Across the country are facing a tough fight to save lives right now, and theyre asking in some cases begging everyone to simply wear a mask. Wearing a mask is a small thing. Even if it doesnt work, whats the harm in wearing a mask . But it does work. Its whats kept our exposure rates low in our hospital, is everybody is wearing a mask. These patients turn very quickly. They can go from using no oxygen to a high demand of oxygen within a matter of an hour. Whenever a patient comes in as a trauma, theyre literally rolling in off the streets and you have absolutely no idea what the covid status of that patient is. We have our reporters spread out all over the country as this pandemic impacts schools, hospitals, testing and, of course, our way of life. But we start with that breaking news i mentioned a few moments ago. The united states, uk, canada, they say russia tried to steal crucial Coronavirus Research through hacking. Nbcs matt bradley is following that part of the story. Matt, what can you tell us . Reporter its a rouge revolution, craig. Were just hearing from british authorities that the russians had been using some of the same tools that u. S. Intelligence officials said they had used to hack the president ial election in the u. S. Back in 2016. Implicated here is apt 29. You might know them as cozy bear. Remember cozy bear and fancy bear, they were the two malware groups that were found inside the Democratic National committee back in 2016. Now the British Government with the American Government are saying the same group, cozy bear, is trying to hack institutions that are actually trying to find a solution for our current crisis. Theyre trying to find a vaccine for covid19. If this is true, if these revelations bear out, and it looks like theres a lot of agreement from bot the brits and the united states, it would show the russians dont see medical Research Like this as off limits. It doesnt look as though were necessarily trying to sabotage research efforts. I seems as though theyre trying to steal them. It goes to show the Competition Among countries to find this vaccine could reach such a fever pitch that governments are willing to weigh in and hack each other including private institutions for information. Here in Britain Oxford University is very much involved in trying to find a vaccine, partnering with astrazeneca and they have gotten close to coming up with a vaccine. We have been reporting on it constantly. The British Government was aware of this problem and upped security for some of the institutions looking for a vaccine earlier this year. Its unclear how this is going to bounce back in washington because President Trump, of course, has a quite complicated relationship with russia. So whether or not he approves of this remember, this group that came out with this in britain, theyre under the gchq, a British Intelligence organization that President Trump has accused of spying on his campaign. Theres a lot of trust loss across the Atlantic Ocean and with institutions of intelligence in the American Government. Craig. Matt bradley in london starting us off on that breaking news, thank you. Right now major fault lines here are emerging in Orange County california as families debate what school is going to look like in the fall. The board of education is endorsing guidelines to let students back in the classrooms without requiring masks, without requiring social distancing. The backlash, as you might images in, has been swift. Nbcs Erin Mclaughlin is at the Orange County department of education in costa mesa, california. The spotlight on Orange County is intense. At this point not clear whats going to happen next. Take us inside this battle thats happening there about how to reopen schools. Reporter craig, in context within Orange County is absolutely critical here when you consider the Positivity Rate in this part of california is 14 . Epidemiologists tell me that suggests midrange to large outbreaks happening within this community and a lack of testing. They say opening a school within the face of those kind of metrics risks an outbreak and a shutdown at the school within weeks. Now, the board of education is advisory only, not binding. Were already seeing School Districts go their own way to the north of the county. Santa ana announced it wont be reopening schools. It will be Distance Learning come the fall. Joining me now is the superintendent of schools here in Orange County, al mijares. What is your reaction to these recommendations by the board of education . Are they helpful, or are they confusing the situation . Theyre most certainly confusing the situation. Quite frankly, i think its an ethical issue here. Its a form of malpractice. Our job is to protect students at all costs. Thats the number one thing parents want across the country, for their kids to be safe. Its unconscionable for us to suggest we should treat this thing lightly. Its a very serious problem. The pandemic is something we have to heed with a great amount of dill lens. Reporter now, the department of education has issued its own guidelines. Theres state guidelines, federal guidelines. If youre a parent right now within your county, who should you listen to . You should listen to the Orange County department of education because we have created a plan from a multidisciplinary perspective. Weve engaged medical doctors. Certainly this is something we have to rely upon, what are the doctors saying in this particular case . We have doctors, educators, Community People involved with this, parents involved. Leaders in different areas of the School System and weve created a document called oc together, a guide for reopening our schools. Its all done on the internet. Its live. People can access it at any time. Its a very systematic process were following and a plan were following that aligns with the California Department of Public Health, California Department of education and our own health care agency. Reporter what are parents telling you . What are their concerns . Parents are very frightened. As you mentioned, the hot spots weve seen in santa ana, as that intensifies and news gets out there, parents are fearful. The most vulnerable are those parents who have no means. Theyre at the poverty level. They dont have health care. For them to send their kids to school and get sick with no health care is frightening. Theyd rather keep them at home in many cases. Mind you, we want our kids to be in school. Thats where they belong. But when youre dealing with a disease of this level, its not something you can treat lightly. We have to treat it with a great degree of care. From the beginning of this pandemic, there have been voices here within Orange County pushing back on the science. The chief medical officer within the county resigned to Death Threats for her mask orders, for her shutdown orders. Do you think the politics of the situation is putting Peoples Health and in this case Child Welfare at risk . Yeah. I do believe the ideological issues that we face today are intense and very divisive. This is no time for politics and ideology in the sense of what is right for kids. Right now we have to think about the everyday experience in the life of a child and do everything we can to protect them. Theyre minors. Theyre not called adults for many reasons. Theyre tender, still developing and growing. They depend upon the adults to keep them safe. Mr. Mijares, thank you very much. Craig, back to you. Erin mclaughlin, thank you. Please thank the superintendent as well. Sort of a glimpse of the conversation thats happening there in california. Similar conversations happening all over this country right now. Texas meanwhile seeing a surge of coronavirus cases. One of its best tools in the fight against the virus is about to go away. The Rio Grande Valley has one of three federal testing sites in the country and it closes tomorrow. Nbcs Priscilla Thompson isality that testing site in edinburg, texas. Priscilla, what are you seeing on the ground there and what are plans for testing when that site shuts down . Reporter craig, i want to give you a glimpse at what this operation looks like on the ground. There are seven lines running simultaneously, lines of cars stretching all the way back to the end of this parking lot, and thousands of people have come through here to be tested over the past week and a half. Im actually here with the man responsible for running this site. Chief schneider, talk to me a little bit about what youve been seeing on the ground here and what impact this testing site has had in the fight against covid in this community. Yes, good morning. Testing has been a great impact here to our area. Theres such a great need. Our mayor and council felt its very important to get opportunity for testing. What better than the facilities we have here to manage the massive crowds. Since weve started this, weve already seen over 23,000 people come through this testing site, average about 3,000 to 3,500 a day. It gives everybody Situational Awareness to where they are today at this moment when they get those results. Very, very important to everybody in this fear going on with covid19. Reporter this site was set to close on tuesday, extended until friday. These resources are going away tomorrow. What happens then . We will invite the opportunity, if they want to reset this, theres plenty of opportunity for that. Were really appreciative of the fact that it was set here in edinburg. Were able to affect everybodys lives in the past week and a half, giving them the results they need to make choices for their life in the future, whether its quarantining or continuing on in their life and they work. Its very important for them to understand where are they at at this point, exposed or not exposed. Reporter do you think the site needs to remain open here in the rio grand valley . I think with 1. 5 Million People here, even with the numbers weve had in the past week, the need is going to continue for months. So we invite that opportunity to reset and continue testing in multiple locations p the federal government and the state is ready to press on with this. Reporter chief, thank you. Thank you. Reporter craig, these are designed to be shortterm sites, they come in and test as many people as possible, and then they leave. The communities are left to deal with how to contain the virus and continuing the testing. Officials here telling me some level of testing will certainly continue here. Craig. Priscilla thompson there in texas. Priscilla, thank you. Meanwhile, starting tonight masks will no longer be an option in alabama. They will be a requirement. The governor of alabama says they had no choice. Fatalities in that state just set another record, cases up 50 in the past two weeks. There are a Record Number of patients in state hospitals. Nbcs dasha burns is in montgomery, alabama. Dasha, weve watched face coverings and mask mandates become politicized. This new mandate there in alabama considering the pandemic is intensifying there, how is it being received . Reporter hey, craig. Alabama is certainly no exception to the mask politics were hearing across the country. In fact, there even seems to be a bit of a split within state officials. The governor had been pretty resistant until this kind of order until yesterday when she said the numbers do not lie. Craig, the numbers here do keep going up. But the Lieutenant Governor has actually come out against the order. He said its an overstep on the part of the government. He says it infringes on individuals rights to make their own Health Decisions and on the rights of Business Owners to their property. Craig, weve been strolling the streets of montgomery here this morning and talking to people about their reaction to this order. Ive got to tell you, the conversations ive been having here this morning sound pretty different than what were hearing from the politicians. Take a listen to some of what i heard this morning. I think its perfectly appropriate, very sensible and good policy. Im all for it. My husband is in a highrisk category. So its super important personally. They tell you what kind of toilet you can have in your house. Your cell phone can track everywhere you are, what you buy and what you do. Why is protecting other people and stopping deaths overstepping . Reporter craig, of course, this is all jun anecdotal evidence, but every Single Person i spoke with this morning agreed with the order. Some were very concerned about the spread of coronavirus. Others said they werent too worried about it, werent worried about getting sick themselves, but they were more than willing to wear a mask in public out of respect for others. Craig. Dasha burns in montgomery for us, thank you. Meanwhile in tennessee, coronavirus cases have jumped 99 in just two weeks. A hot spot there is Hamilton County, home to chattanooga. The county saw its greatest single day inning crease in confirmed cases on tuesday. The number of hospitalizations is also climbing. I want to bring in chattanooga marianne difficult burke. The Health Department for Hamilton County says the turnaround time for people to get coronavirus test results back is getting longer. Whats your chief concern about what youre seeing in your city right now . We have a bunch of concerns that are coming with the rise in coronavirus cases. One is that, as the time to get results back climbs, that means Contact Tracing less effective because people dont know what to do. On top of that, we dont have a mask mandate in any area around us. We put Hamilton County mayor and the Health Department put ours in at the end of last week. But we are the center of the region. So we have more than just our local cases in the hospital, and that means everybody around us affects what happens here. Youre in a unique position. As i understand it, tennessees governor has taken some of the power to respond to the crisis in your city out of your hands. That power now lands with the county. Has that made it harder to coordinate a response to this pandemic . We shut down incredibly early. As of may 1, we only had about a little over 1. 5 of the statewide cases even though were the fourth largest county in tennessee. Weve rapidly seen those numbers climb. What we have to do is have a bigger intervention. We need to have it as quickly as possible because, as i was saying earlier, chattanooga is the center of the region. We also have northern georgia right on our border. So having coordinated policy that ensures everybody here is safe is critical to ensure all our hospitals are not overwhelmed. Mayor, this battle over masks thats playing out all over the country, alabama implementing the statewide mask mandate we just reported on. Georgia overriding local mask efforts. How are folks there in your city of chattanooga, how have they reacted to face coverings . Theyve overwhelmingly adopted it. Its probably 90plus percent Adoption Rate in the last few days. Nobody asks you when you go to the hospital and have a broken bone whether youre a democratic or republican before they tell you what to do. The same thing is true when it comes to Public Health. This is the same thing for everybody. I think people are rapidly understanding that. By the way, here in the south and in tennessee, people want to obey the law, and thats what were finding. Mayor sorry, mayor, i thought we lost you for a second. Chattanooga had about 2. 5 million set aside to help Small Businesses during the shutdown. As we understand it, the money is gone. What else can you do to help Small Businesses if this crisis continues . We rely on sales and Hotel Motel Tax for a lot of our income. We had to cut roughly 8. 5 million from our budget this year. We need the federal governments help so that, if bad things happen, if we see further declines, then we can have some dollars to help our small local businesses survive. Thats what we did at the very beginning. But the situation at the moment is worse than it was a few months ago, and our Hospitality Industry is devastated by this. Yesterday we announced that ironman, which were one of the premier sites for ironman competitions, were canceling two of those for the rest of the year. That is devastating for so many businesses in our community. We need the federal government to pass some kind of local assistance help so we can then ensure that our Small Businesses can survive these next several months. Chattanooga tennessee marianne difficult burke, thanks for your time this morning. Thank you. Weve got some breaking news about the number of people filing for unemployment. Its something we get a lot of questions about from our viewers. What happens when my benefits run out in just two weeks . Were going to ask our