Skip to main content

tv   Stephanie Ruhle Reports  MSNBC  May 26, 2021 6:00am-7:00am PDT

6:00 am
and we will lift up the standard and the expectation of our officers and we will make sure they have the tools to keep our city safe. >> all right. new york city mayoral candidate borough president eric adams. before we go. a quick congratulations. >> go red sox. >> to our willie geist. he's done so well. our boy has grown up. >> he's been nominated for a daytime emmy award. >> i'm serious. >> outstanding morning show. look at our boy! >> he was knee high to a breast, and he's got a future in front of him. seriously, congratulations. we'll stuff the ballot box. >> thank you. good company, our buddies across the street on the "today" show are on the list, too. like this show, it's small and puts on a great show every day. thanks so much. >> that does it for us this morning. >> it's a conspiracy. peter alexander. >> we love you. >> you're great.
6:01 am
♪♪ ♪♪ good morning to you. i'm peter alexander in today for my friend stephanie ruhle. it is wednesday, may 26th and here is what is happening right now. any minute from now secretary of state tony blinken is set to meet with jordan to meet with king abdullah. blinken called a voice for peace in keeping the israel-hamas cease-fire from falling apart. police reform after george floyd's family met with the president and called on lawmakers to get a bill done in floyd's name. and the investigation into donald trump and his business empire appears to have reached a new phase. "the washington post" reporting that the manhattan d.a. has convened a special grand jury that could hear evidence and weigh possible criminal charges against mr. trump, his staff or his family. i want to bring in my colleague to the white house, nbc's chief white house correspondent kristen welker, david farrenholt
6:02 am
covers trump for "the washington post" and the one who broke this stare, legal affairs columnist for politico and joyce vance is former u.s. attorney and professor at the university of alabama school of law. dared, let me start with you because it's your reporting here. it wasn't unexpected, but it's certainly significant. talk to us about what exactly this means, this empaneling of a special grand jury? >> well, it means as you said earlier, that the d.a. is shifting the focus of the investigation from gathering evidence, vacuuming up evidence of donald trump to put it together and make a case that one person or set of persons committed a crime. it's not going to be a quick process and that's the next step. over the next six months the d.a. will go to the grand jury and show them more evidence, probably more evidence than a regular jury would see, that somebody or maybe more than one
6:03 am
somebody committed a crime. >> kristen, we've heard a lot from the former president and not as much since he left office, but he has lashed out on federal prosecutors on numerous occasions and very rarely than ever and going after the substance of the accusations against him. >> that's right, peter. we are hearing from former president biden what we heard from him so many times before when he's been under investigation and never been charged with anything and he is dismissing this as a continuation of the greatest witch hunt in american history. he's also trying to argue this this is purely politics. let me read you a part of his defiant statement that he released overnight. he says this is purely political and an affront to the over 75 million voters who supported me in the presidential election and is being driven by highly partisan democrat prosecutors. peter, that last part of the sentence is important because i am told in conversations with those who are close to the former president that that is going to be exhibit a.
6:04 am
he's trying to cast the prosecutors as politically driven should this situation, and should this investigation escalate, but taking a step back, this is a growing political problem for the former president. he wants to re-engage. we know he wants to be out on the trail campaigning for candidates in the midterm and this will undoubtedly cast a shadow not only the former president, but over the gop as they try to navigate how to move forward in the post-trump era. so there is a lot of concern within the republican party about this latest legal development within trump world, peter. >> joyce, let me ask you if i can right now, the empaneling of a grand jury doesn't mean that any particular person will be charged, but we certainly know that there is a lot that they've been focused on in terms of the scope of this investigation in and around mr. trump's world. here's what we heard from his former fixer and his former attorney michael cohen just a
6:05 am
couple of years ago. listen. >> to your knowledge, did the president or his company ever inflate assets or revenues? >> yes. >> and was that done with the president's knowledge or direction? >> everything was done with the knowledge and at the direction of mr. trump. >> do you think we need to review his financial statements and his tax returns in order to compare them. >> yes, and you'd find it at the trump org. >> joyce, obviously, with this investigation stemming in large part from that testimony as it relates to tax and financial bank-type fraud, what do we know, specifically about the scope of this investigation? well, i think you're right, peter. that testimony from michael cohen was likely the origin story for this investigation, and that implies that prosecutors have been looking at both the possibility of tax
6:06 am
fraud and bank fraud and perhaps they're looking at compensation schemes for executives of the trump organization, but something that's important to remember is that cy vance has used it effectively in the past. in february after a hard-fought battle he finally got access to trump organization's taxes and to the underlying documentation for those tax returns. he's now had several months to scrutinize those materials. he's brought in some forensic accounting experts and so convening a special grand jury that can focus three days a week on matters relating to the trump organization and perhaps individual defendants would signify he's hit pay dirt here. you don't bring a special grand jury and not for nothing to waste everyone's time. this is now a more focused investigation, but we don't yet know what its goal is. >> so renata, how tough is it to prove tax fraud here?
6:07 am
here's something you tweeted that i found interesting. you wrote fraud is just when you lie to people to get their money so the case usually comes down to whether the defendant knew the statements in the documents were false. you say it's easier to prove knowledge for people involved in preparing or authorizing the documents like weisselberg. obviously there referencing to the chief financial officer for the trump organization. so state of mind, ultimately at the end of the day would come into play here. >> absolutely. that's what a fraud case usually comes down to. ultimately, look, there are false statements in all sorts of documents. sometimes we make mistakes and things like that, but what turns a false statement and a document into a fraud case is having the knowledge that the statement's false and intending to defraud people, and so that could be tricky. we don't have a telescope that sees inside people's mind. so typically the sort of evidence is required to prove the knowledge and the intent to
6:08 am
defraud is either going to be some really salty email or text message saying, yes -- the numbers or testimony from somebody who will say yes, donald trump and i discussed this tax return and he told me to inflate the numbers and something like that. obviously, it's hypothetical and that's the sort of hypothetical evidence you need. >> a lot of americans right now are trying to make sense of all you've been reading about the former president and the investigations. you have the manhattan district attorney. you have the new york attorney general, letitia james and she's sharing some of her lawyers with the manhattan d.a. right now. can you help us understand the state of play? >> sure, it is complicated and there are two separate investigations. the new york attorney general had been running a civil investigation, an investigation that would end with a lawsuit and she has told us a little bit about what she's interested in and she's interested in five or
6:09 am
six different transactions where trump misstated his assets to lower his taxes or to convince a lender he's a better credit risk. she hasn't given us the evidence she has, but that's what she's focused on. the cy vance criminal inquiry whose scope is much larger and it's trump's finances going to 2011 and we don't know what he seized on. >> let me ask you about cy vance, the manhattan d.a. obviously, his term expires at the end of this year. what do you make of that in terms of the timeframe that we're playing here for the possibility of the charges? >> you know, i know a lot of folks have speculated that cy vabs would love to see this case come to fruition before he leaves office. i think prosecutors are like everybody else. we like to see our work be productive and likely the timing of this special grand jury which will terminate in november would
6:10 am
indicate that there is some hope that indictments or a decision not to indict could be reached by then and of course, the special grand jury can be extended for an additional period of time. there are absolutely no guarantees here that this work is finished in november. >> and renato back to where we started about this special grand jury. they can help obtain records and follow through with the returning of indictments and they can lock in testimony. is it likely or possible that this grand jury would be used to lock in the testimony of some of those who may be key to the investigation itself? >> yeah. absolutely. anyone who lived through the mueller invest gagd remembers reports of witnesses coming in and out of that grand jury. i think we will see more reports in the weeks ahead of similar things happening here and as you point out, this is about locking in testimony in other words, as opposed to having a conversation with someone they'll have to raise their hand and testify
6:11 am
under oath to a bunch of grand jurors and ordinary citizens. so we will start seeing those reports in the weeks ahead. >> to my colleague kristen welker who i share the show on weekends and former prosecutor renato marriotta and joyce vance, we thank all of you for your expertise. we are following breaking news in the middle east where secretary of state blinken is set to arrive in jordan any minute. what to expect as he meets with the country's defense minister? plus political and faith leaders responding to a surge of anti-semitic attacks. i'll ask the rabbi of the tree of life synagogue which was targeted in a mass shooting, what can be done to stop the hate. rapid wrinkle repair® smooths the look of fine lines in 1-week, deep wrinkles in 4. so you can kiss wrinkles goodbye! neutrogena®
6:12 am
mm. [ clicks tongue ] i don't know. i think they look good, man. mm, smooth. uh, they are a little tight. like, too tight? might just need to break 'em in a little bit. you don't want 'em too loose. for those who were born to ride there's progressive. with 24/7 roadside assistance. -okay. think i'm gonna wear these home. -excellent choice. think of what peanuts have given humanity! fuel for vast migrations! sustenance for mountaineering expeditions and long journeys across the world! but most importantly? they give us something to eat when we drink beer. planters. a nut above. they give us something to eat when we drink beer. with visible, you get unlimited data for as little as $25 a month. but when you bring a friend, you get a month for $5. so i'm bringing everyone within 12 degrees of me. bam, 12 months of $5 wireless. visible. wireless that gets better with friends. before nexium 24hr,
6:13 am
anna could only imagine a comfortable night's sleep without frequent heartburn waking her up. now, that dream... . ...is her reality. nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts, for all-day, all-night protection. can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn? ♪ ♪ look, if your wireless carrier was a guy all-night protection. you'd leave him tomorrow. not very flexible. not great at saving. you deserve better... xfinity mobile. now they have unlimited for just $30 a month... $30. and they're number one in customer satisfaction. his number... delete it. i'm deleting it. so, break free from the big three. xfinity internet customers, take the savings challenge at xfinitymobile.com/mysavings. or visit and xfinity store to learn how our switch squad makes it easy to switch and save hundreds.
6:14 am
time for new reading glasses? go to readers.com! choose from hundreds of styles and colors, for under $20. and now, enter this exclusive tv coupon code at checkout to save up to 40%. that's readers.com this morning lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are responding to a slew of anti-semitic attacks in the u.s. tied to violence in the middle
6:15 am
east. the group of jewish democrats sending a letter to president biden urging him to focus on combatting anti-semitism. while republican leader kevin mccarthy passed legislation to make sure those committing attacks are strongly prosecuted, he is coming out with strong words after marjorie taylor greene after she compared covid mask requirements to the holocaust calling her comments appalling. this comes as jews across the country face a major spike in attacks, anti-semitic acts are up 80% in just the last month alone. yesterday in los angeles, a second suspect was arrested in a violence assault on multiple jewish men outside of a restaurant. last week in new york one of five suspects has been arrested in an assault on a jewish man in times square captured in this disturbing video. the 25-year-old was charged with a hate crime.
6:16 am
police in brooklyn are looking for a group harassing orthodox jews outside a synagogue yelling "kill all of the jews" and going on to kill two overnight. in illinois, florida, alabama, virginia, michigan, missouri, arizona, texas, new jersey, utah, louisiana and elsewhere. joining me now to discuss is reverend hazad meyer and his synagogue was attacked in 2018. rabbi, appreciate your time. i'm sorry again that it's under these circumstances right now you witnessed anti-semitism with 11 losing their lives of your own congregation. with what you're hearing and seeing, what worries you most? >> well, anti-semitism is never going to go away.
6:17 am
we as jews recognize that, but what we recognize is it's symptomatic of a greater, troubling illness in this country, the inability of people to understand each other and to get along with each other and work for the common good. to me, that's the greater issue when you have, as i call it the "h" word, when you have that in your heart inevitably it will lead to violence and that is never something productive and it always leads to bad endings. >> this dialogue has not been very productive and certainly not in recent days. at the risk of amplifying in any way the comments of marjorie taylor greene, certainly there were repulsive comments she made comparing vaccination policies to the holocaust. how concerning is this type of language to you in this climate? >> i think that we as americans should have an expectation that
6:18 am
all of our elected leaders, be it local, state or national they're held to a higher standard of behavior, comportment or language, whether any elected leader of any level is acting in a way that is unacceptable they get permission from all of us to behave a certain way because they want us how to behave, we expect them to be well educated. we expect them to speak well and to represent all americans with faith and equity. so anyone who speaks inappropriately should be chastised. >> rabbi, how do we break this cycle? how do we end what is happening right now? it feels like an awful rinse and repeat and all of a sudden american jews find themselves under attack for no reason whatsoever? >> i get the nobel peace prize, i want to know.
6:19 am
it seems to me that deep down in america, and i can say that because i live six blocks from mr. rogers' home in pittsburgh. we don't know our neighbors. when we don't know anything about our neighbor, we mistrust, we misunderstand and it turns to fear and loathing. eventually the "h" word and it turns to violence and we need to start from the basics which is to get to know our neighbors. once we do, we can appreciate who they are, their stories and recognize we have so much more in common with all of our fellow citizens than uncommon. let's unite for what's common with us to a better america. >> it's because we don't know our naeshs and we find people hiding behind the anonymity and misinformation, a lack of facts and basic ignorance that helps
6:20 am
amplify this issue. how concerning is social media in this climate and what responsibility do we have in the way that you use it. the challenge of social media is it's's private company. we don't have the controls that one should have. when people reloy social media as the seoul sorts of facts because then anyone can promote whatever their opinion is and people don't take the time to research a topic carefully and weigh a variety of views and be a part of the conversation and be intelligently informed. it is a troubling issue that i think needs more conversation and study. i don't have any easy answer for that. >> right. >> -- because so many people are so easily swayed by what they read in social media immediately as fact. >> to so many american jews who
6:21 am
are scared by what they're seeing and scared for their own family, what do you say to those american jews in your congregation who are scared right now. >> we are experiencing once again what many call domestic terrorism. the goal of domestic terrorism is for you to change your own behavior. my answer to my fellow american jews is i will not let domestic terrorists terrorize me. when they terrorize me i do even more jewish things and the answer is not to be less and to hide. it is to be proud of who you are and to do more of what you are that makes you jewish to help your fellow human beings in any way that you can. to follow the precepts of our jewish law. so when they do more evil, i do more jewish. >> beautifully said. rabbi, we appreciate your time and thank you for being with us.
6:22 am
rabbi meyers of the tree of life synagogue. any minute now antony blinken will arrive in amman, jordan, and he'll meet with the country's defense minister as the situation remains fragile in the middle east. the cease-fire between israel and hamas entering its sixth day. president biden has selected thomas nides to be u.s. ambassador for israel. we do not know when the white house will make that official. andrea, good morning to you. >> good morning to you. good to see you, peter. >> walk us through the situation in and what you are witnessing on the ground there and there is a new commitment to try to engage both parties going forward. >> there's a new commitment and as you heard the secretary of state say yesterday, there should be no more, visions and
6:23 am
no more demolishing of homes in the palestinian neighborhoods of east jerusalem because they feel the incursion of jewish settlements is taking away any hope that they can ever have for a palestinian capital and a palestinian state. as you well know, peter, until four years ago with the trump administration there was bipartisan u.s. policy for more than 50 years, that there would be no further incursion of u.s. settlements because there was the long-held hope that the eventual settlement between the two sides would lead to two countries side by side, a capital for each in jerusalem. that changed, of course, under donald trump. their policy was to fully embrace benjamin netanyahu and his policy of expanding settlements and making depack owe, an ability to have continuous land that would even be a capital for a palestinian
6:24 am
state in jerusalem, and that is the palestinian point of view and as secretary blinken was today, and i went to those neighborhoods where the protests continued today. they're awaiting a final court decision from the district court on the eviction of 70 more homes or rather 700 more residents and another neighborhood that led to the original spark that ignited the conflict for 11 days. i talked to anary abmember of the knesset, israel's parliament. this is what he had to say about the hope that he would do something. >> do something. just to talk will not prevent this occupation from evacuate palestinians and oppress them. it is time to intervene.
6:25 am
>> reporter: and peter, in fact, when i first got to the neighborhood people were saying to me when is blinken coming? blinken is here. he's basically the americans can save us. at that moment blinken was 572 miles away in cairo. he is working on the broader support for the cease-fire and trying to get first egypt and landing in jordan and getting the neighbors involved and those are two countries that have recognized israel and while he's doing that, the people here falsely thought he was able to save them and that is again, another repetition and false hopes that there will be outside american intervention, because as you know and they know only the u.s. can really save the possibility for a two-state solution even as netanyahu's
6:26 am
time is about to expire as of today, seven more days for the opposition lead tore try to form a government. netanyahu is still hoping for a hail mary, if you will, to mix metaphors, in a last-minute way, and the fear here, i should say, is that he will do anything to try to save his prime minister's job even if that should mean escalating further and this is a very fragile cease-fire. it may not hold. >> andrea mitchell life on the ground in jerusalem where we have shared many trips in the past. i'm glad you're back there and we appreciate it and we'll see you at 6:00 eastern. a group of diplomats and other staffers who were in cuba and china have sent a letter saying they were not getting proper care after four years of suffering brain injury systems consistent with what they call
6:27 am
havana syndrome. those staffers, josh, as you know, expressing real frustration with the biden administration's early response. what are they saying? >> peter, for more than four years now these diplomats and other workers have largely been suffering in silence without getting consistent care or answers about what happened to them, even as the number of reported incidents have been growing with new reports of potential incidents in asia and western europe in russia and now even here in washington, d.c. there was optimism that the biden administration pledged to do more, and the letter sent on behalf of u.s. government workers and their spouses saying to the state department after four years of challenges, we were hopeful the new administration would welcome a partnership with us to ensure those affected received the care and treatment they need. the diplomats going on to say, unfortunately, our experience
6:28 am
thus far has fallen short of our renewed expectations. they say they haven't even been able to get a meeting with ambassador pamela spratten at the state department who is overseeing the response to this. they have recommendations they want it to adopt including baseline testing before they go overseas which is something the canadian government his put it into effect. >> they are aware of this letter and they take it seriously and tony blinken is being updated regularly about this ongoing investigation and no known cause that the u.s. government has been able to identify for this bizarre incident affecting our workers all over the world. >> josh letterman, we appreciate your reporting. after this break, what could get done here in washington. where we stand on infrastructure, police reform and on the january 6th commission as deadlines loom for
6:29 am
the biden administration. are you managing your diabetes... ...using fingersticks? with the new freestyle libre 2 system, a continuous glucose monitor, you can check your glucose with a painless, one-second scan. and now with optional alarms, you can choose to be notified if you go too high or too low. and for those who qualify, the freestyle libre 2 system is now covered by medicare. ask your doctor for a prescription. you can do it without fingersticks. learn more at freestyle libre 2 dot u.s. ♪♪ good night syra. night, drive safe. i love you. drive safe. ok buh bye mommy. you guys ready? you sure you got everything?
6:30 am
drive safe. we all say it; chevy can help you do it. with chevy safety assist standard on the new equinox and trailblazer part of the chevy family of suvs. drive safe. of course you've seen underwear and trailblazer part of that fits like this...s. but never for bladder leaks. always discreet boutique black. i feel protected all day, in a fit so discreet, you'd never know they're for bladder leaks. always discreet boutique. ahhh! get out of here mouse. ahhh! ♪♪ don't flex your pecs. terminix.
6:31 am
♪♪ visible is wireless that doesn't play games. it's powered by verizon for as little as $25 a month. but it gets crazier. bring a friend every month and get every month for $5. boom! 12 months of $5 wireless. visible, wireless that gets better with friends. emergency planning for kids. we can't predict when an emergency will happen. so that's why it's important to make a plan with your parents. here are a few tips to stay safe. know how to get in touch with your family. write down phone numbers for your parents, siblings and neighbors. pick a place to meet your family if you are not together and can't go home. remind your parents to pack an emergency supply kit. making a plan might feel like homework, but it will help you and your family stay safe during an emergency.
6:32 am
this morning right here in the nation's capitol, three pieces of crucial legislation are on the table with democrats,
6:33 am
republicans and the white house each playing their hand very carefully here. last night senate majority leader chuck schumer made a move that could lead the senate to vote on the january 6th commission bill this week before they leave town for a week-long recess. on infrastructure, republicans are expected to release another counteroffer. their sort of counter, counteroffer this one with a price tag of $1 trillion and more optimism on the police reform bill one day after george floyd's camera after his daughter visited the white house. the marine holding the door for gianna floyd as she was entering the west wing. eugene daniels, white house reporter for politico, eugene, we'll see you back if the briefing room very soon. for now we'll keep our conversations to television. let me ask you what you're hearing from the white house on this issue as it were roughly $1 trillion on infrastructure and still less than half of where
6:34 am
the president started and roughly $2 trillion. is that good enough for the white house? >> i think so. >> they really, really want to get an infrastructure deal that is bipartisan here, and i think they talked about the president's only red line is action and raising taxes on people who make less than $400,000. even if it was a trillion dollar would do either of those things, and i think, when i talked to people and sources in the white house, they've talked about how they've tried to be creative and making sure that the republicans feel pressured to do something on this bill, and to see this other group of senators who weren't involved with the capital negotiations, talking about negotiations and more importantly, you see joe manchin being involved more which means that the white house can't depend on him saying i'm ready to move on and they're cognizant of that and they know they need that if they want to go through reconciliation and they have to continue the debate.
6:35 am
>> reconciliation and the mechanism where democrats would have to do it alone with additional republican votes they would need to pass a big type of bill like this. garrett, to you. is this as for as republicans are willing to go and as i ask you, some republicans are coming up with their own independent plan? >> i think $1 trillion seems like the ceiling on an offer from republicans and it's above the level that mitch mcconnell said he would be comfortable spending and this would depend on creative accounting here and whether this is money re-purposed from the covid relief bill and how republicans come up with this money without revisiting the 2017 tax bill which has been their red line is going to be critical. to eugene's point, i don't think you will convince roger wicker that their states need this infrastructure money, but they feel like they've got to get talking with their white house about the same things and there was great frustration here among senate republicans that the most
6:36 am
recent white house offer still dealt with things that they don't believe are part of a core infrastructure bill. if they're not having discussions about the same set of priorities the top line price tag is want the biggest issue. >> and if i can, eugene, let me ask you about this historic, frankly, visit that happened at the white house. the family of george floyd coming to the white house and they're first face to face with president biden since the funeral for floyd, now approaching a year ago and what was notable here, right? is that i spoke to ben crump, the attorney for the family and they said they wanted to pay proper respect to george floyd with the president who would have continuous conversations and communication with the family here. the white house has been less engaged as it relates to those lawmakers on capitol hill and not wanting to interfere with this process and cory booker says this could take weeks and not months before it's concluded. the hearing could take months. >> this is a president who has the relationship with the floyd
6:37 am
family. so they need this to get to biden's desk, right? he's close to them and he showed the daughter walking through into the oval office and how much she has affected him and that is something he's talked about a lot and something has to get to his desk to sign and on frustration, it is frustrating both for the white house and capitol hill and more importantly across the country. one thing that we know how things work in d.c., as time moves on people start to look to other things to do other things and karen, to do some of these negotiations even talked about that, talked about her fear that the rising crime rates in some cities will make people think, you know what? maybe we shouldn't deal with this, senator booker and tim scott have to move quicker on this one. >> garrett, finally to you on the january 6th commission with the possibility of a vote on the senate side as early as next week right here. there is a sense that
6:38 am
republicans are obviously concerned about this. what is the concern of most republicans about having a real look exactly at one of the worst tragedies at the capitol building behind me. >> they want the midterm elections to be about joe biden, not about donald trump. that's why he told reporters that he would not be interested in any changes to the format or the structure of the january 6th commission. he is dedicated to opposing it. republicans have been kind of dancing around this explanation for the last week or so, but we started to hear more of them come out and say it. they think the january 6th commission i explicitly political designed to force republicans by forcing january 6th and trump-related headlines in the news and they don't want to go through with it. it's really as simple as that. >> based on the 9/11 commission that was widely celebrated for the important work that it did
6:39 am
back then. garrett haake, thanks to you and eugene daniel, thanks to you, as well. after this break, life after lockdown. robots are helping out in restaurants and americans are flocking to get a vacation straight out of a movie. [typing sounds] [music fades in] [voice of female] my husband ben and i opened ben's chili bowl the very same year that we were married. that's 1958. [voice of male] the chili bowl really has never closed in our history. when the pandemic hit, we had to pivot. and it's been really helpful
6:40 am
to keep people updated on google. we wouldn't be here without our wonderful customers. we're really thankful for all of them. [female voices soulfully singing “come on in”] [ crowd cheering ] [ engine revving ] [ race light countdown ] ♪♪ ♪♪ when you save money with allstate you feel like you're winning. safe drivers save 40% saving is easy when you're in good hands. allstate. click or call for a quote today. saving is easy when you're in good hands. with visible, you get unlimited data for as little as $25 a month. but when you bring a friend, you get a month for $5. so i'm bringing everyone within 12 degrees of me. bam, 12 months of $5 wireless. visible. wireless that gets better with friends. this past year has felt like
6:41 am
a long, long norwegian winter. but eventually, with spring comes rebirth. everything begins anew. and many of us realize a fundamental human need to connect with other like-minded people. welcome back to the world. viking. exploring the world in comfort... once again. ♪♪ ♪ i want to see you stand up ♪ ♪ i want to feel you be proud ♪ ♪ i want to hear your beating heart ♪ ♪ live out loud ♪ ♪ you can do it on your own ♪ ♪ stand up now ♪ ♪ be proud, yeah ♪ ♪ stand up now ♪ ♪ live out loud, oh ♪♪ saturdays happen.
6:42 am
pain happens. aleve it. aleve is proven stronger and longer on pain than tylenol. when pain happens, aleve it. all day strong. now to the latest on the coronavirus pandemic and here are the facts at this hour. the u.s. hitting another milestone in the fight against covid-19 this morning. 50% of all adults are fully vaccinated. the lottery there is working. it's seeing a 45% jump since the announcement of the lottery. the first million dollar winner will be announced tonight. we have the latest developments across the country and the world on this topic. sam brock is live in south florida, chris jansing, poor chris live in italy today and
6:43 am
dr. william shafter at vanderbilt university medical center and a cdc adviser. i want to start with sam in miami. there is one new solution to these worker shortages that some restaurants are facing. it's robots. how does it work? >> and the robot, peter, is named astro for automated service tray organizer. >> you see them walking around with big plates. [ speaking foreign language ] >> felipe is the manager. he told the robot what station this is going to and it is all digitally mapped and it's a mixture of new hardware and software that's making this possible. so now we're going to do it. press the table once we find it. go. you got it. check this out. all right, astro, after you.
6:44 am
the cool thing, peter, about astro is that this is essentially like self-driving car technology. he will navigate based on who is or is not in the restaurant. if there is someone in its path it will move the other direction to not have any congestion. it's the path of least resistance and sergio's where i am in miami and it's the first restaurant in the state of florida to introduce this technology and the servers still get to deliver the food and i'll step aside here to diners as they arrive so the human interaction is still in place and one of the concerns we hear, this will take away people's jobs and the owner of sergio's says that's not the case. it will improve work flow. here's what he had to say. >> it doesn't replace jobs. that's important to say. it's about taking out the function of the position that's the hardest to do. so, for example, astro takes the food from the kitchen to the actual table for the server so
6:45 am
they don't have to leave the dining room. what does that mean? well, just in one week, we were able to save 25 miles of walking for our servers. >> and peter, the coo of the company that makes these robots in california says this the efficiency that's achieve side somewhere in the neighborhood of 35% to 30% less work which is to say the servers are getting more interaction with customers, more pay and more tables for less work. that's the goal and the sweet spot of the idea behind this, and i asked juan who is the coo of that company and there are six in florida or about to be. how many do you think there will be this time next year? he says thousands. >> we'll see what astro does when you tell him you want the burger medium and not medium rare. let's get to chris in italy. the most popular destination in europe for american tourists and
6:46 am
a tough place to get to and one of the hardest-hit spots. what is it like for americans who want to travel there now. >> they're hoping in cortona who made the book and the movie "under the tuscan sun" famous. it's been decimated all across italy, but a little bit of hope on the horizon because of three major american airlines. united, american and delta all expanding the number and the destination of covid-free flights. now i took one over. here's what you have to do 72 hours before, within that window, you need to get a negative pcr test and then you get tested at the american airport and when you land you get tested again, instant tests and they all have to be negative, but there is a big payoff because then as an american tourist you don't have to quarantine and they're already starting to see a little bit of movement because of this decision by the airlines. i talked to an american travel agent who is based here in
6:47 am
cortona. take a listen. >> i went from having absolutely nothing to do to my phone ringing off the hook and people returning to italy. being a travel agent, i'm getting a lot of questions about when they can come here and what are the requirements to ply and what is it going to be like when they arrive here in italy. >> it has been uncharacteristically kwie the here and officials know that it's going to be a long summer. they're hoping to get a big boost come maybe august or september as people feel a little more comfortable traveling and the stakes could not be higher, peter. in 2020 they made $121 billion less in tourist dollars than they did in 2019. the stake's really high, peter. >> i trust you'll do well there and you can support the local
6:48 am
economy. >> i'm going to do the best i can. >> i don't doubt it. dr. shafter, the good news lately is that we finally in the last couple of days have hit the 50% mark and 50% of americans fully vaccinated right now. as we relate to this pandemic, give us a sense of where you think we need to be. where do we need to be to feel like we are ahead of this and we beat back some of these dramatic figures. 500 deaths a day are still being reported. >> peter, there are two sides to that coin. 50% of adults vaccinated, that's a stupendous achievement and where is the other 50% and how come they haven't come forward and rolled up their sleeves and been vaccinated? that's the challenge and we have to go there and be more persuasive. after all, the 50%, that was the easy 50% and now we're going have to work harder because we still have too many deaths out there and we have some communities where the
6:49 am
vaccination rate has been quite low. the virus will continue to smolder in those communities making people sick, sending them to the hospital and unfortunately, still causing some deaths. we can get ahead of this virus completely if all those adults who have not yet been vaccinated show up. >> the bottom line is if you want it there are plenty of vaccine spots out there to get it immediately. >> absolutely. we have plenty of vaccine, and in case you hadn't noticed, vaccine in the refrigerator does not prevent disease. it's got to go into arms. so come on in. >> dr. shafter, last quick question about some of these breakthrough cases we're seeing right now. i think the number was roughly, what? 10,000 such cases reported by the end of april. how concerned are we? the cdc says it won't investigate these mild infections and how concerned should those that aren't vaccinated be concerned about that? >> it actually gives an a-plus
6:50 am
report card to the vaccines because we expected some breakthrough infections, of course. the vaccines are 95% effective and most of the infections that have occurred have occurred in people who are immune compromised. they couldn't respond optimally from the vaccine. no variant, so so far the vaccine is holding up very well. >> thank you for being with us. we take you to texas next where it could be easier to get a handgun than it could be to vote or drive. why a new gun bill set to be signed into law has law enforcement concerned. w has law enforcement concerned. ing expeditions and long journeys across the world! but most importantly? they give us something to eat when we drink beer. planters. a nut above. i brought in ensure max protein, with thirty grams of protein. those who tried me felt more energy in just two weeks!
6:51 am
( sighs wearily ) here, i'll take that! ( excited yell ) woo-hoo! ensure max protein. with thirty grams of protein, one-gram of sugar, and nutrients to support immune health! ( abbot sonic ) 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. tremfya® is the only medication of its kind also approved for adults with active psoriatic arthritis. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. tremfya®. emerge tremfyant™. janssen can help you explore cost support options.
6:52 am
6:53 am
tremfya®. emerge tremfyant™. visible is wireless that doesn't play games. it's powered by verizon for as little as $25 a month.
6:54 am
but it gets crazier. bring a friend every month and get every month for $5. boom! 12 months of $5 wireless. visible, wireless that gets better with friends. we're going to take you to texas now where anyone over 21 will be allowed to carry a handgun without a permit. governor abbot said he would sign the bill despite arguments about it. how are folks there reacting? >> yeah, peter, it is really interesting even when you look
6:55 am
at firearm open being popular, 58% they oppose this bill. when it came time to vote it it didn't slow it down. >> allowing anyone 21 and up who is lelly allowed to buy and handgun, no license needed. >> anything that allows law abiding citizens to protect themselves and their family is a good thing. >> nationwide similar measures already exist in 20 states. in texas it eliminates the written test, training, and background checks. >> does it make your job harder? >> i think it does. >> supporters say more good guys with guns makes your job even easier. >> my answer to that is how do i
6:56 am
know you're a good guy. if you go to a scene and there are three, four, or five people carrying a firearm. >> and that representative with the dallas police department tells me they will have to be additional training for officers now since they could potentially come into more firearm owners in the field. in the meantime this will go into effect september 1st, 2021. >> morgan, thank you so much. that will wrap things up. hallie jackson picks it up, next. , next
6:57 am
i'm still wowed by what's next. even with higher stroke risk due to afib not caused by a heart valve problem. so if there's a better treatment than warfarin,... i want that. eliquis. eliquis reduces stroke risk better than warfarin. and has less major bleeding than warfarin. eliquis has both. don't stop taking eliquis without talking to your doctor as this may increase your risk of stroke. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. while taking, you may bruise more easily... or take longer for bleeding to stop. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, or unusual bruising. it may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. the number one cardiologist-prescribed blood thinner. ask your doctor about eliquis.
6:58 am
6:59 am
7:00 am
a new face this morning inside of the investigation into the trump organization with donald trump's future now reportedly in the hands of a grk in new york. what this means and doesn't mean for the former president and his family. who could be called to testify? his reaction and our reality check, our white house legal team and legal analyst are all standing by. the hunt on the hill, democrats getting ready for the first go. as of right now the

122 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on