the vaccine. dr. fauci, former cdc director tom fried and others have said there is growing evidence there may very well be enduring protection with the vaccine we have. now, i've been a big supporter of the warp speed effort to invest early in vaccines that weren't approved yet, which i think made a big difference in availability. i do question the barta decision to purchase 400 million doses of moderna and pfizer as a booster dose. were you asked about whether that was the right decision to make or not, and if you weren't, should cdc be involved in a $7.9 billion decision about a booster before we know whether we need one or not? >> thank you, senator. i think the first thing to recognize and this has been miscommunicated so i think it's very important in the media is that if you have received two doses of your pfizer or moderna vaccine, you are right now protected. what we are looking at is whether or not we will need boosters over time. i think that this is really -- given how hard we were hit by this pandemic, i t

i mean, we don't know exactly what the cdc and dr. rochelle walensky is going to say, but if it were changing the guidelines on mask-wearing indoors and outdoors, it would be a game changer. also what you just said. it's interesting to hear that the cdc does respond to pressure, more lack of a better word, from governors and from various health experts that it was time to do that. also, let me -- phil, hold that thought for a second. let's bring in elizabeth cohen. she, of course, has been following all the developments on covid for us. so, elizabeth, like i was saying to phil, this would be a game changer. what do we know? >> oh, absolutely. this is a game changer. what we know is that dr. rochelle walensky, the head of the cdc, told chris cuomo last night that, you know, we think we're going to be changing our mask guidance very soon. we don't know exactly what "very soon" means but a lot of pressure on the cdc, saying to them, look, we know that you can't completely have every last little bit of science that you need to change maski

the cdc is ready to start its briefing any minute now, and we expect the director of the cdc to make guidance. fully vaccinated americans no longer need to wear masks or social distance indoors or outdoors. we also learned president biden will speak from the rose garden at 4:35 eastern on the pandemic response. we'll, of course, bring you those remarks when they happen, but first this new guidance. there are caveats to this new mask-free guidance including health care centers, public transportation and businesses that have their own mask rules. but obviously this is huge news after a year of masks. joining me now for more on this are nbc news correspondent monica alba, nbc correspondent miguel brewster in chicago, dr. vin gupta. thank you all for being here. i may have to cut you off if the briefing comes. give us a sense of what you expect dr. walensky to say, monica. >> this is quite different from the mask wearing we've become accustomed to over the last year. the cdc is expected to say if you are more than two weeks out from your second dose or your johnson & johnson shot, you can

spoke about the work -- you spoke about the work done by cdc with the vaccine. yesterday -- it is remarkable the achievements you have made are possible with targeted investments in covid research. but also by annual and sustained investments in biomedical research made by this committee over the years. $650 million on basic research in coronavirus that helped us to move as rapidly as we work able to. thank you for your outstanding work. i have a question for you. given that nation's public health agencies cannot go from crisis to complacency to crisis. what covid related efforts need to be sustained post-pandemic that public health agencies are better positioned every day to support the health of our communities? health partners testified about core needs, public health data, workforce, laboratories that are not specific to one disease or activity. do you agree? dr. walensky: thank you. first let me say congratulations to you and connecticut for your extraordinary work on the vaccine. maybe i will jump off of where you started, the nih, and comment that what we

that is the cdc. we, in the look to the state of california to determine our local guidance and we have not yet heard from california department of public health. their reaction to that cdc announcement. nothing has changed for us yet in the state of california. >> i understand, the state gets to have it say and even on the local level as a county, you could enact different rules. what you say when you look at the big picture? do you think this announcement by the cdc is premature, or do you think looking at vaccination rates and case rates in the country, that seems warranted? >> i am divided, frankly on this. i think this is a sign of the progress we are making. this will happen. this is part of what we will begin to see more and more of as we emerge out of this pandemic and we will not be needing to cover our faces forever. the question is, when and not whether or not this would occur. i think this is early. when it comes to the is earlier than i had expected, especially when you look across the na

guidance on the cdc reads this. ger need to wear a mask or physically distance in any setting. imagine what that is like. maybe hang out at the bar, be next to other people. go to a concert. bret baier is thinking about that and he joins me coming up. i'd like to take a moment to address my fellow veterans because i know there's so many of you who have served our country honorably. whether it's 2 years, 4 years, or 32 years like myself. one of the benefits that we as a country give our veterans is eligibility for a va loan for up to 100% of your home's value. so if you need money for your family, call newday usa. with automatic authority from the va, we can say yes when banks say no. veteran homeowners. three reasons to do a cash out refi right now. home values are high while rates are low. newday lets you borrow all of your home's value. and you could take out $50,000 dollars or more. >> tech: every customer has their own safelite story. this couple loves camping adventures and their suv is always there with them. s

the cdc relaxing its mask guidelines. the cdc now says fully vaccinated americans can go without masks or social distancing in most places, indoors and outdoors it is a sharp reversal from previous recommendations. the also move aimed to boost vaccinations tonight the exceptions who should still mask up and where dr. fauci is here answering your questions. >>> breaking news, the middle east, israel beginning a ground operation near gaza after days of air strikes and rocket attacks. mobs clashing. people beaten in the streets. the toll rising. dozens killed including 17 children. >>> the massive ransom nearly $5 million paid to hackers who shut down the largest pipeline in the u.s. the fuel flowing once again. president biden urging americans to be patient. a hummer bursting into flames after the driver reportedly filled several gas containers. >>> the judge's new ruling why the trial of three former officers is delayed for months. >>> our nbc news investigation, parents accusing the family court system of ignoring allegat

spoke about the work -- you spoke about the work done by cdc with the vaccine. yesterday -- it is remarkable the achievements you have made are possible with targeted investments in covid research. but also by annual and sustained investments in biomedical research made by this committee over the years. $650 million on basic research in coronavirus that helped us to move as rapidly as we work able to. thank you for your outstanding work. i have a question for you. given that nation's public health agencies cannot go from crisis to complacency to crisis. what covid related efforts need to be sustained post-pandemic that public health agencies are better positioned every day to support the health of our communities? health partners testified about core needs, public health data, workforce, laboratories that are not specific to one disease or activity. do you agree? dr. walensky: thank you. first let me say congratulations to you and connecticut for your extraordinary work on the vaccine. maybe i will jump off of where you started, the nih, and comment that what we

california will not implement the cdc's new guidelines until june 15th. that means even if you're fully vaccinated you still need to wear a mask indoors, period. nbc bay area's marianne favro joins us in los gatos with the newest twist. marianne? >> reporter: ever since the cdc issued new guidelines last week there has been mask confusion. so we want to be absolutely clear. even though a lot of national chains, including starbucks, say that they are going to follow the cdc guidelines, here in california, even if you are fully vaccinated you must still wear a mask indoors. here in california, getting a covid shot does not mean you can go shopping without a mask, at least not yet. today the state announced you must still wear a face covering indoors until june 15th. despite new cdc guidelines that say otherwise. >> this four-week period will give californians time to prepare for this change while we continue the relentless focus on delivering vaccines, technically to underserved communities and those that were hard hit throughout this pandemic. >> reporter:

the nurses are asking the state to reject the cdc's new rule. doctors say the vaccine has the pootusout a mask on, but the nursesunion co the people are vaccinated and that people still don't get tested after they have been vaccinated. >> i think we need to continue with the precautionary principle since there are so many unknowns about the variance and the efficacy of the vaccines, whether we are going to need a booster or not so we need to continue wearing masks. it is also on the honor system. >> the did is clear that the vaccines protect against variance we know of right now and even if there is a breakthrough infection which will occur at times, the amount of virus that we are detecting and people is fourfold lower than without a vaccine.vaccine.. >> doctors are calling the vaccine protection amazing saying it is showing to be 94% effective in the trials and now out in the field as the population gets gets gets gets more than 50% of californians have received at least one dose of the vaccine. no word yet on what the state plans to do about t

the cdc has been just fine. when the circumstances evolve, the things people say about them are also going to evolve. if they don't evolve what they say then they are not paying attention to the circumstances, because the circumstances fall. host: you say you are basically vaccinated, what does that mean? caller: i used the wrong word. host: you mean you have had one or both of the shots, right? caller: yes, two mergener shots. host: do you plan to not wear your mask in public now? caller: i got my haircut yesterday and i brought a mask in. the barber said he did not need me to wear it. so, ok. if i go somewhere else and see masks, i will wear a mask. to me it is being polite and it is like, it is almost the same as taking a shower and being clean and not being smelly. it is just being polite out there. you don't want to give anybody disease, you don't want to get a disease. it is obvious and simple how you can cut the odds down. so you just cut the odds down. people are looking for oh, you know, somebody said so

so the cdc guidance is just that. these are recommendations. ted, certainly not at the state or local level, and they certainly don't need to k practiced by individuals in this country. so to answer kathy's question i would say this. that if you know you're vaccinated you know you are reasonably well protected. if you're unsure and insecure about having a conversation with someone, when you don't know their vaccination status, keep the conversation to a minimum in terms of duration and try to keep it outdoors. we are back to the basic recommendations in that scenario. >> if you're comfortable with it wear your mask for a while. i don't think anyone should be ashamed for doing that. >> absolutely. >> another viewer shares my 30-year-old son does not want the vaccine. my husband and i are fully vaccinated but treated for high blood pressure. can i let my son come inside my home with a mask and with me also wearing one? can we ever again be inside together or hug without masks? >> so for the viewer, if they are fully vaccinated they are actually ve

but as we have talked about the cdc not just dr. s are constantly reviewing the data to ensure that they can provide accurate and up-to-date guidance. >> john: what was the big breakthrough that they could turn around and say this yesterday, do you know? >> i don't think there was any specific breakthrough. and i think you saw as i outlined over the last week how things have been really sort of mixed messaging, not even mixed messaging but doubling down on the past. i believe someone in the administration said enough of this, and up of inertia. we have to get america back. we have to open up. that is not political. that is an appropriate thing for leadership to do. nobody at the cdc was elected to anything. the cdc director ease isn't even senate confirmed but there needs to be pressure to get cdc off of this spot. it should have been done weeks ago and i'm glad it was done yesterday. >> john: as you pointed out, a lot of mixed messaging from the cdc. let's wind the clock back to show the dr. walensky was saying about where the count

look, the cdc does not make law. the cdc chooses guidelines. the cdc got the science right by saying vaccinated people are completely protected whether they are indoors or outdoors or they're wearing a masks or not. vaccinated people are protected. what states and locality needs to understand is they need to customized how they enact these guidelines. maryland where i live has a test positivity rate of 1.7%, about half the national average. mississippi on the other hand has a test positivity rate of 13.8%. states should also look at what their vaccination rates are. some states in the northeast have adult vaccination rates of 70%. some states in the south have vaccination rates of 45%. the leaders in those states should take the guidelines from the cdc and enact sensible regulation that makes sense for their state. there is so much vaccines out, i am not sure any of this going to matter. >> that's true, there is plenty for everybody who wants it. i raise the question though that the administration wanted to go ahead with the science and they di

, this is the cdc director. [video clip] >> several things have happened in the last two weeks, the cases have dropped by a third and we have had increasing available vaccine and we now have available eligible people between the ages of 12 and 15 and we have had a coalescence of more signs that has emerged in the last week. the science has been three areas , the effectiveness of the vaccine in general on the population and one is the effectivenesss against variants which was just published last week and the effectiveness in preventing transmissibility. host: congressman, i will let you respond. caller: eric, thank you for the call. i'm not giving medical advice, i listen to the experts in the experts at the cdc just outline for you the three reasons why the virus is going to be crushed, why the vaccine is effective and why, for those who have been fully vaccinated, that they no longer have to wear masks in public or in private unless they choose to do so. i personally will probably wear a mask. i have underlying

we will continue to work closely with the cdc to evaluate the need for these directives. the real question here is how people will react to all of this. the faa says it's seen 1,300 reports of unruly passengers on commercial flights in the last three months alone. i spoke to faa administrator steve dixon about this in an exclusive interview and he says that is a huge uptick. are you at all concerned with summer travel on the horizon? >> i'm always concerned. we always have to be vigilant on safety issues. and the aviation system that we have in the united states is the safest form of travel in human history. we need to do everything we can always to make sure that it stays that way. and, again, that's what this zero tolerance policy is all about, to make sure we get the situation under control. >> all of this is happening as more people are coming back to flying. the tsa says 1.74 million people passed through security at america's airports on thursday. that is a new record of the pandemic. you know, the head of the association of flight attendants tells me, there can be

. >>> bay area entertainment venue celebrating the cdc's decision to loosen mask guidelines. >>> the family of a man killed by police reacts to the attorney general's decision to investigate the shooting. plus, from city streets to the bay area suburbs. the pandemic is driving a surgeon overdoses. tonight, why the drugs are dramatically more deadly. and what every parent should do. >>> now at 11:00 and streaming on cbsn bay area . >> it is the talk of the bay area tonight. a bear spotted perched on a tree in the middle of a marin county neighborhood just a block away from downtown. andrea nakano is live this evening and tells us that there is a happy ending to this story. >> reporter: a very happy ending. just around 8:00 the bear finally decided to come down from the tree, which was in the backyard of his home here in san anselmo. park rangers tell me that they've seen their tracks and have had received reports ofst weeks. this is a bear sitting in an old oak tree right in the backyard of the haynes family home. larry could barely believe it when his wife called him about the news.

>> that's the guidance from the cdc, and i have not heard anything from warner media or cnn what i am supposed to do with the mask now. >> that's a huge buzzkill. >> that's the difference, that's what churches and schools have to figure out, because we have heard the cdc but what are companies going to do? >> am i getting ahead of myself? i may be. >> i wouldn't throw it away yet. >> thank you. there was a stunning policy shift and the new guidance said fully vaccinated people also no longer need to stay six feet away from other people in most situations, and that's a game changer, victor. think of all the people you have not hugged over the last year and kept at a arm's distance, and even our family members and today that changes. so here is cdc director, dr. walensky explaining the decision. >> several things have happened in the last two weeks. in the last two weeks cases in the country have dropped by a third. in the last two weeks we have had increasing available vaccines and eligible people between the ages of 12 and 15, and we have had a coalescence of science in the last few w

the cdc has not yet responded to this pressure from the union. reporting live from san ramon, amy hollyfield, abc7 news. >> thank you. >>> new this morning, target has announced it is no longer requiring customers or employees to wear their masks if they are fully vaccinated. like all the other businesses that are adjusting policies, this is only applying in places where there are not mask mandates. target says it still strongly recommends everyone wear their mask. >>> the cdc says the mask should stay on at school at least for the rest of this school year. the agency reasons that most younger children are not vaccinated and may not be eligible until the fall. while the cdc says children who get infected tend to have less severe cases of covid-19, they can still get sick and spread the virus to others. the cdc will update guidance for the next school year in the coming weeks to give educators time to plan. >>> the city of san jose hosted a vaccine clinic for those disproportionately impacted by the impact. johnson & johnson vaccines were offered

walensky, met with top officials at the cdc. they talked about this and she made up her mind to change this guidance. afterwards, she briefed the hhs secretary becerra on the next plan, and it was only after that that they then went to the white house and said, hey, by the way, tomorrow, pretty drastically we're changing this guidance what fully vaccinated people can do inside and outside. that's why you saw a scramble at the white house today with president biden addressing this change, which he was not initially scheduled to do. he wasn't supposed to toalk abot the pandemic today. and then, of course, at the last minute they added the remarks so they could tout what a milestone this is. >> what did president biden say about the announcement? >> it's a good day for the country. he was smiling as he came out, modeling this new guidance, but also trying to use it as an incentive for those who have not gotten the shot just yet. >> the rule is very simple. get vaccinated or wear a mask until you do. if you're vaccinated, you can be

i think the goal of the cdc, the purpose of the cdc is to advance public health in the country.their public policy. so your guidelines have to make sense. and they also have to have that broader purpose and mission in mind. and so, i really wish that the cdc had taken an intermediate step. instead of going the pendulum swing all the way to the other direction. why not just say fully-vaccinated people can be around other fully-vaccinated people, including at work. in workplaces, you can take off your mask. i think that would have been a good-intermediate step. give people time to a just to that. and then, do something this drastic but i really fear that, we are just going to take away the incentive for people who may be on the fence. now, may just think, well, i could just take off my mask, anyway. what's the point? >> sanjay, jimmy sent in a question saying i know fully-vaccinated people of johnson & johnson and moderna who have contracted covid most likely while dining outside at a restaurant. in light of this breakthrough infection, how does the new-cdc mask guidance make any

this comes after california announced it's going against the cdc. that's the decision today from state health leaders. bottom line, keep your mask bes on indoors. california will not implement the cdc's new mask guidelines until june 15th. that means even if you're fully vaccinated you still need to wear a mask indoors even if the business has dropped its own mask mandate outside of the state. health leaders say california needs this extra four weeks to vaccinate even more people and give businesses time to prepare for the changes.

that's the latest from the cdc. but here in california, state and county leaders haven't given the green light to do that just yet. an update is expected any day now, but confusion remains. do we keep masks on or not? today in the bay's jean elle begins our coverage. >> reporter: it's decision time for masking rules. ucsf covid-19 expert dr. monica gandhi says it's time for california to end mask mandates, because research shows vaccines work. >> so it blocks you from getting sick, it blocks others from getting the infection and putting that all together is what led the cdc to recommend that vaccinated people don't have to wear masks indoors or outdoors. >> reporter: dr. gandhi also says the opportunity to remove the mask might convince people to get vaccinated. >> there's some people who need that have incentive to get the vaccine, who are holding back. they're like, tell me when this mask thing will end. and if that will increase vaccine motivation and uptake, that is another reason the cdc did this. >> reporter: i

how is the cdc limiting the review of americans who get infected after vaccination. we are going to investigate next. ♪eh uh, eh uh♪ ♪flow (oh my gosh)♪ ♪where man go (oh my gosh)♪ ♪if a man see me (oh my gosh)♪ ♪i guess you never know what you got 'til it's♪ ♪flow (oh my gosh)♪ ♪where man go (oh my gosh)♪ ♪if a man see me (oh my gosh)♪ ♪i guess you never know what you got 'til it's♪ ♪eh uh, eh uh eh uh, eh uh eh uh, eh uh eh uh♪ wanna help kids get their homework done? well, an internet connection's a good start. but kids also need computers. and sometimes the hardest thing about homework is finding a place to do it. so why not hook community centers up with wifi? for kids like us, and all the amazing things we're gonna learn. over the next 10 years, comcast is committing $1 billion to reach 50 million low-income americans with the tools and resources they need to be ready for anything. i hope you're ready. 'cause we are. ♪ ♪ >> laura: as the left is threatening to punish unvaccinated americans, here is something that have not been telling you. at the end of april,

. >> they are, ana, the cdc said essentially the same thing, on april 27th, but they didn't say it as like a regular guy, you get what he's saying. let me show you how the cdc said it on april 27th. it was with this complicated chart, which has been really people have pretty much made fun of it. it was hard to get what they were getting at. now, we do know that dr. rochelle walensky the head of the cdc said very soon they will be revising their mask guidance, and so we could see changes for vaccinated people, on masks indoors and outdoors, also maybe they're going to put something in there about social distancing, so definitely, we should look for that, because fauci and others have been nudging the cdc to get moving in this area, my sources telling me that even voices within the cdc are saying we need to get with the program here, guys, more lenient guidance on masks for people who are vaccinated, it's the science supports it, and it encourages people to get vaccinated. >> elizabeth cohen, thanks for that quick update. >> thanks. >>> it was a question many people had from the early d

that's why the cdc made the recommendation.ate has gone down, but the real world effectiveness of the vaccine is truly extraordinary. if you look at the numbers of people who have been vaccinated and break through infections, it's a very, very small percentage. if you go into a place -- and the fact is you very likely will not know if you go into a restaurant or store or anyplace indoors, you will not know who is vaccinated or not. but we felt that all things considered, given the high degree of effectiveness of the vaccines, that you are okay to do that because your risk is very, very low. >> our correspondent in l.a. was talking to someone who kept her mask on because she said she didn't want people to think she was politically against math. there is that. it has become so politicized that some people will be reluctant to take their mask off in public. >> you make a very good point and are right. people will have to make their own decisions about that. you can see people who are really at that transition period where they are

, they were talking to the white house and using white house leverage to get from the cdc what theyted. >> emily: that's exactly right, kayleigh and when pressed by jake tapper, he said multiple times, can you point for any scientific reason for students in the united states not to return to in person classes tomorrow? he could not or would not offer advice for an explanation. >> kayleigh: right, because there wasn't a scientific reason, there was a political reason and it was the influence of the teachers unions. i thought the biden administration follows the science, they passionately proclaimed that but in fact they have the teachers union dictating the science, this is extraordinary and i think this is a huge candle, we knew back in july when i stood at the white house podium that schools should be reopened, data showed us that, i set up multiple times as did president trump and others and here we are down the road, the teachers union is reviewing guidance, they actually have got to review the guidance they are at the cdc before it came out, if you listen very carefully to presi

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we know it has been 16 days since the cdc updated guidance. we saw heavy criticism for moving too slow. has the science really changed in 16 days? >> several things have happened. cases have dropped by a third. we have had increasing available vaccine. we now have eligible people between the ages of 12 and 15. and we have had a coalescence of more science just in the last week. that science has been in three areas. one is the effectiveness of the vaccine in general. what is the effectiveness against variants. it was just published last week. and then the effectiveness in preventing transmissibility. >> next question. >> thanks so much. my question is for dr. wolinsky. you said regardless of gathering size, even if indoors, you don't have to wear a mask. i noticed you did not list exceptions beyond health care providers i believe. does this mean vaccinated people can take their mask off on an airplane? >> thank you for that question. we still have the requirement to wear a mask when you travel on buses, trains, and other forms of public transpor

the pandemic. we've got live team coverage. cdc is announcing new mask guidelines and one local school district is bringing its graduating high school seniors back today for in-person learning. "today in the bay's" cierra johnson joins us live in san francisco. how did the district finally reach its decision? >> reporter: good morning, laura. the decision was made over the weekend and if you think back to your senior year of high school, i think back to mine and every moment seems so precious, the last track meet, the last homecoming dance. the class of 2021 in san francisco unified school district gets to come back to their school to walk the halls at least for a couple of days. as i mentioned that deal involves the oldest students in the san francisco unified school district, solidified over the weekend, in all about 500 high school seniors are expected to return to the classroom. it won't be like what we saw with some of the younger students, taught in the traditional sense but receive assistance from seechers completing final p

now, i want to be clear about what the cdc is saying. and what the cdc is not saying. the cdc is saying that it's concluded that fully vaccinated people are at a very, very low risk of getting covid-19. therefore, if you have been fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask. let me repeat, if you are fully vaccinated you no longer need to wear a mask. but if you have not been vaccinated or if the you're getting a two-shot vaccine and you only had your first shot, but not your second, or you haven't waited the full two weeks after your second shot, you still need to wear a mask. look, we've gotten this far. please protect yourself. until you get to the finish line, because as great as this announcement is today, we don't want to let up. we all know how tough this virus has been. the safest thing for the country is for everyone to get vaccinated. and getting vaccinated is easier than ever. we have worked so hard. we have 80,000 locations, 90% of you live within five miles of one of those locations. you can find a vaccine site near you by texting your zip code to

, this is the cdc director. clip] >> several things have happened in the last two weeks, the cases have dropped by a third and we have had increasing available vaccine and we now have available eligible people between the ages of 12 and 15 and we have had a coalescence of more signs that has emerged in the last week. the science has been three areas , the effectiveness of the vaccine in general on the population and one is the effectivenesss against variants which was just published last week and the effectiveness in preventing transmissibility. host: congressman, i will let you respond. caller: eric, thank you for the call. i'm not giving medical advice, i listen to the experts in the experts at the cdc just outline for you the three reasons why the virus is going to be crushed, why the vaccine is effective and why, for those who have been fully vaccinated, that they no longer have to wear masks in public or in private unless they choose to do so. i personally will probably wear a mask. i have underlying health

the cdc rolled this out without any advanced notice. even the white house didn't know it was coming. and so we have to give businesses and schools and others time to adjust to it. if we can get substantially over 50% of people vaccinated, that will create substantial downward pressure on the cases and make sure that we don't open up prematurely and have to go back down again. boy, think about how hard it would be if we had to reinstate requirements for masking after we took them down. the cdc tends to lag a little bit and want to be very safe. on this one most of the public health experts feel they went pretty far, pretty fast, and the california standards today seem much more prudent. >> yes, taking a step back would be emotional whiplash for so many people. those of us that are vaccinated, how much concern should we have about the variants? and if i'm vaccinated, should i still be masking up because i'm afraid of the variant? >> i don't think so. i think the variants have proven to be nastier as we expected but the vaccines work incred

it has to do with this aerosol droplet story that emerged on friday from the cdc. but yes, ventilated spaces, it is very hard to get covid. so i would not suggest a ceiling fan, but open the window because you want outdoor air coming in for anyone who is unvaccinated. >> i will end with daniel's comment, dr. monica gandhi rocks, love her. erika says, i love it when dr. gandhi is on. a lot of love, and a lot of appreciation. thank you so much for your time today. >> thank you. thank you so much, thanks. >> take care. >>> coming up >>> welcome back. we first met tyler gordon after his video and i will a member this? painting vice president kamala harris with the golden gate bridge as the backdrop. and since then, his artistic career has just skyrocketed. he has countless new paintings and now a new book that you can preorder, right thereright therr portraits of power, by tyler gordon from san jose joining us right now., tyler. >> hello. >> so great to see you. just our viewers know, as we check here, we will run some of the other time lapses you have done. good aftern

while the cdc its math gof lifornia hasn't. here in the bay area, not everybody is ready to ditch their masks. abc7 news reporter amy hollyfield is johow people are feeling about these new guidelines. amy? >> reporter: hi, good morning. we are out here to check out what this first morning looks like. it looks the same. it looks very similar to all the days before this, kumasi. take a look. we've got video of some people's first coffee run since the federal government's announcement. and it is still full of masks. people still wearing them inside the starbucks to california has not decided yet whether to adopt the cdc's new guidelines. depot this morning that we have seen are still following california's mask mandate, and not assuming that the cdc's announcement means they can get theirs off inside. we asked one woman about it as she had it in for her coffee. >> to be honest, i didn't even hear that. i guess is several people have already gotten their shot, it would be okay. but most of us haven't. like i haven't got it. so i'm n

walgreens and macy's are reviewing mask requirements following the cdc announcement. s said the same thing, adding the safety of employees and customers will guide is decision-making process. ea> kids as young as 12 are on parents and "tweens" said the text messages went flying and best friends were the shot >> it will be nice to see people again and hug them and stuff. >> i have been really wanting it. >> reporter: how about your friends in. >> yes, they have reallyreallyry wanting it. >> if a parent or guardian can't be there, a handwritten note will work. we have a full breakdown of some of the top questions about this on our website at abc7news.com. >>> hamas militants launched more rockets at israel overnight and gaza is celebrating for further airstrikes. vienonict intee seeingoth sides move closer to and all-out war overnight. israel is preparing for a ground invasion overnight, calling 9,000 troops to the border. hamas militants launches more rockets at israel and israel responded with air strikes and artillery fire, bombarding gaza with explosions and ambulanc

and i think that's part of the challenge of this approach that the cdc took. d the idea here is, if enough institutions, people who are unvaccinated and remain unvaccinated want to be a part of do in fact impose some sort of verification process that will create a society-wide incentive to push vaccinations. we don't know if that's going to take hold. the other challenge that polo rightly mentioned in his report is, well, i have a 3-year-old kid. my kid is obviously not vaccinated. he and my wife are. but my kid is going to do the things that me and my wife do. at the same time, we don't want to set a bad example for our daughter so what do we do there? one of the circumstances, my daughter says, you guys aren't wearing one, i don't want to wear one, it's kind of hard explaining it to a 3-year-old. what do we do in those circumstances? that's another challenge. >> i wish you good luck on that end. if people have been resistant to comply with mask mandates, how do you think they'll respond having to verify they've taken a vaccine. >> there's been a lot of pushba

are you ready to lose the mask in a turning point of the country's pandemic response the head of the cdc announced late today new guidelines that allow the fully vaccinated to leave their masks off in most settings. outdoors and indoors it's the news we have hoped for for over a year and yet there are mixed reactions tonight. americans wondering if they're ready to drop the virus defense the mask has provided and if the decision was perhaps rushed, a response to building pressure from congress and the public but officials say it's really all about the success of the vaccines at least one dose in the arms of over 152 million american adults tonight president biden calling this a great day. we have a lot to tell you about. let's start with miguel almaguer. >> reporter: tonight the new face of the pandemic is now one without a mask the cdc's ground shifting change impacting the 117 million fully vaccinated americans who will no longer need to physically distance or wear a mask outdoors or indoors. >> we have all longed for this moment. >> reporter: the dramatic cultural shift by far the big

to we go against the state or follow the cdc's new guidance? >> right. right now we're following the state. where waiting on what we heard that something might be shared soon. we're crossing our fingers because it would make our job easier to have that guidance. >> i think from spending a night out in chicago that people are ready for some change to get back to a more normal life. i'm sure you saw that with customers as well. will the people decide what happens even if they have to keep waiting on the governor? >> i feel like at this point people are making the decision. when you're a business owner, it's different. it's not just about one individual. it's about employees and customers. we're still going by what the state says. we're waiting with very baited breath to make sure that we have that guidance. >> sandra, this is a restaurant that has followed the rules to a tee since the beginning of the pandemic even if they didn't necessarily agree with those rules. so now they're waiting on new rules to follow and hopefully an optimistic future. >> martha:

get the c-span radio app. this is a headline, cdc admits coronavirus is airborne and can be transmitted more than six feet away. this says, despite the changes, some aerosol experts say the cdc has not gone far enough, because it says transmission from far away is uncommon. the change in wording has important implications and illustrates how good ventilation in indoor spaces is key to prevent transmission of the virus, people can stop worrying about cleaning services so much. that is from theslate.com. yesterday, a covid-19 coordinator from the white house was asked implications for those people returning to work. [video clip] >> i think everyone is tired, and wearing a mask can be a. but we're getting there. the light at the end of the tunnel is brighter and brighter. that's keep up our guard and follow the cdc guidance -- let's keep up our guard. the guidance will allow people more abilities to take it off. >> it shows four in 10 vaccinated americans, 40% say they still are not comfortable returning to their routines. would you lik

in one email the american federation of teachers told the cdc "thank you for your continued openness toward suggestions and input." it would be great to see the insertion of the following in the event high community transition results from a new variant of sars-cov-2 you a new update of the guidelines may be necessary. in one day later a nearly identical line appeared in the cdc's official guidelines. both the cdc and the teachers union say that these kinds of communications are normal and routine with the union's president telling fox "the aft represents 1.7 million educators, health care professionals, and public employees who spent the last 14 months serving on the front lines of the covid-19 pandemic, so naturally in regular touch with the agency setting policies that affect their work and lives including the cdc. but republican senator tom cotton argued that the premier health agency is being inappropriately influenced by the american federation of teachers which spanned more than $20 million during the 2020 campaign cycle supporting democrats. >> we should not have a publicized

the cdc director says the decision is based on many factors. the science on their ability to protect against circulating variants and our growing understanding of the low risk of transmission to others. >> reporter: in san francisco reaction was swift even before people knew whether california would follow the new guidance. >> it's tricky. yeah. i'm not sure whether i would jump on that. you know? but i don't like wearing a mask. >> i think there are a lot of people that are not vaccinated that are at risk. >> in a statement, in part, as we recently did with the new guidance on outdoor masking for fully vaccinated people, we must wait for the state to adopt the updated guidelines before making changes to the local health order that we consider safe. at the shop just for fun, the talk was all about the changes that could be coming. >> not really concerned. i think that -- i think it will be fine. i think san francisco is in a good position and we're pretty responsible. >> reporter: this owner said it's possible shoppers might want to keep them o

he said "the cdc listened to teacher's unions, not families. students are still being kept from classrooms and parents cannot return to work. republicans are demanding answers to why special interest groups were given undue influence by the biden white house." so very strong words from house minority leader kevin mccarthy. we'll see how they respond. martha? >> martha: thanks. kristin fisher at the white house. joining me katie pavlich and will cain, host of the will cain podcast and fox news contributors. great to have you with us today. i want to start with your reaction to what you just watched. katie, let's begin with you. president biden talking about his plan to rescue families in america and create jobs, backing up his tax plan and the spending which he says will be all paid for, katie. >> well, first, the excuse from president biden that we're already in the hole by a couple trillion dollars justifies spending an additional $6 trillion, that's not a justification for going down this path when we are seeing inflation and inflation is a ta

she is referring to the emails back and forth between the cdc and the aft. she says, this is not how science-based guidance should work or be put together. my second example is from a new york times story that appeared today. it talks about cdc guidelines on mask wearing, and where the cdc announced that less than 10% of covid-19 transmission was occurring outdoors, the article points out that this is "almost certainly misleading and goes on to say, there is not a single documented covid infection anywhere in the world, from casual outdoor interactions, such as walking past someone on a street or eating at a nearby table. the third example has to do with new guidance the cdc has issued for summer camps. here are the reactions of two experts. one is a pediatric immunologist at columbia, who referred to the recommendations as "senseless." the editor-in-chief of the journal of the american medical association pediatrics calls the guidance "unfairly draconian." so, here we have unnecessary barriers to reopening schools, exaggerating the risks of outdoor transmiss