coyote, or mark caputo. i hate him for that but lacks all just says whatever he is sold told to say. he cannot color outside the lines. the democrats think that they are terrible candidates because they're showing themselves to be terrible candidates. they love for heller to win that gubernatorial primary. he's probably not going to because he's a terrible candidate. but here is what they know, chris. they see the polls, they're all close because biden's numbers are so bad. that almost anybody can win. as you use the phrase, they believe they're only saving grace is to get some of these really, crazy people who are saying crazy stuff down till june. the primaries in june. chris. if they nominate some of these people even in an adverse violent midterm low biden numbers they can win it. >> yeah, harry reid pulled a rabbit out of a hat with that once before quite famously. john rawlston, and mark caputo thank you both. >> next a new coup memo going far beyond seizing voting machines. instead outlining a plan to

mark caputo joins us on politics and the midterms including this republican strategy. kelly, you know, you can see the dilemma every day in the white house, words, actions, photo-ops. it is mixed. >> there are it is. it's quite visceral. you laid out carefully the imperative ha most americans would accept on its face of protecting the president himself from covid and at the same time how that may grate against weariness that many americans feel and the desire to have a more normal daily life. there are facts supporting the white house's view, and certainly the president also wants to be a good example of dealing with mitigation steps. and there is also a desire to get back to a place where people feel the benefits of a more normal existence. at the same time, there are political costs for all of that. and the white house is ping-ponging back and forth between things they believe they can talk about in a favorable light, progress, whether it has to do with some of the developments on more testing kits that are being sent out, more testing kits that are available in the

. >>> joining us now, senior national political reporter for nbc news mark caputo. g in the era of the so-called big lie. mark, again, the big lie, hopefully, won't age well. it doesn't look like it is going to age well when you look at some polls and different narratives that are happening throughout the country. at the same time they push it, they push it for trump, and i guess because there is a base out there that's holding on to it. >> yeah, well, what is interesting here, and my reporting showed, is that laxalt kind of publicly and the media cast doubt broadly on the statewide election system in nevada. in more intimate, semi private campaign events he is telling republicans in the rural counties of nevada, hey, look, those problems i'm describing doesn't apply to you guys, your votes are legitimate. i know you don't have faith in the system but i need you to tell your neighbors and i need you to go vote and have faith in it. on one hand laxalt is casting widespread doubts on the election, on the other hand he now feels compelled to tell his own base, hey, look