hi, everybody. i'm yasmin vossoughian. we begin the hour remembering the life and legacy of a civil rights unit. congressman john lewis passed away last night after a brief bat well cancer. he was 80 years old. his house colleagues frequently called him the conscience of congress, but john lewis is known for his long fight on

equality and injustice. let's also talk about the coronavirus, the cdc projecting that more than 150,000 americans will die of the coronavirus by august 8th. the frightening forecast comes as the u.s. caught more than 76,000 covid cases in a single day. and in oregon, a story drawing outrage and provoking a lawsuit from the oregon department of justice, federal officers whose identities and affiliation are unknown have stepped up force against protesters. officials in the state calling the agents' actions unlawful and a violation of the constitution. but first america is in mourning today following the passing of congressman john louis of georgia, a son of share croppers and the last surviving speaker at the historic 1963 march on washington. lewis was a genuine hero of the civil rights movement. he died late friday night at the

age of 08 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. louis served more than 30 years in congress where he was respected and beloved by those on both sides of the aisle. upon lewis's passing late friday night nancy pelosi wrote goodness, faith, and bravery transformed our nation. in washington congress is honoring john lewis by lowering the flags to half-staff. the same is true down pennsylvania avenue at the white house. and in atlanta they're also mourning the loss of their congressman starting in 1986. lewis served 17 years in congress which includes most parts of the city, so let's start there with nbc's priscilla thompson who's in atlanta. priscil priscilla, good afternoon. thanks so much for joining us. john lewis has left so many marks on parts of the city, so many areas. talk us through how that city is honoring his legacy today.

>> reporter: well, good afternoon. yes, that loss is certainly felt here today, and folks are coming here to this mural that was erected of representative john lewis to pay their respects to him, and we have seen the memorial here grow over the past few hours, people leaving flowers, balloons, and lots of personal notes talking about what they plan do moving forward and thanking john lewis for all that he did not just for the advancement of black people but really for all people in this country. you know, i had been struck not only by the diversity in the crowd that is coming here in both age and race, but also in the amount of children, the amount of parents who have brought children with them to bear witness to this moment and to talk to them about who john lewis was and what he meant to this community. and we've also seen a number of leaders coming by here today, the president of the state's

naacp was here and also former mayor who worked with john lewis, mayor bill campbell. i want you to take a listen to how he described the late congressman. listen in. >> joan lewis and i worked on a number of issues together, but his world view was broader. he wanted america to be better. he wanted to live up to his creed. he always expressed the view that america could be a better place if we all found a way to get along. >> reporter: you mentioned the flags that are going to be flying at half-staff across the country. that s of coursis, of course, h here in georgia up until john lewis is laid to rest. yasmin? >> priscilla, thank you. the city is in mourning. the country is in mourning, especially with what john lewis has fought for so long, and that

is racial justice. i want to get into more of john lewis's life and legacy with my panel. derrick johnson is the president and ceo of ncaacp. hannah-jones, judith brown die ennis is executive director and jon meacham is a historian and the author of "his truth is marching on: a biography of john lewis" with an afterward by the late congressman himself. welcome to you all. derek, i want to start with you, your reaction first and foremost to the passing of congressman john lewis. >> we lost a moral giant. he's someone who exemplified for many of us the work we do. he started as a young person. he's a part of the emmett teal generation, young people who have seen the display of emmett

teal's body at his funeral. we had the privilege to participate in the 50th anniversary of the freedom summer of the veterans who were colleagues of john lewis, and those individuals who were 17, 18, 19, 20 years old, they were the first generation of youth in the street that this nation began to recognize, and john lewis, he has persevered from that time forward. >> jon, you wrote a book about john lewis. he was a friend of yours. you spent substantial time with him. talk with us about his mark in history and how he is so much a part of what is happening in this country right now. >> well, he's a founding father for in many ways the nation

itself as we understand it. it can really be traced to 1964/'65. my thought is really we are only about 60 years old in having an integrated desegregated country [ indiscernible ] he's honored, and i think he's important to making america as paul revere was in the making of america in 1776. he is not simply a hero [ indiscernible ] best america -- it should be.

>> judith, you know, i've been thinking a lot about the black lives matter movement in the last 24 hours or so as i learned of john lewis's passing, and i read an op-ed from jonathan capehart on june 10th in the "washington post," and he asked the congressman what does he say to people who feel as if they have given their all and that nothing has changed. and his response, i think, really encapsulates the man that he was. said this. you must be able and prepared to give what you can until you cannot give any more. we must use our time and space on this little planet that we call earth to make a lasting contribution, to leave it a little better than we found it, and now that need is greater than ever before. >> yeah. the loss of congressman lewis is very hard because he believed in

the promise of america. he believed in the promise of our democracy. he used every breath that he had to work on it, and so now in this moment, and when i think of the work we have to do that he was so passionate about, we have the work to be done and we're going to carry on. he was an inspiration. you would know right away no matter what he was going through, no matter what the country was going through, he inspired us all to be fairer, and that's the work we have to do, and that's what the movement is now demanding is that we be a better america, and we are now taking on his work and taking the torch, and we're going to carry on. >> nicole, judith mentions there

the continued fight for voting rights, and i want to talk about december when john louewis prese over the house vote to restore the voting rights that. bill has been sitting on mitch mcconnell's death since then. is now the time to push that through considering the passing of john lewis? >> absolutely. i don't understand how you can be an elected official in this country and give your sympathies for the passing of this great american and yet not work to restore the voting rights act to the fulls than he fought for. john lewis nearly died on that edmund pettus bridge in selma marching for the key linchpin to citizenship in this country, which is the franchise. and so the fact that this bill has been sitting there for two years and has not been able to

move forward, if we truly want to honor this man and if we truly want to honor our country, a democracy, then we need to be passing this bill and restoring that's rights and you cannot take seriously anyone who expresses condolences for john lewis if they're not willing to support the bill he fought for. >> jon meacham, what was it like to spend time with john lewis? what was it like to spend time with a man who put his life on the line? what drove him? >> i suspect as everybody here can vouch for whey i'm about to say, it was incredibly humbling because of what we do for a living. we spend a lot of time around people who have made great differences in the life of the nation and the life of the world.

but to me congressman lewis was the most transporting and sacred public figure and private figure i've ever been around. that may sound sentimental, but it's true. there was a kind of -- he was -- he was conversant on a different level than certainly a poor sinner like me. he was in tune and in harmony with a level of faith in what the country could be and even more so what we all could be. so it was an incredibly par torl presenc pastoral presence if you will. what drove him was the gospel of jesus christ, and that may sound old-fashioned, but he was in the streets. he was on that bridge, he told me repeatedly, because of faith,

because he believed that what happened at golgatha and what jesus said in the sermon on the mount mattered. and they slim weren't words that folks who look like me should listen to or repeat on sunday mornings and then not do anything about the rest of the week. that's what drove him. >> all right. derrick, nikole, judith, jon, thank you for your voice on this. we all mourn the loss of congressman john lewis. still ahead, e about, john lewis spent more than three decades in congress. more on his career as a lawmaker, and the mark he left on washington, d.c., and the administration's differing messages on masks as well. dr. anthony fauci urging local and state lawmakers to be as forceful as possible on face mask rules. but the president says he has no plan for a national mandate. l m. hot! hot! no no no no no, there's no space there! maybe over here? oven mitts! oven mitts! everything's stuck in the drawers!

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welcome back. the u.s. has broken another single-day record with covid infections with more than 75,000 cases added in the last 24 hours. the nationwide surge has escalated. but the president say as countrywide mask mandate will not be coming soon. >> will you consider a national mandate that people need to wear masks? >> no. i want people to have a certain

freedom and i don't believe in it, no, and i don't believe in the statement if everyone wear as mask, everything disappears. hey, dr. inferior chi said don't wear a mask. our terrific jirn jsurgeon gentd don't wear a mask. now they say wear a mask. ima believer in masks. i think masks are good. >> this is new polling that show's the president's approval is sinking. the disapproval is 60%, down 13 points since march. this is despite the nationwide mandate. states have taken issues into their own hands and issuing statewide requirements. a wave of retailers like walmart, kroger, target, best buy, cvs also requiring masks to shop in their stores. with me now is kathleen sebelius. she's the former secretary of

health under president obama. and josh letterman is an nbc correspondent at the white house for us. kathleen sebelius, i'm going to start with you. obtaining this document that was not released by the white house, it was prepared for the white house by the coronavirus task force. it was then leaked from inside of the white house. it identified 18 states throughout this country that are covid red zones. let me tell you what that means. essentially this document is suggesting that all of those states in this covid red zone roll back any opening, going back to phase 1, to essentially shut down the state, and it's identifying essentially 100 new cases per 100,000 populations. that's how these states are identified inside of a red zone. how much could this have affected decisions across this country had the white house decided to release this document instead of trying to bury it?

>> well, thanks for having me today and thank you -- [ indiscernible ] he will be sorely missed by a lot of people who had the privilege of knowing him. i think it's shocking and so dangerous. i live in one of those red zone states. we have a battle under way between our democratic governor who has issued very clear and strong directives and the republican legislature who feels they are being supportive of their precedent by balking at the orders, by taking away her mandates and power. we have done a pretty good job controlling the virus, and now we're seeing it skyrocket. but i think anything coming from the national centers for disease control that actually says this isn't the governor making this up, this isn't our secretary of health. we are nationally one of the hot spots in the country. we have to do something.

it would have been extremely helpful to her to begin to at least get things under control. she did issue a statewide mask order whereupon the state legislature said, no, it needs to be county by county. we're in one of the hot spots. not releasing it, not letting everybody know puts everybody at risk. those visiting kansas, grandchildren and grandparents trying to get together. this is dangerous and people will lose their lives because this information isn't readily available. >> as a former governor, how much more difficult does it make their jobs when there is not a federal mandate in place to guide the public's perception of what is actually happening with the spread of this virus? >> well, from the early days --

indiscernible -- in denial from the federal government that anything was going on. as soon as there was an admission, the president said to the governors, you're on your own. you're on your own to find ppe and make rules. we will stand behind you. we'll be the backup. that's not how it works. that's not how relief works. the federal government has unique powers, purchasing powers, logistic powers to get materials from place to place. they have revenue that states do not have. the states work on a balanced budget. this has been a disaster. and the communication out of the white house has been counterproductive and extremely dangerous. so not only are governors told to fend for themselves or are told they're on their own, but often the president is giving

directly counteradvice to what the public health officials at the state and federal level are saying. nothing could be more frustrating to a governor and certainly to the citizens in that state who are trying to figure out what exactly to do to keep themselves and their families safe. >> and i just want to remind folks because every life lost is a family member mourning the loss of someone that they love. there is a projection in just three weeks or so that we will lose 150,000 total people in this country from the coronavirus just over a few months' time. josh, give me first the response you're hearing from inside the white house with regard to this latest document leak about these 18 state red zones that the white house essentially did not want to release. >> heying we haven't heard much from the white house yet about this, but we know that the white house has been closely tracking different parts of the country to see where hospitalizations

are increasing, where icu capacity has been increasing. they've been trying to come up with strategies to surge resources to those areas without conceding what the president does not want to seem to concede, which is the situation at least in broad swaths of the country at this point is getting worse, not better. and that's where you see the messaging from the president continue to diverge from that of dr. fauci and other top officials who have been warning if we want to get this under control, we cannot continue with what we're doing now, that we have to have much broader use of masks, more mandates for people to actually be forced to do these kinds of things that doctors tell us will slow the spread of the virus. >> nicholas, let's talk about some of the polling i mentioned as we led into your guys, the new poll showing trump's approval sitting at 38% with regard to his handling of the outbreak, down from may when it was at 46%, which isn't great either. but, wow.

quite some terrible numbers for the president. what are you hearing inside congress? i mean what can they actually do about this? how can they shift the gears on the coronavirus response so more folks, more americans don't die? >> well, what we're seeing in congress is certain republican lawmakers actually pushing back against what we're hearing from the white house or at least striking a significantly different tone. for example, senate majority leader mitch mcconnell has been very active about telling people in kentucky to wear a mask, not to downplay the risk of the pandemic. for him as a polio survivor, it's a very personal issue go and fight the virus, and it looks like this might help change some voters' minds since people within the party might listen to their own members of congress as opposed to the poll from quinnipiac that showed roughly two-thirds of the

americans did not trust the information they heard coming from the president about the coronavirus. >> secretary sybilay sebelius, want you to way on this. they're ordering to circumvent the cdc when reporting about coronavirus and instead sending it to hhs. is this an out-of-the-ordinary move? >> it's again shocking. i keep thinking i can't be surprised by a bad decision. hhs never collects information. they're an umbrella agency. cdc operates under hhs. cdc not only collects information but uses it to track patterns, frequent sis, tracks information, and is responsible for trying to source equipment. if there is something wrong with

the cdc system, if it is too slow or cumbersome, then fix it. this is the president's cdc. he has been in charge of this agency for 3 1/2 years. hhs is not going to collect this data. hhs has given a no-bid contract to a private company who will now, my understanding is, be collecting the data. it is not going to be transparent. it's not going to be available for the public to review. and we have no idea what's going to happen to that data. so it not only further hobbles the cdc backbone of public health in our country, we don't know if they're going to get the information or when they're going to get the information. but if there is a problem that's been identified in atlanta with data collection, then, for heaven's sakes, make it better, fix it, send in team men, collect it faster. if you don't, then outsource the

data. >> secretary sebelius, john, nicholas, thank you all. the tributes are pouring in for congressman john lewis. what leaders across the country are saying about this tremendous loss. but attorneys in oregon are investigating the hhs after they have released demilitarized investigators. more on that unusual show of force when we come back. s. more on that unusual show of force when we come back. it sure can. really? can it one up breakfast in bed? yeah, for sure. thanks, boys. what about that? uhh, yep! it can? yeah, even that! i would very much like to see that. me too. introducing new tide power pods. one up the toughest stains with 50% more cleaning power than liquid detergent. any further questions? uh uh! nope! one up the power of liquid with new tide power pods.

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happened. [ bleep ] [ bleep ] >> it's shocking video to see. it is shocking video to see. labella was shot in the head with what people call non-lethal rounds. it left him with critical injuries. i want to bring in "newsweek's" editor at large. thanks for joining us. watching that video is pretty shocking. >> it is. >> you see these officers essentially shooting this individual in the head who was doing nothing but holding a boom box or whateveryouwant to call it over his head.

oregon's governor is demanding that these federal officers leave. the governor was on chris hayes last night. let's take a listen to what she said. >> the federal government chooses to deploy troopers on our streets as you mentioned, which is purely political theater. it's not about public safety, and it's certainly not about problem-solving. this is a total and complete distraction from the trump administration's failure to lead a national covid-19 response. >> what legal rights if any does dhs have for carrying out these arrests? >> so it's important to understand that, look, federal agents, the fbi, they have the right to operate freely inside the context of the united states, and that's one of the absolute powers that we give them, and with that power comes great responsibility. look. what we're seeing in portland,

yasmin, is a perversion of that responsibility. the mayor on up to the governors made clear they chose to de-escalate, much as they did here in seattle, by removing police officers from direct confrontation with protesters. very much as the governor said, this is political theater. i have inserted federal agents when there's been no request for them to be there. while they might have a legal right to be there, they're not wanted, and, frankly, they're not going to do anything but escalate tensions that are already out. yasmin, as you pointed out, these are agents of the dhs. i think people should understand it's a vast difference fren someone who's an fbi ajejts or federal air marshal or works at custody and border patrol or tsa. not denigrating what they do, but those are people who investigate criminal acts and the rubric these agents are falling under is investigating

incidents from the federal courthouse. it's laughable that that's the impetus for them to go out and proactively grab people who they think might be protesters and might at some later time commit an act of vandalism. as the governor said it's the worst case of political that it their we've seen under the trump administration. >> so, naveed, i want to read a bit from the lawsuit. i think it's interesting. they find they violated oregonians first, fourth, and fifth amend rights. the second part is that the federal agents and officers identify themselves and their agen agencies before detaining or arresting a person, explain why they're being detained or arrested, and explain the warrant. isn't that what should be in place when arrests are being

made? >> you're 100% right. there's no defense of this. anyone who's watched one episode of "law & order" understands probable cause. you cannot grab people on the street because you think at some later time they might possibly commit a crime. we're not thought police here. these are people who have a dangerous job. they're patrolling in some cases -- making arrests for fugitives, federal warrants. that's not the same thing as handling a criminal investigation. frankly you're seeing what's playing out. we don't need camouflage people with heavy weapons in helmets going to confront protesters. it's only going to escalate things and these people are not trained in investigation. they're not trained in de-escalation. apparently they don't understand the idea of mirandizing people they arrested, so i have no idea

what the hell they're doing there. >> i quickly want your response to this, naveed, and i know we're running out of time. bring up the video we were showing everyone while naveed responds to this. the statement in part says violent anarchists violated the building and other federal buildings. take a look at that video if we can bring it up again. that does not look to me like that individual was a violent an arc it. this looks like a got out of "say anything," john cusack standing outside his girlfriend's apartment holding a boom box over his head and then shot in the head. >> even if he was breaking a window, which he was not, that's not what we should be doing in this country. people have rights. they have an expectation of professionalism from law enforcement. an absolute disgrace. look, the head of dhs doesn't have any experience. i'm not surprised considering he

has no experience. >> naveed, thank you. great to see you on this saturday snoochb likewise. up next, every living president has paid their respects to john lewis, and we're going snow you one living tribute from his friend and colleague in congress. you're watching msnbc. congress. you're watching msnbc. ♪ (announcer) reliability is everything. so, if your network's down, you're down. verizon knows your customers need to reach you seamlessly. your team needs to work from different places

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welcome back, everybody. tributes and messages are pouring in from leaders honoring john louis's legacy, his spirit and civilian rights work. former presidents have put out statements online. in an official white house statement president trump ordered the white house's flag to be flown at half-staff today. he tweeted he was saddened by the news and sends prayers to his family. vice president biden has paid tributes. in a statement he said, we spoke to him a few days ago for the final time. his voice still commanded

respect and laugh full of joy. he asked us to stay focused on the work left undone and heal this nation. he was himself a plan of peace, of dignity, grace, and character. jim clyburn got emotional speaking to my colleague alex witt. >> i sat up late last night, and i just couldn't sleep. so i got up early this morning, i went out on my deck, and i watched the sun come up. and then i decided that this is the perfect time and the perfect setting for me to talk about my friend because last night the sun set on his life, and this morning the sun rose on a new day, day for all of us to find

another way to do it as he would say get in the way, get in trouble, good trouble, and help this country live out the true meaning of this preamble. >> joining me now congressman lewis's colleague from texas. thank you so much for joining us this afternoon. very much appreciate it. jim clyburn, feels the way most do in washington, the sadness and the loss. even though they were on the same side of the aisle, john lewis had friends on both sides of the aisle. he made an impact like no other. i know that he spoke to you on your first day in congress. what did he say to you? >> well, you know, he approached me and he said something like,

well, you must be one of the new freshmen, and he said, i'm john lewis. just let me know how i can help. and, of course, everybody knows john lewis. i mean he was just bigger than life. to me he was someone who is very similar to the hymns of churches. i've been around the pope, the head of the ee pes co-poll church, the mormon church. they have an aura of peacefulness and good heart that. was john lewis. he didn't just talk it. he walked it. he lived it. and he will always remain the conscience of congress. >> what impact did he have on your career? >> well, you know, again, he was always -- just always ready to help. i remember a couple of times i wanted to stay and make a one-minute speech, which is where we wait after sessions to

get in line to do that, and he always would sit in the front row. he would say, don't worry, you can have my seat when i get up. so he was always just very helpful, very caring. he was always on the right side of every single issue, and he encouraged us to make good trouble, to do good, and if you had to have good trouble, to do that. so he was just always a force of nature, he was a force of all our legislation, and when he spoke, everybody listened. the whole chamber would just be quiet because that's the kind of respect, that's the kind of wisdom that he was able to give all of us. we all sat and listened, and everybody adored him. >> i brought this up a little bit earlier in the show and i want you to weigh in on this. the voting rights act has been sitting on mitch mcconnell's desk for six months or so now.

especially with the passing of john lewis, sit time to see the passing of this act as john lewis wanted it? >> well, absolutely. you know, it should have been passed many months ago after we got it through in the house, but if there ever would be a tribute to john lewis's life, his struggles, and everything he was about, this would be the time to do it. so i would urge mitch mcconnell and the entire senate to act and let's get this done and let's get this done for john. >> congresswoman garcia, thank you so much. >> thank you. up next, back to school is up around the corner and some teachers have serious concerns about their safety. i'm going to talk to two of them coming up next. g to talk to twom coming up next odors in the air and on soft surfaces. for 45 days.

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their school. the science should not stand in the way of this. the science is on our side here. we encourage for localities and states to just simply follow the science, open our schools. >> so with me now august pluck, a high school teacher in texas and belinda mckinney is a special needs teacher in chicago. welcome to you both and thank you for joining me on this state afternoon. august, let me start with you. what do you want to see happen this fall? >> thank you for having me here this afternoon. here in texas, we are experiencing a rapid increase in covid-19 cases. i live in travis county and on a daily basis, we are seeing over 500 new cases of covid-19 per day. we're asking that we be allowed to start in virtual and just this week the commissioner of education for the state of texas is allowing texas schools to start for the first four weeks

in virtual school and apply for a waiver for up to an additional four weeks so that would put us somewhere into october before we would actually start in-person school here in texas. >> and, belinda, what about you? chicago is saying they're looking at more of a hybrid approach to reopening. do you feel like that is the best path forward? >> no, i don't. and thank you for having me. i looked at the hybrid plan and basically for our kids to be coming in a pod is not going to work. it's still based on science, it's based on the contact tracing. all stake holders are not involved in this and we need to have the teachers, the parents, the students, as well as ttu and

cps all working together and i don't see it being a safe model for us to come back, half on monday and tuesday the other half is on thursday and friday and then they want cluster kids as well as pre-k to be in school. it's a lot of uncertainty, a lot of anxieties and stress that's going on in this process right now. so within the next week or so, cps is going to have to meet teachers and parents. >> i can only imagine the stress and the anxiety that's going on with all this. as a parent as well, we're having a lot of anxiety and stress on this side because i think all of us could sit and say we wants schools to be open because we want kids to get back to school. you want to do your jobs and we want our kids to be back in school learning but we want it to be in the most safe and effective way and to make sure everybody stays healthy.

so keeping that in mind, belinda, what do you think is the best way forward? how is it that kids can begin to learn again come the fall and not fall behind, especially when it comes to online classes because that was much of the frustration, i think, in the spring semester with a lot of children, that kids weren't getting the ample amount of education to move ahead. >> with the safety concerns in mind, i truly believe that we can start with remote learning and as we can safely migrate kids back into the situation. we can go there. it's a lot of unsafe conditions here right now. we're looking at, you know, with traveling -- parents traveling, students traveling back and forth, how are we going to keep the kids safe? how are you going to keep diverse learners were masks on their face all day as well as

preschool kids? i think we should start with remote learning and migrate into possibly a hybrid plan. >> august, are you getting do you feel like you're getting enough communication, do you feel like you're being heard when it comes to your local government, the governor especially, greg abbott? >> several weeks ago we did not feel like the governor and the commissioner in the state of texas was taking this seriously and listening to the folks on the ground, but within the last week we have seen that radical change here, giving more local control to school districts to be able to make decisions based on what's happening in their area. where i live at here in travis county, all the school districts are going to start virtual for the first four weeks of school and then they can make a decision to go back to in-person learning or even stay in virtual learning. >> all right, august and melinda, thank you to you both

and thank you for all the work that you do. i hope you know as parents we appreciate you more now than ever, if we haven't shown it before, we should be showing it now. we love teachers and we appreciate the work that you do every single day and it is hard work. thank you both. that wraps up the hour. the reverend al sharpton picks up our coverage with "politicsnation" next. e with "politicsnation" next. come on, no no n-n-n-no-no only discover has no annual fee on any card.

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