discourage people from voting by closing polling locations and targeting minorities and students with restrictive laws and attacking our voting rights. even undermining the postal service in the run-up to the election. it's going to be dependent on mail-in ballots so people don't get sick. >> good morning and welcome to "a.m. joy." i'm jonathan capehart. the late and great civil rights icon john lewis spent his entire life fighting for equal right and equal voting rights in america so it was fitting that president obama's rousing eulogy for the georgia congressman zeroed in on this legacy. a legacy that is increasingly under attack in this era of trump. this week, donald trump recklessly and incorrectly claimed that mail-in voting is inaccurate and fraudulent voting. and threatened to postpone the election which he does not have

the power to do. and as the country turns to mail-in voting in response to the coronavirus pandemic, trump's year long assault on the postal service is appearing to slow down the agency ahead of an election that right now according to every poll he is projected to lose. joining me now is former united states attorney general eric holder. thank you very much for being here this morning. >> well, thanks for having me. good to see you. >> so i want to play some sound from a hearing that your -- one of your successors participated in on the hill this past week. let's listen to that and i'll ask you a question on the other side. >> do you believe as the attorney general of the united states that mail-in voting will lead to massive voter fraud? >> i think there's a high risk that it will. i just state i think what is a reality which is if you have wholesale mail-in voting it substantially increases the risk

of fraud. >> so former attorney general eric holder, do you believe as a former attorney general of the united states that mail-in voting will lead to massive voter fraud? >> no. it will not. and it's not a function of what i believe. it's a function of our experience with the use of mail-in voting. in oregon, other states, florida uses it very extensively and there's no indication that there is widespread voter fraud. the thing it does do is increase turnout. i think that's something extremely significant. it's a positive significance. the notion it favors one party over the other is not empirically shown. all of the things that barr and trump are saying is inconsistent with experience and with the facts. >> now, how concerned are you about the post office's ability to handle mail-in voting? we are seeing a example right here in new york city where an unanticipated flood of mail-in ballots have not made it

possible to declare a winner in the primary race that congresswoman caroline moloney is involved in. how concerned are you that the postal service isn't ready for what could come in november? >> i think the situation in new york points out a couple of things. first, the states need additional funds so that they'll have the ability to have adequate resources to do pretty robust mail -- vote by mail effort. and that means i think that congress has to allocate money. democrats have asked for $3.6 billion. i think that is money that would be extremely well spent given the fact that we are facing an existential election in november. with regard to the postal service itself, you know, there is an attempt by trump and by his appointed post master general to undermine the capacity of the postal service to do that which it is capable of doing if it has sufficient resources. they're starting to cut back on resources and think of all the

packages that people have gotten during the course of this pandemic. this is not a time to be starving the postal service of resources. >> how concerned are you overall for the safety and security of the november elections given what we're hearing from the president, both verbally but also twitter and sort of the inability of attorney general barr to state unequivocally that the november election is safe. >> yeah. i worry a great deal about the way in which the election will be conducted. not because the procedures that we have in place will be inadequate. i'm concerned about what republicans generally the president more specifically will try to do to first delegitimize it and put in measures so that the postal service doesn't work. voter suppression so that you're closing polling places, there's a whole variety of things, requiring unnecessary photo i.

d. the things that president obama was talking about. i'm concerned it will make it more difficult for democrats generally, people of colorneed . we need to be prepared now to make sure that we have a fair vote come november. >> now, are the chairman of the national democratic redistricting committee. i'm wondering in that role as chairman what are you doing to help safeguard the vote in november and to also achieve your overall goal which is to have democrats be in a better position than they were in 2010 when it comes to congressional redistricting? >> well, our aim with regard to redistricting simply is to have a fair system. the democrats will do just fine if the system is just fair, i'm not trying to gerrymander regardless of what my court

counterparts say. we have filed a number of lawsuits so we do with unnecessary requirements when it comes to casting a vote by mail. having two witnesses saying we have seen this person sign this ballot. have a notary and indicate this is the right person who submitted the ballot. also requiring that the mail be used in such a way that when you get a ballot you have prepaid postage on it. a whole variety of things that stand in the way of having a robust vote by mail system. in texas, you know if you're over 65, you can cast the ballot by mail. if you're 64 1/2 or 18 you cannot do so. that's one of the lawsuits in texas. >> the national redistricting committee has been involved in lawsuits. has been involved in supporting candidates. can you talk -- and in particular states as a means of trying to either change the makeup of state legislatures or

even governorships. can you talk more specifically about what exactly are you doing to ensure or try to ensure that this level playing field you just talked about actually comes to fruition? >> yeah. well, i have done in the target states is identify the people who are most intimately involved in the redistricting process. governors almost always. state legislatures, sometimes the secretary of state. so we have supported people who will stand for a fair redistricting process. we filed lawsuits to make sure that the redistricting is done in a fair way. we have also reform efforts. i think the best thing is to let the nonpartisan, neutral redistricting commissions actually do the redistricting. we have supported efforts that resulted in the formation of these commissions in michigan, colorado, utah and missouri. similar to what already exists in arizona and in california.

i think that's actually the best wayo we simply have a fair system. not one that's going to be lean to one party or the other. but simply be fair. >> let me get you to respond to another comment made by attorney general barr at the hearing last week. let's play it. >> if in this upcoming november election the president asks you to intervene and try to stop states from counting legal ballots after election day, will you do the right thing and refuse, yes or no? >> i will follow the law. >> you won't say no, sir? >> i'll follow the law. >> it's very disappointing. >> how would you have answered that question from congressman stanton? >> that was kind of a layup. i didn't quite understand what was the hesitance to say, yes, i'll make sure that all ballots legally cast will be counted.

i don't understand why there was a hesitance and that hesitance is i think what gives people pause about what role that bill barr will play when it comes to making sure we have a fair election. that the justice department stands for fairness. the justice department is different from all other cabinet agencies. it can't tied to the gains of the president. the attorney general represents the people, not the political interests of the president. so i have great concerns on a whole bunch of levels and i don't think we can at least at this point on the justice department -- and that's under democratic and republican attorneys general. people need to understand this. what we're seeing out of the justice department is aberrant, it is not something you'd expect from a republican or a democratic attorney general. >> one thing that's aberrant is the use of federal troops in american cities under the guise

of protecting federal property. what is your reaction to unidentified federal troops in cities like portland, oregon, and being fanned out around the country? some people have said that they view that as a dress rehearsal for what could happen on election day. so you share that same concern? >> i don't know. that again goes a little far. i hope we don't get to that situation. you know, the use of federal resources to help local governments deal with crime problems is something we do all the time. but it is to help specific problems, it's usually at the request of the locality. the notion that you have federal resources fanning out around cities and trying to break up demonstrations, that's not what the federal government is supposed to do. federal resources can certainly protect federal property. but if you use them in the more general way again without the call from the locality and having, you know, these detentions made without probable

cause that's inconsistent with the law, inconsistent with our best traditions and something that has to be opposed. >> attorney general holder, before i let you go i have to ask you a question about something we talked about yesterday on this show. we had two people on the show who participated in sort of a war gaming exercise about what happens in the november election particularly if donald trump loses and one scenario is that he loses and doesn't decide to go. what do you think happens if donald trump loses? >> well, you know, the electoral college will meet some time in december. there will be a vote there, a determination made as to who the next president is. his term ends at noon on january the 20th in the constitution. he will be stripped of all power. so if he remains in the white house physically in the white house past noon on january the 20ths have lost the election, he's simply an interloper. and is without power and can be physically removed. i hope it doesn't come to that.

my hope is that the president will not try to delegitimize the election and then will abide by the results of the election and i hope people will get out and register as quickly as they can. get the absentee ballots as fast as they can and flatten the curve so we don't overwhelm the systems in the states with a massive number of applications very close to the election. get registered, get those absentee ballots. >> one more question, i lied. on "the reidout," at high noon on january 20th, 2021, if there's not a new president elected at that point, nancy pelosi speaker of the house becomes president of the united states. you just said that at noon on january 20th, president trump will have been stripped of all power if he doesn't win

re-election. is that the case, does the speaker of the house, nancy pelosi, become the acting president of the united states? >> yeah, if we did not have a winner, in the electoral college was unable to come up with a winner, and the -- because the electoral college is tied or does not get 270 votes then voting state by state picks the process. if that does not happen, then the speaker of the house remains the president until the house of representatives actually comes up with a winner. i don't think that we'll get to that. that's the doomsday scenario. my expectation is we'll have a president selected and somebody will be sworn in as the new president on january the 20th at noon here in washington, d.c. >> well, that's a doomsday scenario that a lot of people actually wouldn't view as doomsday. attorney general eric holder, thank you very, very much for being on the show today. >> thank you, jonathan. always good to see you.

coming up, as millions of americans wait for washington to wake up and realize they're about to lose everything, two women could hold the solution to their problems. both join this program over the next hour. speaker of the house nancy pelosi and mitch mcconnell's senator challenger amy mcgrath will be here. stick around.

i think there's 15 or 20 of my guys that are not going to vote for anything and i think their argument is not irrational. it's that we have a massive debt now and they don't think we ought to pass it in one of the bills. i don't agree with that. but it's a statement of the obvious we won't have everybody on our side. >> mitch mcconnell essentially admitted a third of his gop colleagues will not vote for any coronavirus relief package. stuck in the deadlock, the senate adjourned for the weekend, allowing both the

supplemental $600 weekly unemployment insurance checks and the moratorium on evictions to expire. against that back drop, mcconnell's democratic challenger, fighter pilot amy mcgrath is making this pitch to voters. >> over a million kentuckians have filed for unemployment. but mitch mcconnell has only used his power to save the special interests and big corporations and they didn't have to stand in any line. the rest of us, he says kentucky should file for bankruptcy. mr. m mcconnell, the swamp will take care of you but what about us? >> joining us is the kentucky democratic candidate for senate, retired marine corps lieutenant colonel amy mcgrath. >> good morning. good to be with you. >> jumping off the campaign ad

we just showed i want to show you something from abc this morning with steve mnuchin. >> so you think it's a disincentive to find a job if you have that extra $600? >> there's no question in certain cases where we're paying people more to work -- stay home than to work, that's created issues in the entire economy. >> lieutenant colonel mcgrath, what do you make of that argument from the -- from steve mnuchin? >> well, i went to the unemployment lines with people who were filing for unemployment and there's a problem with their claims. i talked to each person that i could and everybody that i talked to had a job prior to coronavirus. full-time job. guess what? their job is gone. this is everything from sports photographers to single moms who had to leave their job because

there's no day care and they have to take care of the -- their children. you know, to plumbers, to mechanics. so this is real and it's just -- it's terrible we have leaders that don't understand the plight of everyday kentuckians. >> can you talk about the coronavirus pandemic as it is playing out in kentucky? is the state meeting the challenge or is the state not meeting the challenge? >> well, the cases in kentucky are on the rise and i think what we're seeing here in kentucky is the people are very fearful. and worried. so i was down in eastern kentucky just a few days ago and talking to the medical down there and they're trying very hard to make sure they have a coronavirus testing. you know what they need right now? swabs. they don't have enough swabs and they know this. and this is the failure of leadership from the very top in our country. we're six months into this thing

and we have a senate majority leader who is continually failed to mitigate this coronavirus and to get our economy back on track and it's really, you know, people are tired of it. we have got to get this under control. >> so lieutenant colonel mcgrath, you are facing an uphill battle in your effort to unseat mitch mcconnell. the senate majority leader. you're in a state where president trump beat hillary clinton by 30 points. he got 63% of the vote. she received 33% of the vote. your -- your own internal poll shows you four points down. so what are you doing right now to try to close that gap from four points to you getting ahead of mitch mcconnell to even beating mitch mcconnell? >> well, i am going around the state and talking to my fellow kentucki kentuckians, listening to what's going on right now and really for a lot of people they know

that a guy who has been around for 35 years and hasn't done what kentucky needs. and what i always tell people, hey, look around. are things getting any better? you know, this man has been in office 35 years, he wants to be in office 42 years. kentucky has even before coronavirus a lot of problems. the highest cancer rates in the country. one of the highest rates of diabetes, some of the lowest wages and we have a man who continually has sold out to special interests and, you know, just to bring it back when the last coronavirus bill was passed, a few weeks later it was mitch mcconnell who then said to state and local governments, oh, well, you ought to consider bankruptcy. i mean, that's our school systems. those are teachers, firefighters, police officers. and people are tired of that and they know this. and so i believe that, you know, my message has always been let's get patriots in to office who are going to put people above their political party and their

own power and the special interests and boy, we need that now more than ever. >> one of the things you're doing is trying to register voters. there's a story in the louisville courier journal, amy mcgrath pushes voter registration ahead of the election. kentucky has one of the highest rates of voter disenfranchisement in the country with 9% of the state's population and one in four black citizens unable to vote as of 2016. >> right. well, part of what we have a democratic governor here in andy beshear who has allowed former felons of nonviolent offenses to now vote and that's awesome, but we need to do a good job of voter education here in kentucky. also, i'm very concerned about the fall. because in the primary, we had no excuse mail-in balloting, but we have a secretary of state here who is -- who has not been

clear whether we'll have mail-in balloting for the fall and this is really important, because folks, the coronavirus is not going away. you shouldn't have to risk your life to vote in this country. it's mitch mcconnell and the senate that needs to provide the resources for the no excuse mail-in balloting in the fall and he doesn't done that. it's very important to make sure that everybody's voice is heard. >> lieutenant colonel mcgrath, thank you for being on the show and good luck on the campaign trail. >> thank you, jonathan. coming up, america's most effective legislator joins the show. speaker of the house nancy pelosi is on the way. keep it right here. pelosi is on the way keep it right here are you tired of clean clothes that just don't smell clean?

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the gdp and what we are doing is not only trying to arrest the virus, but to invest in the economy as we help america's working families. so today was productive in terms of moving us forward. >> well, donald trump spent his saturday morning golfing at his virginia golf club, nancy pelosi continued negotiations on a new coronavirus relief bill to aid millions of americans in financial limbo. and it appears the white house and congressional leadership may be a smidge closer to an agreement. nancy pelosi and chuck schumer met with mark meadows and treasury secretary steven mnuchin for hours. both sides said progress was made during those discussions but no deal has been reached. this comes just days after senate majority leader mitch mcconnell and congressional

republicans failed to extend enhanced unemployment benefits and after an additional 1.4 million americans filed unemployment claims last week. with the financial futures of millions of americans hanging in the balance, my next guest is the perfect person to explain what's going on. joining me now, speaker of the house nancy pelosi. thank you for being here. >> a pleasure, thank you, jonathan. >> you're headed back into negotiations with the white house and treasury secretary mnuchin tomorrow. staff are meeting today at the capitol. but when you meet again tomorrow, can you please explain to me and the american people what is the major sticking point between what you and senator schumer want and what the white house and congressional republicans want? >> well, we have been very clear and unified in our proposal,

it's called the heroes act. it honors the heroes by supporting state and local governments who hire the heroes, the first responders, our transit, sanitary, teachers, teachers, teachers. if those people lose their jobs, they go on unemployment. so this money is to help them defray the costs of the coronavirus that they have put forth but also to keep people from being -- going on unemployment insurance. secondly this is very critical. this is about controlling the virus. testing, tracing, treatment. social distancing, mask wearing, sanitation and the rest. we have not had the administration implement a national strategy even though we started with our first bill maher march 4th about testing

and we have -- we're saying in order to open up our economy, and in order to have our children be safely in schools you must contain the virus. and that is a sticking point in terms of the amount of money. we're at like 75. they're maybe at 15, they want to count old money into it. third, we want to put money into the pockets of american people. they put $200 forth end of last week. very condescending to working families, they're not needing it, they're staying home so they don't go to work that's not true. the data is very different. then we have a couple of other things that relate to supporting the post office, voting by mail, as well as food. can you imagine that we have a contentious issue between how we would like to spend tens of billions of dollars more to feed

the american people while millions of children are food insecure. yesterday in los angeles, people waited seven hours in food bank lines to get food. we have a solution in the legislation. so again, worker protection with osha to have strong osha standards to protect workers and employees. if they honor those standards they have a rebuttable defense against any thought that they were delinquent in protecting workers. so that's really the thrust of it. the question is how much and for how long. and some of it is if so at all, they still are saying they're not going to support state and local government. it's a big deal. >> madam speaker, i'm glad you brought up how much and for how long. one of the things that's been reported is that republicans and the white house really want to do a short term bill.

and you and senate minority leader chuck schumer have been adamantly against that. why be against that? is it because you think they won't follow through on the longer term deal later on? >> well i always talk about the certainty that the private sector needs to make the decision. but they don't apply that same courtesy to america's working families. we have to have this done. we're just -- look, many of my caucus want to go to september of next year. or june of next year. i'm saying let's take it to january 31st so that we are through an appropriations process at that time. but what are we going to do, come back to the table and do this in two or three months again? no. let's give the courtesy and the certainty of some assurance that this support will be there. but again, it all depends on

containing the virus and for some reason they have not executed a strategic plan. it's in our bill. let's just do that, enable states to do what they need to do and it's about testing, tracing, treating those three and in order to do that, you need the equipment which we have in short supply. that's why we're asking the president to do the defense production act so we have the equipment to do more testing which is essential. to have the equipment and tell people in a day or so if they're positive or negative rather than a week later and it's irrelevant and you have to be tested again. >> i have covered you for a long time. the american people have seen you for years. you are steely and you are tough. and yet within the last year, twice now we have seen you be moved and emotional.

the first time i noticed was at the funeral of the late elijah cummings and then we saw it again this week at the funeral for the late civil rights icon congressman john lewis. what was it about those two men that moved you so? >> well, elijah was my baltimore brother as you know so we were very close friends and allies in terms of our working for america's families. and of course he -- you know, he was an icon in the congress and in the country and john lewis of course is a hero globally acclaimed. it's hard, it's really hard. we'll miss them from the stand point of their contribution to the country. i will personally miss them. john lewis was my pal. we served together for 33 years. we were classmates going -- coming into the congress and we could speak in shorthand to each

other about sometimes -- sometimes without words about what was going on and what we needed to do. but as i said, everyone in the congress thought he was their best friend, so put me in that category. and as you know, when he left us, we had the flags over the capitol waiting that night, taking them down, putting up flags at half-staff for nearly two weeks and then when he -- his last day at the capitol, there was a double rainbow that went -- no rain, it wasn't even rain. but there was a double rainbow and we thought he was saying to us, don't worry about me, i'm home in heaven with lilly with martin and with john and with jesus who was his savior. is his savior. >> madam speaker, speaker nancy pelosi, thank you very much for being on this show and for your time. >> thank you, jonathan. my pleasure.

good morning. coming up, a record number of black women are running to join nancy pelosi in the 117th congress. five of them join me next hour. more "a.m. joy" after the break. . fine, no one leaves the table until your finished. fine, we'll sleep here. ♪ it's the easiest because it's the cheesiest. kraft. for the win win. no uh uh, no way come on, no no n-n-n-no-no only discover has no annual fee on any card. as a nation, in awe've been tested before. and he has, too.

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speculation about joe biden's running mate is running rampant with many asking if he will make history by selecting a woman of color for the ticket. but let's not forget a record number of black women are running for congress seeking to make their own history this year. five of them join me next. for m. i'm his accountant. i'm so sorry. hey! hey man, you're here! you don't trust me here in vegas, do you? uh, well, i thought we had a breakthrough with the volkswagen. we did, yeah! we broke through. that's the volkswagen? that's the cross sport. wow. seatbelts! please just tell me where we're going.

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can you tell everyone or give us some advice as to how we can continue to make history and maintain and break those barriers, the wups you ha-- one you have already broken? >> breaking bare yes, sriers ar easier. some think you stay on one side of the barrier and show up on the other side of the barrier. not the case at all. breaking barriers involves breaking things and sometimes you get cut. sometimes it hurts but it is worth it every time. >> back. d des'ree tims is trying to become the first black woman to

represent ohio's tenth congressional district and she is not the only black woman vying to make history this november 37 although much of the conversation this week has been dominated by joe biden's potentially historic pick for vice president, the general election is shaping up to be historic in more ways than one. according to the center for american women and politics, ti tims is among the record breaking 122 black or multiracial black women who have filed to run for congress this year. that is an increase from just 48 black women in 2012. black women comprise only 4.3% of congress despite making up nearly 8% of the population. black women have historically been the backbone of the democratic party and have delivered democrats key wins in multiple battleground states across the country. but now, with a record number of black women on the ballot themselves, can they drive this momentum and increase the number of black women representing the

people in congress? joining me now are five of those congressional candidates. patricia timmons goodson. dr. adi winfrey, no relation. alabama's third district. that jean lee lakes who is running to represent indiana's sixth district. pam keith, democratic candidate for florida's 18th congressional district. des'ree tims, democratic nominee for ohio's tenth district. thank you all very, very much for being here and taking the time, especially being out on the campaign trail and for being here. i want to just toss this out and whoever feels moved to jump in and answer, jump in. but my executive producer and i were talking about this morning. given the number of black women running, if, say, half of the 122 make it into congress, you

could have more impact on policy in congress than the tea party did when they came in in 2010. how does that make you feel that not only is your race historic for you individually, but if you're successful, you could collectively be probably the most historic congressional block in american history. >> that would be amazing. >> go ahead. >> that would be great. >> talk further about that. it would be amazing why? why would that be amazing for you? >> for me, it's amazing because we are so focused on issues facing the black community, our children, education. just the moment is calling for real systemic change and we are the ones that are walking in the communities, living in these communities to make that systemic change. so if you're looking for that, these are the women who are

going to get there and make that systemic change and i think that is why it's exciting. >> dr. winfrey, what about you? >> i am extremely excited about that possible because like coretta scott king said if the solace of the nation is saved it will come from the women. i think ethnic minorities as well as the issues we face by being women makes us uniquely positioned to make decisions for the whole country, and i think that would be a wonderful move for the nation to see all of us and more black women to come into congress. >> jeannine lake? >> hi there. yes. i agree the same thing. my district in indiana is 93% white. yet i just won with 70% of the vote within the state of indiana. you know what? only 3% of african-americans in my district but they want me to represent them. they like my vote. they like my past. they like my history. and they like what i stand for.

even though i might not look like all of my constituents, they know i stand for the same thing that they want, health care, public education, a living wage, infrastructure, and i care about the environment. so they are behind me 100% and i'm going to represent them all the way to congress. >> patricia timmons? >> yes, jonathan. i believe that our citizens here in the eighth congressional district of north carolina are looking for a change and they are looking for someone that will bring that change. they understand that as long as we continue to elect the same kinds of people with the same kinds of backgrounds and perspective, you're likely to get the same results. and at this point the same results are nothing is getting done, therefore, their interests are not looked out for. i ask us, as we look at how huge this is, remember, we are

celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th aemedmeaeme amendment this year so 100 years ago women got the right to vote and we understand where black women are concerned, it wasn't until the 1950s or '60s with the civil rights movement that voting became a reality. so a huge point at this time and i'm so glad that the citizens of this country recognize that they can look to black women for the change that they want. >> des'ree tims, you introduced this segment at the sound bite we showed of you talking to senator kamala harris. what do you make of potentially making history twice? >> you know, i am the granddaughter of sharecroppers and i did not get into this campaign because i am a black woman. my district is not majority black. i got into this race because it's time for change and the people in my community have had

enough. we have two hbc aurus in my community. we have been through mass shooting and kkk march and mass shootings and it's time for women to stand up. when women work together, we get things done. i am excited to embark on history to become the first african-american to represent my district. but, more importantly, i am so excited about bringing more change to the table, building the bigger table so more people can have a seat at that table, because it's time. it's time. >> yes. >> it absolutely is. >> go ahead. >> the historicness of this, jonathan, it's not just congress. i am running in a majority white district as well but it's a tossup seat. it is the swing district of the swingiest state. this race can determine the outcome of the entire election. if trump loses in he loses t s e

house and a black woman could be the ends of trump's presidency and that is exciting. what else is exciting is i'm a veteran of the navy and that component, bringing the credibility of how women of color to serve our country, that is another component that is really, really interesting and impressive about this. >> did i hear someone else? >> the same thing happens here in indiana. you know? i'm running against the vice president's brother, greg pence. his older brother, yet people are recognizing that the trump/pence agenda is filled with hate and division and degradation and homophobia and more. they are ready for change. people sometimes might look at indiana and might not see the good people we have here, but we have wonderful people here. we have people here who have been marching several weeks for la black lives matter and watching for equality a long time and i'm the face in indiana in the sixth

district and i'm wonderfully pleased to be a part of this. >> who hasn't spoken yet? dr. winfrey, jump back in. >> yes, i really wanted to echo the sentiments of what the other women said about the makeup of the district. like them, i have a district that is majority white. however, i think we have come to the point that there are people who are ready for a change and we are beyond just looking at the color of a candidate's skin. the incumbent in my district has been largely absent in this pandemic as people are going through the hardest times we have seen in generations. he has not been here. so people are tired, they are fed up and they want someone that can relate to the everyday struggle. i'm a mother of four and a working mom of four, so i understand the pressures that people are experiencing and this is the energy that we need to bring to congress. everyday people who are fighting for the people and are of the

people. >> i want to focus the spotlight on you, because this race, if you are successful, i would suspect will be extra, extra good. i want to play i think this is some sound of an ad on mcconnell and burr doing something to you. let's watch this. >> president obama nominated pat timmons-goodson to the federal judiciary but the nomination was blocked like to garland. mcconnell didn't give her a hearing. when they go low, we go high. now she is running for congress in north carolina. help us flip this seat from red to blue and support timmons. >> help stun mitch mcconnell. i'll use this word. how delicious would it be for you to go to congress, albeit in the house, but be in the same

building with mitchell 7 mitch mcconnell? >> i'm telling you that it would absolutely be glorious and it affirms to something me my father said to me. the late sergeant said remain focus. whether it's making a difference or whatever you're trying to do because some people out there will stomp on your toe just to make you focus on that hurt, rather than continuing with what we want to do. and so my running for congress in a district that is predominantly white, i am staying focused on serving the people of the state of north carolina and this nation. yes, jonathan, it would be delicious! >> can i get a raise of hands? how many of you are running in majority white districts? is it all of you? so all of you are running in

majority white districts. dr. winfrey and maybe go round robin and start with the doctor and then to i think des'ree tims below you on the screen. but what are you hearing from when you're out on the campaign trail? what are you hearing from constituents? what are they most concerned about? is it coronavirus or some other things? >> it's a combination of so many things. we had a ton of issues here in the third district already that are being amplified by coronavirus, so we had struggling education system. we have had rural hospitals closing left and right. these are things that have just been magnified in the midst of this pandemic. we have had problems with employment and just growth. as you can imagine, the things that have come in as a result of coronavirus have just magazinived these problems. and so people want a change. again, our congressmen who are supposed to be representing us has been absent.

we have not seen or heard from him. people are concerned and they want someone who is going to be their voice. >> des'ree tims, are you hearing the same thing? >> in my district, we are a community that was built around general motors and manufacturing, and we have been trying to bounce back since the 2008 recession. now we have the pandemic and coronavirus. our small businesses are still trying to bounce back. people need 600 dollar unemployment benefit. let's be real. nobody is buying a lamborghini for $600. they are trying to pay their rent so we need to make sure people with live and we need to pass this. people are sitting on their hands while people are dying. >> pamela keith? >> i will echo what desiree just said. this is empathy and compassion for your constituents and caring what they are going through. what we have here in florida is a governor totally unconcerned

with the risk that he is putting children and teachers in by reopening schools before they are ready. we are watching a gop legislature that would absolutely do nothing about an unemployment benefit system that was designed to fail, designed to stymie and frustrate the people desperately in need and hundreds of thousands lack access and the first plan of a 600 help because the republicans want to get the money to them. the level of frustration and level of anger at a time we are already suffering is just driving people away from that kind of politics. they are looking for leaders who actually are concerned with their day-to-day life. you don't deserve to represent those people. >> jeannine lee-lake, what are you hearing? >> the same things. yes. coronavirus is right at the top of the list. they are concerned about health care and unemployment benefits running out. the fact that, you know, the fact that greg pence makes $20

million i guess he is worth $20 million but he doesn't want to extend unemployment benefits in the midst of a pandemic. on top of that we found out his antique malls he is selling racist products out of that. he is selling items that have swastikas on them and transgender offenses out of there. we just need change in indiana. and they are ready for that. they are ready for me and i'm excited to represent them. >> now i'm going to use the judge timmons-goodson. what are you hearing from your constituents? >> i'm hearing from my constituents the fact that they are concerned about the coronavirus. i'm hearing from them that they are concerned about jobs and i'm finally hearing that they want someone that is going to listen to them and they want someone that is going to be fair and look after tharm interests, someone that will conduct town halls on a regular basis in the district, something that the

current incumbent has failed to do. they are talking about the fact that my background as a judge for 28 years in north carolina and as a member of the u.s. commission on civil rights makes me uniquely qualified for this particular time in our nation's history as we confront so many critical issues. >> how many of you have school-aged children right now? dr. winfrey. i'll direct this to you but any of you jump in after her. how concerned are you about schools reopening in the middle of this pandemic? is this something that we should be doing? >> i'm very concerned and, actually, i'm thankful that my children's school all made the decision now that they will begin virtually. so that has eased some of my concern, but it's still a concern for a lot of families out there. i think it is something that we need to take into consideration.

i understand that we do want children to nschool because they need to be there, but their health and safety and health and safety of the teachers and the staff is something we cannot ignore. moving along as if everything is pre-covid is not safe and it's irresponsible. >> i agree. we have more than five colleges and universities in my district here in ohio 10. it is a big decision and, again, we are seeing people like betsy devos playing politics and threatening funds to local schools and public schools and universities. we need to ensure that our local leaders make those decisions because what good is a school or university if of all the children are going and getting sick and dying? >> we have got less than two minutes. >> i have two kids that are in college. constance is at ball state university, my alma mater and my son is at taylor university.

they have had to come home like everybody else did in march. we have had some concerns about them. i've actually had asymptomatic covid myself. i know the importance of going into a safe environment and not being a super spreader and not giving it to anybody else. we are not prepared for that right now. mike pence came to indiana last week and convinced our governor eric holcomb to the to make it a crime not to wear a mask on. he had already signed on and health care and a pandemic, we need to wear masks and make sure our kids are going into an environment that is safe for them. teachers need to be protected. we just don't have that right now. >> we have got less than two minutes left. i want to show this full jean fr -- screen. quote.

in the time that we have left, let's go round robin and try to help you close that gap. what is your website? >> my website is winfrey 4 congress.com. >> desiree times. >> tims 4 congress. chip in. every dollar helps. >> paem pamela sk >>. >> pamkeith.com. >> jeannine lee-lake?

>> jeannine lee lake for congress.com. greg spence i think is up to $3 million and we are not quite at a hundred,000 yet so we need your support. dave letterman came last time and helped me out a little bit and i believe we will have wonderful people on board and hopefully, him and the senator joe donnelly and pete buddigeg. >> we are in a statistically time in this district and we need your help and need you funds. www.timmons goodson for congress.com. every penny helps. >> there are 122 black women running for congress. you see five here. do not sleep on their races or all of those races. they could be history in the

making in more ways than one. thank you all for joining me. thank you for being here this morning and for your time. >> thank you. >> thank you. coming up, as coronavirus rages across america, many schoolchildren are supposed to go to school this month. after the break we will ask an expert if any child should face this risk. important information you need to see is next. t information yod to see is next ♪ ♪

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are children almost immune to the disease? >> we have to -- >> okay. >> be a little more precise? do children get infected? yes, they do. >> hundreds of thousands of children have they been infected? >> yes. >> so children are not almost immune to the disease? >> young people are almost immune to this disease. >> as the country plans for a return to school, educators and

parents are facing the agonizing question over how to keep young people safe amid a pandemic. the u.s. is reeling from the coronavirus with more than 1.9 billion new infections reported in july. a death toll that surpassed 1,000 for the sixth straight day on saturday. in indiana, one of the first school districts in the country to reopen didn't make it a day before a student reportedly tested positive for coronavirus. joining me now is dr. gupta. thank you for being here this morning. >> thank you. >> just as a doctor, tell us -- does it make sense for parents to send their kids back to school now? >> jonathan, the answer to that is it depends, unfortunately. this is not black and white. in most zip codes across the country, the answer is

definitively no. in some zip codes, say, in vermont, the one state in the union where infection growth rates of covid-19 are very low, where there is enough testing and potentially enough tracing where maybe we can get a handle on this pandemic. in one state, maybe we can have that conversation. in 49 other states, we need to be realistic so this is what we know. last two to four weeks we have seen incredible activity in the scientific literature, giving us clarity on whether or not children are actually vulnerable to the virus. and the answer is they are. and there is a lot of studies have come out the last week showing that children actually have the genetic material ma encodes the virus at higher level than adults. what does this mean? we still don't know but it means they could have more virus that is transmissible to adults, to staff, teachers, than even young adults or older adults. so that is very significant for

how we think about a safe reopening. >> that is incredible. you know? i want to show a story from "business insider" on saturday and it involves the school where the president's son goes to school. the maryland county where his son attends school has ordered private schools to stay closed until october even as the president and his administration have, for weeks, than adamant that schools reopen to students. without what you were talking about, the testing and the tracing, it doesn't make sense for schools to reopen, does it? >> no. again, there is great -- just two days ago in jama, a doctor from mass general hospital showed without every 48-hour testing that we don't have enough of across the country, colleges and universities won't be able to safely open and stay

open. that same idea applies to school districts across the country. so to answer your question, what we don't want is a situation of have's and have not's when it comes to school districts. wealthy private school districts or wealthy enclave district might be able to afford testing and might be able to find more space so we can get adequate distancing. ventilation. i haven't heard enough about this. how do we get air exchanges in these rooms and masking to diminish these rooms and masking to diminish it's hard to build out a more than anything else, we need resources. private schools, wealthy districts are going to do more than inner urban -- or those in rural areas that have less resources. we need the administration to make sure every district has

money andev resources to get testing to keep g teachers and staff safe. that's key. >> the key question is, how do you open schools safely? reuters had a story yesterday showing what they are doing in indones indonesia. there, they have classrooms of six children --la i think we wi show the video. look at this. the six children are separated, as you can see, by -- they are in - a plastic little room with the teachers on the other side giving instruction. is this what is happening in indonesia -- is this something that school districts that might not have the resources that the private school districts have, is that something that they should perhaps consider? >> physical barriers is certainly going to be a part of any safe reopening. what they are doing in indonesia -- i'm looking at it now. we have to -- a lot of this is

what's going to make sense within our unique american culture. what are people going to tolerate? what are they going to tolerate? when it comes to masking, this has been a debate for five months. i have been pushing for it as have been my colleagues. will school districts and people comply with the idea ofs and ma? what will teachers' unions feel comfortable with? i don't see in the united states with an out of control pandemic how we safely keep teachers, staff and parents safe, much less students, without point of careoi testing. that's the type of testing that is scarcely available right now to the common individual. major league baseball, professional sports teams have it because theyal can afford it. school districts need it. that's the only way we will keep schools open. we can open up anything. but we can shut them down quickly as youhu showed earliern the segment.

school districts are opening up anden closing the same day. how do we keep things open? point of the care testing, potentially every 48 hours, realistically every week to mak sure older individuals in the schools are safe. >> thank you very much for coming on the show and y for th reality check you have provided us. f >> thank you. coming up, a professional hockey player takes a knee for justice. we will show that you story next. ar insurance so you only pay for what you need. what do you think? i don't see it. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

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this president has failed to respond to the pandemic. he has failed to pull the republican party together. we can't come to an agreement

because there's in-fighting. >> our only pathway is to have a leader like joe biden who has done this before. i believe joe biden will pick the right partner for himself because he is the only person who has done this job. >> being a partner with somebody i believe is authentic, genuine, has the capacity to have empathy, has tremendous experience, being considered as a tremendous honor, but that is why i would want to go forward with this. >> three women on joe biden's list for vice-president made the roun rounds. here to talk about is mydwin charles, kimberly adkins and alise jordan. thank you for being here. we saw three of the people who are considered to be considered

by joe biden to be his running mate. there's been a lot of talk within the last few days about the potential of a black woman to be chosen. what happens if joe biden doesn't select an african-american woman specifically, but a woman of color to be his running mate? >> yes. i think what the running mate -- the importance of the running mate at this point -- we are talking about the in the campaign. we can talk separately about what it means to be in the position and governing. right now what joe biden is looking for is someone who voters can get excited about. one thing about this pandemic is that it has completely flattened the ability to get out and connect with voters in a way. joe biden has largely benefitted from that because the election has become a referendum on the president. that has boosted biden's

numbers. what he really needs to do is encourage people to vote, especially at a time where the president is claiming that the vote will be fraudulent. you have to ensure more people are out to vote. people don't distrust the system and people are excited about this. a running mate can do that. i think any of these women who have -- who you profiled as well as others on the list, including kamala harris and even elizabeth warren, can be people who can energy the base. the more well known they are, that might be a help. biden has to be thinking about who he wants working by his side on the job. who he trusts. whose ear he has when it come s policy decisions and who has been guiding him. it's a lot going on. the election is one little piece of it. it seems that i think all of these women will be seen again as part of his administration in one way or another.

>> picking up on something kimberly said about can folks get excited about the running mate, my question to you is, can folks get excited about gosenat war we rar we warren? >> i watched an interview this morning. i think stacy abrams made an excellent point that people overlook. joe biden was vice president for the united states for eight years. he understands the job. he knows exactly what he is looking for. should he pincknc pick any woma could get excitement out of the base. it's important to recognize who is the base of the democratic party. who comes out and votes consistently. who comes out and is able to save elections that are in the clutch when we talk about doug

jones. it was a black women that took him to the finish line. 94% of black women voted for hillary clinton. not that many white women in comparison voted for hillary clinton. when you look at even when, for example, elizabeth warren was running during the primary, she was not doing that well. i think that it would be a slap in the face for joe biden to not pick a black woman, because black women have demonstrated they are qualified, competent, skilled. but they have demonstrated they can lead in the democratic party. much like in the republican party where you saw donald trump court evangelicals and pick pence as his vp, he did that because he understood that ee val g evangelicals will come out. they will make sure that they vote and they vote in large

groups. we are talking about millions of people who didn't vote. not necessarily your primary voter. but you need to make sure you get people to come out to vote who have never voted before, never registered to vote before. that's really how you get that win. >> i will ask you the same question but coming from the center right, you are a republican -- you are still a republican, right? >> no, no, no. >> you left the party. >> i was, yes. but i left the party. >> okay. you still from a center right point of view. from your perspective, who is the vice presidential candidate who would give the trump/pence ticket, assuming it still is, a run for its money in november, from your perspective? >> i really have been

overwhelmed by the depth of this pool of women. i think there are so many fantastic women who can add such different redeeming characteristics to the ticket that i hesitate to go all in for one. i think that congresswoman demmings from florida, she could be an advantage because of her law enforcement background. frankly, it might help in florida. we know there's very little advantage really in who you pick for your vp candidate except perhaps in the home state. at this stage, i wonder what the personal ties are and how that is going personally with joe biden. his decision really is going to come down to who he has that personal connection with, who he is going to be able to get into the trenches on the campaign trail for the remaining three months to defeat donald trump.

with such a wealth of women who offer so much experience at this state level and congressional level and you have someone like formal national security susan rice who vice president biden had a strong working relationship with in the obama white house, i really think that it's going to be hard for him to go wrong with this selection. >> i want to reiterate something i said yesterday on this show, that being an african-american woman and being qualified for the position are not mutually exclusive. as we have seen with this roster of women of color but all of the women being considered to be joe biden's vice presidential nominee, they are all qualified to be on that ticket. i want to just stamp that again. i want to play something that congressman clyburn said on the cnn show this morning. we will talk about it on the other side. >> i don't think he plans to

leave the white house. he doesn't plan to have elections. i believe that he plans to install himself in some kind of emergency way to continue to hold onto office. >> that is a rather apocalyptic vision of what the future holds. yesterday when i had rosa brooks and michael steele on talking about a war gaming exercise that they took part in, the conclusion was, donald trump, if he loses he will leave, he won't go to the inauguration, he will sul bei sulk out of town. but congressman clyburn is taking the opposite view. do you share as pessimistic a view as congressman clyburn? >> i don't know if i would call it pessimistic. i would call it paying attention to what donald trump says. when michael cohen gave his

congressional testimony, he said these exact same things. he said that he believed if donald trump did not win the election, that he would not leave the white house willingly. this isn't new. donald trump always -- if you look at his twitter feed. if you try to ignore it, it pops up everywhere. he says all the time, he tries to undermine the election in november. you see what he is doing with the post office, by trying to undermine the post office so people can't vote by mail. i think he tweeted or retweeted this morning 51 times about how mailing -- voting by mail is fraudulent and certain states need to be investigated, despite the fact that he himself has voted by mail and so many other people who are in his current administration have voted by mail. he always seeks so undermine the election. the purpose of doing so is to make sure that people question the results and that perhaps he doesn't leave. but he constantly shows us who

he is. it's time america started believing him. in my opinion, i think we need to get ready and we need to expect the worst from donald trump. he tells us this over and over again. many of his supporters will follow his lead. you see it with respect to people freaking out about having to wear masks. just about anything that he says, he has such a devote following and such a devote number of americans that will follow just about anything he says to do, i think that should be incredibly disconcerting for us as americans. we need to get ready and expect it. i think representative clyburn's premonition here is accurate. >> kimberly and elise, we have less than a minute. do you share her point of view? kimberly? >> i think at the very least, it's a big signal that the president's tweet attacking democracy, frankly, with his

votes trying to cast out on the election is a signal to lawmakers in the state and federal level that they should move to shore up the elections, protect the post office. congress should include money to help states and localities carry out extended absentee voting. this is a call to protect the election system because the president is signaling an attack on it. >> elise? >> i share the pessimism. i think that every american who cares about preserving democracy in this country should be calling on their local leaders, their state leaders to shore up election security, to do everything to be prepared so we can have as smooth of an election as possible. because it's just been really disgusting to see how the trump administration has been putting no effort into the complications that are posed for this election by the pandemic. >> the panel will be right back.

before we go to a break, a programming note. tonight at 8:00 p.m., a special countdown to the vp pick. coming up, the moment you have been waiting for. who won the week? how they gonna pay for this? they will, but with accident forgiveness allstate won't raise your rates just because of an accident. cut! is that good? no you were talking about allstate and... i just... when i... accident forgiveness from allstate. click or call for a quote today. which is why we keep taking care of ourselves, like screening for colon cancer. because when caught in early stages, it's more treatable. cologuard is noninvasive and detects altered dna in your stool... ...to find 92% of colon cancers... ...even in early stages.

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to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down. metamucil's gelling action also helps to lower cholesterol and slows sugar absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. so, start feeling lighter and more energetic... by taking metamucil every day. it's finally time for, who won the week. elise, you go first. >> i really think it's no contest that congressman john lewis that he won the week. his loss was tragic. but i just was so moved by the service this week. it's the display of dignity and respect for such a great american statesman. that beautiful essay that john lewis left us that was so

beautifully crafted. i can't imagine being on my deathbed -- i don't know what you do on your deathbed because i've never been on my deathbed. but to be that forward thinking, to think of your cause, to be that selfish that you are spending your final waking hours telling the new generation how inspired you are by their leadership in this moment of civil rights activism and encouraging them on their way. it really was just a very fitting tribute from one of the world's leading practitioners of non-violent resistance. it just showed the gap between a man like john lewis, who lived his life serving and with selflessness to our president who couldn't be bothered to show up at the funeral. it really just illustrated the kind of leadership we desperately need and still are capable of having in this

country. >> his funeral was a reminder of who we were, who we still think we are as a nation, to see the pageantry and pomp, to celebrate an american life. i called him an angel after he passed away. ju john meachum calls him an american saint. i think that is so apt. so that is a great who won the week. sadly, i think you're wrong. who won the week? >> well, just sort of dove tail off of what she just said, i think barack obama won the week for the eulogy that he gave at representative john lewis' funeral. i thought it was a wonderful way to recap a life of sacrifice. a man that gave up so much for us to have the voting rights act today. he did a great job of letting us know where go in the future.

where representative lewis would want us to go in the future with respect to having a national holiday for voting, making sure that puerto rico and d.c. get to vote. he basically kept in theme with all of what john lewis stood for. but most importantly, i thought his eulogy was a reminder of when we had had character, decency, integrity, empathy in the white house. we don't have that right now. and what i thought was beautiful about that eulogy is we saw the best of what america has to offer. the promise of what america says it's about. right? liberty, justice for all. you saw the first black president deliver the eulogy. for a black man who has worked tirelessly since he was in his early 20s to get us the right to vote. and here you have the first african-american president speaking at his eulogy. i just thought it was a beautiful bow to sort of book

end representative john lewis' life. but also give us hope for the future. hope that we will some day in the white house have someone who is compassionate, with character, and integrity. and the best, jonathan, the best is at the very end i thought it was wonderful for barack obama to stop and pause as the cameras were watching and to sort of put the mask on before he walked out of there. again, just showing leadership. >> knyou know, i also thought h was a book end to the op-ed that she talked about from congressman lewis. he was really talking to us from the heavens. this is the work we need to do. president obama was on fire. i don't think i've ever seen him be that on fire and that punchy

in his delivery and telling us what we needed to do. but that being said, i don't think you're right. kimberly? who won the week? >> so for me, who won the week? from a culture standpoint is beyonce. i had hve had white people sayi to me over the course of the past couple of months, it must be so difficult to be a black person right now. it must be soul crushing to be a black person right now with what's going on in america. i say oh, no. the one thing that is uncrushable about me is my soul. the one thing that is uncrushable about black people is our soul, our ability to still express joy and pride and beyonce's new album and film "black is king" is a sendup to that black spirit, to that black joy. she is probably the most famous

celebrity on earth and she is embracing her blackness and showing people, reminding people that our story is not just of struggle. it is not just of strife. it is not just of oppression. it is of greatness and watching every minute of this film that she released on friday was just a reminder of that. i drank it all in and restoring in a way that i think i and everyone needed this week. >> she always has a habit of dropping things on us. everything is genius and brilliant. that being said, you're wrong. hir here's who won the week. lisa bone. she was previously married to lenny kravitz and then she married jason mamoa.

look at that. the to quote wendy williams, how you doin'? come on. come on! tell me i'm wrong. i'm not wrong. lisa bone won the week. she won the week. >> mad props. she must be -- >> you figured out why when that happened. >> i got to get out of this. >> you have a point there. you might have a point there. i'm in the chair. i win. i won the week. lisa won the week. thanks to all my guests. that's our show. thanks for watching. coming up next, alex witt has the latest. t-mobile and sprint have merged. and t-mobile doesn't just have a bigger network, but a better one than ever before, with scam protection built into its core. introducing, scamshield, free from t-mobile. get fewer scam calls. period. with t-mobile's supercharged network, you can say goodbye to annoying scam calls,

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good day, everyone, from msnbc world headquarters in new york. we're approaching high noon in the east. 9:00 a.m. out west. welcome to "weekends with alex witt." breaking news. two big problems facing florida right now. tropical storm slashing the coast. that state struggles to control the coronavirus. washington pointing fingers trying to hash out a beal while millions of americans live on a financial edge. >> the president's very concerned about the expiration of the unemployment insurance. >> we have been for the $600, they have a $200 proposal. >> plus, more than just a tweet. new analysis of the president's latest push to discredit the upcoming election. but we begin this hour with

the breaking news and a brand new update on the tropical storm. the center of the storm will move very close to the east coast of florida today. the area of concern stretches further north now into the carolinas. parts of the bahamas are dealing with rain and wind and some storms are moving on shore. our team is following the latest as the storm comes dangerously close to the mainland u.s. kerry sanders is in singer island, florida, right near west palm beach. kerry, looking like you have surf up behind you and wind. how do things look to you? >> well, actually, right now things are pretty calm. you know, we've been getting pretty strong gusts here. but as you look over my shoulder, you can see the trees are not swaying that much. the surf is definitely up. isaias is a tropical storm. no longer a hurricane. and that is good news. d