lately, it's been hard to think about the future. but thinking about the future, is human nature. at edward jones, our 19,000 financial advisors create personalized investment strategies to help you get back to your future. edward jones. [♪♪] help you get back to your future. when you have diabetes, managing your blood sugar is crucial. try boost glucose control. the patented blend is clinically shown to help manage blood sugar levels. boost glucose control products contain high quality protein and key nutrients to support immune health. try boost. it's good to see you. i'm jeff bennett in washington. thank you for staying with us on this memorial day weekend. the big political shocker this weekend is coming from texas where democrats who were

in the minority in the state legislature success it willy -- successfully blocked a restrictive voting bill. president biden is putting a renewed focus on two geopolitical rivals, pushing china for more transparency on the origins of covid-19 while debating how to handle a new cyberattack from russians weeks before a scheduled meeting with vladimir putin. traffic nightmare are going to be said and shouted across the country today as millions of americans make the long trip home after the first long weekend that felt somewhat normal since the pandemic put the country on lockdown more than a year ago. we start this hour at arlington national cemetery where we find correspondent courtney kube. take us through what we saw and heard from the president this

morning. >> reporter: this is a ceremony that's been happening here for more than 150 years. today was similar to previous years but more emotional than we are used to seeing from the commander in chief. we saw the wreath laying at the time of the unknown soldier. there were brief remarks by the chairman of the joint chiefs and the secretary of defense. then came president biden. we heard a very emotional father in chief as much as commander in chief. he spoke about losing his son and spoke directly to some of the gold star parents out there who have also experienced loss. here is a little of what he had to say. >> yesterday marked the anniversary of his death. it's a hard time, a hard time of year for me and our family. just like it is for so many of you. it can hurt to remember.

but the hurt is how we feel and how we heal. >> reporter: there was president biden, of course, speaking about his son who served in the delaware national guard and did a year deployment to iraq and died just over six years ago this weekend, actually, from brain cancer. we heard more than just the personal plea from president biden today. he spoke a little bit about the history of memorial day, talking about how it was first created just after the civil war, more than 150 years ago, by general john logan. we heard about current events. he spoke about the importance of democracy and, of course, about voting rights, something very much in the news right now. he even mentioned the importance of freedom of the press. this has been a busy memorial day weekend for president biden. he spoke at a veterans ceremony yesterday in delaware, today, of course, here at arlington. he is enjoying a lunch at a nice restaurant in downtown d.c. it's a yummy place to go.

he is enjoying that with vice president kamala harris and the second gentleman. jeff, it's been a busy day -- and a busy weekend but a somber memorial for president biden. >> absolutely. we appreciate you. to breaking news from texas where both sides are plotting their next steps after democrats blocked one of the most restrictive voting laws in the nation, for now. greg abbott says lawmakers will take up the bill during a special session after democrats walked out of the texas house chamber last night, meaning not enough lawmakers were present to vote, which would ban drive-thru voting and make it tougher to vote by mail. ali vitali is following the developments. she joins us from washington. how are both sides gearing up for the next round of the fight over this bill? even though it's dead for now, it doesn't mean it's dead forever. >> reporter: yeah. it's only mostly dead, as would

you say, in "the princess bride." it's going to be revived when the governor calls for the special session. he said he will do it. it's a question of when. the pressure is on him. remember, he has an election coming up next year. this is a top priority, not just for abbott, but for republicans in texas and republicans across the country. we have seen restrictive voting laws passed in places like florida, georgia. there are several other states where these are working their way through the legislature. texas certainly one of those places. this is a priority for abbott and republicans. they will get another bite at this legislative apple. as for democrats, they really exhausted every play in the playbook on this one. you heard lawmakers last night say after they trickled out of the room, making it so they couldn't call a quorum and vte on this bill that this was one of the last arrows in their quiver. they will turn to public pressure making sure everyone knows what's in the bill that was crafted behind closed doors.

>> give us a sense of how this compounds the fight over voting rights legislation among lawmakers here in washington who are working in that building behind you. democrats have to figure out what to do about the filibuster so that the 60 vote threshold becomes 51. i have talked to democrats who say if they don't use the fact that they are in the majority to enact voting rights legislation, it will be a failure. >> reporter: that's a conversation you had with one congressman. we will play that in a second. really, what this does is what it has done when florida has gone through legislation like this. it revives the conversation about why democrats right now aren't governing as if they have the majority, getting rid of the filibuster and doing things by majority. the congressman put it really well. listen to how he said it. >> if these things are important enough to them that they are going to bend the rules, then why the hell are we not doing the same thing?

if we do not pass hr-1 and hr-4, it will be an opportunity that is missed. the republicans absolutely have -- they're not going to lose any sleep at all about discriminating against voters of color. so why in the world are we not making these two bills the most important thing that we do before september? >> reporter: as you know, he is talking about the bills that are languishing. they passed the house but have not passed the senate. they are languishing because democrats don't have the votes to pull from the republican side and avoid the filibuster. leaving them with a barrier where the bills are just sitting there with no real hope of being passed unless they can either get bipartisan compromise, which we know is not extremely likely on this one, or they can move to get rid of the filibuster which pressure is continuing to mount on this, voting rights is only one of the things that democratic advocates want to see them get done while they have control. >> joe manchin was asked if the

events of the past week make him think differently. he said, no, because he couldn't handle the fallout. that was the phrase he used. ali vitali, great reporting. thank you. joining us now to continue the conversation is a white house correspondent yamiche. we have 14 states that passed new restrictive voting measures. we know that many other republican-led states are looking at new voting restrictions. what are republicans trying to achieve with these measures? how are they using the cover of trump's big lie about the election that he lost to do it? >> republicans, they continue to insist that this is about voter integrity. i interviewed brian hughs, one of the people who co-authored the texas bill. i said, what do you say that this is you trying to block

african-americans and people of color to vote and making it harder to vote, he said, it's about making the case that the election should be more secure. when i pressed him and said, in texas, house republicans and republicans overall did very well, he said, that's true. we did do very well. he couldn't give me an answer -- a clear answer on where the voting fraud was in texas in particular. that echos the stance of so many republicans. they say it's about voter integrity. when you say, show me voter fraud, where the election was rigged, show me where there's any evidence of the big lie we heard from former president trump over and over, and they can't point to anything. overall, when you zoom out, that's why you see representative veasey being urgent about the need for voting bills to be passed. it comes down to the filibuster. i remember pressing president biden about this saying, are you going to throw your support behind this, throw your support behind changing the filibuster for voting rights?

the president has not changed his stance. it's likely because of what senator manchin said, i don't plan on helping to blow it up. >> why do you think there are those democrats who don't see the same sense of urgency as do so many lawmakers you have talked to and i have talked to about this? >> i think this comes down to politics. remember that senator manchin, he is a democrat, he is someone that is key to the democrats having control of the senate. in some ways, joe manchin is looking at his district and saying, we are going to lose this seat if i blow up the filibuster. you have the representative and other democrats i have talked to who say if there's a hill to die on, if there's an issue that we should push forward on, it's voting rights, because this really is getting at the core of the democracy that we are all cherishing. when you think about it and even -- you zoom out more, january 6 was about this lie. it was about breaking into congress and saying that this election wasn't even right, that this election had been stolen. democrats are saying, this is a

danger to all of us, not just to democrats, but republicans, of course, are holding their stance and saying, we want more partisan control of the elections, all over the country. you said 14 passed. of course, there's 40 odd states working toward that. >> absolutely. yamiche, come back at the end of the hour. start of summer with covid numbers dipping more each day. americans are gassing up and getting back to the way things used to be. what's changed and what hasn't? how the idea that ccovid-19 leaked from a chinese lab is one of the leading theories about what sparked the pandemic. what happens when we welcome change? we can transform our workforce overnight

out of convenience, or necessity. we can explore uncharted waters, and not only make new discoveries, but get there faster, with better outcomes. with app, cloud and anywhere workspace solutions, vmware helps companies navigate change-- meeting them where they are, and getting them where they want to be. faster. vmware. welcome change. there's interest you accrue, and interests you pursue. plans for the long term, and plans for a long weekend. assets you allocate, and ones you hold tight. at thrivent, we believe money is a tool, not a goal. and with the right guidance, you can get the financial clarity you need, and live a life rich in meaning, and gratitude. to learn more, text thrive to 444555, or visit thrivent.com.

when our daughter and her kids moved in with us... our bargain detergent couldn't keep up. turns out it's mostly water. so, we switched back to tide. one wash, stains are gone. daughter: slurping don't pay for water. pay for clean. it's got to be tide. we know how much you count on us... ...and that's why we're here 24/7... ...and on the road maintaining a fast and reliable network. we're always working to ensure the internet meets your needs... ...by making access easier for all... ...with comcast lift zones and our internet essentials program. we're invested in making our apps easy...

...to give you personalized assistance around the clock. and we're committed to keeping our team and customers safe by working from home... ...and using precautions in store. see what we're up to at xfinity.com/commitment history says: fine jewelry for occasions.

we say: forget occasions. (snap) fine jewelry for every day, minus the traditional markups. ♪♪ for millions of travellers along the east coast, there's one question. how to take advantage of the best weather day of the holiday weekend before getting out on some very busy highways. our team has both sides of the story. we have cal perry at a busy travel plaza along the i95 corridor in maryland and ron allen in queens where there's incentive to hit the beach. ron allen, we will start with you. this is the best weather day in the northeast since the holiday weekend started. local officials, as i understand it, they are hoping to get more of the community vaccinated before they spend a day in the sand. what's the scene there? >> reporter: we are finally

seeing the sun for the first time. throughout the weekend, the public health department here in new york has been trying to get to people on the beaches, in the parks who are out enjoying the holiday weekend to try to increase the vaccination numbers here. behind me, there's this van that's been driving around the city offering vaccinations in neighborhoods where the rates are relatively low, like this one in rockaway, on the edge of new york city. unfortunately, the weather hasn't cooperated. it's been challenging. some people have come out. it's another example how the city and the state as well as public health officials across the country have been trying to take vaccinations to people, to make it easy, to take away the excuse, so there's no reason people can't get vaccinated. some people have shown up. here is some of what they had to say about why they are coming out weeks, if not months later to finally get a vaccination. take a listen.

>> before the pandemic, i just want to make new york a better place. there's a lot of stuff going on. i'm going to college. i want to get it now that i'm going to college. >> reporter: there's a requirement at the state universities of new york that you have to have a vaccination to get back on campus. that's one incentive that some people have been expressing. young people, especially now that the age is from 12 to 17 to get vaccinated. other people are saying they think that now that things are opening up, they may need a vaccination to get to work. others are spouting conspiracy theories about why they will not do it. the bottom line is across new york city, about half the people who can get a vaccination, who have, which is somewhat low. of course, we would like the numbers to be near 70%, 80%. it's going to take an effort. this is an example on this holiday weekend of a real strong effort by public health officials to make it easy to take the vaccine out to

communities that have been hard hit to take away the excuse so that people can get vaccinated. >> meet people where they are. cal perry, over to you. you are at a stop by a stretch of highway that can get congested during travel days. are you at maryland house? there's a pete's coffee in there that used to be my old stomping grounds. give us a sense of the scene. there's a gas station there. what are people telling you about that? >> reporter: as somebody who knows the area, you can vouch for this. you can live all over the country but feel like you have always lived on i95. you are right, traffic is starting to back up. there's an accident north of baltimore. no one will be surprised by that. this is one of the busiest travel centers on the east coast. we are expecting a 30% increase every single week headed into this summer. people are trying to get home. the interesting thing about this memorial day is the way that everybody's schedule has changed. not everybody has to be in an office tomorrow.

i had a chance to speak to brian kelly, he is known as the points guy, about how everyone's schedule is changing. take a listen. >> what people should know is it's no longer a friday to sunday night rush. now that people are working from home and able to travel at different times, we see new rush hours on completely separate days. i would recommend people try to leave as off peak as possible, as early in the morning. that's the same for flights. the earliest flights are the most reliable to get out on time. expect roads to be crowded. gas rates are the highest they have been in seven years. being a little savvy can go a long way in saving time and money. >> reporter: with that in mind, you shouldn't expect to see the travel drop off tomorrow. expect travel numbers to stay high. the two wrinkles, rental car companies have not been able to replenish fleets. the other thing is gas prices.

$1.08 higher this year than last year. everyone says it's not bothering them. they are so happy to be out of quarantine and visiting loved ones. >> cal perry, you and your crew can make an afternoon of it. thanks to the two of you. coming up, president biden is set to meet vladimir putin in just over two weeks. a look at the impact of giving the russian president face time with his american counterpart. job requirements. as more americans return to the workplace, the tough questions employers must face when it comes to vaccines and who should get them. this is "msnbc reports." jail yard babies. i like glue. and ninja babies! oh my gosh. oh my gosh! you need an ecolab scientific clean here.

and you need it here. and here. and here. which is why the scientific expertise that helps operating rooms stay clean is now helping the places you go every day too. seek a commitment to clean. look for the ecolab science certified seal. hey lily, i need a new wireless plan for my business, but all my employees need something different. oh, we can help with that. okay, imagine this... your mover, rob, he's on the scene and needs a plan with a mobile hotspot. we cut to downtown, your sales rep lisa has to send some files, asap! so basically i can pick the right plan for each employee... yeah i should've just led with that... with at&t business... you can pick the best plan for each employee and only pay for the features they need. so, you have diabetes, here are some easy rules. no sugar. no pizza. no foods you love.

stressed? no stress. exercise. but no days off! easy, no? no. no. no. no. but with freestyle libre 14 day, you can take the mystery out of your diabetes. now you know. sir, do you know what you want to order? yes. freestyle libre 14 day. try it for free. is your family ready for an emergency? you can prepare by mapping out two ways to escape your home,

creating a supply kit, and including your whole family in practice drills. for help creating an emergency plan, visit safetyactioncenter.pge.com a little preparation will make you and your family safer in an emergency. a week's worth of food and water, radio, flashlight, batteries and first aid kit are a good start to learn more, visit safetyactioncenter.pge.com

most u.s. adults are fully vaccinated. most of the world is still vulnerable to covid-19. a new variant setting off a surge in vietnam is raising concerns. emerging as calls are growing louder by the day to investigate the origins of the original strain of covid-19 and whether it may have been leaked from a lab in wuhan, china. >> reporter: when the virus

first started to spread from china last year, vietnam was one of the countries quick to act. it tested. it had quarantines. it largely avoided a surge in covid cases. until now. this morning, a troubling new coronavirus variant in vietnam. authorities say it is a hybrid of variants in india and the uk. causing vietnam's first real surge of covid cases. the country now in lockdown, health officials warning the new variant spreads quickly by air. no cases of it have been reported in the u.s. with covid variants driving new waves of infection, especially across asia, there's renewed attention on the origins of the virus. >> there's going to be covid-26 and 32 unless we fully understand the origins of covid-19. >> reporter: president biden setting a deadline for u.s. intelligence agencies to get closer to knows whether the

virus spread from a bat through an animal to humans or if it's possible it leaked from a lab. the world health organization now facing demands for a deeper investigation. >> we would ask that this be done in a de-politicized environment where science and health is the objective and not blame and politics. >> reporter: there's no proof of any scenario is renewing debate around the wuhan institute of virology and china's top virus research lab. when nbc news was given rare access to the lab last year, officials not surprisingly denied any problems. you are 100% confident there was no leak, no accident? >> no leak. >> reporter: 100%? >> 100%. >> reporter: a u.s. intelligence report confirmed by nbc news found three workers at the lab were treated for covid-like symptoms at a hospital before the outbreak in wuhan. pressure is now mounting on china to provide greater

transparency and more access to data. the government accuses the u.s. of a smear campaign and what it calls political manipulation in trying to blame china. china wants any investigation to look into other countries, even other labs, including in the u.s. that's been their position from the outset. what's changed now is that the lab leak theory has come into the mainstream. u.s. intelligence agencies will be leaning on international partners to come up with something. there's always the possibility that scientists remind us of that we may never know how it all started. >> thanks to nbc's janis mackey frayer. president biden will be in europe for his first foreign trip since taking office in two weeks. one of his stops will be geneva for a meeting with vladimir putin. over the weekend, he hinted about one of the things he intends to discuss with his

russian counterpart. >> i had a long conversation two hours recently with president xi making it clear to him that we could do nothing but speak out for human rights around the world because that's who we are. i will be meeting with president putin in a couple weeks in geneva, making it clear that we will not -- we will not stand by and let him abuse those rights. >> joining us is my colleague shannon pettypiece, senior white house correspondent. shannon, why is president biden making human rights a key part of his discussions with vladimir putin on top of everything else they have to talk about? >> reporter: such a departure from the trump administration, which intentionally was very hands off on human rights issues because they were concerned it could interfere in other issues where former president trump felt the u.s. had a greater

interest. biden obviously taking a different approach saying that human rights is an american issue, it's the job of the united states to uphold and signaling this is one among many tough issues president biden plans to raise with president putin in this meeting. we have had this recent hacking issue with a russian-based hacker group that will certainly be a topic of interest. there is the aggression amongst ukraine. there's election interference. the list goes on and on. the administration says there are also areas of agreement with russia, or at least where there's common ground they can explore. like on nuclear security or the environment and climate change. they are hoping to be able to make some ground on the issues they agree on and the issues they don't agree on with the goal of, they say, stabilizing relations. no illusions they will leave best friends. hoping for a deescalation and

stabilization. joining us is retired admiral james stravitus. he is a former nato supreme allied commander. it's great to see you, sir. let's start with this. russia, they continue to carry out cyberattacks on the u.s. it's been ratcheting up tensions. given all of that, should president biden be meeting with vladimir putin at this point? doesn't it give putin more legitimacy than he deserves? >> jeff, i think it's a close call. i'm sure there was an active debate about it. i think it's the right call. what we want to do here is confront russia where we must, on the basket of issues you mentioned. frankly, put cyber and the potential for cyberattack at the very top of the list. we need to confront on that. we need to confront on human rights.

we need to confront on ukraine and invasion and annexation of a chunk of the country. confront where we must. we ought to be trying to cooperate where we can, because we want to create a stable set of conversations between the two nuclear armed powers, united states and russia. coordinate, talk, meet, confront directly. i'm sure we will see president biden do that. also find zones of cooperation. i will give you another one in addition to the couple that your reporter mentioned. that would be iran, trying to come up with a nuclear deal. secondly, afghanistan. we could all work together to make sure there isn't a dramatically bad ending in after -- in afghanistan. >> how does that work in the context of a meeting? what message should president biden be delivering during this meeting in geneva? >> pretty good marker was the

high level meeting between our secretary of state and national security advisor and their chinese counterparts. you start with the tough issues. you then move to things where you can cooperate. you conclude by being tough. that's a typical format in my experience. it's really all about the signaling at this point. there's no big news that's going to break as a result of this. we are not going to see the kind of behavior we saw around president trump. president biden, his body language will be tough. it will be the right signals. >> it's a good point. michael mcfaul told me to expect

no deliverables and no outcomes. i want to apply your insights to the middle east and ask you about benjamin netanyahu. his tenure might be over since some of his rivals say they have enough support. what could a change mean for region and mean for the u.s. relationship with israel as a result? >> i don't think you are going to see a sudden shift in the way the u.s. approaches israel. we will continue to depend on them as our strongest single ally in the region. i think we will continue to try and move the arab world closer to the israelis, because that helps us in our deliberations, jeff, with iran. the big change you will see will be internal in israel. i think netanyahu took a very stern, harsh stance against settlements. had little interest in finding

paths to cooperation with the palestinians. i think you will see that change with a center right government that's shaping up now. >> retired admiral, we appreciate your time on this memorial day. >> thanks a lot. remember the fallen today. >> absolutely. on this day, we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms americans enjoy every day on this memorial day. this is "msnbc reports." your mission: stand up to moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. and take. it. on... with rinvoq. rinvoq a once-daily pill can dramatically improve symptoms... rinvoq helps tame pain, stiffness, swelling. and for some, rinvoq can even significantly reduce ra fatigue. that's rinvoq relief.

with ra, your overactive immune system attacks your joints. rinvoq regulates it to help stop the attack. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious infections and blood clots, sometimes fatal, have occurred as have certain cancers, including lymphoma, and tears in the stomach or intestines, and changes in lab results. your doctor should monitor your bloodwork. tell your doctor about any infections... and if you are or may become pregnant while taking rinvoq. take on ra. talk to your rheumatologist about rinvoq relief. rinvoq. make it your mission. if you can't afford your medicine, abbvie may be able to help. at fidelity, you get personalized wealth planning and unmatched overall value. together with a dedicated advisor, you'll make a plan that can adjust as your life changes, with access to tax-smart investing strategies that help you keep more of what you earn. and with brokerage accounts, you see what you'll pay before you trade.

personalized advice. unmatched value. at fidelity, you can have both. ♪ more than this ♪ my name is monique, i'm 41, and i'm a federal contract investigator. as a single parent, i would run from football games to work and trying to balance it all. so, what do you see when you look at yourself? i see a person that's caring. sometimes i care too much, and that's when i had to learn to put myself first, because i would care about everyone all the time but i'm just as they are. botox® cosmetic is fda approved to temporarily make frown lines, crow's feet and forehead lines look better. the effects of botox® cosmetic may spread hours to weeks after injection, causing serious symptoms.

alert your doctor right away as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness may be a sign of a life-threatening condition. do not receive botox® cosmetic if you have a skin infection. side effects may include allergic reactions, injection site pain, headache, eyebrow, eyelid drooping, and eyelid swelling. tell your doctor about your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions, and medications including botulinum toxins as these may increase the risk of serious side effects. see for yourself at botoxcosmetic.com from prom dresses to workouts of serious side effects. and new adventures you hope the more you give the less they'll miss. but even if your teen was vaccinated against meningitis in the past they may be missing vaccination for meningitis b. although uncommon, up to 1 in 5 survivors of meningitis will have long term consequences. now as you're thinking about all the vaccines your teen might need make sure you ask your doctor if your teen is missing meningitis b vaccination.

super emma just about sleeps in 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. the search for more individuals connected to the january 6th insurrection continues across the country with a string of new indictments and arrests as federal agents track individuals who participated in the capitol breach back to their homes. scott mcfarland joins us now. you have been tracking this investigation since the beginning. there were some arrests in florida in recent days. what can you tell us about that? >> reporter: good afternoon. in what is likely to be the

largest criminal investigation in american history, there's no slowdown over the long holiday weekend. three more men charged, all from florida, all accused of being part of the conspiracy by the far right oath keepers. that's the group upon we are focusing. the charges are the most serious. they are accused of conspiracy on the 6th and ahead of the 6th, of coordinating and planning. in the charging documents in the new indictment, we see there are more allegations they wore military gear, they were using encrypted signaling devices, they used a military stack formation to breach the capitol doors and breach the police line. quite striking, that they were staging and playing firearms at a hotel in virginia, what they called a quick reaction force, an armed force in case donald trump invoked the insurrection act. most of these accused oath keepers have pleaded not guilty. some haven't had a day in court.

some are in court tomorrow morning, a status conference. we could get an indication whether some of the accused oath keepers are about to plead guilty. 460 defendants so far. just one signed guilty plea. that man is an accused only keeper. >> scott mcfarland, thank you. methodist hospital is forcing employees to be human guinea pigs. that's the plaintiff made in a lawsuit by a group of 117 unvaccinated staffers at houston methodist hospital. the group is suing the hospital to challenge its covid vaccine mandate. it could be closely watched given a resistance to these vaccination mandates. i want to turn to a civil rights attorney, david henderson. we have with us dr. adalga on the medical side.

human guinea pigs, they say. give us a sense of the basic question here. does this lawsuit have any legal standing? >> jeff, the basic answer is no. texas is an at-will state. your boss doesn't have to have a reason to fire you. there are certain reasons why you can't be fired. one is for refusing to break the law. you have a group of hospital employees claiming they are being asked to break the law by taking a vaccine that's been approved under the emergency use authorization of the fda. they base this rationale on a case where someone was ordered to dump waste. ultimately, the court said, since your reason for firing him was he refused to break the law, that's wrong. there's no reason to believe

that applies in this situation. it's not a case that is designed to protect employees from adverse employment actions. this is a case being filed by right wing extreists and anti-vaxers. >> the people suing to not get the vaccine work at a hospital. how concerning is it to hear this? give us a sense of, what's the workplace culture? what's the culture among doctors where you could have hospital workers say, i don't want the vaccine, a year and a half into this pandemic? >> it's very troubling, because health care workers have seen firsthand what covid-19 can do. they have seen firsthand the benefits of this vaccine. walking around in a hospital now in may or june of 2021 is different than in january of 2021. the reason is because so many people have been vaccinated. when you look at hospitals, however, it seems the physicians are ones that like to get vaccinated. they have a high vaccination rate. when you get to nurses and other staff, that drops off to about

50%. that's really troubling. these are people who have medical knowledge. they are more educated about this than lay public. they need to be held to a higher standard. i don't think it's professional to refuse vaccines or to be filing lawsuits that i think are frivolous and undermine the vaccine. >> one of the things that they are saying in this suit is that the mrna vaccines change their dna. can you explain how that is untrue and how we can combat this misinformation and in some cases disinformation? >> it cannot alter your dna. they should know that. they took biology classes in nursing school or in whatever school that they were in. this is very simple biology that they are not understanding. these vaccines do not change your dna. they change your life for the better, less likely to get covid-19 and less likely to spread it. >> david, in the time we have

left, i want to ask about florida and the vaccine passports. the governor signed a law from banning businesses from asking customers whether they have the vaccine. you have cruise ship operators who sail out of the ports. it will make them harder to safely return to the sea. do you foresee a legal battle? >> i think what we foresee is worse than a legal battle. what we are doing is treating access to a luxury service as though it's a constitutional right. this is one of the situations where you have the law and you have common sense. common sense tells you that if you operate a boat line, 50% of the american population is vaccinated, we are coming into summer months, it's a good time to get back to business. the reason a legal analysis comes into play is because the government is doing what it should never do to private businesses. you are incentivizing them to ask the question,it better to break the law and pay the fine

than follow the law, because following the law costs me money? it's ironic that a civil rights lawyer is pointing this out for conservative governor who claims he supports capitalism. >> it's a good point. i hadn't thought of it in that way. what do you think about this? would you want to get on a cruiseship without knowing whether everybody on it is vaccinated against covid? >> if you are a cruiseship operator, you want your staff and you want your passengers to be as highly vaccinated as possible, exclusively vaccinated. we know they are a place where we have seen covid-19 take a toll. all of these ships were basically incubation zones for this virus. i think the governor is wrong here. he shouldn't be dictating to private businesses what they should do. i urge the ships to boycott florida, because this is a case where the law is wrong. it's wrong on the science. i think it's something that is going to just create more

consternation over a life saving vaccine that everybody should want everyone around them vaccinated. >> the takeaway, listening to the two of you, this long is wrong on the science and the merits. thanks to the both of you. healing after 100 years. how the city of tulsa is taking the steps to repair the emotional scars first made by a deadly mob in 1921. ...my migraine takes me somewhere else. where there's pain, and nausea. but excedrin pulls me back in a way others don't. and it relieves my symptoms fast for real migraine relief.

struggling to manage my type 2 diabetes was knocking me out of my zone, but lowering my a1c with once-weekly ozempic® helped me get back in it. ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic® ♪ my zone? lowering my a1c and losing some weight. now, back to the show. ozempic® is proven to lower a1c. most people who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. and you may lose weight. adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away

if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. once-weekly ozempic® helped me get in my type 2 diabetes zone. ask your health care provider how it can help you get in yours. ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic® ♪♪ you may pay as little as $25 for a 3-month prescription. and tonight's winning numbers are 18, 18 55, 39, 71, and 43 we won! yes! noooo... noooo...

noooo... quick, the quicker picker upper! bounty picks up messes quicker and each sheet is 2x more absorbent, so you can use less. i'll hold onto that. bounty, the quicker picker upper. what happens when we welcome change? we can make emergency medicine possible at 40,000 feet. instead of burning our past for power, we can harness the energy of the tiny electron. we can create new ways to connect. rethinking how we communicate to be more inclusive than ever. with app, cloud and anywhere workspace solutions, vmware helps companies navigate change. faster. vmware. welcome change. there's interest you accrue, and interests you pursue. plans for the long term, and plans for a long weekend. at thrivent, we believe money is a tool, not a goal. to learn more, text thrive to 444555, or visit thrivent.com.

we really want justice after such a wanted justice. it's such a long time ago, you would think before now something would have been done about it. that's why we're here, trying to make sure we get justice for it. >> that was part of my interview with 107-year-old viola fletcher, one of the survivors of the mass race massacre. it sent 10,000 black residents fleeing from their homes. today we mark 100 years since that dreadful day. joining me, news correspondent

alcindor, and nbc news presidential historian michael beschloss. i asked you whether president biden has pushed for reparations for these survivors. so far no word back yet, but what are we expecting from president biden's visit tomorrow? >> we can expect president biden, based on conversations i've had with white house aides the need to also heal the soul of tulsa as well as the soul of the nation. but i think there are critical questions about whether or not he is willing to support the reparations you've been asking the white house about. he'll always talk about the need for equity in this country, the need for the country to really look deeply at this racial massacre, but also the racial massacres that we don't talk about all over the country, the

idea that these are important parts of american history that need to be done. but i think, as you talk to people in tulsa, as you talk to people around the country, you get the sense and you know there is a sense that there are real consequences from that massacre that people are dealing with today, and that's why viola fletcher at 107 years old was in washington, d.c. for the first time in her life to say we need reparations, we need justice, we need generations to really be compensated for the damage that was done. people are put in interment camps. people's businesses were completely destroyed, so it's not just saying this is terrible history, it's also saying there are now generations that need to be really looked at as people to be compensated for this. >> yeah, and ms. fletcher testified that because of the massacre, she and her family had to move. she never completed anything above the fourth grade, she never made a lot of money and now struggles to support herself financially. michael beschloss, how significant is it to have a president travel to greenwood

ask mark the centennial of the massacre there given the fraught history we just laid out? >> well, i think it's essential. and by the way, i loved your interview with ms. fletcher, and aren't we lucky 100 years later, having her testimony, having seen it and experienced it. it's just as important to have a president do that, because where were our presidents on the fifth anniversary of tulsa or the 75th anniversary of tulsa? the problem about history, and i'm someone that practices history, i'd like to think that we americans know the great things to celebrate and also the infamous things to worry about just like tulsa 100 years ago. i would bet a year ago, very few americans, black or white, knew what happened in tulsa 100 years ago with the exception, perhaps, of some professional historians. if you love your country, we all love america, you love the wonderful things that have happened but also the founders felt it was just as patriotic,

if not more so, to remember and focus on the places where we fall short. here is a case where there was a violent tyranny of the majority. people's lives were put in danger, their economic suffering was not honored, their houses were burned down. these were people who, despite centuries of slavery and the experience of the civil war and reconstruction and jim crow, have tried to grasp the american dream, and the white majority stomped on that. that's something that's happened all through american history, essential for a president to remind us of that. >> and on that point, in the few minutes we have left, michael, we talk about tulsa, but tulsa was not an isolated incident. there was rosewood, the massacre in 1923, there were the race riots in east st. louis in 1917, there was a white supremacist

coup in 1898. there is so much enmeshed in this history and yet so much of it has been whitewashed. >> white americans think if something bad has happened, the best way to be patriotic is to forget it as soon as possible. in a totally different category, our pandemic with covid. in 1920 after the influenza pandemic that killed 675,000 americans, tens of millions of others around the world, americans, the second the pandemic seemed to be over, they wanted to forget about it as soon as possible. and i would bet you also that a little bit more than a year ago, most americans had never heard of this terrible influenza pandemic of 1918 to 1920, because people were so eager to forget. my point is that we are more patriotic to remember and try to make this a better country where

things like this never happen again. think of all the lynchings. >> absolutely. michael beschloss, lucy alcindor. that does it for me. my cohort yasmin vousoughian picks it up here. vousoughian picks it up here

[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. over the years, ben's became a gathering place for this community. we've been through all kinds of changes, but this pandemic has been the most difficult of all the challenges i've experienced. [voice of male] the chili bowl really has never closed in our history. people come here to see the photos on the wall, to meet the family. you couldn't have that experience anymore. so, we had to pivot. there's no magic formula, but it's been really helpful to keep people updated on googl. we wouldn't be here without our wonderful customers. we do get so much support and so much love from them. [voice of female] i don't have to come every day at my age, but i come because i love people. [female voices soulfully singing “come on in”] that's why i come to ben's.

gillette proglide. five blades and a pivoting flexball designed to get virtually every hair on the first stroke. so you're ready for the day with a fresh face for a fresh start. for a limited time get a 5th cartridge free.

on this memorial day. i'm yasmin vossoughian and as we come on the air there is a dramatic fallout for texans. the republicans tried to pass in the middle of the night the most sweeping bill in the legislature. the democrats staged a middle of the night walkout so they wouldn't have the numbers they needed to vote for the bill. one by one they walked out, effectively killing the bill for now. the bill would ban mobile voting booths, drive-thru voting, have limited hours. those are just some of the restrictions in a nation that has some of the most