there are similar concerns here in texas, where we find nbc's priscilla thompson once again. priscilla. >> that say big concern here in texas. that's what we saw happen after memorial day weekend. about two weeks after that holiday, the cases here began to spike and they have been steadily climbing ever since then. but this holiday weekend was different, for one, the governor last week ordered that everyone who lives in a county with more than 20 cases is going to be required to wear those masks. whether they're in a business or outside, that is no longer an option. the other thing that we saw him do is actually close the bars, the beaches down in galveston, texas, were also closed. and so folks weren't necessarily able to congregate in those large groups, like what we saw over the memorial day holiday. and it seems that folks for the most part tried to abide by the new rules and regulations that are really taking this warning to heart. at least that's what officials are hoping. texas also saw a record number of cases on saturday. but obviously that isn't -- on saturday, the f

. >> let's turn to one of our reports reporters on the ground, priscilla thompson with us. the houston region grappling with record-breaking hospitalizations. i want to share with our audience the front page of the houston paper, i believe this was the sunday paper the question, how did we get here? the headline here, abbott's plan unravels the state into a hot spot. >> reporter: brian, you know, just last night, the state reported more than 8,000 people are currently hospitalized for covid-19. that's a new record here and the cdc is saying that by the time this virus peaks here around mid-july, those hospitalizations could be up to nearly 2,000 people per day and that's a huge concern in a place like houston where the positivity rate here for those it'sing positive for the virus is at 25%. 1 in 4 people who are tested are testing positive which is obviously putting a huge strain on hospitals for those folks who are getting so sick that they're having to go to the hospital and, you know, it's interesting a trend that we're seeing here, is that these patients are no longer j

priscilla thompson, priscilla, thank you, and steve patterson, carol lee, thank you as well. >>> let'soing to tom he think else by, he is the doctor for health security at the john hopkins bloomberg school for public health. i want to first get your take on what the president is saying, he's down playing the virus, urging further reopening. what do you think? >> yeah, it's really not the right course to be down playing this virus. this virus hasn't changed. it's showing that it can do as much damage or more than it did in the early days of this pandemic in the u.s. back in march and april and we're seeing at this point almost 80% of the states in the country have numbers that are rising every day and if you look around the world you can see that there are more than 100 countries that have even or decreasing numbers of cases of this virus. it is possible to control this virus and have a society that works, but at this point we seem to be moving the other direction. we're trying to minimize it. too many leaders are trying to minimize what's ahead and i think we just need to be very direc

. >>> from arizona, gleelet's go houston, texas, where priscilla thompson is there. hospitals could be overwhelmed in a few weeks. we got a grim report from arizona. what's the situation in houston with hospitals and their capacity and what are they doing about it? >> ayman, a very concerning situation here in houston. the texas medical center reporting the icu capacity is at 98% here. obviously, has the mayor very concerned about those numbers. and it's not just the mayor here in houston, but we're seeing this across the state. and the rio grande valley where some hospitals have exceeded capacity, we've also heard from officials in austin and san antonio. all sounding the alarm on this. and you know, the houston chronicle today had a very powerful headline that simply read, how did we get here? just a few weeks ago, the white house was praising texas for its handling of the coronavirus and how things were going as the economy began to reopen. but those positive case numbers never went down as the economy began to reopen. they've only continued to go up and so now yo

craig. >> priscilla thompson there in texas. priscilla, thank you. >>> meanwhile, starting tonight masks will no longer be an option in alabama. they will be a requirement. the governor of alabama says they had no choice. fatalities in that state just set another record, cases up 50% in the past two weeks. there are a record number of patients in state hospitals. nbc's dasha burns is in montgomery, alabama. dasha, we've watched face coverings and mask mandates become politicized. this new mandate there in alabama considering the pandemic is intensifying there, how is it being received? >> reporter: hey, craig. alabama is certainly no exception to the mask politics we're hearing across the country. in fact, there even seems to be a bit of a split within state officials. the governor had been pretty resistant until this kind of order until yesterday when she said the numbers do not lie. craig, the numbers here do keep going up. but the lieutenant governor has actually come out against the order. he said it's an overstep on the part

nbc's priscilla thompson is in houston once again for us at a testing site. priscilla, there have been these reports of long lines across your state. for some people, when they do get a test, taking ten days to get the results back. what the heck is happening in texas? >> reporter: craig, that's a lot of what i'm hearing from people. the big question that a number of them are asking, we're here in north houston at a testing site. it opened up about an hour ago. you can see this line is slowly moving. when we got here hours before opening, cars were already lined up more than a mile down the road waiting to get these tests. people tell us they basically camped out here in order to be able to get tested. this comes as we're beginning to see surges -- continuing to see surges in cases in texas. the governor had said tefs open to opening the economy as long as the amount of testing continued to go up, but, you know, officials here tell me it simply has not been enough. it's not enough each day. people here are being turned away. i want you to take a listen to some

first, we go to nbc's priscilla thompson at the houston fire department station 17, east of downtown. and priscilla, more than 260 firefighters are off, either sick with coronavirus or quarantining. that's about 7% of the city's firefighters. how is the department handling that? >> reporter: joshua, as the fire chief put it to me, there's no easy shift right now. you know, they're working with a fraction of their staff at a time they're fielding more calls for service than ever before, around 1100 calls per day. so these men and women that are first responders and firefighters are really working around the clock, picking up a lot of extra shifts. one emt earlier today told me he worked ten days in a row at the end of last month. that's really the situation on the ground here in houston. overall, as case numbers continue to climb. one of the things complicating firefighters and first responders' jobs now is the hospital capacity issue that is being dealt with in houston where capacity is maxed out. take a listen to what the fire chief told me about that. >> as we take more people to th

nbc's priscilla thompson is in houston. ecifically, priscilla, we're talking about so many people. now it's spreading to the houston area. >> reporter: well, kendis, lindsey, good morning. that's exactly right. houston is the largest food bank in the country. they began to see the demand tick up during the spring as this outbreak picked up, but the demand has not let up. the food bank is still delivering up to 1 million pounds of food per day, but the problem is those volunteers, many of those national guardsmen and volunteers who came in in mid-april to help with this increased demand are actually on their way out beginning today, and so that is putting a huge strain on the food bank. they're calling for volunteers here, but that is a very difficult thing to do when we're seeing the types of spikes in cases we're seeing here in texas which you all spoke about a little bit. you know, we saw a record number of deaths on friday. that's breaking the previous record that was set just the day before. hospitalizations here are at

>> nbc's priscilla thompson.ere and a lot of folks have been taking that very literally over the last few months. we appreciate your time there in atlanta. >>> we want to look at how newspapers around the country are remembering the civil rights legend. in his native alabama, the "hunsvil"hun "huntsville times" remembers him in a time of sharecroppers. >> the front page of "the montgomery advertiser" sunday, calling lewis an icon of justice and showing lewis being arrested during a sit-in at a restaurant in nashville. he noted that he was arrested some 40 times during the '60s but also some five times as a congressman. it continued. >> the "washington post" branding lewis the saint of civil rights, detailing his life with congress and the beating he took before becoming congressman. >> moving tributes to a lost civil rights leader as well. >> let's bring in ben jealous, president of people of the american way and former president of the naacp. ben, good morning to you. it's good to see you. let's talk about the s

priscilla thompson, thank you. >>> now to some other news we're following today. we start in seattle, where at least 45 people were arrested and 21 officers were injured. thousands marched to demand police reform in the wake of the death of george floyd. and while the scene remained peaceful for much of yesterday afternoon, tensions began to flare as police say some businesses were damaged. the police declared the scene a riot, and after calls to disperse, they used pepper spray and blast balls against the protesters. meanwhile, in aurora, colorado, a car barreled into a group of protesters that were just walking along the interstate. you see right there. a protester fired a weapon in response. grazing at least one person. you see those people trying to just get out of the way. this was happening while demonstrators were calling for justice for 23-year-old elijah mcclain. peacefully, who died last year while in police custody. >> in portland, oregon, clashes between protesters and federal agents intensified yet again. overnight, protesters breached the fence aroun

joining us right now from the memorial services in troy, alabama, is nbc's priscilla thompson, you hadortunity to speak to lewis's brother, henry grant lewis. what did he have to say? >> reporter: well, yeah, i caught with him just as he was leaving those services here today. and we spoke about just the outpouring of love and support that he's seeing here today. that has meant so much to this family that is grieving this loss, and he was just saying seeing all of these people who have decided to come out even amid a pandemic to pay their respects to his older brother has just been so touching and moving and really, you know, shown what an impact john lewis had not only on this country, but also on this world. and you know, i also ask him about his favorite memories of his older brother that he'll carry with him, and i want you to take a listen to what he described to me. >> how generous and how kind he were, and how he would pick out the least among the crowd, and gravitate towards that person. he had that kind heart. he had that inner peace within himself. and he would just go out of

let us bring in nbc news reporter priscilla thompson at the austin independent school district where plans are being made to offer both remote and in-person learning this fall. i'm wondering, priscilla, if behavior is changing, if opinions are changing. we just got this poll out that shows a majority of texas voters say that the spread of coronavirus is out of control in texas. are you seeing those numbers translate into a different set of opinions, a difference in behavior on the ground there? >> well, katy, certainly seeing more mask wearing here since the governor implemented that manda mandate, but one of the interesting things about that poll is the approval rating for president trump's handling of this virus largely hasn't changed from where it was in june here in texas. however, so many people i have spoken to on the ground have talked about a sense of confusion when it comes to sort of who they should be listening to on this, and when you look at those numbers and the polls, it appears that confusion is being blamed on governor abbott. him seeing a 21-point swing in his approv

steve patterson, priscilla thompson, thank you. >>> more news from texas.he republican party of texas cancelled its in person convention scheduled for next week. there were a lot of people wondering if this was still going to happen. 6,000 were expected to attend the harris county event. currently the biggest coronavirus hot spot. in other convention news, the list of republican senators not going to the republican convention is growing. five senators now say they will not be going to jacksonville next month. chuck grassley, susan collins, lisa murkowski, mitt romney, and lamar alexander. senator grassley is sitting out because of the coronavirus. senator collins has a different reason, aides say her long running tradition to skip the convention when she's running nor re-election. senators mcconnell, graham, brawn say they will be at the convention next month. >>> ahead, harvard and mit are suing the trump administration, nighting white house plans to force some international students to leave the united states. we'll be right back. ates we'll be right back

priscilla thompson, thank you so much for that.or your reporting throughout all of this. we do appreciate it. that's going to do it for me this hour. i'm chris jansing, chuck todd will pick up our coverage next. >> tech: we'll fix it right with no-contact service you can trust. >> tech: so if you have auto glass damage, stay safe with safelite. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ tthis is xfi complete from xfinity.. you'll get the xfi gateway with advanced security, so your connected devices are also protected. and stay out! plus with unlimited data, you can stream and scroll more than ever. and we'll ensure that you get the most wifi coverage throughout your home. this is xfi complete. simple, easy, awesome. get the security, unlimited data and wifi coverage you need. plus, xfi customers can add xfi complete for only $11 a month. call or visit a store today. >>> good afternoon. i'm chuck todd. right now, president trump is in western texas as negotiations are under way on capitol hill over the next coronavirus relie

let's go now to two of those hot spots, dasha burns is in montgomery, alabama, priscilla thompson inio grande city, texas. dasha, you've been speaking with doctors on the front lines of this crisis, what are you hearing? >> reporter: hey, ayman. the doctors i've been speaking to this morning tell me that the situation in the state of alabama is dire. they say they and their staffs are exhausted, they're emotional, they're stretched thin and right now they don't really see a light at the end of the tunnel. alabama has been setting new records almost every day for the last couple of weeks. yesterday, another record day of hospitalizations, more than 1300 patients hospitalized. 40 covid related deaths yesterday and another record and across the state of alabama, icu beds are 87% full. there are only 211 beds available in the entire state right now. drs. tell me at this hospital behind me here, jackson hospital, there are no icu beds left. and the most likely way a bed becomes available is if a patient dies. a doctor told me that happened at this hospital recently and as soon as that hap

we want to go to selma where priscilla thompson is standing by.oday is going to be a moving scene for all of the celebrations and the memorials that will take place over the next six days, this is the one that will be remembered in the history books. the package of john lewis's body over that bridge that is a part of his history and america's history. >> reporter: ali, certainly. he's going to be taken by horse-drawn carriage over this bridge and whenever he reaches the bottom, he's going to be greeted with a salute by alabama state troopers and as we know back in 1965 on bloody sunday, it was alabama state troopers who actually beat john lewis and other civil rights demonstrators and such a remarkable scene today to see those folks saluting him. it's a part of this larger celebration which began yesterday in troy, alabama, with folks traveling hours to be there and pay sotheir respects. we heard from so many of his loved ones, and i want you to take a listen to some of the tributes that they shared yesterday. >> to improve the lives of others wit

priscilla thompson is joining me from houston, an e pichltcenter in this country right now. what are you hearing specifically from the firefighters there? >> well, alex, as the numbers tick up in terms of the positivity rate and number of cases, firefighters and first responders are not immune. i spoke with the fire chief this morning. and he tells me less than a week ago, there were more than 300 firefighters that were quaranti quarantining, either because they tested positive for the virus or had been around someone who tested positive for the virus. and when that happens, it places additional strains on those firefighters who are still out in the field. i spoke to some emts who one man told me he worked ten days straight last month and right now he's on his fourth day straight. so it's a very big concern and obviously the other thing that you mentioned is that this is coming at a time when calls to the fire department are ticking up. they are about 30% higher than they were back in may. looking at fielding anywhere from 1,100 calls per day. and a lot of times when they're

with us from the rio grande city in texas is our own priscilla thompson. so priscilla, this has always been the fear of overwhelmed rural hospitals. what can you tell us? >> well, what you said, chuck, is exactly right. this is one of those cities, one of those counties that early on implemented very strict restrictions in order to contain this virus. and they did a good job at it for about three weeks at a certain point, they had no positive cases. but that all changed whenever the governor began to reopen the t entire state, including this area. now here in just the past two weeks cases have more than doubled, topping 1,000 here. that may not sound like a lot, but when you think about the fact this is the only hospital in a 50-mile radius, it this is a test. this is a test. this is a test. this is a test. this is a test. this is a test. this is a test. this is a test. this is a test. >>> -- in order to take it from promising to hopeful, beyond hopeful to yeah, i think we're go to be able to use this. this might work. >> well, you know, it goes back to wha

17 years in congress which includes most parts of the city, so let's start there with nbc's priscilla thompson who's in atlanta. priscil priscilla, good afternoon. thanks so much for joining us. john lewis has left so many marks on parts of the city, so many areas. talk us through how that city is honoring his legacy today. >> reporter: well, good afternoon. yes, that loss is certainly felt here today, and folks are coming here to this mural that was erected of representative john lewis to pay their respects to him, and we have seen the memorial here grow over the past few hours, people leaving flowers, balloons, and lots of personal notes talking about what they plan do moving forward and thanking john lewis for all that he did not just for the advancement of black people but really for all people in this country. you know, i had been struck not only by the diversity in the crowd that is coming here in both age and race, but also in the amount of children, the amount of parents who have brought children with them to bear witness to this moment and to talk to them about who john lewis was and

nbc's priscilla thompson is in atlanta, she's following this for us. priscilla, this is going to be the last stop before his funeral tomorrow. any idea what we can expect? >> well, craig, sure to be an outpouring of love and support here as we've seen over the last few days of mourning that have occurred. it's only fitting that his last stop be here in atlanta, the district that he represented in washington, d.c., for all of those years. and we do expect that plane with the late congressman and his family to arrive in georgia in the next half hour, and then they will journey here to the state capitol, passing along the way, a number of civil rights landmarks, including the headquarters for the southern christian leadership conference and other notable places action like the rainbow crosswalk, you know, which is dedicated to the victims of the pulse nightclub shooting. as we know, it was representative john lewis who led that sit-in on the house floor just a few years ago to demand action on gun reform. so something that he felt very strongly and passion

pri priscilla thompson is in troy, alabama. priscilla, what is happening with today's memorial events? >> well, alicia, those services here in troy wrapped up a little while ago. it began with the celebration of life. and then, the congressman was in repose here, and people were able to swing by to pay their respects. but now, his remains are journeying on to selma, alabama, where services will get underway there in just a few hours. but, here, in troy, people traveled from far and wide to be here. i actually met one man, bruce griggs, who stayed up all night making a giant sympathy card for the congressman. and then, he drove that in a u-haul van two and a half hours from atlanta to here. and he sat outside in the 90-degree heat and the sun earlier, to make sure that everyone had an opportunity to sign that. and so, i went over to him and i asked him, you know, why did he do all of this? and he told me that he runs a youth group and when they went to visit representative lewis in washington, d.c., the congressman took the time

priscilla thompson is in atlanta. have we learned anything more? could he still lie in state given the pandemic >> reporter: folks are hoping that he can. the new york times reporting this morning that congressional leaders are look at the possibility of that. the question is going to be how to do that safely. obviously, we are in the middle of a global pandemic and the capital is closed to the public. while people do feel like he is deserving of that high honor, it remains to be seen whether that will happen or whether it will look differently like an out door ceremony or something like that given what's going on with covid-19 i do want to add one more thing. i was speaking with representatives here in atlanta about what services could look like here. i'm told they are gipi inbeginno think about that but the real consideration is that c.t. vivian also passed away last week they want to be sure the community has an opportunity to honor both of those men and celebrate their lives, each of their lives. >> thank you for mentioning reverend vivian. dr.

let's go to priscilla thompson on the ground once again. priscilla, talk about what you're seeing and gathered to mourn the loss of this extraordinary man. this alabama icon. >> an icon indeed, alex. people have come from far and wide to celebrate that life and that legacy here in the town where john lewis was born, where he grew up. i met a group of women, well, a woman and her child who came in from montgomery, alabama. even though they could have attended the services that are going to be held later in the day but wanted to be here in the place where he was born to pave that tribute and that young girl i spoke with, the daughter chloe just saying to me what an inspiration john lewis has been to her and how she hopes to one day get into elected office and become something like that because of what john lewis has done, you know, just being this sort of small town kid from alabama and we heard his brother in the services earlier today talk a little about what it was like for john whenever he got ready to leave home and the message that their

priscilla thompson joins us right now from the john lewis memorial we just showed you a few moments ago. in atlanta, it looms large above that street, priscilla. >> reporter: indeed, it does. good morning, kendice. people began to come here and pay their tributes, and i just want you to take a look at some of the things here. it has really grown in the past 24 hours, lots of candles and flowers, and also some of these handmade signs celebrating some of the things john lewis would say. if not us, then who? if not now, then when? lots of artwork, some shirts with photos of him. i even want to point out this one, it looks like a hand-drawn photo of him and it says, we must say, wake up america, wake up. for we cannot stop and will not and cannot be patient. and, you know, more artwork there. there is a wooden sign that someone has painted in his honor. so really an outpouring of love for, you know, the congressman here. and, you know, i want to point out that it has been such an incredibly diverse crowd that has showed up here in both race and age, and you know, we've been here the past co

that's where we find priscilla thompson. the governor has come out, issued a mask mandate.ospitalizations are still on the rise. deaths are still on the rise there. i'm wondering, are you hearing anything about greg abbott deciding to go to a lockdown the way that california deciding to shut restaurants and bars and indoor activities that could contribute to this virus? what is on the table right now in texas? >> reporter: katy, governor abbott has softened to the idea of another lockdown if things don't turn around here but the one thing to see here is federal resources that are on the way. today one of those urban augmentation task force touched down on the ground here in houston. it is an 85-member unit and we just heard from the houston health authority that they were scouting locations today. it looks like they're taking over a wing of one of the medical facilities here in houston setting up anywhere from 35 to 50 beds in order to help relieve some of the strain on the hospitals here and that is in addition the governor today announcing that 4 more of the task forces a

priscilla thompson is on the ground in houston. what are houston fire departments saying about this increase that we are seeing in at-home deaths? >> reporter: well, as our investigation noted, we are seeing the numbers here in terms of at-home deaths tick up. that is something that we also saw in new york city and detroit when those areas were hot spots. i asked the fire chief about that today. he tells me that he thinks a couple of things are going on. one is that folks are waiting until the very last possible moment to call 911 because they are worried about going to a hospital and possibly being exposed to the coronavirus. sometimes not even knowing that they may already have the virus, and that may be what's causing some of their symptoms. the other thing that the chief mentioned to me is that houston is a very diverse area. texas a very diverse state and that there may be people who have some immigration issues that they are concerned about, and it is making them nervous about calling 911 to seek treatment. what we do know is

priscilla thompson is at a hospital in stark county, texas. this is the only hospital in that community within 50 miles. how are they holding up? >> reporter: well, things are not great here, stephanie. here at star county memorial hospital they have around 48 hospital beds, nine ventilators and no intensive care unit to serve a community of more than 65,000 people. and doctors here tell me that this is a particularly vulnerable community. it is majority latino, and we know that this virus has disproportionate impact on black and latino folks. it is also one of the poorest counties in the country with a high rate of folks uninsured. those are factors at play here on the ground. i want you to listen in to what the doctors inside this hospital said and how they are describing the situation. take a listen. >> we are a small, rural hospital. weeks ago, we only had a couple, two or three admissions, covid admissions during the week. and right after next week, we started seeing very big numbers of covid admissions to the point right now we are at fu

icon died friday at 80 years old from complications from pancreatic cancer nbc news reporter priscilla thompson is on the ground in atlanta. that huge outpouring we saw yesterday now as we see vigils pop up all across the country, you're standing in front of one now. >> well, i would argue that the vigil and memorial here in atlanta is even bigger today than it was yesterday. i'll give you all a quick look at this. yesterday, there was probably one row of flowers here. now, you can see that has been expanded to about three rows of flowers. and you know, one thing i have been struck by is all of the signs and cards and notes and so many of them saying thank you, john lewis, and just very, very personal notes here. you see that one there that says dear john lewis, thank you for inspiring me i promise you won't be forgotten. you're one of the reasons i have my freedom today rest in peace. and it has a little ps, i know you're in a much better place now. and that is really the sort of mood of things here. very thankful and a celebration of his life. and people who just wanted to be here they needed

priscilla thompson, dr. mark ascot with austin public health predicted that reopening schools could lead to 40 to as many as 1,300 deaths. what are you learning as austin is getting ready for this new reality of school during a pandemic? >> reporter: chris, a very stark warning he issued there. that's something schools have been thinking about for a while, how to keep students safe. i actually want to take a look. we're here at the austin isd operations center where you can see there are boxes of hand sanitizer, disposable face masks as well stacked up here. this is just a fraction of the 3r ppe that the district has gathered. i'm with linda coronado, the ace stand director of housekeeping and operations for the austin independent school district. talk to me about what's here and how you're getting this out to the roughly 130 schools in the district. >> sure. behind me you have disposable face masks. we have over 3.2 million masks for our students districtwide. we also have hand sanitizing pumps. we have ord

joining us now from representative lewis's memorial services in troy, alabama is nbc's priscilla thompson. how did they honor the boy from troy during this celebration of life? >> reporter: well those celebrations wrapped up just a little while ago and now the congressman is lying in repose here so folks are still trickling in to pay their respects. such a sense of gratitude on the ground and many people calling him an inspiration to look at what this boy from small town, alabama was able to accomplish. so many people wanting to come and pay homage to the place where it started. john lewis was born in troy, grew up in troy, and hoped to attend troy university where he is lying in repose but at the time he applied and never heard back. as we know that sort of prompted him to write a letter to dr. martin luther king jr. who had invited him to montgomery and john lewis went there and met with him and it was dr. king who called him the boy from troy. he said are you that boy from troy? that name has stuck throughout his life. now that boy from troy is still inspiring the next generation of le

. >>> now let's head to south texas where nbc's priscilla thompson is at a testing facility. texas, of course, is a state that set a new one-day record for cases and deaths yesterday. priscilla, i know the governor there keeps saying, do not panic, wear a mask and we can beat this thing. is that message actually working when the numbers are what they are? >> stephanie, that is the key question here, and that answer will likely become more clear in the next week or so, and that's because it's been about two weeks since the governor ordered that mandatory mask order in place here in the state of texas. and three weeks since he shut down bars. and doctors tell us that's about how long it takes to see if your mitigation efforts are working or not. but what we do know is that the numbers right now are not looking good. texas reporting nearly 10,800 new cases yesterday. 110 deaths. both record highs for the state and after those numbers came out, the governor actually said this about shutting down the state. take a listen. >> people are panicking thinking i'm about to shut down texa

nbc's priscilla thompson is live at the texas medical center in houston. so first of all, how are health care workers there in houston, how are they able to treat all of those patients and protect themselves? or are they? >> well, that is a key question, craig, is the idea of protecting those health care workers as these hospitalizations continue. numbers continue to go up. you know, houston mayor, sylvester turner, actually mentioned this. that while he is concerned about the icu capacity, r at this point, he's more concerned about having the staff. the doctors and nurses needed to actually treat those patients. and you know, we spoke to doctors here at houston methodist who say they are going to bring in additional nursing staff so they are prepared to meet those surge capacity needs and you know, you ask about those numbers and the doctors here are telling us that yes, the icu beds are, the staffing is part of it, but the icu beds is also continuing to be a concern and i want you to take a listen to how they're navigate thag. >> we are transitioning som

i want to start there with priscilla thompson. treasury secretary steve mnuchin said there's no way we're shutting the economy down. so it takes a lot for city leaders in houston to say they want to shut down again. how bad is it? >> well, stephanie, bad enough that federal resources are on the way to houston today. we know there's a medical task force of about 85 folks being sent from the department of defense set to arrive here today to help these hospitals that are experiencing that increase and spike in cases and hospitalizations. and that's in addition to other medical teams that are going to be sent and deployed for -- on the federal side. and you mentioned the city leaders and county leaders here calling for that shutdown. the mayor said this weekend if he were governor, he'd issue a two-week shutdown to help slow the spread of this virus. and, you know, the governor was very reluctant early on to issue another statewide shutdown. as the cases have ticked up, we've heard him say if things do not change, that could be necess

nbc's priscilla thompson is on the ground there. it was quite an uplifting and happy in so many ways gathering from those who despite the loss of the alabama icon we're thinking about him in extraordinary ways and committing his life to our eternal memory. >> well, alex, good afternoon. certainly, you know, a service of love and gratitude and a celebration of the life that representative john lewis lived here in his hometown of troy, alabama. and we heard in that service from a number of his siblings, his sister spoke about his humble beginnings here and what a humble man he was. and his brother also offered a very moving tribute. i actually want you to take a listen to just a little piece of that. listen in. >> i remember the day when john left home, told him not to get in trouble. not to get in the way and be particular. we all know that john got in troub trouble, got in the way bus it was a good trouble. he was different from the rest of the family and would have thoughts that all the troubles he got himself into would change the

nbc's priscilla thompson joins me now from outside station 17 in houston with the latest on the skyrocketingling fire department. one of the things that we're seeing is that covid-19 has tentacles in so many areas, one of them being where you're standing. >> yeah. indeerksd chris. i want to put a fine point on some of those numbers that you mentioned. more than 10,000 positive cases today. that is a new record, breaking the previous record that was set on tuesday. 105 deaths today. that is tying with the deadliest day since this virus began, which happened on thursday. and a 15.8% positivity rate in the state, the highest it has ever been. so very concerning numbers coming out of texas today. and those numbers are felt not only in the hospital system here, but also in the fire department where fist responders are. and there are hundreds of firefighters in houston right now that are quarantining because they have been exposed to the virus or have the virus. and what that means, that's happening at a time when first responders are receiving more calls for service than ever before. and it is pl

we'll get to priscilla thompson in a moment. garrett, quite the scene this morning. it reminds you what this is all about. you saw the variety of the political spectrum there. speaker pelosi, majority leader mitch mcconnell, senate leader -- democratic leader -- minority leader chuck schumer. quite the scene there this morning. >> reporter: yeah, it was. a short, somber ceremony as the congressman's bodies with removed from the capitol after lying in state for a day and a half here on the capitol rotunda. members of congress sat on the house steps and watched, a few dozen of them, from the distance, from the plaza itself were a few dozen of lewis' close family members and friends and democrats and republicans standing side by side, watching their colleague of more than three decades leave the capitol for the last time. the ceremony was brief, largely silent here, not present were the crowds of people that we had seen over the last day and a half who had come to pay their respects to congressman lewis in a 2020 twist on the normal process of lying in state, coming to

now, to priscilla thompson in rio texas. you've seen a quickly rising count here. tell us the latest. >> that's right, steve, and another day of record breaking numbers here in texas. announcing nearly 10,800 positive cases. that is a record single day increase in positive cases. 110 deaths. another record there. and this comes as we are hearing reports across the state of those morgue trailers, those refrenr refrigerated trucks and trailers being brought in to help as the morgues reach capacity. so again, a very grim picture coming out of texas today and this comes as the calls from local leaders and officials are growing louder. asking the governor to grant them power to issue those stay at home orders in their jurisdictions. the houston chronicle today reporting that one of the governors top medical advisers is saying that a renalal region approach may be necessary to address this pandemic, brn, we a number of local interviews, pushing back still on a idea of a shutdown order. so it remains to be seen what is going to happen on that front, but what the governor

capitol even though the building is closed to the public because of the pandemic >>> let's go to priscilla thompsonlocals are paying tribute to their congressman. i got to say, i'm still loving that one sign that you showed me that 4-year-old boy who said, john lewis, we've got this that is awesome. but what is going on there right now? >> reporter: i mean, a large crowd gathered here. the heat nor the pandemic has stopped people from coming out and so many of the personal stories an you talked about that 4-year-old boy earlier and i'm here with some ladies who met john lewis when they were 7 and 9 years old. kendall, talk about how you met john lewis and what that was like. >> we got to meet him in his office and he was such a kind and loving person and just amazing stories to tell us and told us about his chicken collection and just such a nice person and i'm i got to meet him. >> and zion, you were there to spend a couple of hours with him but he invited you to spend a couple of days and shadow him in washington, right? >> yes so that was a big deal for us because the fact that he took time out

so joining me from houston is nbc's priscilla thompson. we're still on the rise in this curve.ficials telling you today? >> katy, the situation here in texas seems to be getting worse by the day, as the state barrels towards the peak, which was expected to come around mid-july, and you know, you mention those numbers. we actually have new reporting in from my nbc colleague, mike, and charles ornstein, looking at the amount of people here in houston that are dying at home, and they're beginning to see a surge in those numbers. they analyzed all of the houston fire department data and found that there's a huge spike in the number of people dying at home, suggesting that people are contracting covid and possibly not going to the hospital, waiting until the last possible moment when by then it's too late, and as a reminder, we saw a similar trend to that in new york city when there was a hot spot there of those calls beginning to pick up and emergency officials arriving there to find the person had already passed on. and you know, that is a huge concern in terms of those numbers an

we want to bring in priscilla thompson who is with us from a community testing site in houston with morehey, priscilla. >> reporter: and here folks began lining up last night and camped out in order to get a spot in this line to be tested and by 9:00 a.m. when the site actually opened, the line was already at capacity and they had to begin turning people away. and you know, officials here tell me that this is the new norm. and i'm here with the testing director at this site. and talk to me about what you have been seeing over the past weeks as these cases are surging in terms of the amount of people coming to be tested. >> lately there has been a huge increase in testing. we have eight sites. and each site has been more longer and longer lines. and with that being said as well as the positive patients have increased, so i feel like if there is a measure to keep the mask on, stay safe, stay indoor, don't go anywhere you don't need to, so that is the best way to go on from now on. >> reporter: and there is a big conversation about how much support the federal government, the state and loca