welcome to "mtp daily" on this friday. i am peter alexander in for chuck todd. president trump walked into the white house briefing room this afternoon for what was supposed to be a news conference to unveil cdc recommendations for

reopening churches and other places of worship. instead, the president walked right into the culture wars in this country making this pronouncement. >> i'm identifying houses of worship, churches, synagogues, and mosques as essential places that provide essential services. some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential but left out churches and other houses of worship. that's not right. i am correcting this injustice. governors need to allow these important essential places of faith to open right now. for this weekend. if they don't do it, i will override the governors. >> president trump left immediately after making that statement. a short time later, the white house press secretary caylee

mcnen ee walked back that thread during an exchange with kristin welker. >> the president said he is going to override the governors. under what authority would he do that, and to your point, he said several weeks ago this is all up to the governors. >> i think you're posing a hypothetical. we can hope we see governors -- you're posing a hypothetical, assuming governors will keep churches and mosques shut down, synagogues shut down. that's a hypothetical question. we will leave it to the states. >> he said if governors don't listen. >> kristin, i think we can hope this sunday people are allowed to pray to their gods across this country. >> for clarity, it was not a hypothetical. the president himself raised it. so it is clear here, a president can override congressional votes but he cannot override a governor's police powers in their state. a short time ago, the cdc released its recommended

guidelines for houses of worship. they include maintaining good hygiene, wearing face coverings, promoting social distancing, considering suspending or decreasing singing, and limited sharing of him nals. with us, infectious disease physician, associate professor from bods university school of medicine, also an msnbc contributor. and from pbs news hour, a correspondent and msnbc little analyst. let me start with you. for what we saw at the white house on this day, the president who has not come out to tout any of the cdc guidelines as they relate to mass transit or restaurants or schools made a point of coming out today for what lasted barely two minutes long as we noted in the introduction here, sort of diving back into the culture wars, erring on the side of it would appear the political allies, including white

evangelicals who he needs come this fall. is that the way you read the announcement today? >> that is the way i read the announcement. the president as you said walked right into this wedge issue for him, trying to throw red meat to his base who he hopes will remain his base in november. biden is doing well in the polls. he is reaching out a hand to white evangelicals saying i am prioritizing needs you're telling me about. yes, we should open up places of worship. the president didn't stay to say what authority he can use to override governors. this is a completely different tact when you look at the way he handled testing and other things. he said other states should be able to make their own decisions. now he is saying for places of worship and public safety, governors should listen to the federal government. it will be interesting to see

which states do it, and interesting to see whether the president lashes out at republicans if they don't answer the calls to open up places of worship. what we have seen the president do is chastise, be angry at democrats, doing the things that the republican governors were doing. >> just for clarity, last few minutes i was exchanging texts with the governor's office in the state of washington, jay inslee's office, they said they weren't clear exactly what the president was speaking about. they received no formal order they have to allow places of worship to reopen. they notably made the point they're already in that process now in some counties where there's a low frequency of the virus, those places of worship are allowed to reopen or there's some other form they're allowing broadcasting of religious events to take place or smaller bible study groups to organize together. doctor, let me ask you what your guidance would be to those

places of worship and to governors in states now who are trying to allow everybody to congregate, but it is that very congre congregating that creates the problem in the first place. >> peter, let me start by saying religion and worship of an important part of our lives, particularly when we're all aching for community in the middle of the crisis. it is important. what's also important is to realize these are places people gather. we take our entire families there, people that are older in our families, vulnerable. it becomes particularly important we avoid what happened in states where churches and other places of worship opened and had small clusters of infection. the way to do it is provide the guidance the cdc put out today. i would push it even further. i would say for people that are vulnerable and susceptible to the infection at least until this becomes a tried and tested

way of keeping people safe in public space, have those people stay home and to integrate what we have done with all other essential places, making sure there's enough testing and enough ability to keep people safe as they go to work or gather in a group before we open up those places. >> doctor, looking at the headline for "seattle times" a mt. vernon choir, north of seattle is dealing with an outbreak, described as super spreader event according to a cdc report on how easy virus spreads. it was the result of a church choir practice in washington state. 52 people ultimately were effected. two people died. it is worth noting in many religious gatherings, as you note, it is the most vulnerable that gather who are most at risk, seniors that may be attending. >> that's right. and peter, this is an example of

where you don't know what the person, one person who maybe has the disease doesn't realize they have the disease, is shedding the virus in the environment, could have huge impact and cause ripples in terms of the number of infections in the community. some of the recommendations people may have is distancing, allowing potentially solo performance, not a lot of people huddled together. reducing items shared between people. a commonplace to donate money rather than pass around stuff that different people touch and transmit the virus with that. a lot needs to be worked out. you can't just force things to be open without having safeguards in place to be sure we are protecting the people coming there for that comfort. >> and as you talk about come municipalal gatherings, there are big bowls of chips,

guacamole people are chewing on, the potential if you are sharing in those circumstances, you may be spreading, even if you're asymptomatic. what's striking to me is after the president spoke, dr. deborah birx we haven't seen since april 27th, approaching a month, put in the uncomfortable position, you see tension between the science and between what is in effect the politics. one ally of the president said he is trying to err on the side of being an opener instead of a closer. sometimes he in effect is leading the resistance against his own policies that folks like deborah birx are trying to enforce. >> that's right, peter. the idea that deborah birx just after president trump went to the podium said he wanted things open but didn't layout an authority or game plan in particular, then deborah birx said in washington, d.c., this

city is one of the cities people still need to figure out what's going on here, people have been staying inside but cases have not gone down in places like new york where you've seen significant decline. so it doesn't seem like a safe place to gather. at this point it seems not a smart idea based off what the health official, deborah birx was saying. i think you have the president once again wanting to say this is another wedge, the media, scientists don't know what's best, i as president know what's best for you. what you hear are white house officials, experts that are studying this saying the exact opposite of what president trump is saying. >> doctor, can you clear up some things for us as we head into the weekend? there's new information, we'll put it on the screen now is confusing to people in terms of the spread of the virus. for a long time, the understanding was this was easily spread, coronavirus,

covid-19 on surfaces. nbc news reports the question remains, can coronavirus spread on those surfaces. centers for disease control changed wording on the website earlier this month to emphasize the coronavirus is not easily spread through contact with contaminated surfaces. change was made earlier this month with no public announcement to the way we previously viewed it. we know that people spread this to other people, but for awhile, the thing was surfaces sort of held it, it was easy to put it in your eyes or mouth, one way or another. why the change and what do we need to know? >> yeah, peter. i think for many of us in the health care field, we're scratching our heads. the only thing is cdc is trying to risk strat fie, that there are things higher and lower risk. yeah, it is lower risk, you're more at risk if someone speaks at you or is coughing and transmits that virus at you

through droplets. that's why the use of face coverings is important, we are keeping our droplets to ourselves with this. what's also important is that particularly in public spaces you have no idea who the person right before you may have opened the door handle, how many people have. maybe it is not a threat on a package, but public spaces, good hand hygiene, face coverings and decontamination remains important. not as high risk as spending time in close space with some people, but i would say it still matters, we should decontaminate, not just from covid-19 but other diseases, including noroviruses that may spread during the summer. >> we've seen the president focus on liberate michigan and virginia, all blue states by the way. look at recent polling in terms of folks' consideration of real problems they're dealing with in this era. 63% say lack of available

testing remains a problem, this is from fox news. 61% say lack of a clear federal plan. only 39%, less than four in ten americans say the major problem dealing with covid-19 is personal freedom violations. but the president who we got a glimpse of wearing a mask because someone took a photo during a private tour at ford, refused to wear it publicly, when that would send the message, that's what's required to allow the economy to churn again in america, to get back to its lives. >> that's right. the president again made this us versus them issue, saying the press wants me to put on a mask, i'm not going to do it. when it is what his own cdc and health officials are telling americans around the country to do. the other thing to note is that the president is in some ways keen on understanding that the election in novice going to be won or lost on the coronavirus.

he is talking about the economy and the other things he wants to talk about, he understands he is going to be judged when it comes to how he handled this crisis, and if he can't convince people he is doing a good job, get them to feel he is the best person for them, he will have a problem in november. when you look at issues, it is not only testing but personal protective equipment. the same issues we talked about in march. it is now may. the president is now trying to in some way look at states saying they're the ones handling that, the federal government is only handling the reopening. that seems like something he wants to wrap his arms around. the fact is that testing is still an issue. today deborah birx said we were getting up to test a million, 2 million a week. experts say we should be doing 900,000 a day. that's a big difference. >> to say nothing of conflating of testing, diagnostic testing,

antibody testing that says if you were previously sick that the cdc is trying to correct. it is confusing for people. a white house official recently said the reason he doesn't wear a mask, he doesn't want to appear that he is scared, he wants to look like he's quote, got this. thank you both for your time this friday afternoon. after this break, here we are, the unofficial start of summer. memorial day weekend. absent the global pandemic, millions of people would be traveling even as we speak. so what are the beaches like? we're going to get an update along the jersey shore. and who will joe biden choose? the former vice president going through the process now, picking his own vp selection. we've got some names. that's coming up. we've got somes that's coming up

if you have a garden you know, weeds are low down little scoundrels. draw the line with roundup. the sure shot wand extends with a protective shield to target weeds precisely and kill them right down to the root. roundup brand. trusted for over 40 years. let's be honest. quitting smoking is hard. like, quitting every monday hard. quitting feels so big. so try making it smaller, and you'll be surprised at how easily starting small can lead to something big. start stopping with nicorette. because i trust their quality they were the first to have a vitamin verified by usp... ...an independent organization that sets strict quality and purity standards

nature made, the #1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand here's one small way you can help them in return. complete your 2020 census today. census data helps communities plan funding for hospitals and emergency services. respond now at 2020census.gov. tenergy intoll anwhohelping others.eir to anyone helping and caring in their own way. thank you. like you, we're always on. we're proud to put our energy behind you. southern company

we turn to new jersey, one

of the states hardest-hit by coronavirus. residents and officials brace for a summer season that doesn't look the same as years past. according to new jersey governor phil murphy, beaches and surrounding businesses that are officially open for business, however limited, eateries and retail shops are only available for curbside pickup. earlier today, people gathered on the beach. fortunately maintaining safe distance from neighbors. in the southern part of the state, wildwood, new jersey looks nearly empty this friday afternoon, compared to past years, a town that would be bustling with visitors. this comes as local officials warned this season would be drastically different from any other. joining me, new jersey democratic congressman josh got heimer. appreciate your time heading into the holiday weekend. i want to start by asking you what message you would deliver to so many of those in your state and frankly in the

neighboring states that will be converging on the jersey shore this weekend. obviously not all beaches in the tri-state area are able to open. but jersey opened a lot of them this weekend. what did you tell those folks? >> everyone loves the shore and the lakes. i say let's go, socially distance, be safe, and the key is if we're doing this, make sure we are smart about it. worst thing can happen is going backwards. i just want everyone to be safe, have a good time, but let's be smart. >> i think the same rules probably apply to places of worship and other gatherings that may be taking place. you obviously saw the president earlier today effectively say he was ordering governors to allow places of worship to open which ignores different communities and levels of the virus that would necessitate different considerations as they make those decisions. what do you make of the president's announcement today, what should people in new jersey

do as relates to places of worship specifically? >> you said it right, i think being smart and safe about anything we do. the governor put in place measures to allow people to have certain levels of worship and do it in a safe way. you look at new jersey, the eye of the covid storm, my district has been hit hard. 35,000 cases, more than 2600 died. it is heartbreaking. worst thing we can do after putting time in to do this right, social distancing and staying home would go backward. we want to open smart and safe, get the economy going. i love the shore, we all do. i love springsteen. but i want to be sure that when we get back together in the fall, we have done everything human humanly possible to get numbers down. >> one of the president's allies said to me in recent days between republicans and democrats the president wants to be viewed as an opener and it is

the democrats that are the closers, they want to keep things shut down now, democratic operative said that's not the case at all. democrats just want to do it responsibly. what do you make of that allegation, that accusation that comes from some of the president's circle, sometimes from the president himself, that he's the only one that wants to get the country back at it again. >> obviously that's absurd. we all want to make sure we can reopen and reopen safely. i talk to our businesses all the time, people want to get back to work, kids want to get outside. we all want to do that. i think we're all mindful of what the cdc said, that we could have another outbreak. we don't have all of the testing in place that we need clearly. don't have all of the protective gear we need. we have to do it regionally in a smart way. that to me is the right plan. i would also say we have to make sure we take care of places hit hardest like new york and new jersey. we have half the cases in jersey

and new york and it has had a huge impact, crushing impact on the economy. we have so many people in long-term care facilities that are sick as you know, half the 10,000 that died in the state are long-term care facilities and nursing homes. we have to take care of them. people that we are worried about. democrats, republicans, everyone says put america first, work together. let's get through this. we can do it if we work together. >> congressman, let me dive in on that. you speak about long-term care facilities, a lot of nursing homes and seniors among the most vulnerable in the country. in your state, 525 as i understand it facilities in new jersey now that are battling covid-19 outbreaks. to folks that think this thing is over, it is not over now. what specifically can new jersey do and frankly other states do to address those concerns about nursing homes this many months into the pandemic? >> well, i just introduced

legislation on this, bipartisan legislation with chris smith and to your point it says you have to have crisis plans in place if we get hit again. two, you have to have more ppe, protective gear, face masks and gloves, communication with families, getting numbers out there. you have to act fast. for now in so many homes, i have them in my district hit so hard, it gets in and spreads so fast, because caregivers have it, people aren't separated pr properly, we have to be on top of the testing piece, testing workers and residents to keep them separated. when they come back, keeping them safe. if they're in the hospital and come back to the nursing home, it is hard. i have a vet's home, state run facility in par a.m. us. 79 veterans have died. it is so painful. we think of memorial day and remember those, it is just awful. more than 90% of the facility at

some point now, all of the residents have had covid or have it. it is mind numbing. >> good point you make on this memorial day weekend, remembering lives lost, having served over the years, remember those lives still at risk now. so many of the aging veterans now are facing hard times in the midst of the pandemic. congressman, appreciate your time. wish you a good holiday weekend. >> thanks. have a great weekend. stay safe. >> thank you so much. after this break, some good old fashioned xs and os. new polling on the race for president, some surprising states joe biden hopes to put in play. steve kornacki is next. play steve kornacki is next it's best we stay apart for a bit, but that doesn't mean you're in this alone. we're automatically refunding our customers a portion of their personal auto premiums. we're also offering flexible payment options for those who've been financially affected by the crisis. we look forward to returning to something

that feels a little closer to life as we knew it, but until then you can see how we're here to help at libertymutual.com/covid-19. [ piano playing ] theand we want to thank times, the extraordinary people in the healthcare community, working to care for all of us. at novartis, we promise to do our part. as always, we're doing everything we can to help keep cosentyx accessible and affordable. if you have any questions at all, call us, email us, visit us online. we're here to help support you when you need us. take care, and be well. to learn more, call one eight four four cosentyx or visit cosentyx.com when i get my teeth cleaned, my hsomething like this. she cleans with something like this. it's got a round head. and it's got power. go pro with oral-b. power one on for oral-b's best clean ever. inspired by dentists.

oral-b's round brush head surrounds each tooth to remove more plaque along the gum line. for cleaner teeth and healthier gums. i'll only use the one that's round. oral-b. brush like a pro.

as the november presidential election inches closer and the stakes grow higher, a fox news poll of registered voters shows the former vice president, joe biden, with an eight point lead over president trump. the president not taking it well saying fox news should fire their fake polster, never had a good fox poll. that is a national poll. we have seen polls from battleground states that show joe biden with surprising potential pathways to get to 270 electoral votes he would need to defeat donald trump. joining me to breakdown the numbers, nbc news national

political correspondent steve kornacki. steve, we'll let you get to your weekend in a moment. we want to borrow you for expertise as relates to poll numbers. walk us through the biggest take aways, help us understand the difference between national numbers in key battlegrounds. >> you showed the fox poll that had biden up by 8. take that fox poll and every other poll nationally and average them together, this is what it looks like. biden leads in the average of polls, five and a half point margin for him nationally. as we were reminded in 2016, it isn't a national popular vote election, it is battleground state, who can get to 270. look at the six premier battleground states, what polling looks like there. these are the polling averages from six states. you remember in 2016 every single one of these states in '16 went for donald trump. some were very close, but he went 6 for 6. it was critical for him getting

to 270. now in the average, five states are in the average, biden leads. trump within striking distance, but biden ahead. the only one here, north carolina, where trump leads by a point in the average of polls. what does this mean in terms of electoral college. these states here as we take a look at the battleground map, road to 270 map, this is where we landed in 2016. trump with 306. what you saw there, the biggest advantage, pennsylvania. if biden picked up pennsylvania. another big advantage relative to others, in michigan for biden. getting those two. if he picked off pennsylvania and michigan, that would put him on the cusp. he would be at 268. remember, other states, there were six. wisconsin, arizona, florida, north carolina. in a situation like this, if he can get pennsylvania and michigan or strongest polling in those battlegrounds, pick up one more, he crosses 270. wisconsin would do it.

pick up those three. but if he doesn't, say trump holds on, how about arizona. you saw it there. polling in arizona is encouraging for democrats, too. a lot of potential paths for biden is what it is suggesting. remember, trump in the end did surprise everybody in '16. look forward to this one. >> trust a lot of people are watching that see the numbers, may be hopeful, assuming they oppose donald trump, but learned their lesson on this four years ago in arizona. martha mcsally in arizona, the republican senator there that has challenges now, up against retired astronaut mark kelly whose numbers are big as well. where are you seeing numbers that were blue in the battlegrounds, it seems as the president errs on the side of reopening the economy versus concerns about health, if you look at seniors over 65, you get a real sense where that key demographic the president would

like on his side may be leaning. >> older voters, 65 plus, seniors, turned out at a high rate in presidential elections, they have been for recent presidential elections a republican demographic. what we're seeing if you look at the end, this is in the fox news poll. this is the biggest one we have seen in polls. biden advantage in their poll, among 65 plus. take that with a bit of a grain of salt, sub samples are small. what we have seen with 65 plus breakouts, we have seen biden leading them, not by 17, more like single digits. but any kind of democratic advantage with senior citizen voters would be a break from what we have seen in the past. we went through the electoral map. put it on the screen again. don't need to remind folks, but if biden picked off florida with 29 electoral votes, florida plus one other state would do it if

nothing else changed on the map. the potential swing in senior citizen votes looms especially large in florida. >> we'll talk about the floridians that the former vice president is considering as a possible vp. in a moment, steve kornacki at the big board. after this break, nor times it would have been the buzz of the political system. who will joe biden pick as his vice president. we have some clues. some pretty big ones next. some pretty big ones next. chances are you know us.

yoo-hoo, progressive shoppers. we laughed with you. sprinkles are for winners. we surprised you. on occasion, we've probably even annoyed you. we've done this all with one thing in mind. to help protect the things you love. and if we can't offer you the best price we'll help you find a better one. it's not always the lowest! even if it's not with us. that's how we've done it for the past 80 years. not just today, or this month, but always.

and look, it feels like i'm just i'm sewasting time.nfo on options trading, that's why td ameritrade designed a first-of-its-kind, personalized education center. their award-winning content is tailored to fit your investing goals and interests. and it learns with you, so as you become smarter, so do its recommendations. so it's like my streaming service. well except now, you're binge learning. for a limited time, get up to $800 when you open and fund an account. call 866-300-9417 or visit tdameritrade.com/learn. ♪

it is a long way to november. we got more questions. >> you have more questions. i tell you, if you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or trump, then you ain't black. >> ain't got nothing to do with trump. has to do with the fact i want something for my community. >> take a look at my record, man. i extending the voting record 25 years. i have a record second to none. the naacp endorsed me every time

i've run. i mean, come on. take a look at the record. >> joe biden earlier there with some straight talk as he finished an interview with sharl a main the god, his name, on the breakfast club radio show this morning. a comment he expressed remorse over a few hours later speaking with u.s. black chamber of commerce. take a listen. >> the last thing i want to do and i shouldn't have been such a wise guy, i shouldn't have been so cavalier in responding to what i thought was, anyway, it was, i don't take it for granted at all, and no one, no one should have to vote for any party based on their race, religion, or background. joining us, nbc news correspondent mike memoli that covers the biden campaign. walk us through this. heading into a holiday weekend, i suspect the hope for the biden campaign is that it washes over,

has the potential for something for a guy that tends to be in articulate on occasion to stick with him. how concerned is the biden camp the way today played out? >> peter, i think we finally answered the question what will it take for joe biden to break through and get part of the media news cycle here. joe biden has averaged more than an event a day over the course of may, doing virtual rallies. it is this moment, this old recollection of a gaffe that gets him talking. it is also an interesting test how nimble the two campaigns are dealing with rapid response when this kind of controversy erupts. the trump campaign clearly saw a brush fire on twitter as soon as comments first surfaced, did everything to fan flames. put out republican senator tim scott, only african-american republican in the senate that strongly denounced it. it took the biden campaign awhile to figure out the best way to respond. what they ultimately did as you

heard in that phone call, they took an event already on the books with the biden campaign and u.s. black chamber of commerce, had the former vice president join that call and quickly alerted reporters to join, so he had an opportunity to walk it back. you heard biden try to turn the tables a bit as well in the call. he said listen, this is a president referred to african nations as whole countries, talked about higgs ros role in birther narrative and response to the coronavirus epidemic and how rates of infections are so much higher among the african-american community. he said of course he wants to put his record up against the president's any day, yes, expressing some remorse, but we have seen our colleague monicaalabout a flagged t-shirts you ain't black. we'll see more of that from them over time for sure. >> it is notable.

joe biden is under a microscope now. but as relates to what you would call racially insensitive comments, you need a bigger microscope if you want to look into all of the comments of the current president, donald trump now. let me ask you about the man that wants to be president, joe biden, on the vp hunt. a former vp looking for his own vp. news in recent days, including a floridian, val demings said to be on the list. where do we stand, who are some of the names? >> it is so interesting, peter. usually this is what the dominant conversation is of the summer every four years, who is on the short list. stakes are higher this year in part of because of joe biden's age and sense among a lot of democrats this nomination for the presidential nomination might be up for grabs in four years, and whoever joe biden picks may well be that nominee. so my understanding in conversations with the biden campaign is where we are in the

veepstakes is early. much like obama campaign in 2008, cast a wide net, senators, governors that had initial conversations in the last two weeks with the vetting team, have gotten answers will you agree to go through the process. now we're going to enter into the next stage where they'll have interviews with his team and ultimately with joe biden himself. we'll see if their vetting teams go through every aspect of public life to find out if there are hidden vulnerabilities there in the fall. yes, congressman val demings among those coming forward to make it clear she's one of those that's been vetted, she said i'm on the short list. one of her associates walked it back later and said she's on a list. and gretchen whitmer saying she had some conversations. this process is very much under way, and biden himself talked more about the pro cyst thcess

would typically see. it will come down to 12 people that go through the final process, thinks it will take five to eight weeks. potentially july for announcement at the earliest. >> short or long list, she's on a list which is progress for those of us that keep an eye on it, including mike memory thli. we appreciate you joining us. joining us, two former members of the house of representatives, donna edwards and david jolly from florida. doane a donna, i want reaction to the president's comments in the last couple hours saying he was perhaps too cavalier, didn't mean to suggest that anybody should be taken for granted here. is this problematic for the former vice president? what do you make of it? >> i don't think it is problematic. i think that the former vice president has to be careful in the way he chooses his words. i had to go back after listening

to the social media chatter, listened to the 18 minute interview. look, sharl main the god put forth a tough interview for the former vice president, but not contentious, it was actually in a light moment at the end of the interview where these comments came and they were unfortunate, unnecessary, and i think the former vice president as he acknowledged has to be more careful. this is really about the former vice president will put forward an agenda that really responds to the needs and concerns of black communities, and apart from that, black people are ready to get rid of donald trump. >> well, there's some data that would demonstrate that as well, quinnipiac poll days ago or perhaps this week, shows among african americans 81% right now support joe biden. look at that. donald trump with the support of

3% among african americans. again, that poll posted within the last several days. david, let me ask you, joe biden's comment raises questions about straight talk in the era of donald trump. the president right now is loose with his talk all the time, today suggesting he had some authority for which nobody is able to identify so far to tell states what to do as relates to places of worship. are the rules somehow different now in the era of trump? >> i think the president has conditioned us to not believe him, right, to question what he says, be it in advising medical treatment or be it assessment of his own record, assertions of his own record. and on the biden matter it is a perfect example because of this. republicans need to be very careful playing this out because the contrast between joe biden and donald trump is stark and frankly the contrast between the

two parties for their representation of communities of color and african americans is also stark. remember that donald trump, not just what he has said since he became president, while joe biden was working in the senate donald trump was settling a federal department of justice housing discrimination lawsuit that required him to publicize that trump organization housing projects would accept black people because there had been a sing operati sting operation, according to the settlement went to the top, refused to rent to people of color. if people on the right want to make an issue of race or a gaffe from biden, they need to be careful. what it will do is energize communities of color. they will recognize the sharp contrast between donald trump's leadership and joe biden's. >> and donna, joe biden pitched his candidacy as restoring the soul of the nation, he and his

allies cast him as an empathetic figure, someone who cares about the lives of average americans as opposed to they say president donald trump who won't even wear a mask intended to protect those that are around him. who cares about average americans? this number demonstrates better than 60% say on that, who cares about average americans, joe biden leads donald trump with 42% here. at the end of the day, will that drive voters who cares about them? is that a motivating factor that joe biden is more empathetic, compassionate person in this era of covid-19? >> it is always important for any candidate running for office to identify with their constituents. i think it is a key factor when it comes to the contrast as david pointed out between donald trump and joe biden. just yesterday donald trump was

praising henry ford, a noted affiant from adolf hitler, who received awards from him. contrast couldn't be clearers, i think voters will recognize that difference. they want someone that understands, even if they don't live in their shoes understand the shoes they walk in. >> david last one, quickly, the president trying to cast himself as an outsider into fall season, easier to do when you're not the incumbent. is that something he can accomplish? >> it looks like it. it is reflection of divided politics. one theme that donald trump succeeded on throughout his political career is populism. populism often ignores facts and record of an incumbent president. donald trump succeeded saying i hear you, i'm going to fight for you, i'm going to speak for you. if he gets in an environment where it appears joe biden is

speaking to voters, trump says i am speaking for voters, that's the populism that drew his first success. look, his record is clear. he had a bad first term. he has to stoke populism to win. i think biden has the edge by a nod going into november. >> thanks to both former congressmen. david jolly, donna edwards, appreciate your time this friday afternoon. have a good holiday weekend. after this break, checking in with cal perry. he has siengns of normalcy for . we could use them. after this. we could use them. after this ss is the lincoln way. so as you head back out on the road, we'll be doing what we do best. providing some calm amidst the chaos. with virtual, real-time tours of our vehicles as well as remote purchasing. for a little help, on and off the road.

now when you buy or lease a new lincoln, we'll make up to 3 payments on your behalf. truly transformative sleep. so, no more tossing and turning. because only tempur-pedic adapts and responds to your body... ...so you get deep, uninterrupted sleep. during the tempur-pedic summer of sleep, all tempur-pedic mattresses are on sale!

when taking a break from everyday life is critical to everyone's health, there is one thing we can all do together: complete the 2020 census. your responses are critical to plan for the next 10 years of health care, infrastructure, and education. let's make a difference, together, by taking a few minutes to go online to 2020census.gov. it's for the well-being of your community and will help shape america's future. ♪

safety restrictions are easing up in most of indiana today as that state enters another phase of reopening, two days earlier than originally planned. republican governor eric holcomb there now permitting social gatherings up to 100 people, also retail stores and malls to operate at 75% capacity. fitness center, community pools, campgrounds, raceways, they're all opening up for the first time in weeks as well. tempting for residents ahead of this holiday weekend. the state is still recommending those residents keep their distance, though, as the indiana health department announces 27 new fatalities and nearly 500 new cases today, surpassing a total now of 30,000 cases.

joining me from a raceway in plymouth, indiana, as part of his road to recovery tour, nbc news correspondent cal perry. cal, it's nice to see a little sign of normalcy in this era nascar, having spoken to their president this past weekend, they are really trying to lead the way. >> yeah. and so important to these small towns. when you look at the ripple effect that shutting down a speedway like this has on the businesses connected to it, to the tire company, to the go kart company. you get an idea how hard it is in these small towns. we have a chance to speak to the person who owns this raceway about exactly that, and why it's so important that it gets open tomorrow. >> there are these people they live paycheck to paycheck, but in the summer time, their family makes a sacrifice to say hey, we're going to go ahead and spend money to get tires, whatever it might be, so we can come here on saturday night and enjoy ourselves. if they don't have that income, they're not going to be able to do that.

and the sooner we get this going, they might find another hobby they like doing. >> so you're going have to override. >> now, as you were saying, peter, this is just stage three of a five-stage plan to get the state open. once we get into stage four in a couple of weeks, they hope to get some fans in the stands. people are still going to be socially zansd. six feet is the thing that needs to be. some tweaks to the racing, some tweaks to the fans, but certainly good news that racing coming back to indiana, starting tomorrow. peter? >> cal, what are they doing in that state to make sure these reopenings happen safely, broadly, not just where you are, but across the state as they witness more cases? >> yes. so the governor is stressing the social distancing. he is also stressing all the stuff we talk about, hand washing. as you said, no groups larger than 100, and they're keeping the percentages now. 70% on retail. that's up from 50. they hope to go to 50.

really important in a place like here in indiana, keep an eye on how many prime in those icus and make sure they don't get overwhelmed. peter? >> all right, cal perry. cal, thank you very much. good to see you out there staying safe. we appreciate your road recovery tour. we're going to be right back after this.

alright, i brought in ensure max protein to give you the protein you need with less of the sugar you don't. [grunting noise] i'll take that. yeeeeeah! 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar ensure max protein. now available in twelve-count. stock up today! however, there is one thing you can be certain of. the men and women of the united states postal service. we're here to deliver cards and packages from loved ones and also deliver the peace of mind of knowing that essentials like prescriptions are on their way. every day, all across america, we deliver for you. and we always will. whether you know what day it is or not... consistency is key when taking on acne. and an everyday cleanser? that's breakouts worst enemy. love, neutrogena®.

robinwithout the commission fees. so, you can start investing today wherever you are - even hanging with your dog. so, what are you waiting for? download now and get your first stock on us. robinhood. i geh. common bird.e. ooh look! over here! something much better. there it is. peacock, included with xfinity x1. remarkable. fascinating. -very. it streams tons of your favorite shows and movies,

plus the latest in sports news and... huh - run! the newest streaming app has landed on xfinity x1. now that's... simple. easy. awesome. xfinity x1 just got even better with peacock premium included at no additional cost. no strings attached. just say "peacock" into your voice remote to start watching today. that will do it for me. we appreciate you being with us on this friday heading into the holiday weekend. i'm peter alexander. i'll see you on the "today" show tomorrow morning. tonight stay with msnbc for continued live analysis and any and all breaking news right here as we head into the memorial day weekend. up next, "the beat" with my friend ari melber followed by "all in" at 7:30. and stay tuned for the rachel maddow show at 9:00 and "the 11th hour". "the beat" with ari melber begins right now. have a great weekend.

>> thank you, you too. and as peerpt mentioned, we have a lot going on, and some very special stuff. if you guys know me on "the beat," i keep it real with you. i am thrilled about the show we planned because it's a 90-minute episode "the beat." when we get 90 minutes we go big with it. a lot to get to. donald trump breaking with medical guidance heading into the long weekend. and tonight among other special guests we have oscar winning filmmaker michael moore. we have the actor, comedian and entrepreneur kevin hart making his debut on "the beat" tonight. he's got a lot of ideas that he wants to get into that are relevant to the pandemic. a lot of different issues, and kevin hart is such a fascinating person. it will be interesting to hear from him as part of the 90-minute show. and later, "the beat" will turn to something that is so relevant and inspiring that we're going to do in the next hour, in the end of our 90 minutes. so a lot to get to. we'll tease it throughout the hour, of course. but let's get right to t