adults if it's approved it would be the first pill shown to treat covid. this morning a welcome sight. the boston marathon back on after being cancelled in 2020 because of the pandemic and then delayed again. we're on the route in just a few moments. also ahead this hour, my exclusive conversation with the one and only michael jordan. we talked the new nba system, racism in the sports world, and bubba wallace. his reaction to the historic win last week. in the just last hour, new insight into january 6th. the scathing letter to congress from a u.s. capitol police whistleblower accusing the agency's two senior leaders of mishandling intelligence. we have the details on that and also the latest from our nation's capitol on the fight over the debt ceiling and the buzz saw that's chewing apart at the president's agenda. is the biden administration doing enough to sell his build back better plan? do you know what's part of it? do your friends? the polling that's raising some new questions about the bill democrats hope will carry them to victory in the midterms. we'll get to that in a moment. we start with some major new developments in the pandemic this morning. steve is in los angeles county where there is new tension over a vaccine mandate for law enforcement. shaquille brewster is along the route of the boston marathon, which is back after being cancelled and delayed again because of the pandemic. and also dr. blackstock, founder and ceo of advancing health equity and an msnbc medical contributor. doctor, in the last few hours merck announing it's applying for emergency use authorization from the fda for its oral anti-viral drug. it's used for the treatment of mild to moderate covid-19 in adults who are at risk for severe illness or hospitalization. how would this factor into the treatment options available right now, doctor? >> thank you so much for having me on. as you mentioned, at the beginning of the show, it's a pill. right now we only have medications that can be given via the iv. this pill taken by mouth will make being treated for covid-19 significantly more accessible for all different types of communities. and so this is a game-changer. we have another tool in our tool kit, and we've seen really great results. we've seen it decreases hospitalizations by about 50%. the antibodies are more affected at 70%, but they're more expensive. the key to making this medication successful will be making sure people have access to health care providers to prescribe them to prescriptions, and that they get testing within the first tooif days because they need to be treated in the first five days of symptoms. >> let me ask you about this -- someone raised this earlier, and i hadn't considered it. it's hard enough getting folks to get the shot right now. a lot of folks, i should say. are you concerned on any level someone might forego getting the vaccination because we have pills that they can take if they do contract covid? >> yeah. that's such a great point. i think the messaging has to be important. really, our goal of public health is to prevent people from getting sick and infected in the first place. that's why we wanted to get people vaccinated. that's why we want them to wear masks. even people who are vaccinated but elderly, are immune compromised may have breakthrough disease and will need the medication. we have to emphasize to the public that it's great to have this tool, but we want to prevent people from getting sick in the first place. >> shaq, i want to turn to you. a positive sight in boston. the marathon back after being cancelled last year for the first time since the tradition started. how have they adapted to protocols there? >> reporter: well, you hear the cheers as i do this report. we're at mile marker 22 for this entire marathon, and look, this is something that many people have been waiting for. this is one of the country's most popular marathons here in boston. it's an event that we have every single year exempt for the past two years. well, over two years this has been delayed because of the paebd. it was cancelled in 2020. people are excited to be back here. it's much different than what you've seen in the past. in some ways it's apparent. some ways it's not. there's fewer runners you'll have go through the course. it will be less congested. less densely populated on the route. that's intentional. they're phasing in the start times for many of the runners to make sure it's not as congested as it normally is. you also have a situation with all the runners. they have either submitted a negative covid test or they submitted their proof of vaccination. so there are definitely covid modifications you're seeing. you have runners saying this is something they've been training for and waiting for. they're excited to be out here. listen to what we heard. >> i am so excited to be here, and boston is back. >> everybody in boston knows you are running or watching. i'm running. >> suddenly everything has changed. ? there is no great density of runners. no collection of them at all at the boston common or on the road as they run. >> reporter: so you hear the cheers here. that excitement is back. that's what so many people have been waiting for. experts are saying this could be a sign of the corner that many people feel we are turning right now. as you look up cases going down. hospitalizations going down nationally, but you have people here just hoping that this is an opportunity to kind of get their minds off the pandemic and focus on something that they're so used to doing here in boston. that's celebrating the boston marathon here. >> all right. there's shaq in boston. steve, let's come to you in los angeles. because it's a bit of a different story to a certain extent. i mean, the crack in the rosy picture. the pushback against vaccine requirements there. what's happening in los angeles? >> well, you know, craig, i think it's maybe easy to dismiss this as one sheriff pushing back against one mandate. until you realize this is the largest sheriff's department in the united states. 18,000 members and they serve a population here of 10 million people in l.a. county. so there's that. the influence there obviously clear. when you realize this is happening in other departments all across the country. but let's focus here. this is a sheriff who is refusing to enforce a vaccine mandate for his deputies. he says the reason is simply this. that there have been too many cuts to the department, that leaving the force essentially bare boned and he cannot afford to lose anymore boots on the ground. he said if he were to enforce this, he may lose another 10% of his force. some people may hear that. they may look at the numbers and may agree with him. other people may look back at his record. back in july he also refused to enforce a mask mandate for the entirety of l.a. county, disagreeing with the science on the ground. here's what he is saying about this mandate. listen to this in a recent town hall. >> i'm not forcing anyone. i don't want to be in a position to lose 5%, 10% of my work force overnight on a vaccine mandate while at the same time our bare bones with the funding effort. >> reporter: it's not just happening here. it's happening in washington state, oregon, chicago has a big battle on their hands. in seattle there's a deadline less than two weeks away, and they estimate about a third of the officers there have yet to submit any proof of vaccination. the reasoning for why this is so important may be a little uncleefr. that's because experts say covid has become one of the leading causes of death for first responders. the experts may look at this and say this is in their best interest, but they also point to culture issues and issues that may persist for quite some time. this is not the last we'll hear of the battlings as covid gets better. >> steve, i mean, just a quick follow. it sounds like the sheriff there, his chief complaint is that if he were to force his officers to get the shot, he would lose a significant percentage of his work force? is that the argument? >> reporter: that is the argument. he says he could lose up to another 5% to 10% of his work force. that there have been too many cuts. part of the reason, he's blaming the defund movement. there's been forced hiring freezes on the department, and he says serving this many people, that's simply too big of a loss in the immediate for him to take action on it. craig? >> doctor blackstock, let me come back to you and take a bit of a turn here, because we are just two weeks and some change away from trick or treating and for all of us with small children, some welcome guidance, perhaps, over the weekend from dr. fauci with regards to trick or treating. this is what dr. fauci said and then we'll talk about it on the other side. >> you can get out there. you're outdoors for the most part, at least when my children were out there doing trick or treating. and enjoy it. i mean, this is a time that children love. it's a good time to reflect on why it's important to get vaccinated, but go out there and enjoy halloween as well as the other holidays. >> dr. fauci there telling all the kids to go out and get cavities. dr. blackstock, it sounds like trick or treating is okay and we got some advice from parents and kids and how to do it safely. >> that's right. basically anything that's out doors is probably the safest place that people can be. obviously you want families and kids to avoid dense crowds. as long as you're outside, we know that that significantly decreases the risk of transmission of the virus. i would say regarding indoor parties, just to make sure that you know the vaccination status of other people there, that you are keeping open windows, open doors and also rapid testing could be really good strategy for people to use testing people before the indoor halloween parties, but overall, definitely enjoy halloween. trick or treating is a go for this year, absolutely. >> boston marathon is back, trick or treating is back. it's all back. dr. blackstock, shaq brewster. shaq, were you applauding of erika coming back or applauding -- steve patterson in los angeles. a big thanks to all three of you on this monday. by the way, a quick programming note here. you can actually watch the boston marathon throughout today on nbc sports and peacock. there will also be a replay of the marathon tonight, 8 p.m. eastern on the olympic channel. we're following breaking news on this monday morning as well. the whistleblower inside the u.s. capitol police accuing the force's leaders of mishandling intelligence leading up to the january 6th attacks. we'll have a look at the allegations. also it really sounds like something out of a movie. a navy engineer caught up in an alleged secrets about a nuclear submarine to a foreign government and he hid it -- the intel inside a peanut butter sandwich. what to expect when he's in court tomorrow. also my exclusive conversation with michael jordan. his new experience as a nascar owner in a sport where it is not uncommon to see the confederate flag, and his $110 million pledge to fight for social justice. >> i can speak to how it works. my actions have been that i want to make a difference. ence firefighter maggie gronewald knows how to handle dry weather... ...and dry, cracked skin. new gold bond advanced healing ointment. restore healthy skin, with no sticky feeling. gold bond. champion your skin. ♪ ♪ there are beautiful ideas that remain in the dark. but with our new multi-cloud experience, you have the flexibility you need to unveil them to the world. ♪ ok everyone, our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition for strength and energy. whoo hoo! ensure, with 27 vitamins and minerals, now introducing ensure complete! with 30 grams of protein. age-related macular degeneration may lead to severe vision loss, so the national eye institute did 20 years of 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blistering 16-page report accusing two senior leaders of capitol police of mishandling intelligence in the runup to january 6th which this whistleblower argues provided ample evidence that attack on the capitol was going to happen. the whistleblower suggests that the congressional community which seems to be a shorthand for four congressional leaders to whom this letter was addressed ditd not do enough to hold the individuals accountable. this person says they had in their possession a report they did not disclose to congress that provided evidence, for instance, internet activity among supporters of donald trump in which they were encouraging each other to carry guns to the event to confront members of congress and force their way into the capitol. they had a map of the capitol, and ultimately, they were talking about forcibly certifying the election result of 2020, donald trump. that last part, of course, did not happen. now, it is important to view this all in a certain context. there has been internal politicking and finger pointing within the law enforcement community about who dropped the ball? and it's helpful to view this in context of that. capitol police which is now under the new leadership of tom manger, put out a statement saying many of the problems identified in the letter, particularly the failure to take appropriate action, has already been addressed and they insist they are learning from prior mistakes. >> sahil for us. sahil, thank you. let's turn now to president biden's agenda. progressives and moderates have a way to go to reach an agreement on the top line number for the so-called build back better reconciliation bill. this is how senator elizabeth warren put it sunday on this network. >> how much is it going to cost us to get there? and for everybody who says no, no, we're just going to come down from 3.5, i want to say what are you planning to leave behind? there are things i'm not going to leave deby hind, and there are things democrats should never leave behind. >> the fights could intensify. the house set to clear the way for a short-term debt limit extension tomorrow. but that vote is all but certain to set up another standoff in december. i want to bring in punch bowl news co-founder, john, today's punch bowl newsletter lays out the four big items that congress has to get done the next few months in fact it notes that while democrats are squabbling over this reconciliation package, there's more complicated fight over the debt limit moving in december. what's the likelihood that democrats are going to be able to pass infrastructure and reconciliation before the end of this month? >> before the end of october? i'd say very low. to be honest. i'd say -- i think they could have a top line agreement as senator warren was talking about there. there was top line agreement between the house and senate democrat, and the white house that would give them the parameters of the reconciliation package, but i see little chance they could pass a reconciliation package this month. but if you have that top line agreement, that would open the door potentially for democrats to pass the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. that would be an important win for president biden and it would be an important win for democrats and the group of ten bipartisan senators who negotiated this deal and moderate democrats. they're dying for this. the democratic governor's candidate in virginia was crying for it. give me this bill. they need something from washington, the democrats, mayors, candidates, they need something from washington. they're hoping to maybe see it by the end of the month. >> let's go back to the build back better plan. there have been serious questions over the last few days about how well the administration is selling it. cbs news and ugov conducted a poll. they found only 10% of americans know a lot about the specifics of the bill. meanwhile 28% said they had a general sense but not specifics. 29% said they don't know what's in it at all. they've been talking about this bill since the president essentially took office. what are the things that -- what people did tend to know is the price tag. it was $3.5 trillion. how do you explain it? how could it be this is a plan that's been out there for so long but few people seem to know a lot of the details? >> you know, that's such a great question. you put it well. i like that you showed the poll. i think what the democrats have done is they've gotten trapped in the debate about cost. it's a huge issue. and it is, but it's where republicans wanted them to be. they wanted to be fighting over costs and saying, you know, this costs this much and this costs this much. i mean, this is where joe manchin is talking about in the infrastructure bill. it's like it's a trillion dollars. it's huge, but it's going to effect every american. if you go back to the president's speech before congress, he talked about the elements of this plan, and his american jobs plan and his american families plan when they rolled those out, they did a good job talking about we want paid family leave. we want child tax credit and more free community college. those are enormously popular provisions when they take them out and talk about them. but since then, democrats have fallen into this trap of they've been fighting about what's the number? what's the number? what's the number? and we the press corps are asking every day, what's the? you're asking them on the show every day, what's the number? that's a mistake for them. this is where they got back in 2009 and 2010 when they were doing obama care. >> you're right. >> they got back on the big, big number, and the big issue, and is it socialism or not? this is a trap for them. and they're not doing a good enough job selling this. i think the white house knows this. they want to talk more about it. i think you've seen the president already start to go out to individual states. he was in michigan the other day talking about this. you're going to see more of this from the president and white house officials. it's a bit of a mistake how they did it. >> you mentioned obama care over the weekend. i read something and thought the same thing. i thought i recall vividly the polling years ago when they asked people, well, what about coverage for preexisting conditions? everyone is like yeah, it's a great idea. it's a great idea. and then you mention it's obama care, it's like it's terrible. it's a terrible idea. >> same trap. they're falling into it again. i know the veteran democrats up on the hill are saying my god, this is like a flashback. i'm watching it again. we have to turn about. they're losing the politics of it. that's the important part. >> john, thank you. always enjoy the punch bowl newsletter. keep it coming. just two days after a judge put a hold on that restrictive texas abortion law, an appeals court has reinstated it. we're going to break down the latest in that 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>> look, there's a lot of finger pointing going on. and just to expound on what you said a second ago in terms of the 360 cancellations, so far 600 plus delays. that's more than 25 % of all the southwest flights in the united states today here on day four. so it does continue to be a problem. in terms of what caused all of this, southwest is saying there was severe weather in florida on friday. and that compounding that issue, there were air photographic control problems as well. that's their stance. industry experts point to the fact that there are other airlines that experienced virtually no cancellations under the same conditions. so there's some contradictions going on. southwest is directing passengers right now to try a self-serve portal to rebook. they're doing the best job they can to get things back up and fully operational by hopefully tomorrow. i interviewed a woman from chicago. her name is liz. she got cancelled twice in the last 48 hours. here's what she told me. do you think southwest owes it to passengers to refund their money? >> for sure. it's an inconvenience. i was supposed to be home yesterday and i'm still here. >> you said you are getting your money back? >> yeah. i'm going to get my money back. >> what do you say your frustration level is right now? >> 100. >> you're not -- >> i'm not playing. >> there you go. now, the faa has weighed in on this. they tweeted right back after southwest was feeling some questions. they said it was only a small window on friday where there were air traffic control issues and it was one airport or so where it was going on. they also in what may be a dig to southwest said some airlines are having continuing scheduling problems because they don't have the aircraft and crew in the right place. again, it's differing opinions. the reality is there are hundreds of flights even today affecting thousands of passengers and according to flight aware, the places where it's had the biggest impact today would be chicago o'hare, denver, and bwi in baltimore. we're going to keep track of this and watch developments throughout the rest of the day. >> something to see. the faa throwing shade on social media. 2021. sam brock there in miami. sam, thank you. meanwhile a navy engineer is accused of hiding government secrets in a peanut butter sandwich, trying to pass those secrets off to a foreign agent. it may sound like a wild plot line from a show like the americans, but federal prosecutors say it actually happened. they say the engineer tried to pass restrictive information about nuclear-powered submarines and they allege his wife tried to help him. both are in jail this morning. ken dilanian is following this. ken, take us through the charges they're facing, and how did the fbi get wind of this? >> reporter: hey, craig, they are charged under the atomic energy act with selling blueprints for the nuclear -- the subs cost about $3 billion each and are one of the most advanced weapons in the american arsenal. and because this involved nuclear technology, these charges carry a penalty of life in prison. the fbi got onto this couple this december of 2020 after the bureau obtained a package of materials sent to officials in an un-named third country. that suggests the country was a friend rather than an adversary. according to that complaint, the fbi began communicating with the couple, posing as a foreign intelligence service interested in paying them for defense secrets. the fbi convinced them to leave digital memory cards with sensitive data in remote locations in what are known in the spy world as dead drops. in one of the dead drops, as you mentioned, the complaint says there was a memory card wrapped in plastic and tucked inside a discarded peanut butter sandwich. all told, the fbi paid the couple 100$,000 in crypto currency according to the complaint. the couple was arrested saturday in west virginia and they're scheduled to appear in federal court there tomorrow. he was a navy engineer for nearly a decade, and she was a teacher at a private school in annapolis with a ph.d. in philosophy. one thing the complaint doesn't make clear is a full picture of their motive, but according to jonathan's own words, money was certainly a part of it. >> such a bizarre story. ken dilanian, thank you for helping us try to make sense of it. thank you. coming up next, my exclusive conversation with his heirness, michael jordan. his massive charity pledge and his reaction to bubba wallace's historic win last week including why jordan decided to buy wallace's team. >> when i got involved in nascar, i knew i was diving into the teeth of racists. been there, experienced it, but i wasn't afraid of it. i was looking forward to the challenge. challenge. ♪ there are beautiful ideas that remain in the dark. but with our new multi-cloud experience, you have the flexibility you need to unveil them to the world. ♪ i've got moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. now, there's skyrizi. 3 out of 4 people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months, after just 2 doses. skyrizi may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms such as fever, sweats, chills, muscle aches, or coughs or if you plan to or recently received a vaccine. ♪nothing is everything♪ talk to your dermatologist about skyrizi. learn how abbvie could help you save. there's a different way to treat hiv. it's once-monthly injectable cabenuva. cabenuva is the only once-a-month, complete hiv treatment for adults who are undetectable. cabenuva helps keep me undetectable. it's two injections, given by a healthcare provider once a month. hiv pills aren't on my mind. i love being able to pick up and go. don't receive cabenuva if you're allergic to its ingredients or taking certain medicines, which may interact with cabenuva. serious side effects include allergic reactions post-injection reactions, liver problems,...and depression. if you have a rash and other allergic reaction symptoms, stop cabenuva and get medical help right away. tell your doctor if you have liver problems or mental health concerns, and if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or considering pregnancy. some of the most common side effects include injection site reactions, fever, and tiredness. if you switch to cabenuva, attend all treatment appointments. with once-a-month cabenuva, i'm good to go. ask your doctor about once-monthly cabenuva. discover card i just got my cashback match is this for real? 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>> it's very rare, but it also inspires me that you're making a difference in a sport that no one really thought could even happen. i feel gratitude, but i feel energized. let's keep this thing rolling. let's have other bubba wallaces winning. >> bubba wallace goes to racetracks and gets boo 'ed. why do you think that is in 2021? >> this sport needs to change. it's started the progress. maybe people are not cheering for him, but he has to dig within himself. you're fighting from within to achieve something, and when you achieve it, it's far more gratifying than you can even imagine, and it's inspiring to people that really start to understand what the fight is really about. >> the challenge of entering a sport with little diversity and where the confederate flag has been common place for decades was one jordan was willing to take head on. >> when i dove to get involved in nascar, i knew i was diving into the teeth of racism. knew it. been there, experienced, but i wasn't afraid of it. i was looking forward to the challenge. >> denny, i understand you encouraged bubba to avoid social media at some point early on. why? >> well, i think my message was pretty simple to him. you will not change a hater's mind. you need to go out there and get your motivation to want to make the people that support you proud. >> jordan is determined to overcome challenges of inequality through his extensive charity work as well. in just the last two years he's pledged more than $110 million of his own money and from his jordan brand to black social charities and to build community health centers. >> what's driving michael jordan to give away so much of his money? >> action speaks louder than words. i can say a lot of things, but my actions have been i want to make a difference. >> we've got an nba season that tips off in about a week. the hornets notwithstanding, who do we like this season? >> it's hard to knock out milwaukee. i'm a firm believer if you're a champion, someone has to knock you off the pedestal. my old team chicago made big changes. they may compete in the east as well. lakers are going to come back. the clippers are going to come back. whoever stays healthy and can battle the covid-19 issues they might have in the course of the year, it's going to give that team the best chance. staying healthy is our biggest thing for us. we've got to stay healthy. >> you mentioned staying healthy and the covid-19. are you at all concerned about the protocols? >> not at all. not at all. i am totally in unison with the league, and i think everybody has been speaking about the vaccinations. i'm a firm believer in science. i'm going to stick with that. if everybody abides by whatever the league sets the rules, i think that once everybody buys in, we're going to be fine. >> while today's teams are vying to start a new dynasty, the series "the last dance" still has fans comparing today's stars to jordan's iconic bulls. were you surprised by the reaction "the last dance"? >> yeah, i always thought people would not understand my passion for the game, my passion for winning. >> how do you think it changed the way people viewed michael jordan? >> i think they saw my desire to win on a consistent basis. and every time i stepped on the floor, i represented my family, the chicago bulls, the nba. because my desire was strong. >> to say the least. i want to bring in bill roaden, a columnist for espn's "the undefeated". he also has a podcast. always good to have you, my friend. thanks for coming back. >> hey, coming back. >> craig, how you doing, man? >> doing well. >> yeah, congratulations, man, on the interview with jordan. i thought it was really fantastic and very revealing. >> oh, thank you, bill. thank you very much. you know, he's the first black principal team owner, as you know, in a sport and that sport this almost half a decade. just heard him say that he knew he was entering the teeth of racism. how does michael jordan change the culture of nascar, or can even michael jordan do that? >> yeah, well, you know, the great thing about everything he said is that, you know, michael jordan is announcing that he's joining the war against racism. he's doing it in a very public way. he's using his resources. he's using his visibility, and he's doing it through the prism of nascar, which is probably one of the most institutionalized racist, sports organizations in america. and the great thing, craig, about what he -- what he says, he's introduced people to wendal scott. you know, in history, he's the first black man since wendell scott, what i'm encouraging people watching the interview do is go back and check out wendell scott and everything he went through. you know, remember 1963 is when wendell scott became the first african-american to win nascar. you look at 1963, craig, you have the girls murdered in birmingham, the blast of birmingham. you had medgar evers murdered. you had george wallace, said the university of alabama will never be integrated. all you got to do is look at alabama football and see how that's gone. and the most important thing about '63, that's when michael jordan was born and there were people in '63 who never thought a young black kid would be a billionaire and own an nba team and so i think that when jordan talks about -- when he talks about the struggle. when you look back at people like wendell scott, our existence and survival and problems in this country has been about tenacity. it's been about commitment, and it's been about, you know, jordan using your resources to join this war. so i just thought that just that brief interview with jordan basically said, hey, i'm joining this war on racism, and i just think it's really fantastic. >> it continues to fascinate me to see this post-basketball jordan, when you compare him to the jordan that we watched, that i watched growing up on the court. they dig into it in the documentary. i mean, he was knocked for a long time, criticized by a lot of folks for staying fairly publicly neutral on a lot of matters of politics and race, and now he's pledging to give away 100 plus million dollars to promote social justice causes. also to support journalism as well, we should point out. what do you think -- do you think that he is at a point in his life where he's decided, you know what? god's been good to me. it's time for me to pay it forward a little bit more? >> and, again, you know, of course i was one of those people who was prodding him when he was playing to do more, but all things in time, you know, all things in time. and i think you can't be an african-american in this country and live through everything that we've seen just in the last five years with the politics. this rise of racism, and this ongoing idea, craig, that this country is designed to be the white folks' playground, and that thinking still exists. it still exists, and i think a guy like jordan, you go beyond necessarily trying to change people's hearts and minds, you say i'm using the resources i've got to make a change within our own team, you know. and so i don't know if he just woke up one day and decided that he was going to join this war publicly, but i guess at a certain point in your life, man, you realize that you just can't keep hiding that this stuff, racism is going to find you no matter how much money you've got. how much position you've got. you know, racism is going to -- if it isn't you, it's somebody you love. you got to join the war or the war is going to come to you. like i said, craig, it's really great to see jordan publicly say i'm using my resources to join this war because it's something that existed in 1963 with wendell scott, it exists now with bubba wallace. it's going to keep -- you know, it's going to keep on existing. so it's great to see that jordan has joined the war. it's really heartening. >> bill rhoden, always good to have your insight and analysis, thanks as always. >> my pleasure. william shatner is about to boldly go where no 90-year-old has gone before. just not yet. he farmers market.. when they got a chip. they drove to safelite for a same-day repair. and with their insurance, it was no cost to them. >> woman: really? 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(music) at aetna, we're putting all other medicare plans on notice. with coverage and services that may include a $0 monthly plan premium telehealth emergency coverage while you travel an over-the-counter allowance plus dental, vision and hearing. because the right medicare plan should make you feel... yeah, like that aetna medicare advantage plans medicare annual enrollment ends december 7th. call today to learn more. well, this morning we'll have to wait a bit longer to see captain kirk truly make it to the final frontier. 90-year-old william shatner who perhaps you've heard played "star trek's" famous captain. he was supposed to launch into the edge of space on a blue origin ship, but high winds in west texas have delayed that trip, so he's beaming up on wednesday instead. when he does blast off, shatner will become the oldest person to fly to space, truly embodying what it means to live long and prosper. to my producer who wrote that line, well done. that does it for me this hour, "andrea mitchell reports" starts next. ♪♪ good day, this is "andrea mitchell reports" in washington with major developments in the battle against the coronavirus. merck is submitting data to the fda today for emergency use authorization of their antiviral pill. merck claiming it reduces the chance of hospitalization and death from covid by 50%. this news comes as the seven-day average of covid cases in the u.s. is dropping to its lowest point since the beginning of august, and only three states are seeing a slight increase in cases over the last two weeks. here in washington, both parties are facing very different political hurdles, the democrats are still far from agreeing on cuts in the massive social spending package, while congressional republicans are towing the trump line as the former president hypes a possible run in '24. and former trump aides fight subpoenas from the house january 6th investi

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