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Lose was reinforced by his rebuke on the steps of the United States Supreme Court today. Listen to the crowd shout vote him out as others booed. All vote him out vote him out vote him out vote him out vote him out vote him out vote him out heres the president s admission that he cant and wont win if the election is administered fairly and that he doesnt plan to accept the result. Reporter will you commit to making sure theres a peaceful transfer of power after the election . Well have to see what happens. Ive been complaining very strongly about the ballots and the ballots are a disaster. Reporter i understand that. People are rioting. Do you commit to make sure theres a peaceful transfer of power . Get rid of the ballots. Well have a very peaceful we wont have a peaceful. It will be a continuation. No evidence theres any problem with the ballots. The New York Times, mr. Trumps refusal to endorse the most fundamental tenant of american democracy as in president in memory would have is the latest instance in which hes cast grave uncertainty around the november election. Democrats are growing increasingly alarmed as mr. Trump repeatedly questions the integrity of the vote and suggests he might not accept the results if he loses. Amid the uproar including backlash from his own party as Senate Republicans vowed to uphold the election result and support a peaceful transfer of power, donald trump is continuing to undermine the upcoming election. We want to play you the sound from the last hour with the disclaimer that it contains lies and misinformation that well correct on the other side. We want to make sure the election is honest. Im not sure it can be. I dont know that it can be with this whole situation, unsolicited ballots. Theyre unsolicited. Million it s being sent to everybody. Hillary clinton told joe biden do not accept the results of the election under any circumstances. You dont ask her that question. You on the ask me the question. Now for the fact check which we bring you because its a talking point that were hearing more and more from donald trump. Hillary clinton never told joe biden not to accept the results of the election under any circumstances. What she said was she urged him not to concede a close race before all the votes were tallied. Aside from that hes not running against hillary clinton. Hes running against joe biden. Hes already said hell accept the will of the voters, joe biden has, as virtually every president ial nominee in the history of american politics has. Trumps embrace of his inner dictator is where we start here. We welcome our panelists. Peter baker, let me start with you. Words printed in black and white in your newspaper that you never thought you would read about an american president , this failure to say out loud that hell do what everybody else before him has done, which is to accept the results of an election. Thats right. He has said things like this throughout the year. At one point he suggested postponing the election. Theres no constitutional avenue to do that. Its one of these things where he clearly likes to throw everybody off kilter. Hes never going to concede. Hes going to always claim that a loss, if he does lose, is the result of some nefarious act by the other side. The important thing to remember is, though, on january 20th whether he likes it or not, after the election has been certified, hes no longer president. Theres no option at this point. No option for a year long court fight. The constitution is very clear. At noon on january 20th power changes hand. If theres no declared winner, it goes to the house. If the house doesnt declare a winner, it becomes the speaker of the house, nancy pelosi. Its one of these situations where he doesnt understand the responsibilities of a president to affirm that the norms and standards weve lived with for 200 some years, even if he cant do anything about it. You know, ben rhodes, i looked at jim mattis rebuke which for a lot of people came too late to have as much of an impact as they hoped that someone like jim mattis would have. He said we must reject and hold accountable those in office who make a mockery of our constitution. At the same time we must remember lincolns better angels and listen to them as they work to unite. Obviously he has seen donald trump up close. Ben rhodes, he knew the person making a mockery of our constitution was the commander in chief. My own reporting, i understand the pentagon to have been contemplating scenarios for this for many months now. Whats your understanding . Well, you know, i think the military has been uncomfortable, particularly ever since the clearing of the protesters with tear gas in Lafayette Park and that might foreshadow a standoff after the election. For me it brought back memories. In 2016 when i was in the white house the scenario we were concerned about was that donald trump could lose the election and not accept the result. Frankly we thought that was one of russias possible objectives. To what really worries me here, nicolle, its not the uncertainty that would take place, but there are a lot of people who support donald trump who could be radicalized by him not accepting the result of the election. Weve seen violence in our cities. Weve seen people heavily armed. What happens if we have a scenario and hes saying the result is illegitimate and hes refusing to accept it . What does that do to the social fabric of the country thats already been tearing apart . It could pour gasoline on that fire and lead to violence and consequences. Its not just a political talking point. There are lives at stake. This is incredibly irresponsible. Lets go deeper. This is uncomfortable. The fbi director testified in the last week that White Supremacists are the most dangerous threat to the home land. All Trump Supporters arent White Supremacists. All White Supremacists who have made their preferences known seem to be donald Trump Supporters. Talk about the country prepares for a scenario Elizabeth Newman said she couldnt bring these threats to the white house. Theres another whistleblower regarding bringing threats to the white house. Are you confident were on the right footing to protect the homeland . Absolutely not, nicolle. If you listen to christopher wray, its clear our Public Officials who are responsible for the Supreme Court of the United States are deeply concerned this is the number one threat. If you think about it, weve had that happen in this country. In el paso with the tree of life synagogue in pennsylvania, in kenosha, this is all with President Trump in office. What happens if he loses and says its all rigged and its all a conspiracy . Its not like these people will go away. If you combine the warnings were already getting about the threats of White Supremacists in this country, the scenes in our cities, and you take trumps rhetoric, its not hard to see a scenario that could play out if he doesnt do what every president has done since jeshge washington, the peaceful transfer of power to your succe successor. Elise jordan, this isnt what aye prepared for. I want to get on the record with this. It puts fox news in a position that theyve been tested and failed that test. When lives are on the line, when the security of the American People is on the line as it was with the coronavirus pandemic, as it was with the debate over hydroxychloroquine, as it was with the conversation politicized about wearing masks, as it is with the conversations about vaccines, if the scenario ben rhodes talks about lives will be on the line based on their coverage of Election Night. What do you predict theyll do . If you look at the recent moves by murdoch, they have tried a bit it seems to kick out low level hosts who spoke out about hydroxychloroquine. Rupert murdoch is a savvy player who isnt going to let his Business Model completely implode with the Trump Administration. If i had to guess this is just from reading brian st stetlors book, rupert is not going to throw away his Business Model for donald trump. If joe biden wins out right, its going to be a tough business calculus for the Murdoch Family to navigate. Why will they throw aware their business for Donald Trumps experiment to blow up american democra democracy . At the end of the day fox news is a business. I hope that will motivate how they cover, if it comes to this, if it comes to this horrible scenario of donald trump not accepting the norm of stepping down if he loses. Peter baker, i want to show you an interview with bart gettleman. His piece in the atlanta is one we started the 5 00 hour yesterday with. This parallel to all of the systems flashing red was a haunting echo of the reporting on intelligence and National Security agencies in the weeks leading up to 9 11. Here he is talking about that reporting this morning on morning joe. Are you saying that Donald Trumps campaign and his lawyers are talking to some in those legislatures and telling them to overthrow the will of the voters in those states . Well, i know theyve had that conversation with the head of the Republican Party in pennsylvania who told me so and i know that the Pennsylvania Senate majority leader and speaker of the house are aware of this talk. They talked about it themselves about the possibility. Trump is running a campaign premised on the idea that he cant win enough votes if all the votes are counted and that he has to change venues. He has to change to a different way of counting. Peter baker, if this is a known known, 41 days before the election, how do we brace ourselves for what pennsylvania might look like on Election Night . If we know that based on bart gettlemans reporting donald trump and his campaign and their lawyers are telling the Pennsylvania Legislature to overthrow the will of the voters in that state. Its a great question. We will not necessarily know the answer on Election Night. Were accustomed to having a winner declared by the time we go to bed, maybe the next morning. It may not be that way. It may last days and weeks. Nobody should assume theres anything wrong with that. The president might look like an Election Night tally if its on his side, say its done. Any further counting might be viewed by him as being corrupt. Now the idea that the legislature could super impose itself in the process, there is obviously a constitutional history there, but i think back to the florida example in 2000. My wife and i have a biography of james baker coming out next week. He was george w. Bushs man in florida. I think how those two campaigns handled it. It was very tough competition. In the end al gore and george bush had a fundamental respect for the process. Neither was willing to push the system over the edge. Both of them called on americans to come together and have faith in the outcome. Even though democrats were unhappy with the Supreme Court ruling in the end there was the idea that ruling had been made and the election was over and we could have some faith in the system. That doesnt seem where were headed right now. Were headed towards the scenario where the sitting president will cast doubt on the legitimacy of the outcome based on the facts. There will be a lot of democrats if joe biden loses that will have a question about the legitimacy as well. Were in for a rocky few weeks. One of the differences, ben rhodes, every count that was done and every count that ensued confirmed the outcome. It helped, but didnt go all the way to make people comfortable, but it helped. Ben rhodes, i want to ask you about bill barr. Bill barr said we were talking about how theres a number of foreign country that could make counterfeit ballots and send them in. Theres no evidence thats whats happening. What the Intelligence Community says is there are active measures that russia is taking to denigrate joe biden. What donald trump has done is refused to condemn Vladimir Putins poisoning of a dissident. Theres nothing like this scenario that bill barr is talking about anywhere. Nicolle, it builds on this history of allegations of voter fraud. Youll recall donald trump said he should have won the popular vote in 2016, but there was voter fraud. Theres no evidence of that. Every study looked at that and suggests theres not voter fraud. What bill barr is saying has no evidence. Whats going to be imperative here and peter referenced the role the media can play in conditioning people for the fact it might take time for votes to be counted. The american Voting System is decentralized. Elections are administered by the states. The idea that there could be a mass conspiracy to counterfeit ballots flies in the face of how americans vote. Secondly, its chilling to me i cant sit here and have any confidence that the attorney general of the United States will play a constructive role during the constitutional crisis that will play out. The transfer of power is a norm. Norms are not always selfexecuting. That means people who care about their country in both parties, in congress, people in the courts, people with voices in this country need to go the extra mile to reinforce the american democracy that we all believe in and that we could lose. If you break a norm like this once, its hard to put that genie back in the bottle. It will be hard for someone to govern if its joe biden and you have the Republican Party backing up trump and saying if result is illegitimate. Its the time for grownups to stand up, more so than they have, and say this is beyond a third rail. We cannot go there as a country. It will be hard to put things back together if we go through a two and a half month period under chaos after the election. Speaking of grownups, elise jordan, heres joe biden. Its fair to say joe biden is everyone reacting to that comment from trump. Lets watch. He would not submit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election. What country are we in . Look, he says the most irrational things. I dont know what to say about it. It doesnt surprise me. I mean, it is one of these new norms, right . What trump says isnt surprising, but its still shocking. Well, in joe bidens response captured it. What country are we in . I remember being in afghanistan in 2009 and visiting voters sites as they prepared for a free and fair election. We would have lost our minds if it was said they werent going to complete a peaceful transfer after the results. We spent so much money on boosting democracy around the world. Now we have the president of the United States saying this and it weakens the belief in democracy overall. Its tragic on so many levels. I never thought i would miss jeff sessions. He at least respected norms. You have bill barr who is savvy and crafty and smart enough and willing to go there to back up donald trump in his extreme experiments in executive power. It really does make for a fearful combination if donald trump is going to be surrounded by enables who help him not exit office peacefully. Three of the calmest voices of reason you will find anywhere. Peter baker, ben rhodes and elise jordan, thank you so much for navigating our way through this surreal headline. When we come back, they might be the most important interviews donald trump has ever sat for. The fact there are nearly two dozen of them suggests trump thought they were going well. Bob woodwards interviews contain confession after confession of Donald Trumps willful negligence to protect the American People against coronavirus as well as his scorn for anyone trying to understand the pain of anyone being black in america. Bob woodward joins us. Up ahead its increasingly clear that trumps involvement in the production of the vaccine mean fewer people will trust that vaccine. Plus we head back to louisville, kentucky where its being reported militias were on the ground. Dont go anywhere. Well be right back. From prom dresses. To soccer practices. And new adventures. You hope the more you give the less theyll miss. But even if your teen was vaccinated against meningitis in the past. They may be missing vaccination for meningitis b. Lets help protect them together. Because missing menb vaccination could mean missing out on a whole lot more. Ask your doctor if your teen is missing meningitis b vaccination. Ask your doctor if your teen keeping your oysters busihas you swamped. You need to hire. I need indeed indeed you do. The moment you sponsor a job on indeed you get a shortlist of quality candidates from a resume data base claim your seventyfivedollar credit when you post your first job at indeed. Com promo the big events are back. Xfinity is your home for the return of live sports. In Bob Woodwards new book rage theres a conversation with Donald Trumps National Director of intelligence dan coats and general jim mattis. Coats calls mattis as a cry from the heart. Quote, coats said the mounting personal tensions between him and trump and their differences on the nature of the security threats were debilitating. This is not good mattis said. Maybe well have to stand up and speak out. There may be a time we have to take clollective action. Possibly coats said, there may. Hes dangerous, unfit. Its an assessment mattis is not alone in having made. Former military officers, cabinet secretaries and other officials endorse joe biden for president. The current president has demonstrated hes not equal to the enormous responsibilities of his office. He cant rise to meet challenges large or small. Thanks to his failures our allies no longer trust or respect us and our enemies no longer fear us. Joining us is the Washington Post assistant managing editor, the author of rage bob woodward. Thank you so much for spending time with us. Its been a long book tour for you. Thank you. Yes. Bob, i have to start with the news that donald trump made last night that he wouldnt commit to accepting the results of the election. Is that not the moment that general mattis and dan coats talked about and do you hear from them any plans . Theyre speaking out. Im quoting them accurately. No one has disputed anything in the book, including President Trump. Last week trump said i said some great things in the book. If i may, nicolle, i think were getting off on the wrong track sometimes when we talk about, oh, trump is breaking norms. This is not normal and, you know, trump was elected in 2016 to not just break norms, but to smash them. Its as if youre going along the road driving and its 60 mile an hour speed limit and somebody goes 80. Thats not normal. Thats breaking norms. Look, lets face it, trump is going 150 miles an hour and what is happening here on all fronts dealing with the virus, dealing with the economy, dealing with race relations, its not that hes breaking norms. In my view, my conclusion and i asked President Trump about this once. I said whats the job of the president . He said the job of the president is to protect the people and protecting the people includes protecting our democracy, our democratic institutions, the core of voting. The second responsibility that the president has is to tell the truth and to do it as unambiguously as he can. He has not told the truth about things. Hes got some crazy idea which he told me about in march where he said, well, i played down the virus because i dont want to create a panic. Well, you know, one of the things we find in history ive written about nine president s, tried to study history some is that when president s come out and tell the truth to the country, americans rally around and solve the problem. So weve got a not just breaking norms. We have a president who has forsa forsa forsaken his duty to tell the truth and organized and planned. What is he going to do as president. Time and time again we know and ive got more endless examples of this, of him making decisions on impulse, tweeting, driving people crazy who work for him and then they leave or he fires them by tweet and he says the cruelest things. I mean, the idea that you somebody you brought from retirement like mattis and tillorson, dan coats and then treat them that way is not just shocking i think the president in all of the things hes doing here has forsaken a larger duty which is a moral duty to do whats best for the country. This is a moral failure and a leadership failure. This idea about the election hes predicting and almost wishing for a quadruple train wreck on november 3rd. I could not agree with you more that all of the hang ringing about the norms is misplaced. This statement yesterday is about obliterating the constitution. Rod rosenstein was reported to have whipped votes for the 25th amendment. No one has challenged what mattis and coats have said. Since your book came out, i heard they have felt that way for a very long time. I wonder if it escalates things when its not just the ob l obliteration of norms, but also obliterating the constitution. Its not just challenging the constitution. Its putting a dagger in the constitution. Right. For the president of the United States to do that is you know, i dont know whether theres language to describe this and whats happened is that trump has been like this from the beginning, before he was elected president just saying outrageous things, doing outrageous things. Hes made the country and the world numb. Oh, well, thats the way it is. Oh, 1,000 people died today because of the virus, well, it isnt 2,000 like it was before. So things are getting better. Things are getting worse and i dont know where the wakeup call comes to the country. This isnt about trump voters or biden voters. You know, this idea that some of our colleagues, nicolle, have scorned trump voters. They say, you know, you arent a decent person if you believe in trump, thats just not the case. I know trump voters who are business planners, who are business people, who are military people, who are Law Enforcement officers, who are workers. They are decent people. We may agree or disagree with them, but this idea that somehow were setting ourselves up in the media or in the democratic party, hey, theres only one way to look at it and its our way, that doesnt sell with people. They sit and say wait a minute Jared Kushner has i quote this in my book hes the soninlaw of President Trump, married to ivanka, a senior adviser, really your experts would agree with this who know the trump white house, Jared Kushners the white house chief of staff for all practical means. And the Campaign Manager, yes. Kushner lays out pardon. And the Campaign Manager. Yeah, and the Campaign Manager and somebody who sees trump every day and were now on the fourth white house chief of staff. Kushners theory here is astonishing. It should be understood. I quote him saying controversy elevates message. In other words if you have a controversy and its basically your issue and he cites the economy and trump will say its the best economy in the history of the world going back to the roman empire and then Fact Checkers will come along and say it was better in 1951 and the average person looks at kushners theory, and i think theres a lot of truth in this, theyll say wait a minute were fighting about how good the economic is. This was before the virus and the economic collapse we experienced. The average person says the economy is pretty good. Why are we fighting about that . As far as kushner in his very cynical way, we win that argument by having a controversy. The Supreme Court is another example of this. Yeah. And, of course, Jared Kushner shouldnt even have a senior position. Shouldnt have access to classified information. The cia denied that application. To your point about nothing shaking trump voters from trump, do you believe if they listen to all 18 or 19 of your interviews they might come to the conclusion you came to, that he is you conclude he is the wrong man for the job and i guess the second part of that is will you release all your tapes before the election . Well, i cant release them all. I mean its nine hours and why not . Ive released 38 excerpts of it. I want to deal with the main issues. I want to as trump has said make sure he has his say. You go through long interviews with trump as people have done it know, he will say somethings that dont exactly check out and are not proved. You think . Sometimes i have debates with him in the book. If you released it all, you would have to come back and say that doesnt check out and thats not true and so forth. It would be a long process. 38 excerpts on the main issues of the day gives you a window into who he is. Now how the trump voter is going to respond why not release all of them . Pardon . Why not release all of them for the Public Record . Well, i will eventually in history. As i said, nicolle, i start saying release some of this stuff theyll say trump said as we know lots of things are not true. Ive given an indepth sample. I may release more of them. Are there key issues . For instance on the Supreme Court i went back and my assistants evelyn duffy and steve riley looked at that and said we have things about judges and how happy trump was about what mcconnell was doing. Bob woodward, this certainly provides a lot of context. If you havent bought rage theres more in the book. Theres incredible reporting on people other than trump. Thank you for spending time with us. Thank you. After the break, we are entering the era of vaccine politics. Tragic just to read that out loud. Donald trump and the fda at odds over the guidelines for the approval of a potential covid vaccine. That story when we return. A fre medium hot or iced coffee with any purchase on september 29th. At every turn donald trump is working to politicize attempts by his own administration to bolster confidence on the part of the American Public in any eventual coronavirus vaccine. Confidence that has been shattered by Donald Trumps efforts to insert himself into the process. Last night trump suggested the white house would overrule the fda if it decided to replace stricter guidelines on the vaccine. Thats after its commissioner and other scientists spent a full day on the hill trying to reassure americans about the politicalization trumps caused. Were looking at that. That has to be approved by the white house. We may or may not approve it. It sounds like a political move. When you have these Great Companies coming up with vaccines, why would they have to be adding great length to the process . Add to that this afternoon governor can y Governor Cuomo announced that Health Officials in new york state will conduct their own review. He and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer are calling for a congressional oversight investigation that the Trump Administration has impeded the governments response to the pandemic. Joining our friend is dr. Peter hotez and basil smikle. Doctor, this must be frustrating for people on the side that want a vaccine thats good and tested. Donald trump seems to be obstructing every step of that process. Youre right, nicolle. Operation warp speed is a good program. Ive had a lot of personal involvement in it through our nih Vaccine Working Group called active which is supposed to provide advice for operation warp speed. Scientists have been working around the clock to make this the best possible program. Its a robust program. The way the Clinical Trials are being conducted is at the highest possible scientific level with the highest level of integrity. Its very frustrating when some people try to politicize it and insert themselves in ways that make it sound like it has been corrupted. Its not. Its a Strong Program as long as the scientists can hold the line and let us do our work so we can actually confirm whether or not any of these vaccines work and are safe. As long as we can do that, we can assure the American People they will have good vaccines. We have a tried and true system thats worked for decades. We shouldnt try to mess with it. Look at what has already happened because of Donald Trumps involvement. 60 of americans say they are not likely to get the covid19 vaccine as soon as its available. 69 of americans say they have none or not so much at all confidence in trump to confirm the effectiveness or safety of a vaccine. Youre looking at somewhere between 27 and 40 of americans even open to trusting the end product. I mean how do you get donald trump out of this process in a way that the whole scientific moonshot isnt just a bust . Thats absolutely right. Theres an enormous amount of damage control we have to do now. Right now the only flaw i see in operation warp speed is that they never put forward a communication plan led by the scientists. They let the Pharma Company coes put out the information. Thats undermining confidence. Whats got to happen ive been pushing hard for this is operation warp speed to assemble a team of scientists communicating on a regular basis, almost like what andrew cuomo did in march in april. Doesnt have to be every day, but maybe every week. That would help a lot. Letting this vacuum be filled by disinformation either by some of the players in the white house or the antivaccine lobby, things will not go well if this is how we proceed. Basil, if donald trump hadnt corrupted this process with politics, it would have been the only thing in the four years of his presidency. Talk about some of these bills coming due for him not politically, but policiwise. Theres an inability on the part of the white house to inspire confidence in anything the president says about the pandemic. 26 of people trust him on information about the pandemic. The numbers you laid out are important here. It seems like the American Public is watching the president make a decision between what is scientifically justifiable and what is politically expedient. Thats scary. The numbers you suggested, a significant portion of that are africanamericans who are very nervous, rightfully so, about being the first and on the frontlines of getting that vaccine, even as were disproportionately impacted by the virus. Look at whats happening across the country. K12 education, parents pulling their kids out of school. I teach higher ed. I have kids taking my class at 3 00 in the morning their time because of their concerns about them coming into the u. S. And being on a college campus. Life is not getting back to normal any time soon. Its worth us doing this right, especially when there are children involved who would be getting the vaccine. The fact that the president cant get out of the way of his politics and let the scientists lead is whats so disturbing. I tell you, i think the American Public is calling for that. They want that because we all want to see life get back to some measure of normalcy, even if we know it will take time. Its worth listening to the evidence and making sure we get it right. Basil, real quick, donald trump earlier this week called those who have died nobody. What do you make of the inability to grieve with a country thats lost 200,000 souls and is expected to loss 388,000 by the end of the year. Three people of those 200,000 are funerals of people i would have attended. Im so sorry. Its incredibly insensitive. I think we saw weve lost more people than in any of our wars combined. It its a his nose at. He deserves to be elected out of office. And i really do hope that those checks that were able to cash those checks on election day, because its incomprehensible. Dr. Peter hotez, basil smikle, were grateful to both of you for spending some time with us today. When we return, we will go live to louisville, kentucky, as that city and the country continue to reel after yesterdays grand jury decision not to charge any of the officers in connection with Breonna Taylors death. Officers in connection with Breonna Taylors death staying at home is more important than ever, especially if you have a chronic illness or just got out of the hospital. Kindred at home can come to you. With the help of our skilled, compassionate clinicians, you can learn to manage your illness or regain your strength in the privacy of home. We take every precaution to protect you so your home can be both a comfortable place and a safe place to get the care you need. Kindred at home. Go online or call the number on your screen. Its official National Coffee day is now National Dunkin day celebrate with a free medium hot or iced coffee with any purchase on september 29th. With any purchase young woman dont worry about it, grandma thisll be fun. young woman two chocolate milkshakes, please. grandmother make it three. young woman three . grandmother did you get his number . young woman no, grandma grandma grandmother excuse me young woman vo some relationships get better with time. Thats why i got a crosstrek. avo ninetyseven percent of Subaru Vehicles sold in the last ten years are still on the road. grandmother im so glad you got a subaru. young woman i wonder who gave me the idea . avo love. Its what makes subaru, subaru. Took to the streets all across these United States last night, frustrated and angry with the decision by a kentucky grand jury not to charge any officer in the shooting of breonna taylor. Demonstrations were, for the most part, peaceful, but in louisville, two officers were shot and wounded. Both are now in stable condition. Lets go back to louisville. Thats where we find nbc news correspondent cal perry again for us. Cal, you really went a long way in helping me understand what was happening on the ground. You sort of mentioned offhandedly that there were militias in the area. We know there were protests and around the country. Just take me through what actually happened. So and we want to be clear with our viewers that this is what people are talking about here on the ground. Weve been approached a number of times today, people asking where we are from, where our security is from, and people are worried about this militia. We saw a small group of militia put themselves on the streets yesterday. This bit of video from july is a militia called the 3 percenters. Ill give you the Antidefamation League of the definition of 3 percenters. A dead indicated america protecting government from democratic tyranny. They call themselves a militia. July was when we first saw them sort of come out in large numbers. Now i want to take you to a piece of video from last week. Youll see video of me talking to a leader in what i thought was one of the 3 percent militias because we saw her sonnet street in july. She told me no, in fact, that they had split off from the 3 percenters and were now forming their own group over a difference of opinion. When you go into the Southern Poverty Law Center and read about the 3 percenters, which fall around much broader patriot movement, youll read that these groups are splintering, theyre having differences of opinion, that theyre not sure when they should come out on the streets, when they should carry their weapons. But i want to leave you with this. This is from the Antidefamation League. Because many adherence to the Militia Movement strongly support President Trump, in recent years, they have not been as active in opposing the federal government. Instead, directing their ire at other perceived foes, including leftist, antifa, muslims, and immigrants. All of this is a long way of seeing sa saying, here in louisville, the police are worried. These dump trucks are here for a reason. They want to keep people out of the center of the city. They want to keep these groups out of the center of the city, because these groups by and large are not from louisville. Nicole . Well, and cal perry, obviously, they are not Law Enforcement officials. Were going to do this right. Im going to bring you back, were going to bring in some Law Enforcement voices, maybe a former Justice Department official and lets have an indepth conversation about what youre seeing. In the meantime, i appreciate your on the ground perspective there. Thank you, cal perry. Next hour of deadline white house starts after a very short break. Dont go anywhere. Rts after a vy short break. Dont go anywhere. Be ready for it. A Digital Foundation from vmware helps you redefine whats possible. Now. From the hospital shifting to remote patient care in just 48 hours. To the university moving hundreds of apps quickly to the cloud. Or the City Government Going Digital to keep Critical Services running. You are creating the future on the fly. And we are helping you do it. Vmware. Realize whats possible. Im a verizon engineer. And im part of the team building. A 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 eightlane highway compared to a twolane 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. I want the country to know that our entire administration will work closely with his team to ensure the smooth transition of power. Tonight [ chanting usa ] tonight more than any night, i hold in my heart nothing but love for this country and for all its citizens, whether they supported me or senator obama whether they supported me or senator obama, i wish godspeed to the man who was my former opponent and will be my president. I still believe in america and i always will. And if you do, then we must accept this result and then look to the future. Donald trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead. I say to president elect bush that what remains of partisan rancor must now be put aside and may god bless his stewardship of this country. Hi, again, everyone. Its 5 00 in the east. At the most disappointing hours of their political careers, president ial candidates have, without exception in modern history, delivered some of the most gracious speeches of their lives, if for no other reason because of a deepseated belief that a peaceful transfer of power and confidence in the american electoral process must be cherished as one of the central norms Holding Together our democracy. Yesterday in this hour, we read to you this chilling prediction from Barton Gellman in the atlantic. He wrote this. Quote, donald trump may win or lose, but he will never concede, not under any circumstance. And as if on cue, one hour later, this Stunning Exchange all but confirmed that fear. Will you commit to making sure that there is a peaceful transferal of power after the election . Well, were going to have to see what happens. You know that. Ive been complaining very strongly about the ballots and the ballots are a disaster. I understand that, but people are rioting. Do you commit to making sure that theres a peaceful transferal of power . Well, get rid of the ballots and well have a very therell be a peaceful there wont be a transfer, frankly, therell be a continuation. The outcry was swift and in our last hour, former deputy National Security adviser to obama, ben rhodes, warned of us of potentially violent implication ifs donald trump doesnt do what every president ial candidate before him has done, accept the Election Results and call on all americans, especially his supporters, to do the same. But not lost in trumps fivealarm authoritarian emergency of an admission that he may not go peacefully if he loses in november, is Donald Trumps implicit acknowledgement that at the moment, hes very likely to lose in november. Its a reality underscored by new polling in todays New York Times, which shows trump woefully underperforming in states that in 2016 were solidly his, iowa, georgia, and texas. The times writes this. Quote, mr. Trumps vulnerability, even in conservativeleaning states underscores just how precarious his political position is. Less than six weeks before election day. While he and mr. Biden are competing aggressively for traditional swing states like wisconsin, pennsylvania, and florida, the polls suggest that mr. Biden has assembled a coalition that could be formidable enough to jeopardize mr. Trump in historically republican parts of the south and midwest. That is where we start this hour with some of our favorite reporters and friends. Joining us is axios political reporter and msnbc contributor, alexi mccammond. Political director for Republican Voters against trump and the former Communications Director for jeb bushs 2016 run, tim miller is here. And the New York Timess Nick Confessore is here. Nick, since we started with the times reporting on that poll, i want to come at this with what this says about what trump understands about his own political position. And trump allies have said to me that he has this like prime proprime al sense for his own survival. Like in a nuclear blast, he would be that thing that lived. And that seems to be exacerbating this political drum beat day after day after day after day to fabricate phony ballots, theres no evidence there are any phony ballots out there, and to sew distrust over the result of an election that hasnt happened yet. Are we paying enough attention to this sort of bombshell that trump knows that hes going to lose . Look, mideast making these claims because hes politically weak, nicole. Its not because hes strong, its because hes losing. Its because hes down in a state he won by nine points, iowa. Its because hes close in georgia and texas. And so he must fill the vacuum. He has to explain why he is losing after spending 1 billion, right . And so what he turns to, what he has always turned to in his career is sowing doubts about his opponents. It could be barack obama and the birthers, it could be the voting fraud fraud. He has always taken this tact to cast out, to throw mud, to say that the whole process is corrupt, so that he doesnt have to be responsible for how it ends. Its a twofer for him. Its a flex he has always used in his career. Can i follow up with you then, Nick Confessore. What do we do . I mean, bob woodward made the point in the last hour that some of this hand wringing about the obliteration of norms is misplaced, because donald trump ran as the destroyer of all norms. But this isnt a norm. I mean, this is dictated in the constitution. This is a transfer of power. Is there something some imperative on those of us who cover it to differentiate between simply being a jerk, calling Ruth Bader Ginsburgs granddaughter a liar is the obliteration of decorum, but saying that you wont leave if you lose is unconstitutional. Right. This is far more than just him being rude. You know, this whole idea of him breaking norms, always has baked in a sense that the norms are somehow bad. But this norm is actually the law. And it is the most cherished thing about american democracy, the thing that has made us an example, really, around the world. We are one of the only countries with this long tradition of peaceful transfers of power, where the losers leave gracefully and know that they will have a chance in a few years to take power again with the will of the people. So this latest statement, this latest thing hes saying and sewing doubt about is, perhaps, the most grave threat he has ever made against what we call norms. Alexi, let me show you, lets stick with the theme of losers. Let me show you his reception at the United States Supreme Court today. Heres how he was greeted. [ chanting ] [ chanting vote him out ] alexi, its striking, because what has been created around donald trump over the last four years is a literally and figurative bubble in which aides like Kellyanne Conway go to the driveway skbrand just say out l that theyre living in an alternative reality, in which aides go out and follow his lead and lie on programs like this. Thats why they dont appear on this program. But when you take to the steps of the United States Supreme Court where an icon, where an american icon, not just a liberal icon, is being honored and respected and the streets erupt in vote him out, it certainly underscores what Nick Confessore just said, he is politically weak. Of course, d. C. Is a liberal place, but youre exactly right, he is politically weak. And i think whats really striking, theres this moment where President Trump is getting up on the steps of the Supreme Court and really publicly assuming this role of what a president is supposed to do in these moments, but to your point earlier, nicole, hes kind of obliterated decorum at every turn of the way over these last few months, especially. And now that were getting even closer to the general election, we see what hes grasping at. And i think that the chance that we heard from the folks outside of the Supreme Court vote him out really reflects the energy that especially the democratic electorate has in this moment in the wake of justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgs death. And a republican President Trump, Senate Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell are promising to jam through a replacement by election day, you see this energy, where democratic voters are really fed up, but thats important, nicole, because now democrats in congress who are looking at the situation with their hands basically tied are really kind of pushed to respond to the public in this moment, to show the public that theyre fed up with this. Thats reflected in that speech that senator Bernie Sanders gave today. It was this really urgent speech that was really going after trump, saying that he doesnt care about the constitution, the rule of law, that hes threatening democracy in a way that hes never seen in his lifetime. It was this really kind of dire speech, but that shows that democrats are energized by this and they want their leaders to respond in kind. You know, tim, your effort is predicated on this belief that the Winning Coalition for joe biden should or must or will include republicans. And ive had Elizabeth Neumann on this show multiple times and she always makes this subtle, but just searing case against donald trump from the standpoint of an evangelical christian. And i wonder if you can just be a little bit more explicit in explaining the strategy of bringing along to the biden cause Republican Voters or people that typically vote republican, but shouldnt this time, because its donald trump. Yeah, look, nicole, theres this sort of, i think, the eend on tv and on cable to act as if these norms are bad and people dont care about this. Let me step back for a second. Real people do care about this. Real Republican Voters who have watched those president s that you showed at the beginning of this segment, like george w. Bush, like john mccain act responsibly and actually care about our nations status as the leader of the free world and belief that we should be the leader of the free world. And thats a good thing. That has been engrained in republican values. They look at that man baby yesterday and they say, a lot of them say, i cant do this like, i cant pull the trigger for them. And a lot of those people also couldnt pull the trigger for hillary clinton. Maybe it wasnt fair, right . Maybe that was because of sexism or because of years of conservative media smears against her, but it was reality. And so i think hearing from people like Elizabeth Neumann and olivia troy who have been in the administration and whose ads we have up against President Trump, hearing from other people in their community and having them say, joe biden is a person who you might not agree with him on every issue, but he respects the constitution, he respects he is a capitalist, hes not a socialist. He respects the fundamental american values. He will be a leader of the free world. Those voters are gettable. And theyre in every swing state in the country. And thats who were thats who were talking to with this effort. And the president , when he does things like he did yesterday, you know, makes our job easier. It isnt over, by the way. He might be politically weak, but the campaign isnt over, and were going to fight for it, but he does make the job easier in reaching these kind of voters when he does things like that. Tim, let me follow up on that. Where do you see the race right now . Look, i think its i think its tight. Arizona, michigan, and wisconsin is a path to victory for joe biden. And i think hes winning in all of those states. But youre looking at pennsylvania, north carolina, and florida right now. Theyre very narrow. Im really concerned i dont want to make your viewers do anymore bedwetting than they need to, but im really concerned about registration and turnout energy among noncollege white voters, particularly in pennsylvania and florida. And so, you know, look, i think that if President Trump is to win this, its going to be a very narrow win. It might be with the help of things like not counting naked ballots in pennsylvania and ron desantis gimmickry in florida. I do think theres a path to big, wide victory for joe biden, but theres six important weeks left with these debates and with the Supreme Court pick. And so i think trying to push as many of the suburban white voters that were talking to mostly at our vat and i think the democrats winning back obama trump voters and turnout among youth voters and voters of color, that coalition can be a big victory for joe biden, but its certainly not in stone right now. Alexi, same question to you. Where do you see this race right now . Well, i think texas is really interesting. Ive been talking to Texas Democrats who increasingly feel good about their chances there and are really focusing on a turnout strategy right now, because thats kind of the thing theyre worried about. The turnout projections are looking a little uncertain, but theyre also really focused on south texas, kind of to tims point. They want to get after these rural voters, so theyre going up on the air there soon in support of joe biden and senator Kamala Harris to try to get these more rural voters. But the other big picture thing that is indicative of the state of the race is the way that joe biden has been shifting a message that more explicitly caters to these socalled forgotten americans that i think President Trump went after in 2016, making this argument that hes more similar to them than donald trump is, this working class guy, joe biden paints himself to be, and i think thats going after those obama trump voters, that a lot of those folks became kind of enchanted with President Trump until recently. Recently, the coronavirus is the only thing thats kind of made them take a second look at him. I think really quick with the Supreme Court, a lot of those voters are prochoice and proobamacare. I think this is underappreciated right now, these obama trump voters, a lot of them are not going talev a new Supreme Court pick that could overturn roe and could overturn the Affordable Care act. And i think thats a big opportunity for joe biden thats underappreciated right now, winning back a percentage of those voters on that issue. I want to stay on this point for one second. I could not agree with you more. I had this sinking feeling when i saw Mitch Mcconnell and donald trump sort of head into what is an engrained reflex for republicans, like, oh, Supreme Court, well activate our base. And i made a bunch of calls this weekend, tim, and i heard the exact same thing that you just tli articulated. The people that care about the gorsuch and kavanaugh picks, thats what makes up the base thats already with him. I dont understa everyone on that record is against roe. They do not view reproductive freedom as settled law, which is the mainstream position of more than 65 of americans. And i think obamacare is almost as popular as that. I think its in the mid60s of americans. So to your point, tim, how could donald trump blow it by pick another Supreme Court nominee . I think its a big risk. Look, 22 of trump voters were prochoice. Another 13 had mixed views on abortion. Thats a third of his vote. I think people are really underestimating that. And if you lose 10 , if you lose just 10 of the obama voters that he won back, and add on top of that some of the voters weve been talking about, Republican Voters against trump, thats a blowout. I think thats a big risk for President Trump, that people arent appreciating. Nick, let me end this with you on all of your papers, great reporting and early reporting on how the white house views the Supreme Court fight and how the entire Republican Party, with the exception of, i think, collins and murkowski are going to walk the plank with him. It seems to me if trump loses and mcconnell loses his majority, we could very well look back at the Supreme Court opening being that kind of nail in the coffin, politically. Its possible. You know, its possible. Anything is possible, nicole. I think in some ways, you know, its a victory that trump has already pocketed. If they do have the votes, if they force through a vote, i think its hard to imagine that that kind of revs up or brings back voters that he was going to lose, because hes already kind of pocketed the win on that one, so to speak. But it certainly is, im hearing from a lot of people on the left, it is really firing people up. They have a sense of doom that wasnt there before. I think thats actually important for democrats. Tim miller, before we lose you, do you have another myles taylor or Elizabeth Neumann or olivia troy in your pocket every week before the election . I hope so. If youre watching, former Trump Administration officials who want to clear your conscience, we are available at Republican Voters against trump. And look, i just want to just give a shoutout to olivia troy. Her video so moved me. And having been on the Coronavirus Task force, her testimony was so important. And it was so hard. This is not an easy thing to do. This is not a person who wants to go be a celebrity or sell a book like john bolton. Like, this was a tough, tough, brave and courageous thing for her to do. And that i think her testimony is going to make a difference in the fall. And i hope that there will be others. Six weeks left. Six more people, that would be great. Im just thinking, as youre talking, of olivia troy saying of donald trump that he viewed his own supporters as disgusting and viewed one of the Silver Linings of the pandemic that he wouldnt have to shake their hands anymore. That was from olivia troys video. And i agree with you, it was quite moving. Tim miller, thank you for spending some time with us. When we come back, what do our allies around the world think when they hear donald trump refuse to commit to a peaceful transfer of power should he lose the november election . Well get the view from overseas next. Plus, schools across this country grappling with parents sending sick kids to class. In some cases, after theyve tested positive for coronavirus. Cases of the disease are rising among children, despite the repeated false claim by donald trump that kids cant get sick or die. And after telling the story of her family in a bestselling book, mary trump, niece of the president , is telling it again. This time in a lawsuit against donald trump and his siblings. Deadline white house continues after a very short break. Dont go anywhere. Ter a very sht break. Dont go anywhere. There he is. Oh, wow. Youre doing, uh, youre doing really great with the twirling. Dad, if you want to talk, i have a break at 3 00. Okay, okay. Im going. Im gone. Like like i wasnt here. [ horn honks ] keep keep doing it, buddy. Switch to progressive and you can save hundreds. You know, like the sign says. To soccer practices. And new adventures. You hope the more you give the less theyll miss. 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We have asked the question over and over on this show if what were seeing happening in the United States right now were happening in any other country, how would we react if any of our allies refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power, like donald trump did yesterday, what would we say . What would we do . So the obvious followup question is this. What are our allies saying about us right now . Well, americas favorability was already in free fall when the pandemic started and its only gotten worse. A pew poll released last week shows colossal drops in support among some of our closest allies since just last year. The percentage of people who have a favorable view of the United States dropped by 27 points in japan, it dropped by 18 points in south korea with similar drops noted in australia, france, the uk, canada, and germany. Of course, its one thing to look at the data. Its another thing entirely to watch someone articulate this moment in time so succinctly. Heres former white house National Security adviser fiona hil hill. What is really eroding our standing is what people are seeing happen here in the United States. And i have to say very bluntly to everyone watching and listening to this, we are an increasing object of pity, including by our allies, because they are so shocked by whats happening internally, how were eating ourselves alive with our divisions. Were the ones who are creating all of this. Its not the russians or the china or anyone else. We are doing this to ourselves. An object of pity. We are joined now by nbc News Senior International correspondent, keir simmons, Nick Confessore is still here. Keir, is that how they see us from your front yard . Reporter yeah, i really am in my front yard. Yeah, you know, america is always being watched around the world. I guess its one of the unfortunate aspects of being so much in the spotlight as america, that you end up kind of airing your dirty laundry in public. And its not the first time the world has seen america struggle with democracy. People around the world know the name richard nixon. They know what a hanging chad is, but it is pretty stunning to see the american president questioning american democracy. And you know, one of the aspects of all of this, i always find fascinating, nicole, is how americans dont really realize, unless youve lived overseas, how much of america is on display. I mean, just look at the front page of the economist from a week or so ago, americas ugly election. American politics is front page news around the world, to do with the power of american media, the power of american television. And it does have an influence, it does have an impact on how people view the u. S. You know, keir, this is sort of uncomfortable for me, but i want to throw it out there. I worked for a president whose policies, some of them around the counterterror agenda were wildly unpopular, but i sat in private meetings with him and foreign leaders and they would say to him, look, were going to have to knock you for sending detainees to guantanamo, for some of your policies, but lets talk about the other ten things we have in common. Is there a perception that even that is broken by donald trump championing Vladimir Putins addition to the g7, by donald trump never really forging any bonds with any of our nato allies or any of our western leaders, but constantly wrapping both arms and both legislation around dictator. Look, theres no question its just in the numbers that the shenanigans of President Trump, after he was elected saw a drop in american standing, that the coronavirus, the way President Trump has handled that, the Trump Administration, that has knocked americas standing. And again, now the kinds of things hes saying in the runup to this election, it may well be having the same impact. But i think its important to remember, though, there is this mixed picture. And i think to do with that fact that people pay such close attention. If you look at russia, for example, russians over 50 do not trust america very much at all. Young people in russia, in their 20s, have a much stronger, more positive view of america and its very likely because they are looking to america as a beacon of democracy. If you just look at the black lives matter movement, you saw people saw the pictures, they saw the terrible things that were happening, they saw the protest and you saw those protests replicated around the world and people taking that message and using it for themselves. So it is a mixed picture, but one of the questions, of course, is how governments are reacting. And we heard angela merkle, leader of germany, talking about that europe is going to have to stand on its own two feet and push on without the u. S. That, i think, is a potentially more lasting political impact of seeing a u. S. President really turn against our allies, americas allies in the way that President Trump has. You know, nick, its a difficult thing to poll among american voters, but it is a thing. And again, i speak, unfortunately, from experience. Americans want to be liked. They want to be liked around the world. They dont necessarily need to dictate an american way of life, although they would like to, but they do not like it does not sit well with americans to be forbidden from taking their passport and traveling to Foreign Countries because we dont have the pandemic under control and to be loathed the world over. To be the kind of country where other people might send poll workers to us. Americans see themselves, for better or for worse, as a good country. And it does not sit well when they think that the world loathes us. Well, look, nicole, i think americans are not as attuned to whats happening around the world as they often should be or ought to be. Thats true. Were sort of an insular country in that way. And we have not always been loved. But for all of our sins, america has always been a beacon of opportunity and prosperity and democracy around the world. To see us stumble on the coronavirus epidemic, to fail in areas of science where we have often led, i think, is very corrosive to our standing around the world. Im not sure a core trump voter is super worried about it, but it does impact us over the longterm. Just one more thing. Its striking to me how similar the president s discussion of american democracy is to the russian disinformation campaigns i covered in 2016. In both cases, the goal is to sow doubt about the system, the underlying system, and say that it is flawed. That is a conversation that the two of you and me should have in the coming days. Keir simmons, Nick Confessore, thank you both so much for spending some time with us. When we return, with cases of coronavirus on the rise among children, Health Officials are now investigating a onceunthinkable scenario. Parents sending their covidpositive kids to schools. Oh, no. Deadline white house pack aft after a quick break. Aft after a quick break. About medicare and 65, ysupplemental insurance. Medicare is great, but it doesnt cover everything only about 80 of your part b medicare costs, which means you may have to pay for the rest. Thats where Medicare Supplement insurance comes in to help pay for some of what medicare doesnt. Learn how an aarp Medicare Supplement insurance plan, insured by United Healthcare Insurance Company might be the right choice for you. A free decision guide is a great place to start. Call today to request yours. So what makes an aarp Medicare Supplement plan unique . Well, these are the only Medicare Supplement plans endorsed by aarp and thats because they meet aarps high standards of quality and service. Youre also getting the great features that any Medicare Supplement plan provides. For example, with any Medicare Supplement plan you may choose any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. You can even visit a specialist. With this type of plan, there are no networks or referrals needed. Also, a Medicare Supplement plan goes with you when you travel anywhere in the u. S. A free decision guide will provide a breakdown of aarp Medicare Supplement plans, and help you determine the plan that works best for your needs and budget. Call today to request yours. Lets recap. There are 3 key things you should keep in mind. One if youre turning 65, you may be eligible for medicare but it only covers about 80 of your Medicare Part b costs. A Medicare Supplement plan may help pay for some of the rest. Two this type of plan allows you to keep your doctor as long as he or she accepts medicare patients. And three these are the only Medicare Supplement plans endorsed by aarp. Learn more about why you should choose an aarp Medicare Supplement plan. Call today for a free guide. Board member said, quote, when you have parents lying to contact tracers, refusing to get kids tested, thats just beyond the pale. That becomes very problematic for the Health Department to manage this whole situation. The hammer may have to be dropped. And it comes as the president continues to downplay the effects of the coronavirus on children and young adults, which he did again last night, contradicting this new guidance from the cdc, quote, during june through august, covid19 incidents was highest in persons ages 20 to 29 years, who accounted for more than 20 of all confirmed cases. And the cdc guidance goes on to say, increased prevalence of sars covid2 likely contributes to Community Transmission of covid19, including to persons of higher risk for severe illness, such as older adults. Joining our conversation, dr. Erwin redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness and a member of joe bidens Public Health committee. Our friend, alexi isredlener, i some of these parents are grappling with what i grappled with today, new math. But the truth is, theyre in this position because we did not do what we had to do as a country. We did not stay locked down long enough so that Community Transmission was low enough for schools to reopen safely. But is it should people in school transmitting the disease among i mean, what do we do now . Yeah. Well, nicole, this whole thing is a complete mess in terms of the messaging, the confusing messages that parents have been getting from every level of government, particularly at the white house. We also opened schools probably too early in some cases, but at the end of the day, the fact of the matter is that parents need to take responsibility for keep their kids out of school if theyre sick, and certainly if theyve been in contact with somebody who has tested positive. And all of this is going to do, ultimately, unfortunately, will be to infect more and more children in school. Now, children dont get as sick from covid, as you know, as adults do, but they certainly are definitely carriers. And that becomes a real danger for reigniting community spread, if we have increasing numbers of children who are carrying it. Already in new york city, for example, weve had many, many children test positive. And this is becoming a real challenge around the country. But parents should be truthful with investigators. This is the least we could expect of individuals, even though they need their kids in school, because theyre trying to go back to work. And the messages have been confusing. The bottom line is, i wish parents would be very responsible and the vast majority are in make sugar that their kids dont go to school if theyre sick or if they might have covid, nicole. I want to follow up. I mean, the conversation among parents is that even if their kids are back and most kids arent, theyre not back for long. If its a foregone conclusion that schools are going to close and if most businesses are still shuttered until at least the end of this year, may be early 2021, why are schools open . Yeah, well, if you step back, youll see a lot of confusion here. So we have bars and restaurants reopening in some places. We have, you know, massive outbreaks across college campuses, et cetera. And now children are back in school. Were talking about 55 or 56 million children in k12 across the country. Now, part of the problem and the challenge, and i dont envy the, you know, political leaders for this, but kids have to get back somehow, one way or another, into the educational stream. Children who were disadvantaged and behind the eight ball before covid are now in a much worse situation. So the desire to get kids back in school is great and its logical, its persuasive. But we cant do so if were still endangering the publics health. So were dealing with this kind of pitched battle between the educational need and the Public Health need, that were going to have to sort out. But right now, its almost inevitable to me that a lot of schools that have reopened are going to be closing again in short order, nicole. And alexi, just this week, donald trump told his nowstandard lies about who gets sick and dies from coronavirus. He said at a rally, nobody has died, nobody young. Thats not the case. Why do you think theyre so committed to this lie, alexi . Well, we heard from the president himself that hes been downplaying this thing not to inspire panic. But i think about this a lot, nicole, and the last time you and i talked, we talked about this, the thing that President Trump created because he downplayed this, in an effort not to inspire panic, hes created a situation in which people dont know what to believe, parents are acting irresponsibly and sending their Sick Children to school, not getting them tested, feeling the pressure of having to reengage in the economy and go back to work, because theyre not being provided to have better workfromhome balance at a time when everyone is forced to work from home and their kids are usually forced to learn from home or in some sort of hybrid situation. But the other scary thing, nicole, we have a new survey out that shows that the share of americans who are even interested in taking the first generation vaccine, wherever it comes out, is significantly dropping over time. And thats in large part again because of the way that the president gets out there and talks about this virus, injects politics into the situation, and really just lies and misleads people about the facts of the situation, to make it seem as if he and his administration have been doing a better job on this issue. And that, you know, certain folks shouldnt worry about it. We know the science and facts say otherwise and we know that young people should definitely be worried about this thing. Alexi mccammond, dr. Irwin redlener, thank you so much for spending some time with us. When we return, mary trump has now filed suit against the president and her siblings, saying they cheated her out of millions. Well be back with that story after a quick break. Y ter a quick break. Still your best friend. And now your copilot. Still a father. But now a friend. Still an electric car. Just more electrifying. Still a night out. But everything fits in. Still hard work. Just a little easier. Still a legend. Just more legendary. Chevrolet. Making lifes journey, just better. Mary trump, Donald Trumps niece, is now suing him and his siblings for a whole lot of money. She says donald trump, mary ann trump barry, and their late brother, robert, concocted a scheme to defraud her out of millions in inheritance after the death of her father, fred trump jr. The white house earlier today dismissed those allegations. Joining our conversation, chief National Correspondent for the New York Times and msnbc contributor, mark leibovich, also with us, senior spokesperson and adviser to the dnc war room and former Communications Director for senator Kamala Harriss campaign, lily adams is here. Let me start with you and this family dysfunction that the country is having to live through. Whats striking to me isnt that their family members with bad things to say, is that there arent any with good things to say, other than the ones with basically paid positions on the reelect, or at the white house. Well, i think youre right. Theres nobody on this earth in this country that donald trump wont rip off. Certainly millions of American Families know that. Theyve experienced four years of that. But i think youre also seeing, you know, theres a pretty Broad Coalition that includes family members of the president , that includes National Security experts that came out today, who are supporting joe biden and dont believe that donald trump has the temperament to be president. Mark, speaking of coalitions, i want to turn to one that cindy mccain, the widow of john mccain joined. Shes calling it the coalition of the decent. And she tweeted, quote, my husband, john, lived by a code. Countryfirst. Were republicans, yes, but americans for most. Theres only one candidate in this race who stands up for our values as a nation. And that is joe biden. She doesnt say it, but you have to assume that its her belief that if john mccain were alive, he would have made a similar choice. What do you think the impact of this, in a state thats much closer than the Trump Campaign would like it to be. John mccains home state of arizona. Well, as far as arizona as far as cindy mccain as a political vote getter goes, in arizona, thats the one place where it really could move the needle. Obviously, john mccain still very popular in arizona. Especially among independents and maybe moderate republicans. So thats a powerful endorsement in the state that joe biden has been running somewhat ahead in, and its a key swing state. So thats important. But i also think its part of a larger permission structure that the Biden Campaign has been pushing quite a bit, which is for moderate republicans, mainstream republicans, many military, you know, people to actually cross over to the democrats when they might normally be inclined to vote republican. Which i think is going to be, if joe biden is able to win and win by the margin he thinks he can, that will be a very important part of that coalition and its one theyve been working very hard to codify. You know, lily, coalitions is one of these words you use on campaigns and it usually means sort of assembling enough of kinds of voters to win electorally. And one of the arguments that joe biden made very effectively at his convention was that he was a good person. Now, again, someone normal, im not sure that would have worked, but heres a picture of the flag not at halfstaff at the president s resort, maralago. Flags are at halfstaff all over america, because of the passing of Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg. But this is very in line with donald trump, who doesnt really care that the country lost a giant. Not the liberal cause, not the feminist movement, not, you know, women, but the country has lost something in the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and donald trump going off after her granddaughter, accusing her of lying about her grandmothers dying wish, he seems to erode any ground hes trying to make, based on his constant tweeting at suburban women. What do you make of the fact that this is a guy who cannot act decent, even for the purpose of the closing 40 days of the president ial campaign . Well, i think its why, nicole, youre seeing such a broadbased coalition of voters who are rejecting the kind of politics that weve seen from him for four years. You mentioned two you know, two core constituencies. Folks who are either veterans in the middle or formerly served or military families, where theyve seen that the president is insulting folks who have been captured in war or who have lost their lives, fighting for our country. Youre talking about suburban women, who have seen for four years donald trump demean and insult women, but also lie to their faces about the pandemic that they and their families are facing right now. Theres no bottom. And i think what voters want right now is a sense of decency and leadership extraordinary. And for someone whos going to keep them safe and who cares about their safety. And thats joe biden. You know, mark, ive had my sort of prejudices about the political impact of a Supreme Court pick altered in the last five days by operatives on both sides who have said, this is not a clear political win for donald trump or Mitch Mcconnell. That because of the kinds of voters that donald trump is clearly targeting, again, by virtue of the fact that hes tweeting at the suburbs and suburban women all the time, hes obviously trying to shore up that part of what was a Winning Coalition electorally in 2016, but 67 of all americans including i think upwards of 70 of independent voters and independent women support reproductive freedoms. And i think the poll numbers for obamacare are in the 60s as well. So by the list theyve released, suggests that whoever they pick will be against reproductive freedoms and against obamacare. That doesnt seem like a clear political advantage for trump or mcconnell. Yeah. I never bought this was a loser for the democrats or a real energizer for republicans. I think beyond aca and reproductive rights, democrats have sort of leaned into making this a fairness issue. Theyve leaned the fact that this is part of the fairness and decency and doing the decent political thing here which is not filling a seat when eight years ago you did just the opposite with a democratic president. This is not like a precedent that goes back to the 1800s. This is four years ago. People paying attention then are acutely aware of what happened. The hypocrisy is laid out there. And it is not something that republicans have been in a flurry to defend. You see them after the caucus and it happens even more so. So look, it is a fairness issue first. But i dont think it is a win for republicans, necessarily. So interesting. And it is almost an update to James Carvilles its the economy, stupid. With the smartest people out there to talk about all these toep topics. As we do every day, we will remember lives well lived. Day, remember lives well lived. Tech well come right to you. Upbeat music tech youll get a text when were on our way. 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Tell your doctor about your medicines and if youre pregnant or planning to be. Otezla. Show more of you. Now you can trade stocks and etfs for any amount you choose instead of buying by the share. All with no commissions. Stocks by the slice from fidelity. Get your slice today. Stocks by the slice from fidelity. Did you know that some aluminum free deodorants only mask odor . Secret aluminum free helps eliminate odor instead of just masking it. And is made with three times more odor fighters. With secret, odor is one less thing to worry about. Secret. It was her brother who got the call of rental eight was coughing up blood. At that very moment she was on her way to the hospital. It was frightening for anyone but rene was pregnant in the middle of a pandemic. Urgency was one word for it. Panic was the other. Doctors decided to perform an emergency csection. Heres the happy part of the story. The delivery of her baby was a success. Isaac boyd iii was a little miracle. He still is. Were thankful for that. Everybody is. But news4 jacksonville reports on that same day, rene tested positive for coronavirus and by the time her brother was able to talk to her, she was gasping for air. He told her, hey, youre a mommy. And she said, i know. And that was the last conversation they ever had. That day was the last time rene was ever awake. She died sometime later that day at the age of 32. Well focus here on her life. Rene was loving. She was kind. She could get the best out of anybody. And she was an extraordinary writer and photographer. As for her little boy isaac, hes in good hands. Her brother told news4 jacksonville, quote, rene was funny, she was brilliant. Isaac has a mother that he can be very proud of. I want him to know her through us. We will be right back. Its official National Coffee day is now National Dunkin day celebrate with a free medium hot or iced coffee with any purchase on september 29th. With any purchase knowing who we are is hard. Its hard. Eliminate who you are not first, and youre going to find yourself where you need to be. To soccer practices. And new adventures. You hope the more you give the less theyll miss. But even if your teen was vaccinated against meningitis in the past. They may be missing vaccination for meningitis b. Lets help protect them together. Because missing menb vaccination could mean missing out on a whole lot more. Ask your doctor if your teen is missing meningitis b vaccination. Introducing the future of fitness. Its every class you can imagine, live. Welcome back to the mirror. Youve got this john. And on demand. Its boxing. Cardio. Yoga. And more. Its an interactive, goal crushing. Whole family. Whole body fitness machine. Its so cool the future of fitness is at home. The mirror. Thank you so much for letting us into your homes during these extraordinary times. The beat starts now with ari melber. Hi, so how do you feel . I feel like this is that time testing where, all right, its here now. Were 40 days out. But were in the threat of whether this is really a functioning democracy. You know, i asked bob woodward that same question when he said all this talk of the obliteration of norms is misguided. Thats what trump ran on. Yeah. Im not wringing my hands on that. This is about trying to