Tom Brady is a very good friend of mine.

He's a great guy, for those of you that don't know him, he's a very honorable guy and an honest

guy and a truly great athlete.

He is really a very good friend of mine, and I just spoke to him a little while ago.

He's so thrilled and so happy.

That might not be what Donald Trump is saying now after Brady cracked a joke at the White

House about the former president's false claims.

We'll show you what Brady said straight ahead.

This is the kind of stuff that really bugs Trump.

And speaking of sports, the biggest hurdle for athletes at the Olympics may be avoiding COVID.

It's already hitting the games in Tokyo and vulnerable communities here at home.

And back to the former guy, one of Donald Trump's close friends busted by the feds,

and it goes straight back to what was happening inside the Trump administration.

We'll get to that developing legal story in just a moment and a lot more on this Wednesday,

July 21st. But first, Willie, let's begin with the very latest on the virus.

Yeah, good morning, Mika, the dangerous, highly contagious Delta variant as of this morning is responsible for 83% of new COVID infections. A full seven months after the first highly effective vaccine became available in this country.

Hospitals again are inundated with a surge of patients who are very sick and the number of cases is climbing across the country.

This latest wave is impacting the most vulnerable states and communities that have low vaccination

rates. In a moment, NBC's Gabe Gutierrez will report from Louisiana on why so many people

are deciding not to get the shot. But first, Miguel Almaguer with the latest numbers.

Inside a growing number of hospitals across the country, there is little doubt our nation has

already entered a fourth wave. An explosive summer surge in COVID cases, few predicted.

...