Breakneck pace on track. On the covid front cases in the United States are plummeting, the fewest since november, but experts are divided as to why. And the bad news, experts are warning the next 14 weeks could till be the worst we have seen yet. Not as contradictory as it sounds, we will explain. Meantime the Biden Administration under fire for what critics and a lot of parents are calling a confusing plan to reopen schools. For a lot of parents that right there is priority number one. Were going to get to that as well. Republicans meanwhile not on board with the president s covid plan and not entirely certain of who they are any more facing a post impeachment Fight For The Future of the grand old party. One g. O. P. Senator who voted to convict trump has beenentured by his own state party. After torching donald trump on the floor and all but inviting prosecutors to charge him Mitch Mcconnell and republicans are facing rumbles from maralago. A message is being sent that donald trump, in office or not, is here to stay. He is excited about 2022. I am going to go down to talk with him next week. Play a little golf in florida. I said this Maga Movement needs to continue. We need to work with President Trump and to you, President Trump, you need to build a Republican Party stronger. All i can say is the most potent force in the Republican Party is President Trump. That is Lindsey Graham speaking for Lindsey Graham, not the entire party. Mike, punchbowl, sorry, politico, old habits die hard, described today the unofficial start of the biden presidency. Im not sure i would go that for, but now that impeachment is over, what are they doing to get past the finish line of that deadline . I dont know if i want to stay in the line of someone elses take either, but the white house officials i have been talking to feel like they got off to a very fast start. Theyre very pleased with how the last month has gone. Marking a clear break from the Trump Administration especially with a number of Executive Orders here. There was a recognition that last week they were going to have to seed the spotlight to that Trump Impeachment Trial and they were certainly nervous, in the west wing watching especially saturday morning when it looked like there would be witnesses in that trial. It is a very deliberate strategy that we will see unfurl tomorrow for the coming weeks which is President Biden seizing back the spotlight to sell what they believe is a very popular covid relief plan. Its more than just that. A lot of the work last week, the meetings with republican senators, the meeting with business leaders, with bipartisan mayors and governors is not just about this covid relief bill but laying the ground work for this. We dont call it a State Of The Union in the first year of an administration to really mark what they hope would be a successful passage of that covid relief bill, and then moving forward with the rest of the agenda, the build back better relief time that biden ran so clearly on the course of the campaign. Thats what they will be doing. Well see biden leaving for the first time to get to wisconsin. A perennial battleground state. Thursday going to michigan where he will visit a vaccine manufacturing plant. They want to continue to seize what they believe is a Strong Political wind at their backs and send a message to republicans. If you want to make a break now is the time to do it. Get on board with an agenda they believe to be popular if they continue to make progress especially in defeating the pandemic. So that is President Biden. Our latest reporting that former President Donald Trump is not going to make an onair statement about his acquittal, but we know that with donald trump everything is subject to change. Still, though, one of our camera men over the weekend Spotted Hymn Golfing at his golf course without a care in the world. He also had a Written Statement that says our historic, patriotic, and Beautiful Movement to make America Great again is only just begun. In the months ahead i have much to share with you. The party is firmly in Donald Trumps corner. Mitch mcconnell torched him on the senate floor, seemed to want him to get charged, is this open warfare . It is a party that is deeply divided. I think you have not seen it in the last few days. That will determine a lot of things, we dont know how much they would have in a few years. They have a last election that also prove not b as much at the time again. That might change the dynamic. For the moment he has continued sway in the party. This is why the State Parties are condemning the lacks of bill cassidy and richard burr and well see who ends up coming out ahead. There is no question this is a party with no unity whatsoever. Jake, same question to you. Well, i mean, from the legislaing point of view, i wonder how they will look at the daily machinations of washington and if he is a fig on the sidelines trying to influence Policy Debates and the machinations of the country. Is there a political organization. I think a lot of people are putting a stock in having a long tail politically. I think he will have a lot of sway. I dont think he is interested in the infrastructure to go into states and clear out primary deals and do what it takes to get elected. I know, i think that remains to be seen. Peter baker, on these censures, do they matter . Are they anything more than a strongly worded letter. They matter in the sense that they tell us that a senator or a congressperson cant count on his or her own history or personal popularity back home to protect him from a vote like this, right . That doesnt mean that he or she will lose reelection. I think that only one of the seven who voted for conviction face election next year. The rest wont face voters again, assuming they run for reelection in four or six years, thats a long time and we dont know what will happen between now and then. I think it is remarkable. Do all of the things that you do to get elected, to serve your constituents, to dispense patronage. And then find your own party back home saying sorry, not enough, youre not loyal to this president , but we value that person more than we value you. Thats a remarkable thing for a party and i think it tells us about the fractures within at this point. As ben sasse would say, its bigger than just one dude, the Republican Party is not just about one dude. Cassidy said much of the same. Jake. I loved the top of punch bowl this morning. You talking about earmarks, im fascinated by the idea of earmarks coming back. They were the grease that made washington work for so long. What is going to on . What will we see from republicans . If democrats want them back that will be an indication theyre coming back. I think there is a lot of evidence, but i think they will not take them. There is a lot of money on the table. And you dont want to be part of that, its not great for your committee. Its not going to go to private core rations, its nonprofits and quasi companies. It is really tough to clean up in the last decade. Be had to earmarks, but some people could go to prison for earmarks. This has never been a clean process. And i can tell you just from that process, most people want earmarks back. If your town needs a bridge, a new fire house, thats the best way they get it, is through member direct spending or earmarking. It is problematic, yes, and needs to be reformed, yes, but it did seem like a way to get bipartisan support for a lot of pieces of legislation. You would have individual lawmakers coming and saying i can sign on to this because my community, my district, is getting x or y. And i feel like it is okay to be part of this. It would be nice to see truly Bipartisan Legislation come back to waegs. Gentlemen, thank you for starting us off. Joining me now is macy of hawaii. We were talking about march 14th as a deadline. Now that impeachment is over, where do we stand on it . As you said it is full speed ahead. Even in the Impeachment Trial the house members were working on the earmarks on my mind, but on the bill that would help our american people. I would like earmarks to come back as long as it is transparent and people know who is getting the earmarks and for what. I was just going to ask that question. So youre on board. Lets talk about the covid relief package. There is some Push Backseat on some elements of the covid relief package. What do you foresee getting stripped from the bill if it needs to be. Probably on the minimum wage increase, but if minimum wage had kept pace with the cost of living it would be over 20. One of the my things they disclosed was a huge economic disparity and the people suffering the most economically is the lowest paid people in our country. Many of whom are in the essential work categories. There is any scheduling reduction. It should be increased incrementally. What would you say about that being done easily. It is a piece of legislation that can come after this. The relief bill itself is much more urgent and pressing than that one line item. Here we are with millions of are working, Essential Job thats are paid very little, and why would raising that i see it as something that doesnt have anything to do with a pandemic, but of course it does. Senator, thank you so much for joining us, we appreciate it. Still ahead, not calling witnesses. Democrats didnt call witnesses at trumps trial, why didnt they . Were going to ask an Impeachment Manager himself. Later, Breaking News out of texas where a massive storm brought snow and ice to parts of the country that rarely see it. Millions are now without power where forecasters say the storm is headed next. First up, a big debate about opening schools. What does the data say . E data sy. Well im an existing customer and id like your best new smartphone deal. Oh do ya . Actually its for both new and existing customers. I feel silly. But i do want the fastest 5g network. Oh i want the fastest 5g network. Are we actually doing this again . Its not complicated. Only at t gives everyone the same great deal. Like the Samsung Galaxy s21 5g for free when you trade in. kids talking pnc bank believes that if an app can help you track your pizza. Come on cody, where are you buddy . Then your bank should have the technology to help you track your spending. Virtual wallet® was designed to change what people expect from their bank. Easily see whats free to spend. And where you can save, so you can budget even better. Ok, hes gotta be close. Six blocks in the other direction. Make a left, make a left, make a left he made a right again. Virtual wallet® for digital banking. One way were helping to make a difference at pnc bank. Washed your hands a lot today . Probably like 40 times. Hands feel dry . Like sandpaper. Introducing new dove handwash, with 5 x moisturizer blend. Removes germs in seconds, moisturizes for hours. Soft, smooth. New dove handwash. Want to save hundreds on your wireless bill . With Xfinity Mobile you can. Soft, smooth. How about saving hundreds on the new Samsung Galaxy s21 ultra 5g . You can do that too. All on the most reliable network. Sure thing and with fast nationwide 5g included at no extra cost. Weve got you covered. So join the carrier rated 1 in customer satisfaction. And get a new Samsung Galaxy starting at 17 a month. Learn more at xfinitymobile. Com or visit your local xfinity store today. We know most of the disease that comes into the school comes into the community. We know there is limited trance missions, and that transmission is largely staff to staff. That was several so many parents have been waiting to hear except there was a but in there. When she announced that coronavirus is not spreading wildly in schools and they can safely reopen, she finished with a pretty tough qualifier. Community spread, she matters, if the positive rate is not super low, go hybrid or virtual. The guidance that is not there, no mandate on ventilation or sanitation in school buildings. A lot of confusing stuff. Joining me now is heidi and emily. Emily is the author of crib sheet. Start us off, what are parents telling you out there . Theyre not really effecting the debate and attentions here in filly because two thirds of the schools here have poor ventilation that does not meet industry standards. The teachers that have been protesting say they would rather stand out protesting in the frigid air than go back in before their vaccinated. Many people are purchasing these fans, and it is causing a uproar among teachers and parents. Were not able to get enough information to assess whether or not the buildings are safe. Whether or not there is adequate ventilation. You ask about the fans. We need to find out what the fans do . Do they make a difference . The fans are a way to introduce fresh air into 32 schools, and it is 32 of 227 schools that dont have Operating Ventilation Systems so we use them as a way to introduce fresh air into those spaces. So that was the superintendent of schools and he says maybe those 32 schools could just stay out virtually, but what about the poor ventilation in the others . So nbc did talk to an independent ventilation expert, his organization recommended by the cdc. What he said is that this is not just about philadelphia, this is a nationwide problem, katy. 36,000 schools across the u. S. Are found to be in dire need of Ventilation Upgrades or replacements. The concerns are that theyre not meant to be used in rain and snow. There is not an exhaust system, and the independent experts said that is a risk for spreading covid. Teachers are not vaccinated and you have new variants spreading and their very concerned about the rekenning that this will force with school thats have long needed up grades. So also if you follow their guidelines, theyre very few schools in this country when you take the totality of the schools out there that can open five days a week in person. What do you make of what the data told you and the guidelines of the cdc giving out . I think there is a disconnect. The cdc is saying there is not a lot of spread in schools. At the same time, the guidelines written imply that 90 of the country is in what they refer to at the red zone. Of course many schools are open in those zones including middle and high schools and those are the places where theyre saying there is not a lot of spread in schools paced on the experience of the school thats are opened. So i think there is a little disconnect there. And there are a lot of questions about that in particular, even questions about what about hepa filters . Are those good enough . We did not see much on this in the report. I think there is some thing thats are left to be answered. So parents are looking at a lot of this data and theyre saying community spread, especially among younger children in schools is minimal at best. Almost nonexistent between kids and it is really more among the teachers that are not wearing masks. When they see that and teachers saying i dont want to come back to school, how do you sort through that . That creates a lot of anger between parents and the people in charge of their kids during the day. I think that parents have been pretty good about did i have differentiadifferentiat. A feeling of a moving of the goal posts. What will it take, and i think now if youre thinking about vaccines, i think that is causing a lot of angst. People are looking to the fall and saying are we going to be back in the fall . This is really, really damaging to my kid and you know the way forward is to try to rebuild some of the trust that has been lost. They are trying to fight some of that fear with data. I find it remarkable, there is things that money can solve, one of those is ventilation. Money can solve that, they can solve getting more separation. You can vaccinate teachers for a higher priority. There are ways to get at the heart of this problem and it is still so surprising that we have kids out of school, it is just part of the problem that the whole society is facing. Today makes the start of a deep dive that nbc news will be doing to take a look into the lives of kids across the country. Kids under pressure. Some learning remotely, some with limited resources. And up next, Impeachment Manager eric swalwell. I dont think he was more than responsible for what happened. I definitely think that former President Trump was partially responsible. Can a Party Divided still, itself, stand . Divided still, itself, stand . Im greg, im 68 years old. I do motivational speaking in addition to the substitute teaching. I honestly feel that thats my calling to give back to younger people. I think most adults will start realizing that they dont recall things as quickly as they used to or they dont remember things as vividly as they once did. Ive been taking prevagen for about three years now. People say to me periodically, man, youve got a memory like an elephant. Its really, really helped me tremendously. Prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life. To defend against dark forces attacking your organization, you need to see in the dark. To have the wisdom to understand multiple cyber threats. The precision focus to end attacks instantly. On computers, mobile devices, servers and the cloud. Join the worlds leading companies in our mission to defend. Cybereason. End cyber attacks. From endpoints to everywhere. There was a time when this represented the future. But this, this is the future. The future of communicating of hearing and connecting with life. And this, is eargo. No appointments no waiting no hassles. And they are practically invisible in your ear. Now you see it. Now you dont. If you have hearing loss now is the time to do something about it. Show your ears some love on valentines day with 350 off eargo neo hifi. Its our best deal on our best product. Now that impeachment is over, some are looking to put donald trump behind them. Some crossed party lines to convict the president , but the partys base is still firmly behind him. 60 of the country says that former President Trump should have been convicted. 14 of those are republicans. Joining me now from arizona is alyson barber. I thought it was interesting that you had split opinion with the two women we played a moment ago. Yeah, really fascinating to speak with people here as it often is in a state in a county like this one. When we talk to people about the Impeachment Trial almost anyone we spoke to regardless of where they fell said they were not surprised by the outcome of the Impeachment Trial. The Senate Impeachment trial. But when we talk to them about january 6th, everyone paid attention to that and everyone seemed to think that was a Pivotal Moment for the future of the Republican Party. But the future of the Republican Party they described was very different. Whether or not we were talking about people that identified as part of the Republican Party or people outside of it. Many believe this is still a party of donald trump. Listen here. Do you think he could try to rerun for office in four years . I hope not, he caused enough trouble for the four years he was in office. I dont think i would not be surprised if he tried to make a run. Would you vote for him again . Absolutely i would. You want to see him run again . I do, yeah. So here in Maricopa County data shows about 10,000 registered republicans officially have left the party since the insurrection on january 6th. About 1500 of those formally Party Members have moved the party to democratic party, 400 moved to libertarian, and the others are something else. Speaking with people here, and katie i know you know this so well from just years of reporting on it, you also cant under estimate the strong support among the trump base. For many people that we spoke to, that one woman we just heard from there in particular, their support for the president seems to have strengthenned since the Impeachment Trial. Remember his base increased in the 2020 election. Not enough to beat joe biden, but i wonder how much of that took a hit. We wont know for awhile after what happened on january 6th. Thank you very much. Joining me now is one of the house Impeachment Managers Erik Swalwell of california. Thank you for joining us. I know a lot of people were watching on saturday. They saw the democrats get their vote on witnesses, a majority of the senate, including a number of republicans, and then not use it. And theyre confused by that, so explain why . A powerful case friday evening when we closed our case. And right when we went back into our break room we were watching the news that one of our colleagues had new evidence that added to the time line to the threat of Vice President pence and what donald trump did and didnt do. We wanted to get that into the record. We did not want to take a zoom interview, we could just agree to her statement, but the case was over whelming. Even before that vote, Mitch Mcconnell put a statement out that he thought the whole trial was illegitimate. We could have had a confession signed by donald trump and even that would not have changed their minds. Her statement was already out there, i know you were able to then read it in the closing arguments, but was there any consideration given to, i dont know, trying to get more into the record to shed for light for the publics benefit . Yeah, republicans were telling us it didnt matter how many witnesses you had, it didnt matter if the president confessed. It didnt matter if you gave them a time machine and took them to the insurrection tailgate. They were determined to acquit him. I think that this is, you know, the end of the beginning for accountability and he will spend the next few years in courtrooms. Senator burrs vote was a Surprise Vote for conviction. Senator cassidy was leading that way. Are you sure that more evidence would not have garnered you any more support from the Republican Party . We were also worried that drawing this out longer that we would lose republican votes. That they would see this as just taking up too much time or being redundant. We wish that we had obtained 17 republicans but i think we did the best we could with the willingness of the witnesses. We tried to get witnesses from people around the president and Vice President. They said we would have to fight them in court. In this case it needed to be presented. So is the house going to just wipe their hands of this now and move on or will there be a 9 11 Style Commission looking into how it will happen . Is there more investigating that will be done . There is no moving on if is a day that we will sadly all remember. I think we have to take an approach that we took like after september 11 and root out White Nationalism and terrorism from our country. I believe we need a september 11 commission taken outside of congress. I think it should be an independent commission outside of congress. That can tell us what happened and how we can defeat it. And then inside congress that is where we can ask adam schiffs protect our democracy act that would clean up a lot of vulnerabilities that donald trump exposed. Speaking of White Supremacy and nationalism, do you think they should make a shift towards focusing more on that after everything we have seen rather than focusing on international terrorism. Is domestic terrorism something that needs to be taken seriously given what we saw on january 6th . They will have to do both and they will need, i believe, at the department of justice, a White Nationalism task force to make sure theyre understanding at the earliest of ages how people are being radicalized. And if our evidence we found that the group in particular, that they have like Training Camps and initiation process Like International terrorist groups do. So we have to use all of the tools and the resources we can to find and defeat these groups and bring them to justice in the courts. Congressman, thank you very much for joining us. States are ramping up covid vaccinations and exstanding eligibility, but supply is not keeping up with demand. First up the latest on the winter storm that has half of the country under some form of weather advisory. Untry under sof weather advisory ould be a sign r digestive system isnt working at its best. Taking metamucil everyday can help. Metamucil psyllium fiber gels to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down. It also helps lower cholesterol and slow Sugar Absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. So you can feel lighter and more energetic. Metamucil. Support your daily digestive health. Take the metamucil two week challenge and feel lighter and more energetic. Sign up today at metamucil. Com. sam gamers he who is good for Making Excuses is seldom good for anything else. Take fuzzywuzzy28. Blamin losses on a laggy network. Only one or two. Verizon 5g Ultra Wideband is here, the fastest 5g in the world, with ultra. Low. Lag stop blaming the network and start becoming the best gamers in the ga that escalated quickly. sam 5g Ultra Wideband, now in parts of many cities. This is 5g built right. Only from verizon. This is the planning effect. As carla thinks about retirement, shell wonder, what if i could retire sooner . And so shell get some advice from fidelity, and fidelity will help her explore some different scenarios, like saving more every month. And that has carla feeling so confident that she can enjoy her dream. Right now. Thats the planning effect, from fidelity. As a cement mason, i use the dove bar. Because i work with a lot. Of dust and dirt. Just washing. The dirt and the grime off. And just bringing you. Back. To you. You see the glow . Thats a dove bar. Dove cleans effectively, cares beautifully. At wayfair. You see the glow . Th you can spendr. Less on sofas that bring the whole family together. No matter what you need for your home you can spend less and get way more. A once in a generation winter storm is hammering parts of the south and it is affecting states that are not equipped to handle the record low temperatures. There are state and federal disaster declarations in every single county. Its so cold in dallas that it is 51 degrees below that citys average. Instead of 60 it is nine degrees. Morgan cheskey is there. Causing problems here in texas and across the entire south. Right now one of the biggest concerns across this state is the fact that it is causing an unprecedented drain on the power grid. Early this morning, overnight, they started to install Rolling Blackouts across metropolitan areas in texas. That meant a lot of folks woke up today, nearly two million, in the dark and cold trying to figure out how to stay warm. In order to combat that we know Warming Shelters are opened up, but for those that did get out on the roads they facing very treacherous conditions. As it stands right now, the governor is asking everyone here to please conserve power, turn that thermostat down even if it is just a few degrees, and that will enable them to hopefully fully restore the are grid sooner than later. Morgan, thank you. For more on where the snow is going next, al, what can we expect . Unfortunately it is some bad news. Take a look. Not one, but two storms. One that is still affecting a wide area and two take a look in the pacific northwest. Another one on the heels of the last one. So right now 31 states under weather alerts with 135 million people. We have not seen anything like this as far as windchills. We have windchills in effect for iowa, north dakota, and nebraska. Here is what were looking at right now. You see that icy mix, that is the treacherous parking lot. There is severe storms. You look at the impacts with this system. Tornados possible. For the Panhandle Of Florida and southern georgia. The swath of ice with tree damage, power outages, stretching from louisiana and all of the way into new england. Were talking about 2,000 miles plus. Blowing know is reducing viz about. Morgan was talking about this. It will feel like one below in houston. Detroit minus two. Take a look at three cities once in a generation told. Houston 12, Oklahoma City minus seven. The coldest since 1989, 1996, and 19 99 respectively. Thursday it is making its way with snow, sleet, and rain. Friday it will move off of the coast with the heaviest snow into the northeast with a wintery mess from virginia to maize and were talking about the potential for moderate snow all of the way into the northeast with interior sections seeing snow, katie. So looking at the masks, seeing the windchills in texas, it makes you wonder how much of this has to do with Climate Change. Take a look, Climate Change and cold snaps. We have this area of well below average temperatures. It shows that Global Warming it is the global warmth, the cold outbreaks are relatively isolated. The majority of our planet is still warmer than average. What Climate Change does is makes the opportunity for extreme weather swings more likely. And that is what were seeing. Seeing the entire scene in texas. Incredible in dallas, al, thank you so much. Covid19 cases are falling but were being warned that the next 14 weeks could be the worst yet. Why those two statements are not actually contradictory. Stay with us. Stay with us because when caught in early stages, its more treatable. Im cologuard. Im noninvasive and detect altered dna in your stool to find 92 of Colon Cancers even in early stages. Tell me more. Its for people 45 plus at average risk for colon cancer, not high risk. False positive and negative results may occur. Ask your prescriber or an online prescriber if cologuard is right for you. Ill get on it thats a step in the right direction. Thats a step living with Metastatic Breast Cancer means being relentless. Because every day matters. And having more of them is possible with verzenio, the only one of its kind proven to help you live significantly longer when taken with fulvestrant, regardless of menopause. Verzenio fulvestrant is for hr , her2 Metastatic Breast Cancer that has progressed after hormone therapy. Diarrhea is common, may be severe, or cause dehydration or infection. At the first sign, call your doctor, start an antidiarrheal, and drink fluids. Before taking verzenio, tell your doctor about any fever, chills, or other signs of infection. Verzenio may cause low white blood cell counts, which may cause serious infection that can lead to death. Lifethreatening Lung Inflammation can occur. Tell your doctor about any new or worsening trouble breathing, cough, or chest pain. Serious Liver Problems can happen. Symptoms include fatigue, appetite loss, stomach pain, and bleeding or bruising. Blood clots that can lead to death have occurred. Tell your doctor if you have pain or swelling in your arms or legs, shortness of breath, chest pain and rapid breathing or heart rate, or if you are pregnant or nursing. Every day matters. And i want more of them. Ask your doctor about everyday verzenio. In the race to increase vaccinations, some states are expanding the list of who can get one which is great except theres such a limited supply, the rush to sign up is overwhelming some systems. Heres nbc correspondent gabe gutierrez. Reporter a new scramble in the hunt for the vaccine. New yorkers are Underlying Health conditions are now newly eligible. On sunday the demand brought the states signup website to a halt. Refresh, refresh, refresh. Then you have to go back through the form again and again and again. Reporter 51yearold Phillip Smith has a type of blood cancer. I want the vaccine. I want america to get back to normal. Reporter last week they announced people 16 to 64 with certain Underlying Health conditions would be eligible starting today but have just 24 hours to sign up beforehand. That was gabe gutierrez. With me now, medical contributor dr. Natalie azar. Thank you. So for being with us. So in new york, its a bit of a problem because more people can get it. But the system isnt equipped to accommodate all those people and theres not enough vaccine. So are we expanding the population a little too fast here . Yeah, i think thats probably a reasonable interpretation. Look, for about a week now cynic we heard that the government was going to be expanding the eligibility list, weve been updating our patients problem lists. Weve been asked by dozens of patients to generate a letter of eligibility for them, and were working very, very hard to accommodate these requests. The irony is that were doing this and hospitals in new york as well as the state sites that are being offered simply dont have enough supply. Weve been hoping that we would have at least what we call a threeweek visibility in order to plan appropriately for vaccinations and also, to make sure that patients do in fact get their second doses. I can tell you now that hospitals in new york city do not have enough supply to meet the demand. And many hospitals have received less last week than they have in the previous number of weeks. So i dont know. I hope the governor knows something we dont know. That more vaccine is on its way to the sites and the hospitals but i just, im not privy to that information, unfortunately. Dr. Azar, speaking of governor cuomo. Lets go to him. Hes defending his decisions on Nursing Homes. Lets listen. Doh has always fully and publicly reported all covid deaths in Nursing Homes and hospitals. They have always been fully reported. Nursing homes had the most vulnerable population. We know that. Nationwide, 36 of the deaths are in Nursing Homes. Do you know what percent of the population are people in Nursing Homes . 1 . 1 had 36 of the deaths. New york is 34 in Nursing Homes as a percentage of total deaths. 34 out of 50 states. New york is one of only seven states that counts what is called presumed fatalities in Nursing Homes where the nursing home presumed the cause of death was covid. To give you an example, new york state, 13,000 nursing homerelated deaths. Thats list the of total deaths. Pennsylvania had 11,900. Thats 52 of their total deaths were in Nursing Homes. Florida, 34 of total deaths in Nursing Homes. Massachusetts, 54 of total deaths. If you look at the entire country, and you look at the percentage of deaths in Nursing Homes, new york is number 34. You have some states up to 73 of the people who died, died in Nursing Homes. Covid preys on senior citizens, older people, weaker people. Weve always known that is a fact. Now, there is much distortion around what is called Department Of Health memo on march 25th. And i want to make sure that we get the facts on this. On march 13th, federal central for medicaid and medicaid services, what they call cms. On march 23rd, the center for disease control, cdc, put out guidance sending people from hospitals back to Nursing Homes. New york state doh followed that guidance. 12 other states at least followed that guidance. The cdc, Cms Reasoning at that time, residents leaving the hospitals were not likely to be contagious because at that time the viral load is so low that youre not contagious. And they were going to be whats called cohorted. Cared for in areas that are separate with other people under the right precautions. Patients, particularly senior citizens, should not remain in hospitals longer than necessary because they can get a secondary infection. Thats true all across the board. Especially with seniors. They try to get the procedures done. They try to get people out of the hospital before they can come up with a secondary infection thats problematic. The patients were not sent to Nursing Homes. The nursing home had to agree that they could care for this person. That is a matter of law. They cannot accept a patient who they are not prepared to care for properly, staff, ppe, ability to cohort. That is in the law. If they dont do that, they violate the law. At the time, remember what was going on in march. The experts were projecting that our problem, our critical need was Hospital Capacity. We sat here every day with the hospitalization chart. We were looking at up to 140,000 people hospitalized. We have less than 50,000 hospital beds. That is the calamity. Remember, march 25th, thats right when the new York City Health and hospitals, Elmhurst Hospital collapsed. It was national news. I remember it like yesterday. And we were watching the tv every night and watching italy collapse and people died because they cant get into a hospital. We are watching china with the Hospital Capacity issue, where they were Building Thousands of new hospital beds. That is what was going on. Thats why the cdc, thats why cms, made those decisions. And at the time, cdc, cms, they were White House Task forces, daily briefings. Everyone was focused on this issue. This was not a little issue. All the best minds were looking at it. Fact. Of the 613 Nursing Homes, 613 Nursing Homes in the state. 365 received a person from a hospital. Of the 365 that received a person from this march 25th guidance, which was then