unwilling to unambiguously denounce white supremacy. here's the exchange between white house press secretary kayleigh mcenany and a fox news reporter. >> as the person who speaks for the president, does the president denounce white supremacy and groups espousing in all their forms? >> this has been answered yesterday by the president himself, the day before by the president himself, on the debate stage the president was asked this, he said sure three times. yesterday he was point blank asked do you denounce white supremacy, he said i've always denounced by form of that. >> just to clear it up this morning, can you make a declarative statement that the president denounces it? >> i just did. the president has denounced this repeatedly. the president was asked this. you're making -- you're contriving a story line and a narrative -- >> i'm just asking you to put this to rest. >> i just did. >> i want to make it clear, john's a great reporterment he's from fox news. he's pushing it. they have not been giving them. she says he says these things. it's not what he says. his answer in the debate which is why john roberts was making that clear and anything but unequivocal. >> are you willing tonight to condemn white supremacists and militia -- >> sure. >> -- groups and to say they need to stand down and not add to the violence in a number of cities as we've seen in kenosha and portland. >> sure, i'm willing to do it. >> are you willing to do it sf. >> i would say almost everything i see is from the left wing, not the right wing. >> what are you saying? >> i'm willing to do anything. i want to sea peace. >> then do it, sir. >> do it, say it. >> what do you want to call them? give me a name? who do you want me to condemn? >> proud boys. >> white supremacists. >> proud boys, stand back and stand by. i tell you what. somebody's got to do something about antifa and the left. this is not a right wing problem. >> his own fbi -- >> this is a left wing problem. >> antifa is an organization, not a militia. that's what his fbi director said. >> you're kidding me. >> just watching that again, you've got to think about it, right? give me a name for it. the name is white supremacy. and he just -- he doesn't want to do it. he doesn't want to say it. it's really -- it really is not hard. and yet trump cannot do it. >> yes, i think there's blame on both sides. you look at -- you look at both sides. i think there's blame on both sides. and i have no doubt about it and you don't have any doubt about it either. and -- and -- and if you reported it accurately, you would say it. >> [ inaudible question ] >> excuse me, you had some very bad people in that group. but you also had people that were very fine people on both sides. >> does it concern you that many people saw that tweet as racist and that white nationalist groups are finding common cause with you on that point? >> it doesn't concern me because many people agree with me. >> i mean, again and again given the opportunity to condemn white supremacy, he doesn't do it. and when -- you remember this? i mean, i remember it. i actually remember where i was sitting when i saw this retweet of a video in june. the president retweeted that person from the villages, remember the supporter yelling "white power" as the golf cart goes across the screen screaming it. he retweeted it. so, that's why the white house press secretary kayleigh mcenany was asked directly today about that and she was asked if the president condemns the term "white supremacy." she didn't respond. >> why hasn't the president condemned white power? why hasn't he condemned that tweet? >> that's the tweet, the yelling "white power." wouldn't condemn it. the silence, it speaks so much. along with the president's non-answers and word games and semantics, it speaks volumes. kaitlan collins is "outfront" live outside the white house tonight. kaitlan, you also pressed the press secretary today to denounce white supremacy. you asked about it. why are they refusing to just come out and do it? >> it's a pattern we've seen before, erin, where the white house has reluctantly refused to come out and just simply unambiguously put those words in ament stay. we've seen it with the president dating back to that press conference in charlottesville. you'll remember after that he came to the white house, gave the scripted speech where he condemned neonazis andkkk members but saying they weren't all knee yo najibullneonazis. of course we all saw what the president said about the proud boys on tuesday night, this before-obscure group of these far right extremists who have endorsed violence. now the idea that the president has denounced them seems to fall flat when you look at how they're responding to the president's remarks, by using it as this newly adopted logo, printing it on t-shirts some of them have told reporters. they do not see it as a denouncement. it's not just them, erin. it's republicans, as well, coming out and calling on the president to forcefully deny this and come out against it. as you noted it's not just semantics. it's not just what the president says because we've all heard the fbi director testify saying they do believe this at-home extremism which shows its face in the way of white supremacy more often than not is one of the biggest domestic threats facing the united states. when the president won't come out and condemn it, it does matter. >> so well said. thank you. it's true. they have said this is the one of the biggest threats facing the united states, so not be something a president should have to question or dodge around, beat around the bush. "outfront" now the democratic mayor of atlanta, keisha lance bottoms. may mayor bottoms. when kayleigh mcenany walked off the podium today and she was zod categorically denounce white supremacy and white power and the tweet he retweeted where the person is screaming white supremacy, she refused to do it. silence. what's your reaction? >> they refuse to do it because he doesn't denounce white supremacy. it's as simple as that. there's a quote from maya angelou. when someone shows you who they are, believe them. they know themselves better than you do. this president knows himself. and he's had time after time an opportunity after opportunity to say this is not who i am, and he refuses to do it. and my concern as we go into november in this election season, what we know is that when we've had movements across this country, you think about the civil rights movement, we could disagree with policy. it took good people to stand up and say i will not stand with hate. and my concern going into november is that we don't have enough good people standing up saying i may not support you, your politics, i may not agree with you on policy. we may have a different party affiliation, but i will not stand with hate. and that's what it's going to take this november. and it is -- it is so heartbreaking to watch this in 2020 and have to explain this to my children. >> so, today when mcenany was on that podium -- and i want to be clear her white power response was contemporaneous with that tweet. today, she tried to say president trump didn't know who the proud boys were. so, when he's on the debate stage, in that sound bite we once again played when it was, do you denounce white supremacy in all its forms, he says give it a name. he says, stand back and stand by. of course proud boys has been mentioned many times on fox news, which the president watches religiously. they attend his rallies. even if you can't prove he knows them, the group heard him loud and clear, quoting, we're going to have fun discussing this president's upcoming orders. i want to be clear to the viewers that the group labelled by the antidefamation league. how damaging is this. actually let's use the word dangerous. we're going to have some fun discussing our president's upcoming orders. >> i was looking back at my notes because as i was listening to the clip, i heard different things this time. when i heard him say that someone has deduced something about antifa and the left, for the first time i heard it in the context of was this his call to the proud boys and others to do something about it and the left? so, i heard it in a different way. and clearly that's how they heard it and have responded to it as well. but at the end of the day, this is the president of the united states of america. and the fact that he will not denounce these groups and that they are responding to a call for action from him really speaks to how important this race is. the elections do have consequences. and the consequences of him being re-elected president of the united states puts us back to a time before my lifetime. >> is, you know, today, there are people saying, well, stand back and, you know, stand by. he just was looking for words. you know, the president, i don't think, gets enough credit for choosing his word. i think personally he chooses them very carefully. his former national security adviser john bolton was asked about that, stand back and stand by on cnn moments ago. was this purposeful by the president? here's what john bolton said? >> i took that to mean just back off for now, but to put it a different way, keep your powder dry. i thought it was a real threat, and i think he knew exactly what he meant. >> i thought it was a real threat. i think he knew exactly what he meant. do you agree? >> i absolutely agree. it was a call to action. and he's already said that he's not going to accept the results of this election. and he is essentially telling us that he is going to call for civil war in our streets when he loses this election. and there can't be any question about where this election is going to end up. people have to vote in record numbers, and they have to vote in such a way that there won't be any question on election night and beyond. and if it is, we'll get those around the president will peacefully transition power because this is not america. this is like we're watching some bad horror flick that just won't end. >> so, we're learning tonight -- i don't know if you've heard this. we're just finding this out, mayor bottoms. the leader of the proud boys is also leader of a grass roots movement, latinos for trump, not run by the campaign, but a group that is hispanics for trump -- latinos, i'm sorry, for trump. trump continues to say he does not know the group. do you believe it? do you believe that he doesn't know proud boys? >> i don't believe it at all. he knows exactly who they are. they know who they are. he should know who they are. he's the president of the united states. and this group has been designated as a hate group in our country. by the way, it would be disturbing. if he doesn't know, he should know because he's the president. but i just don't believe him. i think that he is lying. >> all right. mayor bottoms, i appreciate your time. i should point out on the fox news shows the president watches, the president has been mentioned as ardent passionate supporters of the president, as militias. it would be hard to imagine he had not seen that and did not know them. i want to go to john avlon, our senior reporter analyst and author of the book "wing nuts: how the lunatic frin ge." the proud boys are watching what the president says closely. they see this as encouragement and endorsement. the group writes on social media, quote, so proud of my guys right now. this is not an denouncement for them. this is an endorsement. what are you learning about this group and other right wing groups and how they're reacting? >> look, the proud boys are a newer movement, larger tributary of what call themselves patriot groups. they're an alt-right paramilitary group. there are a lot of different groups in these organizations. what's interesting about these groups is that they emerged around ten years ago in reaction to the presidency of barack obama. but they would say that they distrusted the government no matter the party. but since donald trump has been president, they have rallied around the president. the proud boys are vocal supporters. to your point, they've appeared on fox news all the time. the president heard that name and recognized it. he in the past when asked by our colleague jake tapper said i don't know who that is. he does. you know, some of these organizations, they may call themselves militias, other people say they're vigilantes, have performed volunteer security at trump rallies in the case of oath keepers. these are groups that are itching, in their words, for a second civil war. i do not think that is the president's intent, but when you try to divide as the president does, when you try to reduce faith in the legitimacy of our elections and refuse to commit to the peaceful transfer of power, that's the door you're opening. >> it's when you open the pandora's box, you can't just put it back in. >> yep. >> i just played the john bolton a few moments ago on cnn saying he interpreted this as very purposeful by the president. keep your powder dry, that it was a real threat. do you have any doubt that john bolton's interpretation is right? >> no, i don't. think about the answer chris wallace gave at the end. will you encourage your supporters to be civil during and in the run up to the election. the president immediately pivoted to ballot security and occupying election places and saying the election is a fraud before it's even begun. that's begging to be kicked to the courts or the streets. these do see a loop between antifa and themselves. a lot of them want this kind of fight and that kind of chaos. i'm afraid some folks want that. the president is stirring this pot. he's not stupid he doesn't know what he's doing. >> he's stirring it intentionally. the question is does he know what will come out. thank you very much. "outfront" next a stunning move by one states that democrats are calling blatant voter suppression as fears grow that the president could be intimidating voters. cnn learning staffers in the white house weren't allowed to wear masks because it wasn't a good look. who's responsible for that? joe biden keeping the left wing of his party eight distance? but can he keep them at bay? ♪ it's the easiest because it's the cheesiest. kraft. for the win win. now every bath fitter bathbath fis installed quickly, safely, and beautifully, with a lifetime warranty. go from old to new. from worn to wow. the beautiful bath you've always wanted, done right, installed by one expert technician, all in one day. we've been creating moments like these for 35 years, and we're here to help you get started. book your free virtual or in-home design consultation today. what if your clothes could stay fresh for weeks? now they can! downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters keep your laundry smelling fresh way longer than detergent alone. pour a cap of downy unstopables into your washing machine before each load and enjoy fresher smelling laundry for up to 12-weeks. this towel has already been used and it still smells fresh. if you want laundry to smell fresh for weeks make sure you have downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters. ♪ ♪ "hmm's and ahh's" heard in-call. ♪ "hmm's and ahh's" and a majority of americans. say the vote for the next supreme court justice should wait till after the election. but instead of letting our voices be heard, trump and mcconnell are rushing it through and taking a short cut to the highest court in the land. there's a pandemic devastating every corner of the country, but they're just rushing to play politics with the court. it's a lifetime appointment, tell senators to do it right. demand justice is responsible for the content of this advertising. ♪water? why?! ahhhh! incoming! ahhhahh! i'm saved! water tastes like, water. so we fixed it. mio breaking news, john bolton warning president trump may try to wreak havoc on the presidential election to hang on to power. >> we can get through a close and contested election, but we need to do it clearly thinking about the consequences if we lose control. and i'm worried that trump sees what may be his only road to re-election in keeping things in a state of chaos. that's what he enjoys most. >> this, as there are growing fears that president trump is encouraging supporters to intimidate voters at the polls. pamela brown is "outfront." >> go into the polls and watch very carefully. >> reporter: president trump's call for supporters to stake out polling places has state officials scrambling to respond to the potential for election day intimidation and possibly violence. the massachusetts attorney general is trying to calm her voters. >> we're not going to let donald trump undermine our election. it's a crime. >> and 11 governors united to condemn the president's message as a threat to democracy, writing, quote, there is absolutely no excuse for promoting the intimidation or harassment of voters. >> in philadelphia they went in to watch. they're called poll watcher. they're a very safe, nice thing. they were thrown out. they weren't allowed to watch. do you know why? because bad things happen in philadelphia. bad thing. >> reporter: but it wasn't a bad thing. poll watchers aren't allowed in voting locations. but earlier that day a false narrative began when they claimed pennsylvania democrats were scheming against the president. >> no one's being turned away because there aren't poll watchers in these satellite offices. that is complete propaganda. >> the rnc aims to dispatch tens of thousands of election monitor as cross the country, which both parties are entitled to do. this was the scene outside fairfax, virginia, last september where trump supporters gathered outside shouting and waving flags. some voters said they felt intimidated by it and were moved inside to wait. the attorney general said trump's debate comments were specifically designed to harass and intimidate voters and won't be tolerated. and language in republican sponsored facebook ads called army for trump is raising concerns. >> we need every able-bodied man/woman to join army for trump's election security operation. >> as is this ad warning supporters are trying to tip the scales and to fight back. voters in other states will now encounter issues voting absentee at all. in texas, the governor just limited the number of ballot dropboxs to one per county. that would be a cut from 11 dropboxs in the sprawling democratic strong hold of harris county. the republican governor says the order was to promote ballot security. democrats call it voter suppression. and where those counties impacted is harris county, as mentioned, that is a county with millions of people, bigger than the state of rhode island. and now it will only go down to one dropbox according to the governor proclamation today. now democrats in that state are fighting back and saying they will soon be filing suit against then, erin. >> pamela, thank you very much. i want to go straight now to the attorney general of virginia, democrat mark herring. i appreciate your time, attorney general. when you look at all of this, do you believe the president is actually trying to intimidate voters to suppress their votes, or is that a bridge too far? >> well, first, let me be very clear about this, erin, voter intimidation is never acceptable, and it's not going to be tolerated in virginia. we will have free and fair elections, and i'm going to make sure of that. now, the president's words, i think, the implications of them were clear. it seemed to me as though he was encouraging supporters to go to the polls, hang out and potentially be disruptive. what we saw happen the day after early voting started in fairfax, when i heard reports that some voters felt threatened and intimidated to the point where they asked some election officials for escorts back to their car, i thought it was important to act quickly to get the word out to all virginiaens that voter intimidation can be a crime. it's not going to be tolerated. and we will have fair elections that people can have confidence in. and people should have confidence in our electoral system. and their vote will count, whether it's in person or by mail. >> so, there's the stand back and stand by, right, from the president in the debate. and then donald trump, junior. let me play again what he said in a video last week about this issue. he's very specific. >> we need every able-bodied man/woman to join army for trump's election security operation at defendyourballot.com. we need you to help us watch them. >> we need you to help us watch them, able-bodied, army for trump at the polls. does language like this concern you? >> it is very disturbing. and to me it is another tactic in trump's effort to try to delegitimize the electoral system to try to undermine people's confidence in it. and that's wrong. people can have confidence in our electoral system. and if they -- if people show up and start intimidating or threatening voters, there are laws that protect voters that will keep them safe. and elections officials have tools that i have told them about that they have to address those situations if they come up. so, this is all part of the president's effort to undermine people's confidence in the electoral system to make it harder for americans to vote by mail, if that's how they choose to do it, just as he did my weaponizing the postal service. and we've been able to get injunctions to prevent that. but this is a constant effort, and we will see more of this. but i thought it was important to get out early and particularly to make sure that everyone knew that there are laws to protect voters and keep them safe. >> john bolton says he believes the threat from the president on stand by to the proud boys was a real one, not rhetorical, it was real. you are trump's former long-term fixer, michael cohen, was on with he last night. here's what he said. >> they look like an army. they dress like an army. they behave like an army. and what banner? what flag are they carry sng they're carrying the maga flag. this is now in trump's mind, this is trump's army. he's going to use them when he loses and he's going to use them in order to try to keep control of power. >> so, stand by to you was stand by, when i need you. >> oh, 100%. stand by for me because he knows he's going to lose the election. >> cohen, bolton both know the president well. they say it's real. do you agree? >> unfortunately i do, and we have seen this before. virginia and charlottesville had the worst white supremacist rally that anyone could remember, and what did trump say? there were fine people on both sides. to the white supremacists, they took that as affirmation that the president was a fellow traveller with them. and so we have to take these words seriously, but we also need to make it clear to all americans and for me, for all virginiaens to make sure that they know that we will keep them safe, that their votes will count. we are going to make sure of it whether it's in person or by mail. you know there's a lot of anxiety too around this upcoming election, but i would encourage people to channel those emotions into volunteering or having conversations with friends or neighbors about the importance of this election. and above all, vote. >> all right. attorney general herring, i appreciate your time. thank you. >> thank you. next the president moving ahead tonight with two rallies in a state that just posted a record number of coronavirus deaths. zblfrmgts plus joe biden keeping the left wing of his party at arm's length. how long will progressives hold their fire. >> they're going to dominate you, joe. you know that. >> i am the democratic party right now. nasal mist. aline for drug free relief that works fast. vicks sinex. instantly clear everyday congestion. so when it comes to screening for colon cancer, don't wait. because when caught early, it's more treatable. i'm cologuard. i'm noninvasive and detect altered dna in your stool to find 92% of colon cancers even in early stages. tell me more. it's for people 45 plus at average risk for colon cancer, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your prescriber if cologuard is right for you. i'm on it. that's a step in the right direction. i'm on it. keeping your oysters growing while keeping your business growing has you swamped. (♪ ) you need to hire i need indeed indeed you do. the moment you sponsor a job on indeed you get a shortlist of quality candidates from a resume data base so you can start hiring right away. claim your seventy-five-dollar credit when you post your first job at indeed.com/promo can it help keep me asleep?r's fall sale on the sleep number 360 smart bed. absolutely, it intelligently senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. and now, the queen sleep number 360 c4 smart bed is only $1,399. plus 0% interest for 36 months. only for a limited time. but despite the rising pain and anguish made worse during the pandemic, insurance companies still refused to cover mental health and addiction treatment. until now. senator scott wiener went to work - taking them on. passing a law requiring the insurance industry to cover mental health and addiction treatment. now more than ever, californians need mental health coverage. i won't let up until the stigma of mental health and addiction is finally over. tonight, it's not a good look. those are the words the administration official who detailed for cnn why the trump white house did not want its staffers wearing masks. it came down to the optics of it. according to multiple officials, the national security counsel ordered masks for its staff in february, but when word got out the masks were shelved by the west wing. one official telling cnn if you have the whole west wing running around wearing masks, it wasn't a good look when all they wanted to do was portray confidence and make the public believe there's nothing to worry about. and who is responsible for making masks about optics and nothing to worry about and not about safety? >> i don't know, somehow i don't see it for myself. i didn't want to give the press the pleasure of seeing it. i don't wear masks like him. every time you see him, he's got a mask. he could be speaking 200 feet away and he shows up with the biggest pacs mask i've ever seen. >> trump shunning masks one white house official telling the washington, quote, the president seeing it as a weakness to wear masks, when of course it is a sign of strength. but that mindset has cost lives. the model krieded cited by the house projects that if 94% of americans would wear masks, 100,000 people who are currently alive will be alive on january 1st. otherwise, those 100,000 people are going to die, okay? so, it's life or death. here's dr. jha, the dean of the brown school of public health on this show. >> 200,000 fellow americans have died in the last seven months. if we have done what large number of countries have done, take the virus seriously, 80%, 90 plkt of those people would be alive today. >> 80% to 90%, basically public health measures. that is masks, social distancing. that is at least 166,000 people, every single one of them someone, a son, a daughter, a mother, a father. they would be alive today. they are not, okay? the u.s. death toll is more than 207,000. 166,000 of those people could be alive. that's just a basic thing like a mask. 27 states even thousand are heading in the wrong direction when it comes to cases. the model krietd by the white house is predicting a doubling of deaths. the president is heading to wisconsin, the state setting a new record of cases and hospitalizations. deaths are going up. "outfront" now, someone who served the both the trump and obama administrations, the former secretary of veterans affairs under president trump, dr. david shulkin. dr. shulkin, you know this president, you've served in his administration. does it surprise you to hear that the administration failed to promote mask use early on when frankly it would have been a complete and utter game changer because it, quote, wasn't a good look? >> erin, first of all, thank you for having me on. it's not a good look when you're lying in a hospital bed or worse yet when you're in a funeral home either. so, unfortunately i think what we're seeing here is a flaw in decision making. and when you go with a initial impulse or you have one person making decisions, you don't get the ability to consider the other points of view and understand the consequences of those decisions. and when you run a big organization like i have or particularly when you're running government, you need people who you invite to push back and to say, do you know what? maybe that's not a good idea. let's think about what the implications would be. and unfortunately, we're now seeing those maybe unintended consequences of that decision making in february. and it has cost us lives. >> it has. >> and that's really unfortunately. >> many, many lives. i'm sure one could have debates on the specifics. but certainly when you look at other countries where they made that mask move very early, it's dramatic. so, dr. jha saying 80% to 90%. that's 166,000 people who would be alive today who are dead. the united states in the baseline of cases, doctor in september, september 1st, and this is, you know, a function of a lot of things. but about 42,000 cases a day. the last day of september, yesterday, 42,812 new cases. so, we're not seeing decline in cases at all. how much do masks have to do with this? you've got a lot of people who do refuse to wear them, in part because the president doesn't. >> yeah, look. you know, we now know effective measures and i think it's the job of not only the health professionals but leaders across the country, those leading us in government, to have a consistent message on this. and the fact that we're still here talking about this issue, s as a physician it really does pain me. we do know that in other countries, as you mentioned particularly in countries like the philippines and in asia, their mask wearing is far higher as a percentage of their population than we're still seeing in the united states. yet this pandemic, as you mentioned, erin, is not getting under control. and we're not going to get this under control until we adopt a national consistent strategy and messaging and understand that when you're fighting a pandemic, time is not on your side. and every day that we don't do this is a missed opportunity for us. >> and i just emphasize again the president's going to wiscons wisconsin, two rallies, a state with a rising death count. the governor asked him not to do it. he's doing it. one of the doctors said for the first time in 16 years he's got people in the halls waiting for treatment. he's outraged. i don't know his politics. he's outraged by the situation and that people's lives are at risk. you do know the president. and everybody has been talking about the debate in the moment when he was asked to denounce white supremacy and he did not do so. he asked for a name. yesterday when asked if he condemned white supremacists, he said i've denounced any form of that, and still wouldn't explicitly say it. let me play the exchange between a reporter and the white house press secretary today. >>. >> as the person who speaks for the president, does the president denounce white supremacy and groups that espouse it in all their forms? >> this has been yesterday by the president prims, the day before by the president himself. on the debate stage the president was asked this. he said this sure three times. >> he didn't do that on the debate stage. the reporter who did that kept pressing and pressing was from fox news. why do you think it is that the president won't do this clearly? >> well, erin, i think it's the responsibility of any public official, certainly of the president, to be very clear and concise on his communication. and that clearly isn't happening here. and that's allowing this issue to continue to go on and on and frankly giving these groups way too much attention. i was in the administration during the charlottesville issue where the same thing happened, where there was not a clear communication. and look, i think if one thing we as americans can learn from history is that we can't stay silent. and i think it's so important that we all speak out-and-out against white supremacy and neonazis. i did that when i was secretary, not knowing what the consequences would be, that i might be fired for saying that. but it is essential that we all speak up and make clear that this is not america. this is not what the veterans that i served when i was secretary fought for and gave their lives for, that we cannot have an america that has anywhere accepted. and frankly i wish the president would make that clear so that this would move on and off this topic. >> you join many others in that wish which he of course will not do. dr. shulkin, i appreciate your time and thank you. i want to go to dr. reiner director of the cardiac cath lab at gw. on this reporting we have here, the white house thought masks were not a good look. and you know, you heard secretary shulkin say this needed to come from the leadership, radio igt? it didn't. the president, we know, he doesn't like how they look. he mocks people for wearing them. what did you think when you heard this reporting? just to emphasize again this was back in february when the president is calling eight plague to bob woodward, they were going to put on masks and then didn't. i mean, you could have saved a lot of lives. >> oh, it's a crime. it's really a crime against american humanity. look, we know that as early as january 28th, the president's national security adviser told him that this was going to be the greatest threat against his presidency, this virus. but yet 34 times he told the public that this virus was just going to go away. imagine if you went to a doctor complaining of symptoms and the doctor ran some tests and the doctor found you had an early treatable form of cancer but never told you until your symptoms worsen dramatically and your cancer was metastatic. that's what happened to this kuhn,000,000,000,000 by not telling the country to mask up, by continuing to play down the risks, the virus got out of control. the president knew early in january what was happening. he chose politics over the public health. >> dr. reiner, thank you. >> my pleasure. and next we're going to take you to a key swing state to see how the debate or if the debate is changing minds. >> i agree with some of the things he's doing like in trade and, you know, taxes. but he scares me and i can't vote for him. >> and debate moderator chris wallace, he's speaking out now for the first time. his explanation for why the debate went so terribly wrong. 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(brad) apartments-dot-com. the most popular place to find a place. economics? algorithms? magic? turns out, it's you. doing your thing. dreaming dreams. building new worlds. it's why we built our workspace technology. to help you do your best work and to see what you can become. you're made for bigger things. the unfair money bail system. he, accused of rape. while he, accused of stealing $5. the stanford rapist could afford bail; got out the same day. the senior citizen could not; forced to wait in jail nearly a year. voting yes on prop 25 ends this failed system, replacing it with one based on public safety. because the size of your wallet shouldn't determine whether or not you're in jail. vote yes on prop 25 to end money bail. tonight vice president pence continuing the trump campaign's ongoing effort to paint joe biden as a hostage of the far left. >> when you look at their agenda, one thing is clear. joe biden would be nothing more than a trojan horse for the radical left. >> but that's a label biden is actively and clearly rejecting. >> i beat the socialists. that's how i got elected. that's how i got the nomination. >> your party wants to go socialist. >> my party is me right now. >> and socialist health care. they're going to dominate you, joe. you know that. >> i am the democratic party right now. >> "outfront" now, congressman katie porter. before she endorsed joe biden, she supported senator elizabeth warren for president. you're an influential and progressive voice. are you concerned that joe biden is making it clear he defeated the socialists, he wants nothing to do with the most progressive wing of your party? >> i think what joe biden is doing is trying to talk about solutions for american families. and i think that's where the debate was really a missed opportunity for the american people to hear what joe biden's going to do on problems like the price of prescription drugs, on problems like restarting our economy. and i think that there is widespread agreement among democrats across ideologies that we need to tackle these problems in a way that the white house is refusing to. >> so, you know, obviously in the debate though at that moment, biden was defensive. he was like, the party is me, right? and trump is trying to taunt him, they're going to dominate you. there was a moment biden didn't support the green new deal, his website saying he does. green new deal is very important to progressives in your party. how long do you think that some of the more progressive people in your party are going to be willing to hold their fire and not criticize biden saying he's too moderate? >> there will be a time after joe biden and kamala harris are elected when our party will try to shape what that agenda will look like. that's important work my colleagues need to be doing. right now the american public faces a choice and it's a choice between joe biden and donald trump. and i strongly urge -- i think it's really important that people understand that's what it comes down to in november. the decision on what the biden agenda should be, how fast and hoard they should tackle problems like >> so trump -- the debate mod radar chris wallace is speaking out. he says president trump bears the primary responsibility of what went so very wrong. here's chris wallace. >> i had this beautiful, delicious cake, and then frankly, the president put his foot in it. that was frustrating for me, because i tried hard to prepare for a serious debate, much more frustrating and more importantly for the american people, because they didn't get the debate they wanted, and that they deserved. >> now they're talking about formats, changing for orderly discussion. is there any reason to believe president trump will follow any rules at this point, congresswoman? >> he department follow the rules last time, and chris wallace quite politely several times reminded him that he had, in fact, agreed to follow the rules. no, i don't know that president trump will follow the rules next time. but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. as a parent, when i tell my kids to pick up their clothes, they don't always do that, but i keep reminding them. the american people, regardless of ideology, regardless of who they're planning to vote for, deserve meaningful answers to the important questions face thing questio -- facing this country. >> congresswoman, you have gone viral for your incredibly tough questioning of pharmaceutical ceos, calling them out how the bonus went out by increasing the price of a cancer drug. in addition to that, you mentioned being a parent, and you're a mother to three children, a single mother. all of them remote learning, combinations, whatever it is that you're dealing with. you did an interview with my friend, jen rogers, and you said "with three kids, the maximum in-person learning so i can focus on my job is zero." i found that whole article inspirational. i say it as a mom of three, and i was just thrilled to see that, that you're willing to put it out this and talk about how hard it is. so let me ask you, how do you do it? >> well, i think no one really wants to look behind the curtain. it's a juggling act. i have to conjoel my kids to get out of the video games or off tear zoom so i have enough band width. there's a lot of times that i have to put a sign up that says quiet at the top of the stairs and hope they'll slow down and read it. it takes a lot of patience for parents, and it takes a lot of patience for kids right now to deal with each other, and i'm grateful that my kids are good sports about it. one of the bigger policy issues is, we're not going to see women of school-aged kids have the economic recovery that we're going to see people without kids or men of school-age kids have. that's a policy problem. >> i agree with you. i think it's important the raise it and to be honest about what you're dealing with. i thought the article was great, and i'm glad to have you on as a fellow mother in the situation. thank you. >> thank you. with early voting under way in the battleground state of michigan, how are voters in one crucial swing state or county there viewing the election? jeff zeleny is out front. >> reporter: for next month, every day is election day here in michigan. with voters dropping off their ballots in this exercise of drive-through democracy. >> i just got fired up. >> reporter: don has heard enough of this noisy presidential campaign. the first debate was his final straw against president trump. >> and i agree with some of the things he's doing, like in trade and, you know, taxes. but he scares me. and i can't vote for him. >> reporter: and you voted for republican presidents before? >> many of them. i voted for reagan, both bushes. i probably have voted for more republicans in my lifetime than democrats. >> reporter: he cast his vote for joe biden here in mccomb county, which could be one of the most instructive bellwethers on election night. in 2016, trump won michigan by 10,000 votes. crumbling the blue democratic wall of the upper midwest. he did so by winning big in mccomb, which barack obama twice carried. the mccomb county democratic chairman believes trump's record will motivate tens of thousands of people who stayed home four years ago instead of voting for hillary clinton. >> four years of president trump has changed people. they now see what he actually didn't do. >> we want someone who has a real plan to protect us. and to protect our health care. >> reporter: the trump campaign insists the president is in a stronger position now. after consolidating republicans and attracting new supporters. >> there's all these things going on in the county, and people are just absolutely on fire. on fire. ♪ >> reporter: yet trump has consistently trailed biden in michigan polls. a new law to extend absentee voting and to allow voters to register on election day has some trump supporters crying foul. >> myh mail-in voting. already we heard stories. >> reporter: but those stories are unfounded. a larger worry for the trump campaign may be found in moderate republicans like michael taylor, the mayor of sterling heights, who voted for the president. >> i thought maybe there's a possibility if he gets into office he'll be concerned about doing the work. that obviously suspect the case. >> reporter: he says he regrets supporting trump and knows plenty of republicans who feel the same, even if they're unwilling to say so publicly. >> i'm excited to vote against donald trump. i'm excited to vote for joe biden, too. but i can't wait to cast my vote to get donald trump out of office. >> reporter: jeff zeleny, cnn, sterling heights, michigan. finally tonight, michelle obama, thanking the mayor of atlanta, keisha lance bottoms, for allowing city employees to take paid leave to volunteer as poll workers. the former first lady has been urging americans to get out and vote. >> there is, as michelle puts it, no handbook for incoming first ladies. the role of the first lady is a throwback. we set up the white house as a royal court, in a way. and i think for michelle obama, a modern woman, a career woman, to suddenly be the wife, was an adjustment. >> she describes the role as a strange kind of side car to the presidency. >> the first lady is not a job. i mean, hillary clinton learned that when she turned it into a job. we don't want that. that's going too far. >> she said, the one that she took the greatest inspiration from was laura bush. >> after a bruising campaign, michelle is determined to control her own message. she starts with a simple statement, deeper than it first appears. >> how would you define your role as first lady? >> you know, i joke that my first job is going to be mom in chief, because with little kids, i have to make sure that their feet are on the ground. >> katia martin is with me now. so it's really great to have you with me. you've covered the lives of so many of these women, edyth wilson to laura bush. how do you think michelle obama compares to some of the nation's earlier first ladies? >> well, first of all, erin, let me commend cnn, even if i weren't involved with this documentary for the timing of this, in a time when we seemed to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown, i think we're all in the mood to change the subject and to find subjects that unifies, ties that bind. there's no subject that binds us more as a nation and reminds us of who we are and where we came from than the story of the first ladies, which is really the story of the presidency. and michelle obama has now joined the pantheon of the great first ladies. right alongside ellenor roosevelt. she was the first v african-american first lady, and she never set a foot wrong. and now she's gone on to become really first lady to the world. she's written the best biography any first lady has ever written becoming. it's a global best seller. and we're now really looking for people to admire, looking for role models. and looking for things that unify us. and she does that, she transcends politics. she's not interested in political office, and that gives her extra credibility and she's really played her hand beautifully. >> so before we go, who has been most effective as a first lady? i guess you could one or two two has been most effective? >> most effective? i have to say that ellenor roosevelt is still the gold standard. she was first lady for 12 years, which encompassed the depression and world war ii, and her husband, the president, was in a mv wheelchair. so she became fdr's legs, if you will. i would put michelle obama very close to that standard. >> thank you very much. and i hope all of you hearing the excitement in her voice, don't miss the premiere sunday night at 10:00 eastern right here on cnn. thanks for watching. here's anderson. good evening. so what happens when the president of the united states is contributing by his words and by his silence, including today to what his own top experts in the department of homeland security call the most persistent and lethal domestic security threat now facing america? what do you do when that threat coincides with and could be directed at an election that the president has not promised to peacefully abide by? we'll be joined by a former top official, a republican who calls what he's doing now in the face of that threat treasonous. this danger is described in the department of homeland security own state of the homeland thr