atlanta, are you ready to win? atlanta, are you ready to elect two new united states senators? atlanta, stay with me again, say vote, say vote! say vote! i love you all, thank you so much. ♪ ♪ i like the way you move ♪ i like the way you move ♪ i love the way ♪ i love the way ♪ i love the way you move ♪ i love the way you move ♪ i love the way you move ♪ i love the way ♪ i love the way ♪ >> please welcome allie tom. >> hello, everybody! my name is allie. i am a student at campbell heiskell and on november 3rd like so many of you i was a first-time voter. i don't have words to describe the feeling i had holding that ballot in my hand. for the first time i had a voice. a voice that would impact our country's future. i didn't expect to experience that feeling for another four years, but here we are. today we georgians have the power to bring covid-19 relief, to reform our criminal justice system, to move towards cleaner energy. however, none of this can be done if we don't all vote. whether this is your first election or your twentieth, your vote will dictate

atlanta, people criticize atlanta, but atlanta is a mighty good airport and everyone has their assigned jobs. the airport security does one thing, tsa does another, the faa is fully equipped to handle the ground stop and the reassessment and diverting of flights. for atlanta, given that it appears, what they would have done is literally put them in areas to stack and hold, and most likely bring them back, so there would be a short schedule disruption. but hopefully not the ripple effect that atlanta can cause, and then also juliet was right, atlanta is the airport that you can sectionalize it off. so one area having a problem, atlanta has tabletopped lots of exercises and they have different law enforcement authority, so likely they were able to seal off the one area, assess the situation. it sounds like they did not have to take people out of that whole gate area or terminal area. so because it is atlanta and they have practiced everything and they have so much law enforcement there, they'll probably be able to get them back in the air quickly. >> nadia romero is at the airport for us.

. >> atlanta's definitely next. we got a lot of potential here in atlanta too. it's like a black l.a. >> hollywood. >> yeah, a black hollywood. >> definitely a black hollywood. >> you hear the phrase black hollywood when talking about atlanta, what does that mean? >> it means that if you want to find success in the entertainment industry, you're not interested in going to new york or l.a., you can find similar or even better success here in atlanta. >> reporter: culture reporter and local naja parker says atlanta's influence has existed for generations. >> tell me about some of the biggest names to come out of atlanta. >> tlc, usher, t.i. comes to find. taylor mike comes to mind. ludacris comes to mind. tyler perry is a huge name that comes to mind. it's the biggest consortium of hbcus in the city and a lot of celebrities and civil rights leaders have come out of those institutions. >> a lot of black influencers have found they've been at a disadvantage in l.a. a lot of the biggest creator houses in l.a. or all whit

i used to live in atlanta. i've flown through that airport thousands of times, literally, at this point in my life. you've got a lot of different terminals. you have a lot of people moving through those terminals and we are receiving video and watching it right now, you think about the panic that ensued subsequently after either hearing these gunshots or hearing to take cover. how do you handle a security situation like this? when you're in an airport? >> well, first officers on the ground, they've got to get control. they've got to get to the source of the shot. stop that. if it's just an accident, it's quickly stopped. make your announcements, get other officers there, make sure no one was hurt when they were rushing away. somebody get trampled or knocked down. but you know, it's strange to say, yasmin, but it's a good sign that people are reacting to a gunshot by getting away. quickly. they're not standing around to be curious. you know, it really is bad to be curious when you hear a shot. or an explosion. g

this is atlanta. heavily blue. look for a lot of democratic votes to come pouring in throughout the day and evening hours. republicans really trying to make inroads and drove up numbers here in the rural south and also in the north where president trump made a late night visit last night in the city of dalton, georgia. we're in atlanta right here in fulton county. almost 70% for ossoff 60 days ago. matt finn is in an absentee ballot center. good afternoon. what are you seeing? >> good afternoon, bill. fulton county's top officials insist this election will be as safe as secure ago they feel the general election was in november. the secretary of state is reporting things are going smoothly here and statewide and the average wait time at polling locations is a minute. a minute less than the average wait time in november. the commissioner of fulton county said he's out visiting up to 50 polling locations pause he wants to personally observe. the spotlight is on fulton county after major allegations of fraud during the

again, so this is metro atlanta, cherokee county, and atlanta proper. now, officials have not said whether they think these shootings at three places were connected, but police did note tonight that the shootings took place at three spas, three massage parlors, where the majority of the employees are asian. police say all four victims who were shot and killed at the second and third locations appeared to be asian women. now, police say they have not yet identified a suspect or a motive. but again, nbc's affiliate in atlanta is confirming just within the past few minutes that a suspect is in custody in connection with these crimes. it is important, of course, to note here as context that this news, this breaking news comes tonight at a time when hate crimes targeting asian-americans has skyrocketed, not just in the last year, but specifically within the past few weeks. that can't be far from our minds as we absorb this developing story out of atlanta. joining us now on the phone is nbc news's atlanta-based correspondent blayne alexander who is following

our victims -- in atlanta, they were all asian. in atlanta, they were two white and two asians. we will have to do forensics on the firearm. >> it was the only weapon you found? >> yes. no other weapons were located in the weapon. >> do you have a sense of how many times he shot, how much ammunition? >> i don't have that information. >> is there any reason to believe other similar businesses should be concerned today? is there still a threat? >> he was acting alone in my opinion. there's no indication anyone was working with him. we are confident that's not a problem. >> he said he was on his way to florida. you believe he would have engaged in additional acts of violence? >> he made a comment to that effect, that he was headed to florida and he was going to do similar acts in that state. >> the issue was he wanted to destroy what had been -- >> it sounds to me like -- these locations, he sees them as an outlet, something he shouldn't be doing, and an issue with porn and he was attempting to take out that temptation. >> he visited both of those indications? >> i'm unaware if he

ossoff: hello, atlanta. forever i love atlanta. give it up again for my brother, the reverend raphael warnock. [cheers and applause] georgia, it all comes down to this. tomorrow is election day. on eyes of the nation are georgia right now. on eyes of the world are georgia right now. georgia. power, we make history. now, i want you to say it with me now. save vote. -- say vote. say vote. say vote. tomorrow, we make history. and think about how far we have come, atlanta. think about how far we have come in the great state of georgia. think about how far we have come in the american south. is the most competitive battleground state in the united states. you did that. you did that. [cheers and applause] two runoffting elections for the united states senate to determine control of the united states senate. your standardbearers are the young jewish son of an immigrant and a pastor who holds dr. the church.t at think about how far we have come, atlanta. think about how far we have come. -- we are running against are running against like,

this is fulton county where you find atlanta. population ranked number one by joe biden, 72 plus% of the vote on november 3. this is cobb county, number two, joe biden 56%. this is to cap county on the eastern edge of atlanta, it's number three. a clear and easy winter for joe biden. 83% you find democrats voting in this part of the state, these are the changing counties in atlanta hence the reason why this is such a close race come tuesday night. ultimately, this is what it's about. the balance of power in the senate, republicans go into the reset 5050 -- 48. if they lose kamala harris break the tie in the u.s. senate, and that is what tuesday night is all about in the battle for america. we will see you soon in atlanta. back to you. >> wilhelm or at the billboard. coming up next in atlanta tonight we will go to the northern part of the state where republicans are pushing for a massive turnout to contend with the expected democratic search in atlanta. we'll be right back. what's ahea. since 1995, seniors have opened their doors

the president just a short time ago on the horrific shootings in atlanta. and what we've learned tonight. president biden and vice president harris meeting with asian-american lawmakers and community leaders late today. president biden and the vice president on the tragedy, the pain, and vowing to work to make our asian-american communities safer. and tonight, the newly obtained surveillance of the alleged gunman at the scene of the first attack. all eight victims have been identified, six of asian descent. the devoted mother of two, the army veteran, the spa owner killed just two days shy of her 50th birthday. steve osunsami in atlanta tonight with late reporting on what we now know. >>> the other major news this friday night, the major change for schools across the country. the cdc issuing new guidelines tonight, recommending three feet of social distancing for school children with masks instead of six feet. could this help get children back to school sooner? some teaches unions pushing back tonight, the cdc director say, we have done the science. >>> pre

massacres at three separate atlanta area spas. moments ago, officials there wrapping up a news conference. they said it's too early to say whether this is a hate crime. they said the suspect may have frequented these spas. the mayor said they believe the suspect was on his way to florida when they caught him. here is what we know at this hour. eight people were killed, six of the victims were asian women. the fbi is now involved. today, police departments across this country are taking steps to make sure the asian communities remain safe. >>> it's a busy hour on the hill. the government's top doctors are making a house call. they are testifying as we speak. in a few moments, the cdc director's stark warning about one of the covid variants ripping across the country. >>> right now, the secretary of homeland security is testifying before a house committee. his message so far about the increase of migrants crossing our southern border. all of that coming up. we start with that breaking news there in atlanta. police say the suspect, 2

i ran into this in atlanta. i've run into it here. why does somebody need to be able to walk around with an assault rifle in a city park? why did they need to walk around with an assault rifle on a city street? i think if anyone can stand up and say that's what the constitution had in mind get , your head out of the plant holder. if we put down our swords and really say we want a policy of ensuring the safety of all americans, we can come to the table with something. it has become so politicized people don't want to listen. so there is that ground. there's also the ground of listening and i hope that the department of justice will expand the platforms and start looking at those areas experiencing an uptick in crime or areas with mass shooters to see how the judiciary is operating. it is imperative that somebody start demanding transparency from the da, the judges the , system. what i will tell you, almost without fail, the violent, repeat offenders my folks are arresting, and the operative word is repeat have been , arrested repeatedl

and since atlanta, we've had 300 people sign up in a week. i'm actually fourth generation chinese american. so my grandparents were actually born in the u.s. that's why it's so hard for me to see elderly egg ly asianslc[ harmed. it doesn't matter if your family came here ten generations ago or one generation ago, we're all fighting for the samedream. >> underlying foundation of everything we do is empathy and compassion. the whole vision is to spur everyone to step up and step out and look out for fellow new yorkers. we have ethnic speakers on all our team. for someone like myself who can't speak the language, i look at body language, smiles, they know what we're doing. it's a geat felling. feeling. we hope to live in a world devoid of racism. a world where not one human is treated as less. we need everyone involved. we need all hand on deck. >> i have a lot of hope to create a better place. please, we need you. >> big or small, be the change you want to see. sometimes it's hard when there seems to be so much hate around us. but in the strugg

. >> from atlanta, youtube sensation, foxes and fossils.kl. >> from atlanta, youtube sensation, foxes and fossilal c. >> from atlanta, youtube sensation, foxes and fossil cam. >> from atlanta, youtube sensation, foxes and fossilcame. >> from atlanta, youtube sensation, foxes and fossilame. >> from atlanta, youtube sensation, foxes and fossilme. >> from atlanta, youtube sensation, foxes and fossile. >> from atlanta, youtube sensation, foxes and fossil. >> from atlanta, youtube sensation, foxes and fossils. ♪ politics and foreign wars ♪ ♪ all the weathers ♪ that'thwod ne ♪ ♪ polka ♪ ♪ inye being and orld ns polk ♪ sleep you lack ♪ ♪ do the world news ♪ ♪ late at night ♪ ♪ you're not wearing pants ♪ ♪ have some fun ♪ ♪ everyone dance ♪ ♪ bum, bum, bum ♪ ♪ bum, bum, ♪ ♪ that's the world news polka ♪ ♪ that's the world news polka ♪ ♪ who care what's the bosses think ♪ ♪ they're a goofy crew ♪ ♪ and if the neighbors call the cops ♪ ♪ here's all you got to do ♪ ♪ when it is half past three ♪ tell them ♪ ♪ hey tha

you can see the outpouring from those in live in atlanta. they are shocked by this crime and to show you where the crime happened. three women were shot here and the suspect ran across the street over to the other location over here so so many people have been showing up to put flowers in both locations because they cannot believe this happened in the city in this metro area. >> so hard to believe. it's so heartbreaking. ryan young on the scene for us. thank you very much. joining us now the mayor of atlanta keisha lance bottoms. i know these are incredibly busy times but thank you so much for spending a few moments with us. we know the suspect has now been charged as you just heard as you well know with eight counts of murder. what's the latest you can tell us, mayor, on this investigation and the possible motive behind these shootings. >> well, all we know is what this confessed killer has said as it relates to what his motives are. we are grateful to law enforcement that they were able to apprehend him so quickly. he was on his way to flo

unfolding in the atlanta area on tuesday night. the gunman opening fire at one bsiness, driving 30 miles to target victims at two other businesses, including here at gold spa behind me. authorities say he had been to these establishments before, and for police it was a race against time to catch the shooter before he could kill again. on a damp and dreary afternoon, terror and horror seizes the atlanta area as a lone assailant launches an hours long shooting rampage against multiple asian-owned spas. >> some guy came in and shoot the gun, so everybody heard the gunshots. >> we do not have a witness who's alive right now. >> 20-year-old robert aaron long arrives at the spa. he allegedly sits in his car for almost an hour. around 4:50 he enters young's and opens fire. police arrive within minutes finding a massacre. >> sounded like -- >> reporter: four are dead. xiaojie tan went by emily. she was a licensed therapist. she would have turned 50 yesterday. delaina young leaves behind a son and a baby. she was getting a couples massage w

cherokee will have to talk to atlanta. atlanta will have to talk to charity, and now you have the chris county component. we believe georgia state patrol were able to stop the man on the throughway, maybe used the pit maneuver. going through eyewitness accounts to see if the same vehicle appeared in both locations. this shooting here, you can see where this shooting happened and directly across the street is another shooting scene. this is a fast-moving investigation, because this has been going on all afternoon and police are trying to gatter the detailed pieces. in the last half hour or so, police have been able to make an arrest of a woodstock man. they did put a picture out. this was the man they were looking for. be interesting to see if they can connect the dots now that they have him in custody. >> chris county, how far is that from cherokee or the bucket area? >> this shooting happened maybe an hour and a half ago. i think it's about 50 miles away from here, if i'm correct. not 100% sure. we just got that informati

daily world here in atlanta. on a first sit in was on march 15 of that year. so we are in october now. the sit in king was involved is october 19. so move but had been going on for a good while. who's losing some steam. they wanted to go back to the stores and buy stuff. they were eager to have this thing over. they needed a spark for the continuity. we were also aware that it was two weeks from election for president of the united states. this was all very intentional. the background purposes doctor king at the request of his father and established black leadership. their attitude was essentially we've got this. we don't need junior here leading us. and he agreed to that. and so it was after he'd arrested for driving his car with a georgia license plate and he sold his alabama drivers license. the reason he was stopped as there is a white woman in the front seat with him. karen was in the backseat. the white woman was smith the author. that's why he was stopped. this is a pre-check before his arrest for the driv

he used to lead the homicide unit here in atlanta. the tone was quite different today than it was yesterday. there's been fallout from that news conference that happened yesterday. captain jay baker, speaking yesterday. a lot of blowback in term of the suspect having a bad day. we have learned within the last hour from the cherokee county sheriff's department that he has been removed as being spokesperson on this investigation due to the comments and the blowback from that. you can see what's going on here. also the suspect was supposed to have a first court appearance today. his lawyer decided to waive that. more than likely, they knew they weren't going to get a bond. you can see how this investigation is progressing. one last thing, wolf. they've not released the names in any of the victims in atlanta. the reason why is they've not been able to identify all the family members involved and they want to do that next of kin notification first before moving forward. behind me, the next 20 minutes or so, there should be a candlelight vi

this may be atlanta movement unique. but we had a tear i should also mention that he did military service in the united states navy. where he deliberately, the military said this. in order to finance his college education is a felt that bernard was too much for his mother. and there was a path that he took to further his higher education education . is a just a few of the things that we can say about a friend and brother light on the king party did not sure charles can add a few things here . virginia: them interjected you don't mind for a second because i think it's repeated in the book, then he heard about the greensboro lunch synods and he decided, let's just do it make this happen. i kind of started the atlanta student movement there with god . but he was the man of action and following through that enery . but both were very strategic movements that they had students consider day in the day that they asked doctor king to come and participate in this lunchtime sitting in atlanta at the department store . students set

it was also run in the atlanta daily world here in atlanta. our city and was on march 15 of that year so we were come in october now, you know, this sit in, king was involved it was october 19. 19th. our movement had been going on for a good while and was starting to you lose some steam. folks want to go back to those stores and buy stuff. they were eager to have this thing over and we needed a spark for the continuity of our movement. we were also aware that it was two weeks from election. for president of united states. so this was all very intentiona intentional. yet for background purposes, it's important to understand that dr. king had not been involved in any of the civil rights activity in atlanta during this time. at the request of his father and the established black leadership, their attitude essentially was we got this, we don't need junior leading us. and he agreed to that. so that it was after the arrested were driving the car with the georgia license plate and he still had his alabama driver's license. the reason he was top is be

for the atlanta falcons. i played with this luy atlanta falcons. i played with this guy fantastically. i can't wait to see him — guy fantastically. i can't wait to see him on— guy fantastically. i can't wait to see him on the field. the nfl have been very strong — see him on the field. the nfl have been very strong on _ see him on the field. the nfl have been very strong on this, - see him on the field. the nfl have been very strong on this, saying i see him on the field. the nfl have| been very strong on this, saying no jab, no play. how has not gone down? it's a personal preference for a lot of players — it's a personal preference for a lot of players. a lot of people have their— of players. a lot of people have their reasons for getting vaccinated or not _ their reasons for getting vaccinated or not but — their reasons for getting vaccinated or not. but as far as the nfl, you can mandate _ or not. but as far as the nfl, you can mandate that people get vaccinated. that can make things as difficu

this was a hearing scheduled before the massacre in atlanta. the committee says the last time there was a congressional hearing focused on anti-asian hate was in 1987, as far as they can tell. what are the overarching concerns you are hearing? what's come out of this hearing? >> reporter: the concern is more than about just education and awareness. it's about action steps. that's what we are hearing from lawmakers right now as they make some of the opening statements. that's what we expect to hear based on some of the testimony that we have gotten an early look at from daniel day kim as well as john yang from aajc, of course senator tammy duckworth as well. i want to play you sound we heard from congressman steve cohen. >> congress sees you, we stand with you. we will do everything in our power to protect you. any asian hate did not begin with the covid-19 pandemic and will not end when it is over. all the pandemic did was exacerbate prejudices that have a long and ugly history in america. it's an execution for some to act on those. >> reporter

everer been to buckhead in atlanta? a beautiful residential in the northwest corner of the city that's not a huge place with only 80,000 people to live there, but it is fair to say without buckhead, atlanta as currently run could not exist. taxes from buckhead residents account for one fifth of atlanta's entire city budget. so you think the people who ran the city would be polite to buckhead, they certainly should be. but the opposite is true. for decades, various mayors of atlanta have attacked buckhead as something offensive or immoral aboutiv maintaining an orderly neighborhood. for the most part, the residents of buckhead have taken this abuse in silence. so they continue to send huge a amounts of money to a cityod government that hates. them. the politicians in atlanta, this has been a very good deal. but last summer things changed. a man called rayshard brooks was shot to death in a parking lot and wendy's by the police officers and brooks was apparently drunk and had fallen asleep in his car in the driveway. when

first, let's go to cnn's amara walker in atlanta. atlanta police say their investigation is now far from over. what's the latest? >> reporter: first off, not too long ago this crowd behind me near one of the crime scenes gathered to condemn anti-asian hate. so that rally is underway right now, but we did just hear from the atlanta police department. we learned that the suspect had frequented these two spas before, he was quite familiar with them. he had purchased the gun the day of the shooting. atlanta police also emphasizing the fact that their investigation is slightly different from that of the cherokee county sheriff's department saying there are four asian women killed at these two spas in atlanta. they say they're looking at everything to determine whether or not this was racially motivated. >> our investigation is looking at everything, so nothing is off the table. >> reporter: as investigators take a hard look into what motivated the suspect to go on the mass shooting spree that left eight dead, including six asian women. th

enterprises, a company in atlanta. she was a bookkeeper, but soon caught the eye of her boss, billy corey. >> there were some people working there that weren't really doing their jobs, and she told him she could do their job and her job. i think he fired them and she did their job. >> it was back in the'80s when dani jo and diane first teamed up. best friends and confidants. dani jo was a cosmetologist with a front row seat to diane's brilliant career. >> she loved crunching numbers. and along with billy corey, i think she learned how to wheel and deal. >> she rose through the ranks. and with her boss'blessing became president of the company. hiring, firing, and calling the shots. >> she would say, i don't want to hear about the labor pains, just show me the baby. >> jay grover was a vice president at diane's company. >> when she started in business here in atlanta, there were not a ton of female executives. >> no. absolutely. and i think that's what -- one of the things that really set diane apart. i mean, she was a -

she's there in atlanta. on top of the visit to the cdc, in a few hours president biden and vice president harris will speak to asian american leaders in georgia. jeff bennett, what more do we know about what the president and vice president's message is going to be to them? >> reporter: i'm told that they want to convey their support. this will be the first joint trip by the president and vice president. this visit had been scheduled as part of their so-called help is here tour to tout their $2 trillion -- nearly $2 trillion covid relief package. this trip was already on the books. it was understandably -- the focus was transformed in light of the shootings here in atlanta earlier this week. the bulk of the trip now, both the president and vice president will spend at emory university, meeting in private with asian american community advocates and elected leaders. they will hear them out. beyond that, the president will deliver remarks at around 4:00 p.m. eastern, in the 4:00 hour. i'm told the president and

atlanta fire assisted with the evacuation today during the incident. there were reports of three injures but none reported with the self-evacuation. we provided services to those in need and helped to return the airport back to normal business continuity and that is all. thank you. >> so again as i said, we'll open it up for questions right now. want to make sure that you get that. there were three reports injures associated with this. chief win free could talk about that as well. but i know there is social media reports out there saying there were some other issues, we have three right now, there was one person who was transported if i'm not mistaken. if that is correct. good. now everybody wants to talk about the suspect so i'll bring major norman up here and he'll be able to address any questions that you may have. what do you have? >> you mentioned he had warrants out. you could elaborate on the previous or past criminal history you might have found for this individual? >> i'm sorry, i cannot -- >> you can't elaborate? >> no. >> did he say -- >> on

>> all right, steve osunsami 4r50eding us off tonight from atlanta. steve, thank you. >>> we're going to turn to the other major story unfolding tonight, what authorities are calling an extremely dangerous tornado threat across at least seven states tonight. 60 million americans in the threat toen and tonight, reports of several tornadoes already. look at some of the pictures. this giant twister, that's in alabama. far buildings ripped apart in waine county, mississippi. and take a look at the radar tonight. the current tornado watches, of course, the orange and the red there on that map, particularly dangerous. new orleans, jackson, birmingham and so many smaller towns and cities in the path of this. and of course, another real concern that this line of storms will be hitting after dark. ginger with the track and abc's victor oquendo in birmingham, alabama. >> reporter: a dangerous, potentially deadly night ahead across a huge swath of the south. the storm prediction center warning of a rare high risk threat level for long-track, intense tornadoes. >

ever penned to buckhead in atlanta? a beautiful residential in the northwest corner of the city that's not a huge place with only 80,000 people to live there but it is fair to say without buckhead, atlanta as currently run could not exist. taxes from buckhead residents account for one fifth of atlanta's entire city budget. so you think the papal who ran the city would be polite to buckhead, they certainly should. but the opposite is true. for decades various mayors of atlanta have taxed buckhead as something offensive or moral about maintaining an orderly neighborhood. for the most part the residents of buckhead have taken this abuse in silence. so they continue to send huge amounts of money to a city government that hates them. the politicians in atlanta, this has been a very good deal. a tax and that deal could soon be ending. the reason for that, the current mayor. a spectacular mediocrity with high self-esteem with keisha lance bottoms. like so many big city mayors, bottoms is a demagogue, knowing what she is doing

the atlanta mass murderer purchased a 9mm handgun just hours before tuesday's massacre at the three atlanta area spas. the purchase was fully legal. we'll have more on all this as we spend the hour with celebrated pulitzer prize-winning author viet thanh nguyen. astrazeneca says its covid-19 vaccine showed 79% efficacy against symptomatic disease among participants in a large clinical trial in the united states. the vaccine was 100% effective in preventing serious illness and death. the findings pave the way for a fourth vaccine to receive emergency use authorization in the united states. the trial showed no increased risk of serious blood clotting, after more than a dozen countries this month suspended or delayed its use over such concerns. thcenters for disease control say one in six u.s. adults has now been fully vaccinated for covid-19. mississippi and alaska have opened vaccine eligibility for anyone 16 or older. floridians over 50 can get vaccinated starting today. in education news, the cdc updated its guidelines to say three feet of physical distancing is safe in elementary schools,

let's bring in kaitlan collins and jeff zeleny in atlanta. jeff, first to you. what do we know about the meeting that the president and vice president are in right now? >> reporter: we know president biden and vice president harris have been meeting for more than an hour with seven community members including five state leaders here in georgia. they're in the building behind me here on the campus of emeory univ university. it's running a bit long, but we know that president biden is going to be delivering remarks after this meeting. and percentages la, i'm told he's going to condemn more forcefully the rise of violence we've seen here in georgia and across the country directed at asian-americans in the last year during the coronavirus pandemic. president biden is also urging congress to pass the covid-19 hate crimes act. the white house is trying to draw a focus here. the question hanging over a lot of this is some of the community leaders have been telling us all week they want the president and white house to speak more forcibly that this was indeed a hate cri

please chief shields was previously the chief in atlanta. they give for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >> i have no easy questions for you and we will start with crime being up in louisville but crime was up in atlanta where you worked for 25 years. crime is up in virtually every big city. shootings that handle sides are up. -- homicides are up. they rose in louisville last year and they are on the rise now. the total last year was 170. why is this happening? we used to see these stats going down year over year. what started to change in 202021 -- 2020 and continued into 2021? >> you're asking the right question, because what is different? when i look at louisville, it's similar to atlanta and georgia and that is in the southern states where you have very lax gun laws, it doesn't lend itself to a high proliferation of illegal weapons on the street. you lay on top of that there is a post-covid component to it. individuals who are marginalized are for the set on the sides we talk about young people. when you have young people without

you are seeing in atlanta and here in oakland. we understand that the problemce crimes. you are seeing in atlanta and here in oakland. we understand that the problem is the top to the bottom. we see the top doing it but the local community groups and people on the ground trying to bring unity, but in the local legislation level, they need to follow suit and support us in those ways. >> all right. mar margaret, daniel, amanda, thank you. much more to cover. next, we'll dive into what is fueling the rise in hate and how domestic terrorism and hate crimes overlap. later, i'll talk with two members of congress about what their role should be in addressing this alarming crisis. also, we'll devote time to sharing your stories and experiences with hate in america. and advice on how to stand up for your neighbors. are you one of the millions of americans who experience occasional bloating, gas or abdominal discomfort? taking align can help. align contains a quality probiotic to naturally help soothe digestive upsets 24/7. try align, the p

atlanta's new mayor will take the oath of office in just a few weeks. despite the gop's efforts to divide and exclude in the state democratic mayor-elect andre dickens says he wants to unite and collaborate. he joins me now from atlanta. good evening, mayor-elect dickens, and congratulations. as you know, national action network, my civil rights group has an office in atlanta and everybody there, reverend sailor and they've told me you were going to win, and you did so congratulations. as i mentioned, the georgia so-called election integrity act, which clearly targets voters of color, passed this year. the law allows republicans to restructure county election boards and take over boards they say are underperforming. at least six counties have gone through redistricting. for example, the spalding county board of elections went from having a black democratic majority and black election supervisor to a white republican majority. how could these and other voting -- voter suppression tactics impact the city of atlanta in the future? and is there anything you

jet stream jacqueline howard in atlanta. moderna's covid-19 vaccine trial in children is officially under way. the phase two-three trial is being conducted here in the u.s. and canada and the study will enroll about 6,750 children ages six months to 11 years old. the biotech company says the first children already have been vaccinated in the study. >> reporter: i'm alexandra field in new york. more states are working to make more people eligible for vaccines. ohio governor mike dewine announcing starting on friday anyone age 40 and older will qualify for a vaccine and he is announcing an even more ambitious goal for the end of the month saying that starting on march 29 anyone over the age of 16 will qualify for a vaccine. this as president joe biden has called on all states to make all adults eligible for vaccination by may 1st. >> reporter: i'm randi kaye in palm beach county, florida. here the south florida fairgrounds has been turned into a mass vaccination site. they are hoping to vaccinate about 500 people here today. t

>>> tonight, the deadly and horrific shooting rampage in atlanta. eight people killed, six of the victims asian women. tonight, the gunman has now been charged with eight counts of murder, after opening fire at three spas across the atlanta area. the suspect in custody. authorities believe they halted further attacks in florida. police say the suspect's own parents identified him from surveillance images. news tonight on a possible motive, as these killings stir more fear among asian-americans. the president and vice president both weighing in tonight. >>> also tonight, as we come on the air, the extremely dangerous tornado threat across seven states. several reports of tornadoes on the ground already tonight and you'll see the images coming in. 60 million americans on alert from louisiana all the way to the east coast for potential long-track tornadoes. ginger zee live in the storm zone with the line of storms set to hit after dark tonight. and the severe threat right into tomorrow. >>> the coronavirus here in the u.s. and what are being called the

think about how far we have come, atlanta. [cheering] think about how far we've come in the great state of georgia, think about how far we've come. in the america south. georgia is the most competitive battleground state in the united states. you did that. [cheering] now posting to runoff elections for the united states senate to determine control of the united states senate, your standardbearers are the young jewish son of an immigrant and black pastor who hold doctor james baldwin at ebenezer baptist church, think about how far we've come, at the. [cheering] about how far we've come. we are running against lisha bonnie and clyde. of corruption in american politics. two united states senators who, when they learned of this pandemic that was bearing down on our shores, when they learned about the threat posed by a virus now killing more than 300,000 of our fellow americans, their first call was to the stockbroker. rather, we deserve better in retirement is coming for david perdue and kelly loeffler atlanta. [cheering] we have

, cherokee county sheriff's office as well as the mayor of atlanta on the shootings in atlanta last night. major headlines there, at least from the police. they caution, it is still too early to definitively determine motive. they say in an interview with the suspect, he claims this was an issue of taking out places of temptation, that's how he described it. they are saying at this point, indications that it may not be racially motivated. also saying he was on his way to florida perhaps to carry out more killings. we have our josh campbell with us to help us digest this. also find it notable, josh, that they say the suspect's family was essential in helping police track them down. that becomes more important. it appears he was on his way to commit more violence. >> i think it's worth noting, jim, just an incredible job by law enforcement quickly coordinating with each other. obviously a tragedy, but we have to note just what took place. you had a suspect moving across multiple jurisdictions. you had law enforcement coordinating with each other. as you mentioned, the family, after law enfo

atlanta police department is on the scene. we are getting word about many passengers who have gone out on to the tarmac. we're getting some video in here right now showing you a rather chaotic scene. pretty frightening for folks there. i'm joined by nbc news senior producer jay blackman. what do you know about this incident? >> government official tells me this is -- this is a senior government official that the passenger's gun was discovered after checkpoint in their accessible property. the passenger then grabbed it and accidentally discharged the weapon at the checkpoint. so, this was -- sounds like it was a mistake. the first -- of this year, there were more guns discovered in passenger luggage than ever before, so that was a record. it's just that people bring guns to airports, and as captain cox said earlier, most of the time, they are discovered and they're sent on their way. >> okay. jay, i need you to reiterate because the audio was a little sketchy at the beginning of when you joined us. so you're saying that somebod

king to come and participate in this lunch counter sit-in in atlanta and students all over atlanta, they had walkie-talkies and they organized rides to get there. they had checkpoints. it was a very strategic thing but he asked dr. king to join the sit-in at riches knowing that they would get arrested. charles black, what was the ultimate goal there? >> appeal for human rights like in february of 1960 that appeared in full -- full-page ad and it was run in the atlanta daily world here in atlanta, paper, and sit-in was on march 15thth of that year. so we are in october now, you know, this sit-in, king was involved, it was october the 19th, so our movement had been going on for a while and frankly losing some steam but we are going to go back the the stores and we are eager to have this thing over and we needed a spark for the continuity of our movement and we were also aware that it was two weeks from election where the president of the united states so this was very intentional. for background purposes, it's important to understand that drd in any of the civil rights activity in atlanta