here's nbc's blayne alexander. >> reporter: for the man who spoke volumes during his 33 years in congress, today a moment of silence. >> in remembrance of the conscience of the congress, the honorable john lewis >> reporter: his historic office shrouded in black. back home in atlanta john lewis more than a congressman, a hero. >> he was really a model of what a politician should be, what a person should be. >> reporter: an original freedom rider at just 23 he was the youngest speaker at the march on washington. >> we do not want our freedom gradually. but we want to be free now. >> reporter: he stared down injustice, in selma, alabama, beaten to the ground on bloody sunday. more than two decades later the man who right to vote was elected to the halls of congress. >> he didn't know he was going to be serving under the first african-american president but he was willing to sacrifice he was willing to go through that suffering, unearned suffering. >> reporter: awarded the presidential medal of freedom by former president obam who wrote lewis not only gave all of himself to the cause of free

she talked to blayne alexander. >> reporter: it's a case that has stoked nationwide protests and calls for justice, the death of ahmaud arbery joyette holmes is leading the prosecution. on your desk, did you feel a particular responsibiliy >> absolutely. the responsibility was just one of what we do with our cases i certainly have a sense of community and know what the expectation is of me, not because i'm the district attorney on the case, but because -- also because i'm an african-american female. >> reporter: holmes is the fourth prosecutor on the case appointed by georgia's attorney general after two previous das recused themselves over potential conflicts of interest arbery was unarmed, jogging in a south georgia neighborhood, his family says, when he was followed and killed one of the suspects told police they pursued because they thought he was a burglary suspect and that travis mcmichael fired when arbery began to violently attack three men now indicted for murder arrests came ten weeks after arbery's death only after video became public. >> you get upset when you watch it as a

i'm blayne alexander live in atlanta, georgia. we're continuing our coverage of this ongoing debate over face masks, whether or not to mandate them and really how that is hitting a new fevered pitch here in the city of atlanta, georgia. we know less than 24 hours ago, georgia's governor has filed a lawsuit against the mayor of atlanta, seeking to block the city's mask mandate. just a couple of hours ago, the governor held a news conference here behind me in the state capitol and i pressed him on why not mandate masks state wide. take a look. would not mandating it though send a stronger message, strengthen the message you're already sending about the necessity? >> what kind of message does it send when you have mandates already that people aren't enforcing? it sends the message that the mandate doesn't mean anything. i'm asking people, you know, government is not going to be the answer to all people's problems. >> reporter: so you heard governor kemp there. one of the biggest thing s he hs been talking about is how this pandemic i

lester >> blayne alexander, thanks >>> key questions before schools reopen. can patients who had covid get itagain? do antibodies provide protection if so, for how long? our tom costello now with facts over r fear >> reporter: 29-year-old carter wright knows all too well the symptoms that come with covid. the cough, body aches, and high fever >> at one point i got cold packs and put them under my arm pits because that helps cool you quickly. >> reporter: he was first diagnosed in march then covid came back even stronger on july 4th >> i cried hard that night because it was super overwhelming. >> reporter: because you thought you were through with this. >> yeah. >> reporter: both times he tested positive why didn't the antibodies from the first infection protect him from getting again? new research suggests virus protection may not last long. british researchers say a study of 96 covid patients found their antibodies peaked three weeks after the symptoms appeared then rapidly declined three months later only #17% of those tested had the same level of antibodie

lester >> blayne alexander tonight, thank you. >>> president trump held another briefing on the pandemic late today telling people again to wear masks, touting a deal regarding a possible vaccine candidate and again pushing for schools to reopen. our kristen welker is at the white house. >> reporter: tonight flooding the zone, president trump appearing in the white house briefing room for the second day in a row, announcing a major agreement with the drug company pfizer to get millions of doses of vaccines to the public once there is one. >> today my administration reached a historic agreement with pfizeand deliver 100 million doses of their vaccine immediately following its approval hopefully the approval process will go very quickly and we think we have a winner there. >> reporter: while the president has been pushing to reopen schools tonight he was pressed, is he comfortable with his son and grandchildren going to the classrooms >> i am comfortable with that. and we do have a national strategy. but as you know ultimately it's up to the governors of the states. >> reporter: president

everything from online only learning to in-person classes with no social distancing here is blayne alexander. >> reporter: in orange county, california the divide runs deep some pleading, keep students at homesi at a virtual school board meeting -- >> time to get these doors opened and get these babies back to school. >> reporter: the orange county board of education agreed, recommending students in all 28 districts return to the classrooms next month, no masks or social distancing required. a paper adopted and approved by the board slamming distance learning as an utter failure frustrating to all, citing irregular attendance and disparities in access to technology. while the decision to reopen is up to each district the board calls it critical to the well being of our children, families, and communities. but to the north and south, both los angeles and san diego public schools are going in a different direction announcing the start of school will be online only. returning to the classroom as soon as public health conditions allow >> when in learning -- in-person learning is possible we are

alexander is there. >> reporter: one final trip home for congressman john lewis. his procession weaving its way through atlanta, the city he served for 33 years, leaving his undeniable footprint. pausing at the walls bearing his image, the street bearing his name, and the final resting place of dr. martin luther king jr. who helped inspire lewis's lifelong fight for civil rights. >> from 18 to 80, that's a good soldier. >> reporter: former atlanta mayor and civil rights icon andrew young was right there with them. >> john's eloquence was in being present at the scene of injustice. and standing tall -- >> reporter: that's why under the gold dome of georgia's state capitol for congressman lewis a hero's farewell. >> america and the more just because of congressman john lewis. >> although the fight for liberty and equality continues, congressman lewis reminded us to be hopeful. >> reporter: outside hundreds wait their turn to say simply, thank you. >> the obligation is to keep his legacy going and to not let it die with him. >> reporter: what do you think his legacy

nbc's blayne alexander takes us behind the scenes >> reporter: as more people get back onboard with air travel, so many are wondering how safe is the air inside the planes here's how it works. inside the cabin air flows top to bottom not side to side between passengers meaning it comes in from the vents above and is sucked out through vents in the floor. it is run through heavy grade hepa filters similar to those used in hospitals which pull out more than 99% of particles. that filtered air is mixed with fresh air from outside on delta airlines they are changing the filters twice as often as recom >> you may notice itit'll be c the bottom side. >> reporter: what does that show us >> that the filter is working. >> reporter: and on every airline an entirely new batch of air flows into the cabin every two to four minutes >> the air quality is quite good on an airplane better than you'd find in most indoor environments >> reporter: you are saying the air on an airplane is actually cleaner than inside of a grocery store. >> yeah. it is cleaner than probably most people's homes or in schools.

alexander in atlanta where the faceoff over face coverings is headed to court. today georgia governor brian kemp is defending his lawsuit against the atlanta mayor, to block her mandate to right thing. >> reporter: moving to stop atlanta from rolling back reopening measures bottoms who tested positive for covid herself calls the lawsuit bizarre. >> it's an absolute waste of resources and it's really a distraction from what the real enemy is here and that enemy is this virus that's killing people in our city >> reporter: kemp is opposing a mask mandate even as he urges georgians to wear them. >> encourage people to wear a mask. >> reporter: embarking on a recent statewide wear the mask tour. >> we're not mandating it though, at least strengthen the message you're already sending about the necessity of masks. >> what kind of message does it send when you have mandates already that people aren't enforcing it sends the message the mandate doesn't mean anything. i'm asking people, you know, government is not going to be the answer to all people's problems >> reporter

>> wowlp other people. >> reporter: now at age 40 he finally gets his chance blayne alexander, nbc news, atlanta. >> the kind of victory you don't forget let's turn now to our series inequality in america. even with today's new job numbers, giving reason for cautious optimism, many of america's black families say they're being left behind. let's get more now from nbc's ron allen >> reporter: this week ellen lavar finally reopened her hair salon, shut down for months because of covid-19 30 years in the business celebrity clients. but tonight she's still extremely worried about whether her business will survive. >> things are very tight? >> yes, things always been tight i usually have two or three jobs. >> reporter: do you have a financial cushion to help you recover? >> not really. >> reporter: despite today's encouraging jobs report 400,000 jobs added for african-americans, america's wealth gap shows the steep mountain left to climb. white families and entrepreneurs typically have 10 times more wealth than blacks studies show, savings and investments for college, retirement or to shore

alexander visited a district in tennessee, one of the first in the country to reopen. >> reporter: it's not the welcome back these students are used to. >> 97.2. >> reporter: temperature checks, masked faces and desks at a distance greeting students at alcoa city schools, the 2,000 student district in tennesse among the first in the country to return to in-person learning with staggered attendance. >> so if i have a class of 20 kids, five will come even day, and so it will take the whole week before i see my whole class. >> reporter: tennessee has seen more than 80,000 covid cases but fewer than 300 active cases in the city of alcoa. did you have any concerns coming back >> absolutely. that's why so many discussions and sleepless nights and conversations and what if questions have happened because we want to do what's best for our students and for our children. >> reporter: across the country with the first day fast approaching many students and teachers are still in limbo how and when school will start. in kansas the state school board rejected the governor's request to delay the start

lester >> blayne alexander tonight, thanks. >>> this is a tense time for families with school age children, many weeks from the start of a new school year, today more cities began to reveal their plans as they weigh the risks and face pressure from all sides. here's miguel almaguer >> reporter: just weeks ahead of the new school year -- tonight tough decisions are being made by school districts like chicago's, the nation's third largest, fighting fears over covid, unveiling hybrid learning instead of its average class size of 25, pods of 15 children will ween the classroom and online instruction when they are on campus students and staff without a medical exemption will need to wear masks as temperatures are checked daily and new cleaning protocols are implemented. >> i think the hybrid model was the best option for us because in person instruction is extremely important. nothing replaces having a highly qualified teacher in front of students. >> reporter: chicago joining new york city and hybrid learning while other big districts like los angeles go all online for now. today california's

and that's been our approach all along. [ bell ] >>> that was blayne alexander reporting for us. look at the numbers on wall street right now. a mixed bag. we have the dow jones off about 200 points. the s&p 500 index is down about 11. and the nasdaq is about flat today, down just about two points. >>> groups leading a facebook advertising boycott will meet face to face today with ceo mark zuckerberg. the organizers of the hashtag #stophateforprofit are demanding facebook change how it handles hate speech. they have several demands including adding an executive position dedicated to civil rights, providing refunds to advertisers whose ads appeared alongside hateful content and allowing third-party audits of hate speech on facebook. in response, zuckerberg announced policy changes. >> to crack down on voter suppression and to fight hate speech. >> we need concrete measurable change and we need it now. >> advertisers don't want -- >> hundreds of businesses have pulled their ads from facebook recently including walgreens, best buy, and adidas. >>> happening today, a call to action t

now as blayne alexander reports he's finally free >> reporter: a tearful reunion years in the making after 23 years in a missouri state prison jonathan irons finally free embraced by his unlikely hero, basketball superstar maya moore. >> so grateful. >> reporter: a four-time wnba champion maya took a break in her prime in large part to help irons who she says was wrongfully convicted. >> was it hard to walk away >> it's hard but when your convictions are moving you to a place that you know is right and you're moving into something that's really meaningful it makes it a little less hard. >> reporter: aarons was arrested in 1997 at age 16, given a 50-year sentence for a non-fatal shooting maya fought for him. in march, a judge vacated his conviction. >> this conviction's been vacated. >> reporter: the current prosecutor declined a retrial, today citing issues with the case, including fingerprints at the scene that did not match irons. irons record now wiped clean. >> absolutely elated and thankful. >> in that moment i just -- i really felt like i could rest. >> reporter: last year we m

blayne alexander, nbc news, atlanta. >>> there's new fallout from that widely viewed video of a white woman calling 911 on a black man in central park amy cooper is now charged with filing a false report after telling police in may that a bird watcher threatened her life. if convicted, cooper faces up to a year in jail. >>> tonight jeffrey epstein's alleged accomplice has been moved to a new york city jail cell as new details emerge about her arrest here's stephanie gosk. >> reporter: with roughly a dozen vehicles and a plane circling above, the fbi arrested ghislaine maxwell at her property in new hampshire. >> i really hope she comes forward and says a, b, c, d, e was involved this is how it ran you know, just help us victims get some accountability. >> reporter: virginia roberts giuffre is one of several accusers, who say maxwell helped coordinate a sex trafficking ring of underage girls for jeffrey epstein and his friends, allegations maxwell has previously denied. guiffre accuses prince andrew of raping her when she was 17, and that maxwell helped arrange it >> she woke me up and

blayne alexander has more on his emotional homecoming celebration. >> reporter: a cheerful reunion, years in the making. after 23 years in a missouri state prison, jonathan irons finally free, embraced by his unlikely hero, basketball superstar maya moore >> so grateful >> reporter: a four-time wnba champion, maya took a break in her prime in large part to help irons who said he was wrongly convicted. we spoke to maya last fall was it hard to walk away >> it is hard. but when your convictions are moving you to a place that you know is right, and you're moving into something that really meaningful, it makes it a little less hard. >> reporter: irons was arrested in 1997 at age 16, given a 50-year sentence for a nonfatal shooting maya fought for n his name and a foundation around criminal justice reform in march, a judge vacated his conviction >> this conviction is being vacated. >> reporter: the current prosecutor declined to a retrial, citing issues with the case including fingerprints at the scene that did not match irons. irons' record now wiped clean. >> absolutely elated and thankful >

every surface wiped down masks required hoping to reassure passengers it's safe to fly blayne alexander, nbc news, atlanta. >> still to come, during the pandemic, there is one market that's getting a boost a arstpip next, het-opng rescue a 3-year-old tossed from a burning apartment and the life-saving catch. taking align probiotic daily can help. align contains a quality probiotic strain developed by gastroenterologists. to naturally help soothe your digestive upsets 24/7. support your digestive health with align. the #1 doctor recommended probiotic. try align today, the pros in digestive health. also try align dualbiotic gummies to help support digestive health. yes. neutrogena® ultra sheer. superior protection helps prevent early skin aging and skin cancer with a clean feel. it's the one. the best for your skin. ultra sheer. neutrogena®. it's the one. tsaturpain happens.kin. longer on pain than tylenol. when pain happens, aleve it. all day strong. is skincare from around the wobetter than olay? olay regenerist faced 131 premium products, from 12 countries, over 10 years. olay's hydr

and now as blayne alexander reports, he is finally free. >> reporter: a tearful reunion years in the making. after 23 years in a missouri state prison, jonathan is finally free embraced by his unlikely hero, mya moore. a four time wnba champion, she took a break in her prime in large time to help him who says he was wrongly convicted. we spoke last fall. >> was it hard to walk away? >> it is hard, but when your convictions are moving you to a place that you know is right and you are moving into something that is really meaningful, it makes it a little less hard. >> reporter: airons was arreste at age 16, given a 50 year sentence to for a nonfatal shooting. she launched a petition in his name and a foundation against criminal justice reform. in march, a judge vacated his kri conviction. the current prosecutor declined to retrial citing issues with the case. and irons' record now wiped clean. >> i'm absolutely elated and thankful. >> in that moment, i really felt like i could rest. >> reporter: last year, we met irons in prison. what would it mean to you to finally walk out? >> wow. i

blayne alexander, thank you for that. civil rights and congressional leader. for that, let's go to josh lederman, joining us from the white house. what are you hearing on this front? and what about the president? >> the president has not spoken out personally about this yet, alex. we did hear from the president through a written proclamation that the white house released in the last few minutes, ordering flags here at the white house, as well as at u.s. embassies and military bases around the world to be lowered to half-staff. the flag here at the white house was lowered to have staff around 9:30 a.m. and around the same time at the u.s. capital just down pennsylvania avenue at the order of house speaker nancy pelosi. those flags, according to this proclamati proclamation, will be lowered for the remainder of today. we're also hearing from the president's press secretary, kayleigh mceneny, saying that lewis was an icon of the civil rights movement and he leaves an enduring legacy that will never be forgotten. mceneny going on to say we hold his family in our p

joining me now is nbc's blayne alexander from atlanta. blayne, it's talk about this decision by governor kemp to forbid mayors and county leaders from ordering face coverings around the state. what's the reaction there, especially from atlanta's mayor? >> reporter: well, the reaction for those local leaders who have already put those measures into place, not very happy. i spoke with the mayor's office, atlanta mayor's office earlier today. they said despite the governor's order, their mask ordinance here locally is going to remain in place. a spokesperson from her office essentially said they're going to continue to use science and data to drive their decisions and adding, masks save lives. let's talk about the governor's decision around this. really this kind of is very much in line with what he's been saying all along, andrea, saying that local municipalities are not able to put in place actions or orders that are more restrictive than what he has mandated statewide. he said that he believes that mandating masks are what he calls a brid

the governor's big explanation was, according to our correspondent blayne alexander there, in answer to her question, that it's bad to have a mandate that isn't being enforced. have you had difficulty enforcing it or inspiring your residents to obey the mandate? >> we have not. in savannah, we got this. we can handle our own. we have a police department that's well capable and prepared to enforce our local mandates. what we've had issues with is that the state will put forth mandates in terms of population, people in clubs and bars, that they are not able to give us resources to be able to enforce. i think we're just fine here. and i think that's been what the concern is. we got this. >> and how do you think that the mandate for face coverings is working in terms of keeping the infection rate down? >> well, we think it's gotten better. we've made sure here in savannah that before we give anyone a citation, we will offer you a mask. to that end we've given out well over almost 1,500 masks to people. we just want compliance. we don't want to be punitive. we just want people to wear a m

katy. >> blayne alexander in georgia, thank you very much. and chuck, anthony fauci has responded to all these attacks on him in a conversation with the atlantic. he called the efforts to discredit him bizarre. he said ultimately, it hurts the president to do that when the staff lets out something like that and the entire scientific and press community push back on it. it ultimately hurts the president. he also called the attacks nonsense and completely wrong. and remember, the cases across the country are surging. the deaths are now starting to tick up. everything that him and doctors like him had predicted about reopening too soon, not taking it seriously enough, confusing guidelines, are all coming to pass, and they're doing it right in front of our very eyes in blue states, and now in red states also. >> look, quantitatively, i think as far as i know anthony fauci is no political expert, but i think he's right. i think the more incoming he takes from the administration, it ends up hurting everybody involved. but probably first and foremos

well, nbc news correspondent blayne alexander has that report. >> reporter: as more people get back on board with air travel, so many are wondering how safe is the air inside the plane? here's how it works. inside the cabin, air flows from top to bottom, not side to side between passengers, meaning it comes in from the vents above and is sucked out through vents in the floor. it's run through heavy-grade hepa filters similar to those used in hospitals, which pull out more than 99% of particles. that filtered air is mixed with fresh air from outside. on delta airlines, they're changing those filters twice as often as recommended. >> you may notice that it's dirty on the top where the air has flown into the filter, but it will be clean on the bottom side. >> what does that show us? >> that shows us that the filter's working. >> reporter: and on every airline, an entirely new batch of air flows into the cabin every two to four minutes. >> so the air quality is quite good on an airplane, better than you'd find in most indoor environments. >> so you're saying the air on an airplane is actua

our nbc news team covering all of this across the country, but we want to begin with blayne alexander in atlanta, georgia. blayne, bring us up to speed on the legal developments in the ongoing fight over the mask mandate in georgia. >> reporter: this has been a back and forth between the republican governor of georgia, brian kemp, and the democratic mayor of the city of atlanta, mayor keisha lance bottoms. the city of atlanta mandated people to wear masks in public spaces. governor kemp said he was forbidding any local authorities from coming up with any sort of orders that were more or less restrictive than what he had already put in place. so we know that as a couple of weeks ago filed a lawsuit against the city of atlanta, essentially trying to block the mayor from enforcing that mask mandate, and from trying to roll back reopening measures. but just overnight, rally, this hearing was supposed to begin, this emergency hearing was supposed to begin today, just overnight, the governor's office put out a statement and said they're withdrawing that emergency motion for a hearing, becau

nbc's blayne alexander is outside the elementary school there. how is day one going so far? >> reporter: ayman, this gives first day of school jitters a whole new meaning. you're obviously always nervous when you come back. this is one of the first school districts in the country to return in the midst of this pandemic. i'm joined by principal moan name maples. you're very busy. explain to me how this is working. it's not all students coming back at the same time. >> we're really pretty much virtual with every student except the students that chose face-to-face are on a five-day stagger. they come once a week. >> we're talking no more than ten together. >> no more than ten together. it's a one-to-five teacher-stew into ratio. when it's ten, we're moving in cohorts and keeping exposure down. >> reporter: this is such a big struggle for so many districts around the country. they're trying to decide what to do and how to do it. what was it that made you confident you were ready to come back and do so safely? >> it is a struggle and not an easy decision. our administration, dire

blayne alexander, thank you for joining us. >>> breaking news on the economy. the labor department releasing its weekly jobless report, showing another 1.3 million americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, the 17th straight week of more than a million claims, just a staggering number there. nbc's jo ling kent joins us to break down these numbers for us. jo, what is the picture that is painted by this 17th week of staggering jobless claims? >> reporter: good morning, eamon. the number here really underlines the fact that the economy and so many workers are still hurting very badly. 1.3 million unemployment claims filed last week is just the beginning of the story. as i dig deeper in the labor department report, you see that 928,000 people also applied for pandemic unemployment assistance, and those are the people who are self-employed part-time workers who are receiving that c.a.r.e.s. act money. as we look ahead, when you look at the chart, it's hard to really understand why this is continuing until we look at the number of cases of coronavirus in so

blayne alexander in atlanta. thank you. >> let's bring in michael starr harper. he has worked on the obama and hillary clinton presidential campaigns. michael, thank you for being here. you have been trying really hard to get that bridge changed to honor john lewis. >> yeah. when i started this venture, i said that we often don't honor people until they're gone. john lewis was alive long enough to hear us start the process. unfortunately, he is no longer with us and won't see us finish this. we will finish this. john lewis was an icon. we all walk in his footsteps. there would be no barack obama. there would be no michael starr hopkins without his effort. he gave his body to ensure african-americans had ee kwqual and the right to vote. >> we know congress member lewis asked former president obama to sign his photo of the inauguration. obama wrote, because of you, john. it goes to what you were saying. what can you tell us about their relationship? >> john lewis and barack obama. a mentor/mentee relationship. obama talks a lot about him being a community organizer

blayne alexander, nbc news, atlanta. >>> coming up, remembering a tv news legend who was once a familiar face around these parts when "the 11th hour" continues. >>> the last thing before we go tonight is a look back at the life and career of a broadcast legend. hugh downs died today at his home in scottsdale, arizona, according to his family. downs joined nbc news in chicago after serving in the army and soon became a familiar face in households across the country when he joined the "today" show. he had that perfect mix of likability and authority that kept him behind the "today" show anchor desk for nine years. during his emmy award-winning career, he reported on some of the most consequential moments in the 20th century in america including the assassinations of both president john f. kennedy and dr. martin luther king jr. for much of his career, downs worked alongside another broadcast legend, barbara walters. the two first met when walters was his producer and the pair went on to host "20/20" for abc news. he stayed on in that role for 21 years before retiring in 1999. hugh downs was

let's bring in nbc's blayne alexander with the latest. the governor filed this lawsuit against the mayor last week. what do we know about why the judge has recused herself and anything else that's key to this case >> reporter: we know that recusal came at the very last minute the hearing was set to begin right now, at 11:00 a.m. in atlanta. we found out within the past hour or so she is recusing herself. we expect to get the recusal letter sometime later today. we should have more insight as to why she's step ag way from the case however, this is deepening this rift between georgia's governor, georgia's republican governor and the democratic mayor of atlanta, keisha lance bottoms. all of this really comes down to masks, whether or not they should be required and whether the city has the power to enforce people to mandate people to wear face masks tlaernt's mayor keisha lance bottoms says it comes down to data and science she says because the number of cases going up, because masks can help curb the spread of coronavirus, she says it's imp

. >> and i'm joined now by msnbc correspondent blayne alexander in atlanta. blayne, thanks for joining us. so we've got a legal battle playing out here. we've got a political battle playing out. while this is in courts, right now what is the sort of state of play in georgia? are masks required anywhere right now? . >> reporter: well, yes, they are in some places. in addition to atlanta, the city of savannah, athens, clark county all of them, a handful of other municipalities have put mask mandates in place, they said they are going to keep those in place. before we get into this legal back and forth, let's talk about the battle over covid here in the state of georgia, steve. you know, when we talk about the numbers, the latest numbers here in georgia show more than 3,900 additional cases just over the past 24 hours. those are some of the highest single day totals that we've seen since this pandemic began. we also know that hospitalizations have gone up 39% over the past week, and so when you look at the numbers, it's clear that they're moving in the wrong dir

blayne alexander, nbc news, atlanta. >>> coming up, remembering a tv news legend who was once a familiar face around these parts when "the 11th hour" continues. as consumers are trying to figure out what's gonna happen next in the market, "can i get rich quick?," companies are saying we don't know how we are going to be doing in the next couple of months. we're withdrawing our financial guidance. so, there seems to be a massive disconnect between what's going on in corporate america and what investors are believing is going on in corporate america. the message to you: don't trade because you think you're gonna get rich quick. because you think... >>> the last thing before we go tonight is a look back at the life and career of a broadcast legend. hugh downs died today at his home in scottsdale, arizona, according to his family. downs joined nbc news in chicago after serving in the army and soon became a familiar face in households across the country when he joined the "today" show. he had that perfect mix of likability and authority that kept him behind the "today" show anchor desk for ni

. >> joining us now from atlanta is nbc news correspondent blayne alexand alexander. the governor is strongly suggesting the use of masks, the mayor wants to mandate masks. why does the governor want to leave wiggle room on masks? why does he not want to just mandate it, if he is already strongly suggesting it? >> reporter: you know what, i asked him that very question earlier this morning, katie in a news conference right behind me at the state capitol. for him it really comes down to encouragement versus enforcement, so he's basically saying what he's said all along is that he doesn't believe that georgians in his words need a mandate to do the right thing. so i asked him, you know, when you look around atlanta, when you kind of go from place to place around the state, just anecdotally, it is a grab bag. there are some people who do wear masks when they're out in public, but there are others who choose not to do so. i asked him, you know, at what point would you make that change. if you look around one week from now, two weeks from now and see that even after strong

nbc's blayne alexander is in atlanta where covid has been surging. the south is hard-hit, of course, regional now 3,000 people have died. let's talk about what's happening in atlanta and the expectations for the president's visit. blayne? >> reporter: andrea, the expectations are that this visit is going to be very short and it's going to be focused solely on infrastructure. i'm standing in front of these ups instruction here, just outside of the atlanta airport. let me tell you exactly what we're expecting. the president is set to land here in about 2 1/2 hours or so. he's going to barely leave the airport. he's going to visit an ups shipping facility that's really right here on airport property. then within about an hour and ten minutes or so he's expected to be back on air force one, wheels up. so this is going to be a short trip. the white house says this is going to be the president talking about infrastructure, specifically getting rid of regulations to move along some infrastructure projects and highlighting one specifically here in atlanta. b

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alexander was there. >> one final journey through selma, alabama. >> thank you for accompanying john to selma one last time. ♪ lead me on >> reporter: it's only fitting for congressman john lewis that this be part of his home-going. selma, the city he helped thrust into the national conscience. he and so many others beaten to the ground on the edmund pettus bridge as they marched for the right to vote. over the years he came back repeatedly to mark the anniversary of bloody sunday, most recently in march as he battled cancer ♪ i am >> reporter: cheyenne was on the bridge with him. she was just 8 years old. >> as i looked down, i could see hundreds of policemen with tear gas masks, hundreds of state troopers on horses, the dogs ♪ and through >> reporter: today for lewis, a hero's farewell from the next generation of leaders here because of him. >> i strongly believe i wouldn't have been elected to office in this day and age so they opened up a door that had been closed. >> reporter: and for hundreds more that never met the congressman but say he touched their lives. so with all

blayne alexander, thank you. i'll be speaking with savannah, georgia, mayor, on "meet the press daily. skw ." >>> 47% of americans are telling us they always wear a mask when they go out or to someone's home. for what it's worth, it's an 11-point increase from this time last month. so some good news there. again, maybe they are telling us they should be wearing a mask. that doesn't mean 75% of the country is wearing a mask. >>> joining me is the former assistant secretary of health under president obama. howard, good to see you. let me start with this mask mandate. you know, we're sitting here and in some ways, i empathize with both the governor of georgia and mayor of atlanta because ultimately, we've had 50 different -- governors have been forced into 50 different strategies because there hasn't been a unified message from the federal government. in some ways, is it inevitable we're seeing this local government breakdown on this stuff because of the lack of federal guidance? >> chuck, let's take a step back and

. >> nbc news correspondent blayne alexander joins us now from alcoa, tennessee. blayne, there were more than 2,000 new cases in tennessee on tuesday. how do the schools there decide to reopen and can they do it safely? >> reporter: sure. so that's exactly what i asked the principal here at alcoa elementary school, andrea. across the state, let's kind of look at those covid numbers. about 82,000 cases or so across the state of tennessee. when you look at alcoa, a small community just outside of knoxville, fewer than 300 of those cases are here in this city. that's why they say after a lot of conversations, a lot of tears, a lot of prayers, and of course talking with health officials, they decided that putting a number of measures into place would make them safe enough to go ahead and reopen. a couple of caveats, andrea, this is a very small district. it only has 2,000 students or so. but today, on the first day of school, only about a fifth of those students are reporting. that's because students are only coming to school one day a week. the other four days of the

. >> nbc's blayne alexander thank you for your reporting. >>> joining our conversation is jonathan lemire and dr. warren redleter. doctor, you made headlines earlier in the week with your projections about where we are heading, take us through whether or not there's anything we can do to avoid that fate which is pretty dire. >> yeah, because, you know, a couple of weeks ago, a week and a half maybe, dr. fauci said we can start to see 100,000 cases of confirmed covid shortly. 10% of the total cases. if we see a 100,000 confirmed cases we're talking about 1 million cases of covid per day, we'll end up with at least 800,000 fatalities before we're done with this. which makes us actually of course very concerned. those numbers are huge, more than was predicted. much more than the white house was projecting or hoping for. now i think we have to incredibly more serious about the measures that we're taking including mandating masks everywhere in the u.s. basically and certainly in those sun belt and southern states where we're seeing these dramatic rises in cases, hospitalizations and fatalities

. >> reporter: nbc's blayne alexander is in georgia. >> here in atlanta the city's mayor who has tested positive for covid herself says despite the governor's order mask requirements will remain in place, adding her decision is driven by science and data. >> reporter: in florida where mask rules vary county by county the emergency operations center that's tracking the virus was shut down after 12 employees tested positive for covid. the mixed messaging over face coverings unfolding across the country. >> it doesn't make sense, why are we wearing masks to be outside? >> reporter: it's such a small inconvenience for the greater good. >> reporter: with 34 states seeing an increase in covid cases by at least 25%, more than 3.5 million americans have tested positive for the virus. 6 hurkds out of state nurses are headed to hard hit regions like arizona. >> i would recommend as strong as you possibly can to get people to wear masks. >> reporter: california, one of the first states to require face masks is now one of the hardest hit and there is no talk of loosening restrictions. >> reporter:

nbc's blayne alexander at the john lewis mural in atlanta. >>> the passing of john lewis comes at an important time as our country's in the midst of a reckoning with racism and oppression. the civil rights icon spoke out about the nexus of the black lives matter movement today and the civil rights movement of the '50s and the '60s. >> does this feel and look different to you? >> this feels and looks so different. it is so much more massive and all inclusive. to see people from all over the world taking to the streets, to the roadways, to stand up, to speak up, to speak out or to do what i call getting in trouble. and with the sense of determination and commitment and dedication, there would be no tongue back. >> joining me now, derrick johnson, the president and ceo of the naacp, and cofounder of the campaign zero, host of pod save the people and one of the leading voices in the black lives matter movement. good morning, gentlemen. it's good to see you, although on a somber occasion. derrick, let's talk about context for john lewis. he is both a creature of the past and a creature of

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alexander has more. good morning >> reporter: good morning. taken to washington, d.c. where he will lie in state in the capit capitol. one final journey through selma, alabama. >> thank you for accompanying john to selma one last time. ♪ lead me on >> reporter: it's only fitting that this be part of his home going. selma, the city he helped thrust into the national conscience he and so many others beaten to the ground on the bridge as they marched for the right to vote. over the years, he came back repeatedly to mark the anniversary of bloody sunday, most recently in march as he battled cancer cheyenne was on the bridge with him. she was just 8 years old >> as i looked down, i could see hundreds of policemen with tear gas masks, hundreds of state troopers on horses >> reporter: for lewis, a hero's farewell, from the next generation of leaders here because of him >> i strongly believe i would have never been elected to office in this day and age >> reporter: and from hundreds more who never met the cong

well, blayne alexander gets a behind the scenes look at how delta is keeping their planes as clean as possible and the comparison with the air in your own home it may surprise you. but first this is "today" on ♪ menutaur get a load of my southwest cheddar cheeseburger. let menutaur make it a doubleeee, yeah! it's beautiful! say what? i said it's bea.... try my $5.99 southwest cheddar cheeseburger combo and make it a double for a buck more. order now with no contact delivery. not actors, who've got their eczema under control. with less eczema you can show more skin. so roll up those sleeves. and help heal your skin from within with dupixent. dupixent is the first treatment of its kind that continuously treats moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis, even between flare ups. dupixent is a biologic and not a cream or steroid. many people taking dupixent saw clear or almost clear skin. and had significantly less itch. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which is severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye

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nbc's blayne alexander is outside ebenezer baptist church for us. set the seen, if you will. >> lester, good morning to you. in almost every direction i look, i can see people who came out here, not part of the services, and people who didn't even know john lewis personally but are here who want to be part of the moment. and on a normal day, on a good day, this sanctuary can hold more than a thousand people, but today, because of covid-19 concerns, capacity is going to be limited to only 240 people. so you can certainly imagine somebody like congressman john lewis who stopped to shake every hand, take every picture, there are so many people who want to be part of this service today, but simply can't get inside. so you know, if i look to my left about, a feet or so, i see dozens of people who have gathered, just looking at what has been put up by the church, part of the funeral service will be broadcast outside of the church to come and gather and watch and we are seeing a growing crowd doing exactly. that as for inside, you set the scene, and we're

nbc's blayne alexander joins us now with more on this story. good morning. >> reporter: hoda, good morning to you. across the country we saw communities, cities all rocked by gun violence over the holiday weekend. here in atlanta at least 26 people were shot between friday and sunday including an 8-year-old little girl who was riding in the back seat of the car with her mother. >> enough is enough. >> reporter: overnight atlanta mayor keisha lance bottoms denouncing the gun violence that killed 8-year-old secoriea turner. >> shot and killed a baby. it wasn't one shooter. there were at least two shooters. >> reporter: turner was shot saturday night riding in a car with her mother near the burned remains of a wendy's where rayshard brooks was killed last month. many have taken over the area at times blocking the street refusing to let cars pass. the mayor slammed any protests that are not peaceful. >> it has to stop. you can't blame this on a police officer. you can't say that this is about criminal justice reform. we're fighting the enemy within