hello, everyone. i'm richard lui. thank you for being with us on this sunday. this hour, more unrest in portland president trump now defends the arrest of protesters by unidentified federal agents. a move oregon's attorney general is now denouncing and taking to court. we're live on the ground there >> a new poll shows former vice president biden now leading president trump by double digits, just 107 days out from the election >> and the president is now at odds with the cdc. the white house tries to block billions for the cdc in the upcoming coronavirus relief bill plus, we'll head to atlanta. mourners gathering to honor georgia congressman and civil rights icon john lewis we'll start this hour for you, portland oregon, where outrage is growing >> i'm so thankful he was able to -- i was able to meet him >> well, there is growing unrest

and concern over president trump's use of federal officers to detain protesters in oregon in a fit of rage, protesters set fire to the portland police association building overnight and police declared the gathering to be a riot in a pretaped interview on fox this morning, the president described the protesters as anarchists >> if you look at what's gone on in portland, those are anarchists and we have taken a tough stand. if we didn't take a stand in portland, we arrested many of these leaders. if we didn't take that stand, right now, you would have a problem. they were going to lose portland >> nbc's erin mclaughlin is in portland what's the situation on the ground right now >> let me just show you what's happening here outside of the federal courthouse in portland, richard. let me let the camera pan over you can see they're out here setting up this barrier. they had set it up yesterday and protesters arrived overnight, in the overnight

hours, clashing with unmarked federal agents, tearing the barrier outside the courthouse down now, they're reinstalling it you can see there's some protesters there also continuing to have their say. although it's pretty calm here, i would have to say, in portland at the moment. this courthouse has become a real flash point in the confrontation with authorities from the department of homeland security saying that the unmarked federal agents are here in portland to protect federal property, to protect it from vandalism. meanwhile, the mayor of portland arguing that they're simply making the situation worse, that yes, the city has seen some six weeks of consistent protests, but the numbers were dwindling now, with the presence of unmarked agents, video showing them arresting individuals, pulling them into unmarked vehicles, it's exacerbated the situation. now we saw last night, some 2500

protesters out here in portland to take a stand and have their say. and the city is bracing for the possibility of more violence tonight as well. richard. >> erin, thank you for the latest there in portland appreciate that. >> we're now 107 days to the november election. a new poll out shows more warning signs for president trump. a new abc news/"washington post" poll shows former vice president joe biden leading trump by double digits when it comes to who americans trust most with handling of the coronavirus pandemic and that same fox news interview today, the president admits for the first time that he takes responsibility for not having a national response plan >> i take responsibility always for everything because it's ultimately my job, too i have to get everybody in line. some governors have done well. some governors have done poorly. they're supposed to have supplies they didn't have them. i supplied everybody >> for more now, let's go to nbc's josh letterman at the white house, and josh, the

president said a lot in the interview, part of it we're sharing, accepting some responsibility but he also said the recent statistics of the virus, that they're misleading how is the white house responding today to the back and forth there? >> well, the president certainly saying that the buck ultimately stops with him but we have not heard the president even in this interview, richard, acknowledging any kind of fault in the federal government's response to coronavirus. the president instead trying to shift responsibility from the white house to governors, pointing out their role and what he says are their deficiencies in the way they handle it. also, blaming public health officials for some of the statements that president trump himself had echoed throughout the course of this pandemic that have turned out to be false. but one of the things that was really interesting about this interview, richard, the president confronted with the numbers that really contradict his claim that the reason we're seeing all these additional

cases is simply because we're testing more he was pressed by the fact that it's not just the raw number of tests that are going up but also the positivity rate. hospital rates, other figures suggesting that the pandemic is getting worse, and the president shifted. instead of saying it's just because of tests, he said it's some of these positive cases we're seeing that it really shouldn't even count because they're young people who he said, quote, are just getting the sniffles of course, we should note that's not always the case. there are young people, children who are coming down with coronavirus and having very serious implications from it it's not a laughing matter, even for people who are younger >> you know, josh, also part of that interview when i was watching it, he did threaten to veto the defense spending bill this, the issue over renaming bases. this regarding confederate names. take a listen. >> i don't care what the

military says. i'm supposed to make the decision ft. bragg is a big deal. we won two world wars, nobody even knows general bragg we won two world wars. go to the community in ft. bragg, i love that state, go to the community and say how do you like the idea of renaming ft. bragg, and what are we going to name it? going to name it after the reverend al sharpton >> josh. >> this is another issue where the president even in the face of a growing consensus among military officials, among members of congress, about moving away from having these bases named, the president playing very narrowly to a segment of his base that remains on the other side of this. it's a similar strategy to what we have seen the president also on the issues of racial justice, race in policing, where you now have a broad consensus that crosses ethnic and racial lines in support of the black lives matter movement, but the president seems to have made a

calculation heading into the election that he's not likely to expand his base by trying to appeal to those people in the middle, that if he really wants to win election, he really needs to speak to that core part of the president's base of supporters who remain firmly behind keeping these memorials to the confederacy, including these bases that are named at confederate generals >> josh, thank you in atlanta, the community that john lewis served in congress today continues to grieve his passing the civil rights icon died friday at 80 years old from complications from pancreatic cancer nbc news reporter priscilla thompson is on the ground in atlanta. that huge outpouring we saw yesterday now as we see vigils pop up all across the country, you're standing in front of one now. >> well, i would argue that the vigil and memorial here in atlanta is even bigger today than it was yesterday. i'll give you all a quick look at this.

yesterday, there was probably one row of flowers here. now, you can see that has been expanded to about three rows of flowers. and you know, one thing i have been struck by is all of the signs and cards and notes and so many of them saying thank you, john lewis, and just very, very personal notes here. you see that one there that says dear john lewis, thank you for inspiring me i promise you won't be forgotten. you're one of the reasons i have my freedom today rest in peace. and it has a little ps, i know you're in a much better place now. and that is really the sort of mood of things here. very thankful and a celebration of his life. and people who just wanted to be here they needed to come here i met one woman a few hours ago who actually got off work from a 12-hour shift and walked down here in order to pay her respects and i want you to take a listen to what she told me when i asked her about what john lewis' legacy is and what she'll carry of him with her as she goes on take a listen.

>> this man lives from his soul. he's not angry he's not vengeful. he connected with something that most of us, and i would love to aspire to that to live from my soul not to be angry, not to be hateful, but always see beyond >> and so many people here talking about wanting to aspire to those character traits that representative john lewis displayed so well. i asked that woman, i said right now, america feels like it's at a bit of an inflection point there's so much reckoning going on, and for john lewis, one of the leaders of the civil rights movement, to pass right now, what do you make of that she said to me, you know what, we will continue on that work for him. america is on the brink of a change and he may not be here to see it, but his soul will shine down on us. and that was really her message today. richard. >> many do feel that way, that

he's still wus as we move forward in this country for all his years of work. thank you so much, priscilla >> now to the surge of coronavirus cases across the south. oklahoma reaching a grim milestone this weekend as the state surpasses 25,000 confirmed cases and over 450 deaths saturday marked the third highest daily case report. and the state's largest city, oklahoma city, has now passed a mask mandate with me now is oklahoma city mayor david holt thanks for being with us first of all, how are your residents doing? >> well, first of all, thank you for having me on, richard. and you know, i think we're hanging in there we did a really good job of flattening the curve through march, april, and may. in june, we saw an exponential increase in cases much like you have seen in a lot of other sunbelt states, and we had to respond because it's eventually started to put pressure on our hospital system. so on friday, our city council in a 6-3 vote on the ordinance

in a 7-2 vote on making it applicable immediately, did create a mask ordinance, as you just referenced. a requirement to wear masks in indoor public places we're the 49th of the top 50 cities to do that. a lot of those were put into place by governors not at oklahoma, so we moved it to the local level, and tulsa has done the same this week we're trying to do whatever we can to mitigate the spread of the virus. we think this is a commonsense logical next step. >> what would you say, mayor, to other mayors in oklahoma considering whether or not they should move forward with a mask mandate? >> well, you know, it is proven to significantly diminish the chances of spread when everybody is wearing a mask in public places, especially indoors and you know, the cases are increasing all across the state. the hospitalizations have been increasing they have doubled in about a two-week period recently

that's going to affect every corner of the state. of course, as the mayor of the biggest city, i certainly want everybody to do the best -- make their best effort, because ultimately, i know a lot of those patients may end up in our hospitals here in oklahoma city. i think we work really well together with all of the mayors, not just in our metropolitan area, but across the state, and you're seeing other cities start to consider the same measures. >> you have seen the president he said we'll leave it up to the local leaders. and the authorities there to make their decision. do you think that is a good approach, and do you believe that he should say, yes, do implement a mandate across the country? >> well, it is helpful when the federal national leadership sets guidance i would suggest that early on in this pandemic, when the white house said you should close your bars and restaurants and your gyms, we did that the very next day. it gives us direction. it gives us sort of cover to do these hard things. so even though ultimately it falls to the governors and

mayors and the councils to actually do these things, to have the legal responsibility to do them, it sure helps when we get that national guidance so yes, i would certainly welcome that kind of directive from the president >> death rights are going up and increasing in oklahoma we have seen reports coming out of korea as well that says, hold on a second on opening schools you have a tough choice, sir as you decide very shortly whether you should let your children go back to school, how are you going to talk about that >> yeah, i mean, it's a deeply personal choice for me i have two kids in our oklahoma city public school system. ultimately, the jurisdiction for that decision lies with the school district in our form of government or with the state school board it's a little outside of the municipal jurisdiction i'm sure we'll be a part of the conversation and i don't know the answer today, and i don't know the answer for our own personal decision. it's a really tough decision, like all these we have had to make in this pandemic. i hope we can make it based on science and health and trying to find the best path forward for all of us.

>> mayor holt, i know you have a tough job on the ground. i appreciate your time there in oklahoma city. >> be well >> nearly 30 states have implemented mask mandates just as the city of oklahoma city did. however, some states are still hesitant in requiring facial coverings. dr. francis collins, director of the national institutes of health, calls the political divide over masks bizarre. >> it's bizarre that we have turned mask wearing into something political. this is not a war, but in a certain way it is against the enemy which is called the virus. that virus is very sneaky and stealthy, and our best chance is for all of us to get together and do the right thing and stop fighting so much about the divide between different political perspectives, which is just getting in the way. >> with us now, dr. blackstock, a yahoo news medical contributor and founder and ceo of advancing health equity. thanks for being with us, doctor another thing he did say during that interview was that he was

concentrating on certain groups across the country, to try to get more awareness, and as you saw there, bring up the issue of politicization of wearing masks or not what's the best way to talk about that to mayors on the ground like we were just talking about to get the message across about face masks >> you know, that's such a great question i think that we have the evidence that universal masking works. and i think that the best approach is to use a collective response we have seen how well other countries with populations as large as the united states have been able to mitigate the spread of virus by wearing masks. so i think that we need to just spread that the collective response is what's the most important way to get this virus under control. >> as you look forward to the interview we were talking about earlier with president trump, once again, he was criticizing dr. anthony fauci. i want to play that and get your response

>> look, dr. fauci said don't wear a mask. dr. fauci told me not to ban china. it would be a big mistake. i did it over and above his recommendation dr. fauci then said you saved tens of thousands of lives more than that he said you saved tens of thousands of lives dr. fauci made some mistakes, but i have a very good -- i spoke to him yesterday at length he's a little bit of an alarmist that's okay. >> an alarmist >> a little bit of an alarmist let me just say, dr. fauci at the beginning, and again, i have a great relationship with him. i spoke to him at length yesterday. he said at the beginning this will pass, don't worry about it. this will pass he was wrung he said don't ban china. i did, he then admitted i was right. >> you made mistakes too >> i guess everybody does. >> okay, the question is pretty obvious, maybe, and the former mayor that was on a little earlier was saying he wish he may have had clearer direction from up above, right and in this answer, it doesn't

seem like direction is very clear. >> no, it's not clear at all first of all, undermining dr. fauci is a bad decision. dr. fauci has, you know, a very established track record with multiple presidential administrations. he's been using evidence to make decisions. we know that science changes daily. especially what we know about this virus and he's made recommendations based on what we knew at the time and so, you know, i think that what we need right now is a national strategy to get this virus under control. it feels like, my sister who is also a physician, says we have 50 different countries in the united states doing their own thing. and we need to get it under control. >> yeah, talking about 50 different countries, also the cities, so mayor holt, his mask mandate, they have some exceptions i'll give you a couple excusing people inside a public or private school building or facility from wearing a mask, unless required by the school. so these exceptions within

schools, are these the right exceptions will it still keep off covid or is it just too loose >> i think it's too loose, and i think one of the ways we can be successful is to be consistent in our practices we know indoors that the virus is transmitted very, very quickly. and very easily. and so at the minimum, indoors, in school, everyone should be wearing a mask there's no question about that >> are we close to the worst of this latest part of covid-19 because we're hitting new records every day. >> you know, i don't think we are. the reason why we're not is because, as that map showed, we have states that have partial orders, and masks are not going to save us they're only one part of the solution what we also need, and especially in those states where there are surges that are creating decreased hospital capaci capacity, we need stay at home

orders it's masks plus physical distancing plus people staying at home, we have seen, especially here in new york, we saw it works >> all right, thank you so much, doctor again, yahoo news medical contributor and founder and ceo of advancing health equity thank you for your time and expertise. >> thank you for having me >> coming up, more on the chaotic scene overnight in portland, oregon demonstrators setting a police union building on fire what local leaders are doing to try to keep peace there and the legal questions now about those unidentified federal forces targeting protesters on the streets.

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well, oregon's governor is calling president trump's use of unidentified federal officers in portland, quote, a blatant abuse of power the mayor and governor are telling the federal forces to leave the city, where they clashed with protesters in recent days. oregon's attorney general is suing, saying federal agents grabbed and unlawfully detained

people in unmarked vans. >> what are you doing? use your words what are you doing >> we're asking questions. >> use your words. what are you doing >> i haven't done anything wrong. >> use your words. what is going on >> we need to know >> who are you what's your name tell us your name. okay you're fine. we'll get you out. we got you, friend >> we got you. >> you just violated their rights >> kidnapping people >> you just violated their rights >> joining us now, one of the people covering this, jonathan, a reporter for oregon public broadcasting jonathan, how many more cases like that that we just showed have happened in oregon that you're aware of? >> we're aware of two. that's been confirmed by dhs and the u.s. attorney here

>> at the moment >> there have been -- yes, in that manner. there have been a series of arrests, i believe 13 at this point, number of people arrested and not charged. >> so what is the suggestion from local authorities if you are in that situation? what should you do >> no one has issued any guidance on what you should do when a van full of camouflage clad people shows up and takes you off the street yeah there hasn't been any official guidance >> it seens unanswerable then the case, right, from the state's attorney general where is that? how does it look in terms of how far it might go? >> the announcement just happened, and i don't know if there's a lot of new insight or updates since the initial announcement i know they're filing charges for this practice, in addition, they're opening a criminal investigation into the u.s. marshal who shot a protester in the head last weekend. >> what is the mood of

oregonians as they see this in their own state? >> i mean, well, the protests had waned a little bit there was still, you know, in the hundreds up until last week. most nights. since the federal officers have really ratcheted up and their presence has become more aggressive here, they have been reinvigorated, they have galvanized the protesters. last night, there were probably 1,000 protesters out there the night before, the same they have been re-energized. >> i was reading the oregonian a couple headlines police call north portland protest a riot downtown protesters dismantle fences in certain parts of the area the other side, evidence shows portland police working with federal officers at protests both sides there, jonathan >> yes, so the portland police have to declare a riot before they're allowed to use tear gas or impact emissions to disperse the crowd. and i believe it's five or more people acting in a violent

manner, i probably cited the law there wrong, but then there's also this problem of who is in charge and who's clearing the streets. it's been an issue since they got here the portland police say they're not working with the federal law enforcement. federal law enforcement say they're acting independently, but we have seen them many times clearing the streets together, operating together, seemingly conducting the exact same operation side by side, but they're saying it is entirely independent, two separate chains of command >> jonathan, you have a lot of reporting to do. i thank you for your reporting on the story i appreciate your time >> thank you ahead, renewed calls today to rename selma's edmund pettus bridge as millions nationwide mourn the death of congressman and civil rights icon john lewis. we'll speak to three members of gres about his legacy and the undeniable void now felt on capitol hill t no no uh uh, no way come on, no

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>> so we need to lay down. it's better to love, so all of you working together, we can turn our nation around and create a beloved community where no one is left out or left behind because of the color of their skin, and it doesn't matter whethe latino, asian american, native american, whether we're straight or gay we're one people we're one family we all live in the same house, not just american house, but the world house. and we must look out for each other. >> john lewis in 2016, and lewis repeatedly put his life on the line to achieve exactly what he said there, to achieve racial equality and equality for all. and as the outpouring of love and sympathy since his death has proved, his reach extended well beyond the african-american community. joining us right now,

representatives from the tricaucus, robin kelly of illinois, a number of the congressional black caucus, adriano of new york, al green of texas, member of both the congressional asian pacific american caucus and congressional black caucus all on one screen. so it is good to see all of you together you represent exactly what congressman lewis was fighting for. i know all three of you have been fighting alongside with him, and i wanted to start with you, representative kelly. as you think of congressman lewis, and now that he's gone, who steps in, in the halls of congress, that represents that same energy? >> we all have a big part to play all of us have worked with him on one thing or another. we worked very closely on gun violence prevention, and i will certainly continue to carry the mantel to cut down on how many

people lose their lives every year from gun violence in his honor. >> you know, representative, one of the things all of you understand so well is he had this ability to say things that no other representative could say and get the same response and get the same sort of respect. and that quality is so important. when you think of the times you spent with him, how important is that quality today for other representatives like yourself? >> it's critical it's just critical to have a voice like his in america. you know, he was one that we called on to speak when we had very controversial issues on the floor of the congress. he was the voice he wasn't just a conscience of congress and a soul of america, he was a person -- i have been

sad since he passed, and he's irreplaceable, but we must continue to carry his legacy forward. >> representative green, what was it about john lewis that was able to bring all sorts of different people together and in the way he spoke in that piece of sound we played just before we went to the three of you, i could see all three of you just being taken back to certain moments you remembered, i could tell, being with john lewis. what is it that brought everybody together with john >> well, he took to heart the words of gandhi, to be the change you seek. he was the sermon he preached. he walked his talk when he concluded that the edmund pettus bridge should be crossed, he inspired others to come along, but he was there leading the charge himself and it's good to note what happened that day, because they

marched into brutality but they would not turn back and because the world saw the brutality, they saw what invidious discrimination was doing, president johnson was able to pass the voting rights act. and i do believe, mr. lui, it would be a fitting tribute to him for us to now pass the voting rights act to reform it and pass it, because he was there when bloody sunday took place, the cause of the initial passage, and this would be a means by when the world knows we still value voting rights in this country and also it would be a great tribute to him and his legacy >> representative kelly, representative lewis, when he was young, he wrote a letter to his older self and in it, i'll read part of what he said it doesn't matter whether we're white or black, latino, asian american or native american, that may be our foremothers and

forefathers all come here in different ships, but we're all in the same boat now boy, did he listen to that letter >> i love hearing you read that. he is absolutely right we are all in this together. we will sink or swim together. and we're only as strong as our weakest ling i can go on and on and on, but he was a smart young man then because he was speaking the truth. >> he said what he was going to do, representative, and then he did what he said he was going to do and you don't see a lot of folks out there today, and i think that's one of the qualities that parents like to tell their children whatever you say, you better do it or try to do it within yourself one of the things he was is he certainly was a brother in arms with the latino american, hispanic american community, and what's one of the stories you can remember or really stood out when you were working alongside with him for the latino american

community? >> just about two years ago, we marched in front of homeland security when there was the separation of families and children going on. and he marched with us, and it was a hot sunny day in washington extremely hot. some of the younger guys, a couple of them fainted here was this man just walking forward. and he sat with us on the steps of homeland security to protest the separation of children, putting cages at the border. he was really universal. he wasn't just from georgia. he is not an american, he belongs to the world and so he reached out to everybody and had a big tent approach to how he handled things on a daily basis, on a daily basis. i think that's something that should be taught, actually, in the schools across america >> yeah, you know, and taking

that idea, over to you, representative green, i remember when i had an opportunity to listen to representative lewis and meet him he was speaking to 1,000 asian american journalists, and the thing that stood out here, and representative green, since you're a member of the asian american caucus, you can appr appreciate that, he inspired so many to think about what it meant to report on human rights in so many different ways. right? that it didn't just fit one flavor for you, representative green, how did he show that to you when you worked with him, to look at the idea of human rights and civil rights in different flavors? >> well, you're imminently correct. he spoke for and stood for justice for all. we were protesting out in front of the capitol, a sit-in, if you will, and it was for immigration. it was for the rights of immigrants persons he would never meet and greet, but he wanted them to be

treated fairly in this country and as a result, he went to jail, and he got me into what i call his good trouble. i was a follower, he was a leader he went to the sudanese embassy where we were arrested for the atrocities being committed in darfur he spoke up on behalf of people who were suffering injustices, not only within the country but without the country. and if i may just say this, i am so proud to have this autographed copy of his book, and in it, he says we should keep the faith if we maintain the faith, if we understand that we can make real the great and noble american ideals that he fought so hard to maintain and to advance, i do believe that we can, as he would say it, and dr. king said it, we can overcome we can make a difference >> well, it's a tribute that all three of you are here, members from all three of the major ethnic caucuses. latino american,

african-american, and asian american thank you so much. this is certainly in the spirit of john lewis and what he tried to do in congress and around the country. representatives, thank you new reports suggest the president is trying to block billions of dollars from reaching the cdc ta-da! did you know liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need? i should get a quote. do it. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

welcome back new polling from abc news and "the washington post" reveals that the majority of americans trust former vice president, democratic rival joe biden, more than they trust president trump when it comes to handling the coronavirus pandemic and as the u.s. breaks another record number of cases with over 70,000 new infections reported yesterday, president trump continues to baselessly claim that the virus will simply disappear. >> i'll be right eventually. i will be right eventually you know, i said it's going to disappear. i'll say it again, it's going to disappear. and i'll be right. >> does it discredit you

>> i dont think so, because i have been right probably more than anybody else. >> with us now, nbc news national political reporter sahil kapur, and white house reporter catherine lucy. these numbers, the gaps are growing right now. what does that tell you? >> richard, it's devastating for the president to be trailing vice president joe biden by 20 points on the issue of who voters trust more to handle the coronavirus pandemic it's far and away the biggest issue that voters will render their judgment on. it's going to be a force of referendum on the president and more so a choice in terms of who they trust to handle the country's biggest problem. there are no forecasts that show the country having recovered by november, so voters are going to be thinking about this in terms of, you know, who they trust to handle this going forward for the next six months to one year, and this is so significant for the president because it's contributed to his overall decline, you know, in terms of head-to-head polls versus joe biden. he used to be about an average

of four points behind. now he's about nine points behind in anno of polls. he's sinking on this front it's not clear if he can recover this in the next three and a half months. >> that interview, fox's chris wallace was noting that the president was a little sweaty, they were outdoors it was hot here, but he may be sweating about the poll numbers too. his approval numbers below 40 now, there's a three in front. >> yeah, that's right. this is the latest in a series of really tough polls for the president, and what we're seeing is that he's declining sort of across the board in terms of on the issues, with different groups of voters, he's in a worse place now than four years ago against hillary clinton at this point in the race one issue that his folks will point to that is still his best, but he has declined on is his approval of the economy. by a very narrow margin, people still saw him as better equipped to deal with the economy than joe biden, and that's similar in other polls.

but even that number is slipping this is part of the reason his people would really like to turn the conversation to economic recovery, to reopening but to sahil's point, people are really focused on the response to the pandemic. >> yeah, so i guess if we're sitting in congress right now, the puck is starting to move your way, right? because if the numbers start to dip that low, especially when it comes to economics, then the question is what will mitch mcconnell do, what will leader pelosi do? both of the leaders have an opportunity to put their ideas forth. >> well, mitch mcconnell has quite a balancing act on his hands to do some time over the next week. we're told that he intends to release a piece of legislation that reflects where senate republicans want to go with the next phase of aid. two months ago, house democrats passed their bill led by speaker pelosi that's about $3.4 trillion to do all sorts of things including testing, tracing, aid to state and local governments, extending unemployment insurance

mcconnell has to balance what conservatives on the right plank who are skeptical of new spending want with a lot of vulnerable members facing re-election in states like colorado and arizona, who don't want to go home empty-handed and he has to get 60 votes to pass that i think we'll be seeing a major debate over the neck week about this, and one single thing that i would say keep your eyes on more than anything else at this point is the fate of unemployment insurance in about a week's time, about 20 million americans are going to losetheir benefits, $600 a week >> catherine, quickly, the white house, these polls are only getting worse. lack of support, at least coming out in the poll numbers happening right now. the reporting coming out in "the new york times" about all these situations that led up to nonleadership coming out of the white house in the coronavirus what's the pulse, the tone like right now? >> certainly, folks both in the white house and at the campaign know that this is a tough place for the president. right now, and i think one thing we should note as we talk about

polls is it's not just national polls. it's in the battleground states, michigan, pennsylvania, wisconsin, you're seeing tougher polls in places like iowa. they know, and he knows he is struggling right now in the polls. they're trying to figure out how to reset this. and you're going to see the white house engaging on this next round of aid as well, as they try to figure out what they need to get out to the states. >> all right, great summary of what happened this past week up to today tomorrow we'll see thank you so much. all right. u.s. and uk officials are now warning russian hackers that they're trying to steal covid vaccine research we'll speak with a former cia operative about the security threats. experience the adventure of a bigger world in a highly capable lexus suv at the golden opportunity sales event. lease the 2020 nx 300 for $339 a month for 36 months. experience amazing at your lexus dealer.

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to pay for bites of this... ...with this. when kids won't eat dinner, potato pay them to. ore-ida. win at mealtime. is tnsa is accusing the kremlin of trying to steal coronavirus vaccine research ties to russian government and was wekted to the 2016 hacking of democratic party computing servers. the russian government has denied the claims. joining us is a forpmer cia operative. what do we know about foreign powers like the russians trying to get into our health care industry, our organizations and

what do they want and what will they do with it? >> we heard this week from canadian, united states and uk intelligence community that these organizations are trying to insert themselves in the vaccine research programs both of pharmaceutical companies and also the academic community. oxfor oxford university. we don't know how successful they have been what we know is the stakes are huge this is the biggest prize on the geo political chess board right now in terms of lives and treasure and prestige. in terms of lives, whoever gets across the finish line first will have the vaccine for their own people they will be able to stockpile the materials that are required in order to generate the vaccine and they will control the resulting billions of dollars of profit that will come from

administering this vaccine to so much of the world's population we're thinking this is close to where which ever scientific community reaches the vaccine first will have demonstrates scientific superiority and leadership in the 21st century we know all three governments have tried to use cyber attacks in order to undermine the electorates confidence in their government we can assume one of the motivations is to sow doubt in the mind to have the voters in the competence of their governments and leaders. >> 30 seconds, your new series, the business of drugs. it explores the pharmaceutical industry where is the weak point based on this reporting we're seeing about the foreign powers trying to get in?

>> this documentary looks at the entire war on drugs of failed policy and why it is failing one of the sad truths that we uncover time and again is the complicity of governments, of multinationals china and russia, foremost amongst them but our over government and others. this is a policy that has put more people, especially people of color, behind bars and in more morgues than in any other it's really incumbent on each of us to educate ourselves. so much so i made all six episodes in the third trimester of my pregnancy. anyone that has been pregnant knows that's not the time to make a documentary but it's an important issue to shine a spotlight on >> you're hired for that point and many others. >> back at you >> thank you so much be sure to watch the business of drugs available now right on

netflix. you can imagine what she's doing as she was producing that. that wraps it up for me. my colleague takes over at the top of the hour. stick around

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hey there, i'm joshua johnson. good to be with you from nbc world headquarters in new york will it take us over an hour to fairly fact check his inw