adding to the more than 532,000 deaths and more than 29 million cases so far. five hours from now, the president will give his first prime time address to the nation from the white house. we have special coverage spanning two continents throughout this entire hour, beginning with nbc news correspondents, kelly o'donnell covering the white house, sarah harmon in munich, germany, and joelene kent in los angeles. i'll begin with you at the white house. the president signed the american rescue plan moments ago. one day earlier than what was scheduled. did the white house realize waiting two days did not reflect the urgency of the crisis that millions of americans need that had money? >> reporter: well, the white house decided to act as quickly as they received the bill from capitol hill. so that's a standard part of how it works. it takes a few days to turn even a just passed piece of legislation into a document for the president's signature. so they hurried it up. by doing so, it now starts the clock for, for example, the department. treasury to begin sending out checks. those economic impact payments to americans who qualified based on income. and press secretary jen psaki tells us this weekend, the first wave of those checks could be received via direct deposit for americans who have either received a previous direct impact payment that way or have their relationship with the irs for a tax refund through direct deposit. paper checks will take longer. so now it is law and that gets all of the mechanisms of government working toward implementing this. and we will see the president, vice president, the first lady, and the second gentleman, out on the road traveling in the days ahead to talk about specific elements of this legislation and how they will be reflected in people's everyday lives and how they will help different parts of the economy and different parts of the community, from personal financial benefits to things will help schools, businesses, the vaccination programs, breaking it down into all the different elements of this nearly $2 trillion piece of legislation. the president gets his first big legislative win. and as you pointed out, he'll be addressing the nation. >> and the first stop will be atlantic, georgia. perhaps a thank you to the voters who delivered the senate and made this bill possible for the president of the american people. this morning though, unfortunately, the government reported that 712,000 americans fired first time unemployment claims in the past week. the lowest number since early november. talk to us about that for a moment. how has the united states fared economically compared to other countries? >> well, we want to point out first of all that that 712,000 does not even count the about a half million people who also applied for pandemic unemployment assistance. you have the 1.1 million people here who are still getting new benefits for the first time. so there's tons of economic painful when you zoom out to the bigger economic picture globally, you can compare the u.s. and europe, for example. you take a look at u.s. gdp in 2020. it contracted by about 3.5%, overall the entire year, compare that to europe which is about double at 6.8%. so the u.s. certainly faring better in terms of gdp and productivity. the same goes for unemployment overall. unemployment across the board in the u.s. as we've been reporting. 6.2%. in the e.u., as of january, 8.1%. but overall, when you look at what the international monetary fund is saying, they expect countries like the and u.s. japan to recover to pre pandemic levels by the end of this year which is of course a long ways out. but then they don't expect the imf does not expect the recovery to be so robust for countries in europe at this time. so as you look at the bigger picture, domestically, as americans wait to receive their stimulus check, you can also take a look at the fact a lot of people are still very much looking for that money to help them just to get by. we're still at 2.5 times pre pandemic levels when it comes to weekly unemployment filings. so the jobs market may look rosier at this moment given what's going on but there is such a long way to go. >> and one of the aspects in all of this over the past year has been the debate in this country about whether or not lockdowns are effective. talk to us about what went into effect in europe and the united states? what's the view like from overseas? >> i'll give you a quick disclaimer. it is difficult to talk about europe. we've got 27 countries plus the u.k. very different strategies. in general what we can say is that the u.k. lockdown later, but also harder. for example, in the u.k. right now, you haven't been able to go to a pub or get your hair cut since before christmas. during the first wave in spain, it was reel to leave your house for any reason other than to get food. these are of lockdown measure that's it is really hard for americans to imagine. this did not happen to the same degree in the u.s. where i am here in munich, you have to wear a medical grade mask like this any time you're indoors with other people exempt for at home, obviously. if you want to go shopping at a department store, you have to make an appointment. this is now a year on. these are still the restrictions that people are living with. where europe has really lagged behind is in vaccinations. specifically within the e.u. where i am in germany, only 6.9% of people have received their first dose of vaccine and we're talking about a country that's home to buyon tech that developed the pfizer vaccine. they're really far behind in europe. just today we saw the head of the german cdc say this is it. we're now in the third wave. and chancellor merkel told people to expect a rough three or four months ahead. >> all right. let's cross over to kirkland, washington, where steve is. that is ground zero of the virus in the united states. is it still the same one year later? >> reporter: monumental shifts in morbidity, case count, in posturing, the overall well being of people here. this place has gone from ground zero of this country's epidemic to an example of how to combat an epidemic. the counties that surround suburban seattle and encompass the city have been some of the lowest case counts, the lowest infection rates during the entire pandemic. the life care chernlt which has been such the focus, especially early on of this virus in the united states, now 95% of residents vaccinated. 90% of the staff vaccinated. they were doing so well that this had turned into a testing site for some time. still there was that early fear, especially and particularly from the first responders who never had to deal with something of this magnitude. didn't have the proper ppe, the training. and we're diving in to save as many people as possible. i spoke to a firefighter who is based here who talked about that fear of going into a place like that center behind me. a hot zone where they had not experienced something like that before. here's what he said. >> i just remember all the feelings would you probably imagine in terms of fear and anxiety, not knowing exactly how this disease was trags mid, how easily it was transmitted, if all the ppe we were wearing, if it was going to protect us. so that is what i really remember the most. just the unknown. >> those fears mostly alleviated and it is heartening to hear that federal guidelines on visitation for nursing homes have mostly been lifted. so this care center, you'll find grand parents finally able to hug their grandchildren which is a far cry from how it was a year ago. >> all right. thank you all for starting us off this hour. joining me now, a senior scholar at the john hopkins central for health security and an assistant professor in the department of environmental health and engineering at the bloomberg school of public health. thank you for joining us this hour. so as we mark this one-year commemoration, or anniversary of the world health organization, declaring covid-19 a global pandemic, what are you reflecting on? are you anticipating a new normal by this summer? >> well, we've had a very long hard year. i think it is important to step pack and recognize we've lost over 500,000 people in the u.s. alone. many more globally and we are still in the pandemic. that being said, i think we're headed to a better place and i'm feeling very hopeful about the year ahead. i think with the rollout of the vaccines, we will see less community transmission and we'll be able to incorporate more things are important to us and our everyday lives. so do i feel hopeful looking ahead. >> what is maybe not just one thing but what are any of the things you feel this virus has exposed about us in the united states over the past year? >> there is no question this virus has exploited the existing inequities in our public health system, our communities broadly. i think recognition of the ways that health and access to health is not even has been well recognized for a long time but it has not been central to our understanding of pandemics and i think it will change going forward. much more emphasis on protecting communities most vulnerable, including communities of color, underresourced communities, underserved communities. that will have to be a big focus of our work moving forward. >> you probably saw on wednesday, the biden guidance for nursing homes which now says it is okay for guests to go inside and visit residents, even if neither has been vaccinated. according to recent data, nursing homes, related deaths, at least, accounted for one third of all deaths in the united states. what do you make of where we stand in our understanding of whether or not it is to be safe for us to go into those facilities to visit loved ones? >> nursing home residents are among the most vulnerable in our population. they are older adults. many with fragile health status and we know those are risk factors for severe illness. that being said, many of them haven't seen loved ones for an entire year so i think there is a balance to be struck here in protecting the life and health of those among us who are most vulnerable while making sure they have the social and emotional supports to really have what they need to live a healthy, productive life. >> you talked about the inequities we've seen in this country. president biden as you saw just signed the american rescue plan into law. that cruz $350 billion for state and local communities. talk to us about the impact this will have, this additional funding will have in our ability to help heal communities? >> i think it will be huge. there is $7.5 billion for vaccines, $46 billion for testing and tracing, $500 million to create a new center for epidemic forecasting and improve public health data. these are really the interventions we've been looking for to regain control of the pandemic. and i think they're coming at a good time. it has been a few months since the last stimulus states are looking to decide what the next move will be to ensure that we slow transmission and resume some sort of normalcy. so i'm very excited with the american rescue plan and i look forward to it receiving communities. >> you probably saw, we were talking to reporters overseas and getting perspective on how the u.s. has fared compared to other countries. distributing vaccines has back global effort. 190 governments agreeing to work together on manufacturing and trying to everybody sure equitable distribution around the world. 20 countries, roughly 20 countries, they were involved in the development of the vaccine and the trials of at least the three vaccines currentory being used in the u.s. talk to us a little about that. the importance of this global cooperation to end this pandemic. is there a way this could have happened without global cooperation? >> i think there's no question that the global perspective is absolutely critical when it comes the infectious diseases. we are all a plane ride away from one another. so it is really important that we have plans in place and efforts in place to protect the global community. at issue now is vaccines and making sure that low to middle income countries have affordable access to those vaccines, as long as they remain protected. we have seen how new emerging variants can really change the game so it is important that all countries are able to access the fools they need to maintain control of the virus. >> report. greatly appreciate your insights. thank you. so for your time. up next, new details vouming new york governor andrew cuomo. his sixth accuser and the albany police department. it's next. e albany police department. it's next. 3 out of 4 people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months after just 2 doses. skyrizi may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, such as fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches or coughs, or if you plan to or recently received a vaccine. ♪ nothing is everything ♪ woman: now is the time to ask your dermatologist about skyrizi. woman: now is the time to ask your visible is wireless that doesn't play games. it's powered by verizon for as little as $25 a month. but it gets crazier. bring a friend every month and get every month for $5. boom! 12 months of $5 wireless. visible, wireless that gets better with friends. keeping your oysters business growing has you swamped. you need to hire. i need indeed indeed you do. the moment you sponsor a job on indeed you get a shortlist of quality candidates from a resume data base claim your seventy-five-dollar credit when you post your first job at indeed.com/promo what is humana doing sending me a diy test kit? old health insurance reminds you to schedule a screening, say, for colon cancer. humana does you one better and sends you an at-home test kit, when it's overdue. huh! one of those tests could save your life, or at least a little hassle. or both. yeah! you get it, you do it, you send it back. i get it, i do it, i send it back. you get it, you do it, you send it back. yeah, i got it. you got it! ♪ ♪ humana. a more human way to healthcare. four, five, turn, kick. we got chased by these wild coyotes! they were following her because she had beef jerky in her pocket. (laughing) (trumpet playing) someone behind me, come on. pick that up, pick that up, right there, right there. as long as you keep making the internet an amazing place to be, we'll keep bringing you a faster, more secure, and more amazing internet. xfinity. the future of awesome. we have breaking news regarding new york governor andrew cuomo. joining me from new york, kathy park with more on this. what can you tell us? >> reporter: hey, ayman. good afternoon to you. "the new york times" is reporting that the albany police department has received a report from a state official talking about the incident that allegedly happened at the governor's executive mansion late last year involving the governor and an unidentified woman. as you know, just the past couple of days, this woman has come forward to the times unit of albany laning with there was an incident between her and the governor, saying that he allegedly groped her. right now, they have not received a formal complaint from this unidentified woman. and the department is saying that they have reached out to her representative. we're also hearing from the governor's acting counsel, beth garvey, who said once again, that this woman has not filed a formal complaint and therefore, it is procedural for the state to notify the authorities. that's what happened here. and as you know, this is just one of many headlines in the past couple of days involving the governor. right now, six women have come forward accusing him of inappropriate behavior. he has denied doing anything wrong. and he has apologized if he made anyone feel uncomfortable. he said he never touched anyone inappropriately. right now the a.g.'s office is spearheading the investigation. there are two attorneys, outside attorneys. one of them, a former acting u.s. attorney who is now part of team. they are now looking into these growing allegations. eventually they will have to put this into a report and it will be made public once that information is gathered. it could take some time. >> let me ask but the governor's impeachment or perhaps resignation. you mentioned he's denied the allegations. the cheryl of the democratic party, i want to read a part of this statement for you. he said with the preponderance of these allegations, now is the time for the legislator to commence its own review of these matters as part of its constitutional responsibilities. do you know if there's any effort to get that underway for the new york legislature to begin its own investigation into these matters? >> there is growing pressure for the governor to step down and he's been defiant saying he's not going anywhere. we have nearly 60 democratic state lawmakers asking for his resignation. the assembly speaker made a statement saying he plans on holding a meeting with these lawmakers to figure out the next steps. just kind of with these potential proceedings. meanwhile, earlier in the week we had gop state lawmakers introduce an impeachment resolution so really, it looks like the ball is starting to get rolling. but this is still kind of in the preliminary stages. and as i mentioned, the a.g.'s office is looking at the allegations so we need to get through that as well. >> all right, kathy, thank you. and one day after passing the nearly $2 trillion relief package, the house turned its attention to another pressing issue facing this country. gun safety reform. today the house passed fwoils expand background checks and close a loophole allowing some gun sales to go through before the check is completed. both bills received some republican support. the house voted the expand background checks, but the bill went nowhere in the republican controlled senate. chuck schumer said this time will be different. >> the legislative graveyard is over. hr-8 will be on the floor of the senate and we will see where everybody stands. no more hopes and prayers, thoughts and prayers. >> joining us now, robin kelly, a member of the house gun violence prevention task force and also the newly elected chair woman of the democratic party. thank you for your time. given the even split in the senate, just how fine of a needle it is to try to thread. do you share senator schumer's confidence that these bills will move forward? >> do i share his confidence. we sent it over in a bipartisan way and i think there are republicans in the senate that will vote for this bill also. >> so in addition to these bills, i know that you and congressman joe neguse are working on a bill to establish a gun violence prevention czar. what exactly would this person do? have you talked with your republican colleagues about this? do you know if the white house is on board with this? >> really, a small group of us have talked about this. and we think that gun violence is such a big public health crisis that it needs to have a higher priority. not that it is not important to the administration. we know it is. we think there needs to be someone in the office, even if it is not a czar, but someone higher up in the administration that is overseeing this issue. >> and what exactly would that role do? do you know? >> well, hopefully, pass, help pass legislation, help with programming, help with resources. it's not just, you know, the background check or different things like that. there's more legislation. like i would like to see purchases and trafficking but we have to help communities disaffected that i gun violence. we have to invest in mental health access. two-thirds of gun violence deaths are suicid