Certainly, but around that date, yes, i think so. Dr. Fauci has been more conservative, saying that we could have a vaccine by years end. The house subcommittee on the coronavirus is about to hold a hearing on reopening schools. Some schools are already open. Others open this month. But with the virus spreading all around the country, many educators, staffers, and parents are worried, even more so since the president has threatened to withhold federal dollars if a school does not reopen. And later this hour, were going to hear directly from a u. S. Postal worker about what they are doing to make sure your vote is counted. They expect 80 million mailin ballots, so how do they make sure they all get back safely, securely, and most importantly, on time . Let us start in ohio, though. The president is trying to get back on the campaign trail, but he keeps running face first into his biggest electoral problem, the pandemic. Today, ohios governor, mike dewine, tested positive for covid19. The republican was not symptomatic and was only tested because he was going to greet the president on the tarmac. Instead, hell now be quarantining at home for two weeks. This is the second time in roughly a week that a prominent republican has tested positive before a meeting with donald trump. Last week, it was congressman louie gohmert, who was supposed to join the president on a trip to texas. Joining me now from cleveland, where shes traveling with the president , is nbc news political reporter monica alba. Monica, the president is trying to get away from the coronavirus. Trying to paint a rosy picture about whats happening across the country. And yet again, he is, as i just said, running face first into it. Whats happening down there . Reporter exactly, katy. A reality thats impossible to escape. Governor dewine was supposed to meet the president on the tarmac here in cleveland just moments ago, but once he got that positive test result, he left the city. Whats so significant here, katy, is the events meant to be held in Northern Ohio arent specifically related to the pandemic. The president will be touching on that throughout, but hes really here to have a Campaign Fundraiser later tonight and to talk about manufacturing and sign an executive order thats related to drug companies. But as you mentioned, its impossible for him to really separate these two incredible challenges that continue to dog him and follow him on the campaign trail. He spoke moments ago about governor dewines positive result in terms of coronavirus. Take a listen to what he had to say on the tarmac. I want to just say that a very good friend of mine just tested positive. Do you know that . Our great governor. Governor of ohio dewine just tested positive just here, and we want to wish him the best. Hell be fine. I guess hes going for a secondary test. I just said i look forward to seeing the governor. They said, sir, he just tested positive. But hes a great guy. Hes done a fantastic job. Reporter katy, this is the president visiting battleground states that could be critical to ris reelection in november. The white house says theyre going to continue to do these trips. Hes been doing them all summer long while joe biden, his opponent in the general election, has not been doing that kind of travel. That contrast really an Important Message for voters to take away what they might want to support in november. The president will also be doing more fundraisers this weekend in the hamptons and in new jersey, katy. Quickly, monica, the president said that he believes theres going to be a vaccine before election day. His own administration, his task force, is not that optimistic. They say by the end of the year. What do we know about why the president is saying that . And could it be about the fact that people are starting to send in their mailin ballots pretty quickly here across the country . Reporter absolutely. Its hard to see this as anything but political. This is something the president has been hinting at, but when dr. S fauci and birx and even his own health and Services Secretary azar are asked about it directly as he was earlier today with our colleague, andrea mitchell, theyre unable to commit to any kind of a deadline that would be close to november or the next couple of months. All indications are that these vaccine trials have to continue maybe towards the end of the year well have a good idea of the candidates, but in terms of actually having one available, its not just once you find it, then you have to produce it. And distribute it, all experts really point to 2021 as a far more viable option for that kind of thing, katy. As you look at this in the larger context of the election, this is something the president s critics are going to point out is quite partisan and political. Remember, mailin ballots going out soon. Monica alba, thank you very much. And turning now to capitol hill, where lawmakers are about to gavel in on a hearing of critical importance. Is it safe to reopen schools . The House Select Committee on coronavirus will hear testimony on whether schools are prepared for the inperson learning being pushed by the white house. In an interview this afternoon with my colleague, andrea mitchell, monica just mentioned this, health and human Services Secretary alex azar was asked about the president s false claim that schools can reopen because children are basically immune. Isnt the president sending a dangerous, dangerously reassuring message to parents, teachers, and School Systems who are now deciding whether to open classrooms . Andrea, first and foremost, we all want to make sure our kids are safe and teachers are safe when they go back to school, but we do believe that can be done. If we put our mind to it, if we have a presumption of figuring out how to get kids physically back to school in most circumstances we can make that happen. But just hours ago, in a court in florida, the biggest Teachers Union in that state argued that the state is not ready to bring students back to the classroom. The Florida Education Association is suing Governor Ron Desantis over his mandate for inperson learning. Joining me now from miami is nbc news correspondent sam brock. And sam, just on the president saying that children are basically immune, we should note that yesterday, twitter took down a tweet from the campaign reposting the president saying that during an interview. Saying it was misinformation. So tell me, what are we learning down in florida with this lawsuit and whats going to happen when schools start to reopen there . Katy, good afternoon. Good to be with you. Its an important footnote to make as the science is so unclear over how this affects kids, not just now, but in the long term. In the month of july, there were 25,000 children under the age of 18 who contracted covid19 in florida. Katy, thats about 800 a day. Keeping that information in the back of your mind, whats going to happen here with this lawsuit . The headline from today was that the matter is now going to be resolved in tallahassee, not in miami, but no date for that discussion over a possible injunction so far has been set, and the clock is ticking here in florida because some schools here in the state are set to open on monday. It is really hard to see how this matter gets resolved legally in one business day in three or four days before some of these schools open. As a point of comparison, in new york city right now, theyre debating whether or not to reopen schools. They have a 1 positivity rate. Chicago, the Third LargestSchool District in the country right now, just decided theyre going to be scrapping the hybrid model, going exclusively to Online Learning to start the school year. They have 400,000 kids. Theyre approaching a 5 positivity rate. In the state of florida, yesterday, that rate was 11 . More than double what were looking at in chicago. Thats why you have people from the Florida Education Association voicing their concerns. Heres what he told me. We dont know if these schools are going to be safe. We dont know if we can keep our students healthy. We dont know how many people are going to die. But what we can do is do everything that we can to protect our students, to protect our teachers, to protect our cafeteria burkers and bus drivers. What is your gravest concern about heading back to school right now . Theres a lot more deaths. People are going to die. People are going to die in our schools. And we can do something about it. Now, an attorney representing Governor Desantis and the florida board of education did point out there are 65 School Districts in the state and they are allowed to submit their plans which could conceivably involve completely Online Learning. But theres huge variability across the state right now, katy. And that is why concerns are so elevated right now. Obviously, the safety of children involved as well. Katy. Sam brock in miami, sam, thank you very much. And lets bring in Randi Weingart weingarten, the president of the American Federation of teachers. Always good to see you. I want to talk with more nuance about how to reopen schools. Yeah, thats true. Lets talk about with schools reopening with more nuance, are there districts where the virus is not as widespread where schools can reopen or do you feel its a blanket no go across the country . There are districts where schools can reopen. And frankly, we have been working since april, as you know, in terms of how to do that. Thats part of the reason why we put the first guidance out in april, a month before the first and more accurate cdc guidance about how to reopen schools safely. And so let me just kind of take you through, katy, if i can, theres three real pillars here. One is what the virus spread is in a community. And even dr. Birx said on tv on sunday on cnn that if you have High Community spread, you have to do Distance Learning. Number two is do we have, assuming theres low community spread, do we have the safeguards in a school to make sure that you can prevent the transmission of a virus in a school . And thats the six things, the masks and the physical distancing, the cleaning and the ventilation, the reasonable accommodations and hand washing. Number three, you have to have the money to make sure that that happens. Now, whats starting to happen is that when schools are reopening and you see positive cases, there are some places that are handling it well, like newark, and there are some places that were handling it terribly, like gwynnt county, georgia. When its handled terribly, people dont trust youre safeguarding their lives, whether its parents or teachers, and when its handled well like in newark where they had summer school, and they closed immediately, made sure that people knew about it, and kept things closed for several days, parents and teachers felt like their lives and their kids lives were important. So theres no one size fits all, but let me say one last thing, which is President Trump has made this much, much, much worse. The lying, the rushing to reopen, the threats. That has actually made things much worse, and i think more schools will start remotely now because of his theatrics and clear politicking than would have even with the virus surge. I want to get in one more question. There are certainly some students who are more vulnerable to detrimental effects of Distance Learning. There are students with special needs who need to be in a classroom, who benefit from being in a classroom. There are lowincome students who benefit from having a place to go and from having a hot meal. Is there a way to focus on those who are at largest risk of missing out by focusing on them and bringing them back into classrooms, maybe while others who are more amenable to Distance Learning stay home, even in places where the virus is a hot spot . Yes. So the answer is yes. And look at what israel did in its second try. It brought in special needs kids, and it brought in younger kids who seem to be more resilient. They are not immune, but theyre more resilient. So those things you can do. But the issue is, you have to actually be working together. The picture youre showing right now is a complete disaster and sends the wrong message. And when you have the administration talking out of both sides of its mouth, the people who trust donald trump are putting their lives and their kids lives and their teachers lives at risk. Randi weingarten, thank you so much for coming on with us today. I know this is a discussion that were going to be having in the weeks and months to come. So thank you for your time. Of course. And were also following breaking news out of new york. The states attorney general, latisha james, is taking action to dissolve the National Rifle association. The lawsuit filed today alleges nra leadership used the organization as a personal piggy bank for lavish vacations, meals, and clothing. Attorney general james said the abuse and fraud cost the nra 64 million over a threeyear period. In this state, we have a set of laws that every individual and entity must be held accountable to. Regardless of who you are, regardless of your power, size, influence, wealth, or station in life. One set of laws. And today, we send a strong and loud message that no one is above the law. Not even the nra. In response to the lawsuit, President Trump said the nra should, quote, move to texas and lead a very good and beautiful life. Lets bring in nbc news investigations correspond tom winters. On paper, this lawsuit is not about the politics of the nra or who they support. Its about what the leadership of the nra was doing with the money that nra members and donors were handing over. Thats perfectly put, katy. As you said, this is not attacking the nra for their stances, and i know some people will scoff at that and say, well, the only reason the nra is on Letitia James radar is because of their positions as it relates to gun control and their advocacy of the gun manufacturing industry. It would be important to note that the nra was founded in new york state in 1871, that the new York Attorney general would be the regulator is not quite the right word, but it is the legal body that oversees nonprofits. The nra is a nonprofit, so yes, theyre going to look into how this Nonprofit Organization has been run. If you look at a significant amount of public reports and reporting thats been done over the last year and a half to two years, a lot of the allegations today kind of branch from that or involve that alleged wrongdoing. As you said, katy, 64 million in losses to alleged self dealing, were talking about 3. 6 million in black card fees, private jets, traveling, vendors at the nra had sponsoring travel for nra executives and their families to africa as an example. The use of 107foot yacht. This was very closely targeted and youre looking at the prime person at the top of the agency, the ceo and executive Vice President , wayne lapierre, who has become the face of the nra, thats the person at the top of the suit and the person they say was involved in a lot of the selfdealing, including without board approval, the new York Attorney general alleges, with someone who gave himself a 17 Million Contract for when he leaves the nra. So katy, very much focused on the way the organization runs, as you said. And if the nra was dissolved, it would be a big deal for federal election spending. It spend more than 54 million on federal contests in 2016, including the trump v. Clinton race during that election cycle. Tom winter, thank you very much. Later this hour, im going to talk with the Lieutenant Governor of michigan. Hes leading a statewide effort to combat racism, specifically in health care, after his boss officially declared racism a Public Health emergency. And with Governor Whitmer still a serious contender, according to nbc news, on Vice President bidens own vp list, could this be a preview of new leadership in michigan . Plus, it is the 88 million vote question ahead of november. Can the Postal Service handle a national mailin election . Were talking to someone who is intime intimately aware of what needs to happen. Another 1. 2 million americans are out of work this week. When is Congress Going to act . A . It will mean painful cuts to essential Public Services across america. Fewer teachers and nurses, longer response times, dirtier streets. But some say our states should just go bankrupt. Text fund to 237263 to Tell Congress to fund our essential Public Services. Afscme is responsible for the content of this ad. Yeah. This moving thing never gets any easier. Well, xfinity makes moving super easy. I can transfer my internet and tv service in about a minute. Wow, that is easy. Almost as easy as having those guys help you move. We are those guys. Thats you . The truck adds 10 pounds. In the arms. Okay. Transfer your Service Online in a few easy steps. Now thats simple, easy, awesome. Transfer your service in minutes, making moving with xfinity a breeze. Visit xfinity. Com moving today. We are now 89 days away from novembers election. And 80 Million People are expected to vote by mail. It will be a herculean lift for the Postal Service, but this administration is slashing the usps budget. Is it practical or political . And what is it going to mean for november . Lets bring in nbc news correspondent geoff bennett. Ill pose those questions to you. Practical, political, and what does it mean . Well, look, heres the thing that people should know. The Postal Service, katy, had been strapped for cash well before this pandemic struck. Owing largely to the way that the Postal Service is structured, the fact that it doesnt get any taxpayer money, and also, its Pension Funding requirements. And of course, the pandemic has complicated all of those financial and staffing strains. Im told that over the last five to six months, you had some 40,000 letter carriers who have been quarantined. Two weeks at home, off the job. And there are now delays in service. About a twoday delay for regular mail. The are even delays for express mail. Thats leading to questions about whether or not the Postal Service is up to the job. Can they handle the expected surge in mailin ballots come november . The Postal Service put out a Statement Last week, and they said yes, we have the capacity to handle ballots. I was skeptical of that, so i reached out to Postal Service workers, union reps, post office officials, and they all say yes, we are up to the job. We do have the capacity. We can handle the volume. But theres a different question that is also key here. Has the Postal Service taken steps that has delayed the delivery of mail . And the answer to that is 100 . Absolutely. And everyone points to the policy changes, the budget cuts, the cuts in overtime that have been put in place by the new post master general, a man named lewis dejoy. Hes a top trump donor, a Top Republican donor. Before he was appointed, he had no direct experience working in the post office, unlike hes predecessors. And to get a better sense of whats happening here, earlier today, i spoke with the president of her local Postal Workers Union in upstate new york. Shes been a letter carrier for more than 20 years. Heres what she told me about dejoy. Hes looking at it from a completely wrong point of view, in my opinion. We are not a business. We are a service. We belong to the american people. And i believe that there are other changes that we can make, and there are other restructuring abilities within the service that will not cut back on how we treat our customers and how we deliver mail every day. But when you look at something from a business point of view, its a completely different perspective. So i asked her directly, i said do you think politics are at play here . Do you think that the post master general has a political motivation that hes doing the bidding of President Trump in trying to slow down the mail . She would not go that far. She said she doesnt think so, but that the end result is the same. He is still making decisions because he doesnt fully understand the nature of the Postal Service. And of course, other postal workers, other union reps, have a different view on that. They do believe this is a 100 political issue, and the thing that all of them say is that right now, what they need is more money. And of course, this is whats been happening on the hill. This has been a key Sticking Point in negotiations between Top White House officials and democratic negotiators. Democrats have asked for a 25 billion cash infusion for the Postal Service. Right now, it looks like they might get less than half of that. Of course, the deal is a work in progress. The other thing laura cash was said the way to deal with this is for people who plan to vote by mail, as soon as you get the ballot, as soon as you know who youre going to vote for, send it back in right away. Do not wait. Katy. You know, you took the words out of my mouth. I was going to say, there are two ways to help deal with this delay. One is get your ballot back as quickly as you can. Do not wait. Or, if youre in a state that allows this, drop it off at a polling place. Geoff bennett, thank you so much. And negotiations are expected to resume in just a few hours on the next round of coronavirus relief. White house officials and democratic leadership will meet again today at 5 00 p. M. Eastern with a selfimposed friday deadline to reach a new deal. For millions, that cant come soon enough. We learned this morning that nearly 1. 2 million americans filed for Unemployment Insurance last week. That makes it the 20th consecutive week that the number of firsttime jobless claims have topped 1 million. And adding to that hardship, the 600 expanded benefit is now expired. With me now from california is nbc news correspondent jo kent. Jo. Hey, katy. We are at an emergency setup for a Food Bank Run by the l. A. Regional food banks. And i want to show you what it means to see this weekly unemployment number. Ahead of tomorrows july jobs report, this is the scene here. You can see behind me here, we have cars pulling up. We have volunteers taking food here. And what it is is you have some precooked chicken meat. This is 20 pounds here, going to families. Its also accompanied by the fresh fruits and vegetables. Another 20 pounds of this. You get 20 pounds of dairy and 20 pounds of shelf stable food. Now, a lot of unemployed americans are right now struggling to decide between paying for Health Insurance or rent or food on the table, and according to feeding america, which is what this food bank is here, demand is up 50 nationwide. Specifically here, its up 80 . And what we see is a double whammy. We have the unemployment, the benefits going away, and on the other side of it, you have meat prices, egg prices, grocery prices overall, going up. Your average grocery bill compared to last year is 6 higher. You have meat and egg and fish prices going up as well. Its a really painful time, and i have been talking to people here at this food bank, and the concern about washington is that there is no concrete plan. And i have talked to a couple of individuals who said, look, we would like for washington to put our needs first, given this massive economic crisis. And katy, its not going to end anytime soon. I just interviewed roger, the chief Development Officer of l. A. Regional food banks and heres how hes forecasting the future. This Economic Impact is not going to recover overnight. If unemployment is at 20 now, were looking at months and years of recovery that people are going to need Food Assistance and were looking into our logistics, our warehouse space, and planning for the future and making sure people in l. A. County have the food they need. So the Food Insecurity issue here, katy, is really ground zero of this economic crisis. They have never seen lines of cars like this ever before. And ill tell you, sam and i, my cameraman, were driving around earlier, and this line for cars goes all the way down the street, six, seven, eight blocks. And this is probably the third food bank i have been to in the last week. And this is not extraordinary. This is becoming the new normal. So Food Security here certainly a major issue, as we see these palettes being loaded into cars. A lot of very, very grateful families getting this food. And its allowing them in some cases to pay the rent or pay for their Health Insurance and just keep going. Jo kent, thank you very much. If youre planning to travel to new york city, you might need to go through a checkpoint starting today. The new extreme measures the city is taking to keep coronavirus at bay. Plus, states are joining forces to back a massive expansion of Rapid Testing. But is it going to be reliable . Stay with us. We are following the latest developments in the coronavirus pandemic. And here are the facts at this hour. Dr. Anthony fauci is hoping that millions of doses of a Coronavirus Vaccine could be available by early 2021. He also believes a billion doses could be ready by the end of next year. Some 400 Health Experts have sent a letter to fda commissioner stephen hahn. They urge the fda to conduct a transparent and rigorous process in approving any vaccine. A new study from south korea published this morning offers the first evidence that asymptomatic carriers of covid19 are just as capable of spreading the virus as those who have symptoms. The study estimates some 30 of people infected with the virus never develop any symptoms. 15 people in arizona and new mexico were treated for poisoning after drinking alcoholbased Hand Sanitizer this summer. The cdc is now issuing a formal warning to never drink Hand Sanitizers. Major cities hit hard by the virus are turning to extreme measures to keep their residents safe. Starting today, visitors to new york city could be subject to new checkpoints at airports, train stations, and maybe even bridges and tunnels. And in los angeles, theres a new crackdown on homeowners who throw house parties and violate social distancing. Nbc news correspondent cathy park has more. Planes, trains, and automobiles. No matter how people enter new york city, if they have been to one of the 34 states and puerto rico listed on the travel advisory, they could be stopped at a covid checkpoint. Travelers coming in from those states will be given information about the quarantine. They will be reminded that it is required, not optional. The mayor warning violators if caught could face up to a 10,000 fine. Travelers and new york airports were already required to fill out a form to help with Contact Tracing. Now, the citys expanding enforcement. Sheriffs deputies will be stopping cars at random at bridge and tunnel entrances. We need to insure visitors in new york returning home are taking the necessary precautions to limit the spread of this disease. In los angeles, the mayor promising to shut off water and power at Homes Holding massive gatherings like this one on mulholland drive. These large parties are unsafe. And can cost angelinos their lives. That was cathy park reporting. Thank you. Lets bring in dr. Cash, an emergency medicine physician at columbia university. And a yahoo medical news contributor and also contracted and recovered from covid19. Doctor, thank you so much. New york has done a decent job of keeping the virus under control here. But were starting to see across the country hot spots, new jersey is starting to see potentially a resurgence over there. Checkpoints where people are stopped at random, is that going to help keep things at bay . We hope so. I mean, its a cultural shift towards responsibility. Individual responsibility as a member of a larger community. We are seeing an increased number of cases, i think 20 of the cases were seeing in new york are from other states. And i see this personally. In my own practice, in the emergency department, patients coming from south carolina, florida, other places, to really show us that the cases will travel through states, even if we are asking people to quarantine. So how do you get the message through . I mean, people may be coming back here because they went on vacation or theyre coming for work. Potentially, or visiting a family member. How do you get them to take the quarantine seriously . Honestly, its a lot of peer pressure and also reminders. I think what were seeing in the city is going up to people coming in from the transport hubs, penn station, the airports, and reminding them that its their responsibility to quarantine. Its not optional. Also reminding our friends and family that if they go on vacation before School Starts, i know a lot of parents that are very concerned about vacations before School Starts for anybody using the hybrid model, that people are going to come back from hot spots and not quarantine before School Starts for our kids. Well, what about Rapid Testing . Theres an effort to expand it across the country, but there are also questions about the reliability. Whats your take . The Rapid Testing is the key to the future. The Rapid Testing we have now, the antijen testing, is reliable. Its not as good as pcr in being both perfectly good at predicting negatives and positives, but its much, much faster. You get results in 15 minutes, and it is scalable. Were seeing about half of the tests done now are through these rapid tests. We need to see more of these tests produced. I would love to see the dpa be used to produce more of these tests in the six states that are banding together it get more rapid tests are doing it because theyre not seeing leadership at the federal level. Well, listen, the nasal swab test may be reliable, but in a lot of places. You just cant get a result back quickly, not in a couple days. Ten days or more in some places, making the reliability of that test and Contact Tracing and trying to track the spread of the virus useless. Dr. Kass, thanks so much for joining us today. Always good to see you. You, too. And michigans governor has declared racism a Public Health crisis. We will lay out what she means by that and her plan to attack the problem head on. The man she tasked to lead the effort is garland gilchrist, and he joins us next. Let me tell you something, i wouldnt be here if i thought reverse mortgages took advantage of any american senior, or worse, that it was some way to take your home. Learn how homeowners are strategically using a reverse Mortgage Loan to cover expenses, pay for healthcare, preserve your portfolio and so much more. A reverse Mortgage Loan isnt some kind of trick to take your home. Its a loan, like any other. Big difference is how you pay it back. Find out how reverse mortgages really work with aags free, noobligation reverse mortgage guide. With a reverse mortgage, you can pay whatever you can, when it works for you, or, you can wait, and pay it off in one lump sum when you leave your home. Discover the option thats best for you. Call today and find out more. Im proud to be a part of aag, i trust em, i think you can too. Michigan took a unique step towards combatting racism. The states governor, Gretchen Whitmer, signed an executive order declaring racism a Public Health crisis. Implicit bias is simply an unconscious preference that exists in each one of us, and as public servants, we have a duty to understand how those tendencies impact our actions and the lives of others. The training is required for both existing employees and must be completed within 60 days for newly hired employees. This is not alleging that people are racist. Its recognizing that everyone has biases from where we grew up or how we were raised. Its just a fact. Whitmer directed state agencies to make equity for all michiganders the goal, noting the ongoing coronavirus pandemic devastating impact on communities of color. Shes also mandating the creation of a black Leadership Advisory Council to elevate black voices across the state. With me now is Lieutenant Governor of michigan, garlin gilchrist. Mr. Lieutenant governor, always good to see you. How do you how do you combat this if racism is a Public Health crisis and studies have shown that being black can be det represe detrimental to your health in terms of the treatment you get and the food availability to you, how do you make it how do you combat it . How do you make it better . Well, first off, thank you an important opportunity. This declaration of racism as a Public Health crisis means that we will have every state agency and department available to us to collect the data and information to understand how policies and programs can have an impact. There are state resources that can be made available to deal with inequities in access to food. We have seen in the kooifrd pandem covid19 pand that we have had to put in extra investment to make sure community of color has access to physicians, which they havent had that before, which has led to Poorer Health outcomes over generations. With this Public Health declaration, we can look adeverything from housing to education to Economic Opportunity to environmental justice, to address all of the ways that racism has hindered opportunity, growth, and frankly life for people of color. How much money is being put into this . So thats a determination were going to make based on the data we find, but right now, were starting with Data Collection because its difficult to address a problem that youre not truly measuring or understanding. This information is available, and one of the things that im looking forward to is our state leaders who are excited to dive in and understand the role they can play to deal with this, so well be coming out with that information pretty soon. Because this is an executive order, if there is a leadership change, are you concerned that this is not an action that will continue past Governor Whitmers term or potentially if shes chosen for vp, a governor gilchrists term . Well, this is about us using the tools we have at our disposal right now. The people of michigan voted for governor witmer and i in 2018 and they gave us the tool of executive action to be able to address the problems that are confronting our state. And so we are using those tools to say that this is a priority for this administration. A priority for the state of michigan in this moment, and frankly, it needs to be a priority for the state of michigan going forward. I would like to see some National Leadership on this. I would like to see a National Agenda that is responsive to the Public Health crisis that is racism. We certainly have not and will not see that from the trump administration. And thats why we need a change in the federal government as well. You guys just held a primary, not mostly, but a primarily largely by mail. How do you feel it went . Well, elections can be complicated, but what im really excited about is we seem to have seen near record turnout in michigan. People largely chose to vote by mail and vote safely. Our Election Administrators at the local level stepped up and did as best they could to count those ballots thanks to them being staffed up and volunteers. I think we learned a lot of lessons that were going to need to double down on for the november election, but whats clear is that voting by mail is safe, its secure. Its not something to be afraid of or to malign the way the president has chosen to do time and time again in michigan and in other states. Its how we need to vote during this pandemic, and frankly, we need more federal resources to make sure more people can do it. Well, some of the ballots didnt make it to voters in time. Are you troubleshooting that for november . Are you going to be able to fix that . Absolutely. Were looking into this, and there are some changes that the Michigan Legislature can do to help with this problem. In michigan, unlike other states, mailin ballots have to be received by the time the polls close on election day, that tuesday at 8 00 p. M. The legislature has an opportunity to dress that so that ballots only have to be postmarked by election day to make sure everyones votes are counted. It is our goal, our leadership in michigan, we want to make sure every person has a right and an opportunity to cast a ballot in whatever way makes sense for them. Were encouraging them to do so by mail, and the Michigan Legislature has an opportunity to make it easier and more accessible to more people. Nbc news is reporting that Governor Whitmer is still in serious consideration for joe bidens Vice President ial pick. Have you had a conversation with the governor about what would happen if she decides to or if she is chosen to run with Vice President biden . We have a lot to talk about, and so this is not something that we have spent much time talking about. I know shes a fantastic public servant. This is a big deal that could happen in the next week or two, though. Its true, but whats a big deal right now is the things we have been focused on. So while we are certainly supportive of the Vice President , were supportive of the change we know hell bring to washington regardless of his running mate, were focused on dealing with the Racial Disparities and covid19 and health care overall, so with that, i think that shows the leader Gretchen Whitmer is. Shes focused on the tachk at hand always. If that task is at a higher level than Vice President , shell be ready for that, too. Listen, if you have a conversation about taking over, come on our show and let us know. We appreciate it. I appreciate that. Lieutenant governor garlin gilchrist, thanks for joining us, sir. We appreciate it. In a rare and raw admission, former First Lady Michelle Obama says she experienced lowgrade depression amid the daily reminders of racial inequality and dueling challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. She said the mounting stories of black people being wrongfully arrested, killed, or dehumanized have been weighing on her in her latest episode of her podcast. Spiritually, these are not they are not fulfilling times spiritually. You know, so i know that i am dealing with some form of lowgrade depression. Not just because of the quarantine but because of the racial strife and just seeing this administration, watching the seeing this administration watching it, ive had to give myself that, those days, those moments. Ose m. Granted. Only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Heres your iced coffee america runs on dunkin when you start with a better thats no way to treat a dog. You can do no wrong. Where did you learn that . The internet. Yeah . Mmm with no artificial preservatives or added nitrates or nitrites, its all for the love of hot dogs. I do motivational speakingld. In addition to the substitute teaching. I honestly feel that thats my calling to give back to younger people. I think most adults will start realizing that they dont recall things as quickly as they used to or they dont remember things as vividly as they once did. Ive been taking prevagen for about three years now. People say to me periodically, man, youve got a memory like an elephant. Its really, really helped me tremendously. Prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life. Its totally not the same without you. Were finally back and cant wait until you are too. Universal orlando resort. Buy now and get two days free at the parks. Restrictions apply. The race to rescue potential survivors in tuesdays deadly explosion in beirut continues. Alex crawford is in lebanon with the latest. Reporter well, this is the closest you can get to beirut. For a country whose economy relies 90 on imports trade has come to a halt here. Thats going to have a massive impact on the economy. The white columns are the countrys main silos containing grain. The yellow is the contaminated grain. The country has less than a months supply of grain left. They desperately need international help. That International Aid has started arriving. There are a number of search and rescue teams in beirut this morning talking to the lebanese about what they can do and whether its a search and rescue operation any longer or just a recovery operation. Certainly the people here are not yet ready to give up hope entirely. We saw a small baby rescued overnight. The rest of her family appears has been killed in this enormous explosion. These small little glimmers of hope are what keeping the residents of beirut alive right now, holding on to the optimism. All the buildings you can see have been affected in some way. Some of them will have to be brought down and are certainly very unstable. The future at the moment for this country is hanging in the balance. Alex crawford, sky news for nbc news in beirut. Thank you for that report, alex. How gutting to hear about that baby, but glad it survived. Thats going to do it for me this hour. If youre leaving your house, please wear a mask. Ill see you back at 5 00 p. M. Eastern. In the meantime Brian Williams and Nicolle Wallace pick up our coverage after a quick break. When your vneck looks more like a uneck. Thats when you know, its halfwashed. Try downy fabric conditioner. Unlike detergent alone, downy helps prevent stretching by conditioning and smoothing fibers, so clothes look newer, longer. Downy and its done. Introducing the new sleep number 360 smart bed. Now temperature balancing, so you can sleep better together. Can it help keep me asleep . Absolutely, it intelligently senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both effortlessly comfortable. Can it help with snoring . Ive never heard snoring. Exactly. No problem. And done. Will it help me keep up with mom . Youve got this. So you can really promise better sleep . Not promise. Prove. And now, no interest until january 2023 on all smart beds. Only for a limited time. Good day. Brian williams with you here on a thursday afternoon. 3 00 a. M. In the east. 12 noon out west. We want to begin with the headlines at this hour. The coronavirus has killed nearly 160,000 americans with an nbc News Analysis further finding at least one person has died from this virus every 80 seconds over the past seven days. Just under 5 million americans have been sickened. That group now includes Ohio Republican governor mike dewine. His office says he tested positive earlier today, hours before he was to greet President Trump when he arrived in cleveland. Governor also says he has no symptoms and will quarantine for two weeks. Testing in the u. S. Fell nearly 4 over these past two weeks, when it should be ramping up. Officials say its because people are discouraged about waiting hours to get a test, only to wait days or weeks for the