then bubba wallace and jimmie johnson on the inside.outside is ryan preece and alex bowman, two of the camaros trying to make something happen here. we are going to make that today's tide clean pass, as joey logano timed it pretty perfectly. >> jeff: you can see he is using that draft. gets a run. gets a little push from behind from kevin harvick and peps out and a side draft to the rear bumper of bubba wallace. >> mike: logano who has led the second most laps today makes today's tide clean pass. now alex bowman. look who is back at the front! we haven't seen tyler reddick since he won stage one. there he is. second place. preece on the outside of him. maybe where did these chevrolets come from all of a sudden? >> mike: ryan preece a modify ted tour champ. his best kump hefinish talladeg in third. >> jeff: he has a heavy fronted damage and splitter on the nose. you see the 37 ryan preece. it's pretty amazing that he is able to be out front right now with all of that damage. there is that patch job they have done on the nose. >> mike: th

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as was our concern for bubba. >> looks like a noose to me. he went on to say this about nascar's investigation. >> nascar conducted a thorough sweep of all the garage areas across where the tracks that we race. so across those 29 tracks and 1,684 garage stalls, we found only 11 total that had a pull down rope tied in a knot and only one noose, the one discovered on sunday in bubba wallace's garage. >> hmm. only one noose. across all the tracks nascar uses and all the garages at their tracks. what was bubba wallace supposed to think about that? look at your screen. what does that look like to you? he said it on his show. he said it was a straight up noose. that's what he said. what do you think? you wonder why it was placed in that garage, a coincidence? i don't know, maybe. what do you think? a lot more on that tonight. >>> and i want to share something personal with you, okay. this is a conversation that i've had with my mom. her name is katherine clark. about some of the movies that i grew up watching. maybe you did, too. and it's about the

remember, bubba wallace never saw it himself. nascar saying they will continue to investigate to see why that rope was fashioned like a noose, but they are relieved and thankful to learn that this does not appear to be an intentional racist act against wallace. david? >> victor oquendo leading us off tonight. victor, thank you. >>> of course, the other major story we're following tonight, the alarming surge in cases of coronavirus. new records set s,alora d izon dr. anthony fauci today calling it a disturbing surge in infections, warning the next few weeks will be critical. hospitalizations are up in 21 states. texas, for example, with more than 5,000 cases in just the past 24 hours. texas children's hospital now prepared to take in adult patients. california with the highest daily increase ever, more than 5,000 new cases there. and florida tonight with more than 3,000 new cases, two more counties now voting to require masks. and in arizona, where the president is tonight, a 20% increase in hospitalizations setting new records in

the fbi investigation and the report of the noose found in the garage of bubba wallace. why authorities are not calling it a hate crime. the nascar star taking on racism and racing's checkered past. >>ever aspect of life. >> "nightline" starts right know. byron pitts. >> good evening. thank you for joining us. tonight parts of the u.s. seeing what a top health official says is a disturbing surge in covid-19 infections. now the health care heroes going wherever the virus takes them. their latest battle ground, arizona. here's matt gutman. >> today is my first day on the floor on my own. >> it's exciting, but it's a little bit scary. >> reporter: bridget harrigan has answered the call of about, hospitals overwhelmed with covid-19 cases are desperate for help from people like her. >> be putting me in the covid unit the whole time. so i'll want to be dressed up for that before i even get in the building. >> i was meant to go help on the front lines in some way. >> reporter: the traveling nurse has seen what the coronavirus has done to a dedated herself t fighting this pandem

because people are making it out like bubba found it.ust sort of went on, you know, about it. that's not what happened. i spoke with bubba on tuesday night. after this sound byte, i'll let you say what you have to say. the day the fbi investigation finished. here's what he had to say. >> don, the image that i have and i have seen of what was hanging in my garage is not a -- is not a garage pull. i've been racing all my life. we've raced out of hundreds of garages that never had garage pulls like that. it was a noose. it was a noose that -- whether tied in 2019 or whatever, it was a noose. so it wasn't directed to me but somebody tied a noose. that's what i am saying. it was -- it is a noose. >> all right. so there's been a lot of backlash against him. phelps thanked him for his leadership today but did nascar support him enough in the face of blowback? he's the one out there doing interviews. do they support him enough? >> i think they did. i don't know who else you could send out to really do those interviews at this point. he is the fa

why bubba wallace is angry.a noose in that same garage. >>> primary results coming in overnight, a victory for new york congresswoman aoc. and a new york republican who could become the youngest member of congress. >>> the fashion faux pas that sent shock waves around the world, that's right, president obama in that tan suit. >> president obama debuted a brand-new look that followers are calling bold and even arousing. we'll have the big reveal in "the skinny." it's wednesday, june 24th. >>> after leaving the white house, we've seen mr. obama in stan smiths, we've seen him wearing a rag and bone bomber that's customized with a 44 on the sleeve. he's been stepping up the fashion game. >> he has. and i will say every time i wear this suit, there's a producer in my ear who goes "you got your obama suit on today." they got jokes around here at "world news now." we're going to get into that in "the skinny." >>> we're going to get to the latest developments in the coronavirus, starting with a warning from dr. anthony

a noose was found hanging in bubba wallace's garage.s the only black driver in the nascar top circuit. he has responded on twitter writing this will not break me. i will not give in, nor will i back down. nascar is investigating the incident and expressed outrage in a statement saying officials will do everything they can to identify the person or persons responsible and eliminate them from the sport. nascar's president reinforcing that saying that person will be banned for life. bubba wallace was recently thrust into the spotlight as an active voice in the black lives matter movement and led the successful push to have confederate flags banned at all nascar races. and still as fans arrived at track on sunday, you see this. they saw this confederate flag with a defund nascar banner flying over the raceway. along with confederate memorabilia sold just across the street. and just moments ago, before the start of the race, an incredible show of support from nascar drivers and pit crew members as they pushed wallace's car down the pitted by

if you go against bubba, we going to fight with bubba. we're going to be there with him.rday was everything. i don't think any sport has shown that solidarity ever. and that's nascar, traditionally known as the most racist sport. if america don't see now racism is gone from a younger generation, you have to rude awakening coming. >> wow. to that very point, john, we'll end. nfl, your ball. let's see what you do next. thanks for joining us. appreciate it. >>> coming up next -- president trump just spoke to reporters. we're going to bring you his comments live. and key votes are expected this week on police reform. the congresswoman who unveiled the democrats' plan joins us live. >>> first, markets just opened up over 250 points. remember, it was a bit of a wild night. peter navarro said to fox reporters that the china trade deal was done. we saw futures tank. he then walked it back. larry kudlow walked it back and, voila, markets are back. dolph lundgren, you've got a one-sixty i.q., a master's in chemical engineering and you're technically a genius... and it appears you'r

bubba, a lot of people, a lot of kids are looking up to him. they've got the race car.k lives matter on the race car. i'm seeing kids of all colors with that race car. watching him take to -- walk after the race yesterday, walk up there, high five the fans, take his mask off and say, look, i'm going to let them see me smile. >> yes. >> that is something else. i mean, 26 years old. >> yeah. >> i've got a new young hero there. i'm like, i'm the old guy but he is my hero. >> we know that sports definitely intersects with social justice, and we saw it in the nba, definitely the nfl. but it's interesting to see him >> right. >> he is the most prominent black player, and he is putting a lot of this change on his own shoulders. >> those fear and intimidation tactics, they're weak, they're tired, they're old, they're played out, and bubba wallace is standing up to all of that. >>> moving on to one of college football's top running backs who says he won't play unless the state of mississippi changes its flag. mississippi state kylin hill tweeted he won't represent the state anym

bubba, i have to say you seem a little down and frustrated.ou have a lot of support from -- you have a lot of support from people who are cheering you on, who don't appreciate what you've been through. who don't appreciate now that people are trying to change the narrative of this story, and i hope that you will hang onto that, but it is concerning to me you do seem a little down, and upset by this. who is helping you get through? >> it will be all right. >> it will be all right? >> yeah. it will be okay. the best medicine for me will be saturday and sunday when i'm in a race car, getting away from the madness for a few hours. it's good. >> all right, bubba wallace. we will be cheering you on on the track. please be careful and stay safe. thank you very much. thank you for your time today. >> thanks. >> ahead, the push for change within the chicago police department. we'll look at the role of virtual reality training and whether the results are visible in the >>> ahead, >>> ahead a look at inequality in corporate america. there are only five b

massive show of solidarity at nascar after a disturbing discovery the fbi investigating a noose left in bubba stall.e flags flying after nascar banned them. >>> police under fire, mourners paying respect to rayshard brooks in atlanta, a rise in sick calls after officers were charged in his death plus, the nypd officer caught on camera using a banned choke hold. what's now happened. >>> and the cutting edge new screening for covid-19, our look at the first airport to roll it out in the u.s. >> announcer: this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. >>> good evening, i'm savannah guthrie, in for lester and tonight the coronavirus is making a disturbing comeback. 23 states reporting cases are up, in some dramatically experts say it's not just because of more testing. it's sick people in hospitals. and after crowded scenes like these unfolding from california to texas and florida, young people are increasingly in the cross hairs. we get the latest on where the virus is spiking. and the signs of rebirth in the nation's once hottest spot, new york city. nbc's kerry sanders leading us off. >> reporter

should they do more to defend bubba.e have been asking them to come on the show for a while but bubba wallace is the only one out there talking and taking the flak. should they be doing more? >> i believe there are two entities in nascar that are of concern. number one is the executive branch, the president, people in charge of marketing and et cetera. there is a route they need to go in. i want to start with the second half of nascar. the other drivers, owners of teams and et cetera. this man is out here by himself. and he needs you to be vocal. i understand that what he needs to be vocal about may make you uncomfortable because you don't think it is a problem or you think that it may impact your bottom line. so, in order to step up i would like to see more people stepping up on the real argument about the confederate flag opposed to what is going on with the noose. when it comes to the noose they can reiterate that it was them that called the fbi. all bubba wallace was doing, not crying wolf or anything like that. he w

>>> nascar's bubba wallace speaking out the still unanswered questions about that noose found in his garage stall. >>> and a wish come true the family flight inspiring america. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening, i'm savannah guthrie in for lester tonight a deepening crisis as the coronavirus comes on strong across the south and the west the map tells the tale 13 states setting record highs for new cases in just the past week and even more alarming, seven states setting records for hospitalizations the cdc today projected the death toll in this country could climb to 150,000 in less than a month nbc's joe fryer leads us off. >> reporter: across the country states are shattering coronavirus records with more than 36,000 cases today in the u.s. the highest one-day total yet. today in florida a record 5,500 new cases, while california has seen a 29% jump in hospitalizations in just two weeks and in texas the governor sounding the alarm, speaking with cbs affiliate kbtx. >> because the spread is so rampant right now there is never a reason for you

learn more at xfinity.com/education. >>> nascar driver bubba watson -- bubba wallace, excuse me, getting backlash for some of the things he said on this show last night after the fbi concluded that he was not the victim of a hate crime and that a noose found hanging in his team garage had been there since last year, before he was assigned to that stall. let's discuss now, lz granderson is here, a columnist for "the los angeles times," who is also an espn radio host and a friend. thank you, lz, for joining us. >> of course. >> let's talk about this. so, bubba wallace came on this show last night. he is getting a lot of hate. this is what he told me and then we'll discuss. >> i'm pissed. i'm mad because people are trying to test my character and the person that i am and my integrity. and they're not stealing that away from me, but they're just trying to test that. now, the allegations of being a hoax will break me or tear me down. will it piss me off? absolutely. but that only fuels the competitive drive in me to shut everybody up, to get back out on the racetrack next week in polk know an

i know nascar banned the confederate flag, bubba wallace really pushed this.confederate flag was still around. someone flew a plane with it overhead. you can see the picture right there. it was outside the track as well. so, look, it's definitely still an issue for nascar. >> i don't think anybody expected this to be moved with the wave of a hand that, the edict comes down from nascar and all the flags just disappear. i think we should salute bubba wallace for taking on what he had to know was going to be a big institutional and cultural fight. these things don't change overnight and don't change without some ugliness. we're starting the see some of the ugliness. hopefully this is as bad as it gets and people will realize what they actually love about nascar is not connected to this symbol of hatred, that they can enjoy the sport, be with each other, do the tailgating and everything else without having to -- if somebody says to you on some level, somebody who enjoys the sport as much as you do, hey, you stepped on your foot, you poured beer on my lap. you say,

. >> bubba wallace got nascar to ban confederate flags from their races. well, he repainted his car to read black lives matter. and then, a noose showed up in his garage. and the fbi is involved. the very latest on that, next. 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. theyeach one suffering withds. a story that breaks your heart. like ravette, who needed help, because every step brought her pain. their only hope is a ship unlike any other. mercy ships. the largest floating civilian hospital in the world to bring free surgeries and care to people who have no other hope. only 62 cents a day. $19 a month will help provide urgently needed surgery for the world's forgotten poor. if you have ever wondered "how can i, just one person, make a difference?" this is your answer. so many are still suffering. so don't wait. call the number on your screen call or

it was the 11th place finisher, bubba wallace who was the big story. >> i haven't slept much thinkingut this race, just everything that's going into it, everything that's going on in the world, trying to race to change the world. >> reporter: that was bubba wallace hours before he hit the track. >> bubba at the same time. >> reporter: his car was painted all black to promote racial equality. >> hardly a scrape. >> reporter: with black lives matter parented on each side as well as did words "compassion, love and understanding". >> it's not that we're saying that other lives don't matter. we're trying to say that black lives matter, too. >> referee: it came two days after he challenged his report to make changes in the stands, too. >> get rid of all confederate fans. >> reporter: nascar announced a ban on the flag. in a statement the association said in part "the presence of the confederate flag at nascar events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment." this was a big deal. >> it is. but it has been a long time coming. there's a clear track rec

i want to hear from bubba wallace himself. back with me tonight. bubba, good evening to you. i think you have handled this like a champ. and i'm appreciative that you came to speak to us tonight. we first talked about the confederate flag on this show and many other issues. thank you. so much has happened in the last few hours. the federal investigation shows this wasn't a hate crime. what's going through your head? how are you feeling? >> i can't hear bubba. we lost your audio. >> i'm sorry. i'm pissed. i'm mad because people are trying to test my character and the person that i am. and my integrity. they're not stealing that from me but trying to test that. and as a person that doesn't need to fame or the hype or the media, i could care less. i give two craps about that. to sit and reading too much into it. investing too much time. >> don't do social media. >> i know. i'm trying hard not to. and the i'll probably turn my phone off tonight. unfortunately until about 7:30 a.m. when interviewing start again. but to hear my side of the story and i don't mean to steal your spotl

it was afterward when bubba wallace, finished the race and walked over to the fans.he greets this diverse group of fans. many of them wearing black lives matter shirts. just a day after a confederate rally had been held in front of this track, because at his urging nascar had banned the confederate flag. there are signs here at signs at talladega superspeedway here and it was kind of in that moment which has the sport that has a long way to go and a well earned history with racism. nascar has not done much to stop it except in recent history but they're moving to make a difference and that's what nascar wants to focus on going forward. >>> well, today bubba wallace is on the black driver in nascar's top circuit. >> bill lester knows what it's like to break barriers in the racing world. he was the first african-american driver to win a grand am race. thank you for being with us. >> i appreciate you having me on, thank you. >> let's listen to more of the moment that diane just showed us and what bubba said yesterday. >> the sport is changing. the deal that happened yes

all walking behind bubba and his car.likelihood the person who placed the noose in the garage could have been there on the track today. it was a restricted area that required credentials. only personnel could be in the garage. essential personnel. nascar team members, officials. security. medical personnel. nascar acknowledged it is possible someone may have breeched security. highly unlikely. i have been at nascar races across the country, many tracks. that is a tight secure area when we're not in a pandemic. during a pandemic nascar is taking this seriously. the potential is this could have been one of their own who did something like this. that is what's most concerning to officials here. they have been frank about the fat that once they find out the person who did it they will be banned from the sport for life. you showed the moment with bubba wallace to start with, i have never seen anything quite like that. after the race. you saw that diverse crowd of people up at the fence. with their black lives matter t-shirts.

richard petty, age 82, come out of retirement go up and hugged bubba wallace.would be roughly equivalent -- not exactly but it roughly equivalent to babe ruth going up and hugging jackie robinson after he broke the color line of baseball back in 1948. you didn't see a racist response, you saw a massive antiracist response by essentially an overwhelming white, s overwhelmingly southern and probably very conservative group of people and that's what we ought to celebrate. i think is the glass half-full or half-empty on racism, i think where don's the last few drops of racism and your people on the left, the glass of water werend old faithful, the big guys are just gushing all might and all day long. >> tucker: nicely put, these are people of goodwill and decency and the left uses their goodwill and decency against them, which is the saddest part of all. >> two win elections, that's the worst part of it. >> tucker: that's exactly right. this is transactional. it's an election year. >> good to see you. >> tucker: one of our conservative -- john roberts, for example,

that garage was assigned to bubba wallace. the joint statements. the investigation revealed evidence including authentic video confirmed by nascar that the noose found in the garage number four was in that garage as early as october 2019 although the noose is now known to have been in garage number four in 2019, nobody could have known mr. wallace would be assigned to garage number four. >> in the statement, they are still calling it a noose. >> i noticed that, too. i said why call it a noose still if based on your investigation determined and my contact again said it was his understanding that the rope was fashioned in a noose knot used as a door pull as he put it. also, nascar today anderson releasing a statement saying that the fbi concluded based on photograph evidence the garage door pull rope fashioned like a noose had been there since last fall and this is interesting about a question like that at a press conference yesterday with the president of nascar. listen to this. >> can you confirm was the rope from the rope tha

we had richard petty come out of retirement at age 80 to come up and hug bubba wallace.t's the equivalent of babe ruth hugging jackie robinson after he broke the color line in baseball back in 1948. he didn't see a racist response company saw a massive antiracist response by overwhelmingly white and overwhelmingly southern and probably very conservative group of people. that's what we have to celebrate. is the glass half full or half empty on racism? we are on the last swig of racism and people on the left that act as if the glass of water were old faithful. >> tucker: nicely put. some people of goodwill and decency on the left gives us their goodwill and decency consent which is the status part of all. and, it's a an election year, we should remember that. one of our conservative judicial appointees, so many are conservative, john roberts for example. you never voted on that. we will never have a national referendum on that, but it has a lot of effects. it's a real question and if you have daughters she would know that. we will explore it after the break. ♪ >> tucker: w

amy: that was bubba wallace.sunday, a plane circled above the track at the talladega superspeedway towing a confederate flag and a banner reading "defund nascar" to push back against its decision to ban the confederate flag. meanwhile, dustin skinner, the son of former nascar driver mike skinner, apologized tuesday for an earlier facebook attack on -- facebook post saying bubba wallace should be dragged around the pits with the news. well, from nascar to the nfl -- where commissioner roger goodell now says he encourages teams to sign quarterback colin kaepernick -- we are joined by etan thomas, athlete and activist who spent 11 years in the nba and is co-host of the weekly podcast "the collision: where sports and politics collide" with dave zirin. his latest book is "we matter: athletes and activism." it is great to have you with us. let's start with nascar. absolutely astounding what bubba wallace has accomplished, pushing hard for the confederate flag to be banned from the raceways and nascar finally d dd compl

. >> laura: the bubba wallace affair exposed to the usual characters who so racial division but also revealed a new vanguard of the left, identify them and issue a warning next. not even our competitor's best battery can match the power of energizer. because energizer ultimate lithium is the longest lasting aa battery in the world. [confetti cannon popping] energizer. backed by science. matched by no one. >> laura: yesterday we got really welcome news, the fbi concluded that the rope in nascar driver bubba wallace's garage was not a noose. he doubled down on the do debunked narrative, it was bizarre. he struck a much more conciliatory tone today saying in a statement that he was relieved this wasn't what he feared it was and he thanked the fbi. that's good. wallace seems to have more sense on the than the media grifters whose have staked their careers on stoking this tension like reverend al. >> why was the noose in the stall? it's clear what a noose represents, whether or not they knew that sooner or later the one black driver would use that stall really doesn't answer why it was in

"i stand with bubba." nascar officials have said that the garage did have surveillance cameras and we also know that there was only a limited amount of people that would have that kind of access because of the coronavirus. nascar's president says he wants the people responsible banned for life. david? >> late word on those cameras. victor, thank you. >>> we're also following that developing headline tonight, terrorism charges have now been brought tonight against a u.s. army soldier accused of leaking critical details about his own unit to white supremacists. authorities say they believe they were plotting an ambush. let's get right to pierre thomas, our chief justice correspondent. pierre, what have you learned? >> reporter: david, federal prosecutors are calling u.s. army soldier ethan melzer, 22, of louisville, quote, the enemy from within. the fbi says melzer was allegedly orchestrating an ambush on his own unit deploying to turkey, providing critical d numbers and weapons, to the order of the nine ang

but the fbi says bubba wallace was not the victim of a hate crime. >> reporter: bubba wallace says he's relieved to learn a noose found in his garage bay at talladega superspeedway wasn't meant for him. >> it was the shape of a noose, the fbi backed that up 100%. this were curious why that was hanging. >> reporter: wallace was not the victim of a hate crime. the noose had been there several months. nascar is investigating how it happened. wallace is the only full-time black driver on the top c a bane confederate flag. . >>> we're keep moving on and pushing the needle and fighting for what's right in the sport. and i'll continue to stand proud of where i am. >> all of nascar's drivers have rallied around bubba wallace. >> reporter: fellow drivers stand withbefo monday's rescheduled race, they fell in the line with the powerful show of solidarity. >> it was emotional. you know, it was a moment that will stand out for me for forever. knowing we have the family support. that's how nascar is. >> reporter: wallace is looking forward to gettingin the wheeompetihis weekend. michael george, cbs

bubba wallace is going to be our guest. he'll join us live later in the show. >> we look forward to that. >>> our top story, the coronavirus pandemic, and new concerns about a large spike in cases since the unofficial start of summer. some hospitals now fearful of a potential shortage of beds for patients. in a moment, we're going to talk to a doctor who says drastic action is needed right now. first, nbc's erin mclaughlin is in the country's hot spot in phoenix, arizona. good morning, erin. >> reporter: good morning, hoda. nationwide, the numbers are staggering. more than 2 million confirmed cases. over 113,000 deaths. here in arizona, the number of cases skyrocketing. so much so, that public health officials are warning hospitals such as this one to prepare for a crisis situation. this morning, across the country, growing alarm over new spikes in virus cases. two weeks after memorial day weekend, when many ventured out in crowds. 21 states now seeing an increase in cases in the last week. in florida and new mexico, cases

he owns the car bubba wallace drives. wallace got emotional at the sight of this before they were driving on to the postponed race. it's been emotional for bubba wallace. he led the call to get rid of the confederate flag at nascar races. we saw a lot of them out here yesterday across the street as people protested bringing out the confederate flags and then flying over the racetrack as well. nascar has a long way to go. this is a good first step showing the support. >> good report, diane gallagher joining us. and let's bring in the president and ceo of the national urban league and the author of a new book. ten leadership lessons that help you, inspire, you night and achieve. there's the book on the screen. what does it say that bubba wallace has been leading the calls for change at nascar and elsewhere was targeted in this buttle, awful way? >> well, thank you for having me. great admiration for wallace's willingness to stand up in a sport that is overwhelmingly white and dominant among southerners in terms of audience

long before that garage was actually assigned to bubba wallace. in fact, we have new video tonight. take a look at this video from 2019. it was on youtube. it shows a garage door rope fashioned into a noose and that is in the stall used by bubba wallace's race team. a source with firsthand knowledge of the investigation is telling cnn that the noose in that 2019 video is the same noose that bubba wallace's team alerted about, that there is just one noose involved in this case. let me give you a little bit from the joint statement by the fbi and u.s. attorney's office. it reads in part the noose found in garage number four was in that garage as early as october of 2019. although the noose is now known to have been in garage number four in 2019, nobody could have known mr. wallace would be assigned to garage number four last week. >> despite the fbi's findings, bubba wallace tells cnn he's still upset and doesn't think it was an ordinary rope. >> i've been racing all my life. i raced all my life in garages that don't have a garage pull like that. if

so, bubba wallace is here. bubba, thank you so much. when last we talked, that's what we were talking about. how did it play out? how did you hear about it? what happened? >> yeah. i was actually on my way up to -- to martinsville. there's a speedway there. it's about, i don't know, about 2:00. and steve fells, president called me, and he was like, hey, man, just wanted to let you know we're about to announce we're going to ban the confederate flags. and i was like, all right, awesome. congratulations. this was a move that needed to happen a while ago, for sure. but i was proud of the efforts by nascar, so hats off to them. had some great leadership, over the last couple years, to be able to kind of start getting some things moving. >> yeah. well, i mean, i'm glad. i hope -- i think they were watching the show because i think we were the first ones to raise that issue with you. we were one of the first interviews that you did. so, listen, i appreciate you taking a stand on that. yeah. >> absolutely. >> so, listen. what -- what are you h

bubba wallace becoming emotional as he got out of the car. owner of that iconic number 43 that he drives, the king, richard petty, comforting him during that moment. after the race, bubba wallace overcome we motion, goes up to see fans who were wearing black lives matter shirts, many of them a diverse crowd up at the fence to congratulate him on completing that race. and here's what he had to say. >> the sport is changing. the deal that happened yesterday -- sorry i'm not wearing my mask, but i wanted to show whoever it was that you're not going to take away my smile. and i'm going to keep on going. all in all, we won today. the prerace deal -- the prerace deal was probably one of the hardest things i've ever had to witness in my life. this is truly incredible, and i'm proud to be a part of this sport. >> reporter: yeah, and look, that sport, though, the area where the noose was found was in a restricted area that was limited to essential, credentialed personnel only. so, it's quite possible that the person who did this may have been out on t

the fbi says bubba wallace was not the victim of racism after a noose was found in his nascar team's garage. the fbi says bubba wallace was not the victim of racism after a noose was found in his nascar team's garage. opening up and getting closer — england relaxes social distancing to get the economy moving. we look at the science behind the new rules. we can now make life easier for people to see more of their friends and family, and help businesses get back on their feet and people back intojobs. the fbi says bubba wallace was not the victim of racism as brazil struggles with the pandemic, a judge orders the president to wear a mask in public. hello to you. the top us official on infectious diseases, anthony fauci, has warned some parts of the country are seeing a "disturbing surge" in coronavirus cases. let's go through the figures. covid—i9 has killed 120,000 people in the us and there are more than 2.3 million cases. in more half the states, the number of new cases is still rising. you can see that in the south and west, particularly in states which loosened their restrictions

believe bubba wallace at this point? so i get it but we have to step back and say let's get the facts. >> melissa: we have to do better. >> we do, indeed. >> melissa: thank you so much. i'm melissa in for harris. here is dana. ♪ >> dana: the national guard standing by ready to protect monuments and statues in the nation's capital as the chaos continues in american cities from coast to coast. hello, everyone, i'm dana perino and this is the daily briefing. ♪ ♪ protesters in d.c. burning the american flag and threatening to tear down the lincoln emancipation memorial. protesters claim the statue symbolizes racism and oppression. but president trump says the demonstrators are trying to destroy history. >> the left-wing mob is trying to demolish our heritage so they can replace it with a new repressive regime that they alone control. they are tearing down statues, desecrating monuments and purging dissenters. it's not the behavior of the peaceful political movement. it's the behavior of a totalitarians and tyrants and people

they are painting #i stand with bubba. and at the beginning, before the race, during the prerace formalities, the drivers, we're told, are planning to push the number 43 car, bubba wallace to the front of the grid and stand around it as a show of support during the national anthem. we're told they're working out additional details on how the rest of the field is going to support bubba wallace. but the main thing is the other drivers want to make sure those watching, people here again today understand that what happened yesterday, the discovering of that noose in the garage stall of the number 43 is not okay. and they all stand completely against it. now, nascar released a statement last night telling us about the discovery of that noose. i'm told that bubba wallace actually never saw the noose. it was nascar president steve phelps who told him about it after a crew member discovered it in the garage stall. nascar said we are angry and outraged and cannot state strongly enough how seriously we take this heinous act. we'll d

we're going to have more of my conversation with bubba wallace just ahead in the hour. first, though, we do start with president trump's trip to dallas coming as the white house grapples with how do address police brutality, how to address the widespread protests that continue in our country. nbc's monica alba is in dallas ahead of the president's visit. carro carroll lee is at the white house. monica, you're in front of the church where president trump is going to be speaking. what do we expect to hear from him in dallas? >> this is more of a community conversation we're told, craig. the policy prescription part of this is set to come later in the week if not early next week. you see republicans on the hill continuing to work toward what might be some reforms for policing. but the president has said he wants to come to communities like this, talk to local law enforcement. he wants to talk to small business leaders and faith leaders to try to have a conversation and bring stakeholders to the table in terms of racial and economic disparities in the wake of the killing of

i want to know what you -- what your reaction is from hearing from bubba.ck by a moment where john asked him the question, what's your message today to nascar fans, and he -- he -- it was a harder answer for him than i thought it would be. he sort of took this inhalation, and said, i know there's a lot of new fans and a lot of fans support me and that makes me think this is a hard time for him and he knows that not all fans are supportive. >> absolutely. alisyn, look at the emotion from other day when he was in the car and that scene that will be one of the pictures of 2020, that scene of all the other drivers with him and then the entire world of nascar, the pit crews, everybody behind him. beautiful sea of support as he was in tears in his car. can you imagine what this man's gone through? first of all, i have covered nascar and just to be an african-american man, to be a black man in the sport is so difficult. the ingrained -- whether it's racism, the confederate flags, whatever you want to call it, it's so there, it's a southern sport and so difficult t

there was no hate crime in bubba wallace's garage.e will have details on that story later in the show, but for now, what does it tell you thats the fbi and federal prosecutors fell for this hoax so complete completely? it tells you everything. at thehe very moment bubba walle was doing his star turns as america's latest victim of injustice, lecturing his fans about the racism, being backed up completely by the morons who run nascar, a mob of violent lunatics was working on the statue of american patriot francis scott key in san francisco. on his empty pedestal they spray-painted these words, which effectively other slogan. "kill the colonizers, kill whitey." in other words, murder americans for the color of their skin. you can argue about whether hate crimes ought to exist as a category in american law. but as long as they do exist, that would seem to qualify as one. and if the fbi did not sweep in with 15 agents to investigate. it's not clear if anyone ever investigated, because no one in power cared. if anything, they agreed. and th

it's not fair to bubba. news, a racist act turns out once again turns to not be racist at all. the bad news is, the race-baiters don't care. for the media evidence of racism is a good thing, their way of weaseling out of their role and unleashing the lie. people who said it was a garage door pole were called conspiratorial. people who saw the obvious explanation for a rope tied to a garage door where the whack jobs versus those who saw it as a racist lie. turns out that half of the suburban homes in america are guilty of systemic racism. just days after noose is discovered in a park turned out to be exercise rings installed by a black man. again, it's a contrast. the left commits genuine acts of deadly violence and its called protest. nonexistent crime is blamed on the law-abiding public so who is hoping for hate? look for the people with the press passes. i don't want to read the statement from bubba wallace, it's actually a really good one if they put it on the prompter. "it's been an emotional a few days.