Our country. This memorial day does come though in the context of a rolling national tragedy, with more than 97,000 dead from coronavirus. As captured by a striking front page of todays new york times, the newspaper paying tribute to some of the people who have died of the coronavirus, writing, they were not simply names on a list. They were us. In black and white the times listing 1,000 names, about 1 of the death toll, and a short line from their obituary. Also this morning, the head of the Wuhan Institute of virology is denying claims by the Trump Administration that the coronavirus leaked from its lab in the city where this Global Pandemic originated. The director calling the charge a pure fabrication. More on that in a moment. And nbc news has learned that the nba and disney are in talks for the league to restart play without fans this summer at walt Disney Resort in florida. We will have live reports with more on those stories just ahead. And later in our sunday spotlight, six feet apart at the office. A look at the plans companies are now making for an entirely different kind of workplace when its safe for employees to return. Then in our sunday closer, harry smith on the importance of stopping on memorial day to remember the millions who have sacrificed down through the generations. And later, a special virtual sunday sitdown with ben stiller. Ben and i got together over zoom for a touching, funny conversation about his late father, the great Jerry Stiller, who many of you know from seinfeld and who fapassed awa just two weeks ago. I have to say its been really heart warming to see how much he touched people, how beloved by people he was. I knew that but, you know, really when Something Like this happens, you really feel it. A sunday sitdown with ben stiller. Plus, a life well lived a bit later in the show. Lets begin this morning with scenes of packed beaches and pools across the country now that the unofficial start to summer is here. Nbcs kathy park is in new yorks coney island. Kathy, good morning. Reporter willie, good morning to you. For the first time in months more americans are leaving their homes heading outside, and a lot of them are making their way to the nearest beach, but as the nation tries to bounce back safely, not everyone is playing by the rules. This memorial day weekend alarming images of crowds at beaches in South Carolina and florida, packed bars in texas and new york, plus out of control beach parties in missouri, testing social distancing guidelines for the unofficial start of surns for pc safely but there are concerns for peoples freedoms to be able to go on the beach. Reporter a patchwork of precautions keeping people six feet apart on the sand and boardwalk. In new york the beach Towns Limited capacity to 50 and residents only. On the jersey shore rain washing out much needed sails at Point Pleasant beach. Many struggling with curbside only. I would have a store full of people right now and theres nobody around. Reporter alabama beaches filled up quickly. As the state eases restrictions coronavirus is on the rise. Alabama football Coach Nick Saban helping to spread the word in his Public Service announcement. Havent i told you you have to wear a mask when youre in this building . Reporter in arizona family and friends took to the tubes. I truly believe our Mental Health is as important as our physical health, so we need to live in community. We need to have fun. We need to have laughter. Reporter and in southern california, beachgoers trying to escape the heat as pressure mount to reopen the state. Hundreds of demonstrators had a message for the governor, and even though the coronavirus postponed the iconic indy 500 to august, it didnt stop the town of speedway from having some fun. Its still a part of who we are. There may not be a race this month but we still have that spirit. Reporter and there is some encouraging news coming out of new york. Once the nations epicenter of the outbreak, Governor Cuomo says the daily death toll fell below 100, something the state hasnt seen since late march. Willie . Well take any news we can get there. Kathy park in coney island, thanks so much. For the First Time Since this crisis began, President Trump was on the golf course on saturday, the president playing at his club in virginia, then spending part of his memorial day weekend in a twitter fight with his former attorney general. Nbcs Kelly Odonnell is at the white house with more on that. Kelly, good morning. Reporter good morning, willie. Although the president spent hours doing something he said he had missed, playing golf, that did not take the edge off his feud with former attorney general and now Alabama Senate candidate Jeff Sessions. One notable difference, sessions is punching back. A new toxic twist between the president and his former attorney general, Jeff Sessions. President trump weaponizing twitter for a bit are takedown. Jeff, you had your chance and you blew it, recused yourself on day one, referring to sessions giving up oversight of the russia investigation that led to a special council. More vitriol aimed at sessions run for his old job in the senate. The president writing, you should drop out of the race. Sessions had actually complained on not fighting back. Have i said a crossword about our president . Not one time. Reporter but now he is standing up to mr. Trump. Your personal feelings dont dictate who alabama picks as their senator, and, mr. President , alabama can and does trust me. The president endorsing sessions opponent for the july republican runoff, trump ally, former College Football coach Tommy Tuberville who uses the president s words in his ad. I would not have appointed Jeff Sessions as attorney general. Reporter President Trump spending hours on the golf course, his first time on the links in 11 weeks, a sign of how much he wants American Life to resume. The president describes the burden of shutting down the economy in a new interview with sinclair broadcasting. Horrible thing, the toughest decision of my life. Reporter and defends taking a twoweek course of hydroxychloroquine despite safety warnings. Because i had two people in the white house that tested positive, i figured maybe its a good thing to take. Reporter the president has Holiday Plans tomorrow as well. He is expected to go to Arlington National cemetery which is still closed to the public but family members with passes and face coverings can attend. Hes also expected to go to baltimore but the mayor there is saying that the president should set an example and not travel on the holiday. Willie . All right, Kelly Odonnell at the white house for us, as always, thank you so much. Chuck todd is nbcs political moderator of meet the press. I was struck watching that piece from kelly, the ad from Tommy Tuberville included an interview between you and President Trump when you asked him if he could have one doover in his administration. He said i wouldnt have hired Jeff Sessions, i wouldnt have appointed Jeff Sessions, calling him a slime, telling him to get out of the race. The difference, as kelly pointed out this time, Jeff Sessions is pufrmging back. I would point out also that Jeff Sessions was the first United States senator to endorse donald trump back in 2015 during his run for the presidency. It was. Look, this is a bitter primary. Tommy tuberville is ahead and hes ahead in some polls by a significant margin because of the trump base. The president s most you know, biggest defenders, even in alabama, are showing a preference of tuberville over sessions, but theres a part of sessions i think if he fights back look, if he gets through this primary ill tell you this, if youre doug jones, the democratic senator who holds that seat right now, the person you dont want to face is Jeff Sessions because Jeff Sessions is now able to show some independence from trump from some of those moderate republicans who voted for jones the last time. Sessions is a guy those moderate republicans will vote for. This divisive end to this runoff campaign, if tuberville is the nominee, could end up giving democrats a slightly better chance than i think they ever had anyway. That race really does have everything down in alabama including a frontrunner who is a former coach at auburn. Lets talk about this president ial race between President Trump and former Vice President joe biden. Joe biden was on a popular radio show on zoom called the breakfast club. Charlamagne tha god interviewed him. Joe biden made comments hes been having to walk back for two days where he said effectively, if youre even considering voting for donald trump, quote, you aint black. Obviously that was offensive to a lot of people. It gets to the kind of campaign hes trying to conduct from his own home, doing it virtually through this interviews, yet hes doing well in the poll. A quinnipiac and fox news poll showing him opening up leads among many important groups. What is the state of this campaign for joe biden right now . By the way, just a quick side observati observation, im struck about if donald trump makes the same type of gaffe, he blows through it, plows through it, pretends it never happened. Joe biden, the expectation is, hes got to deal with and he tried to deal with it. Its a reminder that this is not the first time that hes some time gotten loose with his words, particularly when it comes to feeding into old stereotypes at times. Look, i think its a reminder. Risk reward of this biden in the basement strategy, okay . I think theres some on his team that think its better to stay in the basement, make this trump versus trump. Trump desperately wants to make this trump versus biden. The less youre out in public, the harder that will be. At the same time, he was able to sit here and make a gaffe while in his basement. That isnt a good sign either for biden, so, look, at the end of the day its a bhoo bad one story but the polls are the polls and were seeing the more this is trump versus trump, the better for biden. The Biden Campaign is happy to let donald trump have the stage for the most part when they look at their poll numbers. Chuck todd, thank you so much. Happy memorial day for you and your family. Well look for more this morning on meet the press when chuck is joined by Robert Obrien for a discussion on how safe it is to reopen america. Memorial day weekend usually busy for sports fans wi. That void will be filled a bit today when four of the biggest stars in the history of sports get together for a day of golf to benefit coronavirus charities. Its a sunday unlike any other for two super bowl champs and a pair of golfs alltime greats. Tiger woods and Phil Mickelson hitting the links today alongside football legends tom brady and peyton manning. Phil and tom will play against tiger and peyton with at least 10 million going to covid19 charities, but for the players, its also about bragging rights. Woods and mickelson played a similar match two years ago. Phil came out on top and hasnt let tiger forget it. I dont know actually, tiger, if you know what this looks like. You may have caught a glimpse but thats actually what the trophy looks like had you won. Tiger though reminding phil who won the green jacket at the masters last year. Im a little bit chilly. The football stars talking some trash as well. They have 1 c1 championships. Tiger and i have 17. I actually thought i was going to be tigers partner but peytons dad called and switched the teams. All of it a welcome day of sports for a good cause. Well be watching. Good o good morning. We saw a very sunny saturday. Were expecting sort of a replica today, but it is going to be a lot warmer. Our temperatures will reach the 90s especially for inland areas. This is all setting us up for a stretch of dry and hot weather ahead. Right now in San Francisco 53 degrees. Your microclimate highs for this afternoon will be in t 88 for san jose. The warmest spots will be in areas like danville and walnut creek. Straight ahead, the highs and lows of the week including the paramedic who spent a month and a half away from her family in the fight against coronavirus, surprising her children by coming home. And the priest who became an Online Sensation for blessing his drivethrough congregates with a shot of holy water. Then, the new office space. How coronavirus will revolutionize the way we work alongsidew e they going to sit . So in this six pack here, there would be an employee sitting here, an employee sitting in the middle on employee sitting diagonally across from that person today. Its coming up on sunday today. As we head to break, our photo of the week. As summer begins unofficially this weekend, the new rules of being outside. This is a drone shot from above domino park in Williamsburg Brooklyn where circles have been drawn six feet from each other to maintain social limu emu doug [ siren ] give me your hand i can save you. 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He brought in a full size stage right there in the driveway, the caps, gowns, backdrop, podium, the audience, the reading of the name, all of it. Torrance says gabrielle cried for days when she first learned graduation had been cancelled so he knew what he had to do. He called around and pulled together this day. The traditional pomp and circumstance played on a loud speaker as gabrielle walked out and was stunned to see her entire Family Gathering and cheering from a distance. Her aunt and family pastor ran the ceremony, giving speeches and awarding her that coveted dmoep ma. Gabrielle by the way graduated with a degree in Public Health and hopes one day to work for the cdc as an epidemiologist. Congratulations, goodbabrielle. Way to go, pops. Our next high goes to a paramedic and a mother who answered the call to fight coronavirus on the front lines and traveled across the country to do so. Lay lan knee williams la mon yay is a First Responder from union town, ohio. Her team from American Medical Response volunteered to make thg island, one of the epicenters of the virus, to help First Responders there.