good afternoon. i'm katy tur. we begin once again today with

another deadly mass shooting in the united states. here's what we know right now. eight people are dead and four more were rushed to the hospital with bullet wounds. it happened at a fedex facility in indianapolis and nbc news has just confirmed via three law enforcement sources that the suspected gunman's name is brandon scott hull. he's 19 years old, born on august 20, 2001, and here is what fbi and indianapolis police had to say about it a short time ago. >> many of you have already asked what the motive of this shooting was, and with less than 12 hours since the shooting, it would be premature to speculate on that motivation. >> what can you tell us about the suspect? >> you know, i can really tell you very little. the reason is we are still working to identify everybody that is still on scene there. so we are not able to make

positive identification of the suspect. what we did find preliminarily from the interviews that were conducted was that this suspect came to the facility, and when he came there, he got out of his car and pretty quickly started some random shooting outside the facility. there was no confrontation with anyone that was there, there was no disturbance, there was no argument. >> craig, to be clear, you're saying you don't have a firm identification of the suspect. the special agents said there would be a search of his house. >> that's accurate. we have an idea. we have some other leads that led us to that location. but, again, until we make positive identification along with the coroner's office, we're not going to obviously identify anybody. >> but there is a search going

on at somebody's house? >> there is all kinds of things going on of investigation, but yes, that's one of them. >> an individual who you think is the shooter in this case? >> potentially, yes. >> some mixed messaging there, as you heard. at that point in that news conference, they could not identify the suspect, and it's clear right now there is a lot more we don't know about what happened here and who the suspect is than we know right now for sure. police say the shooting was all over in one, maybe just two minutes. that means eight people shot dead and one maybe just two minutes. authorities will only describe the weapon as a rifle. here is what one witness says. >> when i stand up, i see a man. i heard him, but i was unable to see his face in detail. however, the man did have an ar in his hands. he started shooting and random

directions. my friends at the time witnessed a man who was not a part of the incident, but he also pulled out a gun from his truck to try and engage in the shooter, and he died because of it. >> police said they cannot confirm those reports of someone attempting to fire back at the gunman. the coroner's office can't even get into the fedex facility yet to identify victims because it is still an active crime scene investigation. families are waiting at a nearby hotel for confirmation that their loved ones are among the dead, and some families and friends say part of what is making this wait even more excruciating is that fedex bans employees from having their cell phones with them while they are working, and that that may have prevented some of those victims from calling 911 or making a final phone call or sending a final text message to their loved ones. this is the third mass shooting

this year in indianapolis alone, and by some estimates, it is the 45th mass shooting in america in just the past month. this is a uniquely american epidemic. joining me now is nbc news correspondent antonia hilton who is in indianapolis and former fbi special agent and national security analyst, kent watts. antonia, i'm hoping you can shed a little bit of light on this for us. it was confusing watching that news conference, having the police chief say we don't know who the suspect is but also confirming they were searching a house nearby. now we have the name of the suspect. why was there that confusion? >> you're right, there was a gap in information there for a while, katy, where reporters were struggling to get the name and get the information from the officials here, but it was clear they had an active search going on at his home and they had a sense of who they were looking

into, not looking for, since he shot and killed himself on the premises last night. you know, that chaos from last night has continued on into the day. you know, now we're hearing that the coroner's office is actually on-site and that their investigation is going to take several hours now. so people were hoping to hear about the victims, their stories, their back stories starting early this morning, but it may be a while before we get a lot of that information because these folks are just getting in there and they say their investigation may now take a couple hours. to give you a sense of just how crazy things have been here, family members have been going to a nearby holiday inn waiting around, asking questions, hoping to hear from loved ones. we met a former employee of the warehouse behind me here who literally drove himself here, stood out in the field and waited around to see if someone could give him information to see if his friends were alive, his former colleagues were okay. all he found was our crew here, and we depended on him for more

insight and information. he basically stood around and hadn't heard from any of his friends for a while and was panicked about this. this gives you a sense of how stressful it is around here. the shooter has been identified. hopefully we'll get more information about why he did this, did he have a relationship with employers working there that night? did he know about this site or the fedex operations here? we're hoping we'll have a name and all of this will be much clearer in a couple hours, katy. >> hopefully it will. have you heard anything, antonia, from witnesses that were in the parking lot or inside the facility about this man? did anyone recognize him, did he say anything? any more information? >> reporter: well, we've heard from witnesses, from employees general speculation that they

think this must have been someone who knew the facility, that maybe they had conflicts with someone inside. people have described the facility as a place that had pretty good security, that people are patted down, that there are medical detectors before they can come to work. many employees imagine this might be someone familiar with the facility. we have not been able to confirm any of that information. what we do know is some of what you described at the top, that all of this happened so fast. the gunman got out of the car, he didn't fight with anyone, didn't really talk with anyone, announce anything. and by the time he got out of his car and entered the facility and killed eight people, it really happened in the blink of an eye. many witnesses describe hearing sounds and starting to sense something is wrong, but not having themselves a full picture of how this began. there is a lot of speculation flying around, but now that we know the name, we're hoping we can better establish what was brandon's relationship to this fedex warehouse, katy. >> clint, i do want to go back to what we were talking about at

the top which is the confusion of that news conference. it seems like there is more to this story that we don't know that police may be working on at the moment. >> katy, it was a confusing press conference and i'm a little bit confused why they had one, because they didn't reveal much information. what they did was conflicting at times. from what i understand of that briefing and just reading the news reports, it seems like the shooter turned the weapon on himself, and they knew that right away, so they shouldn't have had a sort of confusion when they walked out there at that point, especially when the fbi special agent in charge were doing search warrants. again, this is just taking an exceptionally long time, and i think we've seen this five times in five weeks that we've had mass shootings around the country. this is a very confusing one at the moment. we don't know the motive, we don't understand the targets and we still don't know who the targets were. usually we know that pretty early in the morning after. >> you know, i know we talk about motive.

we're all very interested in motive. but is figuring out the motive the right solution here? is that going to tell us anything? or, clint, is there something else that we need to address? just figuring out why someone did something doesn't get to the heart of it happening over and over and over again. everyone has their own individual reasons. >> that's right, katy. the only reason with the motive is to make sure it's not part of a larger plot. i'm sure that's what the fbi was worried about when they first got to the scene. that seemed to have been quickly removed, and it really just comes down to a couple things. we have a big problem in this country with a few things. one, we have a mass contagion shootings happening as people are coming out of the pandemic. we've had a mass shooting every week for five weeks going all the way back to boulder, southern california, south carolina. if this continues, imagine how this unfolds if we have larger

gatherings in the summer. it also compounds the fact we had major extreism on january 6. director wray has been talking about that for weeks, so i'm concerned about what unfolds as the summer comes. >> i just keep thinking i'm less interested in motive, i'm more interested in how these people are getting their weapons and what can be done there, because that's what's causing all this pain. you can be angry, you can be upset, you can want to hurt people but you can only do it in that quick of a period if you have the weapon to be able to do so. eight people dead in two minutes, maybe just one minute. antonia hilton, clint watts, thank you very much. two cities are on edge in the wake of death by the hands of the police with leaders calling for calm this weekend on the streets of chicago. outrage and mourning after release of disturbing body cam video showing an officer chase and shoot and kill 13-year-old adam toledo.

that body cam video shows he was not holding a weapon at the time he was shot. here is the freeze frame. and in brooklyn center outside of minneapolis, we saw another night of protests and calls for accountability for the former officer charged with shooting 20-year-old daunte wright after a traffic stop. last night was calmer despite a growing debate of the charges the officer who fired the shot is facing. joining us now, raheem, i want to start with you. we've seen in that video, he is not holding a gun. there is confusion about whether he might have dropped it right before, but it does appear at the time he was shot, he had no weapon in his hands. how are police responding today? >> reporter: well, police are saying in statements that they put out that what happened

occurred in a fraction of a second, less than a second. they're saying it was milliseconds. by the time there was edited video released by police that shows him, it appears, where he does have a gun, and then a split second when he doesn't. they're saying that they're going to be investigating this. the officer involved, his attorney says his officer was facing a life-threatening situation, and an explanation saying that's why the shot was fired. it's very difficult, as you can imagine, for families and the family of adam toledo to reckon with this. we're talking about a 13-year-old child in the seventh grade and now he's dead in a matter of a moment. and they thought that the officer should have done something other than use deadly force. listen to what the attorney for the family had to say about this. >> adam, during his last second

of life, did not have a gun in his hand. the officer screamed at him, show me your hands, adam complied, turned around, his hands were empty when he was shot in the chest. >> reporter: the officer has been identified as 34-year-old eric stillman. no charges have been filed against him. he's been placed on administrative duties as this investigation is ongoing. katy? >> you know, this is a complicated story and they are saying a fraction of a second, but the video shows he was not holding a gun at the time of the shooting, and that is not how the police had described it up until we saw that video. ron allen, brooklyn center, minneapolis, or brooklyn center, minnesota. lots of unrest for the past few days. the officer involved in that shooting has been charged but there is some frustration over

those charges. what's the family saying and what's the expectation going into the weekend? >> reporter: people want to see more charges, they want to see the word murder in the charge because that's what they believe happened. while the protests were calmer last night, there are more protests planned through the weekend, and of course on monday the jury could get the case on the derek chauvin matter in the george floyd death, of course. so there are a lot of flash points to come. daunte wright's funeral will be next week, so there is a lot of anticipation next week. the bottom line is a family who lost a son, and here's what they had to say about this. >> what i hope comes out of this, i'm not going to get. and that's my son back. accountability is what we're demanding, and that's what we're hoping for. >> but if we can get her

convicted and make sure she faces the highest, because she was a trainer. she should know the difference. but, again, if out of all this, if we can finally get equality and be treated the same as everyone else, police to me, they're law. they're supposed to protect and serve. >> reporter: it's interesting they say they want accountability, they want equality. they don't think they're ever going to get justice, because as daunte's mom said, for her that would mean getting her son back, and of course that's not going to happen. katy? >> ron allen, rehema ellis, thank you guys very much. after three weeks of witness testimony, closing arguments are scheduled for monday in the derek chauvin murder trial. we'll look ahead to those arguments and the preparations to sequester the jury.

later, 100 days after rioters stormed the capitol, we have our first guilty plea. why it is called a landmark move for the feds. and president biden hosts the prime minister of japan. he is expected to address the latest mass shooting sometime this afternoon. e this afternoon can you be free of hair breakage worries? we invited mahault to see for herself that new dove breakage remedy gives damaged hair the strength it needs. even with repeated combing hair treated with dove shows 97% less breakage.

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closing arguments in the

derek chauvin murder trial is set to begin on monday. the judge will give instructions to the jury. after that comes closing arguments, and after both sides wrap up, the jury will be sequestered until they reach a verdict or they are deadlocked. the judge told the jury to be prepared for the long haul. >> you will be sequestered. we have some of your questions. we're going to try to answer as many of those as you can. i think the one thing you need to know today before you leave is how much do i pack. if i were you, i would plan for long and hope for short. basically, it's up to the jury how long you deliberate, how long you need to come to a unanimous decision on any count. >> meanwhile, in anticipation of a verdict, the city is preparing for an even bigger security footprint around the courthouse. joining me now is news

correspondent megan fitzgerald who is in minneapolis, and former u.s. attorney chuck rosenberg. chuck is also an msnbc contributor. megan, what's the feeling like in minneapolis right now as we await closing arguments and a verdict sometime after that? >> reporter: well, katy, i can tell you it's certainly a community on edge. obviously from the event we see saw in brooklyn center. but people are awaiting the verdict. and so next week is critically important for both the defense and the prosecution. on monday when they deliver these closing arguments, this is their last opportunity to plead their case, to try and sew together all the evidence they've presented over the last three weeks and to try one last time to convince the jury. when you think about it, there's only two times that the attorneys can actually have a conversation with the jury, of course, in opening statements and in closing arguments. then, of course, as you mentioned, today, as a matter of fact, obviously court is not in

session, but the prosecution and the defense, they are submitting to the judge how they want the instructions to be read, the different verbiage that they want to be used, because, you know, legal jargon can be a little bit confusing and they want to make absolutely certain that these jurors what they need to consider when deliberations start. and if they are to find mr. chauvin guilty or innocent what they need to think about to be able to get to that place. and part of what they're talking about, of course, and they'll be instructed on is this invoking of the fifth amendment, the constitutional right that mr. chauvin has and how they shouldn't infer guilt because of that. and then, of course, the jury is going to get the case. you're looking at three weeks of evidence that have been presented, so it could take several days for them to come tie verdict, katy. >> chuck, i want to touch on something that antonia just mentioned, the words used in the

jury instructions. how significant is it the way the judge describes what the jurors will be deliberating on? >> it's very significant, katy. this is the road map. ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you've heard the evidence. you've heard the arguments. now i'm going to instruct you on the law. you must apply the law. you, the jury, are the tryer of the facts, but me, the judge, i tell you what the law is, and so when you consider the facts, here is how you consider it. so that's why both sides are trying to fashion jury instructions in a way most favorable to their position. the state, the defense for mr. chauvin. some of the jury instructions are pretty straightforward, the elements of each offense, for instance. but perhaps, and this is just an example, the defense will want to have the judge explain reasonable doubt in some detail and give the jury lots of ways

to think about reasonable doubt. in all the cases i tried, defense attorneys often ask for an expansive reasonable doubt instruction of the most of the time judges don't give that, at least where i prosecuted cases, they would simply say reasonable doubt means the doubt informed by reason. so there is a little bit of contest over exactly what that road map will be and how it will be delivered to the jury, but it's really important to both sides, because that is also how they're going to fashion their closing arguments, around that road map. >> chuck, closing arguments. how significant will it be, the last statements that the lawyers make to the jury? given all the evidence we've already seen, what does it mean to have closing arguments in a case like this? >> i always thought it was a very important part of the case. but only if my case went in well. let me explain that, katy. there are three parts to a

trial, broadly speaking. as a prosecutor, it would be my opening statement in which i would tell the jury what i intend to show the jury. then it would be the trial itself where we introduce exhibits and present witnesses and hear testimony. and then it would be the closing argument in which i would tell the jury, i promised you we would do x, y and z. we did x, y and z and here is what you need to infer from x, y and z. if you're linear, logical and compelling, and you deliver on your promises, right, promises made, promises kept, the closing argument is the place where you tie it all together. good closing arguments, by the way, don't have to be long, they don't have to be flashy, they don't have to be flamboyant, they have to be exactly what the prosecution has done in this case, linear and logical. >> chuck rosenberg, thank you so

much. megan fitzgerald, i'm so sorry for calling you antonia earlier. megan fitzgerald, thank you as well. president biden is expected to address the latest shooting this afternoon. also, it has been 100 days since the attack on the capitol. the feds now have a plea that could determine if there was a wider conspiracy. but there is still no bipartisan support to get an independent 9/11 style commission to investigate the day. stay with us. stay with us we are hoping things will pick up by q3. yeah...uh... doug? [ding] never settle with power e*trade. it has easy-to-use tools and some of the lowest prices. don't get mad. get e*trade and start trading today.

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exactly 100 days after the insurrection at the capitol, we have our first guilty plea of

someone arrested after the riots. sources tell us john schafer, a long-time member of the oath keepers, has admitted to his role in the insurrection to federal prosecutors. you can see schafer in these images right here armed with what appears to be bear spray as he and other pro-trump rioters stormed the capitol. joining me now is nbc news justice correspondent pete williams. pete, getting a guilty plea from somebody like him, somebody within the oath keepers, what's that going to mean for the investigation? >> it could potentially be a very important development here because this is the first guilty plea. we always expected there would be lots of guilty pleas in this case because you have a lot of people charged with glorified trespassing charges. many of them will probably plead out. but this is significant because authorities say he is a member of the oath keepers. he describes himself in court papers as a founding, long-time member of the oath keepers, and he says he admits he was among

the very first to get into the capitol, the sort of vanguard of people who breached the capitol building. the government's theory here is by getting these plea agreements, they can begin to get cooperation, and schafer it begin to cooperate today, and start to peel back the layers on who exactly was in charge of this, who planned this, who came up with the idea of storming the capitol, who was really in charge once those people started getting in the building. it's an important development. it's something prosecutors use to try and build cases as they get to answers like who is ultimately responsible for this. >> how did the hearing go today? does he feel safe now that he's entered a guilty plea? now that he will, i guess in essence, speaking to investigators? >> he didn't indicate that he didn't feel safe, and it was pretty clear this was going to happen. because earlier this month, there was a court document inadvertently filed in the clear that should have been under

seal, indicating that his lawyers were in intense plea discussions with the government, and his lawyer says today they've been sort of on this path for a long time. so he'll now be released from custody. he plays in a heavy metal band called iced earth, and he'll be able to continue to do that back in indiana. whether he feels now in any way vulnerable because he's going to be basically ultimately talking about what he knows about the oath keepers, if that was a concern of his, he didn't express it today. >> pete williams. pete, thank you so much. again, it has been 100 days since that deadly riot at the capitol. while much of the physical damage has been repaired, for many who experienced that day, the physiological, psychological scars do still remain. i couldn't get that -- just listen. >> i couldn't get that close because at that point, i was

tackled. they stole my helmet, they tried to get my gas mask. it was all these surreal things, like this cannot be happening, this cannot be happening, this cannot be happening. but it was. i have moments. it comes back in like flashes and it's hard to not have it with you every day for those of us who work at the capitol still. >> that was capitol police lieutenant rhaney brooks describing her experience during the insurrection. it is part of a powerful project compiled by news editor kyle thorpe that you can find on nbc news.com. congressman dan kildee indicated to nbc news this week that he sees a therapist to deal

with post-traumatic stress due to the incident. they have spent tens of thousands for therapy for themselves and their families. 100 days later, we're starting to hear about the multitude of failures in missed warnings before the attack all laid out by the inspector general of the capitol police in his damning report on response this week. still, there is no 9/11 style commission on what happened, and it looks like we'll never see one. there is also no bill combatting extremism signed into law. with us is jake sherman. he was there that day at the capitol. jake, given what we've heard from the inspector general, what we've heard from the capitol police, what we're hearing from these indictments, i find it mind-boggling that congress wouldn't want to do more to

combat a threat that targets them. >> two points, katy. number one, there is a disagreement about this 9/11 style panel. republicans want to broaden it to feature all forms of political violence, and nancy pelosi's view, and a lot of people are with her even quietly on the republican side, that it should focus on january 6, that this was an attack on the building in which we all work in and congress meets in, and it should be focused on that. nancy pelosi says everything else is negotiable about this, katy. the number of republicans on it, the number of democrats on it, how much it's going to spend, how long it's going to go. she's fine negotiating on any of those things, but she's not fine in negotiating on the scope which is a position, frankly, that a lot of people agree with. then there's the other side of this, which is nancy pelosi in the next week or two or three or four, we anticipate, is going to release a $2 billion security spending bill to fortify the capitol. this is going to be a very different building, katy, since

the last time you were here and the building i kind of grew up in as a reporter. it's going to be fortified with removable fences, it's going to have a lot more police presence, it's going to be a very different building. because i think that people have come to the conclusion that it's just a big target in the middle of the city, like a sore thumb, so to speak. you know, listen, it's politicized like everything else, and it's horrible to say but it has turned into a proxy for the right versus left issues that we all kind of hear about all the time. >> but it kind of folds into what we've been talking about now for too many years, which is you're treating the symptoms, you're not treating the underlying cause. so in fortifying the capitol even more, you're not treating the cause of what's happening there, you're not finding a way to pass a domestic terrorism law, you're not treating the issue of domestic terrorism and what is giving rise to it. instead you're just trying to

protect yourself with walls and barriers. it feels like -- do they actually expect anything to get better, or -- i mean, isn't there a sense of personal responsibility, moral responsibility for the safety of not just themselves and their families but the country at this point? >> i would say this. and i'm going to be very careful with how i put this. but i think when you don't root out the problem when it's in the building, i mean, when you have members of congress who say things that are widely considered racist, that are widely considered white supremacist trope and you don't root out the problem -- forget the country, katy. when you don't root out the problem here in the capitol where i want right now among members of congress, then it's very difficult to try to solve larger societal ills. we haven't seen the republicans do that. we saw it once with steven king who made a number of racist comments over the years, was

finally removed from his post. it's hard to serve societal ills without dealing with what happens in this building. >> power corrupts. it's a cliche for a reason. thank you very much. rising hospitalizations in 38 states. why is the u.s. trending in the wrong direction? first, though, we'll go live to the white house where president biden is holding his first in-person summit with the prime minister of japan. f japan. . for the first time ever, new and current customers can trade in their old and damaged phones for up to $1,000 off our best 5g phones. because at verizon, the network is just the beginning. we're here for the heavy flow-ers and the wedgie-pickers with a pad made like no other up to zero leaks because it locks blood in up to zero bunching

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visit snhu.edu today. breaking news from new york city. the nypd has arrested a man with what appeared to be a semiautomatic rifle near times square. he also had a gas mask. it was unclear why he was there, why he was armed, but sources claim he had the weapon lawfully. more on this breaking news as we get it. we're also following breaking news at the white house. this afternoon president biden is hosting japan's prime minister. it is biden's first in-person summit with a world leader since taking office. the meeting highlights biden's focus on strengthening ties with allies in asia and his desire to have a united front amid heightened tensions with china.

joining me now is nbc news chief correspondent peter alexander and washington correspondent phil rucker. he's also an msnbc political analyst. peter, always good to see you. what can you tell us about this today? >> reporter: we know the two leaders are meeting in the state dining room with aides on both sides. the meeting with the prime minister of japan really shows the view that biden has that asia plays and china plays in his plans. he was talking earlier this week about withdrawing troops in afghanistan and he's tying that into american competitiveness with places like china. he will focus on issues like cyber threats, chinese planes flying not far from taiwan, on

its human rights abuses, on its treatments of hong kong. there are issues the two can see eye on eye, such as the olympics taking place in tokyo. less than 100 days from now, and it's thought that the prime minister would invite the president to attend those games, even though it's unclear how safe they can be during this pandemic, katy. >> part of what i'm interested in knowing, phil, is what about tpp and our trade partnerships with the region? tpp was not signed by president trump. he didn't want it back when he was in office. he preferred singular trade agreements, but tpp was intended to push back on the influence of china around the world. is that something that's being brought up again or something of that kind? >> you know, katy, i think trade is certainly a topic that we can expect biden and his deputy's counterpart to be discussing today. you're right to point out that former president trump pulled

back from some of those trade agreements. and he also had a very adversarial kind of view when it came to trade and security deals with south korea. many timed over the four years of the trump presidency, former president trump would talk about wanting to withdraw u.s. forces from south korea or make the south koreans pay more or realign the trade agreement there. so, again, this is a chance for biden to try to reassert america's alliances in asia. japan, of course, being our number one ally there. but korea as well, the nuclear threat in north korea all trying to counter china very important to this new president. >> peter, what about what's going on with russia? we announced sanctions and a plan to kick out a few of russia's officials that were here and they are set to retaliate? >> not just set to retaliate.

they say they are already expelling ten u.s. diplomats, also sanctioning eight additional diplomats as well. it appears to both sides there is an effort to not really escalate but de-escalate the tensions on both sides. you heard president biden yesterday say he thought it was important to respond but to be proportionate in the response as it relates to the solarwinds hack that was really a massive hack that targeted government networks as well as some of the biggest companies' private networks as well. in addition to the russian interference not just in the 2020 election but in a series of recent elections here, we heard from one of vladimir putin's top aides saying, in fact, that they could have sort of installed some more painful measures. they chose not to do that because they didn't want to escalate the tensions at this time. of course, the backdrop to that is the potential for a meeting

of these two leaders. joe biden inviting vladimir putin to meet in a third country in europe at some point in the near future. we're hearing from an aide of vladimir putin that they are now analyzing that invitation, katy. >> real interesting. phil, did we get any more information on the sanctions against konstantin kilimnik and the treasury department seeing he's responsible for passing information on to the russians? i know that was an investigation by mueller, by the intelligence committee. anything more we know now that we didn't know then? >> it had been assumed, katy, that back in the trump administration, that polling data, that information that had been shared was, in fact, passed along to the russian intelligence agencies but never quite confirmed. we now have confirmation from u.s. intelligence that the u.s.

believes that information was, in fact, shared with russian intelligence agencies which just speaks to the degree with which russia was trying to influence the 2016 presidential election. >> peter, we do expect to hear from president biden at some point on yet another mass shooting, this one in indianapolis. any more on that? >> reporter: we heard the white house putting out a statement earlier today expressing condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives. as you noted in this broadcast, this is one of a series of mass shootings we've witnessed in this country in the course of last month as americans sort of begin returning to their lives right now. i'm checking my phone to see if that conversation has already begun in front of the cameras and if we'll hear from this president on that topic there, or perhaps later at 4:00 when the two men host a news

conference. we'll hear from them when they take questions in the rose garden, and the president, i would expect, would make mention of the loss of life there earlier today, katy. >> thank you both. say hello to your dog axel. i can hear him in the background. >> sorry about that. >> it's okay. who doesn't love a puppy? a new wave of coronavirus cases in half the country. what is going wrong? country. what is going wrong? [applause] ♪♪ free, free, free. that's right, turbotax free edition is free. free, free free free.

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as carla wonders if she can retire sooner, she'll revisit her plan with fidelity. and with a scenario that makes it a possibility, she'll enjoy her dream right now. that's the planning effect, from fidelity. and as much attention as the j&j news has received, though, what i'm most concerned about, the numbers that we're most concerned about are the rising cases and hospitalizations among those who are not vaccinated. >> the pause in the johnson & johnson vaccine comes as the country is in the grip of another covid surge. hospitalizations are at their highest point since march, with

the uk strain now the most dominant in the united states. and with that news, today the white house covid response team announced a $1.7 billion investment to monitor and track coronavirus variants. joining me now is former obama white house health policy director, dr. kavita patel and also an msnbc medical contributor. we also have really good news on the vaccination front. 200 million americans are now been vaccinated. that's roughly 50% of the population getting the first dose. great news. yet we're still seeing a surge. help me understand how those who things can be true at the same time. >> it's amazing, isn't it? it can be both incredibly optimistic and then see these really concerning numbers. a lot of it has to do with what we're seeing in trends and in clinics and in hospitals, which are younger people, which are some people under the age of 16 who do not have a vaccine available. but then also probably, you

know, just recently, our country opened up eligibility, only in the last week or so to people kind of in between the 16 to 40 age range. so those are also incredible driver of a lot of the cases in hospitalizations. good news is that over 80% of people over the age of 65, which was a large proportion of people who were at high risk of dying, have had full vaccinations. that's the good news. the bad news is, as you mentioned, is that america has still got some ways to go to get fully vaccinated. and of course, these numbers concern all of us, because the variants are driving these numbers. and i think the message to anybody watching, preregister, find out when you and most places are offering walkup appointments now. find out when you can get vaccinated. and if you have hesitancy or questions, ask them. and we're here to help get you answers. >> i think there's some confusion from people about what they can or cannot do once they

have their first dose and then once they have their second dose. there's research from the vaccine companies that say that once you have your first dose, two weeks after that, you're 80% protected. which is a lot and after the second dose, even obviously more, shoots up into the 90%. what can you do without really running the risk of getting reinfected? is it really a risk to get reinfected? >> yeah. it's a great question. and just a little statistic. we've had about 5,800 people who have been infected after being vaccinated. but good news there, too, katy, less than 1%. so it's a small number, but it is possible. here's what you can do if you've had your second dose. i would love to just say, wait until at least two weeks after your second dose. that's when we know you have the most protection. at that point, katy, you can get together very safely, small groups. what is a small group?

less than about 15 people. less than two or three households coming together, who are fully vaccinated, who are also in that same time frame. is there still a risk even then? yes. it's why i still wear my mask. but it is safer. and we're going to have to get comfortable, katy, with some risk, getting together with people who are fully vaccinated or traveling and wearing a mask and getting together with people is the right thing to do now if you're in an area that's in low prevalence. you can enjoy the rest of your life. >> i only have 30 seconds left, but please give me a time frame on when i can stop wearing my mask. i'm a big proponent of wearing them, i'm doing it, but i'm tired of it, frankly. >> i get it. i understand that. i think we're going to have -- so within the next six months, we will have some setting where it will be okay to not wear masks. right now, small household gatherings, very briefly. we need to see how these variants play out, katy.

that's why i'm saying, let's just watch. but i think that we will have more settings, especially if we know the majority of people are immunized, where you don't have to wear a mask, accepting that it's not a zero percent risk. but it's incredibly low. >> dr. kavita patel, thank you so much. and maybe it's because i'm nine months pregnant, but i'm dreaming about having a drink without a mask at a bar, inside. that's going to do it for me today. if you are going outside, as kavita patel said, wear a mask! if you're staying in, amin mohyeldin picks up our coverage next. mohyeldin picks up our coverage next mio... water tastes like, well...water. so we fixed it. mio. gillette proglide. five blades and a pivoting flexball so we fixed it. designed to get virtually every hair on the first stroke. so you're ready for the day with a fresh face for a fresh start.

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good afternoon, everyone. i'm ayman mohyeldin in new york. flags are once again flying at half-staff once again at the white house and other federal buildings on this 87th day of joe biden's presidency. this time to honor eight people who were shot and killed by a 19-year-old gunman at a fedex facility in indianapolis. we're going to bring you the very latest from the scene in just a few minutes. right now, though, president biden meeting with japanese prime minister yushahide sudo. they will hold a joint news conference in the rose garden next hour. and after one hundred days since the insurrection at the u.s. capitol, one of the rioters has just pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with the government. we'll have a full report on this developing story str