just saw in michigan with record numbers of absentee ballots cast during our primary. it's going to get even bigger in the general election. we have to make sure we get this right. and the postal service has the capability to do that. the men and women who work in the post office are amazing folks who work hard. they're committed people. but if management decisions are being made to slow down the mail, impacting every day citizens and their everyday business, as well as slowing down the voting process, that is simply unacceptable and we have to make sure that we call it out. >> and i know that you guys are also asking the inspector general to review the couple's holdings. the dejoy couple. you believe that they have millions in assets and usps according to their financial disclosure forms. concern? >> it is a concern. and the one reason we're concerned is i think if you -- if you look at the statements president trump has made, and the kinds of actions that we are

seeing. we understand that he basically wants to privatize -- i believe em he wants to privatize the postal service. he doesn't want it to operate, as it's doing right now. so that raises another long list of questions we need to ask. >> senator peters, we'll stay on this and you are welcomed here to use the platform to argue the case for what you find. >> thank you, so much. >> all right. appreciate it. all right. tonight, we have a special, second hour of "prime time." happy to do it because there is a lot of news. and yes, d lemon is off and deservedly so. so, thank you for spending this friday night with me. but i tell you, friday night brings no relief, these days. especially, not from the president. he insists on pushing false narratives, and we cannot fatigue on our factfinding. i know the temptation. i know he said it. you don't have to check it every time. yes, i do. because every time he says the pandemic is going to disappear, somebody believes it. and it makes them nonchalant, in

a way that can make them sick or other people sick. cases are only up because of testing. that is bs. all right. and now, there is a new line of deception that may be the most dangerous, in a way. here it is. >> we will be pursuing a major executive order, requiring health insurance companies to cover all pre-existing conditions, for all of its customers. this has never been done before. >> i'll tell you what bothers me. somebody wrote that for him. somebody thought it was okay to just lie to you. it has been done, before. it's called obamacare. we have protection for pre-existing conditions right now. why does he need an executive order? he's not giving it to you. he's actively trying to take it away. no, chris, he just said -- no. he's lying. okay? he doesn't have to give you pre-existing condition protection in an executive order.

you have a law. it's in the aca, right now. he is trying, actively, to overturn that law, which would take away the protection. and somebody wrote that. the lack of shame is staggering. 161,000 dead in this country. we are desperate for protection. and he is lying to us about helping us when we already have what he says he's offering. do something. take the mantel that you were given and exercise your power to help us with rapid testing. make it all you talk about, between now and the election. it will help you, most. we have former obama care administrator, andy slavitt, back with us tonight. andy, i got to tell you. i don't often say i don't get it. usually, i get exactly why he is saying what he's saying. why he's doing what he's doing. not this. and somebody wrote that for him.

somebody, like you. like, some policy person, atop a pyramid, said, here, say this. is there any truth to the idea that we need an executive order for pre-existing conditions to be protected? and that this has never been done before? other than never been done about somebody lying about something like this, that's in law. >> of course, not. if he was serious, he would drop the lawsuit that he's joined to get rid of pre-existing conditions, get rid of the aca, to get -- to have 23 million people lose healthcare. to, essentially, raise price of prescription drugs. he could say, let's drop this, this is not a good time to take health insurance coverage away from people. so this window-dressing stuff may play to his base but it's complete crap. >> but how is it even window dressing? it's just a lie.

he's not giving anything that you don't already have. he may take it away if he wins the lawsuit. but what is he going to give in the executive order, that we don't have? >> well, actually, nothing. because executive order doesn't actually do anything. it directs an agency to actually do additional work. and as you said, they'd be doing work that's already been done. but the thing is, people don't know that. since the day he got there, he could sit in his office, sit at a desk, sign a piece of paper, and it would make americans think he was actually doing something for them or accomplishing something for them. it's a hoax. >> what's your best guess at this? understanding the players and machinations of policy movement in the white house. why doesn't he say i'm signing an executive order today, that i am directing the task force and all applicable agencies, to unleash the powers of the production act. and create everything we need for rapid testing, give money to

companies, source the reagent, if they have problems with reagent, which i don't even believe. but, okay, fine. get them the reagent. give them the capital. give them an output contract. we'll have as many as we can make. each state must give us a representative. and we'll make sure you get the tests the way you need them. i am a running it all. from here, until the election, i'm getting our kids back in school. couldn't he do that? >> you know, i am i'm kind of surprised he hasn't done, at least the first part of what you said. i'm surprised he hasn't said, here, with the stroke of a pen, americans, you have testing. i think -- i think the reason he doesn't do that is because he's already told people that they have enough testing. and so, doing that, would be an admission that he didn't. furthermore, i think he is very low to ta loathed to take accountability. i talked to aides all week and they never present him an option where the option he chooses has

him holding accountability for whether it works or not. all of it has to stay with the governors. because at the end of the day, he's not confident he can succeed because his team isn't willing to do all the work. >> that's the problem with policy guys like you, slavitt. here is the play. the slavitts of the country working with governors, stink. they haven't gotten it done. they don't know how to make things happen, baby. i do. i gave cuomo and newsom and all these guys time. hogan. dewine they know where they need to be. i'm going to get us the rapid tests. i said let me know if you need help. they didn't come to me. it's a lie but that's okay. it's what he does. i'm doing it now. i'm going to get us the rapid tests. i'm going to make the uk look slow. i'm maga, baby. i'm bringing manufacturing back, and i'm doing it with the tests. we're going to make them here. the whole world's going to buy our tests. there it is. i'm home. >> i think you're 90% right. i think the only thing he is waiting for, in my estimation,

is he wants it to happen first. and then, he'll claim credit for it. so, as soon as those tests are out there, you can be sure, i remind you whether he signs an executive order or just stands up in his press conference, he will claim that he was the one that did it. so i think -- i think you're right. but i think, you know, he -- he -- he wants to always claim the latest success. he knows we're failing now. and so, right now, i think it's probably too early for him to do that. >> but we got to get to scale. see, that's what that georgia picture means. right? that governor down there, kemp, he is on the trump train. you know, he's trying to do it the way that the president, ready or not, open, here we come. and i don't blame the kids. i got a few of those animals. i got a 17-year-old and a 14-year-old. i would expect them to do no differently. if you say to them, go to school, it's fine. the mask is optional or whatever if you think you need it. who knows? if their friends are being this way, they'll be this way. but how can people have confidence to send their kids back to school, if you can't

even count who's sick, in any kind of real time? >> yeah. i mean, we -- we are seeing, across the country, we're seeing princeton, georgetown, american university, you know. we have a kid. we have a son who's going to be a freshman next year in school in philadelphia. they have yet to make the same decision. but given that, now, kids their age are seven-times more likely to be contracting the disease. and we know they spread it just as quickly. i find it very hard to believe that you're going to gather in places, like atlanta or philadelphia or new york city, with a bunch of kids in their 20s. and actually do that. i think, you know, schools are probably going to get their tuition checks. and then, maybe think a little bit differently. >> or they better start giving that money back. the -- two scary things. one, new jersey governor murphy says 45% of the people called by new jersey covid-19 contact tracers are not complying.

that is a near that's nearly half. what do we do about that? >> i talked to governor murphy and a couple other governors about this. and one of the problems is it's actually related to i.c.e. you know, you call people in certain communities and tell them name your friends that you've been around. and surprise, surprise, people are scared of the government. so, you know, we have to try different tact, including using trusted organizations where people can talk because people are in no mood to trust the government right now, given what they've been through the last three years. >> i tell you what. i can hear the fringe right hitting their keyboards and saying it's the brown menace making us sick, slavitt. you just said it. it's all those people. they're not complying. the brown menace. they're making us sick. we got to get them out of this country. i'm telling you, that's what they are going to say. >> they do, anyway. >> but now, they are going to say they have reason to. i don't know if you watched last night but i had alyssa milano on. and she was gold to me when i

was sick. we face time each other all the time. and she was sick, brother. she was with me, stride for stride, and then some. she kept getting tested and they kept saying she didn't have it. then, she had an antibody test and they said she didn't have it. only now, months after, she's still carrying some symptoms, though. now, she has the antibodies. so we know, as a matter of science, if she's got the antibodies, she had the virus. how can testing stink that bad? and why should people have confidence in testing after her experience? >> well, i was glad to see she's looking well. >> she's getting there. she's not 100%. >> yeah. yeah. she's looking better. you know, i think the -- i think the reality is we are, you know, as anthony fauci said, there's really no excuse for where we are with testing. you know, the chinese were able to test 11 million people, in a weekend. so, there's something we're not doing right, we're not doing well. we are -- we've got a few lab companies that, basically, are holding up, as we have talked about before, a lot of the labs.

and the state of the art on these tests isn't what it should be. we talked about the governor in ohio, dewine, last night with that mixup. you know, we're sort of at -- at that stage. and furthermore, i think they're not testing for the most important things, which are t cells. you know, we have yet to develop an assay or a test to see whether people have t-cells, which is the most important ingredient in long-lasting immunity. >> but isn't the most important test, you have it or don't have it? >> in terms of reducing the spread, the ability to test is critical. now, if you -- after you test, you can't isolate people and you can't contact trace, testing is of limited value. but if you want to go back to school, if you want your kids to go back to school, if you want to vote in person, if you want to do any of those things, testing is the one thing that's going to make you feel safe. and you're right. it's the kind of testing that tells you whether you have it or not. >> god bless alyssa. she knew she had it so it didn't matter what they said to her.

she wouldn't be around her parents. you know, she was being careful act things. but a lot of people wouldn't have been. if they got told three different times basically, you don't have it, you got pneumonia or whatever it was, who know how many people she could have contacted. andy, thank you for giving us a straight read on where we are and what it means for where we need to be. appreciate it, brother, stay healthy. >> all right. now, here is another culture conflict. sturgis. you ever hear of the world-famous motorcycle rally there? sturgis in south dakota. they're going to have it. quarter million people are expected. this is live picture. and this isn't about the helmet debate. because, look, you wear a helmet. people make you wear helmets, seatbelts, for you. masks are about for other people. okay? now, you got this culture conflict. it shouldn't be one, but it is, thanks to trump. a symbol of freedom, colliding with the as-yet unstoppable fury of covid. we're going to talk with a city

official about what they expect and, frankly, what they're bracing for. next. (upbeat music) - [narrator] this is kate. she always wanted her smile to shine. now, she uses a capful of therabreath healthy smile oral rinse to give her the healthy, sparkly smile she always wanted.

(crowd cheering) therabreath, it's a better mouthwash. at walmart, target and other fine stores.

(vo) jack was one of six million pein need of a home.ers he found it in a boy with special needs, who also needed him. as part of our love promise, subaru and our retailers host adoption events and have donated 28 million dollars to support local animal shelters. we're proud to have helped over 230,000 pets so far... changing the lives of dogs like jack, and the families

who adopt them. subaru. more than a car company. are you worried about staying sharp and alert? forebrain, from the harvard-educated experts at force factor, contains key ingredients to help boost memory, learning, clarity, focus, and more! rush to walmart and find forebrain, our #1 brain booster, in the vitamin aisle. sturgis, south dakota. it is a huge piece of americana. the place of the population is 7,000. but every year, it's flooded with hundreds of thousands of bikers. this year is the 80th, sorry, annual sturgis motorcycle rally. and it is happening, whether the

locals want it, or not, this year. one quick step sideways. this is not about me not liking motorcycle culture. i love bikes. i have a motorcycle license. i've had many bikes. got two harleys. my son has a motorcycle. my wife didn't like it. one compromise we had to make. i love everything about it. it's not about that. it's about safety. covid-19 cases have been low in south dakota, and for obvious reason. they don't have the density. but, so many people showing up, it's going to put a strain. and it's going to put a strain on a place that doesn't have a lot of resources. especially, if any of those visitors are infected and don't know it. all right. that takes us to daniel. he's been thinking about it. he is the city manager of sturgis and we welcome him to prime time. again, brother, i'm not here to bring the hate. i love sturgis. i love what it's about. i love bike culture. you know, i'm all about it.

but how can i not be in a mild state of panic about what is going to visit your community? >> well, of course, there's concern, i think, for everyone. there's a lot of concern for a lot of our residents here. but really, what we're trying to do is be as proactive as possible. that really includes trying to encourage a lot of our residents not to take part in the festivities that they usually do. it's a significant potential. but, with that being said, you know, we're trying to keep people away, as much as possible. a lot of our residents, we're actually doing all their shopping for them. so if residents don't feel comfortable going to grocery stores or anything like that. being out and amongst all the travelers here. we do that for them. so, as much as possible, we're trying to make it as easy as possible for our residents to be able to stay at home where it's safe. >> so i got you on the 7,000. that's actually pretty cool. it'd be interesting to see how you scale up to buy groceries for anywhere near 7,000 people. how do you do that?

>> we have a lot of city employees, a number of volunteers. that's kind of the western south dakota way of life. >> respect it. >> so then, you have this other, little problem. 250,000 people who are coming in there, who are not going to just, necessarily, listen to you, as locals. what have you done in terms of prophylaxis or protective measures for, you know, this, you know, this wave of humanity that's coming in there? >> sure. so the things that we can try to do are to reduce a lot of the activities that cause the mass gatherings. we can only do that inside our city. this event, of course, takes place way beyond just our city limits. but we have gotten rid of all sorts of activities. our military appreciation activities. everything else that usually draw thousands of people into a very small crowd. we got rid of all that because we are trying to encourage more people, honestly, to be on their bikes and out riding, and not necessarily gathered in mass crowds on our streets. >> you should sell masks that

say support the military and give the money to the local vfw. and how has it been received? >> there's masks available everywhere. >> how has it been received? >> you know, i think people are being a lot more mindful, than in the past. people are keeping further distance away. but without a doubt, we attract a lot of people that are very freedom loving. and there are people that are coming from states that have been heavily locked down, for one reason or another. and they are looking forward to coming to a place where they can have their freedom and be in western south dakota. so there is, inherently, some risk with that. >> you know, what's interesting about this is that you couldn't stop it. you don't -- you didn't -- you know, people were starting to bubble up and say, what? you know, this city manager, this mayor, these guys are dopes. you didn't want it but you were unable to stop it. explain that. >> sure. i mean, as a city, we're not able to put up blockades or anything else and keep people from coming in. there is, literally, nothing we could do to stop it, especially

when you look at that has eight decades now of tradition of people coming here. and that was, originally, what the thought was as we were talking with more and more venues that are next to our community that, also, host rally activities. and as we saw, really no one was interested in postponing the event for the year became very obvious. as we were getting e-mails and texts and all sorts of calls from people around america. people were coming so we just had to be prepared for it. >> i mean, we are seeing a lot of footage right now. and there's not a mask in sight. there's a lot -- a good amount, i'll say, of trum sigp signs ar. and they almost go hand in hand with people without masks. what do you make of that marriage? no masks and supporting trump? >> you know, i -- i'm going to leave politics to the side, at this point. we're just trying to protect our community, as much as possible. i think the reality is that there is a lot of visitors who end up coming here, and for one reason or another, they feel like they've been locked down an

awful lot. in their local states, in their communities. and so, this is their chance to be free. with that, we're trying to encourage people to stay apart, as much as possible. and also, we have hand sanitizer available everywhere as much as possible. we've -- we've introduced regulations for our -- the temporary vendors. but with that, it is obvious that some of the people that are coming here are not, you know, as careful as what, of course, we'd like. >> yeah. i'll tell you what the opposite of freedom is. it's not a mask. it's sickness. as somebody who rides motorcycles and has been sick, i tell you what, i'd take the mask any day of the week. listen. daniel, good luck. i hope it is as uneventful as possible. i don't want to see anybody there being sick or being hurt. it's a beautiful part of americana that happens there for the most part. but this is some scary business. we're not looking for footage of people without masks, it's all

over us when we are trying to examine what's happening there. thanks very much. >> all right. >> now, look, the president. i'm telling you, i don't get it. and i rarely say that. if i were he, if you were he, you'd be all over the pandemic. it's all people care about. instead, where is he? started the weekend early. at one of his golf resorts because, you know, it's not like he needs to be anywhere else. or maybe, because there are some new polls out that he might actually believe. i've got the wizard of odds here on a friday night. don't worry, he had nowhere else to be, about what there are on some new poll numbers and why trump could have reason for hope. next.

president trump is in bad shape, when you look at the polls. certainly, based on historical, political precedent. you don't see, really, more than maybe one, two, pulling out anything like where he is right now. but i'm telling you, don't count him out. why? because this is a different period than we have lived through before. things happen quickly. so many of you are so

disaffected. there's so little a reservoir of any type of hope, that one thing is better than another. he definitely trails biden in poll after poll, nationally. and, yes, in a bunch of key battleground states, he is down in places that he absolutely needs to win. but there is an important upside for trump. and i mentioned to you this, before, and harry and i want to it out for you now. i think this is really important. okay? we have seen about the last month or so, as horrible as things are, as it's gotten more clear that we are on the wrong course. largely, because of his inaction. he's not losing ground, anymore. harry enten, the wizard of odds, is here. now, the question that i put to you is, is he not losing ground anymore because there's only so low you can go? or is it a sign that maybe

perspective on him hasn't bottomed out and that there is room for improvement? >> i think the key question -- first off, let's get the polls on the screen request gufb you an idea what we are talking about. look. he was down ten about a month ago. now, he is down eight in the average of polls. i think what's happened in all honesty, chris, is you saw a deep decline from mid-may to about mid-june. right after protests started for the killing of george floyd. race relations, as an important issue, has kind of shifted away. right? the protests have quieted down. the press covering it has kind of quieted down and that was trump's issue. he is very bad on coronavirus but not nearly as bad on race relations. and the other thing i will point out, the economy is still in bad shape. but less focus on race relations, i think the result that you see is what's on the screen right now. >> let's take a look at it by race. >> right. this, to me, is the most fascinating thing that's going on right now in our political

environment. right? if you take a look at the live interview polls, you get what you might expect. trump is winning with white voters. biden is winning with african-americans and hispanics. but what's so interesting is the big-biden games from 2016 are actually among white voters, which i think, again, is simpatico with the idea that the protests after the death of george floyd, the killing of george floyd, a lot of white voters, who might traditionally stay on the sidelines. meanwhile, biden has always struggled with younger, african-americans. and he also struggled with hispanics during the primary. but i think the key takeaway here is the traditional, political lines we are used to might be sort of crossing each other in a way that, to be honest, we haven't seen in recent political history. >> i have to say. the black vote is fundamentally important for joe biden. and yes, you know, the president -- whites is not going to help him. but joe has to -- he needs an all-in strategy with his base. and if there is attrition there,

not only is that shocking, given the state of play in our society. but that's a problem for biden. all right. battleground states. that's all we should really care about. in fact, it's really just about, what, 35 counties that we should be looking at really closely in this election. but what do you see in the battlegrounds? >> look. the three most important battleground states, in himy mi, are those in the great lakes, right? michigan, pennsylvania, wisconsin. those were part of the blue wall back in 2012, right, that trump kind of busted through in 2016. and i think the key nugget here is look at white voters, and white voters without a college degree. those are supposedly trump's base, right? and what we see is significant movement toward biden among those voters. he is actually leading among white voters, overall, in that group. but we see double-digit attriti attrition from trump's support back in 2016. and the idea may be, yes, biden is losing a little bit of his base. but trump is losing even more of his, especially in places he cannot afford to lose. >> how good are the polls? margin of error.

>> this, to me, is really interesting. you know, i spend my days in spreadsheets. you spend your days working out. i spend my days in spreadsheets and one of the things i think that's worrisome to folks is that state polls weren't necessarily all that accurate in 2016. and what i should say is that normally the state polls are really good. the average error since 1972 is just plus or minus 3 percentage points. but there is the potential, as there was in 2016, as there will be in 2020, of a large margin of error. the true margin of error, 95% confidence interval, plus or minus nine points. so even when we get to the end, i would never feel so secure if i were a democrat, even if the lead is as large as it is right now. strange things do happen. >> biggest x factor for you. and then i have a question for you. what is the biggest factor to watch, between now and the election, that could make the biggest impact? >> i mean, look, it's coronavirus. >> why? why isn't it biden saying something kind of like what he said, whatever it was, today or

yesterday. about how latinos are much more diverse a community than blacks? >> i mean, look, obviously -- but here -- here's the thing. both of the nominees are not exactly, say, any of these greek guys that really knew how to speak. that's not what they are. i'm not that, either. we saw joe biden run for how many months in the primary saying strange things every day, that weren't necessarily couth, and it didn't really affect him. i tend to think those types of things don't matter. what people care about is whether or not they can carry on their everyday lives in as normal a fashion as possible. and coronavirus cases are as large on election day as they are right now, i'm not quite sure trump can pull it off. >> i don't think it's just the pandemic because i actually think there is a little bit, like everything else we see, fatigue. i think it's schools. schools. you're a young guy. but in the family game, kids, their safety, their connection

to the ability to do what you need to do for them, most of the time, is everything. the school picture gets screwed up. i think it's going to have major implications. now, you look really put together. you got the bookcase behind you. your hair is brushed. you got the jacket on. do me a favor. can you move the camera about seven feet after your right shoulder? >> oh, i know what you want to do. you want me to basically show this, which is all the way over here. >> keep going. yeah. that's what i wanted people to see. okay. you are fake news. do you understand? you are not this buttoned-up professor. you don't even know the books that are behind you. >> no, i have no idea what those books are. are you crazy? >> so you want to take a shot at me about the gym. god forbid, i try to make myself stronger after almost going down with covid. but i just want them to get the full picture of your reality, my handsome, young friend. hairy e harry enten, i love you.

>> happy birthday, buddy. >> not everything is as it seems. the man in charge of getting your mail out vows there won't be any slowing down of election materials. he has to say that, though. because we have a president spouting conspiracy theories about mail-in voting. but there are questions about the postmaster general's independence. and controversy from his announcement, today. this matters. the facts, next. like you, my hands are everything to me. but i was diagnosed with dupuytren's contracture. and it got to the point where things i took for granted got tougher to do. thought surgery was my only option. turns out i was wrong.

so when a hand specialist told me about nonsurgical treatments, it was a total game changer. like you, my hands have a lot more to do. learn more at factsonhand.com today.

like you, my hands have a lot more to do. and the hidden smiles.. the foggy glasses... and the muffled laughs. a simple piece of fabric makes a big statement: i care. wear a mask. let's all do our part to slow the spread. as we reported earlier, top democrats are calling for the inspector general to investigate the u.s. postal service. why? because the agency announced a number of proposed changes, including a hiring freeze. well, times are tough. is that the answer? the agency's top official says the changes are needed to cut costs. but jessica dean took a look at

what these cost-cutting measures could mean for you. >> reporter: more changes at the u.s. postal service. under new leadership, from trump ally and donor, louis dejoy. the u.s. postal service announced, today, it will be instituting a management-hiring freeze, and requesting future buyouts. the moves are exactly the kind of thing democrats on the hill have asked the usps not to do. >> our postal workers across america, but they got a hand tied behind their back with this new leadership. >> today, congressional democrats led by senator elizabeth warren, called for the u.s. postal service inspector general to investigate operational changes at the usps. >> we have little faith that they're not trying to politicize the post office. >> reporter: the usps says the measures were to cut costs. but postal workers and unions claim it's led to a slowing of the mail, and could potentially impact vote by mail in the fall.

something the postmaster general, denies. >> despite any assertions to the contrary, we are not slowing down election mail or any other mail. >> reporter: in their letter, the lawmakers say the postal service has become a political football. and described the service's response to congressional requests as, quote, seriously lacking. they also want the ig to look into any business conflicts dejoy may have. dejoy took the helm of the postal service on june 15th. he is the first postmaster general in decades to come to the job, without any prior experience working within the u.s. postal service. he contributed about $1.2 million to the trump victory fund, dating back to august 2016. according to federal election commission filings. >> i can't imagine the post office could do it. all of a sudden, they're supposed to be dealing in millions of ballots. >> financials filed earlier this year by dejoy's wife, who was nominated to be ambassador to canada, also show potential conflicts of interest, including a financial stake in ups, a postal service competitor.

they also show tens of millions of dollars in income and assets drooiv droo derived from holdings from shipping logistics company xpo. xpo is a current contractor for the u.s. postal service. dejoy responded to accusations of political influence for the first time, publicly, today. >> while, i certainly have a good relationship with the president of the united states, the notion that i would ever make decisions concerning the postal service, at the direction of the president or anyone else in the administration, is wholly off base. >> a u.s. postal service spokesperson tells me as postmaster general, dejoy is not required to divest of any particular asset. but if a conflict arises, he may be required to divest if the postal service determines that he cannot recuse himself. but the spokesperson also tells me that dejoy has followed all ethics regulations. chris. >> jessica, thank you very much. i want to play something for you right now. we are going to take a little

commercial break. and this is my tease for you to come back. if i were you, i would. here's why. it is very important that you understand, in your evaluation of this president, what is fair and unfair about him? what people say about the president should be measured and tested because people don't like him. people have agendas. people want other people to win. but what he says, himself, to people when he doesn't know that the rest of us are listening. now, that can matter. we have tape of him on a hot mic, before his press conference. i want you to hear how he describes his situation and what's going on to a group of people, in his own words. next.

- [alan] what is a wish? (medical equipment beeping) (sonar pinging) (upbeat music) - [man] captain, we're ready to dive. - [alan] it's adventure and seeing the unknown. (inspirational music) it's imagination - [man] we're ready to surface. - [alan] and coming up for air. (inspirational music) - [alan] but really, deep down, a wish is hope. and right now, we need hope more than ever, that's why we need your help. when children with critical illnesses spend their days here, getting tests and treatments,

to wishing to be anywhere else. they're wishing to just be kids again. by giving $20 a month, 67 cents a day, or any amount to make-a-wish, you make wishes real. (uplifting music) wishes provide hope and give strength to children and their families. wishes change lives. (uplifting music) - [announcer] for just $20 a month, 67 cents a day, or any amount, you can give a child hope.

call the number on your screen or visit wish.org to grant wishes today.

it's friday night. we are in the middle of a pandemic. you might think the president might be in the situation room trying to figure out how to get us testing for the rest of us. so why did he suddenly call a press conference? well, to lie to you about the nature of the coronavirus threat, which he really believes is his ticket to winning again. lying to you in a way that actually threatens your children. that's his bread and butter. that's his best play. i think it's terrible. i think there is such a better play for him that's actually the truth and his responsibility. but he doesn't want to play it. the question is why? i keep asking people, why is he doing this? why is he ignoring this? and i don't get a lot of good answers, right? why would he take time to talk to you about a bs executive order to protect people with pre-existing conditions when he knows people, like me, are going to blow it up. we already have protection for people with pre-existing

conditions. he is the one trying to take it away. why would he sign an executive order saying it gives something, at the same time, he is trying to take it away? because he is lying to you. he wants to manipulate and distract you from the desperation of our reality. now, what does that say about him? nothing that he doesn't say about himself. he gave us the answer to how he sees where we are, right now, and what matters when he didn't know he was being recorded. or if he did, you know, he's really -- he was talking to a crowd of true believers before a news conference, asking them to come in. you know, more crowd. he was caught on a hot mic. there's in video. but i want you to hear where he is coming from and talking to these people, and what matters to him. listen to this. >> hello, everybody. hello, everybody.

thank you. so we're going to do a press conference. and i thought you were here, you might as well come in and see. you'll get to meet the fake news tonight. you get to see what i have to go through. who's -- oh, all my killers are there. wow. so you'll get to see some of the -- the people that we deal with every day. it's like a history lesson for your children. tell your children about it. but we have a lot of good news about the economy. lot of good things happened today, otherwise, i wouldn't have a press conference. so, that's it. so, enjoy it, and we'll be out in a little while. >> my takeaways. so, you wouldn't have a press conference when we're in the middle of a pandemic, and people are desperate for your help, unless you had some good news? to spin? and by the way, in that press conference, he lied to you. about giving you protection. he's giving you nothing. he is trying to take it.

and he is refusing to act in a way that we, desperately, need. i don't care what he says about the media. that's okay. he's free to feel that way. so are you. but inviting people in, when they're barely wearing masks, at a time when we are trying to convince people to do it. he never mentioned anything about the urgency of our reality. it is what it is, mr. president. it's a pandemic, and you are who you are. you don't give a damn. i'm coming back after this, with the final installment in our special series of life lessons. i'm turning 50 this weekend. i'm okay. next.

all right. i'm going to be 50 on sunday. thank you so much for making me feel good about it. in truth, i'm not bothered by

the age. i got a lot of other things to worry about right now. building myself up back from where i was before i got sick. but here's my life lesson. there are two words that mean everything in life. and you have to say them every day, and they apply to everything that happens in your life, good and bad. ready? thank you. every day, for me, is a form of prayer. to me, it's about god. for you, it can be whatever you value. thank you, god, for my health. for the health of my kids, most of all. for another day. for the challenges. for the sickness. for the stress. for the failure. the disappointment. the moments of despair, the darkness. the moments i have had, even recently, where i was not sure about why i needed to be here. why? because, in those moments, i was forced to dig deep and find a rationale for my existence, and

it came in the ultimate reality, that i am here for things that are bigger than myself. i am not interested in me. i'm not interested in popularity or success. i'm interested in helping other people achieve their best self- selves, starting with my kids and my wife, my family, and the family that i choose. so i say thank you. when we got hit by an ied in iraq. the bombs that we have seen. the deaths, disaster, that i have seen and smelled. and i have suffered through with families because i know the darkness. and i thank that opportunity, so that i can help you face it and help you understand what this world can be about when we're at our worst. i say thank you, for allowing me, for whatever reason, to have so much more than i deserve. and i don't deserve it. i'm not special. i'm not unique. there is nothing about me that entitles me to anything more than anybody else. i am flawed. and too often, fixed in those flaws. so, i say, thank you. for allowing me a life of opportunity and the grace to continue it, to this day.

i say thank you to my team, that makes this show what you get to see every night. that held me up, when i was down. i say thank you to my mother for showing me, to this day, how to love and how to be loving. i say thank you to my father, for continuing to be a light in my life. and a constant source of hope, that i can be anything like he was. i thank my siblings for putting up with me. i thank my brother for being the example that he is to me. i thank my wife for creating everything that is of value to me, in this life. if not for her, there would be nothing that would be worth my while here. to my kids, to my team, to my friends. everything i do in life that's right, i do because i want to be right for you. and that includes all of you. thank you, so much, for giving me this opportunity. i may not be the best.

i may not be the smartest. i may not get it right. but i swear to you, nobody will ever outwork me in doing the job for you because i owe you. you ever giv you have given me an opportunity, i never imagined i would have and you embraced this show in a way no one thought you would. so thank you. thank you for giving us the chance. thank you for giving me the chance. and thank you for watching. cnn tonight with the upgrade, laura coates, in for d lemon, right now. >> oh, chris, that was beautiful. thank you. thank you for that. that was so touching. all week long, i -- you know, i look forward to hearing your life lessons and what's yet to come. i did make you a cake. but unfortunately, i love cake. and so, i ate the cake. but i thought of you while i ate the cake. >> you did me a favor. because it's the last thing i need right now. i'm shaped like the wrong kind of fruit. >> it was a great cake. delicious. >> i believe it. >> and i really did think of you, as the frosting was, you know, and all the crumbs. but i want you to know all the