howie: this is a fox news alert as the coronavirus death toll approaches 54,000 in the united states shall parts of america are taking the first tentative steps toward opening a shuttered economy. in georgia and oklahoma, spas, air salons and other businesses began opening friday. more will take that step by tomorrow. almost every business in missouri will be free to open its doors by week's end. the pastor of a mega church in louisiana was placed on house arrest yesterday after days of refusing to say whether he would defy the law by reopening his house of worship. tony spell had been jailed but is out on bond. president trump is signaling the daily coronavirus briefings are no longer worth his time, tweeting what is the purpose of

having white house news conferences when the lame stream media asks nothing but hostile questions. the white house blames it on media irresponsibility but the president has been pounded by be pundits and medical experts by suggesting to reporters that research might be done on certain treatments to kill the coronavirus. >> and then i said supposing you brought the light inside the body which you can do, either through the skin or in some other way and then i see that disinfectant knocks it out in a minute, one minute, and is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning. >> the president of the united states actually posed a threat to public safety. the president is acting like someone who is mad, someone who has gone temporarily insane, who is deranged. >> how can any adult believe,

seriously believe that he was saying, hey, people should inject clorox into their body. i get wanting to believe that because you have a pre-existing condition, to believe the worst that comes -- worst of everything that comes out of drum'trumpsmonth. joining us today, kristen soltis anderson, a washington examiner come yocolumn fifth and ray sua. i knew there was a problem when the lead image on the drudge report was a giant jug of clorox. i know the president was saying these were areas to research but that mention of bleach brought an overwhelming wave of media mockery and disdane. >> one is what president trump said and one is how the media responded to what he said. both were pretty ridiculous, actually. i don't think it's particularly helpful for the president to be speculating about treatment, i don't think it was necessary.

at the same time, the media response to it was really contemptuousus of the american people. you can talk about radiation killing cancer without people sticking their heads in microwaves. the way the media took this was that everything everybody was ak clorox. it showed a form of hatred for the american people, i think. howie: the president began this, talking with his own experts and then the washington post's phil rucker said people are tuning into the briefings, they want information and guidance and trump said hey, phil, i'm the president and you're fake news, a total fakeer. the question from the press came after the president broached the subject. >> well, we're 36 months plus into this presidency and a couple of months into this pandemic and the president seems to still not get that you have to be careful and precise and

cautious in the messaging that you do around anything involving a disease that's now killed, as you mentioned, over 50,000 americans. if he has some questions or speculation about whether light or disinfectant can be used inside the body, bring them up with dr. birx at some other time, not in the middle of a news conference. and we have to remember who you're talking to. you're talking to a room full of reporters. when you have said things in the past that were not true, they have to question everything you say after that. and it's out of that spirit that they proceed. howie: well, the president took no questions at friday's white house briefing. earlier in the day this is how he explained his remarks. >> but i was asking -- a very sarcastic question to the

reporters in the room about disinfectant on the inside. >> kristin, this is how some anchors and pundits reacted to the president saying he was being sarcastic. neil cavuto, he was not joking. before the president said hay, , this was sarcasm on my part, kaley mcinerney put out a statement trump has said repeatedly americans should consult with their doctors. leave it to the press to run with negative headlines. >> it sounds like he was speculating, brainstorming, thinking out loud, at the white house podium which i think is a dangerous place to have speculation and those, again, are questions that i think would be better posed to dr. birx, drs and when there's an answer to give to the american public, by all means give it. i think the president should be turning more to those experts,

dr. birx, dr. fauci, he's got some great folks on his team who are really effective messengers when it comes to talking about the medical component of this and i think making sure they're the ones delivering the message that's very specific to here are treatments, here is what research is finding, he's got these great folks on his team, he should be leaning on them much more and it keeps it out of the traditional trump versus the media back and forth. >>.howie: no question the president was thinkin thinking . in some cases it gets him into trouble. there was a dust-up, mollie, involving the president, the washington post and the head of the centers for disease control. let's take a look at how that unfolded. >> dr. robert redfield was totally misquoted in the media on his statement about the fall season and the virus, totally misquoted. >> that's the quote from the washington post. you were actively quote -- accurately quoted, correct.

>> i'm accurately quoted in the washington post. the headline was -- howie: so dr. redfield objecting to the headline. cdc director warns second wave of coronavirus is like throw be even more devastating, the quotes in that story from redfield is a possibility that the assault of the rye jus virue nation next winter will be more difficult, we're going to have the flu epidemic and the coronavirus epidemic at the same time. the president's first instinct was to accuse the press of misquoting robert redfield and then he said that's not try, i was quoted accurately. >> they took issue with the headline associated with the piece. trump said the piece is okay but the headline is inaccurate. that is true. that's something redfield explained at length. he wasn't saying the second wave would be deadlier than the first. he was saying when you combine

the second wave of the coronavirus with a bad flu season, could you have a more difficult season. he explained again at length. what i thought was frustrating about the media response, they said see, he was quoted accurately. you can be quoted accurately and still have an inaccurate story. it would be nice to see the media admit they got the headline wrong and stop defending it. howie: i think the story itself did explain redfield's point about two epidemics at once and it would overwell ha m the healthcare -- overwhelm the healthcare system. >> when you read the article, headline makes sense. what was devastating, it would coincide with seasonal flu. research shows a large number of people just read the headline and i don't know what the action call is after you know that. do you make headlines sexier and more appealing on the assumption

that people don't read the story or do you let the story do too much work in this case? yeah, the headline and you and i are old news guys, howie, we know that a headline is meant to make people read the piece. whether it was over-the-top, i'll leave to others. if you read the article, the headline doesn't seem too out-of-control. howie: well, i think the headline went a little too far. didn't need to be overly dramatic because the quotes themselves were pretty eye-catching. kristin, when there's all this back and forth had over headline and alleged misquotation, does all of that -- does take distinction get lost for the average people out there who aren't following everything as far as the president's overall indictment of the press and its coverage? >> well, the battle between trump and the press is not new but what i think is new right now is the amount of attention and frankly the amount of time folks have to be focused on the news. i mean, the president himself talks about the ratings that

he's getting for these press conferences which by the way i think would be smart for him to do fewer of them but nonetheless a lot of -- this is one of the biggest events that's happened in our lifetime. we are tuning, in watching everything. normally i would say yes, most people they only have time, they see the headline and move on. i think in this media environment, folks are spending a lot more time trying to figure out what's up and what's down because there's a lot of information out there projecting what the future could look like, different researchers have different models that can leave your average american to feel a little confused about what it is that we're going to be expecting here in the summer and heading into the fall. howie: it is confusing because nobody can accurately predict the future including the medical experts. mollie, what furthered the media narrative, i bet you have thoughts on this, that president trump is somehow muzzling or demanding loyalty from government scientists is when dr. rick bright was removed in the federal effort to find a vaccine and he said that's because he wouldn't support the

president's touting of hydroxychloroquine as a possible antidote for coronavirus. >> this is a great example of bad journalism and good journalism. the new york times story was debunked almost immediately. they should have known not to run the story because there was information in the public record that the doctor in question had strongly supported hydroxychloroquine. the fact that he was represented by kristin ford's attorney should have been a red flag for them. politico was working on the a sy that the problems the doctor had at his agency. they were able to get to press with the realto real story. bad journalism but good gushily. debunking -- good journalism debanking too. howie: the doctor said looking for a vaccine, science has to lead the way. at the same time there were leaks to certain papers saying well, he had a confrontational

management style. >> well, look, people who work at the agency know whether or not he had a confrontational management style. it may turn out in the fullness of time that just not agreeing with the president is not a good career move when you work at a high profile job like this during a pandemic. he wasn't fired. he was reassigned. he's still working in disease prevention. it will all play out in his career over time. howie: all right. i want to sneak in a quick sound bite from earlier in the week, jonathan carl was asking the president why he's spending money on more ventilators if he doesn't think the virus will come back strongly with the same insense at thiintensity in the . roll it. >> you have a lot of bad reporting out there. you're one of the leaders of the bad reporting. >> that's not true. howie: kristin, i've got 15 seconds. was there anything wrong with that question. >> i think we should be supporting our government, making sure they're prepared for worst case scenarios.

so by all means, ask it. i think the president is in the right to defend saying, look, just because i want to be optimistic about how this might turn out, we should be prepared for a worst case scenario. howie: under 15. let me get a break. when we come back, the president turning to legal immigration and that kicking up a major media controversy. stay with us. just because someone grows older does that mean they have to grow apart from their friends, or from the things they love to do? with right at home, it doesn't. right at home's professional team thoughtfully selects caregivers to help with personal care, housekeeping, meals - and most of all, staying engaged - in life. oh, thank you, thank you. you're welcome. are you ready to go? oh, i sure am. we can provide the right care, right at home. hold on one second...

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reopens. so important. >> nobody's getting a green card in 60 days anyway. so once again, it means nothing. but it gets everybody revved up. >> until the pro lockdown folks are willing to support efforts to reopen the economy, there is no position to insist that immigration should continue as normal. that's absurd. the president is showing us through this crisis how america first goes from being a campaign theme to a way of life. howie: mollie hemingway putting a freeze on legal immigration may be the right move during a pandemic. critics in the media are saying this is a culture war move to distract from the president's handling of the pandemic. >> i find it interesting that you have speaker of the house nancy pelosi openly admitting she's holding u up things and

nobody says she's exploiting the situation for political gain. trump cusdrumtrump does somethis being done all over the world while going through the coronavirus pandemic, match with his policies but seems like a questionable time to raise the political question. it's true the new york times did a very bad job covering this. the new york times previously admitting regularly that immigration of course decreases the wages of low wage workers. that is a concern in the country that all people should care about. the new york times admitted it previously before taking a hostile stance towards trump here. howie: i agree with the point that both parties try to get what they can even in a time of crisis. the same thing with an environmentalist after a oil spill. people in the white house including steven miller taking a hard line on immigration, have been pushing restrictions or

reductions in legal immigration for quite some time. so but at the same time you have the pundits saying this is an effort to use this whole situation to purchase an ideological agenda. >> people on the republican side of the aisle used to get the vapors when rahm emanuel would advise the president don't waste the crisis. that's what president trump is doing now, he's doing something that many advisers have been wanting him to do all along, doing it because he can at a time when it helps him advance other arguments that he's made during the course of his presidency. the number of people that we're talking about during the next 60 days, 90 days, is so marginal in an economy of 150 million workers that it's -- to say it's strictly economics i think is being a little disingenuous. howie howie: kristen soltis anderson, the president retreated from the

original tweet, saying he's freezing all legal immigration, there was a big pushback from the business economy, he exempted guest workers getting visas, only limited to the green card applicants. does that matter in terms of sending a message to people who are opposed to uncomfortable with immigration. >> i think the president has always had a pretty consistent position that he believes or at least many of his advisers believe wanting to limit certain types of legal immigration, that's part of his america first message. you are seeing governments all around the world in the face of this crisis, even those who maybe previously had been more open to i'm ga immigration, takw positions on the issue at least in the short term. i think long term the public opinion around the issue of immigration is going to be changed by this pandemic, all kinds of issues, whether healthcare, the economy, et cetera. the debates we're having and the way public opinion looks at what

government should be doing on this front will be shaped for a long time by the experience we're having now and i think immigration and the way people think about the free flow of goods and people across borders, i don't think it's going to look the same after this crisis comes -- hopefully comes to an end. howie: well, we'll be covering that. some commentators saying when the president criticizes the who or the press or china or takes on immigrants or what he calls do-nothing democrats that it's all distraction but some of those are worthy topics and these are worthy subjects of debate. mollie hemingway, kristen soltis anderson, ray suarez, great to see you this sunday. he'lwhen we come back, we've goa whole lot more on media buzz including a couple of television doctors who have had to apologize for their comments on the virus. i had a heart problem. i was told to begin my aspirin regimen, and i just didn't listen. until i almost lost my life. my doctors again ordered me to take aspirin, and i do. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. listen to the doctor.

take it seriously.

howie: the president has always insisted he doesn't watch morning joe but lately he

admitted to sneaking a peek at the msnbe show. with that, he unloaded. watched the first five minutes of poorly rated morning psycho to see if he's as nuts as people are saying. he's worst. such hatred and contempt. i used to do the show all the time but cut him off. they responded by mocking the tweet. >> here you have a guy who is in the middle of a pandemic, he can't get out of the mud, he can't help himself. howie: now, the president who by the way shouldn't be saying people have lost their minds obviously doesn't like the relent licensless criticism on e show. katie turr went too far when it came to reports first aired on cnn that kim jong un is gravely ill after surgery, she tweeted, north korean leader kim jong un

is brain dead according to two u.s. officials, then came the retreat. i deleted that last tweet out of an abundance of caution, waiting on more info. apologies. smart move. but the time november abundance of -- time for abundance of caution it before you put the tweet. two doctors had to walk back comments about coronavirus after a backlash. dr. oz said we should reopen the schools. >> schools are an appetizing opportunity. i saw an argument that the opening of schools may cost us 2 to 3% in terms of total mortality. howie: only 2 to 3% more people would die? dr. oz soon apologized. >> i realized my comments on risks around opening schools have confused and upset people which was never my intention. i misspoke. howie: dr. phil in a separate fox appearance minimized the

impact of the virus. >> the fact of the matter is, we have people dying 45,000 people a year die from automobile accidents, 480,000 from cigarettes, 360,000 a year from swimming pools that we don't shut the country down for that. howie: but dr. phil mcgraw later said he used the wrong statistics for swimming pool fatalities and recognizes the other risks are not contagious. >> they're probably not good examples. i probably could have used better examples about that. by the way, i misspoke about drowning deaths. if you didn't like my choice of words, apologize for that. howie: personally, i would rather hear from medical doctors who know something about infectious diseases. more media buzz straight ahead. ari fleischer, the former white house press secretary is on deck. i know that every single time that i suit up, there is a chance that that's the last time.

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howie: this is a fox news alert. a grim global milestone for the coronavirus, more than 200,000 people have died from the disease with the virus having affected more than 2.9 million people worldwide. doctors here in the u.s. are concerned that other potentially fatal diseases are going untreated as people avoid hospitals for fear of contracting covid-19. many urban medical centers officials say emergency rooms have about half the usual number of patients with some sections for heart attack and stroke victims almost empty. and moscow's mayor says russia is not even halfway through the pandemic as the country surpasses 80,000 cases, half of them in moscow. joining us now from new york with his take on the president's battles with the press in this coronavirus era, ari fleischer, fox news contributor and of course former white house press secretary for george w bush. if you were still the press secretary and the president was trying to clean up remarks he made about disinfectant that is

drawing so much negative media attention, would you have handled it differently than having the white house put out a statement saying, well, the press is behaving irresponsibly and then the president says, no, i was just being sarcastic? >> you know, i have to believe that the president heard something in private that mentioned the topic of uv light and disinfectant and then his fatal error was thinking out loud which you should never do in front of reporters. so what i would have tried to do is trace back what prompted the president to say it, put that context into a statement clarifying it, and then explain it that way. but you know, really my advice to the president, i think on the one hand it is perfectly appropriate to have a president that thinks outside the box and encouraging others to think outside the box, push people to think different, be different, but don't do it in the briefing room, don't do it in front of the press corps that doesn't like you anyway. howie: in front of the cameras, right. let me revisit the tweet by the

president who has been getting lots of advice including from some republicans to pull back on these briefings. what is the purpose of having white house news conferences, he says, when the lame stream media asks nothing but hostile questions and refuses to report the truth or facts accurately. they get record ratings says the president and the american people get nothing but fake news. my question is, do you agree that there's been nothing but hostile questions and what's your take on whether he should continue to do these briefings every single day, at length? >> you know, howard, as you know, i stay away from absolutes. to say it's been nothing but in either direction is wrong. there is some very legitimate science based acquisitive inquiries in the room. the room is defined by the hot heads and show offs who want to make speeches. that creates the gotcha games that nobody benefits from. i've been calling for weeks for

presidents to limit the brief things. presidents get over-exposed. he shouldn't have been out there every day. i have been saying for weeks no more than 30 minutes of questions. take it from me, howard. standing at that podium for more than 30 minutes, it's kind of like being at a bar after 2:00 a.m. all the good stuff has already happened. the only thing left is probably bad stuff so get out of the bar before 2:00, get off the podium after about 30 minutes. howie: interesting analogy. the president of course doesn't drink on your bar analogy. he has gone 90 minutes to two hours. >> reporters do. howie: good point there. all right. the president really unloaded on the media the other day. i want to play the sound bite and have you react on the other side. >> i do think that the press, the media, foments a lot of anger. for instance, i'll be asked a tremendously hostile question from somebody and then i'll answer in a hostile way which is appropriate, otherwise you look

foofoolish. howie: that's sort of the mirror image of what the press says about president trump, that he's fomenting division. do you believe the press deliberately or otherwise is fomenting anger about the coronavirus situation. >> no matter what issue, they stir the pot. that's age old. they particularly enjoy doing it to the republicans. they stir it hardest and fastest when it's donald trump. that clip you showed is reveltory to me. i would have loved a reporter to follow up and say why is that, mr. president. why do you have to return every attack? why do you have to pick up every gauntlet that's thrown and return it back. why do you look weak if you don't return the fire. i know people who can rise above and make the reporters look small and bad because they rows above what the reporters are trying to do.

i thought it was a fascinating glimpse at the president's personality. i would have wanted to know more why the president feels he has to throw back. there should have been a follow-up question. howie: one possibility is that he wants these fights, that he doesn't have to pick on people like jim acosta, but he feels it benefits him to use journalist as a foil. >> i think that's right. but i would have liked to have heard the president think out loud and have to say it. this is where i think sometimes reporters just want to play challenge, play gotcha games and challenge the president, as opposed to delve deeper to see what the president is thinking and why. not everything has to be a challenge to make news. you can make news by asking a straightforward, innocent question. howie: i want to get two more questions in. i want to ask for short answers. the president announced on twitter he was temporarily shutting down legal immigration, by the time they had the reefing at the end of the -- briefing at the end of the day, it was scaled back to green card

holders. you questioned that approach. >> i think on a major announcement like that, explain it, don't do it at 10:00 p.m. with a tweet, do it with explanation, take questions, why are you doing it, what does it entail. maybe there was some merit to it but it could have been better explained. howie: and finally, ari, the president is being accused of sending out mixed messages, for example, he said he had total authority over the states, then he said he would let the governors call the shots. then he did those liberate michigan, liberate minnesota tweets but then he took on as we'll discuss later in the program georgia's republican governor for moving too far, too fast. is mixed messaging a problem particularly for this president because he's not the typical politician, obviously, he didn't grow up in politics. >> it's a problem for anybody who is in a position of responsibility. governor cuomo and mayor de blasio said we will immediately put people onthe comfort, put people into the javits center. they had to walk that back.

governor cuomo said new york is the canary in the coal mine, everything new york is going through, the rest of america will go through, that's not true. true for the president too. he says things that don't turn out to be true. it's one reason why for a lot less access you don't have to say every thought you have, let some things develop and watch it quietly and say things when you have more authority. howie: we'll see whether the empty takes your advice and has -- whether the president takes your advice and has shorter news conferences. ari fleischer, great to see you, thanks so much for joining us. >> thanks, howard. howie: we'll look at the situation in georgia and las vegas where some people are pushing and actually mandating a reopening of the economy, that's next. you know, new customers save over $1,000 on average when they bundle home and auto with progressive. wow, that's... and now the progressive commercial halftime show, featuring smash mouth. ♪ hey now, you're an all star ♪ get your game on, go play

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howie: georgia's brian kemp found himself at the center of media furor when he lifted restrictions on gyms, bowling alleys, hair and nail salons and other businesses. >> in atlanta, if someone wants to get their nails or hair done on friday or atattoo or go to a gym, these are very close contact kinds of businesses that are the first ones on your list. can you explain why you would start with those kinds of businesses on day one? >> well, those are the ones that are closed. they're going to have to follow the strict guidelines.

howie: president trump says he told the republican governor he helped get elected that he strongly opposes the plan. >> so do i agree with him? no. but i respect him and i will let him make his decision. would i do that? no, i'd keep them a little longer. i want to protect people's lives. howie: joining us now, mara liasson, national political reporter for npr and fox news contributor. the pundits constantly accuse president trump of doing things for solely political reasons. here he is, he was tougher the next day, he said i'm not happy with brian kemp, taking on a freshman republican governor, a close ally, saying he's going too far, too fast. >> i thought that was the big story. to me, that was the story, that the president just a few days before had tweeted liberate this state, liberate that state, associated himself with the anti-lockdown protests, here he is saying, siding totally with his public health advisers, saying too fast.

>>, those are maybethe wrong ki. he said i strongly disagree with governor kemp. he wasn't dumping on a blue state, on a swing state, democratic governor, he was talking about a republican governor, an ally of his, and based on all the reporting that kemp had gotten the kind of green light from the white house task force just the day before, they knew what he was going to do and he felt they had given him the go-ahead. howie: i can't figure out how to practice social distancing in a nail salon or tattoo parlor. they wrote that trump threw brian kemp under the bus. does the press ever consider that maybe once in a while donald trump does something because he thinks it's right, in this case, is worried about more people losing their lives in the state of georgia. >> yeah, i actually think that's one of the biggest through-lines of this entire story is the president really

struggling to do the right thing and save people's lives but also open up the economy because that is really bad for people too if it stays shut down too long and all of the political pressures he has on him to win re-election. so you see him going back and forth. he hasn't fired anthony fauci or deborah birx. he's pretty much listened to his science advisers but every so often he tweets against the lockdown. he's really gone back and forth. i think he's struggling with this. i think that's one of the big stories. howie: it's hard to find the right blabs. balance. las vegas' mayor getting hammered for a couple tv interviews. here she is with msnbc's katie turr. >> let the businesses open and competition will destroy that business, if in fact they are -- if it becomes evident that they have disease, they're closed down, it's that simple. >> the modern day survival of the fittest you're laying out.

howie: she's saying we'll eventually close the casinos where the most people die. i don't have any problem with anchors being rough on her or pressing her on this, do you? >> yeah, also because what she said didn't make sense. she said if there are people sick inside that business, the business will go out of business because of competition. that makes no sense. people aren't sick in the place where they caught it, they go home, they get sick, maybe they infect others. it's about the pressures on the public health system and community spread. the illness doesn't stay confined to the casino where you got it. howie: right. because people then come out of the casino whether they won or lost. >> that's the whole point. howie: the press has been pounding mitch mcconnell for saying that some states, blue states, maybe should be allowed to declare bankruptcy rather than get bailed out by ged federal government -- by the federal government. he was called the marie

antoinette of the senate. has the coverage been one sided? >> to me, the coverage has been andrew cuomo versus mitch mcconnell, who comes from a red state that gets more in federal funds than his constituents pay in tax toss federal government, new york is just the opposite, they pay more to the federal government than they get back. this is a big federalism story and i think it's going to go on and on. it's going to be a big debate as we go forward. howie: a lot of money at stake. mara liasson, thanks so much for joining us. >> thank you. howie: still to come, joe biden makes a rather inflammatory charge and the president versus harvard, we'll tell you who won. they are the heroes, the helpers - working on the front lines, and here's one small way that you can help them in return. complete your 2020 census today. 2020 census data helps communities plan funding for hospitals, clinics, and emergency services across the country.

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howie: it was clearly decembero be a public relations nightmare. harvard university accepting an $8.5 million loan for the bailout and the president weighed in. >> harvard is going to pay back the money. they shouldn't be taking it. when i saw harvard, they have one of the largest endowments maybe in the country, maybe the world. howie: even then it took a day for harvard to say it wouldn't accept the money from the taxpayers. joining us now, griff jenkins, fox news correspondent here in washington. griff, first harvard said it was keeping the money. why did these very smart money at this elite institution in cambridge not see this would be a pr problem. >> maybe the silver lining now they have a textbook case to teach how not to handle it. you first had secretary devos say give it back before the president put the pressure on. they initially said they would

reallocate the money to the low income students. that wasn't good enough. greta van sustra nsaid harvard, do what shake shack did. they applied for the money and they realized they were a bigger fish and could perhaps weather this better. they gave the money back. harvard on the other hand certainly set a bad example for both the undergrads and i'm sure upset a lot of alumni. howie: harvard did say the money would go to student financial assistance, stam prinn also returned the money. joe biden, at a virtual fund raiser, he said mark my words, i think he's going to try to kickback the election somehow, come up with some rational why it can't be held and the new york times covering what it called extraordinary claims said biden's remarks amounted to a warning shot, an attempt to frame this to his advantage, what might be the ugliest

election in american history. the tenth paragraph says biden knows it will be exceedingly difficult and the president doesn't have the authority. do you think biden skated ton thionthis one. >> it's a great campaign. i'm not constitutional scholar. there's no authority for the executive branch under the constitution to postpone an election. i reached out in the last hour, from the campaign, trump's campaign, the spokesman tells me here's what they say, those are the incoherent conspiracy ram ramblings of a lost candidate who is out of touch with reality. the president has been clear the election will happen on novembe. biden has had to hold rallies virtually. he'll do another tomorrow with senator kamala harris. he's got to generate some headlines to try to find a way to keep his name in the news cycle, otherwise you're sort of set aside and he ca certainly ct

fire the base up because he can't do in-person rallies and events either. howie: it's a huge dischang for joe biden to be stuck -- disadvantage for joe biden to be stuck doing at home addresses. there's no evidence for this. and furthermore, it's so very different from the way the press fact checks virtually every utterance from donald trump. when biden says this, the president can't do it, it struck me as a double standard for lack of a better phrase. >> in the press coverage of a campaign that would otherwise be on the front pages, it's very important that we are very up front about what's out there. so to say later in the tenth paragraph, oh, this isn't an issue, look, even senate republicans are saying that this is a nonstarter. so it's not like it was a

mishap, a simple error. it's pretty well-known this is a nonstarter. yet, this is what biden sinks his teeth in. howie: griff jenkins doing last minute reporting for us. thank you very much. >> thanks, howie. howie: i'll have some final thoughts in just a moment. it's only human to find inspiration in nature. and also find answers. our search to transform... ...farm waste into renewable natural gas led chevron to partner with california bioenergy. working to provide an alternative source of power... ...for a cleaner way forward.

howie: there's been a lot of media chatter about what the new york times called a struggle to reconcile the virus crisis with the nation's self image, in other words is america the exceptional country we thought it was. after pearl harbor, after 9/11 there was a sense of national unity. now the media and politicians seem awash in partisan divisions. of course, the nation could have responded more quickly and could have been better prepared, this goes back years, for a pandemic. the atlantic said americans woke up in march to find itself citizens of a failed state. i'm not buying that. we are suffering like so many

other countries around the globe. but there's something uniquely american in the ways that our first responders, healthcare workers, volunteers, even amazon package drivers have put themselves on the line. america has never been perfect, freedom never is. but it is still inspiring and perhaps all of us including the press can learn vital lessons from battling a pandemic that strikes people from every walk of life. well, that's it for this edition of media buzz. i'm howard kurtz. you're seeing me for the first time in a home studio. this is what a lot of television journalists and anchors are doing. you can hear me and see me, you can't see the mess outside the camera's eye. we hope you'll like our facebook page, you can catch out my podcast. and we'll continue the conversation on twitter. i bet people have a lot to say given what's going on. we are trying every way that we

can to bring you the best news and analysis, to be fair to all sides, even in a time of such hyper polarization. we'll see you here next sunday with the latest buzz. ♪ arthel: coronavirus cases may still be on the rise here and around the world but now a hopeful prediction on how soon that will change. hello, everyone. welcome to america's news headquarters. i'm arthel neville. eric: hello, arthel, hello everyone. thank you for joining us. i'm eric shawn. the number of cases worldwide now near 3 million people as the u.s. closes in on nearly 1 million cases and tragically we have surpassed 54,000 deaths from the coronavirus. but you know, it is heartening to point out that more than 100,000 of our fellow americans have recovered and they say more than 5 million have been tested so far. vice president mike pence