Senator ted cruz of texas. Plus, bill gates one on one. We are running the worst testing system in terms of who gets access to it of any country. On his efforts to make a vaccine available to low and middleincome countries around the world. Finally, that plot to kidnap michigans governor, gretchen whitmer. Hate groups heard the president s words not as a rebuke, but as a rallying cry, as a call to action. Does President Trump bear responsibility for encouraging hate groups . Joining me for insight and analysis are nbc news chief White House Correspondent hallie jackson, hugh hewitt, host on the salem radio network, maria teresa kumar, president of voto latino, and jake sherman, Senior Writer for politico. Welcome to sunday. Its meet the press. Announcer from nbc news in washington, the longest running show in television history, this is meet the press with chuck todd. Good sunday morning. From his first day in office, donald trump has been the shockandawe president , but its possible with three weeks until election day that mr. Trump has lost his ability to shock and awe us. And with his poll numbers slipping, what weve seen in the past week has been especially trumpi trumpian, even for President Trump. He told americans not to let the coronavirus dominate their lives after he received access to treatments most Americans Still cant get, claimed theres now a cure for covid in a lengthy appearance on Rush Limbaughs radio show, appeared on another show for a socalled virtual medical exam for a friendly fox doctor in another city, urged his attorney general to indict joe biden and president obama, successfully pressured secretary of state mike pompeo to agree to release Hillary Clinton emails, pulled out of covid relief talks, then pulled back in, and pulled out of the debate, then begged back in, then it was canceled. Are we shocked . Are we awed . Or are we shrugging our shoulders and shaking our heads . The flurry of activity has helped to put the president in political peril. In five battleground states, the 538 polling average has joe biden at 50 or higher. That includes wisconsin, michigan, and pennsylvania, the three states that put mr. Trump over the top in 2016. And when you look at the other swing states, biden is leading in every one but texas, and its remarkable that were even talking about texas, meaning that a 1980like reagan landslide is not totally out of the question. Even now, with the president cleared by his doctor to return to campaigning, his sinking poll numbers have made fellow republicans nervous about their own prospects in november. Im feeling great. I dont know about you. President trump trailing in the polls and increasingly erratic, spoke to hundreds at the white house on saturday, his first public event since being hospitalized. Were starting very, very big with our rallies. Still reeling from his faltering debate performance, isolated in the white house, the president spent the week minimizing the virus. Dont let it dominate you. Dont be afraid of it. I think this was the blessing from god that i caught it. Im telling you, we have a cure, more than just a therapeutic. We have a cure. In a 36hour conservative media blitz, mr. Trump spent two hours on the phone with Rush Limbaugh they started investigating me when i was coming down the escalator, the beautiful golden escalators. And taped what was billed as an oncamera medical examination with a fox news medical contributor. Ive been retested, and i know im at either the bottom of the scale or free. On friday, the president s top Infectious Disease expert blamed the rose garden ceremony two weeks ago for the white house outbreak. We had a superspreader event in the white house, and it with in a situation where people were crowded together and were not wearing masks. At what point do you think you contracted it, looking back . You know, i dont know. They had some big events at the white house, and perhaps there. But this week, the president appeared to blame his infection on gold star military families. They come within an inch of my face sometimes. They want to hug me and they want to kiss me. And they do. And frankly, im not telling them to back up. As his poll numbers drop, the president is searching for a political weapon, publicly pressuring the Justice Department to prosecute democrats. Unless bill barr indicts these people for crimes the greatest political crime in the history of our country then were going to get little satisfaction unless i win. And lasting out at senator Kamala Harris. This monster that was on stage with mike pence. Senate republicans hoping to change the subject see Supreme Court nomination hearings this week as their only possible lifeline. I am going to lead the charge to confirm judge amy barrett to the court. But republicans worry the Senate Majority is at risk. Senator john cornyn told the Houston Chronicle this week that trump led his guard down and got out over his skis by playing down the virus threat. And vulnerable republicans across the country are now distancing themselves. No matter who youre voting for, for president , Susan Collins has never been more important to maine. Are you proud of your support for President Trump . Well, im proud that im fighting for arizonans on things like cutting your taxes. Senator, the question was, are you proud of your support for President Trump . Im proud to be fighting for arizona every single day is that a yes or a no for President Trump . Putting legislation on President Trumps desk. Are you proud of your support for President Trump . I am proud of the work that we have done together. And joining me now is republican senator ted cruz of texas, a member, of course, of the Senate Judiciary committee and author of the new book one vote away how a single Supreme Court seat can change history. Senator cruz, congratulations on the book and welcome back to meet the press, sir. Chuck, good morning. Good to be with you. Thank you. Let me start with, youve heard a little bit of what the president did over the last week, pulling, getting out of talks with congress in covid relief, pulling back in, pulling out of the debates, trying to get back in. Its been a whirlwind, perhaps to be charitable. Do you believe the president s behavior is helping the Republican Party right its ship right now . Well, i will say, first of all, im certainly grateful that the president has recovered from covid. It was a scary several days when you had both the president and first lady diagnosed and sick. The entire country was lifting them up in prayer that they would get healthy. We need a strong president. We need a healthy president. I can tell you, in the last week ive spoken to the president twice since he came home from the hospital and on the phone he sounds strong, he sounds energetic, and im grateful that the doctors were able to treat him and that he is getting healthy. That is a very good thing. Yeah, im sorry, go ahead. As i was going to say, look, as for the rest, were less than a month out from election day. Its the wild and woolly world of politics now where both sides are taking shots at each other, and both sides are trying to turn voters out. And i guess well get the answer to that on november 3rd. You seem to sound the alarm late last week in an interview with cnbc that you were worried about a complete sweep. What is it specifically that you believe has put you in a situation where you could lose everything, the white house, the senate, down the line . Well, you know, a lot of the headlines out of that interview caught half of what i said. So, the point i made is that i think theres an incredible volatility in politics right now. The delta between possible outcomes is as wide as ive ever seen. So, i said, look, i think theres a scenario i believe President Trump can win. In fact, i think he can have a significant victory and republicans could take both houses of congress, but i also think its possible that we see a democratic sweep where they win everything and is a victory of watergate proportions. And i dont recall an election in my life with the spread, the delta between these two possible outcomes this close to an election being that wide. And chuck, i think the outcome really turns on two things. Number one, it turns on optimism. If people are optimistic and hopeful about the future, if theyre going back to work, that will be a factor in a very good election for republicans. If theyre pessimistic and depressed and hopeless, that will help the democrats. And number two, turnout. As you know, historically, we have two kinds of election persuasion elections and turnout elections. Persuasion election, youre fighting over a small band of voters in the middle who are undecided. Turnout elections, both sides are. Interesting to turn out their base. I think this is a turnout election. I think the hard left is showing up, no matter what. They hate the president. And the big, open question is, does everybody else show up . I hope that they do. Im working hard to turn everyone else out. If people turn out, it will be a good election for republicans. If people stay home, if theyre demoralized, thats how we get into a terrible election. I want to get your reaction to something that Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell said this week about the way the white house handles the virus. Take a listen. I can tell you, i havent been to the white house since august 6th, and i personally didnt feel that they were approaching the protection from this illness in the same way that i thought was appropriate for the senate. Senator cruz, i know you havent, i think, been to the white house since the middle east announcements and those peace agreements with israel. Do you share the same concern as senator mcconnell when it comes to the white house versus the United States senate . Well, look, i think the white house has put serious measures in place to keep people safe. I know for months the standing rule has been that anyone meeting with the president has to get covid tested that day. So, ive had multiple tests when ive gone over to the white house, and every person in the room has been tested. Its, frankly, the only place you go where every person in the room is tested. As you noted, the last time i went to the white house was for the announcement of the historic middle east peace deal between israel and the uae. That was on the south lawn. It was outside in chairs. And that was really a piece of history. And so, listen, any time you do anything right now in this age of pandemic, there is some risk of getting sick. Were fighting this pandemic. Were fighting it hard. But it remains a serious threat. And i think we need to continue battling the virus and doing what we can to keep people safe, but at the same time, i dont think we should shut the entire country down, close every small business, destroy peoples jobs. And so, theres a balance weve got to find, a balance that reflects common sense. I think thats where most americans are. I know its where most texans are. I want to ask you about these Judiciary Committee hearings, but first, the safety of it. Senator joni ernst from iowa, she said that she thinks its a good idea if everybody did get a test before the confirmation hearings in judiciary. As she said, look, if were going to be working in close proximity over long hours, its probably not a bad idea. Do you think it would be prudent if everybody got tested, considering, look, youre selfquarantining right now because of mike lee. Well, listen, i think all the senators are following the guidance of the attending physician at the capitol. As for me personally, as you noted, im at the tail end of a selfquarantine. I got tested. I came out negative. And im spending two weeks sitting here in my apartment in d. C. , actually, frustratingly enough, away from heidi, away from the girls. But i want to do what is reasonable and beneficial to protect the safety of others. When you look at the hearing, i mean, the senate has had about 150 hearings that have been either remote or hybrid. At this point in the age of covid, the senates gotten pretty good at this. I think most of the senators are likely to be physically present. Some may participate via virtual interaction with judge barrett. And starting tomorrow, i think were going to have a full and a fair hearing, and its going to be an opportunity to consider judge barretts qualifications. I hope it doesnt go down the road it went last time. I hope we dont see Senate Democrats turning it into a political circus like they did with justice kavanaugh. I hope we dont see the kind of personal smears, smears directed at her family, directed at her faith. If the discussions next week are about her record and her jurisprudence and fitness to be a judge, great. Thats what the senate should be doing. If it becomes personal attacks, i very much hope that the democrats refrain from doing that. Just to button, are you open to having everybody get tested before the hearing begins, though . I think we should follow the guidance of the capitol physicians. Look, one of the realities on this question and its on every question that comes up is the instant this vacancy occurred, the instant Justice Ginsburg passed away, Senate Democrats were united in saying, do not fill this vacancy, do not fill this vacancy. So, in every step, theyre arguing for whatever will delay things, and their objective is just delay beyond election day. I understand why theyre doing it. They have so, you think the call for testing is a delay tactic . I think they are looking for anything to delay things, even a day or two or three. And i think that Senate Republicans will follow the guidance, the medical guidance of the capitol physician and well go through we managed to have hearings for months in a way that has been safe and has protected everyones safety. We do it socially distanced. We do it following medical guidance and well continue following the medical guidance, but the delay tactics of the democrats arent going to work. And i think were going to see, by the way, some more procedural games and shenanigans. I dont know what theyre going to do, whether its try to boycott meetings or try to impeach the president , but i think theyre going to try to do something to delay it. Its not going to work. I believe we have the votes and i believe judge barrett on the merits is going to be confirmed and confirmed by the end of the month before election day. Senator ted cruz, republican from texas, thank you for coming on and sharing your perspective with us this morning. I appreciate it. Chuck, thank you. I appreciate it. Ive got to note briefly, the book on the Supreme Court, number one bestseller in the country on amazon. So if you want to know well, there you go. Congratulations. Whats happening at the court, its a good way to do it. You got it. You got your book plug in. Thank you, senator. And joining me now on the other side of the aisle is Senate Democratic whip dick durbin of illinois, who also sits on the Judiciary Committee. Senator durbin, welcome back to meet the press. I ended with the court with senator cruz, so lets start there. You spoke with judge barrett this week. How did your conversation go . It was a good, constructive, positive conversation. I asked her not some deep legal philosophical questions. We just chatted for a minute. And i really wanted to try to understand her experience as a person when it came to health care, because she is being sent on assignment to the Supreme Court by President Trump, and we know what that assignment is eliminate the Affordable Care act, which protects 23 million americans and be there if the president needs her on an election contest. How do i know this . Because the president makes no secret of it. He has said it over and over again. So, we discussed my experience as a father with a sick child and no Health Insurance, and we talked about what that meant to families. Setting aside the issue of the timing of the nomination, did you find that shes qualified for the job . Well, qualifications are an interesting measure. I voted against her last time because she literally had no trial experience, or very little, when she was seeking this position. In terms of whether she understands the law, of course. She has been a professor, a constitutional law professor at a law school, and thats a pretty clear indication of her background. What is the democratic tactics here . And the reason i ask that is you do have some in your partys base that would like to see you guys go after this nomination, fight this nomination hard. You have others who are looking at the election in three weeks and think, hey, dont create a situation that somehow disrupts what looks like a current trajectory for the democrats. What do you say to those of the base who worry youre not going to fight this nomination hard enough . I can tell you, the base is correct in believing that the republicans changed the rules. Four years ago, you remember very well, Mitch Mcconnell and the Senate Republicans to a person said that president obama should not fill the scalia vacancy, and that, in fact, we should wait until after the election, let the American People decide. Now they have completely reversed themselves. What we are focusing on when it comes to the democrats on the Senate Judiciary committee is a simple fact two republican senators have said theyre not going to participate in this farce. If two more join them, then its game over. Were now at a point where the American People do have the last word on the next Supreme Court justice. And take a look at the composition, the republican composition of the Senate Judiciary committee. Lets start with texas. Senator cornyn is in a very tight race for reelection. Hes also in a state where there are 1. 7 Million People who will lose their Health Insurance when Amy Coney Barrett votes to eliminate that program. Another 12 million who have preexisting conditions. Now you just go down the table there. I should have started with the chairman, lindsey graham, in the state of south carolina. He has 242,000 who will lose their insurance if Amy Coney Barrett eliminates the Affordable Care act and 2 million who have preexisting conditions. Iowa, joni ernst, 187,000 will lose their insurance. North carolina, 500,000 will lose their insurance. So, you want to know the point were going to make . Were making a point that this not only has an impact on the lives of so many innocent americans, it could impact the members of this committee. I want to play a quote for you from former Vice President joe biden on this issue of expanding the court. Let me play it and ask you about it on the other side. My Court Backing when the election is over. Now, look, the moment i answered that question, the headline in every one of your papers will be about that, other than other than focusing on whats happening now. Senator durbin, did the fact that Vice President biden used the phrase courtpacking, was that a tell of where the Vice President stands on this, that he doesnt want to see this happen . Well, i can tell you that were getting this question. Its a common question that you ask, because the American People have watched the republicans packing the court over the last 3 1 2 years, and they brag about it. Theyve taken every vacancy and filled it. Did you know that theyve sent us and we have approved only with their votes, i might add, ten people who have been judged unanimously unqualified by the American Bar Association . Do you know how many judicial nominees came from obama who were judged unanimously unqualified . None. So, we are dealing with people on the court, packed into the court, with little or no qualification, who are going to be there for a long time. So, its understandable. The republicans raised the issue of courtpacking. Senator, the lack of answering this question sounds like, as if the democrats are trying to game the results here and just trying to see what happens, and that in some ways it may be that it comes across as a negotiating tool with trying to maybe convince a handful of Senate Republicans to delay these confirmation hearings. Is that what this is . Is this a negotiating ploy . It is not a negotiating ploy. We are dealing with the reality. A lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land. Mcconnell has changed the rules for the republican senators. We are running this through at a breakneck pace without the investigation that usually comes with these. And those are the issues. And what were trying to drive home to the American People is this makes a difference in your life as to whether or not you have Health Insurance, whether or not with a preexisting condition you can afford Health Insurance. And we believe that once the Republican Voters across this country wake up to the reality of the strategy, many will say to their senators, listen, this is not what we bargained for. We may be conservative, but were not crazy. Our family needs Health Insurance protection. And when i hear ted cruz say it really hinges on optimism, i dont know what polls hes looking at, but the ones i look at say three out of four americans say this countrys moving in the wrong direction. Two out of three say its going to get worse. And why wouldnt they, with the antics of the president , these superspreader balcony scenes at the white house, dismissing the dangerous nature of this virus, saying that hes had a miracle cure but wont release the results of his testing . I mean, its understandable that people are skeptical of the republican message and are fearful of whats going to happen if this Supreme Court nominee goes through and threatens their very Health Insurance. Quickly, i want to ask about Cal Cunningham, the democratic nominee for south carolina, a state you brought up just now, earlier in the conversation. Hes dealing with some allegations of an extramarital affair, some texts that came out. Are you comfortable the way hes handled this . Do you think he needs to provide further clarification . I havent followed it that closely, other than the headlines in washington papers and chicago papers. I think he has admitted wrongdoing, apologized for it, and the campaign continues. I dont know the impact on voters in north carolina. They make the final judgment. But hes not been evasive when it was brought to light and hes faced it squarely. I think at this point thats the best he can do. Senator dick durbin, democrat from illinois, thank you for coming on and sharing your perspective with us. Appreciate it. Thanks, chuck. Very few saw the 1980 reagan landslide coming before election night. Could another one be brewing right under our noses . Could another one be brewing right under our noses . Welcome back. The panel is with us. Nbc news chief White House Correspondent hallie jackson, hugh hewitt with the salem radio network, maria teresa kumar, and jake sherman, Senior Writer for politico. Look, i want to set up the conversation with peggy noonan and what she wrote. It was a very elegant way of trying to write about the current state of politics. No one will talk about it in public because theyre not idiots. Journalists dont want to be embarrassed if theyve got it wrong. Democrats dont want to encourage complacency. Republicans dont want to demoralize the troops. And the networks have to keep everyone hopped up on the horse race. I will take a small offense to the last part of that comment. But jake sherman, you know, is this the thing that everybodys whispering about on capitol hill and around washington, as far as youre concerned as well these days . Yes. I mean, if you look across the board, polls have donald trump this morning down 12 points, losing almost every state in the midwest. Ive talked to people in the last couple days and ill write this the next couple days, republicans are going to lose seats in the house of representatives, are at risk of obviously losing their Senate Majority. So, yes, absolutely. I think its undoubtedly true that republicans at this point and this clip might become famous if im wrong are in a really tough spot. Hallie jackson, how selfaware well, trust me let me ask it this way. How selfaware of this Current Situation are the people around the president . So, thats a good question, chuck, as far as the distinction between the president and then the people around him. And i would say this, there is an acknowledgement that the public polling is not obviously going their way. I still hear things from folks close, around the campaign, about how internal polls show them doing better. There is a sense that people who were around the president four years ago in 2016 saw the polls maybe not moving in their direction then. Obviously, it was a lot different of a landscape in 2016, but there is, from some of these folks, this sort of underdog, fighter sense that they have lingering from the last four years. I will also say this, chuck. For the president himself, i think he knows that if there is a way for him to change some of this, right, to change the slide that he seems to be on, its by getting out, getting out and doing rallies, talking to people, being out there. His Coronavirus Diagnosis means he has not been able to do that. And i can tell you that based on sources ive talked to this weekend, he is climbing the walls to be able to get out of the white house compound. Hes in this sort of mode, as one person put it, where hes in his, you know, nobodys listening to me, im right and everybody else is wrong kind of attitude, where he feels like he wants to be flexing his muscles, getting out, dictating some of these things. The challenge, of course, is that he has a team of people around him who are trying to channel some of that energy, if you will, into a way that could be potentially productive, and theres a real question mark of whether the president is willing to go along with those things or not right now. The bottom line is hes got rallies set up monday, tuesday, wednesday, in various key battleground states, florida, pennsylvania, for example. To him, thats whats going to make the difference. Hugh hewitt, are we in october 1996 territory . Heres ken spain, a republican strategist who said on friday six months ago, republicans were hoping that wed be talking about senate races in colorado, arizona and maine. Instead, there is concern of the potential outcomes in states like south carolina, georgia, and kansas. The point being, it was about this time in october of 96 when the word went out, its every republican for themselves, dont worry about bob dole anymore. How close are Senate Republicans to that mindset . A week ago, they were very close to that, chuck, but not this has been a week of enormous relief. Ive interviewed a dozen republican senators, and the Vice President ial debate really turned it around for a lot of republicans, as did the president s sort of powerful energy on conservative media, getting back out there. Theyre not afraid theyre going to be out of the picture, generating base enthusiasm. I remember 96, when jack kemp just got completely creamed by al gore in the Vice President ial debate. Well, this time, Vice President pence played direct to pennsylvania on fracking, direct to pennsylvania on the Supreme Court. So, i think across the senate map, i believe the president is down in double digits but closing nationally. But across the senate map, this was a very good week. And thats not even counting the Cal Cunningham collapse in north carolina. Maria teresa kumar, i will say this, i was surprised at the lack of enthusiasm that i heard from ted cruz about the president s political standing. Well, he said that he is expecting a blood bath, right . And i think that thats exactly why you have individuals now saying, shoot, we basically gave our Republican Party over to donald trump, and he has such an outsized figure, our destiny is intertwined. You showed a clip of mcsally. She couldnt distance herself from the president because she knows if she denounces him, all of a sudden she is also on his bad list. But the people of arizona also recognize that she is not the person that is going to get them out of this rut. When you look at the polls and you see that 79 of individuals are fearful for this election, its not that theyre feelful of covid or health care or the environment, theyre fearful of the person at the top of the white house making these decisions. This is going to be an election where folks are going to be going out because theyre fearful, and theyre fearful about their safety. And what Kamala Harris did so brilliantly during the Vice President ial debates was that she was talking to suburban white women, saying, your life does not have to be this way. Youre right now feeling insecure. Come back to the Democratic Party like you did during the 2018 election. And thats who she needed to win over, and i think she did an excellent job. Maria teresa, you provided a good segue of a graphic i want to put up here, this issue of whos hopeful and whos fearful. This was fascinating in pew. Your feelings on the state of the country. And they asked a general question are you fearful or are you hopeful . What was interesting is while a majority of the country said theyre fearful, bidens supporters, hallie jackson, were more likely to be fearful. 79 of bidens supporters called themselves fearful. Trumps supporters called themselves hopeful, 64 . I will say this, fear motivates. The Trump Supporters were more fearful four years ago, and that worked. And youre starting to see that. And im struck by something that senator cruz said, jeff, that hes been talking about, which is this idea that if fear does motivate, its an an acknowledgment that the democrats would likely do better. And its because of the poll numbers youre talking about, chuck. You see republicans trying to take that and spin it as reps are painting a dark message to motivate people to come to the polls. In reality, some of the language and rhetoric from President Trump, what hes been run aug oh, my gosh so far has been this message of law and order, which his supporters appreciate. Critics say, listen, yourerying to scare, for example, suburban women and some of the key constituencies with the language and picture youre painting. I think that will be critical over the next couple weeks. I will say this, the political landscape, if it is a fearful landscape, we know that that usually is a greater motivator. Im going to pause the conversation there. When we come back, how likely is it that we will have a Covid Vaccine soon, and who will get it . Coming up, my interview with bill gates and his work to get a vaccine available and distribute it to people, no matter their income, all over the world. O pe income, all over the world the ups and downs of frequent mood swings can take you to deep, depressive lows. Or, give you unusually high energy, even when depressed. Overwhelmed by bipolar i . Ask about vraylar. Some medicines only treat the lows or highs. Vraylar effectively treats depression, acute manic and mixed episodes of bipolar i in adults. Fullspectrum relief for all bipolar i symptoms, with just one pill, once a day. Elderly patients with dementiarelated psychosis have an increased risk of death or stroke. Call your doctor about unusual changes in behavior or suicidal thoughts. Antidepressants can increase these in children and young adults. Report fever, stiff muscles, or confusion, which may mean a lifethreatening reaction, or uncontrollable muscle movements, which may be permanent. Side effects may not appear for several weeks. High cholesterol and weight gain, high blood sugar, which can lead to coma or death, may occur. Movement dysfunction, sleepiness, and stomach issues are common side effects. When bipolar i overwhelms, vraylar helps smooth the ups and downs. Welcome back. Despite what President Trump claimed on friday, there is no cure, nor is there a vaccine for the coronavirus, at least not yet. But when a vaccine becomes available, bill gates will be ready. The Gates Foundation has committed some 350 million to support the Global Response to covid19. Much of that money is being spent to purchase and distribute a vaccine to low and middleincome countries around the world. And bill gates joins me now from seattle. Mr. Gates, welcome to meet the press. Thank you. I want to start with those comments from the president about the treatment he received, because these monoclonal antibodies, he has called this cocktail that he got, this experimental cocktail he got, he has called it a cure. Now, this is something youve been talking about, too, as well. And i think the foundation has supported research on this. Could this become the leading therapeutic for the coronavirus as we go forward . Yeah, the word cure is inappropriate because it wont work for everyone. But yes, of all the therapeutics, this is the most promising. And so, weve been working with the companies doing antibodies. We reserved factory capacity all the way back in the spring. And now were partnered with eli lilly, who, with regeneron, has been the fastest to get these antibodies ready. They could reduce the death rate quite a bit. So far, we only have dexamethasone, which we founded a uk trial that helped with that. And so, adding this to the tools would be a great thing. Whats realistic about getting access to this for hundreds of thousands of people that may need it . Right now, the president is the president , so hes got some hes got access to this experimental treatment. How quickly could this be distributed around the country . Well, very, very few people have had it because its not approved, and the manufacturing is just ramping up. Now, the pharmaceutical companies are working with each other, sharing capacity, very focused on this. Its a very impressive story, just like on the vaccine side. A little bit you dont want politicians saying something should be approved, because its wrong to think of political pressures needing to be, or appropriate in these cases. I hope the fda, you know, can take the data, which is looking quite good, and get these out, you know, in the next few months, because we have so little to save lives. And you know, were going back up to record levels of deaths here in the fall. Lets move to the vaccine. We know theres a lot of vaccine candidates out there. What is from where youre perched, where are we on this progress, and when do you expect to see the first one that can be used for, say, elderly and those First Responders . Yeah, its very impressive how the pharmaceutical industry has diverted resources, gotten involved. The u. S. Government this is one category weve actually done a decent job has funded the research here. And so, i think its likely by early next year that several of these vaccines will get that emergency use authorization. I want to end our conversation going back to the pandemic and the overall response. You know, its interesting. For the first time in its 208year history, the new england journal of medicine took a stance on the u. S. President ial election. They didnt name the president himself, but heres what the editor wroez the federal government has largely abandoned Disease Control to the states. Instead of relying on expertise, the administration has turned to uninformed opinion leaders and charlatans who obscure the truth and facilitate the promulgation of outright laws. We should not abet them and enable the deaths of thousands more americans by allowing them to keep their jobs. Let me ask you this can we do a reset in our response, or is it too late . Well, there are lots of additional deaths coming if we dont get our act together. The fact that the testing results dont come back within 24 hours we reimburse for these worthless things. We are running the worst testing system in terms of who gets access to it of any country. And so, yes, thats not that hard to fix. You do have to admit that you havent done a good job and make some straightforward changes in that case, just the way the reimbursement is done is crazy. So, there is an ability to, in terms of leadership that helps with the right behaviors to protect people. We can still do a lot better. Other than funding research, we fall very low in terms of how the quality of our response, which is the opposite of what you would have expected. Right. And so, there will be a lot of work in the postmortem. Why didnt we Pay Attention to the warnings . Why did we destaff the positions that would have worked in these areas . But you know, just trying to assess blame is not what the focus should be now. The focus should be now is get the diagnostics right, dont have say that the fda is being pressured to do something so that their integrity is clear cut, and then on the vaccine front, get it to everyone with the right message, including get it to the world so that the disease isnt constantly coming back in to our country. I guess the question is, is that do you fear that the mass debate has basically been lost . The state of florida, the governor is telling the nfl teams, go ahead and fill your stadiums to capacity, its okay. Theres no mask mandate, no anything. Now, the football teams have decided not to do this, mr. Gates. But this is the rules there. If this is where we are, is it basically mean that the vaccine is our only hope of getting back to normal . Yeah, well, society should be able to have things like schooling that get a priority versus certain more entertainmentrelated things, and i guess, you know, politicians will show what their value system is there. The only way well get completely back to normal is by having, maybe not the firstgeneration vaccines, but eventually a vaccine that is super effective and that a lot of the people take and that we get the disease eliminated on a global basis. That is where we can finally start taking all of the problems that have been created in education, mental health, and start to build back in a positive way. Bill gates, obviously, founder of microsoft, one of the biggest philanthropists around the world these days. Thanks for coming on and sharing your perspective with us, sir. I appreciate it. Great to talk to you. And when we come back, what to watch for on election night. A whole lot more than the white house could wind up changing hands. Stay with us. E could wind up chg hands. Stay with us robinhood believes now is the time to do money. Without 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. Welcome back. Data download time. As joe bidens lead hits double digits nationally, a lot of republicans are wondering what that could mean for them downballot, and not just in the house and senate. There are 86 legislative chambers in 44 states this year that is also on the ballot. And in a census year, democrats can take away the gops huge advantage when it comes to redistricting. So, how likely is it that democrats could flip some of these state legislative chambers . First, lets look at three highly competitive states that have been controlled by republicans for a decade. In all three, republicans are in danger of losing their majorities, especially with joe biden ahead in the 538 polling average in michigan and north carolina, and hes also up by a point now in iowa. Then theres texas. Republicans have held the lonestar state for almost two decades. The texlsion house was last controlled by democrats in 2002. Winning it back would be a steep climb. They need to flip nine seats, but texas looks likes a trump biden swing state now and that could lead to the white house. The Florida State senate was last controlled by democrats in 1994, last century. They would need a net gain of four seats to win it back. Florida of course is always neck and neck at the president yard line level. Joe biden right now is up four points in the averages. Lastly, arizona. The last time democrats had control of the statehouse there was 1966 but they only need to gain two seats for a flip in a state thats clearly trending blue. To be clear, it would take a blue tsunami for democrats to succeed in all of these states, but with less than a month until election day, a lot of signs suggest there may be real potential downballot problems for republicans, and with redistricting on the line, these legislative elections will help determine congress for the next decade. When we come back, that plot to kidnap michigans governor, gretchen whitmer, and what it says about our politics today. Says about our politics today. Beautiful. But support the leg when i started cobra kai, the lack of control over my business made me a little intense. But now i practice a different philosophy. Quickbooks helps me get paid, manage cash flow, and run payroll. And now im back on top. With koala kai. Hey more mercy. Save over 30 hours a month with intuit quickbooks. The easy way to a happier business. Can take you to deep, depressive lows. Or, give you unusually high energy, even when depressed. Overwhelmed by bipolar i . Ask about vraylar. Some medicines only treat the lows or highs. Vraylar effectively treats depression, acute manic and mixed episodes of bipolar i in adults. Fullspectrum relief for all bipolar i symptoms, with just one pill, once a day. Elderly patients with dementiarelated psychosis have an increased risk of death or stroke. Call your doctor about unusual changes in behavior or suicidal thoughts. Antidepressants can increase these in children and young adults. Report fever, stiff muscles, or confusion, which may mean a lifethreatening reaction, or uncontrollable muscle movements, which may be permanent. Side effects may not appear for several weeks. High cholesterol and weight gain, high blood sugar, which can lead to coma or death, may occur. Movement dysfunction, sleepiness, and stomach issues are common side effects. When bipolar i overwhelms, vraylar helps smooth the ups and downs. Hate groups heard the president s words not as a rebuke, but as a rallying cry, as a call to action. When our leaders meet with, encourage, or fraternize with domestic terrorists, they legitimize their actions, and they are complicit. When they stoke and contribute to hate speech, they are complicit. That was Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer after the news of the arrest of 13 separate individuals charged with either state or federal crimes, basically, in a collusion, in an attempt that they wanted to kidnap the governor, and apparently, put her on trial. The president responded to Governor Whitmers remarks on twitter, saying, Governor Whitmer of michigan has done a terrible job. Rather than say thank you, she calls me a white supremacist. Governor whitmer, open up your state, open up your schools and open up your churches. Maria teresa kumar, this was a frightening event, and im struck at how partisan the response already is. Well, you have a president of the United States, when asked on Public Television during a debate whether or not he would denounce the proud boys, a white supremacist organization, he not only said that he told them to stand by and stand back thats not a clear denunciation of White Supremacy. When you look at what he was saying and tweeting against the governor back in april because of what she was encouraging the state of michigan to be safe, these individuals got politicized by his tweets, and they started mobilizing and doing a plot. But this is what was really interesting. When you see why they what finally triggered them was the head of the plot decided that he couldnt get into his gym, and he was fed up. Talk about incredible privilege of why he was deciding to do this. And this is where the president cant even denounce even there that this was happening. What Governor Whitmer did was say thank you to the Law Enforcement. And when were headed into this election, chuck, this is what concerns me. Im part of a nonpartisan National Election crisis task force. In my 20 years of working in politics, weve never had to convene such a thing. Michael chertoff is part of this task force. Norm ornstein is part of this task force. And our biggest concern is that will Law Enforcement have enough support to ensure that during this election season that were currently in, that they can appropriately thwart these kinds of attempts that were going to see . And the only way that we can ensure that that is true is if the president right now starts denouncing that potential chaos. Hugh hewitt, the president s decision to go on the attack on Governor Whitmer, not denounce this terrorist threat against her, big political mistake by him . No, i dont think so. I think theyre terrorists, and i think weve got to be very clear that they dont define political speech in michigan any more than the people who Assault Police define the people seeking police reform. Theyre terrorists. Theyre mcveighlevel, dangerous terrorists, and im glad the fbi did their job, but it ought not to put off limits any criticism of the governors approach to the virus or any praise of the governors approach to the virus. I think the president s going to play hard, hard, energetic, political, mainstream tactics from here until the end. I think hes going to seize on the Supreme Court. I think hes going to seize on courtpacking not being answered. I wrote about it in the post this morning. But i dont think he has to respond to every allegation from everyone in every situation. But hallie jackson, heres what struck me about this. You would assume the president had been told about this in his pdb. This is not something you would keep from the president. The president had to have known about this, probably for weeks, and he didnt even there was no thought of calling her up, no thought of doing Something Like that. I mean, it just it seemed a very intentional decision that he wanted no part of this. And then when it got when he didnt like what he heard, he went on the attack. Well, but chuck, thats also part of a pattern from what weve seen from the president in instances like this before. Now, you have to remember, he is somebody and this is what i hear all the time from people around the white house, in the white house, on the campaign that the president has denounced White Supremacy in the past. That is technically accurate. He certainly has done that. At the same time he has done that, when he has come under immense political pressure to do so. It is not something that in the past he has easily volunteered, and that is where critics are especially concerned about the president s rhetoric, his language on this. You have to remember, too, chuck, that oftentimes, the president will say he doesnt know about something until it is sort of the main headline that hes getting pummeled with questions about. And i think, too, what happened recently with the situation of the qanon conspiracy theory, for example, the proud boys, the president sort of says, well, im not super clear on what that is, even though the expectation is and the presumption is from people who understand these sorts of National Security threats because hugh is right, this is terrorism that happened that the president would have been briefed about those things, chuck. Jake, on capitol hill, i just was surprised there wasnt sort of more bipartisan concern, more bipartisan sort of calls to, wow, weve really this has gotten out of whack. There seems to be a lot of muted responses, particularly on the right. Yeah, thats right, missed opportunity, right . Because the story could have been very easily that this was a terrorist group that had plotted to kidnap and harm the governor of michigan. Instead, its a story, a multiday story here on a sunday about the lack of response from the president of the United States, not saying, you know, praising the Law Enforcement and saying its a horrible thing thats happened, but instead, attacking the governor. And on capitol hill, theres the same kind of tone. So, i just its an unforced error by republicans to not just go out and say that immediately and then move on from this awful instance. Is it the same reason, jake, they just dont want to get on the wrong side of the president . I think thats probably right. I think its just very tribal, right, chuck . Its a very tribal kind of response. Nope, and theres certainly we hear it sometimes a lot on this show, anyway. Thank you all. I really appreciate it. Before we go, i want to let you know about a special Chuck Toddcast we have going, florida, florida, florida, a fivepart serious on the bush gore recount and why that crisis is still relevant today and could be after november 3rd. It is available wherever you get your podcasts. Subsequent episodes will be released later this week. Thats all for today. Thank you for watching this early hour. Well be back next week at our normal time, because if its sunday, its meet the press. And that is how President Trump will make the economy better, by making it worse. Im sorry to interrupt, Vice President pence. Theres a war on police in this country . I couldnt agree more. No, no, theres a um, theres a giant lack of respect for militias . Youre darn right. No. Senator harris, help me out. Oh, no, im good. Lookin real good, mike keep it up snls take on the Vice President ial debate, as President Trump declaring himself cured and immune from covid19 ramps up h