Moment. But first, another tragic day in america as the coronavirus pandemic shows no signs of slowing down. Johns hopkins reporting the fourthstraight day of over 1,000 deaths in the u. S. This, as the number of cases rise to more than 1. 4 million. The fda authorized its first test to positivity identify covid19 in people who show no symptoms. The significance of that coming up. Lets begin this hour with the disturbing upward trend of coronavirus deaths in this country. Cnns Polo Sandoval is standing by for us. Polo, we just got new troubling numbers out of florida that are only exacerbating the national crisis. What more can you tell us . Reporter fred, that certainly suggests that each day seems to bring another grim milestone across the country. Of course, the last couple weeks we certainly have been talking quite a bit about florida. So Florida Health officials there releasing the latest updated numbers now indicating that at least another 12,000 new cases and at least another 124 deaths. Do the math, you look at the numbers that we have seen in the past now showing that at least 409,000 floridians have been confirmed to have the coronavirus at one point and also now the death toll now close to 5,700 people. Look at a more National Picture now, not just florida, but california as well. Also surpassing 400,000 and texas close behind now with 380,000 which means these are really the states now hardest hit by covid19. Reporter six months into the pandemic and some of the nations coronavirus stats are going from bad to worse. As the nation surpassed 4 million covid cases and over 145,000 deaths this week, california beat out new york as the state with the most infections to date. When we began to reopen our economy, we so we focussed so much on when, but we didnt focus enough on how to not only do it but to educate individuals. On friday, california recorded its highest number of covid deaths in hardhit l. A. County Health Officials are warning the virus may soon become a leading cause of death among residents. Covid cases seem to be plateauing in some of texass largest cities. But in one small south texas border county patients may be sent home to die of a hospital, ethics and Triage Committee deems them too sick to recover. The local county judge says their hospital is at capacity. Thats also a common struggle for Health Facilities in florida which saw a nearly 84 increase in covid hospitalizations since july 4th. As statistics hit recordbreaking highs in the south and west, parts of the northeast are experiencing lows not seen since march. On friday, new york recorded its lowest number of hospitalizations nearly four months. And with the approaching school year, just weeks away, parents and teachers facing uncertainty about when or if inperson classes will resume amid a push to open schools. Kids ought to have the option to learn in person and virtually. I believe they ought to have choices. If teachers have vulnerable immune systems, they ought to have options as well. But we have to get our kids back into a school in a safe way. If you are going to bring the children back reporter the nations leading Infectious Disease expert dr. Anthony fauci urging School Districts not to rush to any decisions. There are a lot of people with underlying conditions out there, so i think when you talk about forcing teachers to come back to school, you better be careful about that and make sure you Pay Attention to, a, keeping them safe and, b, keeping them healthy. Reporter fauci not ruling out outdoor teaching as a way to get students back to school. I wear this all the time and recommending face coverings be worn in the classroom. Back here in new york we mentioned those dropping hospitalization numbers also icu rates throughout new york state also showing significant signs of improving in some of the latest some of the lowest that we have seen since march. What is slightly concerning right now, fred, for new york officials is a significant increase in covid cases for people in their 20s, all the way up to their 30s. Governor andrew cuomo saying part of that is because these large groups we have seen congregate outside of restaurants and bars. So you can expect today special task force thats been appointed by new york state to be out in full force trying to implement not only social distancing but also mask wearing as well. All right, Polo Sandoval. Thank you so much. Well check back with you. Georgia now reporting its highest number of coronavirus cases in a single day since the start of the pandemic. The state reporting nearly 5,000 new infections friday as Governor Brian Kemp and Atlanta MayorKeisha Lance Bottoms continue to spar over coronavirus restrictions. Cnns natasha chen joining me now from atlanta. Natasha, what more are you learning . Reporter well, fred, the good news is that Atlanta MayorKeisha Lance Bottoms and georgia Governor Brian Kemp have been ordered to go through mediation and they are supposed to do that before tuesday. Of course, mayor bottoms on thursday said during a Virtual Press conference that they are trying to work out, trying to iron out their differences. She also mentions that they had a good conversation on a phone call wednesday between her and the governor. She said the two of them are in agreement that masks save lives. However, within the last 24 hours, Governor Kemp tweeted a list of accomplishments he has done for the people of georgia and one was he filed this lawsuit to stop businesses from closing. And of course, when he filed this lawsuit, he mentioned he did this on behalf of atlanta businesses who were frustrated with the citys rollback to phase 1. But keep in mind this rollback is a set of recommendations for businesses, like restaurants, to go back to curb side pickup or delivery only. In fact, many restaurants have decided to stay open any way knowing that the statewide rules allow them to be open. Governor kemp also listed some other things hes been doing, such as signing a new contract to ramp up testing, continuing a partnership with hospitals to expand bed capacity, securing millions of masks for local government and, as he says, launching the four things in four weeks campaign. So hes asking the people of georgia to do four things. To wear a mask, to socially distance, to wash hands and to follow kal health guidelines. If this is done for four weeks this can help spread the curb of the virus which as you said friday saw a record in the state more than 4,800 new cases reported. That breaks a record that was set just one week ago, fred. Uhhuh. So, now, what about parents in gwinnett county, a suburb of atlanta which that county has georgias highest coronavirus rates. These parents are protesting to get kids back in school. What are their demands . Reporter well, i think what were hearing is that the apartments want options. They say they fully support the other parents who would like to keep their kids at home with virtual learning. But that some of these parents who perhaps have to go out of their homes to work at this point have no options as far as who is going to watch their children who have to stay at home doing this virtual learning. There were a couple hundred parents who gathered outside the School District yesterday to ask for that option. Gwinnett county schools had given that option up until recently when they changed to start the school year instead on august 12th virtual only because of the rising numbers that theyre seeing in their area, fred. Lots in flux. Natasha chen, thank you so much. Coming up, honoring a civil rights icon. Right now mourners are remembering congressman john lewis at Troy University in alabama. His siblings are among those expected to speak publicly for the First Time Since his passing. And well have more from the service and a live interview with the president of the National UrbanLeague Straight ahead. Erful suction with spray mopping to lock away debris and absorb wet messes, all in one disposable pad. Just vacuum, spray mop, and toss. The shark vacmop, a complete clean all in one pad. People are surprising themselves the moment realize they can du more with less asthma. Thanks to dupixent, the addon treatment for specific types of moderatetosevere asthma. 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Right now Memorial Service for congressman lewis is under way in his hometown of troy, alabama. Youre looking at live pictures right now inside trojan arena at Troy University. At any moment now were expecting to hear from lewis siblings. The late civil rights icon died last week after a sixmonth long battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He was 80 years old. Cnns Martin Savidge is in selma, alabama, where there will be another service this evening. Martin, alabama is where it all started in so many ways for the congressman the late congressman. Reporter absolutely, fred. I mean, selma, of course, is synonymous with the Voting Rights act the brown chapel is where dr. King and where john lewis planned and worked on those marches to montgomery. Including bloody sunday which john lewis became famous as a part of being beaten nearly to death. But now were in troy, his hometown. Many people know him as an icon and congressman from georgia for decades, but he is the son of alabama, born to sharecroppers on the outskirts of town. And he knew very quickly growing up the injustice of segregation. He experienced it, which is why he fought against both his entire life. And hes back home one last time. And his family and friends and that neighborhood there are all gathered to pay tribute inside trojan university on the university of troy. I should point out one of the problems they are dealing with is there are more people who wish to attend than can under the safety rules that are being applied due to the pandemic. There were about 800 tickets made available. You can see the social distancing taking place. After the service that will include family members. Then there will be a public visitation for two hours and then of course john lewis body will be moved to selma. There will be another Service Tonight and another public viewing and then tomorrow, one last trip over the bridge that was made famous on the road to montgomery. It will be a powerful moment. As you point out, that this is the celebration of the life of the boy from troy, a nickname given to john lewis by dr. Martin luther king when he met him for the very first time and nickname that john lewis proudly carried throughout the rest of his life. So many people warrant nt to pa tribute. Its Live Streaming online for those who wish to participate. Fredricka . Thank you so much. Tribute to someone who spent really his entire life, since the age of 15 with this commitment to try to improve the lives of everyone. Thank you so much, martin. Appreciate it. Joining me right now to talk more about the life and legacy of the late congressman lewis, mark morial, president of the National Urban league and former new orleans mayor. Mark, good to see you. Good morning, fred. Good to be with you. Thank you. So this is a day, it will be six days of celebrating the life of the late congressman. As these Funeral Services for john lewis get under way there in troy, what are some of the thoughts that come to mind for you . I think whats so appropriate about the week of celebration is that it will touch his birthplace, troy. It will touch selma, where so much of his important work took place. It will touch washington, d. C. Where he became an icon and the conscious of the nation. Then hell return home to atlanta where he was a Council Person as well as a member of congress for more than 30 years. I think in selma people should take a step and understand that in selma while theres great focus on what happened on bloody sunday and that was pivotal, the Selma Campaign and the campaign to register voters in alabama actually started in early 1963. And john lewis then with snick, Student Nonviolence Coordinating Committee and county Voters League the county in alabama which selma is located and at that time it was a majority africanamerican county where less than 1 of the africanamerican voters were registered, that campaign met with the resistance for several years of jim clark, this outrageous violent segregation sheriff in dallas county. So, before bloody sunday, there had been beatings. There had been killings. There had been an out and out effort by the officials in alabama to prevent africanamericans from registering to vote and it continued, continued after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. John lewis was involved in that effort early. And it is notable that as a student activist, the sclc which dr. Kings led was not initially involved in the efforts in dallas county, not initially involved in selma but came in later on. The beating of john lewis was pivotal in that it dramatized once again the violence that africanamericans were facing in the south for the simple act of seeking to register to vote. In those days, it was so bad that there was an injunction in place for many, many months and maybe years that prevented a civil rights meeting from taking place. This was out and out oppression of the worst kind. You cant meet. You cant register to vote. So when dr. King got involved it was against the backdrop of moving in and bringing sclc on board because there had been so much resistance. And the events of bloody sunday and campaign in alabama prompted president johnson to introduce the Voting Rights act. Importantly people should recognize that the right to vote was contained in the original drafts of the Civil Rights Act of 64, but it was deleted because johnson felt he couldnt pass it in 64 and ultimately it passed in 65. John lewis role in this not only as bloody sunday but as a strategist and organizer prior to bloody sunday is so important to understand. He didnt just show up or march. He was involved in a deep campaign in that area and in that county. Through his dedication and then consequently through his sacrifice, i mean, look how he became such a catalyst in change as you just so aptly described. And isnt it something that as he would become an elected leader in congress, much later on and throughout his political and civil rights career and dedication he would be a mentor to so many along the way. Just as he reached out to Martin Luther king when he was just the age of 15 years old and next thing you know he was really part of this whole movement, he has been a mentor for you along the way as well. So tell me what that relationship was like, how it was built and how he shaped or influenced you. I asked him to support a fundraising event that was being held for me in atlanta in 1990, the first time i ran for public office. And he said yes. And he and andrew young and jackson and a number of others in atlanta came together to help me raise money very early in my political career. I didnt know john lewis except the icon the congressman, the civil rights leader. And he was very quick to say yes. I was in my early 30s at the time, very, very young. Very much, i think, wet behind the ears in politics. And he said, yes. And all throughout my time here as president of the National Urban league theres never an instance where we called and invited him to come and speak to spend time with us, wanted a moment of his time where he ever said no. The man was gracious. He was down to earth. He was relatable and reachable in a very special kind of way. I think thats what makes it an icon. He walked with king. He challenged kings and queens, but he never, ever lost this common touch, this real man image, this humility, this humanity. And i think that is, i think, true role model for leaders of these times that youve got to be able to walk with kings and speak truth to power but never lose the common touch. Marc morial, thank you so much. All of those things so beautifully describe his legacy and then bottom line if its succinctly one word for him, it also meant being accessible and you described how he did that. Thank you so much. Thanks, fred. The celebration of john lewis life and legacy will continue over the next six days. Well be there every step of the way. Meantime, todays services will conclude at brown chapel ame church in selma where he will lie in repose tomorrow morning. A military honor guard will accompany lewis body across the Edmund Pettus bridge one last time. Later on in the week the congressman is set to lie in state in montgomery, alabama, washington, d. C. , and atlanta before he is put to rest. Live pictures right now out of troy, one of his brothers about to speak. To our special guests, dr. Hawkins, welcome eve