good afternoon. president trump will hold a news conference in just a couple of hours. more on that ahead. also this hour, twin storms headed for louisiana and texas. one of them a hurricane and one just on the verge. could mean major damage when they hit. we'll have the latest on the dangerous situation. a tale of two sisters. we're hear the taped words of president trump's sister calling into question his honesty and

principles. and an exclusive interview with joe biden's sister and closest political adviser who says very different thing about her brother. the washington post is doing something it's never done before in an effort to argue against the re-election of a sitting president. let's begin with hurricane marco and tropical storm laura rapidly approaching the gulf coast after battering parts of the gulf of mexico, haiti and the dominican republic over the weekend. louisiana governor issued this warning to residents earlier today. >> you need to be prepared to ride out the storms, you and your family, where ever you are at dark tonight. tropical storm force wind will be impacting coastal louisiana before daylight tomorrow. i know that you've heard that frequently but with this one-two punch that what we're expecting,

this is a situation where you really need to be prepared as we have always told you to ride out these storms and first 72 hours is on you. >> possibly one-two punch. joining me is bill karens and nbc correspondent sam brock on the ground in new orleans. bill, how severe are these storms shaping up to be? who would be hit the hardest? >> we really think every one is in place from the texas coastline to the louisiana coastline. possibly some zsections of mississippi and alabama. most of florida looks fine. here is the two storms. hurricane marco this afternoon. no surprise there. we still have tropical storm laura approaching cuba exiting hai haiti. these are the two storms. what's unusual is how close they are and how they will track over

similar areas. will they hit the same spot, unlikely. that's not really the big headline. first we got louisiana getting hit and then we're able to see what happens with laura. laura has a lot more potential to be big powerful storm than marco. marco is now only less than 24 hours away from landfall. it doesn't have a lot of time to gather strength and become a big huge force. it should remain a hurricane up until close to landfall and weaken down into a tropical storm. as far as new orleans goes the timing for the worth weather would be arriving about the lunch hour. probably peaking around 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. and the conditions be begin to improve in norew orlea. if you lose power, it will be late tomorrow. hopefully you'll get it back before we have to deal with laura. hurricane warnings are in place in the new orleans area down along the coast. we have tropical storm warning in effect. storm surge is the biggest concern. that will be around noon tomorrow. we haven't had a lot of

evacuations. that has had some mandatory evacuations. it's very swampy. as far as laura goes, we have about 24 more hours. then we see what will happen when the storm is in ideal conditions. how fast will it intensify. we have houston in the cone. notice new orleans is not in the cone of uncertainty. you need to be prepared for a major hurricane. if it's not, great. we need to prepare for it because it is a possibility. >> sam, you're in the nineth ward.

>> reporter: incredible history here. mayor of new orleans asking people to shelter in place. there are some mandatory evacuations. she was telling families to keep five days of perishable foods. first aid kits and flashlights. as far as where i'm standing on this street here, jordan street, over my shoulder is one of the flood walls you were describing that beached back in 2005 as we come up on this 15-year anniversary of hurricane katrina. it caused widespread and unma unimaginable damage to this neighborhood.

some of those homes are where i'm standing now. so much of this preparation is years in the making. $14 billion invested in a flood protection system whether that's pumps, whether it's flood walls, flood gates, drainage. all sorts of things that put this entire city under siege 15 years ago. will it work this time? standing out here and talking to a couple of family members, i talked to one woman who told me she lost three loved ones in 2005. she was a 10-year-old girl. stepping around deceased bodies and alligators as she and her family tried to get out of here. they see storms and flooding on regular basis here and that's after the improvements. >> stay safe. mplg president trump will be

holding a news conference at 5:30 today. the president will announce he's authorizing convalescent plasma. it's already been given to more than 70,000 patients. the administration is calling this a breakthrough but we heard from dr. patel. she said it may provide relief, experts wouldn't call it a breakthrough. things are heating up ahead of this week's republican national convention. demonstrators are swamping the city of charlotte, north carolina to protest the convention with more protests expected throughout the week. joining me now with more is nbc amanda goldman. how are local businesses and residents there reacting to these protests as well as what's now a scaled down convention? >> reporter: the official business of the republican national convention will take place tomorrow. delegates have begun trickled in

over the weekend. 336 were invited. the protests have been non-violent, a few arrests. overall the greatest im esest ie the consequences of years of planning for this convention that have not materialized. the impacts are felt across the board. economically businesses here also suffering. conventions are a crucial time to really boost tourism and bring in all that additional funds especially for the hospitality industry.

they tell me that impact is felt especially with the scale down convention amid the coronavirus pandemic when they were suffering and looking for that economic boost. listen to what they told me. >> all these office buildings and banks that are empty have a huge impact. we don't know when the people will come back to these office buildings come back to work. >> it would have been a little bit of joy in the bad 2020. clearly covid has hurt us. the loss of the rnc is a part of it. >> reporter: being around this uptown area of charlotte, you do feel it's rather decembsolate.

it is all behind closed doors for the few hundred that is expected to come out. this scene is not typical for what you would see in a normal convention season. >> thank you. later this hour i'll be talking with mayor of charlotte. ti stick around for that. the convention will be watched by those outside of north carolina especially those in the battleground states. in florida voters want a real plan to overcome this pandemic. we're joined live from orlando. what have voters been telling you? >> reporter: you might think this close date to the election, who on earth is still undecided. there are still some undecided voters out there. we spoke with several of them. the keyword you mentioned is plan. many of these voters we talked to, democrat, republican and independents said they will make

up their minds based oen what the candidates say they want to do over the next four years. they kind of decried the televised portions of the democratic national convention because they said it was a little short on policy for them and they really want to know what's going to happen once that person takes office. >> what i think the politicians need to realize is a lot of us, especially a lot of us still at home, unable to go back to work, that we have a lot of time to think. we want something more than just mud slinging and fake promises. >> reporter: they want unity. they are so fired of the divisiveness going on in this country. they hope whomever wins the election the nation will colease behind them. why is florida so important. it truly is a swing state.

just four years ago donald trump beat hillary clinton by only 113,000 votes. that's a little more than 1% of the vote. florida is rich in those all important collectora college votes. 29 votes available in florida. that's third highest in the country behind california and texas. >> no mud slinging or false promises. thank you for that report. much more is still ahead this hour. major protests in belarus. the washington post doing something they have never done before. we'll tell you what it is. r done before we'll tell you what it is. but not every tomato ends in the same kind of heinz ketchup. because you can't be everyone's favorite ketchup without making a ketchup for everyone. because you can't be everyone's favorite ketchup with safe, convenient service. we're here for you >> tech: we'll come right to you. ♪ upbeat music

>> tech: you'll get a text when we're on our way. >> tech: before we arrive, just leave your keys on the dash. we'll replace your windshield with safe, no-contact service. ♪ upbeat music >> tech: and that's service you can trust when you need it the most. ♪ upbeat music >> tech: schedule at safelite.com. ♪ upbeat music >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ tums ver(bell rings)la stick when heartburn hits fight back fast... ...with tums chewy bites... beat heartburn fast tums chewy bites

webut you can't lose sight of your own well-being especially if you have a serious chronic medical condition. at aetna, we're always here to help you focus on your health. because it's always time for care. simon pagenaud takes the lead at the indy 500! coming to the green flag, racing at daytona. they're off... in the kentucky derby. rory mcllroy is a two time champion at east lake. he scores! stanley cup champions!

touchdown! only mahomes. the big events are back and xfinity is your home for the return of live sports.

a battle for belarus. protests continue where demonstrators are calling for the nation's authoritarian leader to step down. richard engel spoke with the protesters on the ground.

>> reporter: there is battle under way for control of this country. battle of wills. this is a show of strength by the demonstrators that they say they are in the majority and want sthoe it. they believe that elections held here were stolen by the government. they have come out to say they won't accept it any longer. they want him to step down. it's come to a point they say they is no longer back down. they say this is a foreign plot driven by the united states, driven by nato. he said nato has deployed troops to the border and the only person who can protect this nation, protect itselves honor, protect its sovereignty is him,

the president. the troops have not deployed toward this border but he is trying to whip up an air of hysteria and nationalism and he does have some supporters. not crowds that are anywhere near this size but there's been some smaller, pro-government demonstrations. there's this tug of war going. where this goes, it's hard to say. the protesters will keep it going. ha it's hard to know how long they can. witch a tennessee protesters can now lose their right to vote under a new bill signed by republican governor billie lee. people who camp on state property will be slapped with a class e felony punishable by six years in prison with the added

bonus to lose a right to cast a ballot once convicted. the bill passed after two months of protest smarked by the murder of george floyd. the washington post is doing something it says the paper has never done before. releasing a series of what they call unprecedented editorials that will argue against a second term for a sitting president. the first edition wasted no time warning for more years could injure the democratic experiment beyond discovery. talk to me about the decision behind this move. why a series as opposed to one op-ed? >> i think there's a lot that president trump has done that is very damaging. fitting it into one of those 400-word editorials that we dwould would be difficult. when there's so much that's

happened, it's really easy to forget it. it's really easy to remember only what he's done in the last few weeks or during this pandemic that is so harmful. taking the time slowly to lay it out, to separate it by subject area, think as a useful service to people trying to recall precisely what has been so wrong and how it could become even worse with a second term. >> this first editorial piece dedicates a lot of time to his record overseas, referencing the nuclear program, his dealers with russia. him using china as a pandemic scapegoat. the article quotes to the greatest challenge of our time, mr. trump has failed destructively. that challenge is the rise of authoritarian power, most notably china. can you explain how the president's attitude toward china changed this years as posed to the first three years. >> in the past he welcomed

president xi. he praised him. he was very complimentary as china engaged in genocide. as soon as as it became clear that china would be a useful esca scapegoat for the coronavirus, he switched tunes. now you see efforts coming to ban tiktok and ban wechat. that's pretty new and only because, it seem, he is trying to get out of the mistakes that he has made in handling the pandemic. >> you also remind your readers before the demonstracrats had a official candidate announced, we told you we could never endorse donald trump. he was uniquely unqualified to be president. do you think your message will strike an impact this time? >> well, we hope so. i think that now there is so

much evidence that the first judgment was correct. he was uniquely unqualified. as we say in the editorial, it's not only that he was uniquely unqualified, it's also that he has been uniquely incompetent. we have the record of that now in some ways the incompetence may have spared us the worst of what he intended to do in office. the hope here is that with that hien hindsight on this past term, we can make a pretty clear case of how that would continue into a second. >> quickly, can you give us a sneak peak into other editorials we might see in this series? >> i think that certainly we'll be divering a bit deeper into how president trump had mishandled the pandemic. i think you can expect to see a lot more of cozying up to dictators and working against allies. i think the depletion of civil service and disregard for

expertise. there's a whole litany here. >> all right. thanks for your time today. coming up, two sisters with very different views of their brothers. secret tapes reveal mary trump's unvarnished view of the president. joe bind's sister and closest political adviser sits down for an exclusive interview about her brother. we're looking ahead to the republican national convention which kicks off tomorrow in charlotte. the mayor joins to talk about how her city is preparing for a convention like no other. stay with us. ther stay with us i wish i could shake your hand. granted. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ i wondered.. could another come around the corner? or could it play out differently? i wanted to help protect myself. my doctor recommended eliquis. eliquis is proven to treat and help prevent

another dvt or pe blood clot. almost 98 percent of patients on eliquis didn't experience another. -and eliquis has significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. eliquis is fda-approved and has both. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. if you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily- and it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. what's around the corner could be your moment. ask your doctor about eliquis.

what's around the corner could be your moment. i am totally blind. and non-24 can throw my days and nights out of sync, keeping me from the things i love to do. talk to your doctor, and call 844-214-2424.

some breaking news involving the 5:30 news conference wrp the president is said to announce approval of con veless sent approval for plasma. it comes despite concerns from government scientists. politico says the agency held off on the decision because the evidence that the therapy works is quote thin. this presidential announcement comes a day after the president sent out a tweet accusing the fda of trying to hurt him politically. with just a few months until the election, voters across the country are wondering what november will bring. will it be a repeat of 2016 or will a large majority of polls putting biden ahead be right. biden has a nine-point lead over trump. with ongoing fights over mail in voting, a pandemic and a down economy, americans have a will the -- have a lot on their minds

with fewer than 75 days to go. >> reporter: there's been a disenfranchisement of younger voters. one we spoke with yesterday said he and others like him, they don't support trump but they don't feel that electing a democrat into office would have anything that would be a specific and real change for them. they feel it's just more important to get out and demonstrate and do different things in their own communities than it is to vote. that led to a different discussion between my panel members. take a listen to what they said. >> if you don't vote for those people, if you don't take the time to vote for them and then go and talk to them, you can't move them. if we don't vote, if we don't put people in power that we can

sway to make the changes, they won't get made. >> you keep asking vote. it doesn't matter. these votes don't matter. we out here making a change out here in these streets. >> reporter: now, it is important to know there are some 800,000 more registered democrats in the state of pennsylvania than republicans. these votes really do count. they are so important because the margins are so razor thin. trump won in 2016 by less than a percentage of a point. you can count how many votes that is. your vote really does matter especially in the state of pennsylvania. your voice is going to be heard. there are many swing votes still up for grabs. >> what did they say about november? what do they predict? >> reporter: it's so interesting. i get a broad swath.

most people say we don't know. then there are folks that say they think it will be similar to 2016. democrats are not looking at the polls at this point because they think it will be similar to 2016. they are getting out every single day. they are holding virtual events and in-person social distancing vents every day to try to engage the voters and that will be the democrat party challenge is to be a i believe to rev up their base and get as many people out as think can. more than the 71% they got in 2016. similar to the way trump is able to rev up his base. there were some million voters that did not vote in 2016 in pennsylvania. >> there's is still some disenfranchised voters cut out for them.

preparations are almost finished for the republican convention. demonstrators sbawamped streetso protest while police arrived in riot gear to control the crowds. the rnc won't rely as much on technology. it will have a lot more live, in person interactions. are you satisfied with the safety procedures in place? >> absolutely. we're having a convention that's about 400 people. the delegates will be in charlotte. many came in today but they leave tomorrow. the president, i've understood is scheduled to visit just for a short time before he depose to two other locations in the carolinas.

we have worked hard making sure the health of our residents come before this. we believe the plan approved by our state health directors will make sure our residents maintain their safety. it's a downsize for us. when we recruited, we were talking about 50,000 people. today if we have success, we'll have about 400. we were showing our viewers vid yes of demonstrations that have been taking place. how do you balance keeping everybody safe but respecting every one's right to protest? >> we've had protesting since george floyd. what we have looked at is to make sure that people know they can protest. people's voices need to be heard when they agree or disagree.

when we had the 2012 convention with the democrats, we had the same kind of issues. it was wall street at that time. now it's about social justice and equity and criminal justice reform. we believe we got the right training and we're working with our partners a t the state level to make sure we have a safety convention for not just our delegates but our residents as well as the protesters. >> president trump has frequently lashed out at democrat mayors for their handling of political protests. just today he tweeted that quote, the riots are an antigovernment movement from the left that are in all demonstrate run cities. he said power of federal agents in quelling what he's calling riots. as a democratic mayor in largely republican city, how do you respond to statement like that? >> this country was founded on what i believe was a peaceful protest that led to our ability to have an amendment in our

constitution that allows for this. i completely understand that people have the right to protest. we're going to make sure they can do that as safely as possible. >> thank you for your time today. >> thank you for having me. beginning tomorrow, join msnbc for special coverage of the republican national convention as the republicans make their case for a second trump term turn to rachel maddow, joy reid and brian williams for insight and coverage. president trump's sister has some very harsh criticism of her brother according to secretly recorded audio released last night. mary ann trump's secretly recorded barry between 2018 and 19. mary took issue with how her brother on the parted as president and said he had no

principles. >> his [ bleep ] tweet and the lying, oh my god. i'm talking too freely. you know the change of stories, the lack of preparation, the lying, the holy [ bleep ]. but he's appealing to the base. what they're doing with kids at the border. i mean -- >> the president responded to the tapes by saying in part every day it's something else. who cares. i miss my brother and will continue to work hard for the american people. we want to point out that recording was done legally, according to mary trump's spokesperson said the tapes were recorded in new york where only one party needs to con sent and the washington post has reached out to mary arn trump barry but yet to hear back. a very different view from a sibling. a woman who has been joe biden's side kick for life.

>> reporter: joe biden's came pain will soon raise its billionth and has more than 2,000 staff working to elect him president. when he first ran for office a half century ago. >> we had no money. we had no power. we knew no one in power. we didn't have a structured democratic party that was powerful. joe was the first senator that he and i ever met. >> reporter: meet valerie biden owens. she's not gist a democratic nominee sister but managed every single one of his campaigns through his 2008 presidential bid. >> i want to introduce you to my best friend. she's been at my handle bar since three years old, my sister valerie. >> i was his side kick. where ever he went, he took me with him. >> i think most americans know what happens next. he's in washington getting ready to set up his office and there's

car accident, his wife. you become not just his sister, his campaign manager but his support system. >> there was nothing heroic about that. it was -- i mean it wasn't -- it's exactly what my brothers would have done for me. the immediate time afterwards was like walking through molasses. i watched my brother with such awe that he got up and put one foot in front of the other. it wasn't -- he struggling for himself but the greater thing was it was beau and hunt. >> you're playing a leadership role in campaigns long before women really were able to fill those roles. >> i'm told i was the first woman. i can't say that. you have to research it. >> what do you see in terms of how far women have come in politics to the point where your brother has chosen one to be his running mate, to be the vice president of the united states?

>> i don't think it's a stretch for my brother. my brother used to strong women. he said every successful man he knows has a strong woman in front of him, behind him or beside him. >> there's a lot of focus during the vice presidential vetting about the role that family might play in that decision. your brother doesn't hold grudges, as jill wrote in her book but she holes thds them fo. >> my brother does not have a small bone in his body. i'm not making him super hero. he doesn't have to be -- he's good enough as he is. he's a regular guy. he's a decent man. >> your brother has talked about how he knew getting into this race, running against president trump would be difficult on the family. i'm wondering, they have a new ad that asks what happened to joe. >> it was totally different than a then the -- he called it --

you know. >> as his sister, when you see those kinds of attacks on your brother, what do you think? >> real simple. he stuttered. when he was a little boy he couldn't string more than three words together at a time. he was not going to be defined by a bully. he built a backbone. he's not going to be defined by this bully. >> when you ran his first county council race in 1970, did you ever think he would get to this point and potentially be president of the united states? >> i didn't think in term of president, truthfully. i knew that he was going places. there's no daylight between the private person and the public man. he says what he thinks. >> makes him fun to cover. >> makes him fun to cover. they have zero in common. trump thinks everything is about him. this election is about restoring the soul of america and the character of america. my brother is the vehicle.

>> thanks for that report. the latest on the investigation of a deadly officer involved shooting caught on tape that has rocked a small louisiana community. d a small louisiana community. we made usaa insurance for veterans like liz and mike. an army family who is always at the ready. so when they got a little surprise... two!? ...they didn't panic. they got a bigger car for their soon-to-be-bigger family. after shopping around for insurance, they called usaa - who helped find the right coverage for them and even some much-needed savings. that was the easy part. usaa insurance is made the way liz and mike need it- easy.

usaa insurance is made the way liz and mike need it- start your day with secret. secret stops sweat 3x more than ordinary antiperspirants.

with secret, you're unstoppable. no sweat! try it and love it or get your money back. it's totally not the same without you. we're finally back and can't wait until you are too. universal orlando resort. buy now and get two days free at the parks. restrictions apply. in denver, an anti-police protest turned into a clash with police officers late last night. nine arrests and one officer injured. many were donning helmets and

shields while marching through the city. some stet fires, and throw fireworks at responding officers. it's part of the nationwide discussion about police brutality and racism following the death of george floyd. state police a launching an investigation after police shot and killed man with onlookers filming the event. sarah harr monohmon has more. the video is disturbing. >> reporter: grief an outrage after police shot and killed the 31-year-old following a confrontation outside a store. bystanders captured part on video. >> he got a knife. the man got a knife. >> they going to shoot him. >> we gots to wait. we got to wait. he got a knife. get on the ground. they tazing him. he not doing nothing.

oh, my god. oh, my god. oh, my god. oh, my god! they just shot this man. >> it's unclear what happened before the recording started. state police said he was armed with a knife and officers deployed tasers but they were ineffective. the shooting occurred when he attempted to enter an occupied convenience store. he was pronounced dead at a local hospital. >> this is not just another name added to the list. these are people that are grieving in ways i've never seen people grieve before. >> reporter: the louisiana aclu saying cell phone krvideo shows hem moving away, not towards police officers only to be tased and brutally shot dead. >> i want know why the police did not act in a fashion to deescalate the situation.

now to minneapolis where newly released video shows a the moment a man defaced a george floyd mural at the intersection where he was killed. the death back many may sparked worldwide protest. protesters have been calling for the reform of police departments after video showed an officer kneeling on floyd's neck for nearly mi lly nine minutes opin a new and unique way of fighting voter suppression. ann app helps people fight back against efforts to scrub the voter rolls. you're watching msnbc. voter rolls. u'yore watching msnbc. i'm stillg what's next. and still going for my best. even though i live with a higher risk of stroke due to afib... ...not caused by a heart valve problem. so if there's a better treatment than warfarin, i'm reaching for that. eliquis. eliquis is proven to reduce stroke risk better than warfarin. plus has significantly less major bleeding than warfarin.

eliquis is fda-approved and has both. what's next? i'm on board. don't stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily- -and it may take longer than usual for any bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. ask your doctor about eliquis. and if your ability to afford... ...your medication has changed, we want to help.

>> tech: when you've got ...safelite can come to you. has changed, >> tech: and you'll get a text when we're on our way. >> tech: just leave your keys on the dash and we'll replace your windshield with safe, no-contact service. >> tech: schedule at safelite.com. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ ♪ but come ye back when su-- mom, dad. why's jamie here? it's sunday. sunday sing along. and he helped us get a home and auto bundle. he's been our insurance guy for five years now. he makes us feel like we're worth protecting. [ gasps ] why didn't you tell us about these savings, flo? i've literally told you a thousand times. ♪ oh, danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling ♪ i'm just gonna... ♪ from glen to glen ...i felt i couldn't be at my... ...best for my family. in only 8 weeks with mavyret... ...i was cured. i faced reminders of my hep c every day.

i worried about my hep c. but in only 8 weeks with mavyret... ...i was cured. mavyret is the only 8-week cure for all types of hep c. before starting mavyret your doctor will test... ...if you've had hepatitis b which may flare up and cause serious liver problems during and after treatment. tell your doctor if you've had hepatitis b, a liver or kidney transplant,... ...other liver problems, hiv-1, or other medical conditions,... ...and all medicines you take. don't take mavyret with atazanavir... ...or rifampin, or if you've had certain liver problems. if you've had or have serious liver problems other than hep c, there's a rare chance they may worsen. signs of serious liver problems may include yellowing of the skin, abdominal pain or swelling, confusion, and unexplained bleeding or bruising. tell your doctor if you develop symptoms of liver disease. common side effects include headache and tiredness. with hep c behind me, i feel free... ...fearless... ...because i am cured. if you can't afford your medicine, abbvie may be able to help.

fop you lar social media app tiktok is taking trump to court. it's over his order of banning the app from operating in the u.s. unless they find an american owner. it could siphon off data to

american users to china's government. tiktok's parent company says this isn't true. they tried to work with the u.s. government but were met with a lack of due process. legal action is expected to begin later this week. we have seen the president pedal misinformation about mail in voting, threaten to send law enforcement to the polls and threaten to block funds for the u.s. postal service to block ballots. one tried and true arguably less overt method of voter suppression that seems to have gotten lost in the chaos is the purging of voting rolls. according to u.s. elections commission, more than 17 million americans were removed as registered voters between 2017 and 2018, alone. the number of those purged in the last two years in the lead up to this critical election still isn't clear. joining me now is nick o' neil.

nick, i want to talk to you about voter role peurging and your voter network app makes it easy to contact their representative. you decided to try a new method to keep them registered to vote. how does it work? >> we built voter network because we know it's super, super important to make sure every one's vote is counted this year. in between covid, millions more people wanting to vote by mail this year slow downs at the postal service, we knew people were going to be facing a lot of unfamiliarity with how they will vote this year. we researched the rule and deadlines and we built voter network. it looks up the states yo s con are registered stroto vote in ae give you rules and deadlines.

i can see which ones are ready to vote. i can help them if they can apply to vote by mail. i can tell them where to go to do that or help them register to vote. as people start getting bat l t in, we can tell them where their polling place is and make sure that every one's vote counted this year. >> one challenge was maintaining an up to date list especially those basic pureing purged. talk to me about how you kna navigate that. >> states don't give us details about who is being purged.

just sort of remove them from the list and you have to guess. >> i mentioned earlier, 17 million plus people removed as registered voters between 2016 and 2018. what concerns you the most. what keeps you up at night as we head into the election? >> honestly, i'm concerned there's so much new information for some people especially people who are getting vote by mail ballots. it's historically very difficult for people to vote by a new method. a method they haven't voted by for. for us to be able fprovide guidance for the important things to look out for. make sure you sign your ballot. make sure you seal your ballot. put it in place where it's going to reach the elections commission by time it's scheduled to be due by.

>> your app sounds helpful. nbc news has plan your vote feature. i moved from arizona to new york. it helped me understand what new york's rules were even though everything is constantly changed. thanks so much. that wraps it up for me on this hour. thank you for watching. the news continues after the break. watching the news continues after the break. >> tech: at safelite, we're committed to taking care of you and your car. >> tech: we'll fix it right with no-contact service you can trust. >> tech: so if you have auto glass damage, stay safe with safelite. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪

>> tech: when you've got ...safelite can come to you. >> tech: and you'll get a text when we're on our way. >> tech: just leave your keys on the dash and we'll replace your windshield with safe, no-contact service. >> tech: schedule at safelite.com. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪

a very good sunday to you. thanks for spending your afternoon with us and spending rest of this hour as we get the laits for you president trump prepares for a big week at the republican national convention. he is said to address the nation this evening. the white house says it's about a development on coronavirus treatment. this as the president is dealing with another scandal. >> [ bleep ]. and the lying, oh my god. i'm talking too freely. >> the president's sister caught on tape secretly recorded by the president's niece. what the trump family is saying about that tape. the house voted to fund the post office and democrats are ready to grill the postmaster general over nationwide mail slowdowns ahead of the election. the theory of mother nature. one disaster raging on the west coast as another takes aim at the gulf coast. historic weather event. the p