Republican party, since 1988, has agreed to and complied with the rules of those debates as set by the commission. Until tonight. Donald trump refused to comply with the commissions rules for the debate that was scheduled for tonight, and he became, donald trump became the very first president ial candidate in the history of the commission to drop out of a debate scheduled by the commission on president ial debates. And after donald trump dropped out of that debate, joe biden became available for and agreed to doing a 90minute town hall on abc that was scheduled for tonight at 8 00 p. M. Several days after that, donald trump reached an agreement with nbc to appear at a town hall at the same time. And what happened on this night tonight in president ial Campaign History was exactly what the commission on president ial debates was designed to avoid. Voters forced to decide which candidate they should watch in dueling television forums chosen by the candidates. Since the trump town hall was simulcast on this network at 8 00 p. M. , we will spend this hour focusing on what joe biden had to say tonight in his 90minute town hall at the Constitution Center in philadelphia. The words of a president matter. Absolutely. No matter whether theyre good, bad, or indifferent, they matter. And when a president doesnt wear a mask, or makes fun of folks like me when i was wearing a mask for a long time, then, you know, people say, well, it mustnt be that important. When a president says, i think this is very important, for example, i walked in here with this mask, but i have one of the n95 masks underneath it. Leading off our discussion tonight is symone sanders, Senior Campaign adviser to the Biden Campaign. Symone, thank you so much for joining us tonight. We really appreciate it. Thank you for having me tonight, lawrence. Im glad to hear you watched the biden town hall. It was a tough choice. Symone, i have to ask you about Kate Bedingfield. She was originally scheduled to be here tonight in this spot. She has been reported today to have tested positive for the coronavirus. What do you know about her condition, and what can you tell us generally about others in the Biden Campaign . So, lawrence, i do want a quick correction because Kate Bedingfield is not here because shes actually in philadelphia with the Vice President tonight, coronavirusfree, covid19free. All of our staff are regularly tested as are dr. Biden, joe biden, senator harris, and mr. Emhoff and she does not have a positive test. Who did test positive was senator Harris Communications director, and ive spoken with her today. I know senator harris and Vice President biden have also spoken with her today. Shes doing well. And we are pulling for her. Shes tough. Shes working virtually throughout the day today. So i want folks to know at home that the reason we, folks even have this information, is because we were transparent and, you know, we have been taking necessary precautions since the onset of this pandemic. Weve been wearing masks. Social distancing. Wearing n95 masks. Regularly testing. And these precautions and our exceedingly thorough, frankly, Public Health setup, is the reason that we were able to identify the positives of senator Harris Communications director along with two members of the aviation flight crew that our campaigns do fly on. But ill tell you, lawrence, this is just a stark reminder that this virus is real and all have to make sure were doing everything we can to keep one another safe. The most patriotic thing we can all do is wear a mask and social distance. I will tell you tonight in this town hall, you heard at the beginning about what joe biden would do. His plan, what he would be doing if he were president right now to address and mitigate covid19 and build our economy back better than it was before and his plans on what he and Kamala Harris will do when they are elected. If the people elect them in the next 19 days at this point, lawrence. Symone, im just realizing the reason i blurred the names on that is that it was Kate Bedingfield tweet earlier today where i got this news in the first place. Yes. And so let me let me reset here also to basically kind of a version of an equal time proposition, donald trump was seen on this network for an hour tonight and i want to give you an opportunity, just an open opportunity, to respond to what you saw in that and i have to tell you, i didnt see it, so i dont know how im sure you split your attention somehow between these things. What is your campaigns response to what you saw in the trump town hall tonight . Look, there were two town halls tonight, lawrence, i will tell you, i spent the bulk of my time watching who i believe will be the next president of the United States, joe biden. I will tell you, there were two town halls and we saw two different things. We saw a leader in joe biden. What i saw from President Trump were more lies, more skirting of the issues. At one point, President Trump asserted that the daca program and dreamers were two different things. What i saw in joe biden, though, was someone who understood the nuances of the issues that the American People are dealing with and someone who was so committed to answering the American Peoples questions after almost every question he asked, did i answer your question . Then when the town hall was over, joe biden stayed to answer more questions from voters who didnt get a chance to ask. And folks were taking out note cards. He stayed for more than 30 minutes. So i will just have to tell you that this election is a choice in our opinion, the vision joe biden has set forth, and the leadership the American People have seen over the last four years from President Trump. Every day over the next 19 days joe biden and Kamala Harris are going to be committed to making a forceful case on why everything from covid to health care to our economy, that they are the best choice to build back better than we were before because donald trump, in our opinion, has failed the American People. One of the first questions, think it was the second question of joe biden tonight, was from a republican voter in philadelphia concerned about joe bidens intention to repeal the trump tax cuts. I want to listen to some of what joe biden had to say about taxes. I carry this card with me. When i said the trump tax cuts, about 1. 3 trillion of the 2 trillion in those tax cuts went to the top 0. 1 of 1 . Thats what im talking about eliminating. Not all the tax cuts that are out there. And by the way, if you just take a look, we reduced the Corporate Tax rate. From 35 , and democrats, republicans were in office thought it should come down to 28 . He reduced it to 21 . You have 91 out of the every fortune 500 companies not paying a single solitary penny. If you raise the Corporate Taxes back to 28 , which is a fair tax, youd raise 1,300,000,000 by that one act. You can raise a lot of money to be able to invest in things that can make your life easier. So, symone, whose taxes are going up under the biden plan . Let me be very clear, lawrence, if you make more than 400,000 under the biden plan, your taxes are going to go up. Joe biden is not going to raise taxes on anyone who makes less than 400,000. And what the clip you just played right there was Vice President biden really getting into the weeds, laying out for not just the folks at the town hall, but the American People where he stands on the trump tax cuts. 1. 3 trillion of the 2 billion tax cut, yes, joe biden is going to repeal that. Why . Because those tax cuts went to the wealthiest folks in this country. And joe biden believes that they need to pay their fair share. And when hes president , thats exactly what is going to happen. Lets listen to George Stephanopoulos questioning joe biden about his plans for the Supreme Court in the future and the possibility of expanding the number of seats on the Supreme Court above the nine that is now in place. Lets watch this. Well, right now looks like theyre going to have a vote around halloween, so if they vote on it thats an appropriate day. If they vote on it before the election, you are open to expanding the court . Im open to considering what happens from that point on. You know, you said so many times during the campaign, all through the course of your career, its important to level it is. George, if i if i say no matter what answer i gave you, if i say it, thats the headline tomorrow. It wont be about whats going on now. The improper way theyre proceeding. But dont voters have a right to know where they do have a right to know where i stand. Theyll have a right to know where i stand before they vote. So youll come out with a clear position before election day . Yes, depending on how they handle this, but, look, what you should do is you got to make sure you vote and vote for a senator who, in fact, thinks, reflects your general view on constitutional interpretation and vote for a president who you think is more in line with you. Symone, can you clarify that for voters, how they should think about what will happen if the republicans confirm Donald Trumps current nominee to the Supreme Court . What will joe biden do if hes sworn in next year . Well, look, lawrence, so i want to be clear that i dont think the Vice President said anything new here tonight. What joe biden has been saying since the republicans decided to rush through the confirmation for the nominating process of judge amy coney barrett, is what he has been saying is this, that the American People deserve to be heard. And joe biden stands with the majority of the American People, lawrence, and they believe that we should fill that seat in the white house before filling the seat on the Supreme Court. And so were squarely focused on the voters, as you know, folks are voting right now. Nearly 20 Million People have already cast a ballot in this election. And joe biden is going to stay squarely focused on the conversation about voters, about what they care about because for those folks, this Supreme Court conversation, the nomination of a justice, is about health care. Is about choice. Is about voting rights. Is about the ability to marry the person you love on saturday and not be fired from your job on monday. And those are the issues hes going to continue to talk about and those are the positions that, you know, hes going to defend if elected president. I want to take a look at a question from a voter who asked him about young black voters who are not enthusiastic, to put it mildly, is the way this question was phrased about voting for him. Lets listen to this. What do you have to say to young black voters who see voting for you as further participation in a system that continually fails to protect them . Well, i say first of all as my buddy john lewis said, its a sacred opportunity to right the vote, you can make a difference. If young black women and men vote, you can determine the outcome of this election. Not a joke. You can do it. The next question is, am i worthy of your vote . Can i earn your vote . The answer is, there are two things i care i demonstrated i care about my whole career. One is in addition to dealing with criminal Justice System to make it fair, and make it more decent, we have to be able to put black americans in a position to be able to gain wealth. Generate wealth. And so you look at what that entails. Entails everything from early education, thats why im supporting making sure that we in title i schools, as you know, schools with the least tax base to be able to support their schools. Symone, his joe bidens answer went on, as you know, from there. As all of his answers did. They were all of them were several minutes long, as i saw them. What is your sense of how to reach voters like that who are asking joe biden about at this point in october this close to the election, theyre still feeling whats in this for me . Look, lawrence, i think its a fair question for voters to ask. What that young man in philadelphia was asking tonight is what plans do you have, what is the commitment youre making . Why should i vote for you . And i believe that what Vice President biden went on to do was make a very forceful case on what his commitment is. He talked about Building Wealth in black and latino communities. He talked about his plan for tripling funding to title i schools. He talked about his plan for 15,000 advanceable tax credit. Plan to give 70 billion, yes, billion with a b, to historically black colleges and universities and minority serving institutions and then invest further in those universities so they can serve as innovation incubators for engineers and the new technologies, new emerging technologies. Our hbcus and minorityserving institutions are really educating some of the best and brightest in our country. I mean, look, senator Kamala Harris is an hbcu graduate, and so i think what voters are looking for is a commitment and joe biden tonight, as he regularly does on the campaign trail, always, i would argue, gave that to the people. And he i just think he did such a great job. He was strong and such a contrast from what voters saw from donald trump this evening. Symone sanders, Senior Adviser to the Biden Campaign. Thank you very, very much, for joining us tonight. We really appreciate it. Thanks for having me. And we will have much more on the biden town hall and the state of the 2020 race with our panel of political experts who all watched the biden town hall tonight, and at the end of the hour tonight, we will be joined by someone who is leaving William BarrsJustice Department. We will get his reaction to what joe biden said tonight about how he would expect the Justice Department to run in a Biden Administration. The biggest carbon sink in the world is the amazon. More carbon absorbed from the air diminishing Global Warming in the amazon than all the carbon emitted on a yearly bay basis in the United States of america. All vehicles and all means. We have to use our imaginations. We have to move in the direction as well providing for electric vehicles. Electric vehicles will save billions of gallons of oil, create estimated, not me, wall street, 1 million automobile jobs. Joining us now, renee graham. Opinion columnist and associate editor for the boston globe. Stuart stevens with us, the chief strategist for mitt romneys 2012 president ial campaign. And a veteran of many other campaigns. Hes the author of it was all a lie. I believe is the title. It was all a lie how the Republican Party became donald trump. Maria teresa kumar is with us, president and ceo of voto latino. Shes an msnbc contributor. Renee, let me start with you. What was what from the way you saw the biden town hall, what do you see as the highlight . I think it was the way he approached it. It was classic joe biden. The decency, the respect, the empathy, the details. You know, joe biden could strike up a conversation with a stray dog, you know, and thats what he does best. And so answering peoples questions, in some cases giving them even more than what they might have bargained for, but really going deep into what his plans are, what his policies are to distinguish himself from the Current Administration, i think is really what he did best tonight and, you know, i think its what people need. He got to say everything tonight he didnt get to say in the first president ial debate. And maria teresa, we just bumped in with that piece of joe biden on talking about Climate Change and taking it from the amazon to the Auto Industry to wall street in a matter of seconds in a way that was very clear, easy to follow, clear policy and im going to have to assume nothing like what we heard from donald trump tonight or what people who listen to that heard from donald trump. Yeah, i have to share with you, i did listen a little bit to donald trump. I was aghast when he said 85 of people who wear masks can still get the coronavirus. I mean, dead wrong. Seeing that contrast to joe biden who brought policy detail and whos tackling one of the biggest issues that have had so many barriers in being accomplished in our policymaking and that is Climate Change. And he was able to ground it and say, look, we need to be at the table, but by being at the table and making sure that were addressing Climate Change, we can also bring the mostneeded jobs, the infrastructure that were going to need. That is what the American People are looking for. At the work that we do at voto latino, the three things that are mobilizing latinos right now is health care under covid, jobs and recovery and racial inequities that are facing the latino and black communities. He answered all three of them. But the fact that he was able to bring in the job industry, the Auto Industry, leading it back into places like michigan where people still might be on the fence, he brought it home. Hes like, we need to address climate but lets do it through a smart lens where we are reinvesting in our workforce and lets going to level with each other, were going to need that kind of big audacious thinking to get ourselves out of the depression. That has happened because no one else has actually addressed the issues that covid has brought with this unemployment and, sadly, the inability to open back up the countrys economy. Stuart stevens, i was thinking of you today when i realized that we got we had 32 years of history broken today, broken tonight, by donald trump. 32 years, consistent president ial debate history and participation by the nominees of both parties, complying with the rules of the debate commission. Donald trump wouldnt do that. And so what we ended up with, at least for some viewers that i was watching, was 90 s of joe biden uninterrupted by donald trump. And you got to see that that what happens when donald trump isnt there is that joe biden has full sentences that become full paragraphs that become pretty clear policy positions. Yeah, you know, whats fascinating to me is as you well know, lawrence, whenever the white house changes parties, it usually goes to a person who is pretty much the opposite of the current inhabitant of the white house. I thought tonight you just couldnt have gotten that contrast stronger. Joe biden is a guy who actually knows a lot, it turns out. Its shocking. And normally what would be a negative for biden, that is his experience, i think now the idea of having someone who knows how to be president is really appealing to people. You know, i think theres a strange thing thats happening in this country. I think its turning into joe bidens moment. You know, the idea that hes been nailed as boring, i think boring now is reassuring and he has this connection with loss and grief and this is a country thats in mourning. And more so every day. He can just speak to that in a way that i think is very powerful and we see it saw it tonight. We see it whenever he encounters people whove experienced similar loss. Lets listen to what joe biden said about the Justice Department and what the if there is a Biden Administration what the Justice Department might be doing in terms of looking back at what happened during the trump administration. Lets listen to this. What the biden Justice Department will do is let the department of justice be the department of justice. Let them make the judgments of who should be prosecuted. They are not my lawyers. Theyre not my personal lawyers. So youre not going to rule it in or rule it out. Im not going to rule it in or out. Im going to hire really firstrate prosecutors and people who understand the law like democrat and republican administrations have had and let them make the judgement, but turning this into a vehicle for you as if its your own law firm, you dont own that Justice Department. You pick the best people you can and you hope that what theyre going to do is theyre going to enforce the law as they see it. And renee graham, as you know, that was in response to georges initial question about should a Biden Administrations Justice Department be looking back at what happened in the administration for the four years before that . And so he left that as an open possibility. I think that was important that he did so. You know, i dont know, he made the comment at one point when someone said, well, you know, youre not really irish because you cant hold a grudge. I dont know if this is about holding a grudge. A lot has to do with accountability and theres been so little accountability in those last four years. I think its also about restoring confidence in these institutions that donald trump has denigrated and destroyed or in some cases just molded for his own use. So i think it was important for joe biden to sort of hit these two points. To leave that open ended, not to close the door on going after some of the atrocities that the Current Administration has inflicted on this country, but also talk about what the Justice Department is supposed to be and what its supposed to stand for. So i think he managed to find a proper balance between those two things. All right. Were going to squeeze in a quick commercial break here. Stuart, if everyone could just stand by. Were going to come back to this same group after this break. Well be right back. I got it all from you im always pushing through i know well make it to the finish line i know youre waiting on the other side im like you ondemand glucose monitoring. Because theyre always on. Another lifechanging technology from abbott. So you dont wait for life. You live it. If you lose, what will that say to you about where america is today . Well, it could say that im a lousy candidate and i didnt do a good job, but i think, i hope that it doesnt say that we are as racially, ethnically, and religiously, at odds with one another as it appears the president wants us to be. Usually, you know, the president , in my view, with all due respect, has been divide and conquer, the way he does better if he splits us, if theres division. I think people need hope. I thinking look, george, ive never been more optimistic about the prospects of this country than i am today. I really mean that. I think the people are ready. They understand whats at stake. Its not about democrat and republican. If i get elected, you know, im going to be im running as a proud democrat. Im going to be an american president. Im going to take care of those who voted against me as well as those who voted for me for real. Thats what president s do. We got to heal this nation because we have the greatest opportunity of any country in the world to own the 21st century, and we cant do it divided. Back with us, renee graham, stuart stevens, maria teresa kumar. Stuart, i dont know about you, in my experience, the worst thing you can bring up to a candidate is what happens if you lose. Watching joe biden handle that question was yet another reminder of how different a person he is from the current president. You know, i thought that was an extraordinary moment. Youre exactly right, lawrence. I can tell you what, they didnt prep for that moment. Nobody sat around saying, look, you know, mr. Vice president , youre going to get asked, what are you going to do if you lose . You just dont do that in debate prep. You talk about taxes or trade. It really came from his heart. You saw he he kind of paused and felt what he wanted to say. I thought it was very powerful. And one of the things thats so lacking now in all our politics is with trump in the white house is graciousness and grace, and that was a very gracious answer. It was something about it i think that joes as his campaign gets closer to the finish, more and more people are being drawn to joe biden and i think its more about those intangibles. Certainly, i mean, like, i work with the lincoln project. A lot of us are republicans or were republicans. Its more important that sense of the soul of the country. I think with joe biden, you can feel that its in good hands. Maria teresa, which which for you do you think was more effective in reaching voters, that sense of who joe biden is as a person that we saw in that kind of answer, or the policy responses, which were many, on me different subjects, criminal justice, taxation, Climate Change, goes on and on. He just kept talking policy. Where do you think the most effective part of that presentation was for joe biden . Lawrence, you do know this is one of the hardest questions you can ask me because i love im a policy wonk. I also have heart. Right . So yeah. He brought both. I think that is what is so important. He was able to bury them both. He was able to when he was speaking to the young africanamerican voter, he took him seriously. He recognized the limitations but also the vast possibilities of the future with a vote for joe biden. But he also delivered it in a manner where one can connect with him. He toned down the political rhetoric and said, look, im here to take charge of the white house and be a good steward for our country, to bring us together, to to unite us in a way where we can own the 21st century. Those are exact words that he and i have had in private conversations back in august when he was talking about saying, look, we were here 100 years ago, fdr stepped in and created a new deal because americans came together to nation build. We thought audaciously. Joe biden Kamala Harris, the people that he has around him, are willing and able to think audaciously because the American People are ready to solve our toughest problems. But it was his tone, his graciousness, his really you know, listen, saying, you know what, i may not have answered your question completely. Stick around and ill answer it later. Thats sincerity. Thats a connection with the joe biden that i know that he genuinely cares about people, and that is where the policy is married with the empathy that will home in and bring the country back together. And i deeply believe that. Yeah, its great you mentioned that moment, maria teresa, because i wondered if the tv audience bought it when joe biden said, if i havent answered your questions, stick around and ill answer it later. I knew he was going to stick around and answer it later because ive seen him do that so many times. Renee graham, there was another touch we saw when he took his first question from a republican, it was about the tax policy and he gave a very long and a very detailed answer, and at the end of it, he said, i hope ive answered your question and he used that tag line at the end of his question at the end of his answers several times in the course of the town hall. And clearly to prove it stayed around later to make sure he answered their questions. You know, some of the answers from joe biden reminded me of like when i was a kid and i would eat a box of cracker jacks. Youd have to go through all that stuff to get to the prize near the bottom of the box. When you got to that prize, it was pretty much worth it and thats what it was. With you would get so much of an answer, get so many details from joe biden. Even he sometimes wondered if he actually answered the question. More often than not, he did. Something i want to reference back to, we were talking about the two young black men who asked questions of Vice President biden. You know, black people in this country expect two things. Promises made and promises broken. And thats what they were trying to get at with joe biden. Are you just blowing smoke . Are you really going to address these issues . And i felt that especially the young man who asked him, even if you lose, what will you continue to do . That was important. It spoke not just to joe biden the politician, it spoke to joe biden the human being and if these issues are things he feels in his heart or something hes saying to get elected. I think that that was really telling in the way that he answered those questions. Yeah, and hi did say he would continue to try to work on these issues. Renee graham, stuart stevens, maria teresa kumar, thank you all for joining us tonight. Really appreciate it. Thank you, lawrence. And up next, joe biden was asked about covid testing for the next president ial debate. Youll hear his answer to that right after this break. Were helping change the future of Heart Failure. Understanding how to talk to your doctor about Treatment Options is key. Today, we are redefining how we do things. We find new ways of speaking, so youre never out of touch. Its seeing someones face that comforts us, no matter where. When those around us know us, they can show us just how much they care. The first steps of checking in, the smallest moments can end up being everything. Theres resources that can inform us, and that spark can make a difference. When we use it to improve things, then that change can last within us. When we understand whats possible, we wont settle for less. The best thing we can be is striving to be at our best. Managing Heart Failure starts now with understanding. Call today or go online to understandhf. Com for a free hf handbook. Will you demand that President Trump take a test that day and that it be negative before you debate . Yeah, by the way, before i came up here, i took another test. Ive been taking it every day. The deep test. The one that go in both because i wanted to be able if i had not passed that test, didnt want to come here and not, you know, expose anybody, and i just think its its just decency to be able to determine whether or not you are youre clear. And joining our discussion now, dr. Rob davidson, hes an Emergency Room Physician in michigan. Hes also the executive director of the committee to protect medicare. And, dr. Davidson, you contrast what we just heard joe biden say about being careful to take tests especially if hes going to be in company of the people, with apparently what donald trump refused to answer Savannah Guthries question about where you tested for the first president ial debate. He apparently could not remember. Yeah, its so refreshing to hear him speak like that. And to use the word, decency to describe the reason for doing that. He didnt take a test before he came onstage to protect Vice President biden. He did it to protect George Stephanopoulos and the people in that room. And that is what we do as humans, as fellow americans. We look out for one another. Im proud to see that he spoke to that and that he did that. Lets listen to what joe biden said about vaccines. And once we get it, if its safe, if its effective, will you mandate its use . The answer is, depending on how clear theres vaccines they say have a very positive impact and theyre going to affect positively 85 of the american public. There are others who say this vaccine is really the key. We should be talking about depending on the continuation of the spread of the virus we should be thinking about making it mandate how and, dr. Davidson, joe biden said, of course, he would take the vaccine, himself, as long as it was cleared properly by the scientists developing it. Yeah. A safe and effective vaccine is our eventual way out of this. Until then, he also talked about a mask mandate. Talking with governors and talking with mayors about mandating masks. And so, you know, this president has used a vaccine as a political tool, dangling it in front of voters saying its just around the corner, its just, you know, just a few weeks away. And i think Vice President biden appropriately is saying a vaccine, you know, can be the answer, but we need to make sure its safe and make sure its effective. Doctor, quickly before we go, how does it feel for you as a physician whos been fighting this pandemic all year to be able to contemplate tonight a possibility of having a president like joe biden on january 20th . What difference would that make in your life . I think if we have a clear and concise message from the top, if we have someone willing to work across the aisle with, again, governors of both parties, to encourage mask use and to ensure us that theyre doing everything they probably can, i think that is the world. Dr. Rob davidson, thank you once again for joining us tonight, and thank you for the work you do. We really appreciate it. Thanks. And when we come back, well be joined by a man who has served 6 president s and 19 attorneys general in the Justice Department. He is now quitting the Justice Department because of trump attorney general william barr. Well get his reaction to what joe biden said about the Justice Department tonight. Thats next. If you have medicare, listen up. The medicare enrollment deadline is only weeks away. With so many changes, do you know if your plan is still the right fit . Having the wrong plan may cost you thousands of dollars out of pocket. And thats why i love healthmarkets, your Insurance Marketplace. With healthmarkets fitscore, they compare thousands of plans from National Insurance companies to find the right medicare plan that fits you. Call or visit healthmarkets to find your fitscore today. In minutes, you can find out if your current plan is the right fit and once youve let the fitscore do the work, sit back and enjoy not having to shop for insurance again. Healthmarkets fitscore forever technology will continuously scan the market for the best coverage at the best price. So you can shop once and save again and again and again. Rest easy knowing youll have the right plan at the right price and the right fit for you. Best of all, their services are completely free. Does your plan have 0 copays, 0 deductibles and 0 premiums . If not, maybe its not the right fit. Does it include dental and vision coverage . Well, if not, maybe its not the right fit. How about hearing aids, glasses and even telemedicine at no additional cost . Maybe theres a better fit for you. Call healthmarkets now, or visit healthmarkets. Com for your free fitscore. They can instantly compare thousands of medicare plans with all these benefits and more including plans that may let you keep your doctor and save money. Healthmarkets doesnt just work for one insurance company. They work to help you, and they do it all for free. Having helped enroll americans in millions of policies while earning an a plus Customer Satisfaction rating from the Better Business bureau, you can trust healthmarkets. With the annual medicare enrollment deadline coming, go to healthmarkets. Com or call right now. Your Insurance Market place. Healthmarkets. Find your fitscore and get your answers today to get the most out of medicare. Call the number on your screen or go to healthmarkets. Com call now. If you want to see the get even tougher. Vision if you want to see moves and counter moves from the best minds in the gam. See you sunday night. Rams. Niners. On nbc. Xfinity is your home for sunday night football. We shouldnt be defunding cops. We should be mandating the things we should be doing within Police Department and make sure theres total transparency. 36 years. Philip halpern joined the Justice Department 36 years ago during president Ronald Reagans administration. Hes served 19 different attorneys general. He has served under 6 different president s, 4 republicans, 2 democrats. And now hes leaving the Justice Department. He actually says hes fleeing because as he puts it in the title of a new oped piece, i wont work in attorney general William BarrsJustice Department any longer. Philip halpern has been a top u. S. Assistant attorney in san diego with a he has prosecuted two republican members of congress, most recently former congressman duncan hunter. In his oped piece he writes unfortunately over the last year barrs resentment towards rule of law prosecutors became increasingly difficult to ignore as did his slavish obedience to Donald Trumps will and his selective meddling with the criminal Justice System in the paul manafort, Michael Flynn and roger stone cases. In each of these cases barr overruled career prosecutors in order to assist the president s associates and or friends. Who potentially harbor incriminating information. This career bureaucrat seems determined to turn our democracy into an autocracy. And joining us now is phillip halpern, assistant u. S. Attorney for 36 years in the Attorneys Office in san diego. I have to tell you, i learned something in your oped piece not just something about your career, which i learned a lot, but i learned something about william barr that i did not know. Im going to read it directly from the oped piece because it tells me a lot. After all,barr has never after all, barr has never actually investigated, charged or tried a case. Hes a well trained bureaucrat but has no Actual Experience as a prosecutor. And thats the man whos making these judgments overruling the prosecutors like yourself with the experience. Well, thats true. And i want to make it clear that this is a sad day for me when i feel its necessary to speak out against the attorney general of the United States. As youve noted ive spent almost my entire life in the department. I loved representing the people of the United States, and it was something that i was proud of every day i worked there. And its there troubling when i see a bureaucrat basically supporting an autocrat. And thats sad. I want to listen to something that joe biden said tonight about the Justice Department, the way its being run now. And he makes a reference just to help guide the audience, to the case brought by e. Gene carol in new york where shes suing donald trump because she has accused him of rape. Lets listen to what joe biden said about that and the Justice Department more generally. Can you remember any republican president going out there or a democratic president , go find that guy and prosecute him. You ever hear that . Or oh, by the way, im being sued because a woman is accusing me of rape. Represent me. Represent me. Personally represent me in the state of new york on my tax returns. What is that all about . What is that about . Theres joe biden identifying the things that donald trump is using the Justice Department for that we have never seen before. I think he may even be soft pedaling it. Let me tell you i hoped like many of my colleagues that what he did in mischaracterizing the Mueller Report was an honest mistake. It was just a sole misstep. But he has gone so much farther by choosing to selectively meddle at the direction of the president of the United States. You see that in the stone, it flynn, the manafort cases. And its true as joe biden indicated, but he also could have mentioned the department of justice weighing in his suit against melania trumps best friend. You know, he tried to block the publication of Michael Cohens book. Now, the attorney general has a right to weigh in on cases, but he has to do so fairly. Its not proper for him, you know, at the whim or tweet of the president to castigate black lives matters protesters in portland but then turn a blind eye when armed right wing militia storm the Michigan State capitol. And id go so far to say it was even worse than that because following trumps tweet then the attorney general tried to defend those actions by saying that he thought the actions there by the governor in trying to impose Public Health restrictions to help our citizens was the worst restriction of civil rights since slavery. Thats just not only is it nonsense, its not fair. Its not balanced. You cant represent only one side. The Justice Department in its Mission Statement makes it clear that we are here to enforce the laws in the United States and defend the interest of the United States. Not to serve the whims of a president. The statue of justice, you know, is blind and its blind to show that the department should be impartial. And thats what the attorney general doesnt realize, and thats what happens when he kowtows, acts as a lapdog to the president. And weve seen this before from kelly to mattis, to bolton, to sessions. This president , donald trump, has made it Crystal Clear that theres simply no place in his administration for anyone anyone who places Loyal Service to the people of the United States over service to him. Thats a problem. Its a big problem. Philip halpern, thank you very much for being here tonight. Im very sorry that your 36 years of Honorable Service in the Justice Department has had to end in this dark hour for the Justice Department. We really appreciate you being here. Thank you very much. Thank you, lawrence. Well, that happened. Thats for being with us tonight. Let me remind you that what you just saw was a production of nbc news. We are msnbc. We did not produce that event. We simulcast it here along with cnbc, but that was a strange replacement for what was otherwise supposed to be the second president ial debate of this general election season. Again, the reason we got here is because President Trump dropped out of the second debate. Vice President Joe Biden then scheduled a town hall on abc news. That is ongoing. The president then was offered this hour of time on nbc, simulcast on msnbc and cnbc to what amounted to a duelling town hall. Were not going spend the whole hour tonight talking about this, but i do feel like just to be responsible, i want to give you a little bit of summation. There was some news made, especially right at the top under sharp questioning from savannah guthrie. The president told us some stuff about his own covid experience that is new. The president in his own words asked about whether or not he had pneumonia says he was told his lungs looked a little different, perhaps infected. Theyve never before talked about what the president s symptom what the president s illness, how it was characterized. Theyve never been able to, you know, describe his scans or describe what his test results were. The the opinion saying he was told his lungs looked a little different and perhaps were infected. Asked as a followup, infected with what, the president wouldnt say. The president did say white House Doctors would answer that question. The white House Doctors have been unwilling to do anything of the sort under sharp questioning from the White House Press co s corps. Under further questioning from savannah guthrie, the president also refused to say when his last negative pest test was before he tested positive late on the night of october 1. Now this is important because this tells us when the president was potentially infected, including whether or not the president potentially was infected when he stood on that debate stage with joe biden two nights before he tested positive. Now the president said tonight that he didnt feel any symptoms during the debate. He didnt feel symptoms until after the debate. But this is fascinating. He would not say whether he actually took a test on the day of the debate. That was a requirement of the commission on president ial debates, that both candidates had to be tstested. It was unfortunately a requirement that was enforced through the honor system, ass e assuming that both of the president ial candidates could assuming that both candidates could be trusted to do that. The president says he doesnt recall he insisted that he does not remember whether or not he was tested on the day of the debate, which is crazy, given that he tested positive and was pretty significantly symptomatic two days later. It does seem like there is a real possibility that the president was positive the day of the debate, when he stood up there with no mask on, with his family with no mask on in the debate hall, and he debated joe biden for debate one. The president also said, making further news, that he does not get tested every day, nor has he been tested every day over the course of the pandemic. Also, i think it is news tonight, faced with t