Transcripts For MSNBCW Morning Joe 20201014

Lemire. Professor at Princeton University and author of the book begin again, eddie glaude junior. And republican strategist susan delaware percio is with us. And were going to get to that answer or rather nonanswer from Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett on the question of a president s ability to delay the election and the transfer of power. It was kind of a concerning moment for democrats yesterday and a lot of conservatives. Well talk to Michael Steele and susan del percio about that and read actually what the constitution says. Texts were pretty sure that ag barr and judge barrett are both quite aware of, in fact im going to double down and say i know theyre aware of it. But first, willie, a defiant president holds another packed Campaign Rally despite concerns that we could be in the midst of a second wave of covid. We are in the midst of a global pandemic. Yeah, another night, another big crowded maskless rally as if this whole pandemic is not taking place. Covid19 cases continue to rise nationwide with infections spreading rapidly in the midwest. States like indiana, minnesota, north dakota setting new averages new average highs for cases each of the past eight days. Saturday, more than 20 states have reported new highs and their seven day average the case counts. And more than half of those states set records yesterday. Covid19 hospitalizations hit their highest level in nearly six weeks. Meanwhile, trish scalia, the wife of Eugene Scalia tested positive. The statement was she has mild symptoms but is doing well. Secretary scalia tested negative on friday night. He has experiences nod no sympt he will work from home. Why is this significant . Secretary skille and his wife attended that rose garden ceremony last month where President Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett to fill the vacancy. We have confirmed 27 members of the Campaign Officials and contacts of donald trump have recently tested positive for coronavirus. Of these, at least 14 were in attendance at the september 26th rose garden event for judge barrett, mika. Just to frame all that, the white house is in the middle of its own outbreak. And with all that as a backdrop, the president continues to hold packed Campaign Rallies with people squished together when they dont need to be. Last nights rally was in southwest pennsylvania. And once again there was no social distancing and few people were Wearing Masks. And all of these people are being put in danger by the Trump Campaign. Even as the virus surges, the president claimed begin that the u. S. Is, quote, rounding the turn. We have the vaccines are coming soon, the therapeutics, and frankly, the cure. All i know is i took something, whatever the hell it was i felt good very quickly. I dont know what it was. Antibodies antibodies i dont know. I took it, i said i felt like superman and i said, let me at em to everyone fighting to recover from the virus, i feel your pain because i felt your pain. And we will beat this virus together and for those who has had it . Who has it here . Whos had it . A lot of people. A lot of people. Well youre the people i want to say hello to because you are right now immune. Youre right now immune. Or they say that. They hate to admit it bas i hec had it. In the old days they say youre exmun for li immune for life. Now its four months. Thats not true. Scientists are looking at cases recurring on people who have already had it. But number two, more importantly, Jonathan Lemire, you see a message emerging out of the president s wife and even from this white house, herd immunity that thats maybe the way they want to go with this, which would potentially mean many more deaths. Mika, the defying moments from last night show again how this president its a striking disconnect from reality in terms of the coronavirus in two different ways. First of all, his on condition. Theres very little that he did to address his own situation last night, except for the bit you just played where he talked about receiving an antibodies treatment that at least for now is not available to most of the public. He of course received that because hes receiving the very best care at walter reed medical center. He talked about being immune which we know scientists are convinced thats not the case for him or anyone else who has had the coronavirus. He suggested that he was well enough, though, that he would plunge into the audience and kiss everyone there as proof that he wasnt contagious anymore. And i would strongly i think medical experts would back me up on this, not advise him to do that. Secondly, he, again, is framing it as the nation itself having turned the corner when thats simply not the case. We are seeing cases across the nation surge. We are seeing states have their highest daily totals in months, but none of that factors into their framing, which is remarkably unchanged since the president s own diagnosis ten or so days ago. This rally could have taken place a month ago or two months ago in terms of how the president is addressing the virus. Still not being honest about where the nation is in terms of handling it. In fact, in many places its getting worse. There were thousands of people there last night, mika, packed in closely together, not many in masks. Some, as you can see in the video clip behind him because those are handed out for the purposes of the tv footage. But very little elsewhere. But the president s campaign has made a decision to plunge forward, blinders on, and act again like the nation incorrectly is turning the corner on the virus because they dont vape choihave a choice. The president is running out of time. It should be noted as a final point, his first two days of resuming his time on the campaign trail he visited the two most important states on the map, florida and pennsylvania. Two states he probably cant win without as his shrinks. Today he has to go to iowa, a state he won in 2016 but hes forced to play defense there because the pressure joe biden is putting all across the maam. The president is in a real bind. Lets flush out the week even further, talk about states where hes playing defense. Iowa today, North Carolina tomorrow. These are the president s trip this week. And then on friday hell be in both florida and georgia before spending the weekend on saturday in michigan and wisconsin. So how is the Trump Campaign looking at the map right now . I think they dont want to be in a position where youre having go to georgia 2 1 2 weeks ahead of the election and fight for what is has now become a toss up. Theyre in an extraordinarily difficult spot. They dont have anywhere near the Financial Resources right now that the Biden Campaign does. The Biden Campaign is just swamping them on the airwaves in terms of advertisements and outside groups as well. The Trump Campaign has pulled down ads in a number of states. Theyre saying, like in ohio, because theyre confident they dont need them. Polls suggest otherwise and point to, perhaps, a lack of finances on their part. And they have this incredibly difficult balancing act. Theyre path to 270 seems to be shrinking by the day. There are some states they cant win without, florida, hes going to be there before election day. But as deficits go between michigan and wisconsin, theyre betting big on pennsylvania. But at the same time, this points to a campaign in trouble. Its one thing to put in a final push in these battleground states, thats where you want to be, thats what campaigns do in the final three weeks. But to also play defense in states where he won with ease in 2016, you said it, willie, georgia later this week. When was the last time a republican president or frankly any republican candidate had to go to georgia in the last couple weeks of an election . Iowa tonight. Theres talk of an ohio trip that hell have to do next couple of days. Theyre even worried about where the polls stand in texas. And that, again, even if he ends up hanging on to these states, the fact that hes got to spend time and money there in the final weeks, that shows a campaign in trouble and its every day he spends in, say, georgia, say day he cant spend in pennsylvania. And heres a poll that shows the point im making. In the state of North Carolina, why is the president going there tomorrow . Heres why. Hes in a dead heat. Thats within the margin of error. Thats a new monmouth poll, joe biden up four points, thats a tie if you consider the margin of error. Michael steele, lets talk about who joe biden is talking to right now in the state of florida and more broadly and how President Trump is addressing that same group. Im talking about seniors. Joe biden directly appealing to senior voters at an event in florida yesterday as the president s support among the 65 plus age group has continued to decline despite the president s recent efforts to win them over. While youre losing precious time with your loved ones, hes been stuck in a sand trap in one of his golf courses. And when he does decide to lift a finger, it isnt to help you. Youve worked hard your whole life contributing to society, building a family, building a country, serving america. You deserve security. You deserve respect and peace of mind. But youre not getting it. And, by the way, if this wasnt so bizarre, youd think if i tried to make a movie talking about Something Like this in america, youd think i was making it up. Because donald trump, its simple, not a joke, youre expendable, youre forgettable, youre virtually nobody. Thats how he sees seniors, this careless, reckless Covid Response has caused one of the worst tragedies in american history. The only senior that donald trump cares about, the only senior is the senior donald trump. So, compare that appeal, michael, to senior voters by biden to this tweet by President Trump yesterday. A photo shopped picture of joe biden inserted into a scene presumeedly from an assisted living facility for Senior Citizens with an edited Biden Campaign logo adjusted to read, biden for resident. A jab at bidens age comes as at least three different recent polls found the president at a wide disadvantage among voters age 65 and older. Its an age group that trump won by nine points in 2016. And Michael Steele, to build on willies point, President Trump is devying his own reality as if there is something wrong with being a Senior Citizen. And by the way, Senior Citizens vote avidly. They are interested in this election, they are also interested in their health. It is a core constituency and has been for over a generation now. Thats how we have put together the kinds of wins that have allowed us to take the house in 2010, for example. A lot of that was on the back of and help from seniors around the country. But particularly in places like florida. So you have, mika and willie, a contrast not just in style, but in the substance of the conversation. One in which you had joe biden actually connecting with seniors in a way that, you know, says to them, hey, i get where you are at this stage in your life, but i also understand how important you are to what we need to get done in order to turn the country around. Verse whats y versus what you saw from the president , not just that mocking tweet, but his own rhetoric on the stage when he talks about himself. They say im a senior but i dont feel like it, i dont act like it. So thats a putdown. Its not a recognition of what these men and women represent, not just to the base of the Republican Party, but to the country as a whole. And the role that they play in setting the direction and have played in setting the direction. So, you know, the president feels the one thing i think joe biden said indirectly which ill say directly is the president takes these voters for granted. Hes making assumptions about 2016 in 2020. And the fact of the matter is, this is a completely different race. Its not just what the numbers are showing, its just the dynamics from coindividual to civ covid to civil unrest and then his tenure to all that represented by his tweet photo shopped in a wheelchair is the ultimate insult to the men and women who have actually could help him get over the finish line. You know, after 2016 when the president eeked out his win in the Electoral College and became president there are was some thought that donald trump had some understanding of the electorate, that he was in some ways a political mastermind, he figured out how to become president of the United States by saying the right things to the right group of people. And you watch Something Like that yesterday and add it to a long list of puzzling recent moments hes had in terms of getting himself reelect and you wonder what hes thinking when he posts a picture mocking a Senior Citizens and mocking them broadly when he knows theyre a group who helped propel him to the white house in 2016 and with whom hes getting crushed with right now. Weve seen over and over again off these last 3 1 2 plus years that Donald Trumps political instincts are really bad. That he really doesnt know how to do politics. In some ways, what he did he was rolled a seven if we played dice, right . He rolled an 11 when it came to 2016. One of the things that we do know is that early voting suggests that there is a lot of excitement and enthusiasm among the democratic base. Willie, we know that not only in terms of the older vote, 65 and older, were seeing long lines in georgia. Were seeing extraordinarily long lines in texas. That has a lot do with the ineptitude of those of the secretary of states in those areas, but its also and i occasion of just how important this election is to many folk around the country. And so donald trump thinks hes going to repeat 2016, but when we look at the fundamentals on the ground, it is radically different. And so, again, evidence suggests that his political sense is really dull and dim, willie. Well, well see. Well see. But i will say i dont think in 2016 he was begging. President trump made this plea at his rally last night to suburban women. I ask you do me a favor. Suburban women, will you please like me . Please. Please. I saved your damn neighborhood, okay. The other thing i dont have that much time to be that nice. I can do it but i gotta go quickly. We dont have time. They want me to be politically correct. Yes, lets discuss it, lets talk about it over the next ten years. No, no, no. We saved your we saved suburbia in the u. S. So, susan del percio, theres still this misunderstanding on Donald Trumps part that we are at home like cleaning the floors and in suburbia and were afraid of what i mean, i dont know how you could list the ways in which, perhaps, women who happen to live in the sur beshs have be suburbs have been insulted by this man, but you might try. I want to know who donald trump thinks he saved the suburbs from . From who . Was who was going to hurt these suburban women that he thinks can he relate to . He cant. Those rallies show recklessness. They show that he does not care for other people. Just like when he spoke to the issue of law and order, he poured fuel on the fire. Thats not how a suburban or any other voter wants to see from the president. They want a president who tampers down the situation and who brings public safety. Again, these rallies show no regard for public safety. Of course its a turnout. And now with 20 days left to go, those numbers are pretty thin. When youre in the 30s, its hard to dig out of that with women. And i just dont see it happening, frankly. But he when he makes those kind of pleas, that even makes it worse. Theres no explaining it. Its desperation. Except, i will swha explaiay explains it is if you dont plan to win fairly and i think thats what a lot of people are watching even during the Supreme Court hearings. Lets look at other stories were following. Eddie mentioned the long voting flie lines in texas. They saw the longest lines. Voters in Harris County shattered the record on the first day of inperson voting with more than 128,000 ballots cast. Election Officials Say they were mine nor minor sporadic machine problems leading to longer lines. Meanwhile, they stepped the census count immediately. It blocks a u. S. Appeals order that would require the administration to continue gathering census information in the field until the end of october. And what it concluded would increase accuracy after Field Operations were suspended in march because of the pandemic. But the census burrow saeau wany stop the count so it could meade meet a mandated september 30th deadline to report to the president. They write this. The harms caused by rushing this years census count are irreparable and that those seeking to keep the count going, quote, will suffer their Lasting Impact for the next ten years until the next census is conducted. Mika. And President Trump has renewed his calls on the Supreme Court to block a subpoena for his texas retur his tax returns. Trumps lawyers asked yesterday to delay a ruling that would allow the Manhattan District Attorney to obtain trumps financial records. In a 38 page emergency action, they told the judge that it was wrong that the prosecutor had a legal right to subpoena the materials and that an Appeals Court panel in new york was wrong to uphold that ruling this month. The lawyers argued that, quote. It president s records are disclosed publicly, then the harm will not only be irrelevant repairable, it will be case muting. If the Supreme Court denies the stay, it is possible that the manhattan prosecutor could enforce the subpoena and then get a copy of the requested documents before election day. But still outside of public view. Whats he hide somethiing . Still ahead, were breaking down day two of the Supreme Court hearings of Amy Coney Barrett and the key question she refused to answer. Plus, with new york seeing an uptick in coronavirus hospitalizations, we will be joined by governor andrew cuomo. And as we go to break, a note that joes new book, saving freedom, truman, the cold war and the fight for western civilization is coming out on november 24th, but you can pre order it now. Morning joe is back in just a moment. Now. Morning joe is back in just a moment. Did you know you can go to libertymutual. Com to customizes your Car Insurance so you only pay for what you need . Really . I didnt aah ok. Im on vibrate. Aaah only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Less oral steroids. Taking my treatment at home. Nucala is a oncemonthly addon injection for severe eosinophilic asthma. Not for sudden breathing problems. Allergic reactions can occur. Get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. Infections that can cause shingles have occurred. Dont stop steroids unless told by your doctor. Tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. May cause headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. Ask your doctor about nucala at home. Find your nunormal with nucala. Want conservative judges on aithe court. Vative,. This may make you feel better, but i really dont care. If an opening comes in the last year of President Trumps term and the primary process has started well wait to the next election. I want you to use my words against me. Youre on the record. Yeah, hold the tape. 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Yup, the best really did get better. Magnificent. Xfinity x1 just got even better, with peacock premium included at no additional cost. No strings attached. Senate confirmation hearings continue this morning for President Trumps Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. Judge barrett faced tough questions from democrats yesterday who have tried portray her nomination as a potential threat to health care, abortion rights, and more. In one notable moment, judge barrett was asked about whether the president could delay the upcoming election, an idea youll remember President Trump floated earlier this year. Does the constitution give the president of the United States the authority to unilaterally delay a general election under any circumstances . Does federal law . Well, senator, if that question ever came before me, i would need to hear arguments from the litigants and read briefs and consult with my law clerks and talk to my colleagues and go through the opinionwriting process. So, you know, if i give off the cuff answers, then i would be basically a legal pundit and i dont think we want judges to be legal pundits. I think we want judges to approach cases thoughtfully and with an open mind. Do you believe that every president should make a commitment unequivocally and resolutely to the peaceful transfer of power . Well, senator, that seems to me to be pulling me in a little bit into this question of whether the president has said that he would not peacefully leave office. And so to the extent that this is a political controversy right now, as a judge, i want to stay out of it. Joining us now, Senior Writer of diplomatpolitico, jake she jake, good morning. Were going to get into these questions in a moment about delaying the election, the peaceful transfer of power. But from your Vantage Point cover capitol hill, republicans came in feeling very good but judge Amy Coney Barrett, and i imagine theyre feeling maybe even a little bit better this morning. Yeah, i think this is just a train thats going thats heading to the next station, so to speak, without much interruption, willie. I mean, i dont want to im going to be like Amy Coney Barrett here a little bit. I dont think that democrats have derailed this nomination in any way. I mean, obviously the Brett Kavanaugh nomination wasnt derailed after some incredibly serious allegations. Judge barrett has kind of skated through yesterday without being touched at all and she used this kind of tried and true tactic, willie, which weve seen for the last seven nominees, which is were not shes just not answering questions on potential decisions that may or may not come before the court. Shes not judging anything that has come before the court in the past. Shes just speaking broadly about her judicial philosophy and what that means in terms of how she thinks about deciding decisions and how she thinks about cases kind of broadly speaking. And, jake, i think you had the most important tweet of the day. You wrote ban speeches during confirmation hearings. Amen to that. Does anyone love the sound of their own voice more than a United States senator . Its amazing. Its just completely ridiculous, willie. I saw you retweeted that, it put a twinkle in my eye. Its ridiculous. Its absolutely crazy. We dont need to hear these people speak and if they say that the nominees not answering questions, they may want to lick in the mirror. Amy klobuchar got her to answer questions and she wasnt giving speeches. Thats probably a blueprint here. If you ask pointed questions the right way, youre going to get answers. Cory booker did the same as well. Jonathan lemire, i put that same question to you. We know how republicans on capitol hill are feeling, judge barrett was impressive. Democrats disagree with her in a lot of places, most importantly maybe on the Affordable Care act. But how is the white house feeling about how this process is moving today . Perhaps the president has a twinkle in his eye too, willie. The white house is very pleased from what theyve seen so far. President briefly addressed the hearings as he left the white house yesterday for that rally in pennsylvania, said that i believe he said that amys doing really great. And they are. Privately thats what theyre saying as well. They feel like shes been strong, they feel like shes been commanding, they feel like she hasnt really been touched by democrats. But that seems to be sort of the strategy for the democrats. Yes, there have been a few pointed questions certainly and entirely too many speeches, ill back up jake on that. But it seems like the democrats largely are take an almost do no harm approach where they realize theres not much they can do to stop this confirmation and their focus, instead, is on the white house and the Senate Elections in a few weeks. But in terms of the west wing, theyre pleased. And the campaign on the trump side still hopes this is a hearing that will sort of electrify their base and change the conversation from the pandemic. But it doesnt really at least so far seem to have done that and enthusiasm boost theyre seeing on the right is certainly matched by democrats and those on the left as well. Well, in a new oped for the Washington Post entitled postpone the election, voter intimidation, Amy Coney Barrett is open to it. Dana millbag points out the exact parts of the constitution that set the date of the election and that Amy Coney Barrett absolutely positively knows about. Dana writes in part, sure, nominees try to avoid the slippery slope of opining on potential cases, but there is no room for argument here, especially from a selfproclaimed originalist and textualist. Article 2 section 1 of the constitution states the congress may determine the time choosing the elections and the day on which they shall give their vote. Which day shall be the same throughout the United States. The 20th amendment of the constitution requires the terms of the president and the Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of january and the terms of their successors shall then begin. Title 3 section 1 chapter 1 of the u. S. Code specifies the electors of president and Vice President shall be appointed each in each state on tuesday, the next tuesday after the first monday in november in every fourth year succeeding every election of a president and Vice President. Michael steele, there are few questions around these statements, actually ill say there are none. That could not be more clear and the frustrating thing is, the nominee knew this and could have easily pointsed to it and could ha have easily pointed to her own understanding of it. Shes a very brilliant woman, she clearly respects and focus obs the constitution as where she draws the beginning of where they makes her opinion and then thinks about all the other factors. But the constitution is clear here and she knows it. She does. And that line of questioning along with a series of others represented a particular problem when she actually touched on. I think you played the clip a moment ago where she where she alluded to, well, you know, this is an area where the president has said that, you know, this or that shouldnt happen o happen or he wants this particular outcome. It put her in an untenable box as a nominee to play in this political space which she was very much trying not to play in. So my read in listening to her answer that question was all she saw was this is a political trap. I dont want to fall into this political trap because this this is not a case in cra controversy and its something thats now been pushed into a political space given the constitution, given everything you just cited, that your know, now im i dont want to play in this space. Now i dont know if i would agree with that, because i think the letter of the law and the constitution are on her side if she were to say, yeah, read the text as a textualist. But i understood where she was. She on a couple of issues was trapped by the president s own hot rhetoric around his nominee. So she wanted to avoid being used in that sense or falling into that particular trap of answering a question that could then come back and bite her politically if a case in controversy of that magnitude reaches her at the bench. Yeah. I still think i mean, i dont know it would be easier go ahead. It is, but i think the politics of it, and thats the problem when you have a president whos out here telling you and telegraphing my nominees going to do this for me. And then that nominees sitting in the hearing trying to be a judge, to become a justice on the Supreme Court, its its particularly hard. Im not excusing it, im just trying to put some context and understanding behind what i think she was going through at that moment. Yeah. And she made that really clear, susan del percio, when she was talking to cory booker. I think she she kind of walked that very, very tight rope very delicately and tried to make clear her intentions that she doesnt want to jump into a big political issue right now. Thats not what shes there for. And i agree with Michael Steele. She kind of was trapped. I dont think it was a good answer. Think she could have been forthright about it. At the same time, i think that the democrats have been much more successful in talking about the repeal of obamacare and making health care an issue throughout these hearings. I think it would be a mistake if they use this as a way of changing the subject. Because the more they can stay on health care, especially during a pandemic, the better off they are politically. Did she did she kind of miss out on this opportunity to show she was a little independent . Sure. But she was very consistent in not answering questions. So she did the job that she had to do. Whether you agree with it or not, i dont, it was basically her only option. So, eddie, it was a long day. Almost 12 hours of questioning of judge barrett yesterday, well get another day of it here today. A lot of focus on the Affordable Care act. Yesterday rightly so she wouldnt come out and say im going to comment on a case that will before the court in less than a month. What are you looking for today . What more would you like to hear by judge barrett . What should she be asked by these sflars . Senators . I dont expect to hear much more from her. Shes going to play the ginsburg rule. I think theres some efforts on the part of the democrats to try to get a better sense of her judicial philosophy, although think theyre clear about the outcomes. I think although i agree with you and jake about the speeches, i think Sheldon Whitehouses speech yesterday was really important about the puppet nature of this whole process that there are strings and sticks being moved about here. And i thought he did a great job in terms of framing the theater of this whole process. So i dont necessarily think anything new can be asked, i think she will continue to evade any concrete responses. I know people are trying to push her on roe, people might be trying to push her on gay may marriage and prosecute the case around aca. But i think Michael Steele is right about the way in which judge barrett responded to the question about the peaceful transition of power. But i thought senator Diane Feinsteins question was a bit more nuanced in this sense, right . It offered us a window into her understanding of limited and scope of executive power. So when you frame her answer alongside bill barrs answer, that that offers a window into how is she thinking about the executive branch . And how how we might limit its power. Now that seems to me, although its a bit in the weeds, something that would be interesting to understand in relation to her jurisprudence. But, again, willie, i dont expect much new to come today, its the same theater, the same outcome there are train is making its way into the station. It is. It will be interesting to see if judge barrett seeks to clarify some of those answers on the transfer of power when she comes back today. We will see. Meanwhile, Senate Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell announced a covid19 relief package will be the first order of business when the Senate Returns next week. He said it will be targeted relief for workers, but House Speaker nancy pelosi is urging her caucus to hold out for the larger deal. Here is some of the contentious interview she had on cnn with wolf blitzer. Let me quote a man you know well, hes a democrat, and he just said this. He said people in need cant wait until february. 1. 8 trillion is significant and more than twice the obama stimulus. Make a deal, put the ball in mcconnell court. What do you say too him . What i say to yousy dont know why youre always an apologist and many of your colleagues apologists for the republican position. That isnt what were going to do. Nobody is waiting until february. I want this very much now because people need help now. So, jake, wolf asking basic questions of there Speaker Pelosi. She didnt like them but what is going on here more broadly . On the one hand you have Speaker Pelosi saying weve holding out for the deal weve put on the table. You have leader mcconnell saying on monday were coming back with a targeted package that helps Small Businesses recognizing the pain theyre going through. Where does this leave census where does this leave people who need the money today . It leaves them without the man they ne money that they need and i would argue perhaps no deal until 2021, some long into 2021. I cant say that definitively. But nancy pelosi believes that she has a strong negotiating hand against the administration to force them to accept a deal that are closer to her terms. Now, the big outstanding items are state and local rescue money, money for state and local governments which republicans have a sharp disagreement with democrats about. What the republicans are going to look to pass in the senate say very slimmed down proposal that includes some broadly bipartisan measures like an extension of the paycheck protection program, the ppp Program Saved all those businesses a couple months ago, and some other measures that are broadly democrats agree with. But theres a power play going on here, willie, and the power play is nancy pelosi believes that there should be more and doesnt believe in giving away a half measure when a full measure is needed. I dont know whether shes right, wrong, or indifferent. I dont know whether she has a great negotiating hand or not. But these two positions are irrelevant reconcilable and either nancy pelosi needs to fold or republicans need to fold and neither looks likely. Why do we say it doesnt look likely . Because theyve been in this negotiating position since may. This is the longest negotiation ive ever covered maybe besides the aca. So, you know, were six months into this. I dont know whose fault it is, but nancy pelosi wants a big bill, republicans want a small bill, they havent been able to bridge that gap. All right. Politicos jake sherman, thank you so much for being on this morning. And coming up, another drug maker puts a pause on coronavirus Clinical Trials over safety concerns. Morning joe is back in just a moment. Tyfe concerns. Morning joe is back in just a moment. Theres so much to take advantage of. Like 0 copays on virtual visits. Wow uhhuh 0 copays on primary care visits and lab tests. Wow uhhuh plus, 0 copays on hundreds of prescription drugs. Wow uhhuh Unitedhealthcare Medicare advantage plans. Including the only plans with the aarp name. Most plans have a 0 premium. Its time to take advantage. Wow such as high blood pressure,ve pdiabetes, and asthma. S this administration and Senate Republicans want to overturn laws requiring Insurance Companies to cover people with preexisting conditions. Theyre rushing a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court to change the law through the courts. 70 of americans want to keep protections for preexisting conditions in place. Tell our leaders in washingtn to stop playing games with our healthcare. With the ninja foodito intelligesmart xl grill. Ing just pick your protein, select your doneness, and let the grill monitor your food. It also turns into an air fryer. Bring outdoor grilling flavors indoors with the grill that grills for you. fisherman vo ce how do i register to vote . Ential election. Hmm . Hmm . Hmm . woman on porch vo can we vote by mail here . grandma vo youll be safe, right . daughter vo yes four girls vo the polls voted grandma vo go out and vote its so important man at poll vo woo grandma vo its the most important thing you can do drug maker eli lilly and Company Announced yesterday that this is pausing its covid19 antibody treatment Clinical Trial due to a potential safety concern. The news comes just a day after johnson and johnson paused its covid19 vaccine trial. After an unexplained illness. Lil lys drug is similar to what the president received and is currently being tested on hospital patients. A spokeswoman told nbc news how the of an abundances of caution, the active three independent safety monitoring board has recommended a pause in enrollment. Lilly is supportive of the decision to cautiously assurity safety of the patients participating in the study. Joining us now, morning joe chief medical correspondent dr. Dave campbell. Dr. Dave, to an extent this is not surprising. Many experts said the road to a vaccine is bumpy and long and there are these testing phases in place for a reason. Well, in one concern or one thing that we must think about is that the safety controls that are in place to keep Clinical Trials heading in the right direction, importantly, identify problems as they develop and a pause that goes into a Clinical Trial is usually because of safety concerns, if somebody becomes ill, or they have a side effect from the drug. So with this particular Monoclonal Antibody therapy coming out of lilly, we can believe from other Clinical Trials that have been paused, there must be Something Like that. However, interestingly last night in a separate incident, the fda has come out with a Quality Control problem at the lilly plant in branchberg, new jersey, that came about from a review of the Data Collection systems at that plant. It seems to be separate, it was reported by reuters late last night, but now we see the lilly plant was investigated by the fda and an official action indicated report came out, which is not a warning letter, but its the next step toward the company having to correct some flaws in the manufacturing process at the plant that this Monoclonal Antibody, neutralizing antibody drug is being manufactured at, mika. All right. I want to get to the rally in sanford, florida, for example, because the president s holding them all over the country. I believe pennsylvania had another one as well. But if you look at the video from from these events, many of them are, you know, around his plane and airport. There is 100 the opportunity to social distance these people, to spread them out so that they are not such a risk to each other. But as you can see, the campaign has made sure that everybody is side by side, shoulder to shoulder, absolutely positively exchanging droplets and breathing on each other. So, what was the risk for attendees and their families and friends back home at the trump rally in sanford, florida . Well just kind of focus in on that one. You know, this is a best case worst case scenario. Florida happens to have a relatively low Positivity Rate. Sanford in particular just north of orlando, the Positivity Rate was below five, thats good. Floridas around six plus right now but going up. If you look across the country, however, the many, many states, over 20 states now have increasing rates of infection, and theres no reason to believe that thats going to slow down. So, the risk is high that because they were jammed together and many of them did not have masks on. You were correct about that. That there could be some transmission coming from this and other rallies. So theres no reason for people to avoid social distancing, face masks, just follow the cdc guidelines for prevention because we cannot yet rely on the development of a vaccine and now were seeing question not rely on the development of other therapies once you have become infected like we see with lilly, like j j having to pause their trial for vaccines and other, astrazeneca in the past. So the road to treatment for the infection is less clear than the obvious stated way to prevent the infection with face masks, hand washing, and social distancing. Dr. Dave campbell, thank you very, very much. Were going to have more ahead on these continued trump rallies despite all the health Officials Saying that this is probably not a good idea. Less than wow. Look at this. Im just im im at a loss. With 20 days until november, the november election, President Trump takes his campaign to pennsylvania and pleads for support from a key voting group. Plus, Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett claims roe v. Wade a Landmark Legal decision on abortion is not settled law. Well talk about the term super precedent. Morning joel be right back. M s precedent. Morning joel be righbat ck. My father always reminded me, a good education takes you many different horizons and that sticked to my mind. So, when 1 a day came out, i said, why not . Why not just utilize that resource. And walmart made that path open for me. Without the 1 a day program, i definitely dont think id be in school right now. Each week for me in school is just an accomplishment. I feel proud every step of the way. And then what happened . Wheres our family from . Was he my age . So nana and pops eloped . And then what happened, daddy . Well, before us, there were your great, great, great grandparents. Turn questions youve always had into stories you cant wait to share; with ancestry. Turn questions youve always knowinits hard. Re is hard. Eliminate who you are not first, and youre going to find yourself where you need to be. The race is never over. The journey has no port. The adventure never ends, because we are always on the way. Joe biden was raised with middle class values. Joe doesnt need to be the center of attention. Or see himself on tv. He has always focused on getting the job done. Joe led us out of the 2008 recession, and increased Health Coverage for millions. As president , joe will focus on getting us out of our crises. Hell listen to experts, work across the aisle. And put the American People first. Ff pac is responsible for the content of this ad. Ff pac is responsible tonight, ill be eating a veggie cheeseburger on ciabatta, no tomatoes. [hard a] tonight. Ill be eating four cheese tortellini with extra tomatoes. [full emphasis on the soft a] so its come to this . [doorbell chimes] thank you. [doorbell chimes] bravo. Careful, hamill. Daddys not here to save you. Oh i am my daddy. Wait, what . What are you talking about . Still ahead, new York Governor Andrew Cuomo will be our guest as covid cases are once again on the rise. And we continue to tell the stories of the people who lost their lives to the coronavirus. Dr. Steven kamholz served on new yorks front lines as chair of medicine when the pandemic hit. He quickly got to work ordering more supplies and orchestrating the hospitals double in capacity all while teaching residents and treating patients. He fell ill in april and for his last eight weeks, he continued to teach his staff Critical Care while he was a patient. Dr. Kamholz on june 11th at the age of 72. Well be right back. Th at the age of 72. Well be right back. Sofi literally changed my life. When i refinanced with sofi, that allowed me to pay off aggressively and save without breaking my back or breaking the bank. Tech every customer has their own safelite story. This couple was ony back a camping trip. Bank. When their windshield got a chip. They drove to safelite for a sameday repair. And with their insurance, it was no cost to them. Woman really . Tech thats service you can trust. Singers safelite repair, safelite replace. Woo go go go go on a real vacation. Visit go rving. Com or your nearest rv dealer. Bradley, get a freshly made subway footlong instead. Try my favorite, turkey. Order on the app. Anything for my fans. Try the new subway buffalo chicken or bbq chicken. For the rest of your life. With sofi its possible to get them paid off and start new. Theres a lot of people here tonight. [ cheers and applause ] a lot of people. I wish the fake news would show it. They never turn the cameras, you know. Is he talking about us . Well show the crowd. Theres the crowd. There it is. You can see the crowd. Another trump rally with no social distancing. And few people Wearing Masks and, quite frankly, johnstown, pennsylvania, has a lot of space. But look at those metal barriers squishing everybody together almost ensuring that they pass the virus to each other as they are hooting and shouting and waving their arms at the president. This is no joke. Were at an airport. People can spread out but they are refusing to. I dont think its the people, per se, i think its the campaign that makes sure they have this shot. The president surround by adoring supporters squished together perhaps passing the virus from one to another. Hes continuing to hold these packed Campaign Rallies despite a rise in cases of coronavirus and really making these events officially super spreader events very much like the one he held at the white house in the rose gored than caused so many people to get ill. Well back to morning joe. Its wednesday, october 14th. The aps Jonathan Lemire and former chair of the Republican National committee Michael Steele still with us this morning. And joining the conversation, chief White House Correspondent for the New York Times and coauthor of the new book the man who ran washington, peter baker. Msnbc mike barn knack will icle this morning. And Claire Mccaskill along with willie and me. Joe has the morning off. And covid cases continue to rise nationwide with infections spreading rapidly in the midwest. State like indiana, minnesota, and north dakota have set a new average high for cases each of the past eight days. Since saturday, more than 20 states have reported new highs in their sevenday average of case counts. And more than half of those states set records yesterday. So he individual 19 hospitalizations hit the highest level in nearly six weeks. And, willie, the president continues to act like nothing is going on. Yeah, thats right. If you look at those events and all the rallies were going to see this week including tonight another one, a couple more this weekend, a couple more on friday, this is all taking place while that outbreak in the white house continues. Trish scalia, the wife of President Trumps labor secretary, Eugene Scalia, has tested positive for coronavirus. A statement from the Department Last night said she has, quote, mild symptoms but is doing well. Thats good news. While secretary scalia tested negative himself on friday night and has experienced no symptoms. The agency said for the time being that the secretary will work from home. Secretary scalia and his wife attended last months rose garden ceremony where President Trump officially nominated judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the Supreme Court vacancy. As of yesterday evening, nbc news has confirmed 27 members of the Trump Administration, Campaign Officials and contacts recently have tested positive for coronavirus. Of these, at least 14 were in attendance at the september 26 rose garden event for judge barrett. And yet, as youve said, mika, the president continues to hold packed Campaign Rallies like the one last night in pennsylvania. We have the the vaccines are coming soon, the therapeutics and franklin, the cure. All i know is i took something, whatever the hell it was i felt good very quickly. I dont know what it was. Antibodies antibodies i dont know. I took it, i said i felt like superman. And i said, let me at em to everyone fighting to recover from the virus, i feel your pain because i felt your pain. And we will beat this virus together and for those who has had it . Who has had it here . Whos had it . A lot of people. A lot of people. Youre the people i want to say hello to because you are right now immune. Youre right now immune. Or they say that. You know they hate to admit it because i had it. So in the old days they said, well, if you have it youre immune for life, right . Once i got it they give you four months. They say youre immune you know, anybody else but me, youre immune for life. So, peter, what are we 13 days from the president s announcement at least of his diagnosis that he was positive for covid19. Monday florida, tuesday pennsylvania, wednesday today in iowa. Tomorrow North Carolina. Tomorrow and friday georgia rallies and florida. And i suspect theyll all look a lot like the one last night. Big crowds packed in tightly, some people Wearing Masks, some people not. Exactly, willie. Since the president was tested positive, more than 10,000 americans have died from the coronavirus. Thats three more 9 11s in the space of a couple weeks. For him its not a problem. But for 2 million americans, thats not the case. Even people who dont necessarily pass away from this, often have cases far more severe than what the president has seen. They have weeks of lung problems and permanent, you know, what seem to be lasting damage to their to their breathing and their lungs and sometimes weve seen people go back to the hospital and weeks after they thought they had gotten better. So the president , once again, has shown that whatever lesson he got interest his cone coronavirus experience does not translate into a larger behavior. That crowd last night was more packed and more dense and more risky than the one at the rose garden that seemingly caused the outbreak that made the white house the leading hot spot in the nations capital. Claire mccaskill, the president on the issue of age and how he attacks joe biden and on this coronavirus just continues to defy his own reality. And i wonder, i mean, my contention is, and it could be naive because we saw what happened four years ago, if people are dying, he is losing. Because how could people in pennsylvania and people in florida which has its share of seniors, but this pennsylvania folks there want to make a good living. They work hard, they deal with the Health Care Issues that most americans deal with, they deal with their own mortality in the age of this pandemic. How could they look at these pictures and say, yeah, i want to vote for him . What am i miss something maying . Maybe they do. This is a real head scratcher, these rallies. At that point in the Campaign Trump is behind, i think he maybe would acknowledge that to a close aide, so he needs to get votes. And the way he gets votes is by bringing back voters that voted for him four years ago. And who has he lost . He has lost seniors. And why has he lost them . Because theyre seeing these rallies. He doesnt think that people are living this every day. He cannot relate. These rallies are not for his campaign. These rallies are not for votes. These rallies are for him. His ego. His confidence is shaken. Hes scared. The only thing that will keep him going over the last three weeks of this campaign is seeing these crowds that adore him. But everyone else is seeing these crowds and theyre horrified. Happy birthday, michael, its birthday plus one for Mike Barnicle. 57 years old again this year. Congratulations on that. Thank you. But i want to ask you the way President Trump has been talking about seniors. We played some of joe biden talking to seniors saying President Trump takes your vote for granted, hes not looking after you during this pandemic. Yesterday President Trump tweeted this photoshopped picture of joe biden inserted into a scene that looks an awful lot like an assisted living facility for Senior Citizens with an edited Biden Campaign logo adjusted to read biden for resident. At least three different recent polls show the president trailing joe biden among voters age 65 and older. Its an age group President Trump won by nine points in 2016. Just another confounding strategic move by the president of the United States who knows he needs that senior vote to attack them again in a meme thats going around today. Yeah, well Claire Mccaskill, not for the first time, is on to something here, willie. These rallies are, indeed, for donald trump. And he is actually thinking that hes looking at a mirror reflection of 2016 when he goes to these rallies when, in fact, the facts are grim and grizzly. America is number one, ladies and gentlemen, were number one in the number of infections from the disease and were number one in the number of deaths from the disease thus far. The disease is not going away. The virus is not going away. Its been handled terribly incompetent by guess who . The man standing in front of those rallies, donald j. Trump. And he cant deal with it. And, again, i agree with claire. Think he knows hes losing and has to be really out of it not to know that. So this is what hes left with. A pile of delusion, fantasy, and the hope that what hes looking at in johnstown, pennsylvania, last night, that he can recreate 2016. It doesnt look like he can. Michael steele, what happened to this vaccine thats going to be miraculously appearing by november or december . I mean, again, i think the drug makers are trying to say, whoa, whoa, back up. We dont want to be responsible for something that kills somebody. And thats unrealistic. This president is the wizard of oz. And yet, i just want to be clear, at i believe it was the sanford rally i had on the air thought maybe a thousand people were there, it turned out there were 7,000 people there. Im, number one, really worried about those people and their families and their health. But, number two, where is this information getting to people where they feel that they can show up at these rallies and theyre safe and everything that joe biden and dr. Fauci and medical experts, dr. Dave campbell, dr. Scott gottlieb, everything that theyre saying is a lie . Because my worry is their news sources at this point are fox and facebook. And if you do just that, you dont think theres a pandemic going on. Well, a couple of things. One, their news source, yes, while its fox and primarily, its the president at the end of the day. They watch his actions, they listen fox and facebook. To his words, yeah, and they try to connect through those portals, facebook, fox. But he, at the end of the day, the key player here. They take their lead off of him. If he comes out and says i had the disease, i feel 20 years young theyre is great, you know, and then hes like, how many of you had it . Yeah, youre the people i want to talk to. And theyre out there, yeah, i had covid19. You know, what do you do with that . I mean, i appreciate your sentiment that youre worried about these folks. Im not worried about them. I mean, after eight months of information and facts and medical findings regarding covid19, you still want to go stand in a crowd like that with no mask . Good luck, thats on you. You know, the only thing i regret is the cost that were going to have to bear in the Health Care System because you are taking your own life and those around you at risk and you dont seem to care about it. So thats but donald trump is okay with that. And so, you know, i dont know how we get around that curve. If hes okay with it and his supporters are okay with it, then the rest of us has to decide whether or not were okay with it. And thats what this election is about. Which is why the president doesnt want to talk about covid19, the real effects of covid19, he wants to dismiss it as a oneoff, because he knows what the underlying truth is doing to his campaign and has done. His campaign you have two campaigns right now, mika, Donald Trumps campaign for reelection and you have his official campaigns effort at reelection. And theyre going in two very different directions. Okay. Mika, i want to jump in here with breaking news Just Announced by nbc. Tomorrow night 8 00 eastern on nbc, msnbc, and all the Nbc Universal platforms, prurp u President Trump will hold a live town hall hosted by Savannah Guthrie. Remember tomorrow was supposed to be the night of the second debate. Joe biden is doing his own town hall. Savannah guthrie will host a town hall well President Trump. Jonathan lemire, theres more news in here thats significant which i can report, its not a white house test. The National Institutes of health oversaw and conducted its own test and analysis of President Trump in order so that this event could take place. They found with a high degree of confidence that President Trump is not transmitting the virus. So the nih led by dr. Anthony fauci has conducted and independent pcr test and found what it says a high degree of confidence that the president is not transmitting the virus, therefore, clearing him for this onehour nbc town hall tomorrow night with Savannah Guthrie. Well, lets start there, willie. Thats significant in itself that an independent outside test was conducted and says the president is most likely not contagious because, of course, the information weve gotten from the white house and their doctors has been at times hard to believe. Theyve had a real credibility crisis throughout this moment since the president s diagnosis that he, indeed, had contracted cokrid v covid19. Youre right, tomorrow night was supposed to be the second president ial debate. The two men, biden and trump were to square off after their very contentious first one. Lets reflect quickly on the chronology here that after the president s diagnosis, the Debate Commission said what this debate would be held remotely, it would be a virltu virtual debate. The Trump Campaign blew that up and said he wouldnt participate. And then later they said lets just postpone them a week. Lets have one on the 22nd and the 20 ninebling9 29th. The Biden Campaign said no. But this was a missed opportunity. They have been pointing fingers at each other saying this was a mistake, they have you hshould the virtual debate. But this will be an interesting moment for both candidates. The town hall format is one that joe biden has compelled in during this year, during the primaries and he had one recently a few weeks ago on nbc. Theres a little expectation he will do well there again tomorrow. While the president of course, he had one on another network a few weeks ago and faced some tough questions and was thrown off his game at times and seemed to not really listen and respond to the voters. Its not necessarily a format where he does particularly well. But it will be a bright spotlight on both men and sort of an opening act for their final debate which we still hope and think will happen next week. So, mika, a couple more details to add in here. This will be held outdoors tomorrow night at the art museum in miami, in accord waance with guidelines of Health Officials down there. They will be 12 feet apart, the audience will be social distanced, required to wear face masks on premises, answer way questionnaire, have a temperature check. So official nbc news and the white house taking every precaution to make sure we can pull off this event safely again tomorrow night at 8 00 eastern. Thats great news. Thats great news that the nih has gotten a negative test from the president , but here are the questions that come out of it from my point of view. Im looking at the september 26 rose garden event where a lot of people got sick. Also looking at the debate. The president ial debate on september 29th. I want to know when the president first tested positive, and if he indeed went to that president ial debate knowing that he was positive with the coronavirus. That that question has not been answered. It has been repeatedly asked. We now know that he is not shedding the virus, so the question for doctors and scientists moving on, but really the question for the white house doctor and the hospital that treated him that has these answers but for some reason would not give them to us, is whether or not this president was shedding the virus during the debate. And, whether or not he was knowingly doing so. Because he showed up late to that debate and then, you know, did the old gentlemans honor saying, well, yeah, yeah, im negative, he never got tested that day. He was supposed to be. The Cleveland Clinic i guess let it go by because he showed up late. Wouldnt have done that. Especially given how he looked that night and how he performed. We are all concerned that he was sick that night and showed up at the debate sick with his family in the audience not Wearing Masks. Peter baker, are these legitimate questions given what we know about the coronavirus, what we know about the time span of the virus, and the time span of being contagious and then finally not shedding the virus, weve got pretty good numbers on how long this lasts in a corona patient. Right. I think its a very legitimate question and this is a white house that either doesnt want to know itself or doesnt want us to know. Some of these answers it knows already. When he was tested positive for the first time, as you say, when was he tested negative for the last time. What were the what did the scans show of his lungs . Is there any long term damage done to that . They said they had expected results. Well, you could expect a lot of things. That doesnt necessarily mean that theres no damage but they wont tell us. And think youre right, theyre not doing the kind of Contact Tracing you would have thought they would have done off of that september 26th event in the rose garden. People who were there that day never got phone calls from the white house saying who were you in contact with . Where could this have come from . There are so many Unanswered Questions and thats a white house that doesnt want to have them answered because they dont want to focus on this. They want to pretend what it doesnt happen. Except it did happen and President Trump is simply superman and everything is fine. Remember we also dont really know the effect of the drugs he was put on. He was put on a combination of drugs that very few people, if any where are have actually been put on in combination to this date because he was able to access the most experimental, most, you know, cutting edge therapies that are available as well as these steroids. Obviously theres some reason to ask what kind of effect it had. At one point our colleagues reported in the New York Times that he was so pumped up by the time he was ready to leave the hospital he wanted to wear a superman shirt under his dress shirt and rip it off in front of the cameras to show how good he felt. My god. He just last night in the clip he showed said he felt like superman. He wanted to demonstrate that in a pretty extraordinary way. And i think that, you know, people have asked the question about where hes at at this point. The superman story is just pitiful. I think the part of his departure from the hospital that was, perhaps, most insulting to the American People was when he did a video bellowing at the camera to not let the coronavirus dominate you when 217,000 people have been more than dominated by the coronavirus. Theyre dead. And their families are mourning a death that they could not even mourn with the person who was dying, that they couldnt even say goodbye. That they couldnt even have access to that person. That the person died a lonely, awful death and hes telling the American People to not let it dominate you. You know there are president is such a showboater, Claire Mccaskill, and alongside the fact that this has been a disastrous response to the coronavirus since it first came here and he lied to the American People about just how bad it was going to be. He didnt give information. He gave terrible information. He prescribed bleached and hydroxychloroquine. But having said that, were in a Health Emergency right now. And shouldnt the American People know when he first tested positive, especially since he has exposed the entire top level of the government and the Supreme Court to this virus . Isnt there a way congress can find out when he first tested positive . Well, probably not because it would involve subpoenas and that would take a long time as one reform that needs to happen that you get a rocket docket for congressional subpoenas when there is a president that is at large basically ignoring every attempt to get information out of an administration. But heres the thing. He is showing his disdain for the one thing that we all know helps keep people from dying. And that is masks. Day after day in many, many ways he has sent the strongest signal possible to the American People dont wear a mask. And we know from every expert that that is the best way to prevent the spread of this disease and then subsequent death. So its so ironic to me that, you know, were going to have dueling town halls tomorrow night. But make no mistake about it, the safety that people will see with the town hall with donald trump is not because donald trump wants everyone to test and have masks, its because nbcs insisting on it. This is not donald trump wouldnt care if anybody was look at last night. And the pollsters now, i think what they ought do is go out to all these early voting states and count the people in line masks versus no masks and im willing to bet that the people Wearing Masks are all there waiting for hours if they have to to vote against donald trump. And the people with masks are part of that excuse me, the people without masks are the people that you saw last night at that rally that have bought with this guy is selling, and that is somehow masks make you less manly or less american. Which is patently ridiculous. Claire, thank you. And still ahead on morning joe, new York Governor Andrew Cuomo joins us with a look at his states ongoing to fight against coronavirus and what should be done to protect ourselves in the future. Youre watching morning joe. Well be right back. Youre watching morning joe. Well be right back. [narrator] welcome to intelligent, indoor grilling with the ninja foodi smart xl grill. Eliminate the guesswork with the smart cook system. Just pick your protein, select your doneness and let the grill monitor your food so you dont have to. And because its a ninja foodi, it also turns into an air fryer. Bring outdoor grilling flavors indoors with the ninja foodi smart xl grill, the grill that sears, sizzles and air fry crisps. Its a dark, lonely place. This is art inspired by real stories of People Living with bipolar depression. Emptiness. A hopeless struggle. The lows of bipolar depression can disrupt your life and be hard to manage. Latuda could make a real difference in your symptoms. Latuda was proven to significantly reduce bipolar depression symptoms, and in clinical studies, had no substantial impact on weight. Now im feeling connected. Empowered. Latuda is not for everyone. Call your doctor about unusual mood changes, behaviors or suicidal thoughts. Antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. Elderly dementia patients on latuda have an increased risk of death or stroke. Call your doctor about fever, stiff muscles, and confusion, as these may be lifethreatening, or uncontrollable muscle movements as these may be permanent. These are not all the serious side effects. This is where i want to be. Talk to your doctor and ask if latuda could make the difference youve been looking for in your bipolar depression symptoms. Trump took a good economy and drove it back into the ditch through his failure to get covid under control, his failure to deliver real relief to working people. Does he not understand and see the tens of millions of people whove had to file for unemployment this year, so far . The people who lost wages while the cost of groceries has gone up dramatically. Donald trump has been almost singularly focused on the stock market, the dow, the nasdaq not you, not your families. My plan will help create at least five million new, goodpaying jobs and create them right here in the United States of america. Lets use this opportunity to take bold investments in american industry and innovation. So the future is made in america. Ill be laser focused on working families. Im joe biden, and i approve this message. So youre a small bor a big one. You were thriving, but then. Oh. Ah. Okay. Plan, pivot. How do you bounce back . You dont, you bounce forward, with serious and reliable internet. Powered by the largest gig Speed Network in america. But is it secure . Sure its secure. And even if the power goes down, your connection doesnt. So how do i do this . You dont do this. We do this, together. Bounce forward, with comcast business. Welcome back to morning joe. A live scene of times square. Still hard to get used to seven months. Thats rush in our new york city. Joining us now democrat ib governor andrew kum mov new york. The author of the new book, american crisis, leadership lessons from the covid19 pandemic. Good morning, its good to see you again. Candidly you and i just had this conversation two days ago on the today show so im going to spread the ball around a little bit here. But i want to ask you for the benefit of our audience where do you think we are in the state of new york, specifically in new york city. Hospitalizations are up. Theres been this looming threat weve heard about from Public Health experts at the fall and especially the winter and the confluence with flu season is going to be dangerous again. How are you bracing . What have you learned from the first go at this that will get you ready for this winter . Thank you. Good morning. Welcome to the new normal, okay. I think until we have a vaccine and until the vaccine is fully administered, this is what wur going youre going to see probable for the next year, year and a half. The virus is going to stay. The virus is going to flare up in places. And what states have to do, because the federal government is doing nothing, we have to develop a sophisticated capacity to find those very small, we call them mini clusters, where the cases are flaring up and immediately attack them. What were doing in new york is in some ways opposite of what other states are doing. Other states are reducing their testing, theyre in a denial mode. Were increasing our testing and our sophistication. So when you find just a mini cluster of cases, run and attack it. Right now our state infection rate is about 1 . Which is one of the lowest on the globe, frankly. But were very good at finding these mini clusters and attacking them. Right now we have them in some orthodoxed jewish communities for a certain set of circumstances and were attacking them where they. But this will be the next year. Governor cuomo, the book is leadership lessons during this pandemic. And im just curious what you learned in terms of the art of the deal in the pandemic age in terms of working with this white house. Because in the book you talk about mark meadows linking hospital funding to sharing the test results on how hi hydroxychloroquine treated covid19. What was that conversation like . I think, mika, what weve learned and we see it over and over and over, because this is really a onetrick pony this president and a onetrick administration. First of all, there has been a denial of this virus since day one and this recent manifestation is more of the same. And the art of the deal is leverage, right . Thats what trump was about. Hes a marketing man and he leverages as a negotiating tactic. He sis a marketing man who becae president because he played the division and the alienation that existed in america. And he made it worse. He doesnt create anything, he reads the marketplace and he reacts. He saw the polarization. He saw the division. He saw the anger and he played to it, marketed it, became president. And then the art of the deal, his book on real estate, its leverage. They leverage every situation. But what did mark meadows say . Youre saying mark meadows linked hospital funding to sharing test results on hydroxychloroquine. Was that just to get the president s, you know, favorite drug which he never took when he was sick, by the way, according to his doctors . I mean, what do you know about what that conversation was like . Yeah, this was at the time of the first hydroxychloroquine scam. They believed in it, the fda was test it, the fda was using new York Hospitals because when he such a high caseload. They wanted the results from the new York Hospitals quickly. The new York Hospitals were in the middle of this protocol that they were doing their testing with the fda. Mr. Meadows effectively said, we want the results, we want them fast and we are supposed to be giving out hospital funding pursuant to the c. A. R. E. S. Act. And basically said were not going to send it to new york if we dont get the test results. But, they had done it to me on everything. They did it to me with the trusted Traveler Program where it was pure extortion. They wanted the list of undocumented drivers licenses and they penalized the state because of it. When i said new york state is going to set up a committee to test the vaccine, he said, ill put you at the end of the list. Its leverage. Its extortion. And what deals did you what deals did you did you give him the test results . What did they get out of this . Did they extort . No. I said in words i dont want to repeat to you what i said to mr. Meadows, but i said that doesnt work with me in new york. The fda will get the test results when they get them. By the way, had they got the test results, they totally disproved that hydroxychloroquine worked. I mean, it was one of the greatest charades. And one of the dumbest charades. Why would they have put such capital on hydroxychloroquine unless they knew it worked . And then it turned out to be a total failure. So, no, its never worked. And its one of the reasons im so, frankly, outraged at this white house. Now, the book is leadership lessons from the covid19 pandemic. My other question to you, governor, is why release this now . Because were in the middle of it. Its not over yet. Yeah. Thats exactly why, mika. Because, you know, we talk about it today like were still surprised at how this white house is acting. We are in the middle of it. It is halftime and we are in the locker room and we do have to understand what happened in the first half. Because we have to go out and play a whole second half now. Ly the literally you want to say its a year or more, a year and a half or more and we have to understand what has happened. Because we cant keep going on like this. We just cant. You cant lose another 217,000 people. So we have to understand what happened in the first half so we dont do it again, frankly. Governor, Jonathan Lemire has the next question. Jonathan. Governor, good morning. I wanted to ask you two things with the pandemic. First, you mentioned the outbreaks that youve seen in orthodoxed jewish communities in brooklyn and queens and where theres been real resistance to mask wearing and social distancing. Weve seen the videos. Its almost more like clashes with police there. If you could talk a little bit more about what youre seeing and what sort of enforcement needs to be done in those neighborhoods. And secondly theres been a criticism from the early days of the pandemic about the state policy that sent patients who had been infected back into Nursing Homes, certainly the president has been extremely critical of that position. Could you walk through your thinking as to why that happened and would you do so again if, indeed, we saw another outbreak now . Yeah. Two things. Going forward, what has to happen now, i believe, is the state has to be increase its testing capacity, increase its sophistication, because youre going to find pockets. And when you find a pocket, one pocket is very dangerous. One person can create dozens of cases, okay. And we see them once in a while in a bar, in a labor day party, at a sweet 16 party we had one. And we now have one in the orthodoxed Jewish Community which brings a whole different particular set of circumstances, right . And i worked very closely with the orthodoxed community for many years and i get the culture, et cetera. But, i also get the danger of this virus and the Public Health laws, the Public Health law and as difficult as it is, were going to enforce the law because we have to stamp out every little cluster. In terms of what the president has said about Nursing Homes, look, the their attack on democratic governors and democratic states on covid, their counterattack when everybody pointed out that this is a federal government that walked away from a National Crisis and somehow delegated it to 50 states, i dont even know how you do that. If you had were at war would you delegate it to 50 states . But, their criticism was, well, people in Nursing Homes died. Yes, people in Nursing Homes died and they attacked me and all the other democratic governors with that. We know that. This virus attacks the old and the weak. We introduced we were introduced to the virus in seattle, washington, when it attacked in a nursing home. And, yes, a large number of seniors in Nursing Homes passed away. In new york state, when you look at the percentage of deaths in Nursing Homes, were 46 out of 50 states. 46 out of 50 states. So, by percentage our loss was much, much less than other states. Weve done a full study of it, the virus came into Nursing Homes from the staff. This is before we knew there was asymptomatic spread, before we had the testing capacity. But we always had additional beds for covidpositive people. Weapon had Emergency Hospital beds, additional hospital capacity. We never forced any nursing home to take them. So thats just not true. Just to follow on that, though, at the time in march absolutely there were the idea that the hospitals were going to be full was a real one, you wanted to free up beds. But to jonathans question now, you do a lot of reflecting in this book and you admit to to some mistakes, maybe we should have done masking sooner and shut things down earlier, thats all early march fog of war stuff and we get that. But with the benefit of hindsight, would you not have issued that march 25th directive to send covid positive patients back to Nursing Homes and will you do it again if this comes up . Yeah. Willie, i thiet ghate to get te with you but sometimes sometimes these things are technical. There was never a directive that said we will send covid positive people back to nursing you homes. The directive which was modeled on the federal directive said you cannot discriminate. But the state law clearly says a nursing home cant accept the person unless they can treat them. Having said that, would my Health Department have followed the federal guidance . Obviously not knowing the political issue it was going create. But there was no issue in reality is what im saying. Because we never did have a scarcity of it beds. We always had additional hospital beds and emergency beds. So no nursing home was forced to take someone. We never got there. Other states are there today, interestingly enough. And theyre republican states and thats why the president has stopped saying it. I mentioned that we talked a couple days ago on the today show about in question of Nursing Homes, and i heard it from a couple people, many of whom like you and think you did a good job generally but who were upset by the way youve talked about this nursing home issue and pushed off responsibility to other people. What do you say to those families who believe that the death of their loved one was preventable . One of the things i find reprehensible about it, willie, is the president did create that impressing, whi impression. Which is cruel. Its cruel to say that families who lost people in Nursing Homes saying this could have been prevented by a different government policy. It makes their pain worse. It is not true. If you want to rewind all the tape, we should have been testing staff before they walked into a nursing home. That is true. And thats back in march when we didnt have any tests. We were told asymptomatic spread was impossible. That you had to have a symptom. So the nursing homeworkers without symptoms were allowed in. That was Bad Information that we received. Thats how you would have really prevented it. But, for the president to create a narrative which is factually untrue, which causes pain, i understand his political reason. I mean, he needs some counterattack on covid. But its just its untrue and its mean. I mean, your department of health wrote the march 25th advisory, to just to put a fine point on it, do you take any responsibility for the 6,600 deaths in Nursing Homes in the state of new york . Look, i take responsibility for every death in the state of new york. Im governor of the state. I take responsibility for every death. I dont care, frankly, if if its my fault, not my fault from its the federal government, if its god that did it, im responsible, im in charge, and ive never run away from that. But i also want to make sure we have facts here, willie. And we do learn the lesson because were only at halftime and we have to do it over again. And we do have to understand that this is a virus that attacked new york, that was not a china virus, willie, it was a european virus. It came from italy and france and spain and this federal government was asleep at the switch and never told us and the virus came for two months before they ever gave us notice. Their whole International Watchdog cdc collapsed. We had mers, when he sars, and then we have covid and they act as if its the first time of it happened that it descended from the heavens when literally its the same play that happened with mers and sars and ebola. So, yeah, lets lets be honest about the lessons so it doesnt happen again and lets be honest about the lessons so we dont have another 217,000 people die while were listening to the hysterical politics of a man desperate to remain in office. Governor, Mike Barnicle has a question for you. Mike. Governor, to your point about the past, about this spring, everything that new york and the rest of the country went through but specifically new york city, there are people with lingering memories that might never go away of nights spent listening to helicopters and sirens and the death toll continually racking up. And there are eruption and pockets of the virus that are going to pop up as weve become colder through the fall, the virus will grow, its consistent. So, i think a lot of people want to know specifically in new york city who is going to be in charge in new york city in controlling the virus, of making sure supplies are available and making sure that everything is as consistent as possible, is it going to be you or is it going to be bill de blasio . Yeah. What we did here, mike, which was, frankly, smart. Other states did not do it and i think they paid the price. We passed a law very early on that said the state is in charge of everything, period. You need a statewide response. You cant handle this virus city by city or county by county. You cant handle this virus in new york City Different than westchester, different than rockland, different than albany. The law says the state is responsible for everything. Thats why when the question was posed to me whos responsible, im responsible. And thats the way it should be. The real template should have been the federal government was responsible. I believe that. This was a national pandemic. When its national, it triggers the federal government. When i was in the federal government and there was a regional situation, the federal government took control. But, in the absence of a federal government, the state steps in, its a statewide plan. The mayor, county executive, has no Legal Authority in this. Now, they talk a lot, mike, because thats what politicians do, right . And every local politicians will talk about what they think. But its all state authority. All right. The new book is american crisis leadership lessons from the covid19 pandemic. Governor andrew cuomo, thank you so much for being on this morning. Thank you. And early voting is also under way in illinois. The state board of elections has more than 600,000 people have cast ballots either in person or by mail. Joining us now, republican candidate for illinoiss 14th congressional district, jim ober weiss. Hes challenging incumbent democrat laura underwood. And we appreciate you coming on this morning. First of all, if you could share with me when youre hearing from constituents in the district that you would like to represent, how they are feeling about the handling of the coronavirus pandemic and how is the district fairing in the coronavirus pandemic right now . Ive been actually out knocking on doors for about two months now, were finding people certainly have some concern about the virus, but i think that most people think that this is something we have to suffer through together. That were gradually working through and hopefully well have a vaccine fairly soon. Whats been very interesting to me as i have talked to people, and by the way, im wearing a mask and standing back six feet from the door when people come to the door. But its very interesting. The first question i ask, of course, will you support me for u. S. Congress . And were getting a very rof overwhelming yes to that from most people. The second question i ask is what do you think about the president ial race . And thats been interesting because i get strong supporters who think hes the greatest president ever, but lots of other people who dont like the way the office has operated, dont like the personality of the president. And it seems that most people are either going to go out to vote for the president or against the president. Virtually nobody seems to like joe biden. Nobodys going out to vote for joe biden, its either for trump or against trump, which is a little different than most president ial elections. And so just picking up on your point that this is something we need suffer through together on the coronavirus, i appreciate that youre practicing social distancing, wearing a mask. Clearly you believe that that could help in prevention. How do you speak to to voters about this, especially since there is some controversy and also confusion from the president himself about masks and about exactly how to handle this pandemic . How would you handle it especially given the fact that you know how your voters feeling about it and you know about the deaths that are happening in your district. Would you urge people to practice extremely strict social distancing and what else . Well, look, my oldest daughter is a nurse practice anythinger practitioner whos worked in Emergency Rooms for 20, 30 years and she pays a lot of attention to the science on this issue and i do tend to listen to what she has to say. I believe that after looking at some of the evidence that masks do provide some protection both for the wearer and for others in the room. If youre indoors and in close contact for a prolonged period of time with other people, i think its certainly wise to wear a mask and helpful to everybody. However, realistically when youre outdoors and youre five or six feet from people, moving around, it seems to me there is little need to wear a mask under those circumstances. So, i guess maybe you consider that somewhere middle of the road. They have a place. I think it should be up to local authorities to decide what is important. I dont think there should be a National Mask program where everybody has to wear a mask when they walk out. To me its a joke when people are riding bicycles or jogging wearing a mask. That, to me, makes no sense whatsoever. Mike barnicle. Mr. Oberweis, one quick question. What is the deal with the mask . What do you have gets against masks . I dont have anything against them,s a just when in close contact indoors, i wear one. I dont think it does any good you make fun of people who wear them. But you are making fun of people who wear them and they wear them because they dont want to infect anyone else. Why make fun of them . No, on the contrary. I am not making fun of anybody. I think its unnecessary when you are out. I think its strange people wear one when bicycling or jogging outdoors. No sense. No need. All right. If you were in the house of representatives right now, would you vote for the 2. 5 trillion package, the add on for the c. A. R. E. S. Act . Look, i think the house should be looking at how do we help those who are really in need. How do we protect businesses that have been hurt by this pandemic. How do we help those employees who are in need. But to use this pandemic as an excuse to throw in lots of unneeded, unrelated programs as nancy pelosi wants to do is absolutely wrong. Like what programs are unneeded and related that are in that bill . Well, look, i am not going to go through a whole list, but i think you are well aware that nancy pelosi would like to use this as an excuse to pass some of her favorite legislation. Why dont we do stand alone things . Look at what is important, what is needed and pass those. And i think the president has suggested that. Michael steele. Hey, jim. Thank you for making the run. I appreciate you getting out there on the trail like that. How have you, in light of the questioning from my colleagues on coronavirus and what you would do in congress, how do you see yourself going into this congress with a nancy pelosi as speaker and potentially with democrats controlling the senate with or without President Trump in the white house, how do you see yourself as a member of congress . Do you find that its more important for you to represent your district or represent the interest of, lets say, if President Trump is in the white house, the interest of the president . And how do voters respond to that . Whats their expectation of you in light of coronavirus and all of the things that we are dealing with, particularly on matters of race. Is that an issue in your district that you, as a member of congress, would be willing to step into and have a conversation with your district about . Well, look, i believe that and i served in the Illinois Senate for the last almost eight years. I constantly try to remind my fellow colleagues vote yes on a bill if you think its a good bill, vote no if you think its a bad bill regardless of which party is sponsoring that bill. Unfortunately, that doesnt always happen in the Illinois Senate. I will continue to vote what i think is good in the interest of our country, good in the interest of our state, and good in the interest of our district. Thats why i believe so strongly in term limits. When we have term limited legislators, they tend to vote in ways they believe are good for the country, state and district. When you have career politicians they vote in ways they believe are good for their own reelection and you get different legislation because of that. One of the issues in our district has been this whole idea of protesting and demonstrating. My opponent made the statement that looting and rioting is a beautiful form of protest. When you destroy other peoples businesses, their jobz and livelihoods, thats not a beautiful form of protest. When any of us see something wrong we have a right to demonstrate peacefully. Thats what Martin Luther king did. Believe it or not i walked down the streets in michigan with cory brooks to demonstrate the virus against the city of chicago. We didnt steal anything, throw molotov cocktails at businesses. My opponent thinks thats okay. That shouldnt be a republican or democrat issue. We should say absolutely not, that should not be allowed to happen and we need to stop it. I am not sure thats exactly what she says, but well leave it there. Jim oberweis, thank you very much for coming on the show this morning. Claire mchaskell looking ahead to the hearings today for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. What are you going to be looking for . I am going to watch the democrats once again showing incredible discipline. I referenced what this is about is finding new votes. The math is cruel here. They do not have the votes to stop her confirmation but they have a platform to calmly and respectfully point out that on every issue that she is weighed in on hin her career, gun safet, the aca, whether its corporate money in politics, voting rights, and roe v. Wade, she is out of step with most americans. And she represents what the Republican Party has in their platform. So i see them, once again, using this as an opportunity to pull people to our to the democratic side on november the 3rd. They have been really doing a good job with it so far. Claire mchaskell, thank you so much. And kasie hunt will join us from capitol hill with her latest reporting coming up. Morning joe will be right back. Here . Nah. Introducing the all new chevy trailblazer. Here . Nope. Here. When the middle of nowhere, is somewhere. The all new chevy trailblazer. Making lifes journey, just better. Thewe live in the mountainser. So i like to walk. Im really busy in my life; im always doing something. Im not a person thats going to sit too long. In the morning, i wake up and the first thing i do is go to my art studio. A couple came up and handed me a brochure on prevagen. Ive been taking prevagen for about four years. I feel a little bit brighter and my mind just feels sharper. I would recommend it to anyone. It absolutely works. Prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life. And sweetie can coloryou just be. Gentle with the pens. Okey. Okey. I know. Gentle. Gentle new projects means new project managers. You need to hire. I need indeed. Indeed you do. The moment you sponsor a job on indeed you get a short list of quality candidates from our resume database so you can start hiring right away. Claim your seventy five dollar credit, when you post your first job at indeed. Com home. Move an election day . Actually, i havent looked into that question under the constitution. It says federal election day is the tuesday after the first monday in november. So if you take that as correct statute, is there any executive action i have never been asked the question before. I never looked into it. Does the constitution give the president of the United States the authority to unilaterally delay a general election under any circumstances . Does federal law . Well, senator, if that question ever came before me, i would need to hear arguments from the litigants and read briefs and consult with my law clerks and talk it my colleagues and go through the opinionwriting process. Really . Okay. Well, as of right now at least, the president ial election is 20 days away. Good morning and welcome to morning joe. It is wednesday, october 14th. Joe has the morning off, but along with willie and me we have former chair of the Republican National committee and Senior Advisor to the Lincoln Project, Michael Steele. White house reporter for the Associated Press jonathan lamire. Professor at Princeton University and author of begin again, and republican strategist and Senior Advisor at the Lincoln Project susan delpursio is with us. And we will get to that answer or rather nonanswer in a moment from Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett on the question of a president s ability to delay the election and the transfer of power. It was kind of a concerning moment for democrats yesterday and a lot of conservatives. We will talk to Michael Steele and susan about that and read actually what the constitution says. They were sure that ag barr and judge barrett are quite aware of. I am going to double down and say i know they were aware of it. Willie, a defiant president holds another packed Campaign Rally despite concerns that we could be in the midst of a second wave of covid. We are in the midst of a global pandemic. Yep, another night, another big crowded maskless rally as if this whole pandemic is not taking place. Covid19 cases continue to rise nationwide with infections spreading rapidly in the midwest. States like indiana, minnesota, north dakota setting new average, new average highs for the past eight days. Saturday more than 20 states have reported new highs in their sevenday average of case counts, and more than half of those states set records yesterday. Covid19 hospitalizations hit their highest level in nearly six weeks. Meanwhile, the wife of President Trumps labor secretary, Eugene Scalia, has tested positive for coronavirus. A statement from the Department Last night said she has, quote, mild symptoms but is doing well. Secretary scalia tested negative friday night. The agency said for the time being the secretary will work from home. Why is this significant . Secretary scalia and his wife attended that rose garden ceremony last month where President Trump officially nominated judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the Supreme Court vacancy. As of yesterday evening, nbc news has confirmed 27 members of the Trump Administration Campaign Officials and contacts have recently tested positive for coronavirus. Of these, at least 14 were in attendance at the september 26th rose garden event for judge barrett. Mika. Just to frame all that, the white house is in the middle of its own outbreak. With all of that as a back trop, the president continues to hold packed Campaign Rallies with people squished together when they dont need to be. Last nights rally in southwest pennsylvania, and once again there was no social distancing and few people were Wearing Masks, and all of these people are being put in danger by the Trump Campaign. Even as the virus surges, the president claimed again that the u. S. Is, quote, rounding the turn. We have the vaccines are coming soon. The therapeutics and, frankly, the cure. All i know is i took something, whatever the hell it was, i felt good very quickly. I dont know what it was. Antibodies. Antibodies. I dont know. I took it, i said i felt like superman. I said let me at them. To everyone fighting to recover from the virus, i feel your pain because i felt your pain and we will beat this virus together and for those who has had it here . Whos had it . A lot of people. A lot of people. You are the people i want to say hello to because you are right now immune. Youre right now immune. Or they say that. You know, they hate to admit it because i had it. In the old days they said, well, if you have it, you are immune for life, right . Once i got it they give you four months, you know . Anybody else but me, you are immune for life. Thats not true. Scientists are looking at cases that are recurring on people who have already had it. But number two, more importantly, jonathan lamire, you see a narrative emerging out of the president s mouth and perhaps even from this white house, herd immunity, thats maybe the way they want to go with this, which would potentially mean many more deaths. Mika, the defining moments from last night show again how this president is a striking disconnect interest reality in terms of the coronavirus in two different ways. First of all, his own condition. There is very little that he did to address his own situation last night except for what you just played where he talked about receiving an antibody treatment for now is not available to most of the public. He received that because he was receiving the best care as president at walter reed medical center. He talked about being immune. Scientists are not convinced thats the case for him or anyone else. He suggested he was well enough that he would plunge into the audience and kiss everyone there as proof he wasnt contagious anymore. I would strongly, and i think medical experts would back me up on this, not to do that. Secondly, he is framing it as the nation having turned the corner when thats not the case. We are seeing cases across the nation surge. We are seeing states have their highest daily totals in months. Yet none of that factors into their framing which is remarkably unchanged since the president s diagnosis ten or so days ago. This rally could have taken place a month ago or two months ago in terms of how the president is addressing the virus. Still not being honest about where the nation is in terms of handling it. In fact, in many places its getting worse. There are thousands of people there last night, mika, packed in closely together, not many in masks. Some, as you could see in the video clip behind him, because those are handed out for the purposes of the tv footage. But very little elsewhere. But the president s campaign has made a decision to plunge forward, blinders on, and act again like the nation incorrectly is trying to the president , they think is running out of time. It should be noted as a final point, his first two days of resuming his time on the campaign trail, he visited the two most important states on the map, florida and pennsylvania. Two states he probably cant win without. But today he has to go it iowa, a state he won handily in 2016, but he is forced to play defense there because of the pressure joe biden is putting on all across the map. The president is in a real mind. Lets flesh out the weak even further, states he is playing defense. Iowa today. North carolina tomorrow. These are the president s trips this week. And then on friday he will be in florida and georgia before spending the weekend on saturday in michigan and wisconsin. So how is the Trump Campaign looking at the map right now . I think they dont want to be in a position to go to georgia two and a half weeks before the election and fight for what has now become a tossup. They are in an extraordinarily difficult spot. Lets be clear. They dont have anywhere near the Financial Resources that the Biden Campaign does. The Biden Campaign is swamping them on the airwaves in terms of advertisements and outside groups as well. The Trump Campaign has pulled down ads in a number of states they are saying, like in ohio, because they are confident they dont need them. Polls suggest otherwise and point to perhaps a lack of finances on their part. They had in difficult balancing act. Their path seems to be shrinking by the way. Some states they cant win without, florida chief among them. But as deficits grow in places like michigan and wisconsin they are betting big on pennsylvania where he was yesterday and where he will be several more times before november 3rd. At the same time, this points to a campaign in trouble. Its one thing to put in a final push in these battleground states. Thats where you want to be. Thats what campaigns do in the final three weeks. To also play defense in states where he won with ease in 2016, you said it, willie, georgia later this week. When was the last time a president , a republican president or frankly any republican candidate went to zwrorgz in the last welcocouple weeks . Iowa he will have to do the next couple of days. Also they are worried about where the polls stand in texas. Even if he ends up hanging on to these states, the fact that he has to spend time and money there in the final weeks, that shows a campaign in trouble. Its every day he spends in, say, georgia is a day he cant spend in pennsylvania. Coming up, to jonathans point, there is new polling from North Carolina that may explain why President Trump is heading there tomorrow. Plus, just days after directly appealing to senior voters, President Trump mocks joe bidens age and insults all of those americans out there who depend on assisted living facilities. How thats going to go over in florida. Morning joe is back in a moment. Im a conservative, want conservative judges on the court. This may make you feel better, but i really dont care. If an opening comes in the last year of President Trumps term and the primary process has started well wait to the next election. I want you to use my words against me. Youre on the record. Yeah, hold the tape. Lindsey must go and the Lincoln Project are responsible for the content of this ad. Go go go go go go go on a real vacation. Visit go rving. Com or your nearest rv dealer. With the ninja foodito intelligesmart xl grill. Ing just pick your protein, select your doneness, and let the grill monitor your food. It also turns into an air fryer. Bring outdoor grilling flavors indoors with the grill that grills for you. Myim 70 and i live in mill valley, california. My biggest passion is gardening. I love to be outdoors. I have jaybirds that come when i call. I know how important it is to feed your body good nutrition. I heard about prevagen and i heard about the Research Behind it. Taking prevagen, i have noticed that i can think clearly. My memory is better. I can say that prevagen is one of the most outstanding supplements ive ever taken. Prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life. Learned a second languageument applied to college applied for a loan started a business started a blog shared a picture shared a moment turn your wish list into a checklist, with internet essentials from comcast. When youre connected, youre ready for anything. In the state of North Carolina, why is the president going there tomorrow . Heres why. He is in a dead heat. Thats within the margin of error. A Monmouth University poll, joe biden up four points. Thats a tie if you consider that the margin of error. Michael steele, lets talk about who joe biden is talking to right now in the state of florida and, more broadly, and how President Trump is addressing that same group. I am talking about seniors. Joe biden directly appealing to senior voters at an event in florida yesterday as the president s support among the 65 plus age group has continued to decline despite the president s recent efforts to win them over. You are losing precious time with your loved ones, he has been stuck in a sand trap on one of his golf courses. And when he does decide to lift a finger, it isnt to help you. You worked hardier whole life. Contributing to society, building a family, building the country, serving america. You deserve security. You deserve respect and peace of mind. But you are not getting it. And by the way, if this wasnt so bizarre, youd think, you know, if i tried to make a movie talking about Something Like this in america, you would think i was making it up. Because donald trump is simple. Not a joke. Youre expendable. Youre forgettable. Youre virtually nobody. Thats how he sees seniors. Careless, arrogant, reckless covid19 response has caused one of the worst tragedies in american history. The only senior that donald trump cares about, the only senior is senior donald trump. So, compare that appeal, michael, to senior voters to this tweet by President Trump yesterday. A photoshopped picture of joe biden inserted into a scene presumably from an assistedliving facility from Senior Citizens with an edited biden logo saying biden for resident. It comes at three different polls found the president at a wide disadvantage among voters aged 65 and older. Its an age group that trump won by nine points in 2016. Michael steele, to build on willies point, President Trump is defying his own reality. As if there is something wrong with being a Senior Citizen, and by the way, Senior Citizens vote avidly. They are interested in this election. They are also interested in their health. It is a core con stitch wensy of the republican and has been for a generation now, and thats how we have put together the kinds of wins that have allowed us to take the house in 2010, for example. A lot of that was on the back of and help from seniors around the country, but particularly in places like florida. So you have, mika and willie, a contrast not just in style, but in the substance of the conversation. One in which you had joe biden actually connecting with seniors in a way that, you know, says, hey, i get where you are at this stage in your life, but i also understand how important you are to what we need to get done in order to turn the country around versus what you saw from the president , not just that mocking tweet, but his own rhetoric on the stage where he talks about himself. They say, im a senior, but then i dont feel like it, i dont act like it. And so thats again a putdown. Its not a recognition of what these men and women represent not just to the base of the Republican Party, but to the country as a whole. And the role that they play in setting the direction and have played in setting the direction. So, you know, the president feels the one thing i think joe biden said indirectly, which ill say directly, the president takes these voters for granted. He is making assumptions about 2016 in 2020. And the fact of the matter is this is a completely different race. Not just what the numbers are showing. The dynamics from covid to civil unrest to the flattening of the economy to the concerns that people have, and then his tin ear to all of that represented by that tweet of him, you know, photoshopped in a wheelchair is the ultimate insult to the men and women who could help him get over the finish line. Eddie, after 2016 when the president eked out his win in the Electoral College and became president , there was some thought he had some understanding of the electorate, he was a political mastermind, figured out how to become the president of the United States by saying the right things to the right group of people. You watch Something Like that yesterday and added to a long list of puzzling recent moments in terms of getting himself reelected and you wonder what he is thinking when he posts a picture mocking a Senior Citizen and mocking Senior Citizens broadly when they helped propel him to the white house in 2016 and with whom he is getting crushed with right now. Yeah, i mean, we have seen over and over again over these last three and a half plus years that Donald Trumps political instincts are really bad, that he really doesnt know how to do politics. In some ways, what he did was he rolled a search if we play dice, right. He rolled an 11 when it came to 2016. One of the things that we do know is that early voting suggests there is a lot of excitement and enthusiasm among the democratic base. We know not only in terms of the older vote, 65 and older, we are seeing long lines in georgia. We are seeing extraordinarily long lines in texas that has a lot to do with the ineptitude of those, of the secretary of states in those areas, but its also an indication of just how important this election is to many folks around the country. And so donald trump thinks hes going to repeat 2016, but when we look at the fundamentals on the ground, it is radically different. And so, again, evidence suggests that his political sense is really dull and dim. Coming up, President Trump is now calling on the Supreme Court to keep his tax records hidden from new york prosecutors. The latest on that. And a big decision on the u. S. Census that could have sweeping repercussions. We will be back with much more morning joe. 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Oh, yes, lets discuss it, lets talk about it over the next ten years. No, no, no. We saved your we saved suburbia in the u. S. So, susan delpurse yes, there isio, there is a misunderstanding on Donald Trumps part that we are at home cleaning the floors and in suburbia and were afraid of what i mean, i dont know how you could list the ways in which perhaps women who happen to live in the suburbs have been insulted by this man, but you might try. Yeah. I want to know who donald trump thinks he saved the suburbs from. Like from who . Who was going to hurt the suburban women that he thinks he can relate it to . He cant. Thats why he rallies like its 2016, but its not. And those rallies show recklessness. They show that he does not care for other people just like when he spoke to the issue of law and order, he poured fuel on the fire. Thats not what suburban or any other voter wants to see interest the president. They want a president who tampers down the situation, who brings public safety. And again these rallies show no regard for public safety. Of course its and now with 20 days left to go, those numbers are pretty baked in. When you are in the 30s, its hard to dig out of that with women. And i just dont see it happening, frankly. But when he makes those kinds of pleas, that even makes it worse. There is no explaining it. Its desperation. Except i will say what explains it, is that if you dont plan to win fairly and you have other plans, and thats something that i think a lot of people are watching, even during these Supreme Court hearings. Lets look at some other stories we are following now. Eddie mentioned the long voting lines in texas. Texas saw a Record Number of voters for the long lines for the states first day of early voting. According to the texas tribune, voters in Harris County shattered the record on the first day of inperson voting with more than 128,000 ballots cast. Election Officials Say there were minor sporadic machine problems leading to long wait times. Willie. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court yesterday effectively allowed the government to stop the census count immediately. The decision blocks a u. S. Appeals court order that would have required the administration to continue gathering census information in the field until the end of october. It would increase accuracy after Field Operations were suspended in march because of the pandemic. But the Census Bureau said it wanted to stop the count so it could start processing the data to meet a federally mandated december 31st deadline for reporting the results to the president. In a dissenting opinion Justice Sonya Sotomayer says, the harms caused irrelable. They will suffer Lasting Impact for the next ten years until the next census is con dugged. And President Trump has renewed his calls on the Supreme Court to block a subpoena for his tax returns. Seeking to appeal their case to the Supreme Court for the second time in less than a year, trumps lawyers asked yesterday to delay a ruling that would allow the Manhattan District Attorney to obtain trumps financial records. In a 38page emergency application, trumps legal team told the court that a Federal District court judge was wrong to rule that the prosecutor had a legal right to subpoena the materials and that an Appeals Court panel in new york was wrong to uphold that ruling this month. The lawyers argue that, quote, if the president s records are disclosed publicly, then the harm will not only be irrepairable, it will be case mooting. If the Supreme Court denies the state, it is possible that the manhattan prosecutor could enforce the subpoena and then get a copy of the requested documents before election day, but still outside of public view. Coming up, interviews with Democratic Candidates for u. S. Congress in three battleground states, and why their races could help determine the presidency. Morning joe is back in a moment. Im looking for my client. Im his accountant. Im so sorry. [ sighs ] hey hey man youre here. You dont trust me here is vegas, do you . Well. I thought we had a breakthrough with the volkswagen. We did. Yes. We broke through. Thats the volkswagen thats the cross sport. Wow. Seatbelts. Please, just tell me where were going. With the ninja foodito intelligesmart xl grill. Ing just pick your protein, select your doneness, and let the grill monitor your food. It also turns into an air fryer. Bring outdoor grilling flavors indoors with the grill that grills for you. I try so hard, i cant rise above it dont know what it is get a dozen double crunch shrimp for one dollar with any steak entree. Only at applebees. Taking california for a ride. Companies like uber, lyft, doordash. Breaking state employment laws for years. Now these multibilliondollar companies wrote deceptive prop 22 to buy themselves a new law. To deny drivers the rights they deserve. No sick leave. No workers comp. No unemployment benefits. Vote no on the deceptive uber, lyft, doordash prop 22. One ride california doesnt want to take. The unfair money bail system. He, accused of rape. While he, accused of stealing 5. The stanford rapist could afford bail; got out the same day. The Senior Citizen could not; forced to wait in jail nearly a year. Voting yes on prop 25 ends this failed system, replacing it with one based on public safety. Because the size of your wallet shouldnt determine whether or not youre in jail. Vote yes on prop 25 to end money bail. Does the constitution give the president of the United States the authority to unilaterally delay a general election under any circumstances . Does federal law . Well, senator, if that question ever came before me, i would need to hear arguments from the litigants and read briefs and consult with my law clerks and talk to my colleagues and go through the opinionwriting process. So, you know, if i give o offthecuff answers, i would be a legal pundit, and i dont think we want judges to be legal pundits. I think we want judges to approach cases thoughtfully and with an open mind. Do you believe that every president should make a commitment unequivocally and resolutely to the peaceful transfer of power . Well, senator, that seems to me to be pulling me in a little bit into this question of whether the president has said that he would not peacefully leave office. So to the extent that this is a political controversy right now, as a judge i want to stay out of it. So thats judge Amy Coney Barrett in yesterdays hearing somewhat equivocating on those answers with good reason because it is a big political issue right now. Having said that, she did talk about the history of this country and how it has been an incredible positive thing that every time there has been one, and the people of america who did not get their choice in leaders, the person they voted for accepted the results peacefully. I think she answered the question more than people are giving her credit for, but it still is a question, especially given this president. Judge barrett was also pressed on abortion rights, telling the Senate Judiciary committee in a landmark roe v. Wade case which legalized abortion nationwide shouldnt be cat forized as a superprecedent. Is roe a super precedent . I am answering a lot of questions about roe, which i think indicates roe doesnt fall in that category. You said proun is i know my time is running out, is a super precedent. Thats something the Supreme Court has not even said, but you have said that. So if you say that, why wont you say that about roe v. Wade. As Richard Fallon from harvard says, roe is not a super precedent because calls for the overruling have not ceased. That doesnt mean it should be overruled. It means that it doesnt fall on the small handful of cases like mashry versus madison and brown versus the board that no one questions anymore. Judge barrett wouldnt say how she would rule on roe v. Wade if she were presented a challenge to the case. Joining us host of way too early kasie hunt. Also with Us New York University law professor melissa murray. Mark barnacle is back as well. Melissa, let me start with you as the professor. Explain what a super precedent is and what was happening in that hearing. So the term super precedent refers to a group of cases that have been repeatedly reaffirmed by the Supreme Court over different moments of time. So different constituted courts have reaffirmed this precedent and that includes brown v. Board of education, which everyone would agree is firmly entrenched. Others would say it also includes roe v. Wade, which also has been repeatedly reaffirmed by the court and was not actually very controversial when it was decided in 1973. Its controversial later with some political realignment over questions of reproductive rights. Kasie, you are covering the hearings that start over 20 minutes from now in the Senate Judiciary committee. Yesterday most republicans i talked to, certainly the white house, believes that judge barrett acquitted herself very well over almost 12 hours of questioning. Who could we expect as we look ahead to today . I am not hearing anyone make an argument on either side she did not acquit herself well, you know, republicans who have been trying to do this as fast as possible are lucky, frankly, she has done this well to keep them on the timeline that they want to get her confirmed to the bench before election day. She is serving herself well in that regard, i suppose, as well. Its clear she is being very careful both in terms of how she is handling the senators and deferring to long standing precedent to have these, the judges who are potentially going to be appointed to the court to not say how they would rule on anything. She is also clearly being very careful that she is aware she is talking to an audience of one, that of course is President Trump down the street at the white house who is certainly keeping an eye on all of this. I think you are going to see today, you may see followup questions on some of the things that did come up in terms of the peaceful transfer of power as well as the delay of the election. I also think you are going to to continue to see a focus on the Affordable Care act. Its clear that democrats are confidence that their strategy is working. Do no harm to joe biden or their chances of taking back the senate. The fact that Lindsey Graham started the hearing yesterday morning by saying, essentially trying to give judge barrett an opportunity to explain why she is not a threat to the Affordable Care act, it tells me that that argument is working, its getting traction. Senator graham talked about his own campaign when he opened the hearing yesterday in a way that suggested he was perhaps frustrated with the effectiveness of the dictioemoc strategy. I would look to see more of that today. Yeah, an on the democrats line of questions on the aca, heres how it went yesterday. One of President Trumps Campaign Promises in 2015 was that his judicial appointment will do the right thing on obamacare. You can see it right here. And, in fact, judge, just one day after you were nominated, this is like a few weeks ago, he said also on twitter that it would be a big win if the Supreme Court strikes down the health law. So, judge, my first question, do you think we should take the president at his word when he says his nominee will do the right thing and overturn the Affordable Care act . Senator klobuchar, i cant really speak to what the president has said on twitter. He hasnt said any of that to me, and what i can tell you, as i have told your colleagues earlier today, is that no one has elicited from me any commitment in a case or brought up a commitment in a case. Vice president pence described chief Justice Roberts as an, and i am quoting, a disappointment to conservatives because of the obamacare decision. In upholding the aca the chief justice was the one justice appointed by a republican president who went against the political wishes of the party that appointed him. Why did you choose to single him out for criticism in that constitutional commentary article . Well, senator, i was writing about the majority opinion. And chief Justice Roberts was the author of the opinion. So i was simply discussing what the fivejustice majority adopt ds as its reasoning. I am not here on a mission to destroy the Affordable Care act. Prior to your nomination, were you aware of President Trumps statements committing to nominate judges who will strike down the Affordable Care act . And i appreciate a yesorno answer, please. I want to be very, very careful. I am under oath. As im sitting here, i dont recall seeing those statements. Lets see. I dont recall seeing or hearing those statements, but i dont really know what context they were in. So i guess i cant really definitively give you a yesorno answer. What i would like to say is i dont recall hearing about or seeing such statements. Okay. Mike barnicle, your thoughts . And you can take the next question. Well, i think my thoughts are probably shared by quite a few people in the country who watched the hearings, that sis skillful and well prepared witness. Professor murray, on that score, given that, judge barrett is very skillful in her presentations and very well prepared, but there is one element that im wondering what you thought about, and it is her evasiveness on basic questions like, does the president of the United States have the Constitutional Authority to postpone an election . Which she absolutely refused to answer. What was your take on things like that . Simple things like that. I thought those were puzzling answers. There was also the question that was asked by, i think, senator klobuchar, whether or not voter intimidation is illegal. It is clearly illegal and she refused to answer that in a straightforward way. I think part of what is going on here is that she is adhering to what she calls the ginsburg rule, which is that you dont comment on matters that might come before the court, and she is taking a very broad view of that. Almost anything under this particular understanding of the ginsburg rule, something that would come before the court. She is dodging and weaving on a lot of this, trying to avoid falling into answers that would allow the democrats more of an opportunity to really press her on her views and how her personal views might impact her judging. All right. New York University law professor melissa murray, thank you very much. And nbcs kasie hunt, thank you for your reporting on this. And up next in, in the past few weeks we have discussed a scenario in which donald trump could lose the election, but still remain president. And beating back such an attempt could hinge on three house races. Well talk to the three Democratic Candidates who would need to win to keep that scenario from playing out. Well be right back. Joe biden was raised with middle class values. Joe doesnt need to be the center of attention. Or see himself on tv. He has always focused on getting the job done. Joe led us out of the 2008 recession, and increased Health Coverage for millions. As president , joe will focus on getting us out of our crises. Hell listen to experts, work across the aisle. And put the American People first. Ff pac is responsible for the content of this ad. This is the feeling of total protection now that we protect your identity, and mobile phone, as well as auto home and life youve never been in better hands allstate click or call for a quote today 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. With the ninja foodito intelligesmart xl grill. Ing just pick your protein, select your doneness, and let the grill monitor your food. It also turns into an air fryer. Bring outdoor grilling flavors indoors with the grill that grills for you. How will we do it, at a time weve been asked that before. And through pandemics, and depressions, wars that split a nation, and fractured the world. Americans have always found a way to vote and make their voices heard. So stand with the National Council on Election Integrity and help make sure every vote is counted. No matter who you vote for, or how. Because while this election may feel different, we all call america home. To save you up to 60 . These are all great. And when you get a big deal. You feel like a big deal. Priceline. Every trip is a big deal. He will be out on the trail and is doing well. Thank you. All right. Barack obama will be hitting the campaign trail soon for his former Vice President joe biden, and aide tells nbc news that obama advisors have been working with the Biden Campaign and other key Campaign Committees to draw up a Robust Campaign schedule for the closing weeks of the campaign. But now back to an election scenario that we have been talking about here on this show that House Speaker nancy pelosi has been mobilizing democrats for in recent weeks. The possibility that neither joe biden nor President Donald Trump will win an outright Electoral College victory, which would result in the house intervening. Speaker pelosi described it last month right here on morning joe. One of the possibilities that he would declare victory on Election Night and say the vote by mail doesnt count, i won by those who voted in person. Secondly, he would have his allies in states send College Folks who say biden wins the state and its a Republican Legislature and state and they will say we are sending trump electors. We take that to court. That takes time. If you win in court, it takes time. If you dont have the Electoral College number, the majority by a certain date, representatives voting by state. So he has 26 votes. We have 22. Two are even. So its important for us to make sure, as the constitution says, nobody has a majority in the house, because its very clear the winner is the person with a majority in the house. We just have to take him down one vote. Wed rather have the 26 ourselves, but we just have to take him down one vote. Longtime Media Executive and eder at large at newsweek, warning about this very scenario and offered a way for democrats to avoid the election playing out in trumps favor this way. Tom rodgers joins us again now along with three congressional candidates in districts that tom says could determine the presidency. For pennsylvania first, dr. Christina finello, for michigans third, Hillary Scholten and for floridas 16, margaret good. Tom, begin with you, if you could get out the chalkboard so to speak and explain clearly how this could play out in trumps favor, if this scenario were to happen. Well, thanks for having me, mika. Well, first order of business, make the voted to big to rig but donald trump made very clear theyre going to challenge mailin ballots and very few believe the new Supreme Court with just barrett on it is going to step in and stop that and trump actually said ultimately congress will make this decision and as Speaker Pelosi just laid out, the problem is today if that vote occurred on the current composition of the house, trump would win that vote 2622. Even though the democrats have a major majority in the house today. That is a statebystate delegation where the number of representatives that are republican versus democrat in each state determines how that state votes. And as a result, when the new congress convenes which is the congress that would have this question before them, if it actually goes this far, under the 12th amendment, the democrats have to flip four states. Three of those four states are florida, pennsylvania and michigan, and you have today three prolific women candidates representing each of those states, florida, pennsylvania and michigan, and it only takes one congressional seat pickup in each of those states to flip those state delegations. So these individual races are absolutely crucial if the democrats are going to have a blue firewall against this trump challenge. So these races are truly of national significance. So lets pull up the three candidates here. Christina, hillary and margaret. No pressure at all, ladies dr. Christina finello, what is your Campaign Running on and how is it going . Great. Thank you so much for having me here today. Im running in pennsylvanias first district, which is buxton Montgomery County in the philadelphia suburbs i have deep roots here, grew up in a workingclass family and understand the challenges of are this district, because ive lived it. I have a daughter with preexisting conditions and still paying off my Student Loans and we have a congressman who made our lives much harder in this distribute. Sided with donald trump on taking away health care, for people with preexisting conditions. Sided with trump on limiting reproductive freedom and sided with trump voting for the trump tax bill. When the gop and trump need him the most, my opponents by their side. We can win this race. You know, we can bring change to washington. Our district is right to flip. We are one of three districts that Hillary Clinton won in 2016. Its still held by a republican incumbent and momentums on our side. Just had a poll yesterday showing us you by a point and biden leading by double digits. If we want to send a message to end this trump agenda we have to flip this district and replace brian physical patrick with me, christina finello. Go to our website and help us flip the seat and flip the pennsylvania delegation. Hillary scholten, how much does coronavirus play it role in what youre talking to voters about and how is your Campaign Going there . Whats your main issue . Thank you so much for having me, mika. Its a pleasure to be here. You know, the coronavirus is top of everyones minds, not only the laboring threat of the pandemic but the economic fallout. A district like mine, average income for faum of four is around 50,000 a year. This is, has been a devastating 2020. Health care is top of mind for so many, because of the pandemic, and because, you know, related to the recession, weve got 5. 4 million americans without health insurance. I cant go to the Grocery Store without people talking to me just how important it is that we protect people with preexisting conditions, lower the cost of care. Our campaign is on fire. We are up by two points in the polls, on the brink of making history here by electing the first democrat in almost 50 years. The first woman ever to represent this district. People are excited and were building something new here in west michigan. I wasnt born and raised in a democratic household, and, you know, but have come to see that the time is now for change, and thats really the story of west michigan. It is, kent county, heart of my district, considered a real bellwether for this election and as tom mentioned, it is literally one of the most crucial seats to flip in order to make sure that we can prevent trump from winning in michigan again in 2020. It matter es des deeply to peop the ground. This could be one of the very first votes i cast for michigans third congressional district. Were working hard here to win this seat. Anybody whos interested in learning more and getting involved, feel free to check us out at hillaryscholten. Com. Margaret good, how is your race going . Youre in florida. As it pertains to the coronavirus, is there an issue with how people are getting their news . I mean, its hard enough to grapple with your opponent, but are you also struggling with people understand the facts . Well, you know, people want to live in a healthy and a safe and a civil society, and unfortunately that is not where we are right now. People are sick. Theyre financially insecure. They cannot look to the government, because trump is not taking this virus seriously. He is downplaying the importance of it, and our current congressman, my opponent, buchanan, named one of the most corrupt members of congress five times and in lockstep with President Trump. Hes voted to gut health care, to cut medicare, to allow Insurance Companies to drop people with preexisting conditions, and we deserve so much better, and the seniors in this district, they arent having it. They have seen their friends get sick. They fear for their own health, and theyre theyre scared, and isolated. And this is a district that is one of the oldest districts in the country, and thats why we have seen this shift in in voting. Our polling has us statistically tied with our opponent. Wow. So we are working hard to flip this seat and make sure that we bring accountability to washington and florida, as you know, is one of the most important states. This is trumps path to, to the reelection, to the white house, and if we stop him in florida, we stop this chaos and bring normalcy and decency back to this country. Three women looking to flip seats in what could be the most vital districts in the country. Dr. Christina finello, Hillary Scholten, margaret good, thank you all. We should mention weve reached out to each of their opponents to offer interviews as well. Tom rodgers, thank you for staying on this, and before we close today, willie geist . Yeah. A busy morning, mika. The news tomorrow night at 8 00 eastern time tPresident Trump w hold a town hall meeting on nbc news. Er that on msnbc as well. The real headline out of that onehour program is that the president submitted to an independent pcr test from the National Institutes of health and doctor Anthony Fauci himself along with dr. Clifford lane review issed President Trumps medical data including the pcr test and concluded with a high degree of confidence the president is not shedding infectious virus thereby clearing him to participate in tomorrow nights town hall with savannah. Mike, kick it to you and gone 2 hours 59 minutes without me mentioning the Great Service by the Tampa Bay Rays jumping out to a 30 lead over the houston astros. Willie, they are americas team. Fighting the good fight and hopefully will succeed in beating the cheaters from houston. To your point, tomorrow nights town hall meeting, Savannah Guthrie and President Donald Trump, a real sign of an indication the trump internal numbers are showing devastation and he is now seeking a wider audience. Not just the fox tv audience. Hes going to speak to a wider audience of americans. Yeah. There you go. All right. That does it for us this morning. Chuck todd picks up the special coverage night now. Good wednesday morning. I an chuck todd of nbc news, and welcome to the msnbc coverage of the Supreme Court just hearings of Amy Coney Barrett. Yesterday the hearing last the 12 hours. Today each get 20 minutes to ask remaining questions. At some point expect them to break into closed session to press the judge on more personal issues. This is expected to be the final day that we see judge barrett at these hearings. The