the go-ahead to go on to the governor gavin newsom later stage two which involves opening up the restaurants. one that opened is the grill and chill ale house and it is not your typical night out. >> very busy. the customers who come in and been really supportive and just been -- we're still trying to hold on and ride this ride and see where it goes. >> so the biggest thing is that the entire party is supposed to be present before we're allowing them to sit. and they should be of the same household that they're shellering in place with. there is no gatherings so they can't get up from their table and travel to another table if

they recognize who they are. they have to just kind of sit. >> reporter: now one of the tricky parts particularly here in san benito county, different from the late stage two, is all of the surrounding countys still have the higher restrictions so one of the things they're bracing for is outsiders coming here to enjoy a night at the restaurant. one of the keys to dealing with that is educating the wait staff and make sure everybody knows what is going on and keeping the new changes and modifications as strict as they possibly could. so it is fits and starts bouncing back and this is inside dining, this is not sidewalk cafes and they hope more restaurants will open as these restrictions continue to fade. >> continued reopen. thank you scott. joining me now derrick has and dr. matthew waxman from ucla.

doctors welcome to you both. dr. cass, you heard me say at least it is an emotional crutch if not for other reasons that americans will be wearing masks. how long do you think that will persist and how long will we have sports stadiums be empty? >> i think the mask wearing and sports are two different questions. i think mask wearing is here for the foreseeable future. it is a low tech easy way to protect yourself and your neighbors. i still wear a mask because of all of the unknowns so we could look forward to a society with masks on in the future. i think sports stadiums come at an open economy conversation of how far are we getting with testing and tracing and the ability to isolate the virus where it is. the better we get at testing, tracing and isolating the further we get to stadiums with people in them. maybe not full. but with people watching live sports. >> point well taken. how bad was your bout with

covid-19? >> reporter: i like to say that i had a pretty solid mild case of the coronavirus. where i was home with symptoms, monitoring them daily for when eight days and i could tell you it is no fun. even when you have a mild case of the coronavirus. so for everyone that minimizes the idea that not everybody passes away or gets hospitalized, it is still something that i think about when i can't breathe or if i cough. there are lingering effects for those with mild cases. >> thankfully you look healthy and sound healthy so that is all good. dr. waxman, to you, i want to talk about a clip we played by former cdc director dr. tom frieden saying we're still at the beginning stages of the outbreak. he lives in new york where they may be in later stages but overall beginning stages, what do you make of that? >> yeah, so overall i think we are in a time now where we've had our large peak. we had the crisis in new york. here in the west coast our experience has been a little slower than new york.

we currently have plateaued our number of cases and we are watchfully waiting. we're trying to make sure that our social distancing practices and i think they are working and they are going to maintain in effect and people still wear the mask and maintain social distancing as we ramp up testing and that trifecta and then watch and see the number of new cases as we go ahead and lift social distancing. >> so give me a sense of what you're seeing there in california. i read the l.a. times and the coronavirus update every night and it is been like this, pretty flat for quite sometime. to what do you attribute that specifically for los angeles county which i might add that los angeles county has about one half of all of the coronavirus cases in the entire golden state. >> yeah, so, we've had about 37,000 cases total in los angeles county. the number here in l.a. over the last couple of weeks is the number of new cases.

for example yesterday we had about a thousand new cases because we tested more. we tested 11,000 people per day. we've had a slow burn here in los angeles county. it is largely nursing home patients and patients that can't practice social distancing and they have to work and we've flattened the curve but by no means are we out of the woods at all. >> dr. cass, experts are saying there is going to be a second wave in the fall and winter. does that necessarily have to be the case, especially if people continue to wear masks and socially distance? >> so i think that is a good point. what happens next is up to us. how we act, how we engage and how we reint deu -- we reintrodo the society. what we're talking about is the confusion between the flu or the coronavirus into smaller spaces, again back inside in the fall and the winter.

but i could say that for people worried about a second wave in the fall, let's learn more about how engage over the summer and use that and continue to test ourselves and understand what works and what doesn't work. >> so dr. waxman, pick up on that. how much do you agree with the reports that summertime, the heat, the humidity, the sunshine will help diminish the efficacy of this virus and will that matter if people do not wear masks and socially distance? does it have to be everything working together, dr. waxman? >> i really do think there is a trifecta of social distancing, masks and testing and we have to do all three. when i sat with you in the studio a couple of months ago, i said i think that like many respiratory viruses we'll see a decrease in the summer, i don't think that is true. i think the social distancing is what is working. i don't think the weather is too much in our favor but what we're doing is the social distancing is working.

we have to keep on keeping on like john lennon said. >> good. i do remember that meeting that we had in mid-march the last time i was broadcasting from l.a. good to see you then. dr. cass as well. thank you so much. the attorney for ahmaud arbery's family explains how new details could make a big difference in the case. ence in e ♪ clearly, velveeta melts creamier.

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new details in the case of ahmaud arbery. the black man who was shot and killed in georgia in february by two white men while his parents say he was out for a jog. now a man whose secure camera caught out his last moments is speaking out about the conversation he had with one of the men involved in the death. we have the story. >> reporter: new questions about the death of ahmaud arbery and the police department that investigated it. this video shows him moments before the february shooting briefly entering a home under construction. now through his attorney the man who owns that home said back in

december a glenn county police officer urged him to contact his neighbor gregory mcmichael if he had any concerns about anyone on the property. the text message reads in part, greg is retired law enforcement, he said please call him day or flight whether you get action on your camera. >> this is so disturbing. it is a communication from law enforcement to the property where ahmaud arbery was last seen alive. >> reporter: nbc news could not reach the glynn county police department for comment. mcmichaels have been arrested and charged with the murder. >> this is not just another act of violent racism. greg mcmichael did not commit murder. >> reporter: he was unarmed and out for a jog, his family said, when he was pursued by the mcmichaels who according to a ploif police report thought he was a burglary suspect. and he afired when he was violently attacked.

now new information that gregory mcmichael also played a role in making that video public. that attorney allen tucker tells nbc news mcmichael wanted the public to know the truth and hoped people would see them trying to make a citizens arrest. blayne alexander, nbc news, atlanta. joining me now is benjamin crump, the attorney for the family of ahmaud arbery. it is good to talk with you again though i'm sorry about the circumstances under which we do it. i'm curious your reaction to the new information and what it exactly means for the case, i mean you're as disturbed as your colleague on this case. >> i am, alex. and thank you for covering this important matter. this text message is bombshell evidence because it shows that there was an organized mob in that community who had a premeditated plan to confront and capture this black jogger next time he came jogging

through the community. and it has long been suspected, alex, why the police didn't arrest the murderers of ahmaud arbery on that day. could it have been that they knew what this text message that it would implement them as aiding and abetting in the crimes of the mcmichaels. >> i'm curious, benjamin, where this case stands now. do you have more answers for the family now that this video has surfaced, now that the text has surfaced, i mean obviously you're putting two and two together but are there firm conclusions that you could make? >> no firm conclusions other than we are focused on making sure that new district attorney juliette holmes, is going to zealously prosecute this case, that their office would dot

every i. and cross every t. when mcmichael's lawyer said this is not a violent crime of racism, where the text message seemed to suggest otherwise that that meant mcmichaels and this organized mob had every intention of con fronting this black jogger every time he came through the community. because, alex, there were other people, the video show, that came to that construction but they happen to have a different skin color. nobody pursued them or chased them in a truck with a shotgun and a .357 magnum so that speaks volumes to the intent of the organized mob led by the mcmichaels. >> benjamin, you bring up the fact that there was a armed shotgun, armed .357 magnum and that is disturbed me from the beginning of this case.

is it legal to do that while making a citizen's arrest, it is legal in the state of georgia. but could you do so with an armed shotgun and a armed magnum .357. >> what is illegal is to use deadly force in making a citizens arrest and this asinine law in georgia that they have empowers citizens to take on police powers even though they don't have the training, they don't have the deescalation, the conflict resolution training or any of that to try to confront citizens that they must observe the citizen in the commission of a crime. what crime did ahmaud arbery commit? there is another interesting note -- i'm sorry, go ahead. >> no, make your point. >> another interesting note, when you look at this case in contrast to the tragic killing of brianna taylor in louisville,

kentucky, we get to see a stark distinction of self-defense in black and white when these murderers executed ahmaud arbery in broad daylight captured on video when the police showed up they said self-defense and they were not arrested. they were allowed to go home and sleep in their beds at night for ten weeks. now juxtapose that with mr. kenny walker, brianna taylor's boyfriend who was asleep in bed when the police and undercover no police uniform crashed through the door at 1:00 in the morning and he is a registered gun owner and grabbed his gun to protect his castle, protect his woman and protect their lives. well, after the police executed brianna and shooting her eight times while she was in her underwear, when the police confronted him, he said self defense. he was immediately arrested, taken to jail and charged with

attempted murder and is facing life in prison. that is self-defense in black and white in america. >> benjamin, the no knock warrants which was used to enter brianna taylor's and the police suspected there was drug use going on. there is no announcement that they're going into the apartment. how is somebody inside that apartment to know that it, indeed, is the police coming into the apartment at 1:00 minute morning particularly in this case, how does somebody know it is not a burglar with these no-knock warrants? >> exactly, alex. and it is interesting to note before i answer your question that the united states postal inspector said there was false information on the affidavit to even get the no-knock warrant to enter brianna taylor's house. but you asked a fundamental question. what would you do if you're sleeping in your bed at night and some strange men who in

plain clothes bust in with guns, what would you think? how would you act? he did exactly what most gun owners in america do. isn't that the second amendment does not apply to african-americans? >> i don't know, benjamin, crump, you have your hands full these days. thank you for taking the time to talking to us and we look forward talking to you and good luck. president trump reacting a few moments ago to president obama slamming the white house response. we'll have that. puberty means personal space. so sports clothes sit around growing odors. that's why we graduated to tide pods sport. finally something more powerful than the funk.

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just moments ago the president returned from his weekend at camp david and spoke with reports on the south lawn. let's take a listen to part of what he said. >> so i think we had a great weekend. we do a lot of terrific meetings. tremendous progress is being made on many fronts including

coming up with a cure for this horrible plague that has beset our country. i think a lot of things have happened. it is a working weekend, it is a good weekend. a lot of very good things have happened. >> [ inaudible question ]. >> i didn't hear it. >> [ inaudible question ]. >> look, he was an incompetent president, that is all i could say. grossly incompetent. thank you. >> okay, the president wrapping up a very briefly a couple of comments there. joining me is california democratic congressman jackie speier. congresswoman, your reaction to what the president just said there before former president barack obama about his comments in the two virtual graduations yesterday. >> just put a mirror to your face. i can't imagine a president of the united states calling a former president incompetent. i don't think it has ever

happened in certainly my lifetime. and this is after the president has for three and a half years blamed everything on barack obama. and so barack obama comes forward and speaks about the incompetence that he's seen as it related to this pandemic and we have evidence of it everywhere, we have over 85,000 americans who have died and another 1.3 that have contracted the disease. and the president continues with his happy talk. which no one really believes any more. when you look at hydrochloroquine -- >> hydroxychloroquine. >> it is the wonder drug and it turns out it is causing more problems. yes, everyone who wants a test could get a test and that is proven to be false. that we have all the ppe we

need, the president said things that aren't true and the american people have stopped listening. >> well, to that point, before i get to what barack obama specifically said he did talk about how they were working all weekend at camp david for a cure. i think vaccine comes first. so the details there aren't necessarily completely accurate. but as noted, let's listen to part of what barack obama said during these virtual graduations yesterday, it is that when president trump was reacting to. here is part of it. here we go. >> all of the adults that used to think that were in charge and knew what they were doing, turns out they don't have all of the answers. a lot of them aren't even asking the right questions. do what you think is right. doing what feels good, what is convenience, what is easy, that is how little kids think. unfortunately a lot of so-called grown-ups including some with fancy titles and important jobs still think that way which is

why things are so screwed up. >> so do you agree with barack obama and how do you feel about him speaking this way? >> i believe that president obama has every right to push back against the onslaught that he has witnessed and bit his tongue about for more than three years. it is unprecedented that a president of the united states would blame everything on the former president. it just doesn't take place. that is not the way we conduct ourselves on the national scene. except for this president. who blames everything over and over again for his own failings. look in the mirror, mr. president. >> all right. let's take a fo-- a focus on wh happened there in the special election. we have candidate mike garcia who successfully flipped the 25th district in that special election after katie hill resigned last year. are you surprised by this?

where do you think the democratic party fell behind, though it is my understanding that there are more registered republicans in that district, i believe. i may have the facts wrong. but i thought i read that. >> so, this district has always been a hard district. and we were surprised, pleasantly so, when katie hill was able to take that seat. in a special election, we have always, as democrats, at a disadvantage and it really requires a general election number of people coming out to vote that will bring out the democrats. so i think that christy smith has a good shot at winning the seat back in november. and she'll also have the benefit of having mr. garcia cast a lot of votes in that period of time. so that we could assess what he really thinks about issues that are of importance to that particular california district. >> okay. you obviously have great importance to the state of

california. jackie speier, good to see you. another state taking the fight over stay-at-home orders too court. that being michigan's lieutenant governor who will join me more with the battle and what comes next. but first a check out on this. a taste of culture for the humboldt penguins from the kansas city zoo. they visited the nelson atkins museum and given free rein to see the visits. nobody gave them the cold shoulder. i just want to say i did not write that. at

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we're returning $2 billion dollars to our auto policyholders through may 31st. because now, more than ever, being a good neighbor means everything. like a good neighbor, state farm is there. . let's go to michigan now. that is where a michigan is going through a legal battlen intensifying the legislature filing suit against gretchen whitmer after she pushed the stay-at-home order to the end of may. and joining me now lieutenant

governor of michigan garlin gilchrist. let's talk about the republicans in your state saying that governor whitmer has overstepped her authority by extending the state of emergency without getting legislative approval. i'm curious what you make of that argument? do you think it is within gubernatorial right to exercise emergency protocols when needed? >> the law in the state michigan is quite clear that we have the authority to take actions in the context of an emergency. and there is no discussion or argument on whether there is a state of emergency here in the state of michigan or frankly everywhere else in the country. people are dying every day. this is been particularly dangerous for certain communities in our state like people of collar and black folks in particular who are dying at a much higher rate than our counterparts here in the state of michigan so we have to keep people safe to save as many lives as possible and follow the science and follow the facts and make sure that people could get that -- >> is the reason for filing

this -- these steps against the governor, is it purely political. if you're saying it is within her right to do so legally speaking, where are they going with this? >> this is 100% politics and frankly it is quite sad that starting at the top with president trump, republicans across the country have been empowered to politicize pandemic response and that is not how rear choosing to make choices here in the state of michigan. when you see the rallies clearly political in nature and people bringing guns to the state capital, they are not propertying coronavirus, you can't show coronavirus. you want to have a maga rally and show up with a naked barbie doll and threaten others. that is what this is about. this is not about public safety but that is what governor whitmer and i are focused on. how could we do everything that we need to do to make sure

that -- [ inaudible ] and ensure that employers are protecting workers. >> these anti-lockdown protesters, the third such one with armed protesters, some mentioning militia members joining there on the state grounds. just the fact that you have people with armed guns coming on state property like that, clearly with an agenda, it has to be worrisome. >> michigan is one of two states that allows the open carry of weapons in our state capitol. and i'll say as the president of the state senate, it's been troubling to see that kind of racism frankly on display when you have nazi swaus tistikas ans of black men are standing in the front of senate and it is problematic where you have a state senator wearing a confederate flag on his face as

a face mask. it is sad when you see part of the demonstration people dancing with black face barack obama masks. the racism is on full display here and what is dangerous about that is -- that racism is racial disparities in covid-19 as well. so these are people declaring they don't value the lives of people of color in the state of michigan and that is incredibly dangerous, that is something that governor whitmer will not support. we'll always fight for protecting people, particularly those most vulnerable in our state. that is our -- [ inaudible ]. >> in terms of addressing the racial disparity relative to covid-19, i know that you are leading a task force to try to get something done here. notably african-americans make up, what, about 14% of the state population but as of mid-april they accounted for 40% of the coronavirus deaths in the state of michigan. what are you doing, what can you do to combat these disparities?

>> so that is absolutely true and unfortunately those statistics have held even through today. so we're trying to make sure a few things are true. one, is michigan was one of the first stated that reported the coronavirus results along racial and ethnic lines to respond. we're working on things like testing accessibility to make sure we get tests to people in poverty and homeless populations and to migrant workers and we put together partners to help step up to do this. and we're focusing on the fact that people of color and black folks are overrepresented in the jobs that are critical to protecting the standing life. grocery store workers, bus drivers, utility workers and front line nurses and assistants and first responders and we're working to make protocol in place for those people to be safe at work and making sure that people could self-isolate when they live in poverty and that is difficult when you live in a small home. so we have infrastructure across

the state to isolate because that is how you stop the spread of the virus from person-to-person. that is one of the things that work, getting sick and infected and coming home and giving it to their loved ones. that is what happened to the youngest victim skylar, a 5-year-old girl whose parents are first responders, her mom was a police officer and her dad a firefighter. this is real for families across the state of michigan and real in my own family. i've lost 20 people in my life to covid-19 and we need to respond now and that is what our task force is doing. responding now and connecting to the long-term -- that started before the pandemic. >> you have to have a lot of strength, man, to go through 20 losses within your family to covid-19. my admiration. hats off to you. keep working hard. i know you will. michigan lieutenant governor garlin gilchrist, take care. the obama gate claim is a familiar tactic and it may not even sit well with mitch mcconnell.

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he was an incompetent president. that's all i can say. gross lyn competent. grossly incompetent. >> there you hear the current president talking about the former pros, barack obama a fuse minutes ago as returning home from the weekend in camp david. now the trump administration is facing growing scrutiny of its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, apparently that theme that we just heard was indeed quite prominent with the president who spent the first half of his day saturday lashing out at his predecessor in an hour's long tweet storm and then pressuring republicans, that includes senate majority leader mitch mcconnell to prove unsubstantiated claims against the obama administration. joining me are my guests to

discuss. she is the author of "the end of white politics: how to heal our liberal i ha liberal divide." welcome to you both. what is your interpretation of what this president is doing right now at this time when this nation is going through this public health crisis? >> well, the president is clearly also focused on the election in 2020. and we're seeing him do largely what he did in 2016. very rarely does the president and political messaging tread new ground. he usually goes to his playbook. and obamagate which he has so far been unable to articulate exactly what obamagate is, it surrounds the case that was dropped against his former national security guard michael flynn and alleges all kinds of wrongdoing where there are no facts to support it. but it more so, it's the new version of his attack on the dnc, on hillary clinton's e-mails that we saw in 2016.

the idea is that there was this obama administration conspiracy to stop him from being elected and then once he was elected to take down his administration. again, there's no facts supporting this. but we've seen him do this before. it's an extension of that. before he talked about dnc servers in the basement which didn't exist. and now he's pointing to these accusations particularly now that former president obama is becoming more public in his comments as he made yesterday during those commentsmecement addresses. >> he showed a video of proteste protesters berating a reporter in long island. here's part of that clip. >> you stopped airing the trump briefings. you keep airing cuomo briefings. go home, fake news! >> you are the enemy of the people! you are the enemy of the people. >> you are confused. >> you know, it sounds like that

when we all go i love my job. i love my job. i love my job. but, look, donald trump calls those people great people. is this a case perfect the president is trying to appeal to a small segment of focus of the supporters? >> yes. look, i think that everybody has the right in this country to express themselves. but we really have to get back to prioritizing and protecting the free press. the free press, particularly during a global pandemic, is the entity that is going to be able to give american citizens the correct scientific information so that they can keep themselves and families safe. attacking the press full stock and saying they're the enemy of the spempeople is a distraction shield us from realizing and that is the task force but he is

supposed to go to stock piling the protective equipment. he failed on providing the adequate number of tests as he promised, as vice president mike pence promised. i think that the attacks on the media have always been a go to distraction for donald trump. much it's his go-to attack line. but it's not going to work this time. because people are dying and kun you can't spin your way out of that fact. >> is it lost on that you manufactumany of the protesters they use the same phrasing and wording that donald trump does. >> well, i think that they're parroting fox news and conservative media. most of those people are not the front line workers. they're not nurses and folks going out to keep the rest of us safe. they're protesting to be served. he says it this way. people are protesting for the right to get a hair cut, not to

perform the act of giving someone else a hair cut. a lot of people who are owners of hair salons, i got an e-mail and they're concerned for their own safety. so it's not just about opening the economy and keeping the american economy at a certain level and the stock market up. it's also -- the number one priority is keeping everyone safe. and donald trump really just wants to distract from the fact that he is not doing that in this moment. >> kimberly, i want to give you 15 seconds to just comment on what she said. >> i think that she is right. also know that donald trump has never met a culture war he doesn't like. and when he sees protesters like this or the protesters in michigan that he supported that lieutenant governor gilchrist pointed out were expressing racist messages and violent messages, he sees that as part

of a culture war that he's eager to get involved in but lift up the voices with his twitter account. that is something, again, right out of his playbook. >> all right. ladies, kimberly atkins, thank you so much. that's a wrap for me this hour. i'm alex witt. i'll see you next saturday at 7:00 a.m. eastern. next, immigration advocates are calling it a return of family separations. my colleague will take a look at the concerns over covid-19 in border patrol detention facilities and what the government is doing to keep detainees safe. detainees safe wayfair has way more ways to renovate your home, from inspiration to installation. like way more vanities perfect for you. 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.

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