present a swinging seenter street celebration. an of the, musical trade, tonight at 9:00. tonight, a special repo, inside the final days of this campaign. >> if i don't sound like a washington pl decision it's because i'm not a politician. >> we p need asident that's going to bring us together, not pull us apart. robert: the future of america on the line, as record numbers vote early and outbreaks spike in key states. >> what's his closing argument? that people are too focused on covid. he's jealous of covid's media robert: democ hope far revival of the obama coalition and push into the south and seat belt it could all come down to pennsylvania. >> what is trump giving you?

>> i think he's moreor america than anyone i can think of right now. robert: next. >> this is "washington week with." -- this is "washington week." when the world gets your mind.th fidelity management, an advisor can tailor advice to your life. that's fidelity management. >> for 25 years, consumer cellular's goal has been to help people connect. our u.s.-based customer service team can help find a pn that fits you. >> babel,ffering a language program that using dialogue to teach a new language. babel is available in the app

store. >>g. boe additional funding is provided by -- the estate of arnold adams and coo and patricia yuen through the yuen foundation. the corporation for publias broang. and contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. nce again from washington, robert: good evening and welcome to apecial hour-long edition of washington-week kicking off the final weekend of a campaig that's left this nation tense and divided. our first half-hour we'll for the white house and congress. in our second half-hour, which will be carried by many pbs station, we'll take you on a journey across pennsylvania. but first, we begin with three trusted reporters who have been friends of this program throughout the campaign.

kristen welker, white house co-anchor ofend today," ws and e she also served, as you know, as the steady and sharp moderator of that final presidential debate. yamiche oucindor, white correspondent for pbs newshour and today we learned w the national association of black journalist award for journalist of the year. congratulations. and dan balz, chief correspondent for "the washington post." so glad to have you all here on this important friday evet'ng. begin with a quick listen to the closing arguments on the pandemic whichas killeearly 230,000 americans ands case numbers spike here is what they're saying. >> if you vote for biden, it means no kids in school. noraduations. no weddings. no television. no christmas. >> i'm not going to shut down

the ecom my. t going to shut down the country. but i am going to shut down the virus. >> covid,ovovid,. by the way, on november 4 you won't hear about it anymore. >> dr. fauci called last week for a mask mandate. is sn't a political statement. it's patriotic duty, for god's sake. robert: kristen, when you're talking to your sources at the whe house, do they believe the esident's argument on the pandemic is breaking through or are swing vers, women in the suburbs, not convinced? kristen: bob, thanks for having me an thanks for that introduction. i think there's some trepidation about president trump trying to the page on the covid crisis even among some of hises cl advisors and allies. yes they acknowledge that they want him to try to projectid coce, but they don't want him to appear out of step with y the realn the ground. what are we seeing as we head

into the final four days of this race? cases of covid spiking in key battlegrnd states and all across the country, frankly. hey want his message to be they want it to be targeted. they want him to focus more on strong omy we got a this week an they want him to stay focused on that. he spent a lot of time on the campaign trail iney battleground states taking aim at some of his politicalno riva. staying focused on what they strongest caulkin- talking point which is the economy. i was out talking to voters a those who support him continue to go back to to -- go back to that argument. they s look, we think ultimately he's beit's the -- he's the best person for our bottom le, for our business. that's why his advisors want him to stayn message. robert: yamiche, you spent a lot ofime in florida talking to

voters. what have you learned? yamiche: if you're a supporter of presidentrump andou get on brd with the idea that the coronavirus has too much n attentnd is occupying too much space in the media landscape uric get on the idea that if you get the coronavirus, it's not that bad, won't kill you y get on board with the idea that it's what we do of course, is that the coronavirus is spiking all across the country. 47 states. today we passed nine million cases overall in the united states. you're looking at those numbers an saying, those numbers are it doesn't matte who is president those numbs will still be bad. what i hear fromf supporters joe biden is they feel as though the president's m sage is ka louse. they think it's ridiculous for the president to be walking around talking about he got the conavirus and he's ok, because he had access to some of the best medical ce. i'm hearing from biden supporters a real nervousness that when they look at the

po ws, they'reried that joe biden may not get the turnout needed in ky battleground states like florida, wisconsin, pennsylvania, to make sure ttis el goes his way. when you talk to supporters of the president, one thing i'm really struck by is the way yout do this en is really life or death and the way you view the coronavir, itoes hand in hand with the way you view who you'reoting and supporting in this election. robert: dan, those are high stakes. yody polls as closely as anyone. is the biden campaign nervous that the pandemic may not be the driver in terms ofote energy that they hoped in terms of getting swing voters and independent voters to listen closely to the vice president? dan: first, let me say congratundtions to kristen yamiche, those are both wonderful things they've done andon iatulate them. back to the polls. i think the c bidenpaign feels

as though they're in a good place but given what happened in nervousness.as to be if you talk to people around the biden campaign,es they ex confidence. but there are many democrats who are nervous. i talked to a republican inategist today and he said, pollingououlding that are this campaign is in pretty good hands for biden to win it. yet, he said, because of what happened in 2016, many people are unwilling to do that. he e's still a path for so there's nervousness all but in the key states at this point, the biden campaign feels as though they go into election day and with the earotg in a pretty decent position. robert: let'set into the idea of turnout on the democratic side and energy. one of the momentshis week that really mattered in my notebook was when president obama returned to the campaignn trail orlando, florida, as

democrats tried to revive the obam coalition. >> we've got to turn out like never before, orlando. weave to leave no doubt. we can't be complacent. we were complacent last time. folks got a little lazy. forecasts took things for granted. and look what happened. robert: kristen, what does presidentbama'se-entry onto the scene mean for democrat -place like philadelphia, your home city, and in places like georgia in the deep south? crip well, there's no one who frankly democrats and president obama into office lik. mr. oba he is the person who energizes some independents, thole ether suburban women that are going to be so critical that thiels tion is ultimately going to turn on. and don't forget, he is the best character witness for joe biden. so he is there taking aim at

president trump in ways we have not seen, frankly, until he has hit the trail in recent days and reallyo serving t underscore biden's key point, which is that he thinks he's going to be better a fighting covid-19. this is going to be critical, particularly as we are seeing rates of early voting we did not ee in 216. that is what you would expect. the question is going to be, can republicans match that turnout and beat it on eleion day democrats are feeling confidence, though, about these rly numbers. it's worth noting that by election day, bob, we're expecting 2/3's of the expected electora voted.ve already that is significant. the queion is, where are those votes going? doubtedly former president obama will be significant in energizing that coalitionf voting to the polls. robert: what about bernie

sanders? you've covered sanders for years, i noticed harris has been campaigning with him. ll the sanders voters going to come out? yamie: based on my reporting, sanders voters see bid someone they can support unlike hillary clinton. there were people that never got on board with hillary clintovepble i'm not seeing thsa feeling when i talk to former sanders supporters. i was in miami talking to a young black man. he said, i'm voting foroe biden, he's not my first pick, i'm not enthusitic, i was hoping sanders would go in there, i hepped the democratic party would go more the a.o.c. wing. the voters see president trump as an exiss ten rbleth threat, see him as a threat to democracy and to their daily in

lives when you about not only their live bus also policed killings criminal us justice in this country my feeling is progressives are more. energiz the question is can joe biden run up the numbers enough so the coalition he buildshi will likely be different than the coalition of hillary clinton and barack obama, can heuild a coalition thatutces the trump campaign? the trump campaign feels good about their numberor -a, they feel like they can run up white, noncollege educated americans, suburban women they feel good about. can theyut turn the trump coalition that came out in 2016 again? that's the big question. robert: dan, youe hav written a column this week about isconsin, michigan and the midwes what is the outlook there? we see a blizzard of polling. at s your veteran perspective on what's going on in the midwest? dan: bob, those are the three

keys to this election.e there anytates in play. there's a lot of competition in a lot of places. but i think most people believe that this race is likelyo come down to those threete s if the president is able to hold everything in the south thate h won before, wins again in ohio and iowoth of which are competitive but which he won eprettyily last time, then those three state he is mentioned are the keys to the outcome. throughout the fall, vice president biden has held a lead. a lead of f point, five points, six points, eight points. youook at different polls in different places, but he's held a fair stdy lead. it is in the necessarily an insurmountable lead because we don't know what the competition of the electorate i going to be like. we've all been poring over the vote numbers, trying to get clues and read signs and signals, but it's difficult

because we don't kno left among the people who haven't voted and how they're going toreak. we assume the election day vote will be much more heavily in favor of trump. we know early votin has been ch more in favor of biden. but in those three states, could be close or biden might have a lead that is sustainable through. those states is none of them is likely to have full results on lection.t of the e mail ballots that will take hours and perhaps days before they're fully counted. robert: to be clear you're talking about pennsylvania, wisconsin, and michigan. dan: correct, yes, those three states. none of them can begin to process -- michigan on monday and the other two on tuesday. so it will be a slow process. everybody needs to be patient. robert: let's talk poout that t. the courts, they are the cloud over all of this.

jouge amy coney barrett this week became justice barrett as the senate confirmed here on 52-48 vote, democrats remain outraged about the pcess b majority leader mitch mcconnell has been ting a victory lap. justice barrett hasn't yet participated in election cases but that couhange in the coming weeks amid court challenges reference by dan on vote counts. kristen, when you look at the court challenges on the horizon, what's the preparation going on in both parties? kristen: oh, boy, a lot of preparation, for sure. and of course qstions to justice amy coney barrett, wld she recuse herself,he's declined to answer that question. that alone could energize voters to come out and perhaps the opresident's supporters turn out. but we do know that both campaigns alreave a robust effort in these critical states. they are ready if and when thale

are l challenges to meet those legal challenges and again they a underscoring to voters that the key here is patience. i have to tell you, i spent tim in florida this week as well, in tampa, and that is a pt of a critical swing district. i spoke with election there and what's significant about florida of course is that they are already counting those early votes. so they sayt is likely we will know the results of florida, if not onctn night, soon thereafter. that is a big, big prize with its 29 electoral votes. but in those other cri cal states, that's where the action is going to be. both sides say they're rdy for it. robert: yamiche, i spoke to yim cl house majority whip this week, and he expressed concern about vetter suppression in his sta ofar southina. jamie harrison trying to topple incumbent lindsey graham, a you track voter suppression

across the country. what a s activistsing about what they're detecting on the ground? yamiche: there's a lot nervousness ability votern, suppress especially looking at states like south carolina, states like georgia. people are very worried that th republican legislature which of course are many and plentiful in this t country,t they will somehow find a way to have legislation as well as backing of voter supprsion efforts. th 're very worried that there are polling stations that are going to be close. they're worried about long lines. they'll face four hours, six hour lines. republicans have been the party that historicallyad has the most voter suppression in terms of allegations. we remember the north carolina judge saying in that state republicans targeted black voters with surgical precision to try to suppress their votes. so i think there's a lot o nervousness among democrats. that's why you've heard joen

biay, as well as michelle obama, as well as barack obam te early, make a plan. because democrats understd theyight be up against voter suppression efforts. they want an electorate that understands they want to see a blowout. any sort of close eleion makes people very, very nervous. there might b litigation.ke both campaigns have amassed numbers of lawyers to get ready for this r.n.c.elng me just tonight they have $20 million set aside already for legal battles ahead. eewhat you is both campaigns being very, very nervous.e democratic side in particular being very nervous about voter suppression. robert:he dan,n we wake up stay up all night, but what's your expectation for the house and senate? does the house remain

democratic? senate remain republican? there are several tightaces. dan: i think everybody believes that the democrats will continuo old the house and might in fact add to their jerrett in the house. the senate, republicans are quite nervous about their ability to hold on to their majority. there are several races that they have pretty much given up on. colorado being one. ona being another. real trouble. tor collins i in we know in iowa, senator i johniernes in real trouble. -- senator jonierness is in real trouble. there are -- senator joni ernst is in trouble. i thinku7bs are fearful the majority they have will disappear on election nightut it's not a given. bert: kristen, it appears the president i running his own

campaign. he was there in arizona with ht her mcsally, he bro minute, the she got off the stage. she had a moment at a debate a few weeks ago where she wasn't clear when she was askedet abou r she's proud to stand with president trump. katherine: absolutely. and all those senators who are in tough spots are being pressed on what they think about president trump's handling of the covid crisis. so that has created some real dtensions. think that moment that you referenced underscores exactly races.e are seeing in these keye he president had her on stage, barely a ringing endorsement from president trump for her, she was just there for ae as you say. so it just speaks to how precarious some of t seats actually are. you talk about georgia andt t race between john ossoff and perdue, for e. that's one of the races that undoubtedly is goingo drive

turnout. that's one of the reasons that you saw biden campaigning there. earlier this week. not just because he believes he potentially could pull off a win in reliably red georgia but also because he wants to drive up thr turnout those critical senate races in that state. robert: let's d a lightning round. we're on the eve of the ection, at least "washington week," days before the election. what will you be watching on election night? yamiche: the first thing i want to say is i'm so excited to be on this panel, especially with be nd kristen, i will these races, i feel like all of you really approach this with such grace anss smart i'll be watching this because i feel like it's a race about how people are feeling, about the empathy that people are fling, because this is a race that is life and death. when i tas talki voters, it's not about policies or

differences, it's whether people feel like the person they're supporting will h p the survive and thrive. that's different than past lebses. i'll be watchingow people emotionally react to all of this that's going on and how people tell people about how they voted and how they made their decisions based on their hearts and minds rathern on policies. robert: kristen, you'll be part of nbc's coverage on election night. what will you be watching? kristen:, bob, i return the compliment to yamiche an all of you. for allour coverage. i'm going to be catching -- watchingee what the lato turnout will be. there's been so much focus in the closing days on driving u the latino vote. just saw vice president bidence annohat if he's elected he'll form a fasktors -- task force on day to try to reunite the children, some 500 children separatedr from th

parents, under president trump's policy. it's a policy that was reversed buthey're still separated. the latino vote will be so critical in a number of states, particularly the sunelt, florida, arizona. that cld make a big difference in terms of who winds up pulling out a win inri tsecal states. robert: dan balz, what will you be watching? dan: in addition to watching the main battlegrounds like everybody on this panel tonight everybody around the country i'll be watching texas. texas is aascinating story this year. we don't know how it's going to come out. i think at this point you have say president trump would still with the favorite but there's bee an apaysing amount of early voting in that state. texa n passede million early votes yesterday. continuing to add to it. they have already had more people vote early than who voted in all of -- all of the 2016

election. every major urban county with only a couple of exceptions has already sur prassed its 2016 the tall vote. and the ones that haven't will be there certainly within a day or two or three. so what is going on in texas is the transformation owe're seeing across other places in the sunbelt.c there's demographange. there's economic growth. there's influx of new people. there's the changing suburban vote that we're seeing in opler es around the cntry that's also affecting texas. uris hasd a state that donald trump won by nine points four yearsgo and other republicans have won by double digits for many, many years being a competitive state. if you talk to people on both sides as i have done today, they each believe c that theyld win. robert: what i'll be watching as a reporter is what president trump says. does he decla victory or not?

as many states still wait for the count of their vote. how does he handle this crossroads for him, political personally. someone who cares so much about his brand. something to watch on night at a critical moment for democracy. we have to leave it there for now. many thanks to our reporters, kristen welker, yiche alcior, and dan walz. after a quick break, we continue htour special ton on many pbs stations and go deep into the baleground of pennsylvani i'm robert costa, see you soon. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> corpote funding for "washington week" is provided by

-- >> when the world gets complicated, a lot goes through your mind. with fidelity wealth management, an advis c tailor recommendations to your life. that's fidelity wealth management. >> babbel. consumer cellular. boeing. additional funding is provided by the estate of arnold adams. and coo and patricia yuen through the yuen foundation, committed to bridging cultural fference -our communities. the corporation for public anoadcasting. contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you.

robert:at inside,e ground pennsylvania. with the voters who could decide it all. will president trump stun thcae politiworld once again, or will vice president biden win the statend the white house? the pandemic, of course is ais y e. >> it was political for our president fro the very beginning. robert: but so are debates on a righ race. >> he's been onef the most pro life predents of our generation. >> i would like police officers removed from philadelphia schools. >> and the economy, it hovers over everything. my company has lost literally dozens of jobs to the chinese. the working man is getting nothing. robert: coming up on "washington week's" special report.