people i grew up with in scranton and claymont, delaware. donald trump's presidency -- guess what? you know. more than 220,000 people are dead in america because of covid-19. yesterday was the highest number of new cases since it all began, 85,000 new cases in one day. 1,000 people a day dying. when he was told a while ago it'll 1,000 people a day, he looked at a camera. you remember what he said? he said it is what it is. well, it is what it is because he is who he is. that's why it is what it is. yesterday was the worst day we've had. yet in our debate thursday night, trump was still saying we're rounding the copper, it's

going away, we're learning to live with it. as i told him, i said we're not learning to live with it, we're living to die with it because he's doing nothing. and, folks, there's a dark winter ahead. experts say we'll lose nearly 200,000 lives nationwide in the next few months if we don't step up. because he cares more about the stock market than you, because he refuses to follow science. it's estimated -- these are the facts. his own people tell him f we wear these masks over the next few months, we could same question we could save 100,000 lives. the president knew back at the end of january how deadly this virus was. and he hid it from the country. but here's what he did. remember when he decided he was going to convince bob woodward what a smart guy he was?

yeah, smart guy. stable genius. but folks, here's what he did. he went on record as saying that he knew how dangerous it was, knew seven times dangerous than the flu. but what did he do? did he tell you? did he tell us? did he warn the american people? no, he didn't. i'll tell you what his administration did. they gave wall street heads up according to "the new york times." he didn't tell us, but they told his wall street friends. that's why they made so much money by, quote, selling short, because they knew it was coming. he sold us short. that's what happened. [ cheers ] and then he tried to claim -- and then he tried to claim that he didn't want to panic the

american people. the american people don't panic. donald trump panicked. [ horns honking ] folks, he still had no plan. all he could do is double down on his park avenue looking at the world. before the pandemic, he handed out $1.5 trillion in tax giveaways to the super wealthy and large corporations. and now, even 30 million americans have lost their jobs and lost ours, he thinks the way to get the american economy back on track, and you probably don't even know this, is to give gigantic multimillion dollars tax cuts to the wealthy, and he wants to do it again. since the start of this pandemic -- this even startled me. according to "forbes," since the starting of the pandemic, billionaires in america made

another $600 billion. actually, it's $700 billion. but donald trump can't get his own republican party to even deliver for hard-working folks. folks, he thinks $15 an hour minimum wage is too much for essential workers. he thinks unions don't matter. he stopped overtime pay, costing hourly workers $200 million last year. he said you can no longer deduct union dues, and he talks about being for the working guy? four years in he still hasn't gotten legislation passed to protect pensions or working people. ladies and gentlemen, this guy doesn't get it. he's proposed a plan that would set social security -- where he

would bankrupt social security by 2023 if you re-elect him, he says. he's been weak and chaotic with china on trade. ended up opening doors for banks in china, for american banks to be able to do business in china. he contributed to bankruptcies of american farmers. look, i'll do what he's unable to do. i'll lead an effective strategy to mobilize, isolate and punish china. folks, we've lost more manufacturing jobs in pennsylvania across the country than anytime in recent history. and if president trump and republicans don't have time to deliver an economic relief for working families and small businesses, then why in the middle of a crisis do they have time to confirm a supreme court justice so they can knock out obamacare?

i'll tell you why. he wants to wipe it off the books. because his nominee said that they're going to strike down the law before she was picked. look, if they get their way, more than 20 million of you, 20 million americans will lose their coverage, including nearly 1 million pennsylvanians. 100 million americans with pre-existing conditions, including 5.3 million in pennsylvania will no longer will be covered. complications from covid will become the next pre-existing condition, allowing insurance companies to jack up your coverage. women are going to be charged more for their health care just because they're women. look, donald trump thinks health care is a privilege. i think it's a right. [ cheers ]

[ horns honking ] look, but nothing, nothing is more offensive than the way he's spoken about those who served our nation in euphemism. he calls them losers and suckers. how did lackawanna county has proud proud history of defending this nation. folks, my son, beau, was a major, served in iraq, won the bronze star. he came home decorated. he wasn't a loser. he wasn't a sucker. he was a patriot. [ cheers ] [ horns honking ] just like your sons and daughters, your parents and

grandparents. i can't believe -- no wonder six generals who worked in his administration left him and said he doesn't deserve to be commander in chief of the united states. no president has ever had that happen. frankly, i've dealt with guys like trump my whole life, so have you. guys that look down on you because they have a lot of money. guys who think they're better than you. guys who inherit everything in my life and then squander it. guys who stiff electricians and contractors working on the hotels and casinos and golf courses. guys who have already paid their own taxes they owe because they figure, as he said, last time out. it's because he's smart, he's able to play the system, pay $750 in taxes being a billionaire. well, i'm sick and tired of smart guys. [ cheers ] [ horns honking ]

while the rest of us pick up the tab. now, now we find trump has secret bank accounts in china. i didn't make that up. that comes right out of the "new york times." secret bank account in china where he paid 50 times more in taxes in beijing than he did in the united states of america. look, his hundreds of millions of dollars, $400 million in debt in the coming few years, who does he owe it to? why the? i released 23 years of my tax returns. why hasn't he released one of his? what in the hell is he hiding? look, you know, i got to admit, maybe it's the scranton in me. i got a chip on my shoulder. i read about -- you know, i read

if i got elected to president, i would be the only guy this century that didn't go to an ivy league school. what the hell does that mean about the state one i went to? a lot of you felt the same way. i say it's about time a state school guy gets to go to the oval office. [ cheers ] [ horns honking ] because you know what? if i'm sitting there, you'll be sitting there with me. [ cheers ] you and i know who really built this country. it wasn't wall street. it wasn't ceos. the working people, middle class people built it, and unions built the middle class. [ cheers ] look, we know we're so much

better than this. so much better. and we can do anything in this country. look, it starts with my plan to deal with this pandemic responsibly, bring the country around testing, tracing, masking, social distancing, not politicizing the race for a vaccine. but planning for its safe and equitable distribution, providing funding and protective gear for schools and businesses to open safely, bringing together republicans and democrats and delivering relief to working families. as i said before, i'm not going to shut down the economy, i'm going to shutdo down the virus d build the economy. folks, this is all within our power. we can build back better than before. we can build back better than before. that's who we are. you know, an independent

analysis on wall street of all places, moodies, a wall street firm projected that my economic plan will create 18.6 million jobs in four years. 7 million more than his, and $1 trillion more in economic growth. look, it's pretty basic. i'm not going to raise taxes on anybody who makes less than $400,000 a year, but i tell you what, i'm going to start asking the wealthy and corporations to begin to pay their fair share. it's time middle class and working class people got relief, to to buy their first home, child care, care for their aging loved ones. we'll do more than praise our essential workers, we will pay our essential workers. [ cheers ] [ horns honking ] we're going to make health care affordable for every american. we're going to build on the affordable care act, keep your

private insurance if you like it, but make sure everybody, the 20 million people who got health insurance that they didn't have before because of it, they're able to keep it. we're going to increase the ability for you to be able to have much lower drug prices. we're going to lower drug prices by 60%. you know how you do that? just allow medicare to negotiate drug prices. that'll bring them down by 60%. we're going to make sure you keep your prescriptions and pre-existing conditions. i'll protect your social security and medicare. if i keep going, you're going to freeze your fingers off. but look, we can create a million new -- a million union jobs, union jobs. [ cheers ] rebuilding american manufacturing and enforcing a buy america plan.

every single contract that will go out under my administration that we had put out will have to have products that are made in america nothing else than that. i create 4 million new jobs. folks, it's time -- but we're getting there, man, hang on. hang on. here's the deal. look, we're going to move in a position that we can change a lot. by the way, let me get something straight here in coal country. i will not ban fracking, period. [ cheers ] i'll protect those jobs, period. no matter how many times donald trump says it. unlike donald trump, i don't think big oil companies need a handout from the federal government. we'll get rid of the subsidies and invest it in carbon capture.

look, going back to schools. if we just make the 91 corporations that didn't pay a single penny in taxes pay 15%, that raises $40 billion. that allows us to send every single person qualified to community college free. it allows us to send every single person who can get into a four-year state university go free if they make less than $25,000. look, donald trump hasn't delivered on a damn thing he said he would do. he hasn't delivered on infrastructure. he talked it 2017, '18, '19, '20. he hasn't done a damn thing for our roads and bridges that are crumbling. just as climate change is accelerate and go more frequent extremes in weather events.

not just wildfires in california and hurricanes along the coast, but here. flooding. we can do something about it but we got to come together, which gets me to the last part of this election. the stakes are high. barack and i worked hard to earn and win your votes in 2008 and 2012, and i tell you what, it wasn't -- it wasn't -- i thought it was great to see him again out on the trail for me, quite frankly. but i understand why. some people voted for donald trump. they believe they weren't seen or being respected or heard. trump said he represents the forgotten man and woman in this country. i get it. but then he got elected and immediately forgot the forgotten man. remember what donald trump said when covid hit, 200,000 deaths. he said if you take out the blue

states with democratic governors, and just look at the red states with republican governors, we're doing quite well. first of all, that's not true. and secondly, what in the hell would the president say? i'm not going to do anything for pennsylvania or michigan or wisconsin, democratic states. i'm only going to help red states. where does this guy come from? look, folks, i don't see america that way. this has to change. it'll change with me. you know, you'll be seen, heard, and respected by me. our campaign is a broad coalition that welcomes democrats, republicans, and independents. if elected president, there will be no red states or blue states, only the united states. [ cheers ] [ horns honking ] i was reminded of that earlier this month when i went to the

sacred ground at gettysburg to speak. abraham lincoln told us a house divided can't stand. well, folks, today trust is ebbing. hope sees elusive. instead of healing, we're being ripped apart. i refuse to let that happen. i'm running as a proud democrat, but i'll govern as an american president. [ cheers ] i'll work as hard for those who don't support me as those who do. that's the president's job, a duty to care, a duty to heal, and you too have a sacred duty. that's to vote. it matters. pennsylvania matters. so please vote. get out the vote. visit i will vote.com/pa. return your ballot as soon as possible and make sure everyone you know does. folks, you know, i'm more

optimistic about america's future than i've been since i've been involved in politics. we're the only country in the world that's come out of every crisis stronger than we went in. there's not a damn thing america can't do when we decide to do it together. [ cheers ] [ horns honking ] folks, john kennedy said when he promised to send us to the moon, he said, answer the unasked question, why? he said because we refuse to postpone. this is the united states of america. there is nothing, nothing beyond our capacity. there's no limit to our future. the only thing that can rip america apart is america itself. look, folks, i'll close by saying everybody knows who donald trump is.

we're going to show them who we are. we choose hope over fear. unity over division. science over fiction. and truth over lies. folks, it's time to stand up and take our democracy back. may god bless you, and may god protect our troops. thank you, thank you, thank you. go vote! vote! thank you. ♪ good evening. you've been listening to vice president joe biden campaigning in the battleground state of pennsylvania. welcome to "politicsnation." i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead, defying obstacles, an extraordinary number of americans are waiting in long lines and defying every kind of embedmeimpediment to vo

early. it started long before today and shows no sign of abating through election day. as more than 56 million voters across the country have cast their ballots amid historic barriers, including, of course, the invisible barrier of the surging covid-19 pandemic. this was the scene this morning here in my town, new york, america's flag ship city. and yet lines stretched blocks on this first day of early voting here. contrast that with president trump this morning in palm springs, florida, casting his ballot early, maskless, after a-month-old covid diagnosis. as mr. trump didn't have to wait in any long lines, which meant he had plenty of time left over to make more unsubstantiated

claims and still hop on air force one to make it to dueling rallies in the battleground ohio state today. >> it was a very secure vote, much more secure than when you send in a ballot, i can tell you that. everything was perfect. very strict, right by the rules when you send in your ballot. could never be like that. could never be secure like that >> by the way in ohio polling has trump in the dead heat with joe biden who is in another battleground state of pennsylvania today. >> think of what he's saying about what's going on in america. he's not responsible for your family's well-being if you're in a blue state. folks, i don't see the president that way. i don't see it that way. i don't see america that way. i'm running as a proud democrat, but i will govern as an american president for everybody. >> we're covering this historic election from every angle over

the next hour. but as millions of americans cast votes at pre-existing peril to themselves, i have this to say. whoever should ultimately win the oval office, it remains evident that our voting system is at the very least flawed and have tactics that affect the minorities and poor. workers have to choose between the franchise and feeding their families. as the president casts his ballot early in florida, only a fraction of the more than 1 million former felons who had their voting rights lawfully restored in the state were able to do so at the same time as the president. this, the result of republican sabotage with the president's full support. of course, these barriers did not just appear under president

trump, but the question is, who stands to benefit from the pr s depressed turnout and who's likely to do anything about it in the next four years. it applies to more than voting in the first post-trump era. i predicted the looming victor on this president and on his presidency. and the chaos of the past year have kicked up a hornet's nest of radical racist activity. i talked to one of his latest targets, a family member of black lives matter just after she was notified of a plot on her. that's later in the show. but first, 2020, that's it. joining me now is the chair of the democratic national committee, tom perez. thank you for being with us, mr. chairman. >> always a pleasure, rev. >> i was watching the debate the other night and i think you and i were seat mates at every

primary debate other than maybe one i didn't make. and i was looking at the audience seeing who was your seat mate and you were so far apart, you couldn't have one. you and i would talk as we went both of us not endorsing anyone, of course, in the primaries as you're chairing the party, but just our opinion of how the debate was going. so i want to ask you now, what did you think of the debate between mr. trump and mr. biden. >> we're a nation in crisis, reverend sharpton, and joe biden came forth with very concrete plans on how to get us all these crises. the last debate is the closing argument, your last opportunity to talk to people about your vision for america and joe biden put forth a very clear vision for how we're going to address the pandemic, how we're going to address the economic crisis, how we're going to address the civil rights crisis and how we're going to address the climate crisis. all we heard from donald trump

was the same old same old, i'm best president for african-americans since abe lincoln. you know, all this -- we've turned a corner on the coronavirus and the day after he says that, we have the largest single-day number of new cases. this president as the former first lady said, is in over his head. and what we saw in that final debate was a very clear closing argument from joe biden about how he's going to bring america together. and the same old politics of division and distraction from donald trump and it's not hard to figure out why. he doesn't have answers, so he needs to change the subject and that's what he's going to continue to do. people are determined, as you correctly pointed out, 57 million people voting already. folks are not going to let these barriers stand in the way. we got a lot more work to do and we're working our tails off. i was really proud of the vice president the other night, and i

think the american people saw the character that he is. >> now, let me ask you this. we're hearing and seeing a huge turnout, 56 million people already have voted in both the democratic and republican sides are saying it helps them. tell me why you think it's leaning toward more mr. biden and senator harris as well as your candidates down the ballot. >> there's a number of data points that i find promising. in florida, historically it was the republicans who won the early vote. when you added up the vote by mail and the early vote going into election day, republicans had the advantage. they had the advantage in 2016, for instance. right now the democratic advantage in the early vote, that's the vote by mail influences in-person early veto, is slightly over 400,000 votes. so that's a pretty dramatic turnaround from four years ago.

we see the turnout of young people and it's remarkable. in florida, over a quarter million young people have turned out. in 2016 at this point in the process, 44,000 young people had turned out. north carolina, over 200,000 young people have turned out. four years ago it was 25,000. michigan, 145,000 young people. four years ago it was 7,500. so we're working to get the vote out in detroit and milwaukee, in philadelphia, in miami, across everywhere. we've got more work to do. >> let me ask you this. as you get the vote out, let's say that the polls are right and joe biden is president and kamala harris, senator harris is vice president. what about the senate? are you confident that you'll be able to take the senate?

because if you have a republican senate and a democratic president and vice president, they will have to fight and, in many cases, won't be able to overcome the senate. how are the senate races looking to you, and which senate races are important to you. which ones are the ones you think you can take? >> webith everybody the trifect to governor. mitch mcconnell obstructed, obstructed, obstructed. we have to expand our majority in the house. justice-li just like in the president, we have multiple pathways to the senate majority. we have colorado and arizona where you have candidates that consistently are doing well, although there's more work to do there. you have maine, you have two seats in georgia, you have north carolina, you have seats in iowa, you have montana, you have

alaska, you have dog downs and mike espy in alabama and mississippi who are really gaining steam as we move forward. my good friend jamie harrison in south carolina, so many races here, reverend sharpton, where we are running really competitive. but make no mistake about it, everything's going to be close. that's why while i'm heartened by the turnout to date, we got more work to do. everybody's got to get out there and vote. vote this weekend if your state permits. go to the polls tomorrow. get out there. figure out where you have to go we can take the senate but only if everybody gets out there. we can take kansas. what's the matter with kansas? nothing, they're voting democrat. but we got to get out there and vote. >> all right. tom perez, chairman of the democratic national committee, thank you for being with us this afternoon. or this evening. >> my pleasure.

joining me now, former spokesperson for hillary clinton and michael steele, former republican national committee chairman. mileage, i' this week you announced you are rejecting your party's nominee and endorsing joe biden. you write in an editorial and i'm quoting you, i'm a republican, voting for joe biden over trump because i'm an american first. also in a new ad for the lincoln project, you explained your closing argument. take a listen. >> for four years many have said there will come a moment. well, this is the moment. because this ballot is like none ever cast. i'm a lifelong rep and i'm still a republican, but this ballot is how we restore the soul of our nation. elect ago good man, joe biden, and trail blazer, kamala harris, and ensure an orderly transfer

of power or plunge our country into chaos. >> you and i have known each other a long time. we have disagreed on some politics. we've agreed on many things. but when bush was president, i fought bush on the iraq war and katherine a katrina and other things. you didn't switch your endorsement then. what triggered you this time to say i may have agreed or disagreed in the past as a republican, but it was more in agreement than not. what triggered you to say i have to go public and say i can't tolerate trump? >> well, you know, when you and i were battling, you know, over bush policies, that's what we were battling over, policies. we had a different view of how to solve a problem for the country. we had a different approach on a number of issues from the economy to war and peace. but this goes beyond that.

this election and this period that we've been in, rev, has not been about policy. name the big policy that we're having -- that democrats and republicans have been fighting over over the last three years. name where that struggle is. the tension has been over the character of the nation and the character of the man who's leading this nation. this election boils down to questions about us as citizens and our country. and it mattered to me that we have this discussion about our country and i want to be a part of it. for me, it does matter who sits at the resolute desk. it matters the direction the leaders of this country want to take us. and so for me it was character. it was not that much complicated than that. it was about the character of the man in the office. as i said to vice president biden when i spoke with him, i look forward to fighting him on issues around health care and the economy and all of that, and that's a good partisan battle to

have. but i don't want to have a fight over being an american. i don't want to have a dispute with my neighbor or a friend or family member about donald trump. seriously? so that to me said a lot about how far we have fallen as a country where one man matters more than our values, our system of governance, and our country as a whole. so i wanted to put my foot down and draw the line, as i hope a lot of americans are doing in the next -- up to this point and certainly on election day a week from now. >> philippe, joe biden said character is on the ballot. and i hear michael steele saying it was character that made him take a step away from the president as former chairman of the republican party. how do you think character is driving these early voters that you just heard dnc chair tom

perez believes are coming out more for his nominee than the incumbent president? >> i think it's all about character. i don't just mean the candidates. obviously i believe that joe biden -- get away. sorry, i have a cat on me. that joe biden possesses a far greater character, a man of dignity and esteem. i don't want to even begin describing donald trump's character. these numbers that chairman perez talked about, they're eye-popping. they get blurred together because they're so large. people are all sorts of things, but something that michael just said has been on my mind a lot, which is we talk so much about the 40%, the 35% that are entrenched for donald trump. i'll probably never understand that. i don't think any of the three of us or the folks watching at home are going to understand. but there are a lot of republicans like michael, and

they don't want to go to thanksgiving and constantly be talking about this guy. you could actually be supportive of the republican party and actually have voted for donald trump and maybe not even be so upset with him, but you're just tired of him. and i think when you look at that number, i'm going to make this up, but you could be talking about 70%, 75%, 80% of the country who is just so tired of all of this. you know, listening to joe biden atop your show, he's talking about the future. he's talking about what we have to get right. he's only talking about what we got wrong because he takes the sentence to the next logical conclusion, which is we have gotten covid wrong, which is donald trump's fault, but here's how i'm going to make sure we get covid right. and i think what we saw the other night in the debate, you know, donald trump made it impossible to hear anything anyone was saying in the first debate. donald trump made it possible to hear every word both of them were saying in the second

debate, and i'm not sure that was great for him because what we heard from him loud and clear is what we've been hearing from him for nearly 1,400 days now, which is that he just doesn't care. he doesn't wake up and care about 100% of america. i didn't vote for george w. bush. but i knew no matter how much i disagreed with him on iraq or roe or anything, i do not doubt he woke up every day thinking what was best for america. >> it goes back to what michael said. i disagree with his foreign policy. president barack obama was in florida today for the democrats. listen to this. >> this election requires every single one of us, what we do in these next ten days will matter for decades to come. >> michael, how significant is it that part of the closing argument for joe biden and kamala harris is being made by

barack obama, former president? >> it's huge. i mean, it is, again, sort of a revival of the obama/biden team from eight years ago. but it's very important because barack obama, despite what, you know, some of my friends on my side may think about him, is immensely popular around the country. people still respect him. they still regard him in a very favorable way. so having him on this campaign, i think, is very, very important for joe biden in the final stretch. as we've seen barack sort of weigh in into some of the closer senate races as well like south carolina with jamie harrison. so yeah, having barack at the table and sort of out front on this is very, very important in the final days of the campaign and brings a lot to it. >> we're out of time for me, but

on the other side, the former republican president bush and other leading republican figures, we've not seen come out for mr. trump. >> no. they are not going to. i'm sure we're going to see some leak in the next week or two about how he voted for his father or for laura bush or maybe he wrote in somebody. the bushes have been -- their silence has been deafening. >> yes. >> philippe reines and michael steele, we'll have to leave it there. thank you for being with us this evening. >> thank you, rev. stay with "politicsnation" without commercial breaks. before we continue, let's listen just a bit to president trump who is delivering a speech at a campaign rally in circleville, ohio. >> same everything. and they're going to buy it for 50% less. and then by that time, the favorite nations will kick in and you get less. this has never happened before. but it's happening. [ cheers ]

we will support our great police, protect your second amendment, defend your borders, and ensure more products are proudly stamped with that beautiful -- isn't it a beautiful phrase? you didn't hear it for a long time until trump came along, made in the usa. made in the usa. you didn't hear it for a long time, right? it's been a long time. you know, when i was young, they said made in america, every car. we're going to see it. i was in north carolina speaking today to a great crowd and i said, when i first started i said we're going to say merry christmas again, remember? [ cheers ] and remember all the department stores, many of them were wiped up because of the internet but these are minor details. but all the department stores, they would say happy new year and everything but christmas.

they don't want to say christmas. i said we're going to say christmas again. and you know what? they're all saying christmas again. they say merry christmas. [ cheers ] they're all saying merry christmas again. going to be there pretty soon. we have a big day. better get out november 3rd. >> we're going to stay in "politicsnation" without breaks. but first, my colleague richard lui with today's top news stories. >> good day to you, rev. stories we're watching for you, the u.s. shatters its single-day record of new coronaviruses friday, more than 78,000 confirmed cases. that is second straight day of record highs since the start of this month. cases have increased from the east to the west. wisconsin hospitals remain overwhelmed with covid-19 patients. the state reported its seven-day average of cases to be 22.7%. chicago mayor lori lightfoot putting out new restrictions this weekend as well, all nonessential businesses must close from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. local time.

also indoor services now banned at bars that do not have a food license. cases in that city continue to climb as well. now back to "politicsnation" with reverend al sharpton. thank you, richard. welcome back. in every election cycle, turnout is the name of the game. each party relies on its most dependable voting blocs to get out and make their voices heard. for the democrats that means getting black voters to the polls. 2016 was the first presidential election without the full protections of the voting rights act in half a century, and black turnout was markedly suppressed. something special seems to be happening this year. in state after state, voters are shattering records for early participation, overcoming obstacles like shuttered polling places, long lines and worldwide

pandemic. but don't misunderstand me. these hours, long lines are a governmental failure and an affront to democracy. but the voters who refused to be silenced are the american heroes, and they're not fighting alone. for instance, in florida, hollywood mogul tyler perry has teamed up with the nonprofit equal ground education found on a half million dollars initiative to get black voters counted in the sunshine state, turning traditional mass gatherings into pandemic-compatible park and praise adjectives. joining me is jasmine bernie clark, organizer of the initiative. jasmine, i was on a call with you hearing about the turnout, you know, i've been involved in things in florida for a while

and i was very impressed. among other things that you were talking about going into counties that are not even traditionally touched and getting turnout there among black voters and other voters that are usually marginalized and ignored. how is it going? >> hello, reverend al. thanks for having me today and great to see you again. florida voters are excited, as you can tell in our early vote numbers. they are turning out in large blocs across the state of florida. what's interesting about the state of florida and the fact that we are focusing on a lot of smaller counties between the panhandle and duvall is that we have resilient voters here in this state. we've experienced hurricanes. we've experienced covid-19 with a broken unemployment system. we are now also experiencing a poll tax that is state sanctioned by our state officials to stop returning

citizens or former felons to be able to able to vote in this upcoming election. that does not mean that we pack up and go home. what it does mean is we go deeper into those communities and that's why we decided to make an investment in those counties. we want to help bring them along, ensure they have the support they need, the voter education that they need, and that they stay at the polls and vote until they close on election day. >> now, normally this time of year you would be gathering up for the polls, but with the pandemic you had to become more creative. how do you expect this kind of format change to impact participation rates? >> we expect it to increase participation. with folks being able to stay in their cars through the polls, you pull into parking lots of churches, community centers, open lots. you can drop your ballot off as soon as you enter the parking lot or upon exiting.

a lot of these events have located at supervisor of elections offices and early vote sites or drop boxes are available. you never have to exit your vehicle in order to participate in the process. so it keeps it social distanced and safe for folks and it allows to you drop it off. you don't have to unpack your kids. you don't have to worry about taking your pet out. you can stay in the car with your family and you can also hear inspirational messages that you may have not heard up close and personal due to the pandemic and not being able to go into your places of worship. >> now, young people in florida have voted early at more than five times the rate of four years ago. do you think programs like yours can keep those numbers going even higher? >> certainly. we think and have seen younger folks across the state show up. and i think what they're really showing up about is they are connect their issues to the ballot box. they are commencing black lives

matter to the ballot box, accountability, in order to hold our state attorneys accountable, to hold our legislators accountable, they have to be active participants in the process and they're seeing what democracy looks like when you show up and vote. you know, when we have laws like stand your ground still on the books in florida, folks know it can only be changed by legislators and legislators can only be changed by voted in and voted out. >> black voter turnout in florida was down considerably in 2016 from previous elections. do you think that was due to obama not being on the ballot? was it due to voter suppression following the gutting of the voting rights act? or something else? >> certainly. the gutting of the voting rights act was definitely a factor in ensuring that folks had fair, free and accessible elections, equal grant education fund has been working to make sure we

protect folks in that they had the ability to vote free and fair and accessible by making sure that we expand early vote days and hours across the state of florida along with our partners, that we make sure poll workers are well trained and prepared to accept folks as they enter into the polling places, and i also think that barack obama not being on the ballot could certainly be a factor for some folks when they're looking at the top of the ticket. but i think folks are also getting the message that going all the way down the ballot is going to make the difference, and that could also be a factor for us. >> jasmine bernie clark, thank you so much for being with us tonight. a shocking moment happened this week to my next guest on twitter yesterday. black lives matter cofounder alicia ga za announced the fbi reached out to her. she wrote the fbi visited my house today and arrested a man in idaho on weapons charges who they believe was affiliated with

white supremacist groups. they found my name on a list in his home alongside others. end of quote. joining me now is alicia garza. she is now the principal of black to the future action fund. she also is the author of the new book "the purpose of power: how we come together when we fall apart." first off, i want to ask you how you're doing, alicia. you know, i've lived under various threats for the last 20 years, including recently. i was stabbed once. so when i read this, i took it personally. it affects your family and friends. it's one thing to be out there there cheering and ra ra, it's another thing when somebody said this is a serious threat, i know the feeling. >> that's right. and thank you, reverend al, for having me on today. i'm doing okay. honestly in the par for the course in election cycle and

under an administration that traffic accident in misinformation, disinformation, and gives a bullhorn to white supremacist organizations. i think it's important for people to know that this is happening to our communities because so many people i know did she didn't even realize tha didn't even realize that folks like you or folks like myself would be getting these kinds of threats. and i can tell you over the last five months at least, these threats have been coming in through facebook, through twitter, through instagram. and that's a whole conversation about what's happening there to help protect civil rights leaders and organizers like myself on those platforms. but there is a bigger conversation that's in front of us right now, which is that we have an opportunity to change who's in the white house. and right now who's in the white house is someone who is not going up against these white supremacist groups. in fact, you heard him just a couple of weeks ago to say to the proud boys to stand back and stand by. i really want people to understand what's at stake. and it's really not about

democrats or republicans anymore. it's very much about will we vote white supremacy out of the white house. >> now in line with that, i was very disturbed. you and i have talked for the last several years, and we may have different approaches, but we're after the same thing. and it's been -- we've been part of and visible in this intergenerational rising that we're seeing around dealing with race and other issues in this society. so i was very offended, even though people may not understand why when i heard this the other night. i want to play for you a sound bite of what president trump had to say about black lives matter movement during the debate on thursday. >> you have to understand, the first time i ever heard of black lives matter, they were chanting "pigs in a blanket" -- talking about police. pigs, pigs talking about our police. "pigs in a blanket, fry 'em like

bacon." i said that's a horrible thing, and they were marching down the street. and that was my first glimpse of black lives matter. i thought it was a terrible thing. >> i think this is dangerous, because first of all, all of us have now marched and rallied under the banner black lives matter, and i can honestly say i have never heard anything that you or your co-founders identified with or others that have officially been connected to you all say anything like that about hurting policemen or calling them out their name. but if this perception is given by the president of the united states, it is dangerous for black leaders like yourself or me or others that stand behind a slogan and that you helped to create. when the president mischaracterizes the black lives matter movement, which some groups -- i'm not saying there might not have been some saying that, but they certainly were not part of what you and your

two in my opinion brilliant colleagues put into the world mentality. >> that's right. i mean, that's right, reverend al. and honestly, i watched that debate too, and i watched exactly that moment. and it continues to be incredibly frustrating and dangerous, you're absolutely right. again, this president traffics in lies, misinformation and disinformation. and his campaign traffics in the same thing. and it's time that we call this out, because quite frankly, if you don't have a record to run on, that's one thing. but don't use our record. i can honestly say that black lives matter has always been out here fighting for the dignity and sanctity of black lives, and i've actually addressed this very incident in my book, reverend al, where i talk about the ways in which this president and his campaign and his allies have tried to discredit, delegitimize and create chaos inside of our movement.

because what they know is we have captured the hearts and minds of millions, and now they know we are not just changing minds, but we're changing laws. and that's incredibly threatening to somebody who doesn't like to follow the rules, but also, frankly, would like it so that he could unravel the rules that protect people like you and me and the folks who are watching at home. and so i'll just say to be very, very blunt, that was not black lives matter, and this has been debunked many, many, many times. it's not the first time this has happened. you know, two officers were ambushed in brooklyn, and they attempted to attach it to black lives matter only to find on the social media of the killer that -- in dallas and in baton rouge, police officers -- by veterans who have fought in wars for this country. and in both cases lead to alignment with black lives matter. so you have to ask yourself what is your purpose here? there is actually no proof that

black lives matter has anything to do with this, and it's been reported on time and time again. >> well, i wanted you to be able -- i wanted you to be able to address it directly tonight nationally, because i know how that is not the case, that i've worked with all of you. i want you to come back, though. we got to talk about your book. you and i did a session in your hometown on my book. i want you to come back and explain this new book, but i wanted to get that straight tonight. alicia garza, who is a co-founder of black lives matter and the only one authorized to call me nog. up next mix, final thoughts. stay with us. ay with us why are we doing this? why are we doing what?

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the senate judiciary committee with no democrats present due to their choosing to boycott has sent the nomination of judge amy coney barrett to the floor of the senate that will start tomorrow to vote to confirm her for the supreme court. it is an absolute disgrace in my opinion that the same party leadership that blocked barack obama as president nominating judge garland to the court saying it should not happen in an election year, even though that opening was in february of 2016, would ram this through when this nominee was put forward when people had already began voting in some states. it is the reason why you're

voting early and your voting on election day is important to keep a balance in government. because it is likely they will get this through. they will confirm this 6-3 tilt toward the conservatives in the court. and if the legislative branch does not help balance this out, we will have many things from affirmative action to women's right to choose, to the affordable care act that may be wiped away, with no way to balance it out. that's why as i wrote in the book "rise up" we are confronting a country at the crossroads. you must rise up and vote like you've never voted before. that does it for me. thanks for watching. i'll see you back tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. eastern. up next, my colleague alicia menendez picks up our news coverage. all right, thanks, reverend sharpton. hello, everyone. i'm alicia menendez