survive this? >> well, yeah. have no doubt that it will. it survived 10 1/2 years of separation. it survived a trial, prison. i don't know what else there could be. that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. first up on msnbc, trump club members invited to attend, uncovered. hear what someone said when asked a direct question about that. learning curve, schools reopening. is it a risky step? and the spread as social distancing ignored in some spots. some places where the curve was

flattened. and joe biden meeting with someone on his running list of contenders for a possible running mate, but it might not be who you expected. so who was it? the details ahead. a lot of people have been trying to figure out who was making trips to delaware. there's someone we know. we'll get to that as we say good morning. it's saturday, august 8th. i'm kendis. my co-anchor cori coffin is on the shores of new jersey. >> reporter: there's a stark difference between new jersey and new york. i'll break that down and tell you what local leaders have to say as to what they plan to do moving forward to squash this current rise. kend kendis? >> we'll check back with cori coffin in a few moments, thank

you. we are going to begin this hour with information you last heard in may of this year, two months ago. that's the last time they recorded 2,000 deaths during covid. a clear indication of induced spike. such a grim milestone that many figure that's why the president interrupted his weekend for his vacation at his new jersey resort to call a press event. instead it was a campaign-style rally. here's the president blaming democrats for failing to reach a coronavirus relief deal and vowing he would take executive action. >> if democrats continue to hold this critical relief hostage, i will act under my authority as president to get the americans the relief they need, and what we're talking about is deferring the payroll tax for a period of months until the end of the year, and they can extend it at

a senior period and enhance unemployment benefits through the end of the year and defer student loan payments and forgive interest until further notice. >> nbc's josh letterman is in washington for us with more on all of this. josh, you listened to what was first dubbed as a news conference, but we've been there before. we know what those events really are. does the president have the authority do any of what he just mentioned? >> reporter: it's a little bit fuzz y kendis, and the president is certainly going to get sued if he tries to take steps using executive action. the president says that's okay, he gets sued all the time and he's okay moving forward with that. some of what they're talking, the president may have some room to maneuver. for example, on federal student loans, the president certainly has a lot of authority to adjust payments, similar to the moratorium on evictions. but some of the things the president is talking about,

especially the payroll tax de r deferme deferment, really unclear exactly how that would work through executive action. for example if the president defers payroll tax payments, would that mean the taxpayers would owe them later on and have to pay them back retroactively? a lot of that needs to be worked out. as a political tool and negotiating tactic, the president has created a sort of damocles over the lawmakers. they say if the president won't act, he'll move forward on his own. all of this was playing out as the president was at his golf club in bedminster, new jersey, where there were some 50 or so golf members in that room for the press conference, watching, some of them sing wine, enjoying their friday night, almost all of them not wearing masks. the president was called on that. take a listen to what president

trump said when he was asked about the lack of masks at bedminster. >> president, you said the pandemic is disappearing, but we lost 6,000 americans this week. and just in this room, you have dozens of people not following the guidelines in new jersey. [ indiscernible ] >> you're wrong. it's a political activity. there are exceptions. political activity and it's also a peaceful protest. and as you know, they asked if they could be here. you know, a number of -- to me they look like they all pretty much have masks on. >> and what he was talking about there, kendis, as far as the political exception is an exception in governor phil murphy's mask order that says political activity, not necessarily falling within that mandate. but the broader point still stands, kendis.

the president is still unwilling through the activity of him and his supporters to demonstrate mask wearing, to set that example, even when in the confines of his own golf club in new jersey. kendis? >> the contrast was quite striking to me. the idea of the mask would be so those people, in essence, would help the president, being in the same room as him. when you're in close proximity, josh, i don't imagine all these people got tested in the last few minutes before seeing the president in that room. >> well, unclear as far as those guests of the president at his golf club. as far as the reporters in the room, because they were part of that day's white house pool rotation, they would have probably been tested earlier that morning, but what we've seen, kendis, is those tests are not fool-proof. there have been close calls where people were in close contact with the president, louis gohmert of texas and the

ohio governor being tested positive shortly before they were to be in proximity of the president. the ohio governor later testing negative, creating more questions whether the tests being used to protect the president are really working. >> josh, really quickly, i know you have to go, there's new reports about the russian meddling in the elections. >> reporter: there certainly is. the top u.s. counterintelligence official coming out yesterday saying, yes, china and iran are interfering and do not want trum top get re-elected, but russia is working to undermine biden. in our new reporting from nbc news, kendis, focuses on how lawmakers who had been briefed on classified intelligence for weeks now had been basically pleading with the administration to release more details. these lawmakers couldn't say what they knew because the nufgss with classified. but they've been sounding the alarm. now the administration going in

a different direction, sharing what the president knows about it. >> they're sounding the alarm because they think these are things the american voters need to know as they head into the last 90-plus days before the election. josh letterman from the rooftop circumstantial, i bloom, at depoint circle. >> reporter: that's right. >> very good. good to see you. more headlines to tell you about. the coronavirus with no siechs slowing down. 5 million confirmed cases, more than 162,000 people have died. new york schools officially with the green light to reopen this fall. new york is the largest school system in the country. governor cuomo announcing the transmission rate is so low that it's slow enough in the state to allow the 700-plus school districts to reopen. cuomo is leaving it up to the local school districts, however, when to reopen and how to do so. want to go to hawaii?

well, there are new restrictions in place. it follows a surge of hospitalizations in some cases. the governor has restricted travel in or out. it requires kwarquarantining fo days. >> and in south dakota, it's part of the world's largest motorcycle rally which begins even as health experts there are warning against large gatherings amidst the pandemic. up to 250,000 people are expected to attend the event over the next nine days in sturgis, south dakota, a town of 7,000 people, an it's a state already seeing an uptick in virus cases. so new jersey was once considered a model on how to contain the coronavirus, but now the state is experiencing a

resurgence of cases and hospitalizations. take a look at the numbers and you'll see. in the last two weeks the number of cases in new jersey has spiked 175%, and the infection rate continues to climb. my co-anchor cori coffin is live in seaside heights, new jersey. people would be out and about on a beautiful summer august day like this, but while they're still expected to be out there, there's this overwhelming concern about what is going on behind the lines. >> reporter: yeah. there is this overwhelming concern from businesses, too, on how that is going to affect their busy season. right now what we're seeing, what we're reporting this week are those numbers in effect from the indoor parties and other indoor gatherings that we first told you about last weekend as those numbers continue to rise at least through next week as it does take a lag with the reporting of her to cases to

come forward. out here where we're at on the jersey shore, the reason why we're out here and looking at this particular spot carefully is that's where a lot of these events are being held as more people flock to the shore for the summer. and the governor's concern is for the rebound here, especially when it comes to hurricane sandy. years ago, with we spoke to businesses out here and a local mayor about their concern and rebounding in general because it really did take them years to come back, and they were really hoping for a strong 20 season before covid-19 hit. take a listen to what they told me. >> if we're going to talk about the comparisons to sandy and to the pandemic, sandy, we could see. this we can't see. it's a disease, epidemic that is invisible. with sandy, we were able to see infrastructure, we were able to rebuild, those types of things. here we have to take direction and guidance from the governor's

office. >> we're hoping to stay open through september. like you say, the transmission rate, you know, every one of my industry's watching that. >> yeah that. transmission rate that he's referring to was that number that is -- talking about just how fast the virus is spreading. originally, kendis, it was down to 1%. now it's risen on as high as 1.35%. we're tracking it every day. and one of the main things that's an issue, the governor said just yesterday, was cooperate with tracers. folks who have the virus, tracers only contact 63% of them versus new york's 92%. and get this, kendis. of the folks that tracers were able to contact, only 45% would cooperate and give that contact information. so there's a slew of things happening in the state of new jersey, the governor wanting to reemphasize and double down on

the quarantine for 14 days for travelers in the state. >> it doesn't help that all those people do not want to help with the contact tracing. thank you. as cori was mentioning, 1.35%. think about that. in new jersey, they're alarmed by that positivity rate. in the meantime in florida, you have positive tests of 10%, the latest numbers rising from 8% earlier in the week. now, the latest numbers also show the state is also passing 8,000 deaths. nbc's chris pollone joins us from central florida in orlando. good morning to you. a lot of numbers are out there. but a lot of questions remain. do we get a sense at all that florida has a handle on the situation yet? >> reporter: good morning, kendis. there certainly is positive news to report. obviously i've been speaking with you over the last couple of months, almost on a weekly basis about this. if you look at the numbers,

there's certainly reason for state and local leaders to be optimistic. for example f you look at the daily new cases that the state is reporting, the state has seen 13 days in a row of cases, less than 10,000 positive cases. that's still much higher than say june or even early july, but the number does seem to be trending downward. and then the positivity rate you mentioned, just a couple of weeks ago, we were talking 15%, 16% sometimes in new positive tests. lately that number as we said was about 8%. earlier in the week it was bouncing between 9% and 11%. certainly better than it has been over the past couple of months. however, hospitalizations still kind of plateauing. we're seeing about 600 people, new hospitalizations every single day, much higher than a couple of months ago. and then, of course, the most important and most gut-wrenching statistics on deaths, yesterday

the state reported 1890 new deaths. that's a lagging indicator that it could stay at that level or even rise over time. we've certainly seen a rise over the last couple of months. as usual, governor ron desantis of florida is trying to paint a positive picture about the way things are going. he spoke about this yesterday. >> i think the indicators, if you look at covid positivity, which i think we've seen is not always the best indicator because of the way the tests are reported, the hospitalizations, great movement downward everywhere in the state. let's just keep that going. people will try to blame the bars in orlando. look, i'm not saying they're not contributing. miami has had places closed since march. let's be clear about that. the places with the biggest outbreak have not had bars open at any time since the pandemic. my sense is people will continue to get together, but they'll

just do it at private residences. that's my sense of what's happening in south florida. >> reporter: he said bars in miami had not been open. well, if bars had a food license, they were able to open as long as they were serving food. they could still serve alcohol. a little qualification o on that. he said hospital san diegos are down. the number of people in hospitals on a daily rolling basis is now down, that's correct. at the peak of this, it was up around 9,000, 10,000 people a day. now it's slipped more closely to about 6,000 people in hospitals. but as i said, kendis, yesterday the state reported 599 new hospitalizations, which is kind of more of a plateau as opposed to a real downward slope, kendis. >> and then, of course, we'll see whether those people do end up making it out of the hospital eventually or pass away. nbc's chris pollone joining us live in orlando. thank you.

if new york city schools do reopen, what measures need to be taken to keep kids safe? and if you think a vaccine is the panacea against the pandemic, dr. anthony fauci may change your mind. what he's saying about the effectiveness of the coronavirus vaccine. of the coronavirus vaccine. u're headed this summer. think about how you'll get there. and now that you can lease or buy a new lincoln remotely or in person... discovering that feeling has never been more effortless. the lincoln summer invitation sales event is here. with one protein feels like. what getting fueled with three energy packed proteins feels like. meat! cheese! and nuts! p3. because 3 is better than 1

essential for sewing, but maybe not meat! chneedles.d nuts! for people with certain inflammatory conditions. because there are options. like an "unjection™". xeljanz. the first and only pill of its kind that treats moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or moderate to severe ulcerative colitis when other medicines have not helped enough. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections. before and during treatment, your doctor should check for infections, like tb and do blood tests. tell your doctor if you've had hepatitis b or c, have flu-like symptoms, or are prone to infections. serious, sometimes fatal infections, cancers including lymphoma, and blood clots have happened. taking a higher than recommended dose of xeljanz for ra may increase risk of death. tears in the stomach or intestines and serious allergic reactions have happened. needles. fine for some. but for you, there's a pill that may provide symptom relief. ask your doctor about the pill first prescribed for ra more than seven years ago. xeljanz. an "unjection™".

instead of using aloe, or baby wipes, or powders. try the cooling, soothing relief of preparation h. because your derriere deserves expert care. try new soothing relief. this is xfi this complete from xfinity.ade. you'll get the xfi gateway with advanced security, so your connected devices are also protected. and stay out! plus with unlimited data, you can stream and scroll more than ever. and we'll ensure that you get the most wifi coverage throughout your home. this is xfi complete. simple, easy, awesome. get the security, unlimited daa and wifi coverage you need. plus, xfi customers can add xfi complete for $11 a month. click, call or visit a store today.

let me say it this way. you look at our infection rate. we're probably in the best situation in the country right now as incredible as that is. so if anybody can open schools, we can open schools. >> new york governor andrew cuomo defying the trend by allowing all schools to open this fall and leaving the final decision up to districts, but other major cities like chicago and los angeles plan to go all virtual at least for the time

being. it's a critical decision that's facing parents as well as educators all across the country and the world for that better. you can answer some key questions when it comes to this. you're with the world health organization collaborating with the centers for disease control. i do want to pick up on what the president said before. he said the virus is disappearing. you have the doctor title and such. he doesn't. is the coronavirus disappearing? >> it's come down a long way from a few months ago, but i think it's starting to come back up again particularly in the south. i think it's a worrying sign that maybe you're going to see a second wave if it takes hold. i'm worried about that. >> yeah.

the doctor broke up a little bit there, but i believe he said the second wave that might take hold come this fall could be very troubling for us. >> yeah. >> doctor, what do you make of the school districts, most notably new york state t largest school district in the state, the country for that matter. it was once the epicenter for the pandemic in the world. >> it's a good move. schools are really important to the community. it's a really good idea to open. of course, if the numbers go higher and higher and higher, they may have to reconsider, but right now it's a good time to open school. >> that said, not the way we had schools in january. i'm sewer there are certain

restrictions you have to go about if you're reopening schools. >> yeah. that's the new guidelines from the academy of medicine, which suggesting that a lot of measures that could be taken in schools to try to reduce transmission, so maybe splitting up the lunch breaks between different classes, maybe shortening the school day, protecting particularly vulnerable teachers, maybe older teachers with underlying medical conditions, maybe spacing out the classrooms a little bit more. there are a lot of things that can be done to make schools safer. >> so florida right now has a 10% positivity rate when it comes to the tests that they're having. is that too high as far as a state or community in order for you to say it is safe to reopen schools in that state? >> i think the positivity rate depends a lots on how many tests are being done. that positivity rate tells me they're not doing enough testing, and if they were to do double the number of tests, maybe the positivity number

would come down a little bit. you have to do a test to find where the case is and use that target aid approach to cut down on transmission. >> where is the bar as far as you guys are concerned? where does it lie? new jersey has a 1.3%. where would you say you feel safe that transmission is very low in a state or community or city that, yes, it's okay to bring kids back to school? >> so the positivity rate is not the critical thing. i would say it's the case numbers, and preferably when the case numbers are low, it's difficult to give an exact threshold because it would vary for cities, towns, and more rural areas. it's difficult to determine. you could have a lot of cases but low positive rate if you're doing a lot of testing. >> okay. dr. fauci said the chance of a coronavirus vaccine being highly effective is not great, and a vaccine that's just 50% or 60% effective would be okay as well. dr. cowling, what's your

reaction to that? >> i hope the vaccines are going to come out more effective than 50%. but if it's just 50%, we'll take that. if we give it to the elderly and more vulnerable at first, it will make a difference. but i hope the veen comes out with a hire effectiveness than that. >> is it troubling to you there's a race to get this done before november 3rd? >> for public health purposes, we want to get the vaccine to the elderly as soon as possible, but we have to go through the right processes, go through the clinical trials. you see russia, they're rushing to roll out vaccines nationwide before testing. that's quite risky. i think it's important to finish the testing. maybe some of the others like moderna can come out with something that's effective. >> you know the process that goes through all of. this would you take a vaccine

that's good to go according to some governments by november 3rd? >> if the vaccine faces the phase 3 trial and comes out and it's 50% effective and they can produce millions of doses, a lot of people would want to take that vaccine. you'd have to do a really large clinical trial with like 10,000 people. you have to do that publicly. >> dr. benjamin couldling from hong kong. thank you. appreciate it. it's a new demand for justice in the name of breonna taylor, and oprah is leading the call. taylor, and oprah is leadie call [ doorbell rings ] paper and packaging. how life unfolds. "ok, so, magnificent mile for me!" i thought i was managing... ...my moderate to severe crohn's disease. yes! until i realized something was missing... ...me. you ok, sis? my symptoms kept me- -from being there for my sisters. "...flight boarding for flight 2007 to chicago..." so i talked to my doctor and learned- ...humira is for people who still have symptoms of crohn's disease after trying other medications.

and the majority of people on humira saw significant symptom relief... -and many achieved remission in as little as 4 weeks. humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections, including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened,- -, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. tell your doctor... ...if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections... ...or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. be there for you, and them. ask your doctor about humira. with humira, remission is possible. if you can't afford your medicine, abbvie may be able to help. an army family who is always at the ready. so when they got a little surprise... two!? ...they didn't panic. they got a bigger car for their soon-to-be-bigger family. after shopping around for insurance, they called usaa - who helped find the right coverage for them and even some much-needed savings.

that was the easy part. usaa insurance is made the way liz and mike need it- easy. balanced nutrition for strength and energy. whoo-hoo! great tasting ensure with 9 grams of protein, 27 vitamins and minerals, and nutrients to support immune health.

and nutrients to apps except work.rywhere... why is that?

is it because people love filling out forms? maybe they like checking with their supervisor to see how much vacation time they have. or sending corporate their expense reports. i'll let you in on a little secret. they don't. by empowering employees to manage their own tasks, paycom frees you to focus on the business of business. to learn more, visit paycom.com well, new today and this is fascinating to me. 26 billboards are going up in louisville, kentucky, demanding justice for brae on na taylor. no officers have been charged in her killing. oprah winfrey is paying for the

billboard after giving up the cover of her magazine for the first time ever for an artist's rendition of breonna taylor writing, if you turn a blind eye toward racism, you become an accomplice for it. the billboards all over louisville, 26 of them, that number 26, one for each year of her life for young breonna taylor. joining us right now, bit brittany packet cunningham, black lives matter activist and msnbc contributor. thank you for being here and for knowing us little folks now that you're on the cover of "vanity" and "vogue." i appreciate it. how cool is this? i know it's a deeper purpose behind all of this, but you're gracing the cover of uk "vogue" one of 40 activists, and the editor of that magazine saying this was a no-brainer.

they wanted to focus on some 40 activists who are out there, part of the movement, part of change. how did this all come about? >> well, the team from british "vogue" got in touch with us. actually i got a call from edward who's the editor in chief of the magazine talking about not only features akty have its but wanting to make sure this would be part of a broader long-term skpaensive conversation about how we not only maintain hope but how we do the work and practice the discipline of hope every single day in our lives. there was a time, of course, as you know, kendis, where this wasn't a no-brainer, where the september edition of a fashion magazine which is statistically the one that sells the most advertising and is the most important one of the year would only feature top models or a-list stars, and the fact that activists all over the world are now a-list stars, i think, gives

us some real hope and opportunity about the future, when we recognize that every single person, whether you've got a following of a million people or you've got 2,000 folks following you, if you're doing the work that makes the work more just and equitable for everyone, that not only can you be recognized, but you can help spur a conversation across the globe. >> it's usually models of color. to be able to have activists on the cover and hear the messages beyond those pages is quite fascinating to me. let's talk about the message. you saw what oprah is doing about the billboards. she's trying to keep breonna taylor, as she should, top of mind. been 146 days and breonna's taylor's killers are still not in trouble. how can the billboards turn the wheels of justice here?

>> i think we have to realize that every single space is going through a reckoning. so whether it's the vogue cover that not only was shot for british uk -- sorry -- "vogue" uk that has black editor in chief, i was wearing a black designer and photographed by my husband, a powerful black photographer, those behaviors behind the magazine industry as well as someone like oprah says she's going to take the print space she has created over decades and turn it over to the story of black young woman who should be here with us right now, these are the kinds of powerful answers that we need to see in a moment like this across the globe, and the truth of the matter is what happened to breonna taylor is not at all permissible. her family has been demanding accountability for a long time, and when i first talked about it on our podcast, many people across the country had never even heard blow on na taylor's

name. now we're at a point where the 26 billboards are up across the citying and most importantly we're not only saying her name, but we're working and ensuring that accountability comes to her family. >> we really do. we would like to get some sort of justice for breonna taylor at some point fairly soon. it's been way too long. a lot of us, especially in the black community, we don't talk about mental health or mental health issues, and seeing george floyd's death and hearing about breonna taylor, ahmaud arbery over the past few managements has taken a tell on the black community. was kind of shocked and still happy to hear that former first lady michelle obama kind of expressed her own frustration and mild depression over it hoochlt're whaes she said it. here's what she said on her podcast. >> the fact that we have prisons

full of black men, the fact that a kid with a small possession of drugs can be sent to prison for most of his life, we see it in the continues economic disparity. we saw it in the fight for the affordable c.a.r.e.s. act. we saw just howed ament mitch mcconnell was and how he treated the first black president, you know, the reaction to it on all sides, the vast discomfort with the notion that black man could be sitting in the highest level of office, we saw that. >> she went on to talk about how all the criminal justice reform or all of the protests she's seen as far as george floyd's death and such has added to the low-grade depression that she's had.

brittany. >> i think what michelle obama is saying not only for all women but black women in particular, is to say they're all human. we have watched america continue to turn to black women to save it. and, yes, black women, in fact, get tired from carrying all of this, and the fact of the matter is michelle obama is a person, and she gave so many of us permission to be our full self-s when she identified with it. you know, when i found out about the story of breonna taylor, i cried myself to sleep, i cried through my broadcast when i first talked about her, and i recognize that these moments are moments that tear at our heartstrings in different ways when you identify with people who are suffering most. michelle obama shoulded through a bullhorn. she was an incredible gift that she was so honest and so

vulnerable, because it gives us so much more space to be. >> it really does. brittany packnett cunningham. do remember us when you're out there. >> i don't know about that. i'm always here for you. >> i appreciate it. congrats on the cover and all the work you do. >> thank you. anger in beirut. why protesters there don't want any relief, aid from the u.s., or any other country for that matter. ny other country for tha matter

hey, can i... hold on one second... sure. okay... okay! safe drivers save 40%!!! guys! guys! check it out. safe drivers save 40%!!! safe drivers save 40%! safe drivers save 40%!!! that's safe drivers save 40%. it is, that's safe drivers save 40%. - he's right there. - it's him! he's here. he's right here. - hi! - hi. hey! - that's totally him. - it's him! that's totally the guy. safe drivers do save 40%. click or call for a quote today. little things can become your big moment. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not a cream. it's a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. with otezla, 75% clearer skin is achievable. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea or vomiting.

otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. tell your doctor about your medicines, and if you're pregnant or planning to be. otezla. show more of you. here's your iced coffee! ♪ america runs on dunkin'

we're back with the headlines. take a look at this. an air india express made by both was a 757. it skidded off the runway and split in two while landing in heavy rain in southern india. the death toll has risen to 18 including the pilot, but more than 100 others are expected to survive. the plane was repatriating indians who were stranded in dubai during the pandemic. more as we get it. fresh outrage expected on the streets of beirut today following the devastation and the explosion that killed at least 154 people earlier this week. this comes as volunteers go from neighborhood to neighborhood clearing debris and broken glass. nbc's r becebecca collard has m.

>> reporter: they're going building to building using dogs to sniff out anyone who might be trapped beneath the rubble. i have been in beirut for several bombings, and usually what we see is one or two streets affects, maybe three streets affected. i'm miles from the port. but i want to show you behind me. this is one of the more heavily populated dense areas. but this is the building. it was about maybe three our four stories high. this is really a microcosm roy we're seeing across beirut. because the area affected is so large, estimates say between 200 and 300 homes were affected by

this. they're still going through the buildings. there's so many apartment buildings to go through to make sure nobody is trapped beneath the rubble. they're hoping to finding more survivors today, kendis. the other thing if you can see behind me, there are here thousands of people in this neighborhood, volunteers who have come down here. you can see them walking. they're helping to clean the rubble, clean up the glass with their bare hands but also assist the people in this neighborhood, providing them with basic things like food, water, and basic medical services, kendis. >> i can't help but look at the crater that is the result of that blast. but also as you take a look at the building you mentioned across the street that was once a three- or four-story building, how far is that from the blast zone? >> reporter: i'm almost a mile. i'm almost -- just under a mile from the blast zone. this is what i'm saying, you

know. this is almost a mile from the blast zone. let's take another look at that building. this is like one of just thousands and thousands of apartments affected by this. you can imagine closer to the port what it looked like, how many buildings are so poorly affected. the other thing i would say, kendis, is there's so much anger in the streets here. we talk about those protests planned for latter today. everybody i talk to is saying, you know, that they blame the government, of course. i'll show this to you. this was handed to me yesterday by one of the people cleaning up the streets. it says today we're cleaning up the streets and that tomorrow we'll be cleaning the country of corrupt politicians, and it's call for protests today. amid all the sorrow and sadness, there's also so much anger here. >> understandably so. there's many who believe that the government knew that

dangerous material was being stored at that port as far back as last year if not before. rebecca collard joining us from beirut. our thanks to you. sad images there. sadly, the death toll will arise. in a moment, nbc news on the biden veep stakes and a nam that's figuring prominently in the race. that's figuring prominn the race try wayfair. you got this! ♪ ♪

perfect. -you're welcome. i love it. how'd you do all this? told ya! wayfair. let's talk dining tables. yes! blow it up. ♪ wayfair you've got just what i need ♪ the freestyle libre 14 managday system...etes can be hard. - a continuous glucose monitor - ...makes it easy. easy to check your glucose without fingersticks, and easy to share your data with your doctor.

and for those who qualify, the freestyle libre 14 day system, is also covered by medicare. ask your doctor for a prescription. you can do it without fingersticks. learn more at freestylelibre.us frnext time try bounce wrinkleut ofguard dryer sheets.? the world's first mega sheet with 3x more wrinkle relaxers. look at the difference of these two shirts... the wrinkle guard shirt has less wrinkles and static, and more softness and freshness. to tame wrinkles on the go use bounce 3in1 rapid touch up spray. bounce out wrinkles with bounce wrinkle guard dryer sheets and touch up spray! both, with a money back guarantee.

it's totally not the same without you. we miss your let's do this look, the sound of your laugh cry screams, and how you make every day here the best day ever. we can't wait to get you back so we've

added temp checks, face coverings, social distancing and extra sanitizing to get the good times going again. it's time to roll out the red carpet and kick open the universal gates. we're finally back... and can't wait until you are too. we're just 87 days away until the election, but who's counting? any day now joe biden will make the biggest decision of the campaign. his running mate. speculation is running crampant. and rumors are reporting michigan governor whitmer is a serious consideration for the vp pick. joining me now is the political strategist to the elizabeth warren campaign. good to see you. >> good morning. >> let's start with whitmer.

threw you a wrench. would she be a good pick for the biden campaign? >> you know, i think that the strategy with governor whitmer is the fact she is the governor of michigan, which is a critical state for democrats to win this november. particularly in detroit. if we turn out detroit and black voters in michigan, we could actually win michigan and win the white house. so i think that is part of the strategy here with governor whitmer. there has been conversation, obviously, for a black woman vp and someone who has a lot of progressive policies. she is well liked in her state. she is among the contender list of several qualified women who are on a short list who would be great as his running mate as madame vice president. there are people excited to hear it and others calling for women to be in the top consideration.

i think one thing i will say, it is encouraging to see the vice president biden is actually starting to meet with people in person because we are getting closer to the decision and people want him to announce who she is to move forward and get to the election. >> in the meantime, axios is reporting that the choices have narrowed down to kamala harris and susan rice. given the issues with the black community, do you get a sense it will be a black woman? >> you know, i think the sentiment is black women are tired of carrying the democratic party on our backs. then we have to be out here campaigning on behalf of someone who made a few gaffes and we have to uplift. we are privileged to be part of his ticket.

that is the conversation that is happening right now. instead of black people being surrogates and strategists, you actually have power to influence the election as the vp running mate. that has been a strategy that a lot of people have been talking about. it makes sense that black women tend to carry the democratic party more than any other base. given the opportunity to be the running mate so we can stand up for the issues that the democratic party wants. >> there is a lot of speculation, as you know, going on. politico is reporting that 300 dnc delegates signed a statement to push for karen bass as part of the unity pick. you get a sense that bass could be a good choice? she has controversial pasts. she is 67 years old. not necessarily a young, young candidate. >> i think the key piece of that letter is the fact that folks

want a unity candidate. they are talking about the fact that karen bass as she is progressive on some issues. we talked about this last week. polling show elizabeth warren as a unity candidate. folks want to make sure we have the right candidate to bring the bernie coalition and the biden coalition. >> i have to go quickly. i expect an honest answer here and for it to be really quick. has your former boss, elizabeth warren, been to delaware to visit with biden? the earrings are coming off if you don't give me an answer. >> oh, my goes. you are threatening me on live tv. she is focused on getting the citizens of massachusetts the care they need amid the coronavirus pandemic. she is on the short list. we will see what happens. >> has she been there to talk with him? >> she has spoken with him on policies that would help the

american people. she has spoken with him on policies for the administration. she is a great confidant. >> thank you. i appreciate it. >> you're welcome. >> earrings are still off. thanks. this sunday night, kasie hunt hosts the countdown to the vp. next, it is growing at the heart of the concern of the food supply chain. next. supply chain next ♪ copd tries to say, "go this way." i say, "i'll go my own way, with anoro." ♪ once-daily anoro contains two medicines called bronchodilators that work together to significantly improve lung function all day and all night. do not use anoro if you have asthma. anoro won't replace rescue inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than once a day. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, glaucoma... prostate, bladder or urinary problems.

these may worsen with anoro. call your doctor if you have worsened breathing, chest pain... mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes or eye pain, while taking anoro. the most common side effects are sore throat, diarrhea, and pain in the arms and legs. ask your doctor about once-daily anoro to start treating your copd. we're here for you during this challenging time--and always. find support at anoro.com. ♪ oh, oh, (announcer)®! ♪ once-weekly ozempic® is helping we're here for you during this challenging time--and always. many people with type 2 diabetes like emily lower their blood sugar. a majority of adults who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. here's your a1c. oh! my a1c is under 7! (announcer) and you may lose weight. adults who took ozempic® lost on average up to 12 pounds. i lost almost 12 pounds! oh! (announcer) for those also with known heart disease, ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. it lowers the risk. oh! and i only have to take it once a week. oh! ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪

(announcer) ozempic® is not for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. do not share needles or pens. don't reuse needles. do not take ozempic® if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to ozempic®. stop taking ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, itching, rash, or trouble breathing. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your doctor if you have diabetic retinopathy or vision changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. common side effects are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and constipation. some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. once-weekly ozempic® is helping me reach my blood sugar goal. ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ you may pay as little as $25 for a 1-month or 3-month prescription. ask your health care provider today about once-weekly ozempic®.

okay. new worries among undocumented warning workers with essential jobs in the united states. they are afraid to get tested for covid. gadi schwartz takes a look at the challenges in our nbc news and telemundo partnership. >> reporter: in california's central valley, a quarter of the food supply is in the hands of essential work force with a lot of fear and a lot to lose. >> she says she is hoping they don't get evicted. >> reporter: she