let's head over to morgan chesky. morgan, where are you, and what do you see? i'm not sure morgan can hear me. we'll get back to morgan in just a minute. that's nbc's morgan chesky. morgan, let's try you one more time. can you hear me? >> reporter: yeah, i can hear you now. i'm just fine. i'm going to take a few steps. we're getting some shouting over my shoulder, joshua. cal touched on one side of what we've seen tonight. that's the black lives matter protest. i've had several conversations with supporters for president trump who made in some cases drives of several hundred miles in order to be here tonight, sit inside that arena and hear what he had to say. time and time again, the one thing that rings true for all of them is everyone is acknowledging this is a very divisive time in our nation. they say it's incredibly polarizing. so for a lot of the folks who made the drive here today to hear the president, they acknowledge the fact that it was comforting to be in a shared space inside or out with people that they said that they often feel, you know, under a

joining us now is nbc news correspondent, morgan chesky, also, in tulsa. morgan, tell -- tell me everything. tell me anything. >> well, nicolle, we're actually part of that black lives matter protest that cal was mentioning because it's walking in that circular motion around the arena right now. so, we fell in. i did have a chance to just speak with a gentleman who was inside the rally supporting president trump. he drove here a couple hundred miles to have a chance to be one of the thousands inside that arena tonight to hear the president for the first time in three months. and he was a man of few words. i asked, was it everything you wanted to hear from the president tonight? he said, sure. so we're still hearing from folks as they kind of trickle out from that arena. i can tell you, nicolle, that he's not the only one who made a long drive to get here. over the past several days, i have had a chance to speak to folks who came here from as far as boston, california. descending upon tulsa, oklahoma, because for a lot of them, they say that this is kind of

back over to morgan chesky. last week we heard reverend al talk about where we are as a country, talked about the country having its knee on black americans for more than eight minutes and 46 seconds' we saw there with george floyd, do we get a sense of what the mood and the tone of today's ceremony will be like? what are we expected to hear in terms of the messaging? >> ayman, what we anticipate is a celebration of the life of george floyd, but also encouragement to keep the momentum going in this cause that he's become the face of. and when i spoke to roxie washington last night, i said what is justice for you? and she says it is bigger than the four police officers that were involved in this case. she says that whatever she has to do, she's going to keep fighting. and she was really asking for all the support she could gather because she says i don't have all the answers right now. but i'm not going to give up, i'm going to keep this effort going forward to make sure that something like this never happens aga

nbc's morgan chesky is there. morgan, can there be some action on the legal front? we've been expecting something might be announced involving the other three police officers involved in george floyd's death? >> yes, andrea, that's certainly the implication surrounding this business today. in addition to just giving the family a chance to mourn at the very site where george floyd lost his life last monday. this will be their first time here. when we saw that raw emotion generated by terrence floyd, the younger brother of floyd when he visited the other day, having multiple family members here will no doubt stir so many emotions from this crowd as it continues to grow today. people staying here through the night, andrea, despite the curfew, police allowing them to pay their respects. in the meantime any minute now ben crump expected to arrive with those family members. this intersection is filling up with several hundred people right now. we will be keening a very close eye on what they're message is going forward. we know that terrence floyd made an indelible point,

morgan chesky is outside the bank of america center in tulsa. nbc's morgan radford is in greenwood, where juneteenth celebrations are under way. shannon, i'll start with you. first, how is the president planning to observe juneteenth or is he? >> reporter: he has no public events on his schedule. we're not expecting to see him. we have a press briefing later from press secretary kayleigh mcenany. the white house put out a state commemorating the day. first laird difficult melania trump viewed the national archives to view the emancipation proclamation. that's what we know so farr from the president and his schedule. on the rally front, the president has been tweeting and talking about that, tweeting on a number of topics. one of his tweets was addressing protests. there's expected to be a wide number of protests. he's saying protesters as well as agitators will not be treated like they were treated in new york, seattle or minneapolis. those are places in the past that the president had said we're essentially too soft on protesters and did not use

. >> reporter: i'm morgan chesky in tulsa where tonight th city is caught in a perfect storm. swept up in a massive political crusade on top of a public health crisis. >> i would take a chance but i'm not going to get that virus. >> reporter: randall is waving his flag high over a city expecting 100,000 people as cases of covid-19 hit record highs. >> not too worried about it >> no, not worried about it at all. >> no one's being required to go. >> reporter: the president of the campaign says those who do will be checked for temperature and handed a mask, though not required to wear it >> reporter: with the spike in cases why not mandate what the cdc already recommends >> what we've got is personal freedom, letting people make those decisions. we're encouraging everyone who would be in a hig risk category to have a negative outcome with covid to maybe not participate in this rally this weekend. >> reporter: tonight as oklahoma nears 10,000 cases nbc news has learned leading members of the advised white house officials against holding the rally over the health risks, according t

morgan chesky, nbc news >>> president trump is in one of those hot spots tonight campaigning in arizona, a critical battleground state nbc's geoff bennett reports on politics and the pandemic >> reporter: president trump tonight for the second time in less than a week addressing supporters at a large, indoor gathering this time at dream city church in phoenix. the event raising health concerns with arizona today reporting a record number of new coronavirus cases. nbc's joe friar is there. >> some people are worried about being in a confined space with a lot of people right now because of coronavirus. do you have any worries at all >> those people should have been worried when they were doing the riots and nobody seemed to worry then >> reporter: leaders of the church hosting the event said in a since deleted video that they installed new technology they claimed could virtually kill covid-19 in the air. >> we've installed the units and it kills 99.9% of covid within ten minutes. >> reporter: the church today posting a statement saying they misspoke adding we hope to alleviate any confusi

morgan chesky leads off our coverage. >> reporter: rising concerns as a surge of new covid-19 cases hit multiple states. >> no one wants to slow down the opening of the economy, if there's any way to avoid it and we are in the any way to avoid it stage. >> reporter: in texas a month after opening back up hospital space is available but at houston methodist patients are up 40%. >> i think people have let their guard down. >> reporter: president trump himself criticized after photos f night's dallas visit showed a packed church with few masks and limited social distancing. >> when you caught that picture of the president's meeting last night what was your initial reaction? >> i was angry that's our commander in chief, that's the person who's supposed to be leading the effort to keep you alive in the time of covid. >> reporter: in south carolina the governor lifting restrictions despite seeing the single-largest daily increase in cases since the pandemic began. 14 states showing a greater than 25% increase in cases in the last week. recent spikes now prompting some areas to press pause nas

. >> reporter: i'm morgan chesky in tulsa, oklahoma where a spike in covid-19 cases comes as crowds line up early for president trump's first rally in months. >> i wanted to come to one all my life. i'm 68 years old and here i am. >> reporter: rosie matlock will be camping in her chair until saturday, one of the 20,000 supporters expected to pack bok arena. >> i'm as concerned about the virus as i am about every yearly flu. >> reporter: but new numbers show 100% spike in tulsa cases in just the past week. a staff commissioner karen keith says it's about to get worse if you have president trump in front of you right now, what do you tell him >> i beg him as our national leader to call this off. >> reporter: the president's campaign promising temperature checks and masks but no requirement just yet to actually wear them. >> taking care of them and we know what the high risk means. largely it means older people, especially older people, senior citizens. >> i am concerned. i really am. but, i really want to see this man speak >> reporter: and tonight due to that spike in cases the bok center

let's go to another part of tulsa, where morgan chesky is. and, morgan, before i get to you, i want to play this sound byte from governor kevin stit of oklahoma, who did his best to defend the president's rally. take a listen. >> if you want to wear a mask, we want you to do it. if you feel safer at home, we don't want you to come to that rally. but we -- we -- if you do feel okay, we want you to come to the rally and have a good time. we're going to be very savofe. and we think it's the right time. my question back to all the folks who say you shouldn't have a rally, when is the right time? >> now, morgan, a couple of developments just in the last few hours. they've rescinded a curfew that the mayor had put in, when the president requested that rescinding. and i guess the -- the final -- the supreme court and the state decided they weren't going to intervene. so the rally's going. what kind of crowds are you seeing? >> well, chuck, those crowds are growing by the hour here near downtown tulsa. we're about two blocks away from the bok center,

morgan chesky reports from dallas. >> reporter: tonight a warning from the nation's top coronavirus doctor on the battle to contain covid-19. >> we are seeing right now is something obviously that's disturbing. >> reporter: dr. anthony fauci sounding the alarm as 14 states across the country see a surge in cases as we head into a busy summer season of reopenings in miami, after 12 weeks closed, beaches finally back open. as florida cases broke their daily record high for the third day in a row. >> we're not going to simply allow things to become dangerous. >> reporter: miami beach mayor dan gelber says despite the economic -- for beach goers, safety is 2 the priority. >> what would it take at this point to reverse that >> there's no playbook we're on our own to figure it out. we're trying to do our best but if we see health care trajectory that's dangerous we just have going to have to rethink what we're doing. >> reporter: recent protests also raising concerns over possible transmission. >> if you have the congregation of people that are much, much close to each other, you definitely incr

morgan chesky, nbc news. >>> up next, a fascinating look at which face masks may best protect against covid. >>> we're back now with the debate over face masks some refuse to wear them others say they are the key to reopening safely joe fryer now on the new science looking at just how well different masks work. >> i have a doctor's note. >> reporter: these days what goes on your face seems to be on everyone's mind. >> you are not wearing that mask for 99% -- >> reporter: but a growing body of research shows face masks may help slow the spread of coronavirus. at the university of illinois, scientists use a device that generates high-velocity droplets similar to the breath coming out of someone with covid-19 to test how various household fabrics perform as masks. they found two layers and three layers of t-shirt fabric are highly effective at blocking droplets when you cough, sneeze or talk >> you don't have to rely on masks made by factory or company made from a different country. we all have this at home >> it shows the mask we need are accessible. >> we all have a shirt. we all have

kate. >> morgan chesky in atlanta for us. >>> the video showing rayshard brooks deadly encounter with police are sparking a lot of discussion about officer protocols. we asked law enforcement experts to weigh in on what happened kathy park has that. a warning, some of the images are disturbing. >> reporter: tonight at least six different angles on the night of rayshard brooks shooting shows how this encounter with atlanta police officers at the wendy's parking lot turned deadly. nbc news spoke with several law enforcement experts who shared their perspectives on critical moments captured on camera it all started when two officers responded to the scene. >> somebody called 911 because you were asleep behind the wheel while you were in the drive-through, right? >> reporter: after lengthy conversation with brooks, they administered sobriety test and breathalyzer after brooks admitted to drinking that night. officer garrett rolfe's body camera captured that moment. >> you had about 1 1/2 drinks but you don't remember what kind of drinks they were >> no, sir i really don't. >> all right i

morgan chesky says people are already lining up for a chance to see the president. >> reporter: this morning last-minute questions about president trump's return to the rally stage in tulsa. overnight the bok center requesting the campaign provide more details including steps the event will institute for health and safety including those related to social distancing. this comes as the state's supreme court is set to rule on whether or not attendees must adhere to cdc guidelines for both face masks and social distancing. the trump campaign promising temperature checks, hand sanitizer and masks, though they don't require anyone to wear them. they are predicting an enormous turnout. >> we're going to be in oklahoma, and it's a crowd like, i guess, nobody's seen before. one of the reasons we chose your state, as you know, kevin, was that you've done so well with the covid. you've handled it incredibly well. >> reporter: the president and republican governor kevin stitt touting the single highest-day increase, 450 new cases, 120 of those in tulsa alone. >> we're ready to get things back t

let's go to morgan chesky in minneapolis.significant developments there yesterday involving the investigation into the killing of george floyd. >> reporter: yeah, ayman, you're absolutely right. we saw an emotional, raw gathering there at the site where george floyd died a week ago yesterday and the brother, the younger brother of floyd, terrace was speaking emotionally, asking for a calm to violence. but we saw the results of an autopsy that was ordered by the family. this is an independently ordered autopsy, separate from the one that was part of the initial investigation. and it confirmed the family's fears that floyd died as a result of asphyxiation to the neck, cutting off the blood to his brain, and the ability to breathe. his family's attorney, ben crump, had this to say. take a listen. >> that is critical because that then concludes the definition of what happened to george floyd is homicide because he was suffering for air. >> reporter: and this was the same medical examiner who conducted the autopsy of eric garner w

nbc's morgan chesky also live outside the bank of oklahoma central. this is site of tomorrow's trump rally. morgan? >> reporter: yeah. good evening. people are starting to grow in this square block area. we're about two blocks away from that central right now. keep in mind that people have been showing up to this part of the city since as early as tuesday to make sure that they have their spot inside that arena when president trump takes the stage for the first time in about three months. we just learned, when they walk inside, people will be handsed a mask but they will not be forced to award. there will be hands sanitizer stations throughout the building and temperature checks as well. this is becoming the epicenter of the campaign for all the supporters of president trump. i'm joined by one of them now. jason who drove in from ft. smith, arkansas today. you drove in a couple days ago. and this is your first rally. you could be a lot of places right now. why was it so important for you to wait day by day to get inside that building come saturday? >>

craig. >> morgan chesky there in atlanta. morgan, thank you. >>> folks, we're following breaking news this morning. north korea admitted to blowing up a joint liaison office with south korea along the border. the office was along the demilitarized zone. it allowed officials from the north and the south to talk on a regular basis. nbc foreign correspondent keir simmons has been following the story and joins us from london. what do we know about what happened? what's north korea saying about why they did it? >> reporter: it's highly symbolic, craig. this building was put there back in 2018 at the height, if you like, of the hopes and moves towards peace and reproesh. so for it to be blown up by the north koreans sends a clear message. on the other hand, it's interesting they would do this and not fire an intercontinental ballistic missile. another fascinating thing for the criminologists is that it's kim jong-un's sister who threatened to do this. she's also threatened, by the way, to move more north korean military along the bo

nbc's morgan chesky. an, the emotional from that news conference, emotion from that news conference is just overwhelming, from his wife, his niece, nephew, cousins. and the anger from people in the streets. >> reporter: andrea, you're absolutely right. you could sense that anger and frustration especially when this crowd marched on the capitol today. several thousand strong. that march ongoing right now. they left the steps of the capitol within the past few minutes as they made their way through atlanta. this is the largest, peaceful protest we have seen since the death of rayshard brooks friday night, and people here really making it clear that the momentum that began with the death of george floyd in minneapolis is not going anywhe anywhere. they're carrying that forward here. we're not only seeing signs of support for mr. brooks, but also for george floyd. for ahmaud arbery and trayvon martin. the names people are keeping alive in this continued push for racial equality and for police reform and that w

joining us now on the ground in atlanta with the latest is morgan chesky. also shannon petty. let's begin with you. what has the may your's reaction been in response to the resignation of the police chief, the firing of the police officer? >> reporter: good afternoon to you. the reaction here and forgive me we have an afternoon thunderstorm rolling over us right now, but the reaction with every step taken by city leaders has been acknowledged by those on the ground protesting. for the succeed day in a row, protest urs put on temporary hold as a result of this weather. but they are acknowledging that something is being done from the resignation over the weekend to the firing of the officer and to the fullton county district attorney saying that he does plan to press charges by some point midweek against one or both of those officers. those charges include either manslaughter or murder. so as it stands right now, everyone here in atlanta is certainly still hurting following the death of mr. brooks on friday. however, they do know that this is going to be a long process and they

craig. >> morgan chesky in minneapolis, thank you for that. right now, as morgan just alluded to, we're waiting to see whether charges will be filed against the other three officers involved in detaining george floyd. the lawyer for floyd's family says authorities have told him that those officers will be facing charges. so far, though, no charges have been filed. less than an hour from now, we expect to hear from the family lawyer at the site of where george floyd was killed. right now, though, i want to bring in baltimore city state's attorney marilyn moseby. she is the prosecutor who announced charges against six police officers in connection with the death of freddie gray in 2015. none of those officers were convicted. according to "the baltimore sun," all of them ended up working on the police force again. ms. moseby, you wrote an op-ed in "the washington post" this weekend that caught my attention and the attention of lots of other things. "i was the prosecutor in the freddie gray case. here is what minneapolis should know." you write in

>> morgan chesky for us there in atlanta. morgan, thank you. >>> i actually had the chance to speak with tamika miller, the widow of rayshard brooks, a few hours ago, about her husband, and what she hopes will happen next. >> i'm feeling numb from everything. this morning when i woke up, my daughter asked, are we still having swimming lessons? that's something her dad said they were going to do today. >> how are you going to explain to your daughter what happened? >> well, i don't even know how to answer that. i don't know how i'm going to explain it to her. because i still can't understand it right now. i'm really thinking that she doesn't understand that her father is never coming back home. >> what does justice look like for you? >> to me, you know, i just feel like justice here is when someone is locked away and they're serving a sentence for their crimes they've done. to me, i don't think justice will ever be served until god deals with that person. >> i want to bring in ben jealous, the former president and ceo of the na

let's head over to morgan chesky also in tulsa. morgan, what's it like where you are? >> reporter: joshua, the good news is we just saw several vans of law enforcement that have been patrolling the four square area. they just drove off in about half a dozen vans. that is a very good sign. just within the past hour we were starting to see the crowd dissipate in this area. there were still people shouting at each other, but right now -- i'm going to show you what we didn't anticipate -- this is an incredibly quiet downtown tulsa. we know when people left the arena, they were either going home to go to bed. a lot of folks had a long time drive tonight. watch your step, guy. right now, the hope is that it remains this way through the night. obviously there were several hundred if not a thousand protesters with black lives matter that were making their way down this street a few hours ago. i did have a chance to speak to people that sat in the arena tonight and listened to president trump speak. one woman in particular had this to say on just describing the whole experience

nbc's morgan chesky is in tulsa, morgan, you are in the center of all of the action, so what are officials there saying about this new surge in cases and what is the latest on the efforts to try to stop the rally? >> reporter: we know this surge is significant in that there are 450 new cases of covid-19 that were reported across the state, 120 of those were here in tulsa alone. and that is the new daily high record since this pandemic began here in the state of oklahoma. and that's why you're seeing a lot of concern relating to potential virus transmission as we have an estimated 100,000 people descend on tulsa. that's one of the reasons that the bok center where this rally is supposed to be held saturday evening has sent a formal request to the trump campaign asking for a written plan on just how exactly they plan to socially distance the estimated 19,000 people that are expected to be inside. and that 19,000 people just really a drop in the bucket for everything we're expecting here in tulsa. city leaders tell me they're looking at 100,000 people converging on this city for the duration

chris. >> nbc's morgan chesky in atlanta for us. thank you so much, morgan. one atlanta city councilman says the resignation of the chief police -- chief of police doesn't go far enough. councilman antonio brown has called for the resignation of mayor keisha lance bottoms and of the full council on which he serves. councilman brown joins us now. i thank you for taking the time to be with us. before i get to that tweet, you were on scene, just hours after brooks' death. what was your reaction to what is a happened in your city, over the last two and a half days? >> you know, i think we're all distraught. this is something that continues to happen. and, you know, what i think people need to understand is, you know, rayshard brooks is just one african-american life that has been lost, by the hands -- at the hands of our local police. through the use of excessive force. and the reality is, is that you have jimmy atchinson, this is something that's been happening for years in this city. and for us, we have to take accountability for that. through the tweet, i was

i want to go right to nbc's morgan chesky, with me here in houston covering the service. he's been here for a number of days. before that you were in minneapolis as well. walk us through what we should expect from the service today. how is george floyd's family and friends, whou are they feeling at this moment? what do we know about that? >> reporter: craig, a very solemn occasion today. this will certainly be a celebration for the life of george floyd for those close to him and people invited to this private ceremony today, expected to pack the fountain of raise church. we also know amongst this celebration that will taking place in this house of god today, there is a call for justice, a call for action and that is something that is so important to everyone who now vis views george floyd as a symbol of this moment. i had a chance to see down with roxie washington who shares daughter gianna with george floyd. i had a chance to hear some of her thoughts about where she is in this moment and where they g from here. take a listen. >> i feel like there's going to be change. i

let's go now to nbc's morgan cheski live from minneapolis. what is it like right now and can you tell us what happened on that bridge? >> reporter: katy, i absolutely can. the first thing, what a stark contrast from last night to tonight where around this time we were seeing hundreds of law enforcement officers make their way through the city clearing out areas where thousands had gathered earlier in the day and tonight an almost eerily quiet evening here, katy, after a series of arrests that happened within the past several hours. we know 150 people were taken into custody not too far from where i'm standing, in fact, you'll see a line of police and national guard humvees. about 50 yards down this street. we know there was a gas station a short distance on the other side of that barricade of vehicles where police and law enforcement officers were able to round up that many protesters and take them into custody. and that is one of the more aggressive actions we've seen since this footprint from law enforcement really tripled yesterday, katy.

many of them swarmed the truck driver who was arrested and investigation is under way morgan chesky frominneapolis with the latest on the protests there. morgan, good morning >> good morning, from a surprisingly quiet minneapolis, we're here in a street where dozens of protesters were facing off against law enforcement earlier but little by little began to dissipate right now only thing we're seeing is barrier of law enforcement about 50 yards away from me right now. and the clear mark of the national guard presence are humvees, 1,000 national guardsmen arriving in minneapolis yesterday, really increasing the size of the law enforcement footprint, that's been one of the biggest differences we've seen with the enforcement of that curfew that lasts from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. with that in place, there's been a significant reduction in damage we've seen, just block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood, countless number of businesses damaged, others gutted and burned, will be a long road of recovery for this city however there are still thousands that feel that justice has yet to be served

morgan chesky is there. >> reporter: mandatory mask policies are popping up in dallas and other citiesfficials have shut down at least a dozen overcrowded bars, partialing blaming them for spreading the virus. >> reporter: nurses from colorado now heading there to help. >> we traveled from phoenix to colorado to help us so when the need arose it was kind of a no brainer. >> reporter: a public health balancing act finding footing remains an indelicate science. kerry sanders, noobs ne news. >> reporter: this is gabe gutierrez in new york new york hitting a major milestone, day two of reopening outdoor dining, retail stores and barbershops are back. >> for me, i'm ecstatic i have cabin fever. >> reporter: elsie perez among the early shoppers at old navy's flag ship. >> we've been waiting for this since the moment we locked the doors. >> reporter: for some offices seismic changes. >> as we're walking through right now temperatures are being scanned. >> reporter: thermal scanners flagging employees. >> your temperature is 97.1 currently. >> reporter: the ceo of rxr realty showing how elevat

shannon petty piece is at the white house for us, morgan chesky in atlanta. you, all eyes on the white house to see what exactly the president is going to put in motion with his new executive order. do we know more details about it? >> reporter: here is three key pieces that we have been told this executive order will include. the first, creating a database of police accused of using excessive force. if they go from one police department to another, those accusations will follow them. another is to have language that encourages social workers to work more closely with police, particularly when it comes to issues of addiction, homelessness, mental health, and the third is a way to incentivize police programs to meet certain standards on use of force by linking that to federal grants. so tieing federal grants to police departments that meet these sort of best practices at the white house has identified. those are the three key pieces that the administration is trying to highlight. one thing we know is not going to be a focus there is issues of racial profiling.

nbc's morgan chesky joining us from minneapolis. a pattern is beginning to emerge. a different kind of reaction at least today, between protesters and law enforcement, including a few moments where protesters and law enforcement were able to interface, to see eye to eye and to negotiate, and that's one of the stories we heard earlier this evening from nbc's joe ling kent from seattle. let's go back to seattle. and you said there were some moments of connection between law enforcement and the protesters, things seemed pretty cope aesthetic where you are right now but what's happening? >> we saw earlier a moment between activists and protesters, shaking hands with law enforcement, as they were able to negotiate where they were going to take their march peacefully. and it ended here in west lake park near west lake center. a major center of shopping here. of course most of it having been closed for months now for coronavirus. it was also the site of a huge cleanup effort earlier today. lots of volunteers coming down to clean up some of the looting and graffiti that had

my colleague morgan chesky is standing by. eight straight nights of protests.hat are people telling you? >> reporter: they are telling me they are not going anywhere and it's impossible to stand near the site of where george floyd lost his life last week and just not feel the power and the moment of this situation here. people stayed here all night long, steph, despite that curfew being put in place. police allowing people to gather at this intersection and just basically pay tribute to that man. that's spawned this movement now that has seen one peaceful protest after another in this city and there is a sense of hope at this point, steph, because for the past several days it's been relatively quiet here in minneapolis. we have not seen the damage, the vandalism that we saw in those first few initial days. that's giving a lot of these peaceful protesters hope they will have a chance to carry this cause forward. people telling me it's not about this day, this week, this month, but maintaining the momentum to make sure that actual change can happen because of thi

rise in coronavirus cases, but many supporters at tonight's rally say it's well worth the risk morgan chesky has more. >> reporter: tonight tulsa, oklahoma packed with thousands who waited for days, coming from all over the country to see the president they want for another term. >> there is a higher risk with this many people here, i understand that, but i feel like this is an opportunity i'm not going to get another chance like this many my lifetime. >> a campaign moment caught in a pandemic everyone who walked through the gates handed a mask and checked for fingerprint, precautions coming as covid cases surge in oklahoma. >> does that give you any reservation about tonight? >> no, no, it doesn't. i think we can be as safe as we can and we have to go from this we have to keep living. >> reporter: security taking on safety by blocking off streets, checking bags and building a wide perimeter to avoid any clashes with protesters despite that, a group marching for black lives matter taking a knee, chanting as rally goers made their way towards the arena. one woman, sheila buck, pulled from the

>> morgan chesky live in minneapolis.ning me now is the reverend al sharpton, president of the national action network and host of "politics nation." he will deliver the eulogy at george floyd's service tomorrow. it's great to have you with us. let me begin by getting your thoughts about this new civil rights investigation and how much faith you and the family think -- or have in that investigation from the minneapolis -- into the minneapolis police department as it is leading to meaningful reforms. >> it will depend on who does the investigation. clearly, it cannot be a band-aid to try to deal with something that needs surgery. it would be better positioned if it was done by an external force that showed a track record of being able to really deal in a way that people who have confidence and trust in the findings and his recommendation. but the other part of this, it must hold police that break the law criminally accountable. we cannot just have some tea and biscuits kind of reform. we must say that there must be the law

morgan chesky is about 15 minutes from where i stand. he's been on the ground here in minneapolis from the very beginning and he has more on today's memorial service. what can we expect from the memorial service, morgan? what do we know? >> reporter: well, craig, this is a service that's been very carefully planned over the past several days. you mentioned social distancing. that was absolutely a factor in wanting to make sure that this was a successful event to pay tribute to the life of george floyd. we know that it's going to be held at north central university here in minneapolis, a christian school, and that a crowd of several hundred people are expected to attend. this is a private affair to pay tribute to the life of mr. floyd, however it will be able to be streamed all over the world as countless people no doubt tune in to watch what the family attorney, ben crump, calls a celebration of george's life. but also a continued plea for justice. and while they make those final preparations, that hearse arriving there at that universit

here's morgan chesky >> reporter: in tulsa, oklahoma a spike in covid-19 cases comes as crowds line up early for president trump's first rally in months >> i wanted to come to one all my life. i'm 68 years old here i am. >> reporter: rosy will be in her chair until saturday one of the 20,000 supporters expect ed to pack the arena >> i'm as concerned about the virus as i am about every yearly flu. >> reporter: new numbers show 100% spike in tulsa cases in the past week. a staff commissioner says it's about to get worse >> if you had president trump in front of you now, what do you tell him >> i would beg him as a national leader, call this off. >> reporter: the president's campaign promising temperature checks and masks, but no requirement just yet to actually wear them. >> we're taking care of them we know what high risk means largely, it means older people, senior citizens. >> i am concerned. i really am, but i really wanted to see this man speak. >> reporter: this morning due to the recent spike in covid-19 cases, the bok center has formally requested the trump campaign provide a wri

tom costello, nbc news, washington >>> i'm morgan chesky in texas, where a surge in covid-19 is raising fears as the state reopens. >> we are moving very fast in the wrong direction. >> reporter: multiple cities turning into hot spots and another record high, 5,000 new cases statewide. now after blaming rising numbers on increased testing, governor greg abbott changing course. >> covid-19 is now spreading at an unacceptable rate in texas. and it must be corralled we have several strategies to reduce the spread without having to shut texas back down. >> reporter: in less than a week, new cases in the houston area have more than doubled, fronting this warning from infectious disease specialist, dr. peter hotez. >> if i believe the numbers continue to rise at this pace, houston is on track to become the worst affected city in the united states. >> reporter: the spike prompting houston children's to treat adults in an isolation unit. the hospital staff says the situation is changing. >> at this point, we're actually trying to catch up and in the beginning when this happened, we're in the fr

morgan chesky is live in atlanta with the latest. morgan? >> reporter: hey, ari. good afterbenoon. this is following the massive protests outside of the georgia state capitol this morning. the people marching through the streets of atlanta. the largest demonstration we've seen since the death of rayshard brooks friday night. this group here gathering on the steps of city hall, specifically calling for changes that we've started to see in other cities across the country. specifically, the de-funding of police and getting rid of the jail. part of this reform that is now being sparked, conversation wise, following the death of george floyd in minneapolis. we have a specific situation here in georgia that's different from other places, ari. here, you have the distrust with the police this has gone on now for generations, but just in recent history, we have a distrust of government, in a way. we saw the problems that arose with the recent primary vote. we had voting machines that didn't work. we had unorganized polling locations. people had to wait hours in line to have a chance to have

we saw a little bit about this in morgan chesky's report. the issues surrounding the use of the taser. i want to play this sound byte for everyone and ask you about it. watch. >> in georgia, a taser is not a deadly weapon. that's the law. that the what t that's what the cops are trained to do. you can't say he ran off with a weapon that could kill somebody when you say it's not deadly. he had other options than shooting a man in the back. >> so let me just put that question to you. i mean, did you believe that the police officers here had other options, other things they should have done. >> yes, they had several other options. i mean, just from the beginning of the entire altercation, they had other options. they didn't have to take this man or attempt to take him into custody because he was sleeping in his car. he was trying to do the right thing. he didn't want to drive drunk. he was stopped. he was not a threat to anyone. they could have taken his keys. they could have said hey, what's your wife's number? call her. let her come pick you

nbc's morgan chesky is there. >> in an order to curb the recent spike in cases, mandatory mask policies are popping up in dallas and other cities. officials shut down at least a dozen overcrowded bars, partially blaming them for spreading the virus. >> reporter: with rising cases in arizona, nurses from colorado now heading there to help. >> they travel from phoenix to colorado to help us. when the need arose, it was a no brainer. >> reporter: a public health balancing act, where fighting footing remains an indelicate science. the mayors in those seven south florida cities that are now requiring masks in public, even if you're not near anybody say for those who are not wearing masks, the police will enforce the rules. frances? >> kerry, thank you. >>> the scathing portrayal of president trump by his own former national security adviser hits shelves today john bolton's new memoir is already the top seller on amazon after surviving a security review and legal challenge from the justice department nbc's jegeoff bennett has more >> reporter: less than 24 hours before his book hit store shel

joining me now morgan chesky. morgan, i think you're in dallas, is that right?at's right. this is becoming more polarizing. this confederate memorial is fenced off and covered up. a texas appeals court has given the green light to take it down. the city is concerned about vandalism after seeing other examples of that take place across the country. from small time america to our nation's capitol our shared history is getting a new chapter. >> morgan, what's the response? are their counter protesters? are there people not in favor of this? >> reporter: ali, there are. in fact we've seen several protests here in dallas for a variety of reasons. obviously racial injustice and police brutality. they made their way by this area. we know there was an expected crowd that was anticipated here today. that's why you see these metal barriers being put up. that's a ten-foot fence around the memorial there. that's going to stay in place. the city has told us they've secured a contractor who can take it down. part of the city's reasoning is the shear size of it, they were conc

let's go now to nbc's morgan che cheski live from minneapolis. what is it like right now and can you tell us what happened on that bridge? >> reporter: katy, i absolutely can. the first thing, what a stark contrast from last night to tonight where around this time we were seeing hundreds of law enforcement officers make their way through the city clearing out areas where thousands had gathered earlier in the day and tonight an almost eerily quiet evening here, katy, after a series of arrests that happened within the past several hours. we know 150 people were taken into custody not too far from where i'm standing, in fact, you'll see a line of police and national guard humvees. about 50 yards down this street. we know there was a gas station a short disstoons ttance on the side of that barricade of vehicles where police and law enforcement officers were able to round up that many protesters and take them into custody. and that is one of the more aggressive actions we've seen since this footprint from law enforcement really tripled yesterday, katy

but defenders of the monuments argue they are important, historical artifacts morgan chesky is in dallas with that story morgan, good morning >> reporter: hey, good morning to you and here in dallas, this is all you'll see of their confederate memorial it is fenced up, wrapped up, and ready to ship out. this one is one of hundreds across the country now seeing ao change as hundreds of people look to get rid of them as symbols of racial injustice. this morning memorials to america's past crumbling down. across the country, statues of confederate leaders vandalized turns into after anger over action >> these monuments are in fact disrespectful and a direct slap in the face to african-americans. >> reporter: more than a century affect civil war and 50 years since the civil rights movement, nearly 1800 confederate symbols still stand across america including 700 monuments in parks, schools, even the u.s. capitol building >> committed treason against the united states and their statuese navy joined the marines in vowing displays to are there because their states put them here. >> reporter: on