you see the video that went into it. and from all over the world. the song released and posted. >> we're look at the 6:00. tonight, the next push to reopen. more than half the country to loosen restrictions tomorrow, as demonstrators demand states move even faster. the new pushback to the protests >> it's devastatingly worrisome to me personally and why some areas are now reversing their face mask orders is it getting worse? the deadliest 24 hours in america yet the states seeing cases surge and the hospital that says it was their worst day ever accusations against china. >> i there is a significant amount of evidence that this came from that laboratory in wuhan.

>> the u.s. now threatening to retaliate. the nightmare in the air. a packed plane and then an all out brawl forces an emergency landing, plus the science more -- signs more people are starting to fly again. and there is good news tonight the americans taking their stimulus checks and paying them forward. and the neighbors paying tribute to the flag ♪ god bless america >> this is nbc "nightly news" with kate snow. >> good evening, across so much of the country tonight, it is starting to feel like the grip of this pandemic is loosening. many states have reopened public spaces this weekend and as we start the workweek tomorrow, more businesses will reopen in more than half the states. but we got a stark reminder today that families are still losing loved ones at an alarming rate in a 24-hour period this country saw the highest deadly

death toll yet with deat rates increasing outside the new york area we begin with blayne alexander in atlanta. >> reporter: the rate to reopen is heating up with warm weekend weather drawing people out of their homes in droves and more protests sweeping the country >> open up our state >> reporter: tomorrow, a new wave of states will open their doors. >> they're eager to get back to work they're excited. >> reporter: starting monday, more than half the country, 32 states will be at least partiall opened for business. among the latest arizona, florida, indiana and missouri all reopening tomorrow both washington and kentucky set to join in about a week. >> i'm glad to get people back to work. >> reporter: beaches in clearwater, florida will open their stores monday that's good news for clear sky cafe >> the tables are about eight feet apart. we are doing single-use menus >> reporter: but it's not just a flick of the switch >> tomorrow is one step it's certainly not the florida that we had in

february >> reporter: restaurants and stores can only open at half capacity and miami-dade, broward and palm beach counties will remain closed despite protests >> we need to pay our bills. we have mortgages. we have families to feed. >> reporter: elsewhere, just because states are reopening does not mean stores are following suit at this mall in phoenix, she says she desperately misses work, bu the risk is not worth it >> i know i still have rent and i have no money coming in. why aren't we listening to the doctors and scientists that are telling us it is not safe. why put yourself at risk and put your clients at risk? >> reporter: with the federal guidelines for social distancing officially expired, the call t reopen is growing louder protesters sweeping massachusetts, maine, illinois, many without masks raising new concerns >> it's devastatingly worrisome to me personally because if they go home and infect their grandmother or their grandfather, they will feel guilty for the rest of our lives. so we need to protect each other at the same time we are voicing our discontent >> reporter: it comes as ohio's governor is forced to make an

about-face, reversing his order requiring customers to wear masks inside stores, saying some residents found it offensive >> it became clear to me that that was just a bridge too far people were not going to accept the government telling them what to do. >> reporter: same in stillwater, oklahoma, some employees face physical threats from shoppers who did not want to cover their faces. and with the nation's park becoming more populated, some states are cracking down. massachusetts closing at least five parks that were too crowded, same in connecticut as some reached capacity and in the nation's capital, where the city is still under a stay-at-home order, it's back-to-work for some on capitol hill the senate back in session monday, as the house remains in recess blayne joins us from atlanta. another big change, starting tomorrow, more shopping malls will be opened. >> reporter: yeah, that's right as of tomorrow, in fact, simon properties is opening three dozen malls across the country including this plaza in atlanta that makes nearly 70

that will be opened by the end of the week just because malls are opening their doors, that does not not mean the stores inside are doing the same thing kate >> blayne alexander in atlanta for us thank you. now exactly, and where this pandemic started is getting a closer look tonight. today one of the president's closest advisers placed blame squarely on a chinese lab but stopp stopped short of providing any proof. kelly o'donnell reports on the white house. >> reporter: while science looks for a cure, the u.s. intelligence pursues a different course, assessing china's culpability. >> a lot of things are happening with respect to china we're not happy. >> reporter: today the secretary of state accelerated the pressure. >> i can tell you that there is a significant amount of evident evidence that this came from that laboratory in wuhan. >> reporter: giving theories new oxygen. the president was pressed to explain, what evidence replaces the outbreak to the chinese labs, but held back >> i'm not allowed to tell you that. >> reporter: some

consensus, many questions. the director of national intelligence contends covid-19 virus was not man-made or genetically modified so not considered a biological weapon. but officials say they need more proof to determine if the outbreak began through contact with infected animals at china's wet markets, an accident at the wuhan lab, or another unproven theory was this an intentional act? >> i don't have anything to say about that. >> reporter: however, pompeo pointedly blames china's communist party for blocking access to its labs >> we still need to get in there we still don't have the virus samples we need this is an ongoing threat. >> reporter: a china state-run news agency released a video, notably in english, that mocks american reaction to what it claims were china's warnings >> it will magically go away in april >> reporter: but the administration is not in a joking mood >> president trump is

very clear, we will hold those responsible accountable. and we will do so on a time line that is our own. >> kelly is with us at the white house. there is new reporting tonight on a homeland security memo concerning china >> that's right. the four-page homeland memo that asserts that china intentionally concealed the extent of the outbreak in early january in part to amass more medical supplies and gear while it was reducing exports to other countries that would soon be in need. kate >> kelly o'donnell, thank you. even as states relax restrictions, there is a new warning tonight covid cases and deaths will only get worse across a big part of the country. kathy park has that report. >> reporter: tonight, troubling data from the world health organization the u.s. marked its deadlies 24 hours last week with more than 2900 lives lost to covid-19 >> the number of deaths that are accruing on a daily base tell you what was happening maybe two or

three weeks ago in terms of new cases. we will see deaths continue to rise even as the epidemic starts to peak and decline. >> reporter: warning that when yo take the new york tri-state out of the equation, the spread is more consistent >> there is about 20 states with a number of new cases on a daily basis is increasing and the actual overall trend nationally is towards more hospitalizations and more new cases >> reporter: the virus has firm grip on fall on, new mexico it's so bad, the governor closed all roads in and out of the city >> they are turning people around. >> reporter: but this resident got through >> i did make it through the road blocks so you do have to have some proof of residency. >> reporter: the death toll i michigan now tops 4,000 and has the highest fatality rate in the country data showing detroit the hardest hit. in wooster, massachusetts, the top doctor at umass memorial reported 107 patients in his icu friday calling it the worst day we've ever had. cases continue to

climb in new jersey, but hospitalizations are down the garden state now joining new york at a northeast consortium to boost the purchasing power for ppe, ventilators, and medical equipment. today governor andrew cuomo reporting hospitalization dropped below 10,000 for the first time since mid-march. during the height of new york's outbreak, we met doctors fighting to save lives. >> what can i say? it's the end of the shift. saturday april 4th. just a horrendous, horrendous shift we have right now 20 -- i think 20, 21 on ventilators running here in this emergency department and in the hospital, we have roughly 90 ventilators running. and we only have a few left to spare. >> i just got out of my ten-hour shift. it feels like playing dominos every single minute over ten hours straight feeling like any one of your patients is about to fall and collapse. >> reporter: a month later, they're seeing progress but the victims still weigh heavy on their

hearts >> i just recall a few who were dying and the last person that was with them that died was me. >> reporter: today dr. ernest patty sharing lessons learned. >> you can't take anything for granted >> reporter: and three reasons for staying motivated. >> they're the reason why i'm so happy i can tell you that. >> it's so devastating. kathy is with us in central park because of the decrease in hospitalizations, what is happening to that field hospital behind you? >> reporter: well, kate, they will actually stop taking new patients starting tomorrow and in total, 191 covid-19 patients have been treated at this location since april 1st. kate >> all right kathy park thank you. we have ne developments tonight concerning an allegation made against apparent democratic nominee joe biden. his accuser talking about what she did and did not report when she says the incident occurred. >> reporter: former senate staffer tara

reade, who alleges form vice president joe biden sexually assaulted her when he was a senator, reiterating to nbc news this weekend that she never used the word sexual assault in a complaint reade says she filed in 1993. biden flatly denied her allegations. >> i'm saying unequivocally it never happened, period. >> reporter: reade canceled an interview with fox news sunday, citing threats against her and her family she told nbc in a text message she's not sure what explicit words she might have used in the 27-year-old complaint she says was filed. reade says it was harassment she experienced in biden's office, not the alleged sexual assault. she also told the associated press she was quote too scared to write about the sexual assault biden has asked for those documents to be released >> if that document existed, it would be stored in the national archives. >> reporter: there is also mounting pressure for biden to open his sealed documents stored at the university of delaware >> this is like the hillary e-mails. because there was nothing there. >> reporter: several obama administration alumni say no

allegations like reade's ever surfaced during biden's extensive vetting for the 2008 ticket. meanwhile, conservatives point out the response to reade stands in stark contrast to the way democrats and biden rallied around brett kavanaugh's accuser christine blasey ford. >> there should be a presumption of innocence across the board. however, you can't just apply it only to people who you agree with politically that's a problem. >> reporter: during the kavanaugh hearing, biden said dr. ford should be given the benefit of the doubt alley vitale, nbc news, washington when we come back, a vicious fight on a packed plane raising new concerns about the safety of air travel in the age of coronavirus. and throughout the broadcast, we are bringing you the moments that unite us. like the first responders from across the country who were helping in new jersey now heading home the garden state sending them off with this tribute

we are back now with a real nightmare flight experience. if tensions aren't high enough flying in the age of the coronavirus, a fight broke out on a packed plane forcing an emergency landing. erin mclaughlin with more on that and how travel is changing. >> reporter: on a red eye flight from l.a. to detroit, a brutal brawl. >> we were just in shock, really. we just couldn't believe what was happening. >> reporter: a spiri airlines passenger captured this shocking footage showing

passengers repeatedly punching each other, according to an airline official the flight triggered by a noise complaint. the plane three-quarters full. >> it was very scary and i had my kids with me we were all just like oh, my god >> reporter: the flight made an emergency landing in des moines, iowa police were called to the scene but no arrests were made, according to des moines airport because the brawl happened over nebraska. spirit airlines released a statement saying we do not tolerate any type of physical altercation on board our aircraft and appropriate action will be taken. the covid-19 crisi taking a toll on not just passengers but the industry today spirit announcing passengers must now wear masks, following similar announcements from delta, american, jet blue, and others after a spokesperson spoke out about the lack of ppe on nbc news. >> it's a sense of relief, every time we come to work, we are always risking our lives, having those steps in place makes us feel more confident coming home to our families >> reporter: while air travel is down 90%,

friday tsa's passenger count reached 171,000, the highest in over a month. still nowhere near the 2.5 million that traveled on the same day last year. united airlines says it sees signs of pent-up demand >> searches for spring break travel 2021 on ou website are actually higher this year than they were at this time last year. >> at southwest, 400 parked airplanes and plenty of worry. >> i don't think june will be a big month. but hopefully it will be a bit better than may. we are looking forward to july and august we'll just have to see. there are bookings in place. those could easily be canceled if those don't improve, we have to downsize >> erin joins us from inside l.a.x erin, with so few people flying, why are we seeing these pictures of planes packed with people >> reporter: an official tells m his airlines are running 45 to 50 flights a day down from 700 and fewer flights means fuller planes kate >> all right erin, thank you. still to come,

help for the heroes. a new lifeline for doctors struggling with the immense pressure of being on the front lines. and amid the crisis, moments of unity like this one. a louisiana mom just out of the hospital after beating the coronavirus finally allowed to hold her 2-year-old again

we've reported extensively on healthcare workers and how this pandemic is affecting their mental health tonight we want to tell you about a team of psychiatrists who have come together donating their own time to run an anonymous support line for their peers, doctors on the front lines. >> reporter: for dr. andrea hadley, the most stressful part is

imagining what happened to their kids if both she and her husband got sick from covid-19 >> for me it was the, the building up of the anxiety. sorry. i just need to take a minute >> reporter: she's a hospitalist with spectrum health in grand rapids, michigan her husband, an intensive care doctor. the day it really hit her is when the hospital stopped allowing visitors. >> we understood it was necessary. thinking if spouse get ill doing their jobs or friends or colleagues, like we won't be able to visit them even if they're dying. >> reporter: a few days later, she called in an anonymous support line just for doctors. >> welcome to the physician support line. >> reporter: a psychiatrist from philadelphia created the line when she started hearing cries for help on a facebook page for doctors >> people were starting to say is anybody else feeling a lot of anxiety about going into work? am i going to give it to my family and my friends? you know i can't tell

society because they're calling us heroes now you know, i really feel like a coward. >> reporter: another psychiatrist helped her launch >> physicians have a hard time asking for help and physicians feel a guilt when they ask for help and so we are trying to break that barrier. >> how can i help you? >> reporter: more than 600 licensed psychiatrists across the country volunteer to take shifts >> as psychiatrists, we're not able to work on the front lines in the icus but we all wanted to help in whatever way we could. >> reporter: a joined a zoom with four of the volunteers >> most are apologizing for calling and worried that they are taking too much of our time >> we are hearing a lot abou the anxiety, the distress, the feelings of isolation >> reporter: some calls last over an hour and it matters that they're talking with another doctor, a peer. >> we have some sense when they talk about it in a medical way what they're going through.

i think they appreciate that. >> reporter: having an outlet is essential. a recent scan of social media posts from 25,000 healthcare workers found a notable decline in their well being some feeling they're not saving enough people. what do you tell doctors who are feeling that way >> we have to ground ourselves as much as we can in the moment and realize that we are doing what is in our power. how we handle ourselves is something that we can have some control over >> reporter: dr. hadley has encouraged doctors on her staff to use the support line, too. >> if we don't take care of ourselves, then we won't be here to take care of our patients >> it's so important starting tomorrow, the physicians support line will be available seven days a week for all but the overnight hours. the number right there on your screen if you need it. when we come back, the americans donating their own government stimulus checks to help others bounce back. and there is this moment of unity from michigan, a man serenading his neighborhood twice every day with god bless america.

♪ god bless america ♪ our home sweet home ♪

there's good news tonight about paying it forward in these tough economic times, so many americans are taking that stimulus check they received from the government and doing something surprising with it here's kristen dolgren. >> hey, everyone, i pledge to share my check. >> reporter: across the country -- >> i have pledged to donate. >> i will be donating. >> reporter: -- a new campaign in kindness. >> i'm going to pay it forward. >> reporter: americans donating their stimulus checks to those in need. >> it's just good. it's the right thing to do. >> reporter: in

killeen, texas ron carney, a carpenter by trade, spent his money on groceries to feed over 160 neighbors. >> it's worth it to make them smile. just one day >> people are out here they need the help. >> reporter: in texas, it was this scene, thousands of cars lined up at the san antonio food bank that inspired elaine to donate her entire $1,200 check >> i wanted to pass it on to someone that it could help >> reporter: at this arkansas steakhouse, workers got a big surprise from some regulars a $1,200 tip. >> it came at a time that most of our staff really needed that. >> reporter: enough for every employee to get $100 even even those in the medical community promising to keep giving dr. jess freedman, who qualified for a check based on her residency status last year, plans to give some money away. >> there's also this part of just lik seeing and recognizing

people, like i see you. i see you are suffering. and it matters to me it's a really important thing that i think connects back to a person's emotional and physical health as well. >> reporter: at the heart of the american spirit, a sense of duty >> i'm going to take care of my neighborhood everybody takes care of their neighborhood, we will be okay. >> reporter: a gift of hope to so many who need it most >> thank you. >> reporter: kristen doll again, nbc news >> that's san antonio food bank. more than 50 people already have donated their check. those small acts of kindness really matter right now. that is nbc "nightly news" on a sunday night. lester holt will be back with you tomorrow i'm kate snow. for all of us here on nbc news, stay safe and have a great night.

we need to get california open again. >> right now at 6:00, continued calls to reopen the golden state as the bay area prepares to lift some stay-at-home restrictions. news at 6:00 starts right now. good evening. thank you for joining us. we are entering week eight of sheltering at home and changes hours away. starting at midnight, some rules will be relaxed and certain business there's reopen. here's what's allowed. construction projects, all real estate transactions but not open houses, daycare, summer car. s and other programs for children whose parents can't work from home, the centers may