could be discharged from walter reed as early as today, five days after testing positive for coronavirus and a weekend of contradiction from doctors and staff creating confusion and concern paragraph we've also just learned white house press secretary kayleigh mcenany tested positive for covid-19, one day after addressing the press without a mask saying now in a statement she will begin the quarantine process. she is currently experiencing no symptoms. the confusion about the president's health was only accentuated by his incredible excursion last night, an effort to show his strength that may well have endangered secret service personnel and others in that motorcade as he waved toert intoers. white house physician sean conley, a doctor of osteopath, not an md, has been trying to explain every since. among the issues, why if the president is doing so well is he on an unusual combination of drugs.

not only remdesivir but experimental antibody cocktail and a steroid typically reserved for severely ill coronavirus patients. the president has been tweeting up a storm today. vice president pence and his wife say they have tested negative today. later the vice president will be heading to salt lake city to prepare for wednesday's debate with senator kamala harris amid some criticism about pence's plans to hit the campaign trail later in the week after the debate. joe biden will be in miami today, will take part in a town hall with nbc's lester holt. live right here at 8:00 p.m. eastern. in a moment i'll speak with former secretary of defense leon panetta, also served as white house chief of staff to president clinton. let's gyp with carol lee outside walter reed hospital. "associated press" white house repo reporter. carol, what are white house senior staffers now saying now

that the press secretary has tested positive with coronavirus and so you've got top campaign officials, top prep team as well as three republican senators just over the weekend and 2011 them dating back potentially to that rose garden ceremony and the indoor ceremonies that followed that day at the white house just a week ago saturday for, of course, the nominee amy coney barrett. >> that's right, andrea, kayleigh mcenany, white house secretary said she tested positive for coronavirus making her the ninth person at that event that you just mentioned. it's worth noting that kayleigh mcenany said she tested negative every day since thursday and today is testing positive, which is a cautionary tale, even if officials are testing negative,

it doesn't mean they are in the clear. she has been at the white house in recent days. she was there yesterday. she spoke with reporters removing her mask to take a few questions. they were outdoors. now, her statement says she had no close contact with the press, meaning the white house 911 unit has not deemed any reporters as being a close contact. but still, it's a cautionary tale as we progress through this. just because an official tests negative one day does not mean the next day they are also going to test negative. now, as for the president's health, we're hearing from the chief of staff this morning, really projecting a lot of optimism saying that he's getting better, the trajectory of his health is moving in a positive direction. also saying the earliest the president could be discharged would be this afternoon. that's a consultation that the president and his doctors will have, and then he'll make a decision. it's notable also, andrea, that the white house press pool, the

group of reporters that follows the president has arrived here at walter reed. we're expecting some sort of update on the president's health. we don't know, however, if that will take form of in-person briefing with the president's doctors as we've seen in recent day, andrea. >> jonathan, you were at walter reed during the weekend as well. i want to focus on, of course, the conflicting advice, medical advice, from the white house physician sean conley refusing to give factual information about the president's condition, whether or not initially he had had a drop in his blood oxygen and what medications he was on and when, the high fever he had on friday, the conflict that the chief of staff would brophy afterwards to apparently try to correct the record. how can you sort through all of this. also, he is the white house physician who wrote the prescription for hydroxychloroquine, very controversially a few months ago

when the president took that drug, which was later withdrawn from experimental use by experimental authorization, i should say, emergency authorization, by the fda because it was determined that there was no risk than benefit. >> andrea, quite simply, this is a white house with a credibility crisis. whether it's the doctors or white house officials offering such conflicting answers and conflicting -- painting such conflicting portraits of how the president is doing. it is hard for the nation and for the globe to know exactly what is going on. as you say, yes, the medical team has had some erroneous missteps in the past in terms of medication they have prescribed. dr. conley this weekend was simply not willing to provide straight answers on a number of questions. i was there as part of the press pool on saturday, really pressed him on the president's oxygen level, whether or not he required supplemental oxygen. he danced around that, leaned into semantics and we parsed his

words and realized he had, indeed, left gaps in the story. we were able to confirm elsewhere through reporting that the president had received ox again on friday r dr. conley yesterday offered a mea culpa for that saying he was in part boosting the president's spirits by projecting such a rosey outlook but statement still refused to answer questions about what the lung scans showed, when did the president have a second bout of oxygen, why was he prescribed such a high-powered steroid, one that's usually reserved for critical cases if, indeed, he was doing so well. there's a lot we still don't know. now with worry that the president could be discharged as early as this afternoon, it's going to raise a lot of questions as to whether or not that's the medically responsible thing to do or whether simply the president, as we know, itching to get back to the white house, pushing doctors around and ordering them to sign off on his release. >> i'm going to ask dr.

scharfstein about the medical side of it, what we saw last night when he went into the extraordinary motorcade and drove around to wave at the supporters outside walter reed. this seems, as well as videos that were treated understandably to reassure the world that the leader of the free world is okay, but it does more politically motivated, jonathan. that whole -- i was on the air live saturday morning as well, while you were all out there. immediately that answer, the obfuscation as to the oxygen. again, what the results of the scans had been on his lung function. >> no question, andrea, that they have at this point still evaded rather significant and frankly basic questions as to the president's health. i think that should be -- every so often take a moment to underscore, this isn't a private

citizen. this isn't you or i entitled to a degree of privacy in terms of how we're doing, this is the leader of the free world. yes, of course, we're going to project the idea ahead of the government. made clear no suggestion his power should be transferred temporarily to vice president pence but hard to know what to believe. certainly yesterday to have the president appear in a video shot from walter reed and suggest he now gets it, he now understands what the coronavirus is all about now that he's had it, that raises two significant issues. first of all, we're seven odd months into this pandemic. i think there are a lot of people around this country who probably are wondering why it took this long for the president to, quote, get it considering over 200,000 americans have died and millions more have lost their jobs. even more than that, if the president does now, quote, get it, why would he then get into a motorcade with two secret service agents. yes, they are wearing protection, masks and gloves and some ppe, but still, in extraordinarily close quarters,

tightly sealed suv with donald trump who right now, of course, has the coronavirus and is shedding symptoms. questions remain how much does he get it at all? did he endanger others simply for a photo-op trying to project vitality and strength simply because he's sidelined from the campaign trail less than a month before the election. >> to the point we don't know what his viral load is, we don't know what the scans show about his lung function, whether he has covid pneumonia. we know he's been given the steroid, which would seem to contradict the previous medication, therapeutic of having the antibody treatment. so doesn't one thing build up the immune system and the other take it down? >> well, this is a very serious disease and it's a very serious situation for the president. to be able to have a fever, low oxygen, coughing, needing these treatments, it's a very serious situation.

he's not going to be out of the woods for a little while. >> and with that the case, we know that they have got quite a big medical unit at the white house, that's clear. if he needs to be put in an icu, if he has some sort of engage downturn, which can happen, we are told, within five to ten days of the initial on set, where would he be better off, at walter reed or in the white house? >> well, that will be a question for his doctors. one of his doctors is from johns hopkins, terrific physician. they will have to figure out the best place for him if that's what he needs. he certainly can get a lot of care at the white house, so they may be thinking they can turn the white house into a bit of a hospital for him. but if he needs intensive care unit, he's going to have to go someplace with a great team. it's a very, very serious disease, and there's so many different things that can go wrong. in someone his age, his condition, you really don't want to take chances.

>> and just one more thing, you've got a doctor who is a navy commander, works for the president, the chain of command and all the rest, is his primary obligation to tell his patient what's best for him or to be following the advice of the patient as to what the patient wants to do? >> well, i think it's important to realize he's under the care of a hospital team. i think the hospital team should be doing the briefings, not the private physician who is trained in emergency medicine. i think it should be along the lines we've seen a lot of really good briefings over the years, people just telling the facts and being straightforward. then that will have credibility and you won't have complete confusion about what's going on. but to your question, let's say the president gets the advice that he really needs to be in the hospital or he's in danger, and he says forget it, i want to go back to the white house, that's what i want to do, the president gets to decide. any patient can decide that. people aren't held against their will and in the hospital in the

united states just because they are sick. but it does mean that he will be a greater risk if he were to do that. >> well, i take your point that dr. conley should not be the one conducting these briefings because he's only added to the confusion, and this is fundamentally an issue for the american people as well and a national security issue. dr. scharfstein, thank you very much, carol lee and jonathan. we'll hope we get more word from the white house as to what their plans were. joining me now leon panetta, secretary of defense in the obama administration and former white house chief of staff in the clinton administration. you understand the military hierarchy as well as the political hierarchy, what is going on here as far as what is best for the people of the united states from their leader in terms of how they are being informed about his health? >> well, i'm very concerned about the approach that's being

taken, because it's very chaotic. of course, you know, we've had four years of chaos with this administration in many ways. but this involves the health of the president of the united states, which is a national security issue as well. it would seem to me that some order has to be established here in order to convey to the american people that the president is continuing to discharge the duties of being president. frankly, there should be regular briefings with regards to the status of the president, not hit-and-miss briefings. so they ought to have regular times where they come out and brief the public as to what the status of the president's health is. secondly, i think they really do need to have individuals that are trained in epidemiology lead that briefing. while the president's doctor may be his doctor, he is an osteopath, and he's not trained

in internal medicine the way others have been trained to deal with covid-19. and thirdly, there should be a command headquarters at walter reed that involves the chief of staff and others who are ensuring the president is fully informed and that they are dealing with the issues facing the country. the white house staff are dropping like flies. there is probably no staff operating effectively at the white house right now. so there needs to be a sense of order here. in order to make sure we are sending the right message not just to the american people but to the rest of the world. >> to that point, should the vice president even if he does the debate in salt lake this week, should he be out and about on the campaign trail after that, potentially exposing himself to infection? >> well, again, i think as vice

president he is the individual who is next in charge, and it is up to the vice president to be able to make clear to the american people that the business of the nation is being focused on first and foremost. now, i know they are in the middle of a campaign, i know he's got obligations. obviously he's going to have to do the debate. there are other appearances he's going to have to make. but it would be, i think, an important signal to send that the vice president is in touch with the chief of staff on a regular basis updating on the condition of the president. but more importantly, updating on the issues that are confronting the white house at this time. it would be, i think, a message that the white house is truly in control of the situation rather than all of these mixed messages that are taking place at the present time. >> and my colleague peter

alexander is now reporting that kayleigh mcenany, the press secretary, was pulled from the bedminster trip on thursday but was not told that hope hicks had tested positive. she was not told why. now she's tested positive herself. but the lack of communication internally has become an issue. the chief of staff to mike pence has been having conference calls, telling people to work from home, being well organized on mike pence's behalf but we're not seeing the same from mark meadows. the tlz a real sense of being without a leader on the staff. >> the responsibility of the chief of staff is to take charge of the white house staff. they should be fully informed as to the situation. there should be clear indications as to what their responsibilities are in this moment of crisis.

the chief of staff, as chief of staff, should be providing the public with an indication as to what the situation is, what are the issues that are being dealt with, and the fact that the united states is still in control of its fate and the issues that have to be dealt with. i mean, this is a critical moment. we are very vulnerable as a country at this point. we're facing a lot of crisis, covid-19. we're facing a recession. we're facing issues with regards to the integrity of the election, this is a serious moment. to have the president of the united states ill with covid-19 only adds to the vulnerability of our country. >> and in terms of our adversaries, russia, iran, north korea, any of the other bad actors around the world, what are they taking away from all of

this? >> well, these are adversaries whose principle goal is to undermine the strength of the united states. russia's primary goal is to weaken the united states. when they now see a situation where the president of the united states is ill and somewhat incapacitated as a result of that. there's no question in my mind they are going to look for opportunities to take advantage of that. that's what adversaries are all about. that's why it's extremely important to send a clear signal to the world that the president and his staff are fully in charge of the responsibilities not only to deal with domestic issues but to deal with national security issues. those signals ought to be clear and they ought to be sent now. >> leon panetta, as always, thank you very much, sir. where is the task force three days after president

trump's diagnosis? why haven't we heard from the white house team in charge of leading the covid response? i'll talk to a former task force aide olivia troy ahead. first a tale of two candidates. as president trump continues receiving treatment in the hospital, joe biden is back on the road today heading to that all important state of florida. today for a town hall with lester holt tonight at 8:00 p.m. right here on msnbc. the latest on where the race stands with steve kornacki at the big board coming up next. ko the big board coming up next what if one stalk of broccoli could protect you from cancer? what if one push-up could prevent heart disease? one wishful thinking, right? but there is one step adults 65 or older can take to help prevent another serious disease - pneumococcal pneumonia. one dose of the prevnar 13® vaccine can help protect you from this bacterial lung disease that may even put you in the hospital. it's not a yearly shot. prevnar 13® is used in adults to help prevent infections from 13 strains of the bacteria that cause pneumococcal pneumonia. don't get prevnar 13® if you've had a severe allergic reaction

to the vaccine or its ingredients. adults with weakened immune systems may have a lower response to the vaccine. the most common side effects were pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, limited arm movement, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, less appetite, vomiting, fever, chills, or rash. even if you've already been vaccinated with another pneumonia vaccine, prevnar 13® may help provide additional protection. get this one done. ask your doctor or pharmacist about prevnar 13® today.

ask your doctor or pharmacist keeping your oysters growing while keeping your business growing has you swamped. (♪ ) you need to hire i need indeed indeed you do. the moment you sponsor a job on indeed you get a shortlist of quality candidates from a resume data base so you can start hiring right away. claim your seventy-five-dollar credit when you post your first job at indeed.com/promo

some people say that's ridiculous. age is just an illusion. how you show up for the world, that's what's real. what's your idea? i put it out there with a godaddy website.

biden is continuing out on the campaign trail. he's now heading to the critical battleground state of florida after testing negative for the coronavirus yesterday for the third time since the president's diagnosis. this afternoon biden will be speaking in little haiti and little havana neighborhoods in miami before participating in an nbc news town hall tonight with lester holt. meanwhile senator kamala harris and vice president mike pence are getting ready for their debate wednesday night in salt lake city with some new safety precautions as their ability to take over the top job, if necessary, gets renewed focus. joining me now nbc news correspondent mike memoli in miami. how is the president's hospitalization changing the biden's campaign approach? >> well, andrea, the fact that the president himself has been diagnosed with the coronavirus

certainly draws attention to the severity of the ongoing crisis in the country but doesn't change what the biden campaign has been doing for months really, adapting to this coronavirus campaign taking extraordinary measures to keep the vice president safe, conduct rallies in a way that's responsible and safe. as the former vice president comes here for a town hall meeting with lester holt tonight, the real question is will he come back to miami in ten days. that's when the next scheduled presidential debate, also a town hall format is scheduled to be. just in the last hour biden answered the question for reporter before getting on his plane. let's take a listen. >> the scientists say it's safe and the distances are safe, then i think that's fine. i'll do whatever the experts say is appropriate thing to do. >> reporter: andrea, biden was also asked about that drive-by yesterday, the president getting in the heavily armored suv to drive by his supporters outside of walter reed. the former vice president declining to criticize the

president saying he's not going to comment on anything related to the president's health. he's going to leave that to the doctors. one thing during that brief gaggle, dr. jill biden pulled her husband physically back a few feet from the reporters he was speaking to. autumn reporters in the pool have been tested and tested negative for coronavirus. that's just an example of the kind of measures thaer taking to keep him safe, andrea. >> the testing is one thing but you have to keep it from happening. thanks to dr. jill biden, who is not a medical doctor but she should be on the look out for her husband. let's look to steve kornacki with the big board. new numbers, caveat the nbc "wall street journal" poll with a big boost for biden was taken after the debate but before the president's positive diagnosis for the coronavirus so we don't know how that will play one way or the other. >> always events that leave us saying, well, let's see what

happens. this is a pretty pure read out what this poll represents, immediate reaction, taken days following the event and before the president's coronavirus diagnosis. the biggest lead our nbc "wall street journal" poll has shown for joe biden over donald trump, a lead of 14 points. it's a lead that is six points up from our poll pretty close to the debate. before we had it at 8, took it again after, a lead of 14 for joe biden. we're always saying so few people are changing their minds. we are seeing in this poll some people, at least for the moment, changing their minds. who? some of the biggest movement you see in the poll, it's senior citizens. going into the debate, our poll had biden with a 4 point advantage over senior citizens, coming out of the debate look at this. our poll finds that same group overwhelmingly for biden. the senior citizens vote at high

rates. it's been a republican group for the last two decades. in 2016 it was a very pro trump group. already even before the debate, joe biden was doing better than sort of recent democratic presidential candidates among senior citizens and coming out of the debate doing vastly better, at least, within our poll here. let's keep an eye on that one. another one we talk about, blue-collar white voters, a group he won big in 2016. coming into the debate he wasn't winning this debate quite as big as he did in 2016, this was down from 2016. look coming out of the debate down further. down almost 10 points further. it's an advantage for trump but not nearly an advantage to the degree it was in 2016. so you're just seeing all sorts of slippage for trump in key groups, groups that were very important in 2016. it adds up. at least coming out of that debate. that window right there to a double digit biden lead.

>> and steve kornacki will see joe biden tonight 8:00 eastern joining nbc's lester holt for a live town hall discussion with democratic presidential candidate. live from miami right here on msnbc. covid in congress. after three positive cases, the senate now in recess as a result, but the judiciary committee still set to push ahead on judge amy coney barrett's nomination to the supreme court as soon as next monday as the schedule. stay with us. we'll talk about that. this is "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. rts" on msnbc.

it's about the humans, this human, that human or these humans. it's about getting more than health insurance and a partner who listens and acts. humana calls it human care. it's about offering a range of medicare advantage plans many that include prescription drug coverage. it's about talking to your doctor from your couch helping you find cheaper prescriptions before you even ask. and a plan as low as a zero dollar monthly plan premium in many areas. call or go online to speak with a licensed humana sales agent and get your free decision guide. it's about helping you find specialists and schedule appointments. and covering you in emergencies wherever you are. it's saving big on prescriptions like humana medicare advantage prescription drug plan members who saved an estimated 7,800 dollars on average on their prescription cost last year. it's about feeling your best with silver sneakers fitness programs and it's knowing that your dental and vision care are included with most plans. humana, a more human way to healthcare. call or go online to speak with a licensed humana sales agent and

get your free decision guide. - [joe biden] a job's about a lot more than a paycheck; it's about your dignity. under my plan, 50% of emergency small business relief would be reserved for the smallest businesses to recover from the economic mess we're in and to rebuild the economic future our country deserves, building wealth for families of color, building a future worthy of their courage and their ambition. just imagine if we could truly unleash their full potential. i'm confident we can do this. i'm joe biden, and i approve this message. they do one of the most deven in normal times.s, our frontline health care workers. and when these heroes lack the resources they need, that risky job gets ten times harder. prop fifteen makes corporations pay their fair share. to invest in our communities, in our clinics, in the essential workers who treat everyone- rich, poor, and in-between. whether it's this pandemic or the next health crisis, vote yes on prop fifteen.

for all of us.

>> translator: senate majority leader mitch mcconnell saying the senate is taking a two-week break because of the number of senators testing positive for covid and concerns others might fall victim to the virus. mcconnell is not going to postpone next week's partly virtual judiciary hearing for judge amy coney barrett even though three republican senators are infected with covid-19 including two who are members of judiciary panel. no rush to do anything on the stalled covid relief bill. joining us kasie hunt, way too early, michael steele, senior adviser to the lincoln project and "washington post" columnist eugene robinson. kasie, mcconnell is not pausing

even after republican senators, including two judiciary members now ill with the virus. how can they expect to have even on a virtual hearing a full exposition of her qualifications with two members of the committee out of commission? >> well, they are not quite out of the woods yet, andrea. senator ben sasse was, of course, at that supreme court event outside of the white ho e house. wheel he's tested negative he's self-isolating and says he's going to be tested again. we're keeping an eye on that as we well. the fact mcconnell doesn't have anyone voting on the senate floor is the seriousness of this, they have halted all business in the senate. partly mcconnell has insisted on all floor business being conducted in person, that's a little different from the house where they have implemented proxy voting schemes to keep it running. mcconnell said all along he

didn't want to do it that way. the committee, you're right. they are saying they can do it mostly virtually. they expect amy coney barrett to appear in person. the chairman, senator lindsey graham, because he's been so busy running for re-election hasn't been spending his usual amount of time with the president, which is pretty lucky for him considering how quickly it spread. he was not at that event, routinely invited to other things, hasn't been since it unfolded. carol where his opponent brought his own plexiglass to put in between them because he was concerned about this. they are full speed ahead in theory because they only need people to be there in person for the committee vote, which in theory would take place at the end of the week, enough time for everyone to quarantine. again, that's premised on the idea that no one else will get sick and not be able to attend

in person. they already had no margin of error for this, andrea, while they are still rushing full speed ahead, as we've seen, life comes at you fast, i guess, in 2020. so it's almost as though really anything could change. appear dra, there's a certain level of -- they are all in the rose garden celebrating, inside the white house celebrating a conservative on the supreme court. it's that event, that celebration of this nominee, that may potentially derail her confirmation if there are further events here, andrea. >> indeed." as you point out, the irony, and a very sad irony. michael, hearing now the press secretary mcenany saying she has covid, we saw senator mike lee with covid indoors hugging people without a mask last weekend. the white house held those

indoor meetings, no events for amy coney barrett, her son seen in one photo. senator thom tillis tested covid positive, look at that picture, inside the diplomatic reception room inside the white house. the behavior is, as kasie pointed out, risking their biggest desire, which is to confirm a very conservative justice which could cement a 6-3 majority on the court for generations. >> you know, this whole push to get a supreme court justice confirmed in the middle of all of this right up to the doorstep of the election has come back in a powerful way. purchase michael, i'm going to switch to you eugene and we're going to try to clear up your audio because we've got a problem there. eugene, pick up where michael

left off. let's talk about the president's -- his little excursion, the drive by last night waving at supporters at walter reed, potentially endangering personnel as well as others who got him out of the presumably well protected covid suite there and took him out to drive around in an suv. >> that was crazy. first of all, i think kasie gave us last year, life comes at you fast, 2020, and it sure does. think where we were just even friday at this hour, even thursday, to say nothing of thursday. thursday at this hour it seems like months and months ago now so much happened in the intervening time. the drive about was just crazy,

the joy ride around the block to greet his supporters and the president obviously, and i think almost criminally endangered the secret service agents who had to ride in the car to protect him, in an hermetically sealed environment. that's where you don't want to be with a covid patient, despite how much ppe you wear. agents were wearing protective equipment. presumably those two agents will have to quarantine now because obviously close prolonged contact with somebody who has covid and is infected. by the way, we still don't really know how ill the president is. we don't really know how serious his case is. we don't know if he's showing typical signs of pneumonia in both lungs, for example, because the doctor simply won't tell us. we do know that he's itching to

get back to the white house. there's some reports that this drive about was kind of a compromise to let him get out of the room where he was feeling confined and just let him out for a little while so they could get him back into the hospital where i think it's pretty clear he belongs judging by the kinds of treatments they are giving him. they are throwing the kitchen sink at him. that should tell us something about what's going on. hopefully we'll get a briefing sometime today and learn more about his condition. there's no way he should have been out in that car. >> well, as dr. scharfstein said earlier from johns hopkins, the medical team there at the hospital should be doing the briefing, not the president's physician. that's one of the problems. the president's physician is clearly not an expert on

epidemiology. he's an emergency room physician and navy commander and thank him for his service, but he should not be doing that job. thank you very much. our apologies to michael steele. we're going to work out the technical glitches. this is broadcasting during a pandemic, what can i tell you. we're all at home. inside the white house, meanwhile, let's talk about what's coming up next inside the white house task force. why have we not had the president consulting the most famous epidemiologist, infectious disease expert in the world who works for him, tony fauci. let's talk about that white house task force coming up. we'll be right back. white house task force coming up we'll be right back.

we're helping change the future of heart failure. understanding how to talk to your doctor about treatment options is key. today, we are redefining how we do things. we find new ways of speaking, so you're never out of touch. it's seeing someone's face that comforts us, no matter where. when those around us know us, they can show us just how much they care. the first steps of checking in, the smallest moments can end up being everything. there's resources that can inform us, and that spark can make a difference. when we use it to improve things, then that change can last within us. when we understand what's possible, we won't settle for less. the best thing we can be is striving to be at our best. managing heart failure starts now with understanding.

call today or go online to understandhf.com for a free hf handbook.

practical. how to explain the conflict between aggressive medicines prescribed for the president and his doctors claim he's doing just fine, he can go home today. joining me now olivia troy,

recently adviser to vice president pence and top aide on coronavirus task force but quit over the administration's handling of the pandemic. olivia, it's good to see you again. really eager to talk to you about your insights. what is going on? we haven't heard from the task force, all the experts we know of led by dr. fauci and nih and experts at cdc are not being conducted. instead we're hearing from the osteopath, who is the white house physician, who is refusing to answer basic questions about the lung scans, the oxygen levels he misled on that initially and the viral load. >> hi, andrea, thanks for having me on your show again. what you're seeing play out is you're seeing a scenario that the task for is very used to seeing on a daily basis play out on a national stage. this time the patient is the president. not all of the americans that

have been suffering during this pandemic, it's the president himself. you know, it's unfortunate that the task force isn't consulted. he has some of the greatest minds and experts sitting right there at his disposal. i have certainly leaned on them in hard times when i thought i had been exposed, and i felt grateful i had these colleagues i had working next to me who knew what to do exactly in this situation. in terms of dr. conley, i got to know him well. he is a navy officer. i think he is in a very difficult and impossible situation and i know he's trying his best. i'm sure he was raised like i was where my mom said, you know, tell the truth. don't ever tell a lie. as a military officer, i'm sure that he is struggling with that along with the pressure he's facing inside the white house with these political dynamics. and i think the conflicting messaging that you're seeing is typical for this white house where they honestly can't figure

out what they are going to say the next minute because, to be frank, it's usually all lies. the doctor is sitting there trying to figure out how he, you know, carries out his oath in a situation that i know he feared someday would come. >> this is the same doctor who also went along in a letter with the prescription of hydroxychloroquine. shouldn't that be alarming enough to have him in charge nominally, certainly he's the briefer, the lead briefer, and in charge technically of the care of a potentially life threatening disease, depending how it's handled, of the president of the united states? >> it is. it is a prime example of the national security crisis we are in as a country. when you have a military

officer, a physician, in this situation and you see this happen repeatedly where they are put in a very difficult position, this is a sign to americans, every single american should be watching this moment and processing what is really happening here. it's dangerous. >> what are you hearing, if anything, from inside the white house from your colleagues? we're hearing that they are not getting real direction from the chief of staff, that they are concerned they aren't getting real information, the latest being the press secretary who didn't know why she was pulled off the bedminster trip, didn't know until later that hope hicks had tested positive. >> this the culture inside the white house. it's a culture of paranoia, a culture of fear. quite frankly, it's a lack of transparency that happens on a daily basis even amongst the white house staff. what you're watching is a breach

in protocols. all these people who were exposed should be isolating. she should be quarantining. they should be protecting each other. they shouldn't be at work. i can tell you firsthand there were times when the immediate staff of the vice president where people were exposed to someone who was positive and who experienced covid systems. after two or three days, people would get frustrated and then call them back into work and say forget the quarantine, just get in here. that's just, frankly, it's dangerous. it's not safe, and it creates for this type of environment. i have no doubt that kayleigh is probably likely not to be the last one. we're going to see more people test positive, and we're going to see them suffer from their own detrimental guidance, which is the lack of guidance they are following. >> olivia troy, thank you very much. thanks for being with us today. all of us are, of course,

concerned about the president's health, just hope he's getting the best medical advice he can. next, getting out the early vote. a number of states around the country have polling places open now. what you need to know about casting your ballot next. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. ballot, next. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports."

good choice, steve. who else reads books about submarines? my dad. yeah. oh, those are -- progressive can't protect you from becoming your parents, but we can protect your home and auto when you bundle with us. look at that.

when you bundle with us. some companies still have hr stuck between employeesentering data.a. changing data. more and more sensitive, personal data. and it doesn't just drag hr down. it drags the entire business down -- with inefficiency, errors and waste.

it's ridiculous. so ridiculous. with paycom, employees enter and manage their own data in a single, easy to use software. visit paycom.com, and schedule your demo today. robinwithout the commission fees. so, you can start investing today wherever you are - even hanging with your dog. so, what are you waiting for? download now and get your first stock on us. robinhood. an herbal stress reliever ashwagandha, that helps you turn the stressed life... into your best life. stress less and live more. with stressballs. amid a sea of uncertainty surrounding this year's election, voters in 20 states as of this week can already start

heading to the polls. one group the early vote is irk withing to let people know what their options are to vote early this year and get the word out about why early in-person voting could be an overlooked option. joining me now is sarah estelle, co-founder and president of the early vote. sarah, tell me what you're doing to try to encourage people to go in person early now when there's no crush and it's a lot safer. >> thank you, andrea, for having me. at the early voter on instagram is a one stop shop where you can get all the information you need for how to vote early in person.