i'm lindsey reiser >> i'm phillip mena. one more thing before we go.instead play with the box? well, check out this panda cub in northwest china her handlers say that she is absolutely obsessed with her new toy, that wicker basket there. please, everybody, have lugo-romero. >>> right now at 4:30 a potential fireworks fiasco for tonight's oakland a's game. the battle with bart that could leave some stranded. >>> two shootings scenes in two hours, prompting one chief to double down on his request to city leaders, the tools he says he needs. >>> added resources this fire season, the boost for funding first responders giving thanks for one commitment to one east bay city. "today in the bay" starts right now. >> very good friday morning to you. i'm laura garcia. >> i'm marcus washi

i'm lindsey reiser. >> and i'm kendis gibson. we're live in new york. correspondents are fanned all around the country this morning from charlottesville to here in new york city and d.c. we're beginning with breaking news out of charlottesville. any moment now, confederate statues including robert e. lee will be removed. >>> neo-nazis marched through charlottesville with burning tiki torches with a plan to remove the symbols of con federalcy. >> deon, we know there's been fencing around that area, almost like a construction site. what do we know about the timeline here? >>. >> reporter: we don't have a timeline yet. we figure it's going to be sometime this morning. behind me you can see the robert e. lee monument that's coming down. one of two. the other is stonewall jackson. both of these guys were former generals with the confederacy. all i can say for now is the longer we wait or the longer it takes officials to take these monuments down, it wouldn't surprise me if we start to see crowds start to gather. right now it's early in the morning. this was

i'm lindsey reiser. the macy's fireworks show, of course, you can watch it on nbc tonight. this is some behind the scenes footage of the setup. they will be set off along several barges on the east river, and the empire state building also going to be setting off fireworks as well. >> the empire state building will have a starring role in tonight's festivities. it's going to really feel as if, yes, america is back. what a wonderful thing. >> we're excited to celebrate that new normal. we have a team of reporters and analysts following the latest news this morning. new developments in the surfside condo collapse. search efforts have been paused as crews get set to demolish the rest of the building. >> they are racing against time because of the tropical storm that's barreling toward the u.s. right now threatening southern florida with dangerous winds and rain. some 24 people now confirmed dead and another 121 still missing. nbc's vaughn hillyard has the story. vaughn? >> demolition crews here are working against the clock. what we know is the timeline right now is actually o

i'm lindsey reiser in for alex. we begin with an update to breaking news, 11 suspects are in custody following an hours' long armed standoff on i-95 near wakefield, massachusetts. it started overnight when police found a group of men heavily armed refueling their vehicles on the side of the highway. they ran into the woods after refusing to comply with police. earlier today state police detailing the weapons found among this group, which identifies itself as rise of the moors, which claims to be immune from state laws. >> the number of firearms have been seized, i cannot share with you the exact number. the two vehicles that were at the scene are being towed from the scene. they will be processed pursuant to a court-authorized search warrant and we will know the number of firearms that have been seized. i can tell you both land guns and handguns are in plain view and we anticipate those will be seized. >> nbc's kathy park is watching developments in massachusetts and joins us live. how did all of this unfold and how

. >> and i'm lindsey reiser. i was talking to somebody about the news. i was telling them about the billionaire space race and he said nobody called me. >> exactly. >> a little out of touch. but we have a team of reporters and analysts following the latest for you right now. >> all right. but we are going to begin with the latest on charlottesville. we are there removing those confederate relics. it's been a long time coming you might say according to the charlottesville city councilman michael payne. the statues were at the center of the rallies that took place four years ago or in 2017 and of course resulted in the death and the injuries of many people there in charlottesville. these are the live pictures that we're getting in right now from charlottesville. we were told that the removal will happen sometime within our hours and of course now we're starting to see some heavy equipment pulling through into the downtown area. it's actually two different monuments that will be removed, lindsey, one of them is of robert e. lee that's been there nearly 100

i'm garrett haake. >> and i'm lindsey reiser. we will be back at 6:00 a.m. eastern. first anniversary of john lewis' death, lawmakers are getting into good trouble in order to protect voting rights in the face of the onslaught by the gop. plus, we're just days away from the senate holding the first vote on a bipartisan infrastructure bill, meaning this week actually could be infrastructure week. i've traveled to portland, oregon, to speak with a group of people to find out how infrastructure affects their daily lives. hear their thoughts on the two bills moving through congress, and why they're taking issue with republicans who say human infrastructure is too expensive. also, i sat down with transportation secretary pete buttigieg as he hit the road to promote biden's infrastructure agenda. he told me about the biggest factor the administration considers when making its policy, and it's not what you're thinking. velshi starts now. good morning. it is saturday, july the 17th. i'm ali velshi. we begin this morning with the fight to fix the nation's infrastructure. demo

i want to bring in lindsey reiser and medical contributor dr. kavita patel. iencing different realities within this pandemic. walk us through some of what you are seeing this afternoon. >> reporter: yeah. i mean, yasmin, good to be with you. take new york city for example. you see behind me tourists are back crowding this area. even the pigeons are back. restaurants are back at full capacity. there was a broadway show that returned last month, the rest returning in september. even though tourists and visitors are coming out, people are leaving their houses again, new york city is not seeing a huge uptick in cases. in fact, they're still registering record seven-day average lows not seen since march of last year. state officials are crediting the high vaccination rate here. i mean we have three-quarters of all adults with at least one shot. not the case everywhere, yasmin, as you were mentioning. we will show kind of a heat map of coronavirus in the country right now. states in the south, in the plains, the mid-west are struggling with the delta variant. it is

let's go to nbc's lindsey reiser joining me from new york city with more on this. eporter: yeah, we are seeing outbreaks right now, alex, in the south, in the plains, and you had mentioned that this delta variant is driving it. it is the delta variant in unvaccinated clusters. for example, here in new york city the delta variant is the dominant variant right now, and even though tourism is back up there are a ton of people out in times square behind me, restaurants are back, even a broad way show is back. new york hasn't seen an increase in cases. state officials say that's because we have a high vaccination rate here in the state, about three-quarters of all adults have gotten at least one shot. even though the dominant strain is delta both here in new york city, also in new jersey, it is not driving the cases. new york right now reporting still record low number of -- seven-day rolling average cases. that's not the case around the country. we just talked about the south, the plains right now. so the states that we're seeing this are also the states that have the l

. >> i'm lindsey reiser. we have a live shot from tokyo we can show you as well.have a lot of olympics headlines we'll get to in a little bit. how covid of course is impacting everything, the new headlines from simone biles we'll dig into. >> we have a team of correspondents spanned out across the country and the world for that matter with the latest from austin to texas -- austin, texas to tokyo as well. >> we'll start with those bombshell documents from congress that show just how far former president trump was willing to take his big election lie, the house oversight committee says they've gotten key evidence that they say proves trump directly tried to overturn the 2020 election results. >> now, according to the handwritten notes taken by then acting deputy attorney general richard donahue during a december phone call with trump the former president pressured both him and former acting ag jeffrey rosen directing them to, quote here, just say the election was corrupt, and leave the rest to me and the "r" congressmen, the "r" of course meaning republicans. a spo

thank you for joining, i am lindsey reiser. >> i am kendis gibson, have a great day. >>> today on velshi, they are investigating january 6 attack on the capitol. >>> we are keeping a close eye on the side of the tragic apartment building collapse in florida where officials are rushing to demolish the rest of the building before i winds from tropical storm elsa threatens to collapse the remaining part of the condo. >>> investigating the trump organization and turning over boxful's before watching her former father-in-law marched into court with handcuffs. jennifer joins me in just a few minutes. and donald trump let's just say as the remarks do not have peer to have been vetted by a lawyer. velshi starts now. >>> happy independence day, i am ali velshi. there is a lot you should know before you start your holiday. we begin with the bizarre yet scary situation which unfolded in massachusetts. partially closing sections of interstate 95 during the heavy holiday rush. the police they early yesterday morning a state trooper stopped to check on two trucks that were stopped in the emergency bre

i'm lindsey reiser. >> and i'm garrett haake filling in for kendis gibson. >>> as covid cases continue, outbreaks of the virus are being seen in pockets of the country that have the lowest vaccination rates. >> the trend continues with icus filling up, this time with young people. meantime l.a. county will reinstate its mask mandate tonight. nbc correspondent miguel almaguer has the latest. >> reporter: new misery in the metric as the numbers trend in the wrong direction, fueled by the highly contagious delta varchlt and unvaccinated americans, new infections are spiking 70%. hospitalizations climbing 36% as deaths rise 26%. >> this is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated. we are seeing outbreaks of cases in parts of the country that have low vaccination coverage because unvaccinated people are at risk. >> reporter: with nearly a third of the nation still not vaccinated and covid cases rising in almost every pocket of the country, the cdc says last week four states accounted for more than 40% of new infections. one in five coming from florida. in nevada, the feds are deploying a tea

i'm lindsey reiser in for alex.following an hours' long armed standoff on

i am lindsey reiser. i will see you next saturday morning at 6:00 a.m. have a good fourth of july.rom msnbc world headquarters in new york. welcome to alex witt reports. here's what is happening at 2:00 p.m. eastern, 11 a.m. pick. demolition crews have taken over in surfside florida. the part of the being that's still standing would be demolished in the next 24 hours. officials say certainly before tropical storm elsa makes land fall over florida. >> this morning, the crews were about 80% complete with their preparation to bring the building down. as you know, the fact that the building is being transplanted to be demolished as stopped the work, which is critical. we need to get back to work as soon as possible. we need to get this building taken down. and we need to move forward with the rescue of all these people

i'm lindsey reiser in for alex. we start with breaking news from surfside, florida.umbers remain unchanged. 24 confirmed dead, 121 unaccounted for. demolition experts are drilling holes in columns to place explosive charges. county officials say the building could possibly be brought down today, but they are hoping it's completed before tropical storm elsa makes landfall over florida. adding that the demolition will not affect the stability of nearby buildings. >> the team is using a method of demolition called energetic felling. this uses small strategically placed detonations and relies on the force of gravity to bring the building down in place, right on this footprint, and the collapse area is confined to the immediate area around the building. however, dust and other particles are an unavoidable biproduct of all types of demolition and as a precautionary measure, we are urging residents in the immediate vicinity to please

i'm lindsey reiser. >> i'm kendis gibson.rts say this may be the tip of the iceberg if watching his cfo get perp walked into handcuffs is only the beginning, what could be in store next for donald trump? >>> and republican leaders are crossing over from denying the insurrection took place to actively participating in an effort to cover it up. >>> state-level republicans across the country are already lining up their voter suppression packages when the supreme court decided to holded door open for them. what the new landscape looks like for democracy, for your ability to cast a ballot and for democrats trying to push through voting rights reforms. "velshi" starts now. >>> good morning. it's saturday, july 3rd. there's a big plate of news as we start the holiday weekend including positive new jobs numbers, but with some big caveats the united states is saying good-bye to afghanistan's bagram air base after two decades. >>> and a live report from

i'm lindsey reiser. and i'm candace gibson. we're live right here at msnbc headquarters in new york. at this great being here at the office at the hq, because we get to see all the monitors of everything that is taking place thousands of miles away, in tokyo. >> all the rams -- >> do you want to see the flame, today? yes. [laughs] do you want to see the race? but also all the sports that are taking place in what a big day's been so far for usc. >> yes, caught up yesterday with table tennis, some rowing, some water polo. interestingly, yesterday, no medals for the american team usa. we have sent scored some will, have more on that later. but it was the longest since 1972 that's happen. >> yeah, and this for somebody from believes, it's been the longest since we've metal. >> it all comes back to belize. >> we understand your pain. we do have a team of reporters and correspondents and analysts following the news for you this morning. from japan, to bloomington, delaware. but we're going to begin right here in the west. specificall

i'm lindsey reiser. >> i know we say this a lot. it's a busy morning. thank you for being with us. i'm kendis gibson. it's a beautiful sunset after 7:00 p.m. we're one week in. >> it's like a bombshell new headline. some of it is positive like simone biles taking health time, but some not so good. >> we're going to have the latest on the numbers in japan. we have a new team of reporters all over the place, but we're going to begin with the startling new developments on covid-19 here in the u.s. the u.s. recording some of the highest numbers of new cases since january. the delta variant largely to blame. the cdc warning the vaccinated people can carry the virus as much as those who didn't get the shot. >> none of this information is what we want to hear. and the war against the pandemic has changed. nbc's miguel almaguer kicks off our coverage with this report. >> reporter: as americans face infection and hospitalization at a staggering rate, new findings from the cdc say the kwar has changed in the battle against covid. new data likes the delta variant to the chicken pox as the vir

and lindsey reiser is in arizona where icus are filling with covid patients. let's start in l.a.here we're headed. the don't call it a mandate vaccine mandate, it is about what the state of california announced. is that the best way to describe it? >> reporter: correct, chuck. the governor doing everything he can to try to get peek to go get vaccinated. they're not doing a mandate, forcing employees to get the vaccine, they're trying to set the example. they're requiring them to prove they were vaccinated, otherwise they have to test once a week, wear a mask, and adding health care workers in state of california. the governor delivering the message the reason for the delta variant spreading across the state is largely because of those unnatd. one fourth haven't gotten the vaccine. important message short of actually mandating people. a representative said some local governments, private companies have chosen to move forward and require workers. the message is get the vaccine or mask up and get tested once and twice a week. >> and do we expect, they made it for health care workers

i'm lindsey reiser. >> and then candace. it's a big day at msnbc world headquarters in new york. of course, today is the day the space race is on. we have a day full of coverage, and within the last two minutes, our producers have all been like [noise] [laughs] , because there is big news dealing with it. >> yes, poor some extra coffee. breaking news, we will get to that in a moment. >> we do have a team of correspondents, analysts were following the latest from the launch site there in new mexico, the capitol hill, as well as delaware. but first -- q that special opening! >> we played it yesterday! >> wow! and also that music? >> we pulled out all of the stops. >> that is what you do. it is supposed to be blast off day, potentially a history making moment that could be a break for the future of space tourism >> just a few hours from now, billionaire richard branson is supposed to take off from new mexico's southern desert to the edge of space, just nine days ahead, of fellow billionaire jeff bezos lift off. >> intergalactic release says this is branson getting ready aboard the c

. >> i'm lindsey reiser. we are tracking breaking news of the space launch. we talked about a little bit of a delay but we have plenty of experts to break down everything we can expect. >> it is rocket time so it does take a little bit of work. >> rocket plane science? >> exactly, asterisks. we do have a good team with us this morning of reporteders and analysts who are following the very latest for us. >> we are hours away from the beginning of a new space race. we have breaking news that we told you about, billionaire richard branson will have to wait an extra 90 minutes or so at least before blasting off from new mexico's southern desert, due to a weather delay. he'll, of course, be in a commercial space ship he hopes will soon carry paying passengers. it was supposed to happen around 9:00 in the morning eastern time. the launch was delayed due to weather. excuse me. >> gesundheit. amazon founder jeff bezos set for launch nine days from today, bezos sending well wishes on instagram writing, wishing you and the whole team a successful and safe flight. best

let's go to nbc's lindsey reiser joining me from new york city with all of this.d is this variant? can you put it in perspective? >> reporter: alex, good to be with you. this delta variant is now the dominant variant in new york, and neighboring new jersey, and around the country, according to cdc estimates just this week. obviously there's a reason we're here in times square. alex, can you believe how busy it is behind me? i know you and i have both been reporting during the pandemic and every live view it is empty. this is good news for businesses here. restaurants are full capacity. you know very well that the bruce springsteen show reopened just last month. you covered that on this show. more shows opening in september. and state officials are saying that the reason why we're not seeing here in new york a huge uptick in cases, given the delta variant, is because of the high vaccination rate. nearly three-quarters of new york adults have had at least one shot. certainly not the case around the country. we're going to show a map for you, a heat map of cases arou

. >> i'm lindsey reiser. we've got a lot of covid news to get to, but last hour when we spoke to tyler crab, the men's beach volleyball player, who made the hard decision, do i test negative -- he decided to bow out and that's it for him this games. >> it was really tough. he's saying it's completely devastating. that's part of some of the things so many of these athletes are dealing with right now, the battle off and on the field. >> tough conditions. we have a team of reporters and analysts following the latest for us right now. in the meantime, we're learning this morning yet another major u.s. city is reversing course on indoor mask requirements as these covid cases surge. st. louis joining the growing list of cities reinstating mask requirements for residents. the biden administration and the cdc are also now considering changing mask guidelines for vaccinated americans as this delta variant drives up case counts. >> msnbc correspondent corey coffin and antonia hilton have the latest for us. you're up in

let's go to nbc's lindsey reiser, joining me from new york city times square with more on this. sense, as i say welcome to you, how widespread this variant is. >> reporter: hey, alex. the delta variant is now the dominant strain here in the united states, according to the cdc, and that's certainly the case in new york. also according to health officials. but across the country we are seeing two different stories and it really depends on the vaccination rates. if you take a look behind me, it's a saturday afternoon in times square. it is bustling with tourists and visitors. this was not the site over the past few months. businesses are happy to see it. restrictions are lifted and broadway shows are coming back, too. new york is trying to come back. and with the tourists coming in and restrictions lifted, we're not seeing cases go up. new york just recorded a seven-day rolling average, the lowest not seen since last march and state officials are saying that's because we have a high vaccination rate in new york. about three-quarters of all adults have gotten at least one shot. cert

i'm lindsey reiser in for alex. we begin with breaking news from surfside, florida.apid control demolition. the numbers remain unchanged. 24 confirmed dead and 121 unaccounted for. demolition experts are drilling holes in columns to place explosive charges. and officials are hoping to take down the remnants of the structure before tropical storm elsa makes landfall over florida. before the building comes down investigators are gathering as many details as possible from the structure. they're using 3d imaging and other technology and dump trucks are taking debris to a secure location where it's being held as evidentiary material. we want to bring in former miami-dade fire chief david dowdy, also chairman of the international association of fire chiefs, urban search and rescue committee, and a