good morning, we're 30 days away from election day. the president has been hospitalized since friday after testing positive for covid-19. since then we have been faced with a series of conflicting reports since then about his health and treatment. some reports suggest that he was in worse condition than previously revealed. mark meadows says they were

concerned after his oxygen levels dropped. the medical team lead by sean connolly gave a press conference where they painted a very rosy picture. this makes the bizarre moment more ominous. dr. connolly tries to avoid answering a very basic question about the president's treatment. >> ever been on supplemental oxygen. >> right now he is not on oxygen. >> i now you keep saying not now. yesterday and today he was not on oxygen. >> so not on it for this covid treatment. >> he is not on oxygen right now. >> how about they just tell us whether or not the president needed supplemental oxygen. it is published reports would later say he did receive oxygen before

he was admitted to the hospital on friday. if that exchange raised red flags, what happened next was even more worrisome. literally minutes after, a white house official gave the white house press pool a completely different picture of the president's condition, speaking on background, meaning not using his name, saying the president's vitals in the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. we're still not on a clear path to a full recovery. now, according to the associated press and others, that official was mark meadows. those comments infuriated it. that might explain the video

that the president released last night from his swoout uite at w reed. >> i came here, not feeling so well. working hard to get me all of the way back. i have to be back because we still have to make america great again. we have done an awfully great job but we still have steps to go and we still have to finish that job. meanwhile the path of the white house spread reads like a who is who of g.o.p. political insiders. overnight the former new jersey prepper, chris christie joined the number of name have coronavirus in what accused to be a super spreader type event. all of the folks on that list have r connected to dozens of other ordinary folks and staff members and were likely exposed to the virus.

there are hundreds and hundreds of people who work on complex at the white house. some of whom have families with high risk family members. not one e-mail has gone out to tell employees what to do and what is going on. mitch mcconnell says all previously scheduled floortiv y activity will be rescheduled to beyond a two-week period. they're delaying any help for the pandemic, but still rushing ahead with the supreme court nomination process. i'm going to have more on all of that in just a moment. first, michael schmidt, a washington correspondent and author of "donald trump: leader of the united states." and we also have mendi hasan.

watching him is how i learn how to interview people. michael, let me start with you. i was one of those people who thought that, you know, president's tell you about their health when ghie health. when they go to walter reid they get the best help. you had an expert talking about last year. on a saturday in mid-november as democrats moved toward their impeachment vote trump made an unexpected visit to the walter reed national military medical center. they played it off as a physical but provided no information. in the hours leading up to the trump trip to the hospital, world went by to the vice president to take preparations

in case he had today be sedated. >> on many occasions the white house has no provided a full picture about the president's help. that trip is one great example. the president has the best doctors in the world but they also have, at the white house, pretty much all of the things that you would need to take care of someone to give them an examination. and in the case of this trip to walter reed back in november, almost a year ago, the president said it was to begin his yearly physical. to get a jump start on that. all of that type of medical stuff for a physical can be done at the white house.

the white house has extremely great capabilities there. they decent surgery, that's not that type of thing. if you needed to knock him out you would need to tabke him to hospital. so the question has been what would the impact of those lies be. what would the impact of trump not being forthcoming with the country be? we all knew is a white house that had a demented relationship with the truth. when the white house needs to speak about the president's health, people are not trusting what white house has to say. that is made more difficult by the accounts that this instance, this hospital vid, are moving rapidly almost by the minute. >> yeah, and that does have implications even for national security. and i want to talk about that throughout the course of the show.

i want to ask you about something else. yesterday the white house doctors came out. there was ten in lab coats, looked mighty official. we have never seen ten doctors at a white house coronavirus press conference, but not just that. he is getting an experimental drug, and chris christie tweets this out. i checked myself into morristown medical center this afternoon. while i'm feeling good and only have mild symptoms due to my history with asthma we decide third degree is an important precautionary measure. there is a whole lot to unpack in that tweet. he feels good, has mild symptoms, but checked himself into a hospital nap is something that millions of americans can't do. they died in hallways and were put into refrigerated trucks. >> yes, and many people took to twitter from the new york area

saying we have to send people home with major symptoms and you're checking yourself in. the president of the united states getting experimental drugs that the average american will never get to see. getting rapid results that millions of americans have been december prate for. i think it is really hitting home. for those playing it down, of course, all of these months, and you mentioned the doctors coming out, i didn't see any from the early press conferences when they were pushing hydroxychlorquine. how does a very kind of eastern

europe vooib ibe with a leader letting you know what his health really is. and the president doing a video to try to contra kick his own white house chief of staff. this is what we know has been defined from the beginning from incompetent dishonesty. we have seen all of that play out in the last seven to ten days in the run up to this crisis and that is the problem when you have no credibility to begin with. >> krezability and power, it is important because the united states has adversaries around the world. what is the consequence of not really knowing what is going on with the president. and maybe not knowing is one thing, but having contradictory information, for all of the

adversaries out there. >> i think it is about the confidence that the afternoon american nas their own government. we had a lot of issues in the past few years about how much americans trust the government. how much they trust that the government is actually there to help them, not hurt them. that the government is worth that ving at the size that we have. there is all of these different question that have abounded throughout the country. when the average citizen cot have a clear picture of who the president is, and the status of the president's health, i think it is the most rudimentary belief in government. if you cannot trust that elected official is the elected official in charge, then i think everything else deteriorates from there. there is huge questions in this

country about the role of government and the side of government and such. but if we cannot deal with the basic question of the president's health, you can see why the confidence just erodes. >> that's what a lot of people said about taxes, but it all has to do with how transparent this president was prepared to be. as we see now in a moment of crisis, not so much. thank you so much. the author of donald trump versus the united states, inside of the struggle to stop a president. the brand new post of peadock, the mehdi hasan show. i want to welcome dr. david shulkin. the ceo of the beth israel medical center and the author of "it shouldn't be this hard though serve your country."

you lead a group in new jersey, correct? >> yes, morristown medical center where governor christie is today. >> right, i thought that was correct. >> tell me what you think, this is a remarkable turn of events. you have a great deal of faith in the government and it's ability. walter read is among those places where the president has been able to set up shop and do his stuff. but there is some real danger as mehdi hasan was saying there is not much information about what is happening to the most powerfulmpower ful man in the world right now. >> yeah, people have relied upon professionals that we give factual information now being

influenced by politics. i think that is concerning particularly during a time of a national pandemic where people rely on the information. and it is just not helping. >> you were a secretary of veteran affairs. you were a member of the cabinet. this is a -- the uncertainty with which the messages are going out are concerning on two levels. one is the national security level. the other is the degree which the president's activities in the last weeks could have turned into super spreader events. including on tuesday he was 12 feet and eight inches away from joe biden. and no one in his entourage wore masks. what does it say to you? >> i think it is a reflection that this pandemic, we just had stumble after stumble right from the beginning where we missed

the opportunity. we were not prepared to dot diagnostic testing that we needed to do. and we had problems with our ppe. and finally never really developing the message. so we find ourselves with 210,000 dead americans and over 7,000 americans that have been infected. i think the real issue here from a involvement perspective is that we're missing a major ju opportunity. this is a teaching moment. this is the opportunity to come clear with a message about how this virus spread, how we prevent the virus from affecting more americans. how question save lives, and to understand that this is a really serious virus. the president, at his age group, as a serious risk. and americans should not believe that this is being downplayed as many americans are now seeing.

>> david, good to see you, thank you for seeing us. a former veteran's affair secretary. former president and ceo of beth israel medical center. a quick programming note, lester holt is hosting a live discussion with joe biden. a one-hour prime time event that will fwh miami, undecided voters asking biden where he stands on issues. now yesterday i got the chance to speak with a group of voters in freemont, ohio. part of my velshi across america tour. the wide ranging discussion i had with them is up next. here is what sadie moore stewart is hoping to see from her candidate. >> i would like to see him advance the independent ideals of creating a more perfect

union. not perfect, a more perfect. and each generation should strive for that. and i think one of the ways to do that is to ensure that everyone can vote. to ensure th everyone can vote.

in my continuing series, i met with sick voters in fremont, ohio yesterday. we had a great conversation on the grounds of the rutherford b. hays center. we started by talking about, what else, politics. >> how many are registered republicans. how many democrats? any independents? thank you. susan,ly start with you.

please tell me who you're voting for and why. >> i'm voting for joe biden and kamala harris. i have several issues, one is the aca and the pre-existing conditions because i, myself have one. and then i'm also very concerned about climate change. i live on beautiful lake erie in sandusky ohio, and the deregulation of the waterways concerns me. also the racial and social injustice in the country is just horrible. we should not be doing this in 2020. >> i'm going to vote for president trump. i think that over the last four years personally we have seen an

improvement in the country compared to the previous administration. one of my biggest issues is second amendment. the democrats seem to not be as for the second amendment in most cases compared to president trump. simply put, the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun in my opinion. i don't think that taking away the second amendment rights is con d condusive. for the military, i think president trump has done a better job in undoing some of the problems that i witnessed when i was in the marines in the previous administration. there was a lot of budget cuts for the marine corps, reducing the country's defense. and i think it is starting to get back to what it should be. i'm afraid that if joe biden is elected it had will go back to not so much reducing the budget

for the military, and i think that is not a good thing for the country. if you can't defend the country there is no way to work for us. >> i'm voting for vice president joe biden. first i believe he creates an environment less hostile. i think president trump's presentation allows for less social and less social equity. i believe that joe biden has a better temperament to -- i have never seen where a president has been so divisive as to just demonize the opposite party.

and i just don't think that is good for america. >> i'm going to vote for joe biden and primarily it is because i think joe is a decent human being. he is compassionate. he grew up from middle class as opposed to coming from a golden tower. i like the idea for building on the aca. we didn't need to get rid of it like donald trump wants to do and has no plan, he promised for four years and he has not come up with a plan. i think joe biden's approach to education, what he wants to do to get the people, particularly the middle class, and our country better educated. i like the idea of how he will bring back good jobs for future, and not worry about are we going to bring more coal mining jobs. i think he has plans and i think

he understands middle america. that is where he came from. >> as an independent i'm voting for joe biden simply because i don't really see a choice. you're worried about process, and it seems to me that the democrats are less restrictive in their voting rights, and their opportunities to allow everyone to vote. talking about the aca and how joe biden has programs and idea that's are responsive to that. i have not even seen what president trump intends to do with the aca. he says he will amend it but he will not produce anything that i can consider. as an independent i don't want it taken for granted that i'm going to always vote independent. give us a chance, give us information so we can make some choices. we have not really had a choice. >> i'm different. don't particularly care for either candidate.

but i am 100% voting joe biden. i believe in equality. i believe in the rights of every human being. i believe if we stay on this track for another four years that we're going to see a lot of changes in the wrong direction instead of moving forward in human decency. so i'm voting biden. >> a tremendous conversation. obviously when i got to ohio the news of donald trump having contracted covid-19 is going to happen. you're going to hear about what donald trump. i wush i could spend longer in each one of these places. >> the republican party will not let anything amy coney barrett' nomination.

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as the white house further muddies the waters, the politics going on in our nation's capital is anything but status quo. mitch mcconnell said the senate would end it's floor session after three g.o.p. senators tested positive for covid-19. but notably, two of them, senators lee and tillis sit on the senate judiciary community. unsurprisingly, mcconnell announced her hearings would move forward while all other business grinds to a screeching halt. they will not interrupt the process that has been laid out.

the only thing historical is the hypocrisy in the middest of an election. if it is too dangerous to have the senate in session, it is too dangerous to hear others. the her heros act was passed last week. more checks, state and local funtting, and with a senate out of session, it is unknown whether or not the upper chamber will take up this bill before the election. it is clear that the senate has one priority, injuring a supreme

court justice. the clock is ticking with senate republicans 30 days away. as ohio goes so goes the nation. i spoke to some ohio voters yesterday, here is a democratic voter's message to joe biden. >> i would sty vice president biden, first of all, win. but need you to win, you know? and once you win, everything that you said, everything that you put on paper, hold yourself accountable to it. paper, hold accountable to it. ♪

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ohio has gone for every president that has won the general election since 1964 giving it the nickname of a bell weather date. in 2008 and 2012 it went for obama, i was in ohio talking with voters and learning about their preferences for the november election. recent polling show that's it could be anyone's game. polls show biden leading over the president. it is within the margin of error. but take these polls with a grain of salt, they're all from before the debate and before the

covid diagnosis. our guest is a professor at kent state's university college of communication and school of journalism. the author of a novel titled "the daughters of erie town." you put out a sweet yesterday, a simple one-line tweet says "believe nothing from this white house." i want to discussion this with you. it's not saying disagree with everything. you can and should disagree with people that don't share their political views, but what is the consequence of a journalist of your stature, a pulitzer prize winning journalist. >> we're seeing it play out

right no with the president's diagnosis. they should agree to confirm when he was on oxygen, as opposed to not being on action agenda right now. it's not like waiting for the president to get over a cold. he is the president. i never wish ill on anyone. i don't want anyone to die from this disease. i have known and loved people who have died from this virus. look at what is unfolding here. he could have warned us much earlier. three republican senators, and i know have a vested interest in what is happening in the senate, my husband is a democratic senator and i'm very angry. i have been angry for a long time some are not wearing masks

when they speak on the senate floor. staff are there, there is someone who is -- there is a stenographer in front of them, there is staff in front of the person presiding, and the republicans are not wearing masks while they preside. this is they are asking the american public to trust them. . they are not as bad as the doctors were saying. >> i will be speaking to your husband in the next hour, keep the camera set up good for him. a red state yesterday, and i want to ask you, i want to read something from you that says biden puts ohio at play. they are bad. trump is bleeding white working class in polls. all of these comments were in

play with my conversations with voters in ohio yesterday. he is one of the few states in the country that has everything. he has every kind of issue that faces americans from the manufacturing sector, suffering from coal mining, to industry, to urban, rural, and agricultural centers. what is on the mind of americans and how does that apply to them. >> we did focus groups with the trump system. women started, who supported trump, were peeling off in two issues. family separations in health care. there is not a person in this country. you know someone that knows someone that has covid.

and now the president of the united states has a disease where he mocked his his presidential opponent for wearing a mask. and the size of his mask, and this is why i'm convinced more than any other reason that women will peel off in even larger numbers. women care about health care and we had to keep this in mied as well. it is all of these other people that were dieing, that had terminal illnesses. this is a nation in morning. and they're bringing their grief to the polls. >> one of the things, one of the groups that trump is depending on, are white women. in some cases suburban women. he is likely going on with this whole subsidized housing, it will wreck your neighborhood, it will make you unsafe, corey booker will lead the charge, i

talked to him several times. but does that work? this is old fashioned race baiting. >> it is racist. it is racist. and he is attempting to appeal to the racist tendencies to the worst among us. it is not going to work this time. in 2016 i want to believe that some people could have voted for donald trump but not be racisra. i don't know how anyone that cares about the country can vote. he can talk about he wants about threatenning to that, using his racist tactics, i think this is going to come down to the coronavirus for women. who cares for the most families. who cares for the most elderly relatives. who cares about those on the front lines? you're talking about women. whose housekeeping at hospitals? women. that is what is changing.

>> thank you for joining us, connie. she is a journalist and professor at kent state. coming up, the credibility crisis at the white house. here is a republican voter in ohio who thinks the covid diagnosis might be a wake up call. >> i do think they will take precautions more seriously and maybe try to press to the country that you can take the precautions that you need to take. we need to take the precautions but we can't, we have to still live in this country. , we have l live in this country searching for a way to help stop your cold sore?

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only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ all right, we're now 40 days away from the most important election in our lifetimes. and with the administration changing the time line, the associated press says there is a credit ability crisis. it is hard to forget how preventable something like this was. the president continued to downplay the threat putting hundreds of thousands of people at risk including those behind the scenes.

it is not known that last saturday's stream court nomination saturday is where trump contracted the virus. it appears to be a spreader event. there is more than 150 people i including the president and the first lady. kellyanne conway, notre damally president, and according 209 correspondents association, three journalists. in this fosso, labeled by politico, half of the republican senators that sit on the you dishary committee, the committee that will hold the confirmation session, have been exposed. we know that the virus tends to spread more readily indoors. these photos show how close some attendees were with no regard to social distancing. let me see, any masks?

zero. the week leading up to the diagnosis, the trump campaign in georgia, virginia, some minnesota, new jersey, he attended the presidential debate in ohio, where he arrived too late to be tested, and his family refused to wear masks once in the room. now experts say containing the aftermath will be challenges, one saying, quote, we've had hundreds of people sequentially exposed, which makes contact tracing in this kind of situation a near impossibility. joining mess now,age emergency medicine physician and ceo of advancing health equity. dr. blackstock, thank you for being with us. there's so many questions here, one of which is timelines. one of the reasons we need to know them, as you have tweeted, is that what we do know is that people with covid-19, if they do, usually deteriorate around

seven to ten days after the onset of symptoms. we don't know what seven to ten days are, because we don't know what day zero or day one was, because it seems like the white house knew that hope hicks was infected, but the president still continued to go to events. it's the height of irresponsibility. >> absolutely. i think this president and this white house were essential play ing russian roulette. we know he may have had symptoms on wednesday, and so given that timeline, he could have been infected as early as friday or saturday of last week, so we may be actually a week in. it's usually around this time, seven to ten days, we'll see a detieerioratio deterioration, and often rapid, in a person who has covid, so this president need to be

monitored. his status could change quickly. >> we wish him well, and his wife and everybody else, but we would like the information. if i were infected, i would give contact tracers all the information. one of the things that stood out to me, and to you as well, i think, watching ten doctors come out and describe how the president is there, living in a hospital, he says he's not that serious, but he gets to live in a hospital, which most americans can't for mild symptoms. he's got an emergency-approved medication with limited data, that by the way, i couldn't get. he was on tuesday, mocking against public health officials and joe biden for wears what he called the biggest mask you could see even when he's 200 feet away from you. there's nothing about this picture that's correct. >> nothing. it's appalling. i was thinking about the pictures from the rose garden

reception, we saw people sitting closely together, even though it was outdoors, not wearing masks. there were indoor receptions, as we showed those pictures of people. we don't know the ventilation status, and there were children there. we as adults are supposed to say role models appropriate behavior and there were children there not wearing masks. so myself and many of my physician and public health colleagues really have seen this woes essential be reckless and cavaliers about the prevent measures. i'm hoping this is a wake-up calls to the white house that these measures work and should be enforced. >> now, bill barr was was at that event. he's tested negative and decided not to quarantine, which clearly indicates a lot of americans don't understand how it works.

you don't test positive immediately. it may be some days, you may have no isolate yourself for 14 days to know you're note positive, so against the irresponsibility continues, the h hubris, because it's now at the absolute highest levels of the most important political office in the world. >> absolutely. i actually think this president and those around them thought they were invince able to this virus. they were getting tested daily, but what we know is testing is only one part of the prevention strategy. you also need to wear masks, need to physically distance, need to be in well-ventilated areas. if you're only following the testing strategy, it's not a matter of if you'll get it, but when you'll be diagnosed with the virus, we see this happening at a very inopportune time. >> dr. uche blackstock, thank

you for joining us. to the points she makes, what you don't know about coronavirus seven months in, and it's possible there is stuff we don't know, let's read up. let's understand how this thing spreads. when we come back, brand-new poll numbers collected right after the debate. i'll get reaction from ohio senator sherrod brown, and i have move of my conversations with ohio voters. ohio voters ever since i got this little guy,

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good morning. each ali velshi. we have breaking news. a brand-new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll shows joe biden taking a huge lead in the national head-to-head against president trump. biden now ahead of trump nationally