Nightly Rundown: Remdesivir emergency FDA approval; Half of U.S. reopening; Changes at airports; Amazon, Walmart, Target worker strike; Biden breaks his silence

The Nightly News - with Lester Holt - Nightly News: 5.1.20

To ensure delivery to your inbox add email@mail.nbcnews.com to your contacts | View in browser By Dan Donahue, NBC Nightly News Good Friday afternoon. Here's what's in our Nightly Rundown tonight. FDA grants emergency use approval for remdesivir Gilead Sciences has received emergency approval from the FDA for the use of remdesivir to treat COVID-19. The potential breakthrough drug was shown to speed up recovery time in a large study this week. The news comes as the death toll in the U.S. climbs to 64,201 with 1,088,617 cases. Here are the latest developments: New York reported another 289 deaths in the last 24 hours, the first time the single-day toll has fallen below 300 since March 30. All schools and college facilities in New York will remain closed for the rest of the academic year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, though remote learning will continue. A Colorado paramedic, Paul Cary, who traveled to New York City to join the fight against the pandemic has died from coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio said today. American, United, Delta, JetBlue, Frontier, and Alaska Airlines will all now require all passengers to wear face masks. At some U.S. airports, passengers must undergo temperatures checks, and plexiglass shields are being installed to separates travelers from screeners. President Trump said on Thursday he has seen evidence that the coronavirus originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China, but said he was not “allowed” to give further details. Trump’s comment came the same day the Office of Director of National Intelligence released a statement saying the “virus was not manmade or genetically modified,” but added that it is still trying to determine whether the “outbreak began through contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan.” Trump plans to travel to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota on July 3 to see the fireworks and carved presidential sculptures, Bloomberg News reported. Beijing’s parks and museums have reopened. The Forbidden City, a major tourist destination that usually attracts 80,000 people a day, is only allowing 5,000 daily visitors. Apple will reportedly roll out a feature that will make it easier to unlock your phone while wearing a mask. An upcoming iOS update will automatically bring up the manual passcode screen when Face ID detects your face is covered. Colorado volunteer paramedic dies after contracting coronavirus in New York Stay-at-home restrictions eased in half of U.S. states With a new wave of reopenings across the U.S. today, shelter restrictions have now been eased in about half the states. Here’s state-by-state breakdown. Texas is allowing a wide array of non-essential businesses to restart, including all retail stores, malls, restaurants and movie theaters — though they will have to limit capacity. Beaches were also allowed to reopen today in Texas, but gyms, hair salons, barber shops and bars remain closed. A number of other states began allowing reopenings today — Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, North Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. On Monday, Florida, Missouri, Nebraska, and West Virginia will also move to lift some restrictions on residents. Additionally, Simon Property group, the largest mall owner in America, began reopening 49 locations across 10 states. As more and more Americans are able to see glimpses of normalcy, frustration is mounting in states that are still under lockdown. In California, rural Modoc County is the first to defy Gov. Gavin Newsom's shelter-in-place order, and will allow restaurants, bars and churches to reopen. Modoc County, in the northeast corner of the state, has no known cases among its population of fewer than 10,000 people. Officials in Huntington Beach are pursuing an emergency injunction to block Newsom's order to close beaches in Orange County. In Michigan, armed protesters converged inside the state capitol building on Thursday, demanding an end to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's strict stay-at-home order. President Trump urged Whitmer today to "give a little." He tweeted, "These are very good people, but they are angry." Under Trump's three-phase reopening plan, states are advised to wait until they have 14 days of declining cases before beginning to lift restrictions. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, warned states against "leapfrogging" over that federal guideline. "Obviously, you could get away with that, but you're making a really, significant risk," Fauci told CNN. Miguel Almaguer is reporting tonight on the patchwork push to reopen the nation. Amazon, Walmart, Target workers stage May Day strike Essential employees at some of the nation’s biggest retailers, grocery store chains, and delivery services planned a strike today to coincide with May Day, or International Workers Day. Workers from Amazon, Walmart, Target, Instacart, Whole Foods, Shipt and Fedex called for sickouts or walkouts, in protest of what they say are unsafe working conditions amid the coronavirus pandemic. Organizers also called on consumers to boycott those companies today. Four Target workers taking part in today's strike told NBC News they are dissatisfied with cuts in hours and fluctuating schedules, and are demanding better health benefits. Target has given employees an extra two dollars an hour in "hazard pay" — but the employees who spoke to NBC News said that raise was in the works before the pandemic. A Target spokeswoman said in an email that the raise was given "to recognize the significant contributions our front line team members are making." Amazon warehouse workers have demanded raises. The company has introduced two weeks of paid sick leave during the pandemic, but workers want it to become permanent. An Amazon spokeswoman said the company has made 150 changes, and that all workers have been given personal protection equipment, temperature checks, and more pay and time off. Biden denies sexual assault allegation: "It never happened" Joe Biden, the apparent Democratic presidential nominee, broke his silence and denied an allegation of sexual assault by a former Senate staffer. "It is not true, I am saying unequivocally it never, never happened, and it didn't," Biden said in an interview on MSNBC's Morning Joe. "It never happened." Biden’s accuser, Tara Reade, told NBC News that he forced himself on her in an empty corridor in the Capitol complex in 1993, when he was a U.S. senator. In a statement before today's interview, Biden urged news organizations to examine the "growing record of inconsistencies in her story, which has changed repeatedly in both small and big ways." During the interview, Biden said, "From the very beginning, I've said believing women means taking the women's claims seriously when she steps forward, and then vetted. Look into it," Biden said. "That's true in this case, as well." "In every case, the truth is what matters," Biden said "In this case, the truth is the claims are false." Reade has said she filed a personnel complaint with the Senate alleging sexual harassment, but she told NBC News that complaint did not accuse Biden of sexual assault. No record of that complaint has been found. Biden, in his statement, said the only place where it could have ended up is in the National Archives. Biden called for the National Archives to "identify any record of the complaint she alleges she filed and make available to the press any such document." A spokesperson for the National Archives told NBC News, "Any records of Senate personnel complaints from 1993 would have remained under the control of the Senate. Accordingly, inquiries related to these records should be directed to the Senate." Biden on allegation: No it is not true; it never never happened Watch us this evening at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT on NBC, or check your local NBC station listing. 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