4.5 million cases, tonight a new study finds children under 5 may be able to spread covid as well as older kids and adults. a troubling finding for the young who are often in close quarters in schools, and day cares. >> i think the study should have people think for a second about what we need to do to make sure that tonight, when we reopen schools remembering the man who changed america, we're doing it in a safe manner. congressman john lewis we can't assume that honored as a children don't get non-violent warrior coronavirus or spread who fought for true coronavirus. peace, three former >> reporter: and just as more school districts navigate a presidents there return to the paying tribute to the man who crossed classroom, researchers at the university of bridges and broke down barriers minnesota explored how barack obama calling him the founding the virus travels father of a better indoors. america, a man who mapping where aerosols congregate, their liberated all of us on analysis shows a the battlefield of justice. teacher talking directly under an air vent would plus, lewis's own powerful message significantly decrease published today. the potential spread of the virus also tonight backlash after president trump floated potentially in arizona some parents are being delaying the election. asked to sign covid many republicans liability waivers joining democrats and before their children pushing back on that come back to school. the president also reacting to the death but art teacher marcy of former presidential warner decided to candidate herman cain retire first. >> i love those kids dying after bein

and where i taught and hospitalized with what i did coronavirus for weeks. but i'm not quite willing to die for them the important new >> reporter: as details about kids and concern grows and how they compare t infections surge johnson & johnson adults when it comes to spreading the announcing its lead virus. the economic disaster, almost vaccine candidate is 1.5 million more heading towards phase americans file for unemployment three clinical trials can congress reach a in september, progress deal to extend amid setbacks, lester? >> miguel almaguer in those enhanced los angeles, thank you. benefits tonight the domino the impact of effect of the pandemic covid misinformation how it's hurting the is evident in the fight on the front lines. against all odds, staggering impact on the economy as two double lung transplant survivors millions struggle to keep food on the break their silence about their table. we get the latest from life-saving surgeries. nbc's jo ling kent. the nba's rebound >> reporter: when as the season finally merna santiago lost resumes. her job this spring she never thought she'd need a food >> announcer: this is bank. "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> it's money saving for us in this situation. good evening, >> reporter: the everyone, the civil pregnant mother of three and her fiance rights struggles of both history and today are among the tens of millions struggling to were the backdrop for make ends meet. a powerful sendoff for >> it's sort of a congressman and civil natural disaster in an rights giant john lewis, four former economic disaster all rolled in one. presidents paying tribute, three of them >> reporter: the in the room as family, economy shrinking by nearly 33% last friends and colleagues quarter, the fastest gathered in atlanta's historic ebenezer drop in u.s. history worse than the great recession, and the baptist church to praise the man who nearly lost his life great depression

in the fight for americans spent less voting rights. on clothes, shoes and health care. barack obama whose pulled back on buying presidency is a new homes, while product of that legacy dealerships added today offered a fewer cars and trucks to their lots. spirited eulogy and a last week another rebuke of those who may threaten those rights 1.4 million new jobless claims were filed. the 19th straight week of claims over a million. the los angeles regional food bank has been swamped. >> very little bit inside the atlanta church where martin from every little source helps. >> reporter: the unprecedented need for luther king jr. once preached. help is expected to >> he loved america only grow. until america learned >> amid any given distribution we're how to love him back, seeing 2,000 to 3,000, we celebrate john lewis. up to 7,000 families >> reporter: a powerful sendoff for a come through in a man who was right three or four-hour period. there with him, fighting >> reporter: these for freedom. lines of cars likely >> thank you, oh god, to get even longer as the extra $600 a week of federal up for this great man who employment money expires. lived among us, who now joins the great today the senate failing to pass the republican plan to cloud of freedom extend unemployment fighters benefits and provide ♪ only what you do fo an extra $20 a week for the next three months christ will last ♪ democrats argued that wasn't enough. meanwhile santiago has been applying for new jobs, trying to >> reporter: john provide for her family. >> reporter: what are you going to do? lewis born in tiny >> i don't know, segregated troy, actually, i really don't know

alabama, the son of that was really sharecroppers, celebrated today by helping us with our rent presidents, including it was a really big help. >> reporter: something the first black so many americans so desperately need president, who says he jo ling kent, nbc was elected standing news, sylmar, california. on lewis's shoulders. >> on inauguration day a fierce tropical storm is battering in 2008 and 2009 he parts of the caribbean tonight. it's only going to get was one of the first worse. heavy rain people i greeted and is causing flash hugged on that stand floods in puerto rico. residents there are worried about possible mud slides the storm is heading northwest and could approach florida's east coast over the and i told him, this is your day too. weekend. >> reporter: former a tropical storm watch president obama, one of many today, calling issued late today in to strengthen the the southeastern part of the state voting rights act that lewis championed. >> you want to honor in 60 seconds, how misinformation about john, let's honor hi the pandemic is having dire consequences in by revitalizing the law that he was the battle to save lives. also, two covid willing to die for survivors speak out >> reporter: and while not naming him, about the double lung transplants that saved launching a forceful attack against them president trump. >> george wallace may be gone. but we can witness our federal government sending agents to use tear gas and batons against peaceful demonstrators.

>> reporter: john lewis's own words also echoing in that church in the extraordinary essay he submitted to the "new york times" just before his death, published this morning. his message to those marching now, while my time has come to an end, he wrote, i want you to know that in the last days and hours of my life you inspired me. emmett till was my george floyd, he was my rayshard brooks, sandra bland and breonna taylor, ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of america by getting in what i call good trouble, necessary trouble. though i may not be here with you, i urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart, and stand up for what you truly believe. as covid spreads >> it is so fitting on throughout the country so does misinformation the day of his service and conspiracy theories about cures and treatments that he leaves us our simply don't work and marching orders. >> reporter: the may even be harmful. tonight to tributes today costello is looking intensely personal. into who's behind it all. >> when he could have been angry and

determined to cancel >> i have personally his adversaries, he treated over 350 patients with covid. tried to get converts >> reporter: in a instead. nanosecond the video ricochetted across the he thought the open hand was better than internet, posted by the clinched fists tea party patriots action featuring a group of doctors i just love that i always will. insisting masks don't work, but and i'm so grateful hydroxychloroquine does >> you don't need that he stayed true to form masks, there is a cure >> reporter: even he's gone up yonder, though the nih and fda insists that's not and left us with marching orders. true a presidential retweet made the video go viral i suggest, since he's forcing dr. fauci to close enough to god to once again reiterate keep his eye on the sparrow and us we the hard science. >> hydroxychloroquine is not effective in the treatment of salute, suit up, and march on coronavirus disease or covid-19. >> reporter: while >> reporter: emotional. twitter, youtube and >> the night that john facebook removed the video congress demanded to know what took so long passed, when this flag flew there, it said >> it racked up 20 million views. good-bye it waved good-bye to john, our friend, our and over 100,000 comments before mentor, our colleague. facebook acted to remove it. >> reporter: and >> congressman, a lot of people shared that. candid. we did take it down because it violates >> john and i had our our policies. disagreements, of course >> reporter: of course the internet is mull of misinformation and conspiracy theories but in the america from qanon to russian john lewis fought for

and the america i disinformation to believe in, righ wing documentaries that accuse dr. fauci differences of opinion himself of are inevitable manufacturing covid. elements and evidence the motive >> he has a very high of democracy in approval rating, action because he gives you clear, reliable, we live in a better and nobler country concise, timely and today because of john lewis. true information >> i am the master of my faith. that is all of the kind of information >> reporter: including a tribute from a that conspiracy theorists don't want 12-year-old boy lewis met at the anniversary of a selma march. >> john lewis was my it is contrary to the very heart of a hero and my friend conspiracy theory. >> reporter: but let's honor him by getting in good trouble frontline e.r. and icu doctors say every false medical claim ♪ he was willing to and conspiracy theory makes their jobs that much tougher >> reporter: it takes get in good trouble ♪ time away from the >> reporter: a work that we could be doing to actually save celebration of that unbreakable spirit. patients or create new science. >> america was built and it sends the by john lewises. public into pandemonium. >> reporter: the goal, to undermine and and some day when we do finish that long confuse americans journey towards during the worst freedom, when we do pandemic in a hundred years. form a more perfect lester union, whether it's years from now or >> tom costello, thank you. tonight, new hope for the sickest covid decades or even if it takes another two patients, the first two people to have a centuries, john lewis double lung transplant are speaking out with will be a founding a powerful message here is our senior father of that fuller, national correspondent

kate snow. fairer, better america. >> reporter: mira ramirez still gets exhausted walking. john lewis is before she got sick being laid to rest alongside his wife of the 28-year-old was 44 years, lillian. doing her paralegal job from home to be a strong backlash safe but in april she tonight after caught coronavirus president trump when she started suggested that this fainting she went to fall's election could the e.r. and was told to call her family in north carolina right away. be delayed over hi concerns about mail-in >> i only had a couple voting nbc's peter alexander minutes to contact has more on that from the white house. them to let them know what was going on >> reporter: facing a surging pandemic and struggling in the before i was intubated. polls president trump today for the first >> reporter: the virus time is suggesting the had destroyed her lungs. november election, on the left a healthy lung, on the right, just 96 days away, be mira's postponed, tweeting her only hope, new lungs. with universal mail-in voting 2020 will be after a ten-hour the most inaccurate and fraudulent surgery at election in history northwestern medical she became the first covid patient to get a double lung transplant. warning it will be a >> the operation will properly, securely and be helpful to patients who are relatively safely vote. young, who have >> i don't want to delay. limited co morbid conditions, or preexisting conditions i want to have the election and who remained stuck on the ventilator despite clearing the but i also don't want to have to wait for virus. three months and then >> reporter: doctors find out that the ballots are all performed the same missing and the operation last month on 62-year-old brian election doesn't mean anything. >> reporter: but the kuhns, a grandfather, president has no power to delay a general owner of an auto

election repair shop, he the constitution says thought covid was it's up to congress to hoax and never wore a mask. set the date and with >> i was perfectly healthy. democrats controlling the house that will not happen this thing took me down hard. there's also no evidence of widespread >> reporter: he and wife nancy want their story to be a lesson. voter fraud due to mail-in balloting. president trump's >> stay safe, and suggestion immediately listen. dismissed, even by top >> this disease is not a joke republicans. >> not a hoax. >> reporter: when mira >> we'll cope with whatever the situation first woke in june she is and have the didn't even know she's election on november had a transplant. 3rd, as already scheduled. >> i looked at myself. i couldn't recognize my body. >> reporter: no presidential election's ever been it wasn't until weeks delayed, even for the civil war or world war ii later that i had the ability to, you know, democrats recusing president trump of think to myself trying to distract there's a family out from the u.s. economy just posing its worst drop on record worried there that's grieving their loved one. he's laying the groundwork not to i have that person's accept the election's results. lungs, and how lucky i was to have received it. >> reporter: i just took a lot of things for granted. >> can you give them a i'm just going to try direct answer, you will accept the and grab everything i election >> i have to see, no, can now. >> reporter: two patients, eternally grateful, to be part i'm not going to just of a new possibility say yes. >> reporter: in covid care. meanwhile, an ally, former pizza ceo and kate snow, nbc news. republican presidential candidate herman cain today lost >> wishing them both a swift recovery. his battle with coronavirus. up next, the the 74-year-old was rebound as the nba hospitalized after gets back into action. attending president

trump's controversial indoor rally in tulsa but it's unclear where he contracted the virus. president trump today remembering cain as a powerful voice of freedom. also tonight president trump was pressed whether he can assure people that schools will be safe if they reopen, something he's been pushing for for weeks, the president did not convey confidence responding with a question saying can you assure anybody of anything? lester >> peter alexander at the white house, thanks. as the death toll from covid-19 rises quickly in this country there's new concern tonight about children with the disease and their ability to spread it let's get more from nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: as the covid death toll now rises to its fastest rate in months, on wednesday roughly one american died every minute from the virus. in new jersey, a 129% spike in new cases, over the last two weeks. texas, leading the nation with more than 4,300 fatalities this month. >> this is really an apocalyptic time for us. >> reporter: in florida where nurse

grover street is on the front lines, the state has broken its single-day record for covid deaths for a third straight day. >> i got here last wednesday. the hospital's been full to capacity

we're back now with the news sports fans across the country have been waiting for, a restart of the nba season in a safety bubble. nbc's sam brock is >> reporter: tonight the nba back in action after a 20-week shutdown from covid-19, and players are pumped. >> scale of one to ten, probably 15 that's where my passion is >> reporter: but even commissioner adam silver acknowledges

the league's staying power amid this virus is no slam dunk. >> if we have any significant spread whatsoever we would certainly stop immediately. and then we would investigate and determine whether we could move forward. >> reporter: one hopeful sign, 344 players are tested on a daily basis, and so far zero positive results. former nba player eton thomas applauds the results but has concerns. >> then you have baseball then you have college football then you have all these outbreaks. you know, it's too big of a risk. >> reporter: today the league announcing new safety protocols with national tv money for playoffs about a billion dollars. and that absolutely is -- >> reporter: that star power and value on full display tonight with lebron and the los angeles lakers taking on the l.a. clippers lester >> all right, sam, thanks up next, power and wisdom in the words of john lewis himself

as the country says fareweljo lewis we hear from him in his own words at the bookends of his life john lewis was just 23 years old back then. >> all of you to get in this great revolution that is sweeping this nation. >> reporter: his call for change crystal clear. >> we do not want our freedom gradually but we want to be free now. >> when i spoke at the

march on washington in august 1963 i said then one person, one vote, i still believe that today. >> reporter: for decades never wavering. >> we must use this moment to recommit ourselves to do all we can to finish the work, there's still work left to be done. >> reporter: always inspiring in that last essay in today's "new york times" writing walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide. >> keep the faith. >> and never, never, ever become bitter never, ever hate, for hate is too heavy a burden to bear john lewis, rest in peace that's "nightly news" for tonight, thank you for watching, everyone i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night

♪ >> kelly: hey, what's up, everybody? we are a month into the summer staycation celebration and still going strong. and i'm still making sweet, sweet music with my band, y'all. today song a "issues" by julia michaels. ♪ ♪ i'm jealous, i'm overzealous ♪ ♪ when i'm down i get real

down ♪ ♪ when i'm high i don't come down ♪ ♪ i get angry, baby, believe me ♪ ♪ i could love you just like that ♪ ♪ and i can leave you just as fast ♪ ♪ but you don't, judge me ♪ 'cause if you did, baby, i would judge you too ♪ ♪ no you don't, judge me ♪ 'cause if you did, baby, i would judge you too ♪ ♪ 'cause i got issues, but you got 'em too ♪ ♪ so give 'em all to me and i'll give mine to you ♪ ♪ bask in the glory, of all our problems ♪ ♪ 'cause we got the kind of love