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tv   Alex Witt Reports  MSNBC  May 15, 2021 11:00am-12:00pm PDT

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a very good day to all of you from msnbc world headquarters here in new york. welcome everyone to alex witt reports. here's what's happening. we're starting off this hour with breaking news out of the middle east. fighting taking a new, violent turn as israel destroys this tower block you're seeing here. it housed several media outlets and residences. the attacks are the latest escalation after a week of worsening conflict between israeli forces and hamas. let's go to nbc's reporter in beirut. give me the details of what you are learning about this latest strike. in the last hour we heard a first-hand account of what happened from a gaza journalist. what do you know about this as well? >> reporter: alex, this was a pretty extraordinary scene in gaza city, the israelis destroying a multi story
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building that housed major media outlets, the associated press, al jazeera, and others. the israeli military calls the owner of that building and said we are going to destroy this property. then you had this surreal scene where palestinian journalists crowding around on the phone speaking in arabic to an israeli soldier in a command center somewhere in israel pleading with him saying, give us ten minutes. give us 15 minutes. we need to go back inside and get our equipment and bring it back out. that was not to be. israel carried out the strike. the israeli military says the building was also housing hamas military assets. we don't know what those assets are but israel insisting this was a legitimate military strike. this is causing outcry around the world. the president of the associated press, gary pruitt, saying he is shocked and horrified at his organization's building being targeted.
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he said in a statement this is an incredibly disturbing development. we narrowly avoided a terrible loss of life. the world will know less about what is happening in gaza because of what happens today. now, this strike, one of just a number that israel has carried out in the last 24 hours. last night a strike on a refugee camp targeting according to the israeli military a hamas figure, killed eight children. so we now have nearly 40 kids dead in gaza, h 140 people killed in total, on the israeli side nine people are dead including an israeli man killed earlier today by a rocket just in the last hour. israel confirms it has targeted the home of the deputy political leader of hamas. now, it does not appear that they were actually kill him or that they did kill him in the strike.
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it seems this is more about sending a message to hamas leadership, we know where you are. we can target you. the big question is, will those tactics push hamas toward a cease-fire or lead to more escalation? we are on the sixth day of the conflict with no end in sight right now. i remind viewers the 2014 gaza war, the last time we went through this cycle of violence between the israeli military and hamas, it went on for 51 days. we could be here for a long time and it will be civilians in gaza and israeli citizens across southern israel who will pay the price as the violence continues. >> i very well remember covering those 51 days from this anchor desk. we had the general on in the last hour who said he feels we are right on the brink of all out war between israel and hamas. raf, thank you so much for that report from beirut. let's go straight to nbc's kelly
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o'donnell joining us from the white house. we understand president biden has had multiple phone calls with foreign leaders today. what do we know about those conversations? >> reporter: it is a bit unusual for a saturday for the president to be in the oval office and the marine centry is still at the west wing doors now telling us the president is in the official spaces of the white house. often the president is not in his office on the weekend. it gives you a sense of the escalation. wean the president has spoken with the prime minister of israel benjamin netanyahu as well as the leader of the palestinian authority mahmoud abbas. these phone calls are an important test and challenge for president biden because this violence could spiral and also affects u.s. relations in that part of the world. the president has said publicly he believes israel has a right to defend itself from hamas firing into israeli territory and at the same time the u.s. has long held the view that institutions like media and
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civilians and so forth under the rules of war are not to be targeted. we heard from the press secretary speaking on behalf of the white house today, we have communicated directly to the israelis that ensuring the safety and security of journalists and independent media is a paramount responsibility. that is part of the u.s. message. we also say today the democratic chairman of the senate foreign relations committee senator menendez put out a detailed, lengthy statement talking about israel's right to defend itself, the complexities of this conflict, and, also, the importance of having an accounting for how were these decisions made to target these facilities. as you have described, the building is different than we might think of as an office building in the u.s. because in that particular area to cover gaza you have journalists who both live and work in those offices. so there is professional space and private residences for a
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number of the journalists who lived and worked in that building. so different than our kind -- sort of like our work from home life has been for many americans around the country. also, for organizations like our own, if we were in that area the associated press is a cooperative which allows for member journalists and nbc is a member of the cooperative that is the associated press could also use those facilities. so that's where you have a much wider potential of other kinds of journalists who could be reporting from a facility that is operated by the associated press. tv studios, print, photo journalism all housed there. for example some of our colleagues would use those tv facilities if reporting in gaza. that is the kind of nature of that building and it's been there for a long time as a media location. therefore, known to the israelis who did do the notification. so this is a tense, delicate situation for president biden in
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trying to support israel, which is the u.s. long standing position, and, also, not see this escalate further. >> we could plainly see the cell towers on top of the building before it toppled. a lot of satellite dishes there. so your description of the building and its use there is perfectly apt, kelly. it was extraordinary talking to that al jazeera journalist though, he said that maybe there was 20, 25 minutes between getting the call and the first strike of the rocket that ultimately brought that down. he talked about that scramble to get equipment, get outside, get to safety. it was an extraordinary telling from a journalist's standpoint. >> reporter: and we understand you don't unplug and move tv equipment in a matter of minutes. there are other kinds of documents and computers and things you might be able to remove. >> absolutely. >> reporter: but presumably a lot of equipment which is used of course to cover and tell the story on all sides. >> right. >> reporter: in that area could be damaged and would have to be
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replaced. so there is inevitably a diminution of the ability to report on what's happening there because of this strike. >> that is a good point. we'll see what happens as a result. thank you so much, kelly o'donnell at the white house, my friend, good to see you. let's take a look at the other top stories this hour, including celebration and a bit of confusion as the cdc says it is safe for fully vaccinated americans to ditch their masks both indoors and outdoors. congresswoman and pediatrician kim shwire telling me earlier why vaccinated people really shouldn't worry too much. >> i know all of us feel a little bit funny about that. it feels weird to go out without a mask, right? and so i think everybody is going to kind of use their own sense of safety and security, but this was a science based decision. i'm really hoping, just like the cdc is, that, you know, this kind of -- this carrot of freedom -- you can take off your mask once vaccinated will encourage people to get
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vaccinated. meantime on capitol hill tensions within the gop escalating today. congresswoman liz cheney is speaking out after trump loyalist congresswoman elise stefanik officially took her spot as the third ranking republican in the house. in a new interview cheney saying kevin mccarthy should testify before the commission that will investigate the january 6th capitol riot. we'll have more in a moment. but first, at the white house president biden is inching a bit closer to a bipartisan deal on infrastructure. the president giving republicans a tuesday deadline to present a counterproposal to his $2 trillion plan after meeting with several influential lawmakers this week. but the clock is ticking as biden hopes to strike a complete deal by memorial day. speaking of capitol hill, lawmakers there are one step closer to forming a bipartisan commission to investigate the january 6th attack on the capitol. let's go to nbc's ali vitale joining us from capitol hill. welcome to you. what was agreed on in this deal for legislation?
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how soon could it go up for a vote? >> reporter: this deal really months in the making as rank and file lawmakers here on capitol hill supported the idea of creating a commission to look into the january 6th insurrection but it really did get bogged down for several weeks afterwards in partisan maneuvering on both sides. finally, yesterday, the two ranking members of the house homeland security committee announcing a deal. some of the finer points could have really big implications going forward. studying the facts and circumstances of the lead up to january 6th that deadly insurrection here as well as creating a ten-person, bipartisan commission -- five lawmakers from each side chosen by leadership in those parties -- as well as granting them authority to subpoena. that is something that is going to have big ripple effects. if you listen to congresswoman liz cheney could have big ripple effects and implications for the top house republican kevin mccarthy. here's why.
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>> kevin mccarthy be willing to speak, testify before that commission? after all, he is one of the few people we know of that was actually talking to donald trump while the attack was taking place. >> he absolutely should and i wouldn't be surprised if he were subpoenaed. >> reporter: because you'll remember, alex, kevin mccarthy is one of those lawmakers who spoke with former president donald trump on the day of the january 6th insurrection. it's part of why a lot of people here have said and cheney echoing very loudly there with her new megaphone after being ousted from leadership that mccarthy could be someone who becomes central to this commission and their investigation. the report they will ultimately deliver would be due at the end of this year so we'll get a little more information if this is ultimately the way this commission looks toward the end of the year. that being sailed, kevin mccarthy right after the chairman came out and said they had reached an agreement on this, mccarthy said this is not
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the deal he expected or signed off on, democrats, though, pushing ahead and we could see it come to a vote at some point this coming week. >> you make a point i hadn't thought of and that is that liz cheney not being now in leadership any longer is completely unmuzzled. >> reporter: huge megaphone. >> thank you very much. joining me now is florida congresswoman val demings. i'd love to give you a megaphone. i always love hearing what you have to say. let's get to it. your thoughts on the bipartisan commission to investigate the january 6th insurrection? in a week when some of your republican colleagues publicly downplayed the riot, do you think the findings will be accepted broadly on a bipartisan basis? >> let me say it is great to be back with you. and finally we are one step closer to having a commission. i was absolutely delighted to hear that the chairman and ranking member had come to an agreement on this independent
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commission that will be evenly balanced if you will, five on the democratic side and five on the republican side. we need to know the truth. what happened on january 6th was awful. it was horrible. it was deadly. and we need to know who participated, how it was funded, and do everything within our power to make sure that it does not happen again. the commission is welcome news. i'm disappointed to hear kevin mccarthy's response but not surprised. regardless of, you know, the republicans are in a very unusual place right now that they've put themselves in, regardless of whether they want to support it or not we deserve to know the truth, the american people deserve to know the truth, and i'm glad we're one step closer to this independent commission. >> i'm wondering if kevin mccarthy's reaction there saying it isn't exactly what i had agreed to, i'm wondering if it is because of this.
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the commission would be able to issue subpoenas that would require an agreement among the commission but what are the chances that he would have to testify about his call with donald trump on january 6th? >> well, i think the possibility of that is great. and, you know, stepping up to the plate and doing what you have to do to make sure that the capitol is never under siege again, that police officers are not beat down, members of congress threatened, i think, is worth a leader stepping up, too. we do know that leader mccarthy called the president on that day, former president then president and pleaded with him to call off the angry mob. and so i think it's a great likelihood that he could be subpoenaed but he should welcome the opportunity because getting to the truth matters. >> let me ask you about what politico was reporting, which is that law enforcement officials in palm beach are actively
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preparing for the possibility that manhattan da cy vance is going to indict donald trump while he is living at mar-a-lago. politico also reports there is this obscure clause in florida statute that gives governor ron desantis the ability to intervene and investigate whether an indicted person ought to be surrendered to law enforcement officials in another state. so in your experience how would law enforcement handle trying to extradite donald trump? how would you expect ron desantis to be behave in this? would he intervene? could he keep legally donald trump from new york authorities in any way? >> well, alex, because we saw so much under the trump administration that was just absolutely unbelievable, because we saw multiple cases or incidents of obstruction of justice by the former president, i believe there are people out there just trying to consider
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every scenario. but i would be, and i say this after much thought, i would be shocked myself if governor desantis would put himself in this process standing between justice being served and donald trump being extradited. i would really be surprised to see him doing that, but i do think people are considering a lot of different theories because we've seen so much, alex, that we thought we would never see. >> yes. >> under the trump administration and beyond. >> for sure. let me ask you, after two years we know that former white house counsel don mcgahn has finally agreed to answer questions in private from the house judiciary committee. you serve on that committee. under the agreement mcgahn will only be questioned about information attributed to him in publicly available portions of the mueller report. so what are you hoping to get from him? and to what effect two years
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later? >> well, you know, that saying better late than never? i'm not sure that principle applies in this case because it sure would have been nice if mr. mcgahn would have testified during the impeachment inquiry. i think that he has direct knowledge about those ten, i thought it was 12 incidents of obstruction of justice and we need to know as the president's attorney what role he played, what actions the president was engaged with, i think he has some pertinent information to give our committee, and i'm glad to see an agreement has been made in this process. >> okay. before you go, i have to ask you about the florida governor's race because it looks like it is already under way. and as your democratic colleague
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charlie crist has thrown his hat in, will this factor into your calculations on whether you run? >> no, the only thing that factors into my calculations about whether i run for statewide office or not is if i believe i can be of greater service to the people that i represent. when we looked in tallahassee, you know, some of the ridiculous laws, bills that were signed by our governor just within the last week, voter suppression after he said that florida's process was a model for other states to follow in 2020. but we also know in the senate we have legislation that i certainly care about like the john lewis voting rights act, legislation that deals with gun violence for the people act, and others that i believe are important to the american people, so i've made it quite clear i am seriously considering running for statewide office and
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we'll see what happens. >> okay. a lot of us would welcome that. i'm just saying that for you, val demings. thank you very much for your time and very good to see you, congresswoman. >> thank you. my next guest knows a lot about hackers and makes a living trying to stop them. his take on the people who shut down a pipeline this week prompting americans to panic at the gas pumps. the lessons learned so this can be prevented. that's next. how great is it that we get to tell everybody how liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need? i mean it... oh, sorry... [ laughter ] woops! [ laughter ] good evening! meow! nope. oh... what? i'm an emu! ah ha ha. no, buddy! buddy, it's a filter! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ ♪ ♪ look, if your wireless carrier was a guy you'd leave him tomorrow. not very flexible.
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if any of you have questions about the lifting of the mask mandate you are certainly not alone. we have doctors, travel, and business experts ready to address your concerns coming your way at the bottom of the hour. keep sending us your questions at ask alex@msnbc.com. meantime, happening now, rallies are under way in more than a dozen cities across this country in support of the aapi community. this event comes amid a rise in anti-asian hate crimes and on
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the two-month anniversary of the deadly atlanta spa shootings. my kayleigh is in new york's chinatown for us. richard, i'm glad to have you here. tell me what to expect from today's events. >> reporter: we've been covering a lot of the rallies from the asian american pacific islander community since that horrific atlanta attack where there were eight people killed six of whom were asian american women. we're now participating in the new york rally. there are 16 simultaneous rallies happening across the country. this is historic for this particular community. they've never gathered with a central, organized march across the entire country from the west to the east and what we're seeing right now is the finishing point they marched a little bit earlier from the get out the vote event with about a hundred or 200 individuals here that gathered to say we must stop asian hate crimes. one of the organizers spoke to
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me a little earlier and he was actually looking past today that folks would remember the purpose of today's march and looking forward. >> the next big step we have to push for the education front because we have to let people know, the asian american -- this country for 200 years -- but in the past nobody learned anything about our contribution. we have tore. >> reporter: you can see he is looking forward. we are now two months on. one thing they're also doing to help the current situation is passing out these whistles across the country. they are yellow whistles being used in a very practical way that goes back to stories in the last couple centuries. blowing a whistle for help they are basically saying use a whistle if you need help, if you hear it, also go help that person. this is an historic, across the
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country national series of marches this community has never seen before >> i got to tell you if you see something say something has taken on all manner of meaning and action to it, my friend. thank you, richard lui for covering that for us. colonial pipeline is up and running after the company paid $5 million to russian hackers. the dark side ransomware group has confirmed they were responsible for the cyber attack but claim they never intended to cause a nationwide fuel disruption. joining me now is john ackerly the ceo and formy policy and planning director for the u.s. department of commerce. thank you for joining me. on monday this ransomware group released a statement that said in part, we are apolitical. we do not participate in geo politics. do not need to tie us with a defined government and look for our motives. our goal is to make money, and not creating problems for society. so how much do you buy that?
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how could they think by targeting a fuel pipeline they wouldn't create panic for citizens? >> so that is a great question and i don't think that the ransomware hackers in russia suddenly found their moral compass. i think they felt the heat from the u.s. government and the easiest thing for these guys to do, this group dark side has made $60 million over the past six months, is to disband and they will come back and, so, you know, they are making the very smart business move here. it is a great time to be a bad guy. it is great business right now where you can run in fact ransomware as a service just like software is a service. i would expect a lot more of this and being a washingtonian, here in georgetown it was remarkable to see the long lines around the blocks where
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people -- like in the 1970s. this is a real wake up call. this is a problem for the last 20 years and the billions we've been spending on cyber security tools and lot of it is actually snake oil. we have a lot to be focused on. i think there is also good news to talk about as well. >> i'm going to get to that in a second but the fact that $5 million was paid if indeed that is true, but that is out there. for any nefarious characters, i've identified them, other than darkside, who says hey yeah that's a way to make 5 million bucks, the fact that they paid ransom, is that a good thing? >> so it is not a good thing. it is also very easy to then throw stones. i mean, if you are a company and your critical data has both
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been -- has been taken, your systems shut down, it's kind of like you have cancer and you have a choice whether to live or die, what are you going to do? i don't criticize colonial for doing that. i absolutely understand why the fbi, they are playing a multi stage game and they don't want people to pay those ransoms but it is tough to be too critical. but it is a massive problem, right? >> yeah >> i think the average ransom ware attack is $400,000 per attack but can go up to the tens and millions of dollars so of course this is going to continue. >> i have a hot minute because i have a covid special coming up. >> yes. >> you said there was something good. give me the one good news point you want to make. >> well, i think, you know, the biden administration and speaking as someone who worked for then george w. bush, cyber is a nonpartisan issue, and they
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have really taken phenomenal steps. they have hired the a-team in cyber, the recent executive order, it has muscle. it is focused. and i think that the department of defense has been leading on this issue and there is technology today that can be deployed to actually solve this problem. so i am optimistic we're going to get out in front of this. but it is a real issue >> i well let john ackerly your optimism be the last word. thank you so much. i'm sure we'll see you again. >> thanks so much. just a moment everyone. you are masking up to go shopping and the very next your ' not. what does it mean for traveling this summer? all your questions next as america reopens going maskless coming your way.
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across the country today 121 million vaccinated americans can leave home without a mask after
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the cdc changed its guidelines. the decision is based on two factors studies show few vaccinated people become infected with the virus with even fewer transmitting it to others. and the vaccine seemed to be effective against the covid variants we've heard so much about. the change in guidance left many feeling confused and concerned about whether it is really safe to ditch their masks. dr. anthony fauci told msnbc's andrea mitchell vaccinated americans should be confident they are protected. >> if you go into a place and the fact is you very likely will not know if you go into a restaurant or a store or any other place in the public indoors you're not going to go who is vaccinate order not but we felt that all things considered given the high degree of effectiveness of the vaccine you are okay to do that because your risk is very, very low. >> for the next half hour i have a panel of experts to answer your questions about the new guidelines, what they mean for
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you, the future of travel as well as the economy. and joining me now this fabulous panel msnbc medical contributor, also the founder and ceo of advancing health equity, and the msnbc medical contributor, sarah nelson, president of the association of flight attendants, and an anchor and reporter for yahoo finance. yep, a great team here. doctor, first to you, as i thank you all for being here, we have new guidance that felt a little like a surprise for the general public. how about the health community? were you expecting it? >> no, i don't think anyone was expecting this. it was a significant shift from the last set of updated guidelines and at the most people thought the guidelines would be updated to fully vaccinated people not having to wear masks at all outdoors but would keep wearing them indoors.
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i think the evidence shows that people fully vaccinated are unlikely to get seriously ill, hospitalized, or die, or transmit the virus to other people. we've seen the number of cases coming down as well as the fact the vaccines cover the variants. all in all the guidelines are great in that they are evidence based. what we could have needed was more guidance in the nuance as to how these guidelines show up in schools, businesses, and other settings. >> i'll reiterate what you said from the cdc that the decision was based on studies showing it is rare for vaccinated people to both catch and transmit the virus and that the vaccines work against the variants. but some are still pretty worried about this. i've got a viewer kathy who says when i see someone without a mask the question is, are they really vaccinated? how can i protect myself? doctor, what is your advice to kathy? is now the right time for these new guidelines in your mind? >> you know, the way i sort of
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frame it, alex, is what people's behavior ends up being in response to these guidelines really has everything to do with your own personal risk tolerance as well as your own potential risk factors and the risk factors of the people you live with. so the cdc guidance is just that. these are recommendations. they do not need to be executed, certainly not at the state or local level, and they certainly don't need to k practiced by individuals in this country. so to answer kathy's question i would say this. that if you know you're vaccinated you know you are reasonably well protected. if you're unsure and insecure about having a conversation with someone, when you don't know their vaccination status, keep the conversation to a minimum in terms of duration and try to keep it outdoors. we are back to the basic recommendations in that
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scenario. >> if you're comfortable with it wear your mask for a while. i don't think anyone should be ashamed for doing that. >> absolutely. >> another viewer shares my 30-year-old son does not want the vaccine. my husband and i are fully vaccinated but treated for high blood pressure. can i let my son come inside my home with a mask and with me also wearing one? can we ever again be inside together or hug without masks? >> so for the viewer, if they are fully vaccinated they are actually very well protected and they can wear their mask and their unvaccinated son can also wear a mask and that will increase the level of protection. but the data we have is that when you are fully vaccinated your risk of being infected is very, very low. so whatever this person is comfortable with. the risk is to the unvaccine nated person, to their son. what i would say is the viewer can or cannot have their son
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wear a mask and they don't have to wear a mask either. again, it is up to whatever risk is acceptable to them. >> this puts many businesses in kind of a difficult situation because there are some big retailers like costco, walmart, trader joe's, all decided to allow vaccinated customers to go without a mask inside their stores. it is a little more complicated for small businesses. here is what one chicago restaurant manager had to say. >> it's hard. you don't want to impede someone's dining experience either way. some people feel more safe in a mask some feel very comfortable out of them. it is a catch-22 for business owners trying to accommodate everybody. >> how do businesses decide whether to mandate masks or not and do you think it is going to be more difficult for them to enforce mask wearing now? k then the viewer kathy asked how do businesses confirm someone has been fully vaccinated? >> what we're seeing is a lot of
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apprehension, confusion, and mixed reactions to the new cdc guidance. as you mentioned you have big retailers like walmart who said that effective immediately shoppers at their store who are fully vaccinated don't have to wear a mask if it's not required by local and state rules. that is the crux right there. that's what is causing so much confusion for these businesses is fine. the cdc guidance is this at the federal level but what happens at the state and local level that still require masks? that is basically happening. in fact, the retail industry, leaders association, has said that because there's all this mixed signal going on they advise that shoppers who are fully vaccinated but don't wear a mask to still shop online and do curbside pickup. a lot of mixed reactions, alex. >> you make a good point. state and local ordinances have to be lifted. i had to remind my mother yesterday, she said oh, we can go out without a mask.
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no you can't, mom. it is california. on thursday they'll have a meeting to decide. look local everybody to figure out where your state and community stand. dr. azar, back to another viewer question. j.r. says, my small church has not been meeting in person all year. can we now including singing aloud during worship service? about half of us are fully vaccinated. should we all wear masks to sing out loud or just the unvaccinated people? there would be around 50 of us in a room that could hold 100 or more without distancing. what is your advice? >> well, if we're following strictly the cdc guidance than vaccinated individuals don't need to wear a mask indoors and they can sing out loud but all of the followers who are unvaccinated do need to be masked. it kind of goes back to the same idea. what is the percentage of vaccinated folks in your area. what is the level of viral transmission? what are your risk factors? what is your risk tolerance? it is going to be that same conversation over and over. i would say if the individual is
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concerned, keep on wearing your mask. >> yeah. so the new guidelines do not include mass transportation. the tsa says masks are still required for all rail, bus travelers, as well as airports and airplanes. that federal rule is in place until september 14th. you've been on and we've talked about this a number of times. what does this mean for the airline and travel industry? i mean, is this business as pandemic usual for a while yet? >> first of all what we have to recognize is that the cdc guidelines are to individuals. and we are talking about group spaces here. and so in transportation the cdc guidelines specifically exempt transportation from their guidance to individuals about not wearing a mask so the mask orders are still in place. we have to think about not only the health of everyone but the safety. there is no way to confirm whether someone is vaccinated or not and so the rules remain in place and will be enforced to keep everyone safe. we also have to recognize that
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we have children flying with us who cannot get the vaccine yet. so not everyone who is on planes actually has access to this yet. and so the rules have to stay the same so we can enforce that because we have no way to determine whether or not someone has been vaccinated. >> very good point there. the cdc has said there are several thousand breakthrough covid cases and the latest example got a lot of publicity. eight new york yankees have tested positive after being vaccinated. also comedian bill maher contracted the virus after being fully vaccinated. so our viewer teresa says she'll keep wearing her mask many places because of the breakthrough cases she is hearing about. she asks do we need booster shots now? doctor, how much concern for public breakthrough cases? they sure caught my eye. what do we know about the need for booster shots? >> to back up definitely the viewer can continue to wear her mask as she feels comfortable. second, these breakthrough cases
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originally have been defined as a positive test in a person who has been fully vaccinated. these cases when you look more closely at them the majority of the people, the yankees players, bill maher, have not had symptoms. they are asymptomatic. and remember, the vaccine may prevent moderate to severe disease, hospitalization, and death. so the vaccines are doing what they need to do. they also are, you know, it is also less likely that the asymptomatic individuals will pass on the virus to others. okay? and so none of the yankees had to be hospitalized. only one actually showed symptoms. and the cdc is actually redefining what a breakthrough infection is. now they are saying it is an infection that requires hospitalization. so those would not even technically now qualify as a breakthrough infection. >> okay. i appreciate the clarification on that and all of your answers. don't go anywhere because up next we'll dig a little deeper
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when it comes to your summer travel. with no federal vaccine passport in place, what does this mean for your summer plans? we'll get some answers next. her cape. but when we realized she was battling sensitive skin, we switched to tide hygienic clean free. it's gentle on her skin, and out cleans our old free detergent. tide hygienic clean free. hypoallergenic and safe for sensitive skin. my plaque psoriasis... ...the itching ...the burning. the stinging. my skin was no longer mine. my psoriatic arthritis, made my joints stiff, swollen... painful. emerge tremfyant™. with tremfya®, adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... ...can uncover clearer skin and improve symptoms at 16 weeks.
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more americans are traveling right now than at any point during the pandemic with more than 1.7 million people passing through u.s. airports yesterday. now delta airlines says it requires its new hires to get the covid vaccine. it is the first major u.s. airline to do that so will this pave the way for more normalcy in our skies? back with me to answer that question my panel of experts. sara, i'll pose this to you first. how big is this decision in your mind from delta? do you think other airlines will and should require vaccinations for their employees? >> well, look. i think delta is setting the standard here for new employees and making it very clear from what the cdc is saying and along
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with the cdc guidelines that everyone should get vaccinated. that is how we're going to be safe. they're setting the standard for new employees. there may be exceptions for people already employed. they have to take that on a case by case basis but they are making it very clear they are backing up what the cdc is saying and we need to set that tone. we say to everyone get vaccinated, wear a mask, and come fly with us. with those layers of safety and security we can stay safe. >> dr. azar, you have the mask mandate for airports and other public transit expiring on september 14th. do you think the tsa should consider keeping that rule in place a while longer? >> i think so. i mean, i really don't think that is a hardship for anyone. i've never thought wearing a mask is a hardship for anybody period. the thing about shared spaces like that is you can't guarantee there is going to be adequate ventilation in mass transit subway systems and buses and i know that is a significant concern for myself as well as
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other people who are commuting. these are individuals often who also hold essential jobs who don't have the option, you know, of driving their own car and things like that. so to me, unless there is any other news or information regarding vaccination percentage in the country where case loads are just so, so low they think they can do away with it safely i don't have a problem continuing that for the foreseeable future. >> let me ask you this. there is a viewer who is going to point out for us as we pull it up on the screen antivaxxers are also often antimaskers. i do believe they will give up wearing masks and who will know? i think this will be a huge problem and because of this while the cdc guidelines are welcome i think they will backfire. do you agree with that? i mean, do we need a universal vaccine passport that people have to show before getting on a plane or going to a store or going to a concert?
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>> i do understand the concerns. essentially we are leaving it up to people to be honest and trust worthy and that, you know, is not consistent. and so i think what is going to happen is we're going to see a specific businesses, some may offer vaccine -- if people have had a vaccine, come to our establishment as an incentive because we're checking proof of vaccines. i don't think every business is going to operate that way. but i do think that we are leaving it up to an honor code and that is a concern especially in businesses and gathering settings which is why i think people who are unvaccinated and this has not changed from the cdc guidelines, they need to still wear masks. they still need to physically distance. but again, i think the other settings are going to need more guidance from the cdc on what they should do and how they should proceed giving these updates. >> i'm curious. if there is no federal vaccine
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passport, how does that impact travel? do you think the airline industry will have to create its own? if i'm flying to france i have to show my passport of citizenship. might i have to have some sort of vaccine passport? >> alex, we can't control what other countries are going to do either and it may be very likely other countries require proof of vaccine in order to fly there. that is the other issue with airline employees. this may be a requirement of the job if you're going to actually be working outside the country. but for the front line workers who are facing this right now, remember, they have been on the front line since the beginning of the pandemic and for flight attendants and grocery workers and others they have also had to be the mask police to keep everyone safe and keep themselves safe. that is going to continue to be the case until we know for sure that everyone has been vaccinated because we can't just take people on faith that they have done that when we are charged with keeping everyone in our care safe. >> yeah. how critical is something like a
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vaccine passport potentially for businesses as they are trying to grapple over how to monitor mask wearing? >> the idea has definitely been brought up and thought about. but it isn't like corporate america is going to embrace a vaccine passport right now. like we've been discussing it is going to be about integrity, your honor, and just being honest about whether you are fully vaccinated or not with your employer. walmart, on tuesday they are going to allow fully vaccinated employees to not have to wear masks. how are they going to know whether the employees are vaccinated or not? it is a yes or no answer to a question during daily health assessments. that is how many companies are approaching it right now where they're just leaving it up to employees and now we're seeing with shoppers to just be honest about whether or not they're fully vaccinated. of course that makes a lot of other people uncomfortable. it does create more issues and, also, the issue of should someone be policing whether people are vaccinated or not for
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other people's health? we'll see how it pans out with the new cdc guidance. >> if this was easy we wouldn't be having this half hour special with the four of you. stay right where you are. we have more coming. we'll have more questions about going maskless and if you'remas and if you're on the fence about getting the vaccine, businesses, cities, states, they're offering some interesting incentives for you to consider. ♪ it's grilled cheese time. ♪ ♪ yeah, it's time for grilled cheese. ♪ ♪ after we make grilled cheese, ♪ ♪ then we're eating grilled cheese. ♪ ♪ because it's time. ♪ ♪ yeah. ♪ ♪ time for grilled cheese. ♪
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♪ (ac/dc: back in black) ♪ ♪ ♪ the bowls are back. applebee's irresist-a-bowls all just $8.99. i'm excited to hear that vaccinated people will not have to wear masks. i'm waiting for the state and the city to announce that that's okay. as of now, my understanding is that's not the case yet. >> at this point there's no uniform proof of vaccines, so it's up to the businesses if they want to adopt this policy. >> so business owners there grappling with how to react to the cdc's new mask guidelines, how it's going to impact the economy. i'm joined by my special and esteemed panel of experts to talk about all this.
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sabile, i want to go vacationing to a degree. we mentioned businesses lifting the mask mandates inside stores. universal orlando and disney world are also allowing people to go maskless. is that going to boost business at all? does it signal a sign of recovery as we're getting into the summer months here? >> for many businesses, this is what they were waiting for. a return to normalcy when americans can put the masks aside and not have to wear them. but also not have to deal with social distancing guidelines. what we're seeing is that disney has been severely impacted by the pandemic. and because of that, of course they would like to increase capacity at their theme parks. and disney's ceo mentioned on a call, he was saying that have you ever been in florida with a mask on when it's really hot? and basically what he's getting at is that when it comes to disney's theme parks, it's a much more enjoyable experience
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as in the past when people could go around and not have to worry about necessarily a pandemic and wearing masks. so it's all about a return to normalcy. but obviously businesses need to be cautious here. and obviously they're trying to abide by the cdc guidelines and local and state regulations. that can conflict sometimes. >> sarah, your thoughts on the extent to which you're seeing a return to normalcy in the travel industry. can you put that in perspective, how far it's come back? >> yeah. we're only at about 50% demand that we were before the pandemic started. and we do not have business travel back. we don't have international travel back. so that's what we're missing right now. we're missing that both in terms of the demand and also the revenue that comes with that very important travel. so we have the relief from the federal government through september. and we are hoping that that is going to keep us stable and in our jobs. it keeps executive pay capped and stock buybacks banned. but we're really hopeful that we
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can get through this to a place where we can all return to normal. and we're very, very aware of the fact that we have to stop the spread of communicable disease at transportation's door. we continue to keep our guard up and have the requirement of the masks in place and all of the other layers of safety and security so we're not aiding and abetting the virus spreading. >> good for you. and one last question from gregory to both of our doctors. he wants to know whether either of you personally feel comfortable attending a packed movie or church service with family members in which other people do not wear masks. it's getting personal. dr. azar, first to you. >> oh, wow. i'm really feeling this as a personal question, alex. how do i feel about it? you know, okay, so you know how dr. blackstock was talking earlier about breakthrough cases, right. we know that the vaccine is not
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100% effective, and we also know that there are so many variables that influence your response to a vaccine, right. your age, your sex, medications you might be on, et cetera, et cetera. now i'm speaking abstractly, and you want me to answer some personally. my 88-year-old mom lives with me. if i bring the virus home to her, that could be -- that could be catastrophic, right. >> yeah. >> if i am in a crowded movie theater with people, 100 people, and i have absolutely no idea what their vaccine status is, i probably would keep my mask on. that's my honest answer. >> that completely makes sense. last word to you, dr. blackstock. how do you feel about that? >> i want to thank gregory for the question. i think it's important to hear what physicians have to say. >> yeah. >> i will continue to wear my mask in crowded places. i think, one, i still am not comfortable psychologically being without a mask in crowds. that's just how it is, or indoor spaces. i think eventually i will get
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there. i also have small children at home who are unvaccinated. i would never want to be a risk to them. >> well, listen, i want to thank all four of you so much. dr. blackstock, natalie azar, sabiel marcelies, sara. thank you so much. thanks for watching. i'll see you at noon tomorrow. next, reports on the ground in israel as deadly attacks ramp up next. xt [laugh] dad i got a job! i'm moving out. [laugh] dream sequence ending no! in three, no! two, keep packing! one. if you printed out directions to get here today, you're in the right place. my seminars are a great tool to help young homeowners who are turning into their parents. now, remember, they're not programs. they're tv shows. you woke up early. no one cares. yes. so, i was using something called homequote explorer from progressive to easily compare home insurance rates.
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good afternoon, everybody, i'm yasmin vossoughian. we're following breaking news. a dangerous new escalation in the mideast. the cdc comments on masks and a lot of questions. new reporting on matt gaetz and sex-for-pay allegations. later this hour, the leader of the effort to pul

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