To it all, well bring you the thoughts from pennsylvania, ohio, back here to colorado. Im wondering if the people are angry enough to make their voice heard. Neither side has me convinced that im voting for something that i like right now. Ill vote for you but just do the right thing. This morning, we talk two leaders in battleground states. Florida representative val demings and Ohio Governor mike dewine. Plus, insight and analysis from our powerhouse roundtable. Announcer from abc news, this is a special edition of this week from boulder, colorado. Here now, coanchor martha raddatz. Good morning, and welcome to this week. We join you this morning from boulder, colorado, after spending the week on a crosscountry road trip. Speaking with voters across the nation. The background to this election is a global pandemic, a struggling economy and massive unrest amidst calls for change. Overnight, in portland, dramatic images of fire bombs thrown at officers. In rochester, continuing demonstrations after the death of daniel prude in police custody. And a different uproar this morning, the president facing allegations he disparaged fallen soldiers. Former defense secretary chuck hagel will join me to respond in a moment. But we begin with the voice of the voter. For months, covid has made it nearly impossible for us to travel the country, but this last week we were determined to safely drive across america to see closeup whats behind the polls in this evertightening race. We begin in the state that arguably handed donald trump his 2016 victory, but now has joe biden with a narrow lead. It has been a 2200mile journey through americas cities and towns, some abandoned from the covid outbreak, some far too crowded for safety. Others, bearing the scars of Racial Injustice and the fallout. But everywhere we went, the president ial election loomed. From the suburbs with the manicured lawns, to the heartland, where even massive Wind Turbines and endless fields were dominated by politics. Which is why we began our journey in the battleground state of pennsylvania. Im a fourth generation sheet metal worker. Reporter and ardent biden supporter. Donald trump lacks empathy. Joe biden has seen tragedy in his life. I think he has the empathy this country needs right now. Reporter and its personal, the once friendly policy talks with neighbors have ended. Lot of anger. Screaming and yelling. Its very hard to get down to the nuts and bolts of things. Reporter as the country grapples with this contentious election, the reckoning on race is front and center. President trump has cast himself as the law and order candidate. A message that trumps base embraces. What do you think of biden . I dont trust him. Reporter for these lifelong hamilton, ohio, residents, trumps word is gospel. I think he almost walks on water. Reporter she say trump is an imperfect man but a perfect president. Well, they couldnt control buy him and they cant control him. Every promise he made in 2016 that he has followed through on, or tried to. Reporter and she wont be convinced otherwise, even on trumps low support from africanamericans, just 11 . Why do you think theres not more support for him in the Africanamerican Community . Oh, honey, i think theres a lot more support for him in the Africanamerican Community than the media is giving credit for and i think in november, its going to show. Hes speaking to his avid followers. Hes not speaking to me and hes not speaking for me. Reporter this woman is a voter in the suburbs of cincinnati, alienated by trumps rhetoric. From the Buckeye State we headed towards the gateway of the west, st. Louis, that iconic arch greeting us the next morning. Against an overcast sky. In nearby ferguson, missouri, after the Police Shooting of Michael Brown in 2014, Kathy Jenkins restaurant was nearly shut down. My numbers dropped so low, i felt like i was under water breathing through a straw. Reporter after those protests, jenkins, a biden supporter, started a successful delivery service, but is counting on things getting better. Its not about making money, its about caring and changing lives. Reporter but those bread and butter issues are vital in this election. No matter where we go across america, no matter who you talk to, one of the biggest issues is the economy. And jobs. The pandemic also hitting Benjamin Browns bottom line. We started off the year up 17 and then you start hearing these reports about this virus thats coming in. Did you have to lay off employees . We did. Reporter while trumps response to the crisis has been fiercely criticized the president still has browns vote. Back on the open road, another some 200 miles under a pictureperfect missouri sky were changing our business model. Reporter for a meeting with a local rancher. The heartland is considered trump country. But michael billings is the exception, hes the owner of this 300acre bison ranch. What has covid done to your business . Some of the effects of covid have shut us down. We cant get our animals to the market, we cant sell products. Reporter billings who didnt vote for trump in 2016 is putting his support behind biden. How do you deal with your neighbors who are trump supporters, do you talk about it . The climate of the nation is such that i wouldnt be surprised if i put up a sign, and then my fence is cut and my buffalo are out. Reporter but not everyone has made up their mind. This farmer and his nephew both voted independent in 2016 and are still undecided this time. Will debates make the difference . No. Did the Republican NationalConvention Speech make a difference . I didnt listen to it. Reporter hazelton likes trump support of farmers, but doesnt like same of the way trump does things and ryan i never voted for a democrat at the top of a ticket. I havent ruled it out this time. Reporter the final leg of our journey nearly eight hours, from the cornfields in kansas to the mountains of colorado, colorado is a classic battleground state, a purple state. Extremists on the left, extremists on the right, and everything in between. These last four years have been really tough particularly for the Latino Community. Weve been antagonized by this administration. Reporter Salvador Hernandez helps the Latino Community of colorado engage in the political process and says joe biden could be doing more to reach that key demographic. I currently dont know what his platform is going to be, other than im better than donald trump. Reporter soon after we arrived in denver, this bombshell headline alleging that trump called fallen american soldiers suckers and losers. An accusation the president has forcefully denied. Tell me what your reaction was when you read that article it broke my heart. Reporter this man is a vietnam war veteran. Were not losers. The government sent us to go fight for this country. Reporter but others we spoke to like this veteran are more skeptical. My Immediate Reaction was, what is this . This doesnt make a lot of sense. Each allegation was supported by Anonymous Sources. So you simply dont believe the article . Absolutely not. Reporter as for how gray measures the president the actions. The actions of the president. What has he done for the military . But also for the veterans as well. He tweets a lot, he says a lot. Its not what he really feels, and so when you take it back to national security, im really worried that hes going to put men and women needlessly in harms way. Reporter this veteran, a west point graduate who was severely wounded in afghanistan, served in iraq as well, when you first saw it, did it surprise you, make you angry . It didnt surprise me. You can see what he said about senator mccain from the very start. I think this is someone who respects the military vote, but thats not the same as respecting military service. Joining me now with a response, former republican senator chuck hagel. A combat veteran himself. Good morning, secretary hagel. You just heard those veterans, youre a veteran of vietnam yourself, whats your reaction to the article . Well, thanks, martha. Im glad youre doing a segment on this story. Well, my reaction is, if these comments are real, and ill address that in a second, but if theyre real, its beneath the dignity of any commander in chief. Truly theyre despicable. Now, one of the points that veterans made, which was a good point, these are Anonymous Sources. But lets go back and look at the words from trump himself. Starting in 2016 about what he said about john mccain and what he continued to say about john mccain. How he denigrated the service of generals mattis, mcmaster, and most recently, general kelly, the history of this president over the last three, four years is pretty clear. 2018 experience when he did not go to the American Military cemetery in france, to recognize and honor the world war i marines, every other leader went, every other leader drove, leaders of france, germany and canada. You can go through a litany of past things that he said from his mouth, actions that hes taken, and it corroborates really the goldberg article in the atlantic. How much do you believe this will resonate with the military really . Well, i think it will resonate. Because what i have just said, hes on the record with saying things himself over the past few years. And that that makes the credibility of this article and those anonymous comments more and more credible. Now, i said before, if you want to make an anonymous comment and if you feel so strongly about that that you make that comment to an established, wellrespected reporter and magazine, you should have the courage to use your name. These guys who said it or allegedly said it, then they should show some courage and step forward as well. I have to say one of the veterans i talked to, who didnt believe it because of the Anonymous Sources, if someone appeared who had provided information in that article and said it on the record in front of a camera, he said im not sure id still believe it. President trump has furiously denied this. Well, i think there are those and i understand this business as you do pretty well, who will never believe it, no matter what is said or who said it, and thats just the reality of politics and freedom of expression and we have a great country where you can believe what you want to believe. But facts are facts, martha, and the reality of those facts are pretty clear. I i think its a pretty clear indictment of this president s attitude towards the veterans. Hell use them, of course hell use them as props in his actions, in his statements, no president has ever done that. Use your veterans, use your active military as props. I mean, couple of months ago he sends an airborne division, camps them outside of washington, the mayor and the police chief didnt ask for that. But its the continuation of the same actions and words that we have seen for this president the last 3 1 2 years. Okay, thanks very much for joining this morning, secretary hagel. Thanks, martha. Republican Governor Mike Dewine from battleground ohio joins us now. Ohio is one of the states we traveled through this week. Good to see you this morning, governor. I want your reaction to the article. Do you believe those are things President Trump could have said . Well, martha, i read the article. But, you know, any time ive been with the president , theres been discussion about the military, hes been extremely respectful. Thats been my personal experience. You know, Jeffrey Goldberg is a very respected reporter, Jennifer Griffin from fox news also said she confirmed parts of the article, so how does that resonate with you . Well, these are certainly respected journalists. But, you know, im kind like my friend chuck hagel, we served in the senate together, you know, one of the things that he just said in your interview, people should come forward, you know, Anonymous Sources are interesting, but, you know, it will never have the credibility i think for the general public unless people actually come forward or willing to do that. But again, my experience with the president , hes been extremely respectful, exactly what you would respect a president in reference to any conversation in regard to the military, you know hes come into ohio. Governor, you certainly governor, i want to stop you for a second, because you know what he said about john mccain in the past. Is i disagree with that . Does that change your mind at all . John mccain, i have a Great Respect for, he was a dear, personal friend of mine. You heard the voices in that piece, veterans upset who do believe it. More than 19 million veterans in this country today, they accounted for 13 of the voters in 2016 according to exit polling, 60 voted for trump at the time. 34 for hillary clinton. Could this make a difference in the race, again i reference those voters who say, yes, i believe he could have said those things . Well, i dont know, martha, i really dont know. I mean, you know, were into the campaign, you know a lot of things come out in a campaign, and i think sometimes people, when they only come out during a campaign, you know people are somewhat skeptical about them, this is you know, were into the 60 days, so i dont know what impact thats going to have. I think what the president has done in regard to the economy before we hit the virus, you know, i think people in ohio are generally very happy with that. You know, the president made commitments in regards to the Supreme Court and federal courts, were very happy with what hes done there. Its going to be a close race in ohio. I think the president is going to win ohio. Ohio has always been a battleground state. Neither side can ever take ohio for granted. I want to turn to the protests, as the protests continue across the country, the administration blames the violence on state and local officials who either did not or were slow to request federal assistance, you as a governor, what should your counterparts in oregon and wisconsin have done differently do you believe . You know, i dont know that. They have to deal with the problem. Theyre the ones who are on the grounds. Weve had a number of protests in ohio. We worked very closely with our mayors, weve given them support whenever they asked for it with the national guard. Look, we want to support protests, but we dont tolerate violence, and thats always the line. We want to support our police, we have a bipartisan bill in front of the legislature which i hope they pass, we involved Community Groups excuse me, weve involved the Police Organizations and it calls for some very Significant Police reform in regard to training and investigations, so we have a good bill and i hope the legislature will pass it. I think people are looking for very positive things, you know, ive never met a Police Officer who didnt want more training and, you know, i started as a county prosecutor and worked very closely with Police Departments. But theres always someone whos not fit quite candidly to be a Police Officer. One thing we provide in our bill is a psychological exam, just to screen people out who are not really fit to be Police Officers. And i want to turn to President Trump and the election, he continues to sow confusion about vote by mail efforts. This week, he encouraged voters in North Carolina to vote twice. Im going to assume you would not condone that sort of illegal behavior there in ohio. What are your concerns going into election day . You can do in mailin ballots up until the day before the election, this is going to be a very different Election Night and it could go on for a long time, what are your concerns . Well, martha, i can only speak to ohio. Ive talked extensively with our secretary of state, we have a very good system in ohio for many years, two decades i think, voters have been able to vote absentee with no reason. They can just ask for an absentee ballot. The secretary of state tells me that were at least double over the requests that we would normally receive now. Were used to doing thing. They also can vote in person at the board of elections during the week. Then, we even have sunday voting in ohio the weekend before the election. So ample opportunity. What we tell people to do is, look, everyone, by the way s now getting in the mail their application, they can fill that out every voter in ohio is getting it. Were asking people if youre going to vote that way, you know to do it as early as you can. The other thing, ohio law provides that the ballot can be counted up until ten days after the election as long as its postmarked by the monday, so, again, we dont want anybody to wait til the friday to mail in but they also have the ability to drop off at the board of elections. Were not concerned about ohio. We always have to be vigilant. Our elections in ohio and across this country are handled in a very bipartisan way. Were confident things are going to work out fine as far as casting. Okay, governor, we hope that will as well. I enjoyed very much crossing through your state. Thanks for joining us this morning. Thank you for coming. Up next, florida congresswoman val demings on the protests continuing to rock the country. And later, the powerhouse roundtable is here with us as our special edition of this week, live from the university of colorado, boulder, continues. Im a verizon engineer, and im part of the Team Building the most powerful 5g experience for america. Its 5g ultra wideband, and its already available in parts of select cities. Like los angeles and in new york city. And its rolling out in cities around the country. With massive capacity, its like an eight lane highway compared to a two lane dirt road. 25x faster than todays 4g networks. In fact, its the fastest 5g in the world. From the network more people rely on. This is 5g built right. Only on verizon. So we collaborate ocean spray works with nature every day to farm in a Sustainable Way ocean spray works with nature every day vo while you may not be running an architectural firm, tending hives of honeybees, and mentoring a teenager your life is just as unique. A Raymond JamesFinancial Advisor gets to know you, your passions, and the way you help others. So you can live your life. Thats life well planned. Tonight, try pure zzzs all night. Unlike other sleep aids, our extended release melatonin helps you sleep longer. And longer. Zzzquil pure zzzs all night. Fall asleep. Stay asleep. You try to stay ahead of the but scrubbing still takes time. Now theres powerwash dish spray its the faster way to clean as you go just spray, wipe and rinse it cleans grease five times faster dawn powerwash. Spray, wipe, rinse. Everybody got to get it together and come together as one and we get the best man to lead the country which by far is donald trump. People work hard for their businesses, people work hard for their homes, so wouldnt you want someone whos going to send in the national guard, send in authorities to stop people from looting, burning down your buildings, wouldnt you want a president like that . Some of the president s supporters i met during our crosscountry tour and joining me now to discuss that and much more, democratic congresswoman val demings from the battleground state of florida. Good morning, congresswoman. As you saw, we talked to voters about a lot of topics, but law and order certainly resonated among them. After the coast to coast violence. As a former Law Enforcement officer, and someone who nearly joined the democratic president ial ticket, is your party striking the right balance . Well, good morning. Its great to be with you. And let me say this, as a 27year Law Enforcement officer the foundation of every Great Community really is the opportunity to live in a safe community, and so all persons, regardless of what part of the nation theyre from, the color of their skin or their ethnic backgrou background, want to live in safe communities. What makes america great, is the individual right to protest. Our job is, to make sure Peaceful Protesters are able to exercise their right. Guaranteed under the first amendment. We also have to make sure that those who break the law, those who exercise violence, regardless of what side of the political aisle that theyre on, must be held accountable. In this country, martha, we can do both. A recent abc news ipsos poll shows 55 of voters think President Trumps rhetoric on the protests is making things worse, but 49 say bidens response to the protests isnt having any impact one way or another. What does he need to do for his messaging to break through . Its something we saw along the trail this week. Let me say this, president Donald John Trump is the commander in chief. And so the buck stops with him. And i said, weeks ago, that while america was going through civil unrest in all 50 states, quite frankly, america was on fire. We had a president , a commander in chief who was Walking Around with a gasoline can, not trying to sow peace and calm, but actually throwing fire on an already volatile situation. I believe that Vice President biden is on the right track, youve heard him talk about peaceful protests, but hes also talked about accountability, regardless of those who are involved in violence should be held accountable. He talked about supporting good Police Officers. But also holding the bad ones accountable. Thats how were going to get to the place where we need to get. And let me say this what were currently seeing in our country isnt sustainable. And its really time to start moving from what were seeing in the streets, i believe, to having roundtable discussions. We got to continue to work with our community leaders, our Law Enforcement, black lives matter and other stakeholders, to put in place plans of action that can get us back on track so we can deal with coronavirus, deal with the economy, lack of health care and other injustices that plague our nation. You know, this weekend we saw the Trump Administration try to block Racial Equity training. A laterer letter from omb saying that millions of dollars have been spent on what they call antiamerica propaganda that teaches the idea, quote, virtually all white people contribute to racism, how do you respond to that . Martha, as you well know, racism has been the ghost in the room in this country for 400 years. And we see it not just in one system, we see it in all systems. And what we desperately need is a commander in chief who clearly understands that. We got to deal with inequality in all things. In health care, we see the effects of covid19 on black and brown communities. In education, if we know that the overwhelming majority of people in our prison system, for example, are black and brown, and a majority didnt graduate high school, weve got to deal with injustices in education in lending, in housing and we need a commander in chief who clearly understands and wants to address racism in all systems, until we get to that point well continue to see the problems and be plagued by the problems that were seeing every day right now. Thank you so much for joining us this morning, congresswoman. We appreciate it very much. Good to be with you. Take care. Up next the powerhouse roundtable is here in boulder, ready to go, and theyre coming up next. Announcer this week with George Stephanopoulos brought to you by pacific life. Life insurance and Retirement Solutions backed by 150 years of strength and stability. Trust in your tomorrow with pacific life. Retirement is an opportunity to fill each tomorrow with moments that matter. And a steady stream of protected income can help you secure the life youve planned. For more than 150 years, generations have trusted the strength and stability of pacific life with their tomorrows. Because life isnt about what tomorrow brings. Its what you do with it. Ask a financial professional about pacific life. Come on in, were open. All we do is hand you the bag. Simple. Done. We adapt and we change. You know, you just figure it out. Weve just been finding a way to keep on pushing. Try new natures bounty stress comfort. Three unique gummies for your unique needs. Find peace. Boost mood. Sleep well. Stress comfort comes naturally, only from natures bounty comes naturally, life doesnt stop for a cold. [man] honey. [woman] honey thats why theres new dayquil severe honey. Its maximum strength cold and flu medicine with soothing honeylicious taste. Dayquil honey. The daytime coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever, power through your day medicine. Of the Team Building the most and im part powerful 5g experience for america. Its 5g ultra wideband, and its already available in parts of select cities. Like los angeles and in new york city. And its rolling out in cities around the country. With massive capacity, its like an eight lane highway compared to a two lane dirt road. 25x faster than todays 4g networks. In fact, its the fastest 5g in the world. From the network more people rely on. This is 5g built right. Only on verizon. Iwith vicks sinex saline nasal cmist. Tion for drug free relief that works fast. Vicks sinex. Instantly clear everday congestion. Find a stock basedtech. On your interests or whats trending. Get realtime insights in your customized view of the market. Its smarter Trading Technology for smarter trading decisions. Fidelity. The restaurant and watering hole that catered to closing in 4 months. So many including the staff. announcer mr. Peter walsh. Peter. peter walsh people came and they met and they felt comfortable. Its what we did with coogans. You felt safe and, if you were safe, you could be joyful. And, if you were joyful, then you could really go home with the dream that you had. woman 1 really, really fun times. man 1 you just end up there for hours. woman 2 its like the heart of the community. man 2 coogans is a special place for me. peter walsh everybody has a coogans. And in the next three months, almost half those small businesses, they could close if people dont do something. We have to keep our communities together. Thats how we get through this. And the roundtable has now joined me here in a very breezy, very beautiful boulder. And well be right back to discuss it all. Well be right back to discuss it all. vo 2020 has been the year of the unthinkable. But a moment like this can bring us together to rethink the way forward. So wells fargo is using some of our locations as driveup food banks to help provide 50 million meals for americans in need. Donating all the roughly 400 million in ppp processing fees to support nonprofits assisting small businesses. And committing one billion dollars to help put an end to the Housing Affordability crisis. The unthinkable has happened. Now its time to rethink how to make a difference. Thats why i take osteo biflex, to keep me moving the way i was made to. It nourishes and strengthens my joints for the long term. Osteo biflex. Plus vitamin d for immune support. Im a delivery Operations Manager in san diego, california. Weve had a ton of obstacles in finding ways to be more sustainable for a big company. We were one of the first stations to pilot a fleet of zero emissions electric vehicles. The amazon vans have a decal that says, shipment zero. Were striving to deliver a package with zero emissions in to the air. I feel really proud of the impact that has on the environment. But were always striving to be better. I love being outdoors, running in nature. We have two daughters. I want to do everything i can to protect the environment to make sure they see the same beauty ive seen in nature. My goal is to lead projects that affect the world. I know that to be great requires hard work. My goal is to lead projects that affect the world. Just between us, you know whats better than mopping . Anything at the end of a long day, its the last thing i want to do. Well i switched to swiffer wet jet and its awesome. Its an allinone so its ready to go when i am. The cleaning solution actually breaks down dirt and grime. And the pad absorbs it deep inside. So, it prevents streaks and haze better than my old mop. Plus, its safe to use on all my floors, even wood. Glad i got that off my chest and the day off my floor. Try wet jet with a moneyback guarantee so we collaborate ocean spray works with nature every day to farm in a Sustainable Way i heard from so many voters across the country this week, now lets hear from our powerhouse roundtable. Abc news political analyst matthew dowd. Abc news deputy political director, maryalice parks and an old friend, boston globe editor, greg moore. Its great to have you here and the roundtable in person, socially distant, on a beautiful, have windy morning. Not a problem for you, matt dowd. Im going start with you. Im going to take that as a compliment. That is a compliment for you. I heard from so many people this morning, but it turned to that article in the atlantic. And the outrage over that and as you see, some believe it, some dont. Some want those Anonymous Sources to come forward. Whats amazing to me, we had two major conventions, its almost like they never happened with the news of the week. My take on it is, its very much in line with donald trump and things hes said, as you noted, very credible journalists, it sounds like donald trump, the use of the words and all that. I think actually what its going to do it makes it harder it may not reduce Donald Trumps margin or it may not increase joe bidens margin but it will make it much harder for trump to overcome. Were at the foothills of the rockies. Its like someone put a 50pound more weight in backpack and donald trump still has to get up the side of the mountain and this makes it much harder to get up that mountain that joe biden has now as a margin. Greg, do you agree with that, i mean so many stories just pass over in 24 hours, and no one remembers them, is this one that you think will resonate and could make a difference . I think it could make a difference. You know, a lot of the people who fight the wars in america are from trumps base, right now, they dont believe it, you know, because theyve been conditioned to accept these kind of stories as being fake news, but if the sources come forward and theyre credible, i think it could really put a dent in his armor in a way that some of the other revelations have not been able to do. And maryalice, i was surprised, the announcement from the white house was so swift, the denial from the white house so swift, and of course, joe biden immediately seized on this. Yeah, joe biden said it was personal for him. He was quick to talk about his son, beau biden, who served in iraq. Clearly, democrats see an opening here. Theyre going allin on this story. I think that partly think that this strikes at the president s brand, he wants to see himself as the one on the campaign trail talking about fully instating military budget, and i think its important to remember that this comes after a long summer, you know just a few months ago we had military members saying that they were really frustrated with reports that russia has boubtties on soldiers heads, that he didnt talk with putin about that. So, you know, military members in washington tell me at least that theyre already really anxious that he could use them in ways that they dont think are appropriate. And i heard that a lot from some of the veterans i was talking to here as well. Matt, lets just turn to the race in general. We saw a slew of postconvention polls, showing joe biden still leading nationally. Leading or tied in the battleground states that trump won in 2016. How much stock do you think we should put in the polls . I think were all weary of them. We remember 2016, but now less than two months out. To me, one, we have to wait until election day, as we had done better in 2016 and not gone out of the way of saying donald trump had little chance. To me theres a much different place in this race a stable in this ration that didnt exist in 2016. Joe biden since hes basically clinched the nomination after almost clinched it, has had roughly a seven, eightpoint lead in this race. The number i tell people to look at, is the president s job approval, this is not an open race like 2016. Donald trump and his Image Matters more than anything else in this race, way more than joe biden. And president s usually always get on the ballot with their job approval number. If the president is at 51 , he gets 51 of the vote. As barack obama and george w. Bush did. On so the idea that president bush can somehow taint joe biden and that will cause him to be reelected he has to improve his image if this race is going to change. One thing theyre trying to do, maryalice, is trying to get out there on the campaign trail. Joe biden was out there this week and donald trump continues to hold these rallies, very Different Campaign looks. Talk about that a little bit and that difference. And whether biden needs to get out there more. Sure, the pace is really picking up now. Joe biden had by our count fewer than 20 inperson events all summer but he has three coming up just this week. The president , too, the pace really picking up with his family, they have a lot of events coming up in the next few weeks. These events are really different. We see the message in that imagery. You know, we saw the president in pennsylvania, North Carolina, those are states where the governors have put out mask mandates, and the president is not enforcing that. Hes mocking the idea of people wearing masks. Theres no social distancing at his events. Hes trying to say were moving beyond the pandemic, were rounding this corner. Thats totally different than joe biden. Joe bidens events are small and controlled. His message is the government needs to do more. The unemployment is twice as much as in march. Hes talking about opening schools, hes talking about job safety during the pandemic. Hes saying were not through the thick of this yet. And greg, i have to say that on my trip across the country, even in states where there was mask mandates, or as close to that as you can get, not a lot of people wearing masks. Id say about half and half. So is the issue of covid, do people just want to get over that . No, i dont think they just want to get over it. There are two schools of thought. The ideological differences between these two candidates, the never maskers, the folks who are with trump, who say theres nothing to worry about, versus the people who want to take precautions and follow science and i dont think its that people want to hurry up and get this over with, i think theyre making a tradeoff, you know, 8 of unemployment, versus 190,000 deaths, thats been the question and i think thats what its going to come down to on november 3rd. Also, greg, there seems to be i dont want to vote for trump among democrats and independents more than i want to vote for biden, even if you want to press them. Hes not donald trump. Its the enthusiasm gap. There seems to be an enthusiasm gap, although theres some enthusiasm going out to vote against donald trump. How does biden handle that . I think it comes down to the debates. I think the debates are going to be the thing that gets the Democratic Base excited. If he can perform up to the level that they saw during the acceptance speech for the democratic nomination, i think thats considered his best speech, ever. He has to show that kind of fire and that kind of intensity and hes got to be able to parry with trump whos going to mean, tough and nasty. Okay, were going to come back to both of you and all of you after this break. Well be right back. L be right back. How do you think the relationship between the black community and the Police Department has changed, if it has. Theres more transparency. Also, we havent seen in some parts of the st. Louis area, some, we havent seen the Excessive Force on protesters. But now in some communities of st. Louis its the exact same way. I was just tear gassed. We were maced just in july. You know, so we have a lot of work to do. Missouri congressional candidate cori bush speaking with me just before we got on the road. Shes a rising Progressive Political star, who got her start as a black lives matter organizer in ferguson. Where the Police Killing of Michael Brown galvanized the movement. I was there in 2014 and went back for this weeks road trip to see whats changed for voters across missouri in a summer marked by more highprofile violence against black americans. We kick off a new abc news series and ask, has the nation reached a turning point on Race Relations . Fergusons police chief Jason Armstrong has been on the job for just over a year. His goal to help serve as a bridge between Law Enforcement and the black community. You were out with the protesters, marching with the protesters after george floyd was killed. When they asked me to march with them, thats what i felt in my heart. I look at me as being in the middle of an important issue and how can i use that uniqueness that i bring to the table of being a black man and being a chief of police in todays world, how can i use that to help better relationships. How can i help use that to bridge some gaps that we have. Reporter that ferguson Restaurant Owner we heard from earlier in the program, Kathy Jenkins, had her windows smashed during the 2014 unrest. The vandals that were destroying property werent the same people as the protesters. What about after the killing of george floyd . What was different, we had white and black protesters out, together, protesting. It was wonderfully friendly. Reporter recent polling shows support for the black lives Matter Movement has grown since 2014, but st. Louis has seen some opposition. The mccloskeys represent one extreme of the political wedge over protestrelated violence. We have to recognize that sometimes violence isnt a message of hate, but its really a cry for help. Reporter this st. Louis voter was 18 when she first took part in black lives matter protests. What would you say to mccloskeys . I definitely agree with a conversation about needing to have law and with order. With that comes having a conversation about justice. Its the same idea, all were needing on is to have a discussion about how we get there. Reporter across the state, another conversation unfolding on racism in a painful way. Standing inside my doorway, and someone essentially screamed a racial slur at me. Reporter Jamari Roland is an army veteran now working for the state department, he and his wife moved from california to kansas city in june with their Young Children and say as an interracial couple they were met with repeated and overt hostility. Its hard for me to hear it come toward my husband. But its really hard for me to hear it towards my kids. Even more, stay with your own kind directed to me is really difficult to swallow. Its astonishing for it to be so bold, vocal and loud and proud. Racism shouldnt be proud. Reporter but after the couple started publishing a blog and local news outlets started picking it up, they saw a shift. I mean were flooded with emails, reaching out, the support, never in a million years expected this, ever. Do you think its kind of a turning point for your family . Do you think the nation is at a turning point . I believe we are. Theres been a lot of tension in the past several months. I think people are fed up. I think that people feel that they have a voice. The minority of people who are very negative, giving us negative feedback are completely overshadowed by the positive. So, yes, americas ready for a turning point. And were back now with the roundtable. Greg i want to start with you, you just heard that couple say they believe the countrys at a turning point. Kathy jenkins noted this time the protesters were more diverse, what has made this not just a moment but really a movement . I think video, the undeniable reality of what these allegations have been like for decades, right. I describe this as our berlin wall moment the symbols, practices that support racism, are being chipped away brick by brick. I think that the people are disgusted by what theyve seen when it comes to the discrepancies between access to capital for africanamerican and other minorities and White Communities and what happens with the criminal justice system. I feel like they cant take it anymore, really, they cant deny the reality of it. And maryalice, both the president and joe biden made trips to kenosha, wisconsin, this week, both peaceful protests and rioting in response to the policeinvolved shooting of jacob blake, these were very different appearances by the president and joe biden. Completely different. Mostly the president didnt meet with jacob blakes family. He talked to Business Owners and police, he focused exclusively on those riots that happened afterwards. He completely dismissed the Police Violence that sparked it all. On the other side, joe biden met with for over an hour with jacob blakes family and i was surprised they put out a really positive statement, they were impressed with joe biden, they thought it was obvious that he really cared. Look, the president might successfully turn the conversation to these issues, he wants to make this is black versus blue police issue and he may essentially do it. He may turn it away from covid and the economy. Im not convinced hes turning voters away from joe biden. In our latest poll, joe biden is still seen by a majority of americans who will keep them safe and even more say hes more likely to unite the country. Matt, do you think the law and order message of President Trump is getting through . I mean, i think its getting through to his supporters. I have i mean, i think this is a moment where we really have to deal with this. Africanamericans throughout our countrys history have suffered trauma, and its not just the trauma over the last few years, its the trauma of the last decades, its the trauma the last 200 years, and we have never as a country fully dealt with that or acknowledged the truth of that, and until were willing to do that, especially white people in america that are willing to acknowledge what has happened, were not going turn the corner. I think a lot of the trauma that a lot of minorities have suffered, when we say things are going to be different, its not different. Or in the aftermath of the civil war, everything was going to be great. Were going to ban slavery and give people the right to vote, and then we enter into jim crow. America as a country we have to finally deal with this stain that has been with us 200, 300 years. These are all great comments. I thank you all for this. It was all wonderful being here in boulder. Thats all for us today. Thank you for joining us for part of your sunday and thank you to all those voters who shared their thoughts with us as we drove across the country. Final finally thanks to cuboulder, allowing us to broadcast. Have a happy and safe labor day weekend. Broadcast. Have a happy and safe labor day weekend. Up next, a raging wildfire traps people in a campground in Yosemite National park. The rush to get people evacuated. Good morning to you, check out the sky. Moderate air quality, a spare the air alert. 72 degrees in san francisco, warmer than yesterday, going to 93 downtown. Already its 88 by the delta, 64 half moon bay