polling station, voter registration status or get information on absentee or early voting, go here. all of the information is there, cnn.com/vote. thank you very much for joining us today. we will see you here tomorrow morning. i'm poppy harlow. >> and i'm jim sciutto. "newsroom with john king" starts right now. hello, everybody, i'm john king in washington. thank you for sharing your day with us. today day three of confirmation hearings for judge amy coney barrett. senators get to ask more questions. health care and abortion rights frequent topics again today but judge barrett is well on her way to becoming justice barrett. republicans have the votes. president trump's third supreme court nominee so far holding tightly to tradition, evading specifics on how she would rule on big cases and big issues. we're 20 days until the election. senator kamala harris participating in that critical hearing and therefore off the campaign trail. the democratic nominee joe biden spends the day in delaware. the president plans an economic

speech this hour in the rose garden and then travels to battleground iowa. the president's busy schedule will test his recovery from coronavirus. he's losing right now, losing by a lot. his urgency, listen, obvious. >> suburban women, will you please like me, please, please? i saved your damn neighborhood, okay! >> the coronavirus is the defining campaign issue, and the pandemic is making the late campaign statement of its own. this map lays out nationwide trouble. look at all of the red and orange, the very opposite of what you hear from the president, 36 states right now, 36 of the 50 states reporting more new infections this week than last week. and notice, sadly, no green, meaning no states right now are trending in the right direction. the seven-day average of new cases, new infections, sits at 51,000 per day. remember, the president told us this virus would disappear back

in april. the vice president predicted it would be largely behind us by memorial day. instead here we are heading back up the hill after dr. anthony fauci says 50,000 cases a day is a bad place to be. he's right. your ballot will say trump versus biden. it could as well say trump versus science or trump versus truth. >> we're rounding the term on the pandemic. we understand hey, i just had it. here i am. who had it here? yeah, a lot of people, a lot of people. you're the people i want to say hello to because you're right now immune. >> rounding the corner, the president's words, rounding the corner, that means the final stretch and then the finish line. that's not where we are. the president is either lying or simply not doing his homework. let's go through the numbers. we do this every day. orange and red are bad. this is horrific, horrific. 36 of 50 states heading in the wrong direction. that means no new krccoronaviru

now compared to a week ago. that is not rounding the corner. that is heading back up the hill. 36 in orange, 3 states in red, 56 more now than a week ago, states hoedi states holding steady? goose egg, zero. that is a back trendline. began the summer going down the hill some, but now going up. it's rounding a turn but in the wrong direction, back up the hill, 52,406 new infections yesterday. average now back to above 50,000 new infections a day. that was a horrible infection to be in as it gets colder. you look at the positivity map, this tells you more cases today, more people are testing positive but also suggests more cases tomorrow because people positive spread the infection. 19% iowa, 24% south dakota, 23% idaho. not a coincidence, the northern half of the country where it's already getting colder, high

positivity rate. let's zero in on wisconsin, a battleground state and coronavirus hot spot, 21% positivity rate meaning more than one in five people who get a test are coming back positive for coronavirus. the look at the cases, july wasn't great. flatline, look at this since the end of august, look at this wisconsin heading up the hill and with more cases comes more hospitalizations. you go up here now, wisconsin one of the state's dealing right now, north dakota is earth no one with the stress and strain on the hospital system. so we are seeing trying efforts to respond but let's get straight to cnn's adrienne broadus in west ellis, wisconsin. this is an example of the coronavirus coming back in a big number and states having to scramble to take care of people. >> yes, that's right, john, this is what happens, governor tony evers says, when people let their guard down. you just showed a great visual with those maps. you can take a darts, throw it towards any u.s. map and no

matter what region it lands, the story is the same, no state is heading in the right direction. and nas the case here in wisconsin. so to accommodate, they have measures in place. opening today an alternative care facility. the goal of this alternative care facility, or field hospital, is to relieve the pressure from local hospital systems that have been overwhelmed. this new facility, which opened about an hour ago, can house more than 500 patients. they have about 530 patient beds. you're looking at video of construction of that. meanwhile, this is a scenario governor tony evers did not want to become reality. back in april, he and other state leaders started planning for this. wisconsin is on a streak it wan wants to end. more than 3,000 new confirmed

cases yesterday and about 34 people died in 24 hours. this as the number of cases continues to rise, president trump is planning to rally in janesville, wisconsin, this weekend. john? >> the governor not happy about the big crowds at that as well. wisconsin one of the states going through especially hard trouble right now. many states have trouble, but it's especially hard there. adrienne, thank you. let's continue our coverage with the white house correspondent for "the washington post." ta lou, we're at an interesting moment. we get it, the president wants to get out there and campaign. we get it, the president wants to show the nation i had coronavirus, i got great treatment, i feel better. all of that is fine but what the president is saying now is flatly contradicted by the numbers. listen. >> the vaccines are coming soon, the therapeutics and frankly the cure. all i know i took something, whatever the hell it was, i felt

good quickly. i took it and i said i felt like superman. i said let me at him. we're rounding the turn on the pandemic. we understand, hey, i just had it. here i am. now i'm immune they tell me. i can come down and start kissing everybody. >> if we had a doctor present, they would challenge a lot of what the president said. you and i know the numbers, vaccines are coming soon. we don't know that. two of the vaccines have been put on pause. depends on your definition of soon but it's not days and weeks and certainly won't be here before the election. the cure, the president received an experimental treatment that clearly helped him but it's not a clear and it is not widely available at all. yet the president is trying to convince the american people in these battleground states, pay no attention to the numbers, the facts and the science. >> if everything is fine and there's a cure already, why are 700-plus people dyeing on a daily basis? why do we have more than 50,000 cases on a daily basis? why are all of these states hitting record highs and hospitals being overwhelmed if

there's a cure. cure the president is trying to spin this pandemic. it's been his approach the last several months but it's not working. if you look at how people are being impacted on the ground, yes, the president can gather hundreds or thousands to cheer him when he downplays the pandemic or makes it seem like a joke or something he got and fought against or won against and now immune but there are thousands more struggling right now who are either their loved one is in the hospital or their loved one is in the grade because of this virus. more than 250,000 deaths. that's not something you can spin your way out of. as much as the president has been saying several months that we're right around the corner, this is going to be over in a matter of weeks or days, it's not clear that the case and it's clear that a lot of americans have been fed up with hearing this for several months that we're almost over this pandemic and we know they can't send their kids to school. they know hospitals are still struggling with ppe and other

issues, and case numbers continue to be high. there's a difference between the president spinning this and what people are seeing on the ground and there's a chance he can be overplaying his hand by someoning this too much. >> that's one of the problems, you look at the polling numbers and the reasons the president is trailing is people are living this every day. they know it. they themselves are infected or frontline worker or know someone who is and you can't spin something that is in people's daily lives. and in this case a national challenge, a national pandemic, but dr. scott atlas, his new favorite doctor on the coronavirus task force say facts matter. lockdowns are a luxury of the risk. it's the working class and poor whose lives are destroyed by long lockdowns, unconscionable to ignore that while eliminating asymptomatic cases. i don't know who he's talking about asymptomatic cases but as

the president routinely speaks to those like he did last night in pennsylvania, who still have restrictions in place, and they say they want to push governors or states who do not have mask policies but this position for mr. atlas saying what, let it rip, open up even though we don't have a vaccine yet? >> yes, that does seem to be increasingly the position of the trump administration and white house led by dr. scott atlas, which is herd immunity. allowing the virus to go through as many people as possible, saying it's the idea of focused protection, protecting vulnerable populations and not saying how they're going to project the elderly and people with pre-existing conditions from everyone else. but young people and everyone who does not face a heightened risk because of this pandemic should just go about their lives, don't worry about wearing masks, don't worry about social distancing, catch the virus at well and say pm wiwill get it at

better. it's something not embraced by the vast majority of scientists, epidemiologists, people who study this and have expertise are saying we should not pursue herd immunity, but it's something embraced by the white house and president and he's having an open experience by having so many people gather at his rallies and essentially say let it rip, let this virus get through as many people as possible and congratulations, you're immune. it's a dangerous approach but it seems to be the political approach the president is taking to the pandemic and final weeks of his campaign. >> it does seem to be. again, i say trump versus biden on the ballot but in some ways you see trump versus fauci playing out, a public debate. trump versus facts and science. thank you very much for your reporting and insights. up next -- the unmasking investigation hyped by the president. said it was a big scandal. conservative media outlets

disagreed, reportedly ending without any charges. she's serving now we made it for all branches and all ranks whether they served one tour or made a career of it. we also made usaa for military spouses and their kids usaa is easy to work with and can save you money on auto, home and renters insurance. become a member today. get an insurance quote at usaa.com/quote usaa. what you're made of we're made for get an insurance quote at usaa.com/quote - with the ninja foodito intelligesmart xl grill.ing just pick your protein, select your doneness, and let the grill monitor your food. it also turns into an air fryer. bring outdoor grilling flavors indoors with the grill that grills for you.

tums ver(bell rings)la stick when heartburn hits fight back fast... ...with tums chewy bites... beat heartburn fast tums chewy bites beautiful. but when i started cobra kai, the lack of control over my business made me a little intense. but now i practice a different philosophy. quickbooks helps me get paid, manage cash flow, and run payroll. and now i'm back on top... with koala kai.

hey! more mercy. save over 30 hours a month with intuit quickbooks. the easy way to a happier business. ♪ oh, oh, (announcer)®! ♪ once-weekly ozempic® is helping many people with type 2 diabetes like emily lower their blood sugar. a majority of adults who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. here's your a1c. oh! my a1c is under 7! (announcer) and you may lose weight. adults who took ozempic® lost on average up to 12 pounds. i lost almost 12 pounds! oh! (announcer) for those also with known heart disease, ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. it lowers the risk. oh! and i only have to take it once a week. oh! ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ (announcer) ozempic® is not for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. do not share needles or pens. don't reuse needles. do not take ozempic® if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer,

multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to ozempic®. stop taking ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, itching, rash, or trouble breathing. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your doctor if you have diabetic retinopathy or vision changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. common side effects are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and constipation. some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. once-weekly ozempic® is helping me reach my blood sugar goal. ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ you may pay as little as $25 for a 1-month or 3-month prescription. ask your health care provider today about once-weekly ozempic®. in so many ways. which cage free eggs taste fresher and more delicious? only eggland's best. which organic eggs have more vitamins and less saturated fat? only eggland's best. better taste, better nutrition, better eggs.

president trump called it giant scandal. one republican senator said it would be the biggest thing since watergate. in the end it turned out the alleged unmasking scandal was much to do -- well, much ado about not much. after the so-called unmasking effort by top obama administration officials back in 2016. it was the attorney general william barr who ordered that investigation. unmasking is the term used when the government official asks for the name of someone listed in an intelligence report anonymously. back in 2016 some obama officials asked for specifics after seeing reports that raised concerns americans were having unusual campaign year contact

with russians. michael flynn's name was unmasked as part of that process, he was having meetings with russians. obama administration officials say they followed the rules and were doing their jobs. president trump screamed scandal. >> the unmasking and the spying and to me that's the big story. the unmasking is the massive thing. we're talking about unmasking that was a big deal, horrible deal. >> horrible deal, the president says. "the washington post" now reporting the investigation is over and the prosecutor tapped by ag barr to look into the unmasking plans no charges and no public reports. cnn justice correspondent jessica snyder joins me now. jessica, this was a big deal for the president, enough that bill barr named a prosecutor to look into it. seems to be going out with a bit of a whimper here. >> p very much a whimper, john. the president, like you heard there, hyped this for months and some republicans saying it's bigger than watergate. but now no public report for

this unmasking with and no charges according to "the washington post" despite the president pushing and promising for obama officials to be indicted. we got a hint they hit a dead end when the attorney in charge of the investigation left doj last week and the post is now reporting john bash, the former u.s. attorney in san antonio, found no evidence of substantive wrongdoing. we previously reported bash was brought on in may to handle this unmasking review. it was actually in support of the ongoing russia investigation led by u.s. attorney john durham, and that's an investigation we also reported likely will not yield any results before election day. this unmasking investigation was announced after then acting director of national intelligence richard grenell declassified the names of former obama officials who had allegedly requested the unmasking or revealing of the identity of michael flynn, of course, trump's first national

security adviser. they wanted that unmasking allegedly from foreign intelligence documents. the names of americans in those documents are always redacted but we do know some government officials have the authority to unmask their identities. at the time, joe biden's name was listed as an obama official who requested the unmasking. and, of course, the trump campaign seized on that. this is how "the washington post" is putting it today, saying bash's team was focused not just on unmasking but also on whether obama-era officials provided information to reporters but the findings ultimately turned over to barr fell short of what trump and others might have hoped and the attorney general's office elected not to release them publicly. the doj at this point is not commenting but really now the hyped investigation has come to an anti-climatic end for the president, john, and his allies and what they railed against for months is now considered cleared with no charges forthcoming. this could wrankle the president -- he also expressed

frustration with the doj for not doing enough to move against his political adversaries. we will see how he responds to this, john. >> he won't be happy with his attorney general but yet this is another trump conspiracy theory that is to be just that, a smoke screen. up next -- nancy pelosi, bit of a democratic family feud. she pushes back at internal party critics who want her to cut a stimulus deal. theater i came to quite often. the support we've had over the last few months has been amazing. it's not just a work environment. everyone here is family. if you are ready to open your heart and your home, check us out. we thought for sure that we were done. and this town said: not today. ♪

discover lash paradise. a caring formula and feather soft brush. for voluptuous volume and intense length. lash paradise. by l'oréal paris.

to save you up to 60%. these are all great. and when you get a big deal... ♪ ...you feel like a big deal. ♪ priceline. every trip is a big deal. ♪ hey allergy muddlers... achoo! ...do your sneezes turn heads? try zyrtec... ...it starts working hard at hour one... and works twice as hard when you take it again the next day. zyrtec muddle no more.

judge amy coney barrett is back in the witness chair today. and with each passing minute, she's closer to becoming justice barrett. live look at the committee and another full day of questions today. that following 12 hours in front of senators yesterday. this morning's highlights include questions about obamacare, whether cameras should be allowed during supreme court proceedings and whether the president of the united states can pardon himself. >> the president refused to follow what they had said, would that be a threat to our constitution? >> like i said, the supreme

court control whether or not the president obeys. >> does the president have an absolute right to pardon himself for a crime? i mean, we heard this question after president nixon's impeachment. >> senator leahy, so far as i know, that question has never been litigated, so because it would be opining on an open question, when i haven't gone through the judicial process to decide it, it's not one on which i can offer a view. >> during that exchange with senator patrick leahy of vermont, judge barrett said she also believes no one, including the president, is above the law. we're following this on capitol hill. amana is joining us live. what is the biggest consequence of today and has any of the math changed? >> none of the math has changed. a lot of times she's resorting to similar responses their hypothetical legal questions that could come before the court, and i cannot weigh in on

this in case a case could come before me and i don't want to prejudice my view in any way so i will not say one way or another. one of the things democrats tried to press her again today on is whether or not praise could unilaterally delay an election. the president himself raised that possibility. both sides pushed back on that. and amy coney barrett would not say whether or not the constitution gives the president that authority. it would say even if it's an easy question, hard question, i cannot answer unless i look at this more thoroughly or closely in a legal case, similarly over the affordable care act that has caused time and again the past criticism from 2012 that upheld the affordable care act. she said that was an academic exercise. now in the case before the supreme court, it would turn on a different legal issue so she does not want to weigh in one way or another but she did ak nong to senator patrick leahy she's never said anything positive about the affordable

care act. he asked her directly have you ever said anything positive about that law, and she said i really have not because it's never been a policy presented before me. that would be something democrats would point out but other than that, not a whole lot that democrats have been able to glean that could change the math and ensure her confirmation before election day, john. >> you mentioned the election there. one of the things you've been trying to track while you're keeping track of the hearing. are there reason senators hoping this confirmation battle gets them out from under the president's drag right now? walk us through that. >> yes, no question about it. a number of republicans are feeling the pressure from the president eroding poll numbers, particularly in their states have been getting tighter and tighter. one of the ways they hope can turn things around is amy coney barrett's nomination, hoping they can give him a boost with conservative voters, lindsey graham in particular. the chairman of this committee, virtually everywhere he goes, he mentions her name and supreme court fight and mentions he's

leading the charge. pushing for money and voters to get behind him as his race is a debt heat, like so many other republicans are, john. >> and let's shift to the other side, house speaker nancy pelosi clearly frustrated by criticism she should be willing to compromise more to get a new coronavirus stimulus deal. in an interview with cnn's wolf blitzer, pelosi said the white house is fully to blame for this impasse, calling the $1.8 trillion proposal fall short to help families and businesses. but there are democrats who want a deal. despite that pressure though, listen to the speaker. she is not budging. >> there are millions of americans who have lost their jobs, they can't pay their rent, their kids need the foods. >> that's right. that's what we're trying to get done. >> $1.8 trillion is going to help millions of americans that cannot put food on the table, and we see them on the street beg egg for food and money.

>> and we are getting money for them. >> and begging for food. >> have you fed them? we feed them. >> spokesman for treasury secretary mnuchin said the phone conversation was productive and will speak again tomorrow. joining us now, molly, you know this speaker well and you speak about her style well in your book "productive," which is fascinating and i recommend it. and you know how she prides herself being the leader on loyalty. is she failing to doing in here, is she failing to keep the democrats quiet and on her side or is that impossible? >> i think it's impossible to keep literally every member of the caucus in her tent but she has been trying to in that interview and others project the message that most democrats are still onboard with the strategy, even though some have gone

wobbly, even publicly so. she firmly believes she has the leverage in this situation that republicans have finally seen after months of waiting, that it is in their political interest to come back to the negotiating table. and they made an offer. she used that at the beginning of the negotiation, not the end of it. so the question now is whether there is actually some possible way for these two sides to meet in the middle or whether they are both sort of just play acting this negotiation that neither side really believes can happen just because they don't want to be seen as the one who walked away from the table. >> you look at 1.8 and 2.2, easy middle ground, just settle and compromise, split the difference and compromise. a listen to the conversation with wolf blitzer yesterday, you detail this in your book when you mentioned the name president trump, the speaker gets interesting. take a look. >> let me read a line, the president only wants his name on

a check to go out before election day and for the market to go up. is that what this is all about, not allow the president to take credit if there's a deal that will help millions of americans right now? >> no, i don't care about that. he's not that important. >> he's not that important. he's the president of the united states. i get it, she negotiates with secretary mnuchin and now chief of staff, but the president is actually kind of important here, he has to sign it. >> he does. obviously, he is important to getting any potential deal of this kind. in fact, the main reason there hasn't been further legislation, has been the president's inconsistency and lack of involvement in this particular issue. but obviously, that reflects the speaker's attitude towards trump, the erosion of that relationship that has been going on for the past couple of years. neither of them has any particular affection for the other or respect for the other at this point and we've seen on multiple occasions her expressing her views that he's

basically beneath contempt. ever since impeachment, there's really been no relationship personally between the two of them. >> it is remarkable dysfunction. hard to strike a compromise with such dysfunction but we shall see. molly ball, always grateful for your insight. coming up -- we'll go back to the campaign trail. president trump trying to defend his 2016 map. joe biden, watch him travel from pennsylvania into ohio to wisconsin. he's trying to rebuild that so-called blue wall. dust mite droppings? ewww. dead skin cells? gross! so now, i grab my swiffer heavy duty sweeper and dusters. dusters extends to 6 feet to reach way up high... to grab, trap and lock away gross dust. nice! for dust on my floors, i switch to sweeper. the heavy duty cloths reach deep in grooves to grab, trap and lock dust bunnies... no matter where they hide. no more heebie jeebies. phhhhew. glad i stopped cleaning and started swiffering. it was 1961 when nellie young lost her devoted husband.

without him, things were tough. her last option was to sell her home, but... her home meant everything to her. her husband had been a high school football coach and it turned out, one of his former players came up with an answer. a loan, created just for older homeowners. and pretty soon, nellie young had one of the first reverse mortgages. discover if a reverse mortgage loan is right for you. use it to eliminate monthly mortgage payments and increase cashflow, create an emergency fund, preserve retirement savings and more. call now for your free information kit. that first reverse mortgage loan meant nellie could stay in the home she loved so much, with memories that meant even more. a reverse mortgage loan isn't some kind of trick to take your home. it's a loan... and it's tax-free cash just when you need it.

it's about making your retirement better. call today and find out more in aag's free, no-obligation reverse mortgage loan guide. access tax-free cash and stay in the home you love. of course, you can use it to pay some bills, cover medical costs, update or repair your home. but best of all, it eliminates those monthly mortgage payments so you get more cash in your pocket, every month. learn how you can use a reverse mortgage loan to cover your expenses, pay for healthcare, preserve retirement savings, and so much more. a lots changed since 1961... since then over a million older americans have used a reverse mortgage loan to finance their retirements. it meant so much to nellie, maybe it could mean as much to you... call now and get your free infokit

noticks and fleas?o simplifies protection. maybe it could mean as much to you...

see ya! heartworm disease? no way! simparica trio is the first chewable that delivers all this protection. and simparica trio is demonstrated safe for puppies. it's simple: go with simparica trio. this drug class has been associated with neurologic adverse reactions, including seizures; use with caution in dogs with a history of these disorders. protect him with all your heart. simparica trio. hey frank, our worker's comp insurance is expiring, should we just renew it? yeah, sure. hey there, small business owner. pie insurance here with some sweet advice to stop you from overpaying on worker's comp. try pie instead and save up to 30%. thirty percent? really? get a quote in 3 minutes at easyaspie.com. wow, that is easy. so, need another reminder? no, no no, i'm good. uh, yes please. oh. ho ho ho, yeah! need worker's comp insurance? get a quote in 3 minutes at easyaspie.com.

we're getting close to election day and where the candidates travel tells you a lot about the state of play. joe biden spending time in states he does not need to win, meaning he's leading the race and just trying to stretch his advantage. and states donald trump flipped in 20167 are turning blue. this is the map that carried donald trump to the presidency. hillary clinton won the popular vote but the president won the electoral college in part because of right here, ohio, pennsylvania, wisconsin. the president was back in pennsylvania last night. it was a blue state he flipped red but just barely, fewer than 45,000 vote, the margin, 44,292.

the president wants to get these 20 electoral votes again. they're key to his map. that's why he's there last night. and joe biden was born in pennsylvania, he thinks he can flip it blue. and four years ago, ohio, big donald trump lead but joe biden thinking he can turn ohio from red to blue. that would block president trump. if you look at this part of the country, in every presidential election the industrial belt from pennsylvania across to wisconsin, always a big competition ground and always the big issue, jobs. >> they will lose. you will lose in pennsylvania a million jobs. and when i'm president, america will remain the world's most number energy producer with pennsylvania workers leading the way. >> i come from automobile state and an automobile man. the auto industry supported one in eight ohioans, was on the brink. it was more than ten years ago

but you remember like it was yesterday, it was on the brink, barack and i bet on you and the american worker and it paid off. >> let's get some on-the-ground reporting from reporters in pennsylvania and ohio, jonathan tamary, national political writer for the "philadelphia inquirer"er and chief for "the cincinnati inquirer." jackie, let me start in ohio. you know the cliche, but it happens to be true, no republican won the presidency in modern times without carrying ohio. listen to some of joe biden. this is a state mike dewine, current governor, yes, president trump carried it big but they're not trumpy republicans. joe biden reaching for the middle. >> it's time to rebuild the backbone of this country, the middle class. this time bring everybody along, no matter your race, your age, your gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability. everybody gets to come along. it's time to unite america and

we'll do that by choosing hope over fear. science over fiction. truth over lies, and unity over division. >> what is the late sense there, jackie? does that kind of a message work in a state that the president carried quite handily four years ago? >> you know, i think the message joe biden gave in ohio this week is exactly the message he needs to give in ohio for all of the reasons you mentioned at the top of this segment. although ohio went sharply for president trump four years ago, it also voted for obama twice, and the areas where trump made inroads were on the jobs message. when you went to places in ohio where he swung the vote away from obama, jobs, the economy, returning good paying jobs to those areas were high on their list. so it's exactly why former vice

president biden focused on that. i think in ohio we were a little surprised to see him come back, the narrative for the last two to four years has been ohio is now a red state. we're not included in a lot of the national media's list of ballot grounds or swing states this time around. but it seems like in the last few weeks we're definitely feeling like a swing state. also on monday vice president mike pence was in ohio. we just heard that ivanka trump will be in cincinnati on friday and kamala harris will be in cleveland. so we're starting to feel more like a swing state and it seems that that -- i think that's the message that both candidates are going to have to drive home on that jobs and economy, it's still the number one issue here. >> jonathan, a, if joe biden can win ohio, forget about it, game over. if joe biden can take back pennsylvania, donald trump so needs those 2020 electoral votes. they were so important last time. i want to play a snippet from

last night. this is a president, of course, in the middle of a pandemic. that has been the biggest drag on his popularity. in your state last night in the commonwealth of pennsylvania, he tried to tie joe biden to the governor and governor's restrictions about the coronavirus. listen. >> joe biden would terminate our recovery, delay the vaccine, prolong the pandemic, and annihilate the economy with draconian, un-souun tisk lockdowns is that you have right now in pennsylvania with this governor who is killing you. tom wolf, tom wolf. come on, tom, open up pennsylvania, tom. >> so this become, as it always the case in pennsylvania, a close election, a turnout game, in the sense joe biden's message, and i think the governor's position is stronger in philadelphia and the suburbs and maybe allegheny county but you get to the middle of the so-called t, the middle of the state, that's where the president is hoping people come out of the woodwork again.

>> that's right. and the president's been attacking golf wolf, a democrat on this, pretty much since the start of the pandemic. this works really well with his base, as you saw at that rally last night. the challenge for him is that most polling shows that the governor's response is much more popular than the president's response has been. so what you're seeing is the president is preaching to the people who are already with him. he's trying to basically do what he did in 2016 but bigger. just get those people out in even larger numbers than he already got. biden is running a multifaceted campaign. he's counting on big turnout in philadelphia and its suburbs and pittsburgh and its suburbs, even bigger than in the last election, but he's also going to the very same areas president trump is campaigning in and trying to peel off moderate voters, democrats who felt alienated from the party and win some of those back. the president was in johnstown

last night, biden was indowns ton this month, erie county, another place that is strong for the president. he was in westmoreland county. so he's trying to reach the same voters with a more moderate message while the president is just trying to rally people with him with greater numbers. >> it's a nationalized climate, the pandemic being issue number one. and let me close by asking each of you, jonathan, you can go first in this round, is there anything unique, is there a state issue about? sometimes we get a surprise, something local going on that impacts an election. is there anything else going on that we should keep an eye on in pennsylvania, or is it largely that nationalized climate? >> i think it's largely nationalized but an issue you heard the president you heard the president talk about is fracking and energy. fracking is a huge piece of the economy in southwestern pennsylvania. he's attacked joe biden, accusing him of wanting to ban fracking, which is not biden's position. he's said repeatedly he would end new permits on federal

lands, allowing existing fracking to go on. but the president is hammering that message, trying trying to save those kind of blue collar voters in southwestern pennsylvania that your jobs would be on the line. that's an issue that is not unique alone to pennsylvania but very significant there. >> jackie, same question to you. you look at ohio, incredibly complicated state given its diversity. is there anything else going on, on the ground that could impact the presidential race? >> i agree that's probably the national politics for what most people have in mind but given our diversity and eastern part of the state, fracking is an issue here as well. manufacturing remains an issue. and then we did also have a statehouse scandal, corruption scandal, over the summer with the house speaker who's republican getting caught up in a $61 million bribery scheme. so i don't know if that will reverberate up but that's something the local candidates are, you know, advertising for and against -- everyone's

mailbox is getting stuffed with those kinds of ads. >> grateful for the reporting from the ground and two battlegrounds as we head into the final days. thank you both very much. we will check back in another day or two. coming up -- california warning that state is in a break-or-break moment as coronavirus is again on the rise. come off my shoulders. thank you sofi for a great experience and for helping me get my money right. ♪ ♪ i try so hard, i can't rise above it ♪ ♪ don't know what it is ♪ ♪ get a dozen double crunch shrimp for one dollar with any steak entrée. only at applebee's.

such as high blood pressure,ve pdiabetes, and asthma.s with any steak entrée. this administration and senate republicans want to overturn laws requiring insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing conditions. they're rushing a lifetime appointment to the supreme court to change the law through the courts. 70% of americans want to keep protections for pre-existing conditions in place. tell our leaders in washingtn to stop playing games with our healthcare. inflammation in your eye might be to blame.ck, looks like a great day for achy, burning eyes over-the-counter eye drops typically work by lubricating your eyes and may provide temporary relief.

ha! these drops probably won't touch me. xiidra works differently, targeting inflammation that can cause dry eye disease. what is that? xiidra, noooo! it can provide lasting relief. xiidra is the only fda approved treatment specifically for the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. one drop in each eye, twice a day. don't use if you're allergic to xiidra. common side effects include eye irritation, discomfort or blurred vision when applied to the eye, and unusual taste sensation. don't touch container tip to your eye or any surface. after using xiidra, wait 15 minutes before reinserting contacts. got any room in your eye? talk to an eye doctor about twice-daily xiidra. i prefer you didn't! xiidra. not today, dry eye.

in the tubbs fire. the flames, the ash, it was terrifying. thousands of family homes are destroyed in wildfires. families are forced to move and higher property taxes are a huge problem. prop 19 limits taxes on wildfire victims so families can move without a tax penalty. nineteen will help rebuild lives. vote 'yes' on 19.

colorado, one of four states reporting highest single day ump j in new coronavirus cases sips the start of this pandemic. colorado reporting nearly 1,000 new cases yesterday. in denver the city's mayor said cases are increasing at a concerning rate. joining us is the denver mayor

michael hancock. mr. mayor, thank you for your time. you say you're at a fork in the road. what is the issue? do you have a single problem or is this a little bit of everything causing the case count to go back up? >> good morning, john. good to be with you. it is a little bit of everything to have our cases go back up. we've had young people go back to school. we have three major university and college campuses here in denver. a lot of young people coming back to those campuses, driving our numbers up through some of their activities and really quite frankly people being more active. we have to get back to the basics with regards to our battle against the covid and do what we can to bring down these numbers. they are alarming and concerning. we've done a lot. we flattened it, very successful. it's time to get back to the basics. >> when you say back to the basics. will this impact your school plan? you mentioned some going back to school. they are to open next week, middle and high school early november at the earliest. you've got older students

continued remote learning. you've got to look at this at the end of the month and decide. are you at the point whether it's schools or something else step back and impose new restrictions? >> right now what we are seeing are seven-day average in terms of cases are up 40%. hospitalization rates are up 30%. the reality is that our young people have been trickling back to school. denver board of education and superintendent have announced our middle and high school students will be delayed even further in terms of going back to in-person learning. our elementary kids have been back for the most part and they really haven't seen much of an impact from their presence in the classroom. it's the older kids who have been really learning virtually. we are concerned. with our positivity rate close to 5%, we've got a lot of work to make sure we bring those numbers back, rein them in. we are doubling down on the efforts to encourage people to wear masks, not gather in groups of no matter how large. do whatever you can.

if you can stay home, stay home, instead of going out socially. more importantly, don't gather in groups, wear the mask, and social distance when you are out in public. >> 36 states right now, 36 states, are heading in the wrong direction in the united states. let me ask the question in this context. do you get any contact yourself or any data from the white house coronavirus task force, cdc, is there anybody in washington who is sending you information as this plays out saying, sir, pay attention. here is the problem. here is the solution, or are you on your own? >> listen, for the most part states and cities throughout this entire pandemic, john, let's be very clear, have been our own. this white house has been an absolute failure helping our states and cities. we've had to figure this thing out ourselves. we are fighting a battle. while we're fighting the battle, we have the commander-in-chief mocking this virus and not doing things necessary to demonstrate and to show the american public how serious this virus is within our society. you know, we talk about the

importance of wearing a mask. he mocks and plays games about wearing a mask. we talk about social distancing. he brings groups together in the white house and doesn't require them to social distance. he's mocking this virus at the same time we have 216,000 people who have lost their lives and states are fighting uphill to try to do what we can to rein it in and keep people safe, which is the top priority. i'm pretty sure cdc and national institute of health and disease are in contact with public health folks here in denver, colorado. i'm in daily contact with them as they are part of my cabinet. they help guide and direct and advise. but i'll tell you in terms of true, pure leadership, the president modeling what is necessary to protect the american people, we do not have it and quite frankly we've had to struggle for supplies, national testing policy, you know, just pure guidance on how we can fight this virus. it hasn't happened. it's been an absolute failure.

>> mr. mayor, grateful for your time today and certainly wish you luck in the challenging days ahead. i know you say a fork in the road. we'll check back on how things go in the days and weeks ahead in colorado. >> thank you. >> thank you, sir. up next, the president says we've rounded the final turn, victory is in sight. we'll break down the numbers to tell you something quite differently. lot. still a father. but now a friend. still an electric car. just more electrifying. still a night out. but everything fits in. still hard work. just a little easier. still a legend. just more legendary. chevrolet. making life's journey, just better.