Phones protects the victims and the police so we can see what happened with our own eyes. Now we must see what happens when we take those videos to court. Seeking justice. We continue to fight. Thanks for watching. Al sharpton. Hardball starts right now. Taking charge. This is hardball. Good evening. In washington, president obama has just taken charge of the global fight against ebola. Weve got all the bases covered tonight with craig melvin in dallas, tom costello and Kristin Welker at the white house where the commander in chief has issued orders to contain a Health Danger that he said threatens to become a global catastrophe if not killed at its
source. Our goal here tonight, give you what you need to know in protecting yourself against ebola which has just today captured its second american victim here in the u. S. President obama canceled a planned fundraising trip to new jersey and a rally in connecticut to meet with cabinet officials coordinating the response. In light of this second case, i thought it was very important for me to bring together our team. What weve been doing here today is reviewing exactly what we know about what is happening in dallas and how were going to make sure that Something Like this is not repeated. And that we are monitoring, assume vising, overseeing in a much more aggressive way exactly what is taking place in dallas initially and making sure the Lessons Learned are then transmid to hospitals and clinics across the country. If we do these protocols properly, if we follow the steps, if we get the information out, then the likelihood of
widespread Ebola Outbreak in this country are very, very low. Thats the president late today in the white house. Craig melvin is in dallas. How did this nurse get it . Get ebola . How did it happen . Do we know yet . We would like to know how it cannot be repeated again. We dont know exactly. What we do know is that 29yearold amber vinson came in contact with Thomas Eric Duncan very early on. The 28th or 29th, the 30th programs. She reportedly among other things in terms of her treatment, inserted catheters, drew blood and dealt with duncans body fluids. So presumably it was one of those three ways. We did hear earlier from the cdc chief that here at texas presbyterian, before they knew duncan had ebola, proper protocols were not in place. No protocols in place depending on who you ask. He mention that had there were Health Care Workers that had skin exposed. He mention that had some of these Health Care Workers were putting on several layers of protective clothing instead of just the one which made it more difficult to get off which increased their chances of exposure. So we dont know how she got it but we have a pretty good idea. You mentioned amber vinson, the Second Hospital worker here to contract ebola. We also know that she took a flight. She took a night from here to cleveland, from cleveland back here. The head of the cdc saying today, that is not something that should have happened. She had an elevated temperature. She was taking her own temperature. Her temperature was 99. 5. Not a fever but again, an elevated temperature. And the cdc saying today that she should not have been allowed to travel by virtue of the fact that she was in an exposed group. So today we heard some new
rules. An edikt that from here on out, folks exposed would not be allowed to get on an aircraft. And he is working with local legal officials to establish prohibiting people who have been monitored from using public transportation. From getting on airplanes, also perhaps even going to football stadiums, going to places where there would be large gatherings. This is something he mentioned this afternoon. Something he is working to do right now. Well, thank you very much. Craig melvin in dallas. Were moving around now. Health officials said that amber vinson, the newest victim, left dallas, flew to cleveland to visit family members. Then monday night she got on a plane and returned to dallas. At that time she had a slightly elevated fever in the second flight. On Tuesday Morning she reported to the hospital with an elevated
fever. Hours later she was diagnosed with wool. The cdc insists the risk is extremely low but the cdc is working to track down all those passengers. Nbcs tom costello is at Reagan National airport. This is what the nonconnect is for me. I hope everybody is doing their best here. If it is so hard to get this stuff, ebola, how do people have to worry about their necks being covered . If you only touch it, how can the neck exposure allow you to be enough to contract the disease . And the other thing is when you get on a plane, dont worry if the woman sitting next to you has ebola, you cannot get it. Yet there they are at the cdc tracking down every person. Is it easy to catch or hard to catch . Lets break down just the situation involving the plane. 132 passengers. This is out of an bundleance of caution that they are trying to alert everybody on the plane. They would like to know they
were on the plane in which somebody who later was proven to have ebola was also on the plane. Keep in mind they did the same thing when Thomas Duncan flew into the United States on that United Airlines plane from brussel. The cdc reached out to the passengers on the plane as a courtesy and out of an abundance of caution. They underscore, and we should too, that it is very, very, very difficult to contract this disease if you dont have contact with bodily fluids and there is no suggestion whatsoever that this nurse who was on the flight from cleveland to dallas was in any way symptomatic other, than a low grade fever. What does that mean . It means it was below the threshold of the fever that is on the cdc check point watch list. So even below that level. She was at 99. 5. Still, they are vising people on that plane. Here is what happened and you should be watching for symptoms just out of an abundance of caution. But everybody that i talked to
thinks it is highly unlikely that anybody would be symptomatic from that plane. How do you contract it . Bodily could not tack with bodily fluids. There is some suggestion that maybe it can seep through the skin but most people think you have to have to ingest in it in way. Through your eye, your mouth, if you were to inhale a particle of blood or vomit or other bodily fluids, you can use your imagination, the concern is that that in and of itself might translate into ebola. Again, im going to say the one last time. Nobody believes those people on that plane are in any risk. But out of an abundance of caution. How do we know who has it . The first symptoms of headache. Somebody is on a plane, they ask for ibuprofen or bayer aspirin. How do you know somebody coughing on a plane doesnt just have the flu . Were in flu season. You dont. Thats where this conversation
is going. Today we heard the former u. S. Surgeon general under president bush saying, we need to have a serious discussion about whether we ban those flights coming in from west africa. He is not advocating for that. He says we cannot take it off the table. It is time to have the conversation. What are the pluses and the minuses . What if you get on a plane from west africa. Lets say youre going on brussels or the United States. It is a long flight. A long series of flights. What if you board the flight and youre not sick but you are sick by the time you come into jfk or washington dulles . I dont know about you. Ive been on planes where i started out overseas feeling fine pitch the time got here, i was feeling kind of sick because i was sitting next to someone who was symptomatic. Do you know how it smells clear when you get off a plane after a long flight . Youre all sharing the same air and it is pretty beaten up air by the time you get off that plane. I wonder if the symptoms show up in flight, the people races from
their seats . What will happen in that situation . This is all part of the conversation. This is why there is some discussion about whether this is time to revisit this. I do need to clear this up. This is one of those common misconceptions. We hear it all the time were rebreathing the air. The air is recycled about every 90 seconds. It is being sucked into the cabin through engines. It is clean air from the outside. And it goes through hepa filters and pushed back out again. It is not like were sitting each others air for the entire plane ride. Why does it seem like that . Well, probably because the guy next to you, he has a bad sandwich or his shoes off or whatever. A little humor. Nbc White House CorrespondentKristen Welker joins us now. Thank you for joining us. You know the political situation the president is in. It was impressive. Twothirds of the American People are asking right now for to us shut down air traffic from west africa. Even donald trump was only one. Is it on the table . Speaker boehner said it should be considered late this afternoon. Chris, i think thats where this conversation is going. You have more and more lawmakers on capitol hill calling for a travel ban. The white house insisting they will not put a travel ban into effect. It is not part of conversation. Im told it is not part of the conversation. They say because ultimately it could hamp they are administrations ability, other countries ability to fight ebola at its root, which is in west africa. The United States has sent about 3,600 forces to try to deal with the ebola crisis and to prevent it from coming to the United States. Thats the reasoning. I think youre right. Today we saw more and more lawmakers every hour almost come out and say why arent we
considering this travel ban . At this point the white house says theyre not going to do it. We were used to during our wars in iraq, ill considered or not. We had one leader. General David Petraeus. Who is the David Petraeus of this fight against ebola . That is a great question. Lisa monaco has been named as the point person. She is the adviser from homeland security. We havent heard from her for several days. Instead you saw Sylvia Matthews bur well talking about this. Tom frieden has been out front answering reporters questions. So we have been trying to get that same answer from the white house. Who specifically is in charge . Earlier today during White House Press briefing, i can tell that you josh earnest got a lot of questions about who is in charge. He deflected the questions saying li
saying. Then it always stops with the president. In term. Having a czar, that hasnt happened yet either. At this point in time the administration saying lisa monaco is the point person but i think there is some public confusion. Were hearing so many voices on this from the administration. Thats part of why you heard from the president today. I think he made himself the commanderinchief on this issue. He hasnt named someone else in particular. I think it is him. The way he spoke, youve heard him many times. He seem to take the responsibility on himself. Thank you for joining us. Lets go to regina benjamin, a former Surgeon General herself of the United States. Do we need a Surgeon General . Someone the American People can look to like yourself. A True Authority figure rather than this dispersal of authority among the hhs and the white house and the cdc itself. We always need a Surgeon General and we always need a confirmed Surgeon General. So yes, the answer is yes. As a Surgeon General can speak
from the perspective of americas doctor. From that perspective, can cut through all the noise. Give a trusted voice to everything youre hearing in a way that American People can understand it. And they know that theyre hearing from americas doctor. What is your sense . It was ill considered on the president s part to say it was unlikely would it get to the United States. It was brought here by a person who had it. And the two nurses have picked it up. It is growing incremeemeterily. We have another incident as of today. Public health is a discipline or a specialty within medicine. It looks as population health. The answer to all our questions is prevention. Prevention is the way to go. When we identify a outbreak such as ebola, you figure out where it starts. Where the case is. Isolate and it then make sure it doesnt spread anymore. Thats what were trying to do. The administration is doing well. Dr. Frieden has been trying to explain that concept really well but theres. So to it. The other part is what we as the American People can do ourselves to hem ourselves. As the physician, i tell my patients in the clinic every day, take your flu shot. Its flu season. Take it and make sure that you have as much immunization and your immune system is as strong as it can be. Exercise, eat well, be prepared for anything. Because right now, the symptoms are very similar so it can be confusing. A lot more people will die of flu than ebola, dont you think . It is very dangerous. Flu is very dangerous. But ebola is very frightening. Sure is. Thank you for joining us. Well be following the ebola story throughout this hour. Coming up, the democrats ultimately plan to circle the wagons. A little triage for the political people. They have a plan, it seems, to keep control of the oz. The democrats have pulled the money but they havent pulled the flag. Hillary Rodham Clinton is in kentucky and well there be to listen to her. [ female announcer ] you get sick, you cant breathe through your nose. Suddenly youre a mouth breather. A mouth breather how do you sleep like that . You dry up, your cold feels even worse. Well, put on a breathe right strip and shut your mouth. Cold medicines open your nose over time, but add a breathe right strip, and pow
it instantly opens your nose up to 38 more so you can breathe and do the one thing you want to do. Sleep. Add breathe right to your cold medicine. Shut your mouth and sleep right. Breathe right. A hi. Ty . Add breathe right to your cold medicine. Im new ensure active clear protein drink. Clear huh . My nutritional standards are high. Im not juice or fancy water. Ive got 8 grams of protein. Twist my lid thats three times more than me. 17 vitamins and minerals. And zero fat hmmmm. You bring a lot to the party yay new ensure active clear protein. 8 grams protein. Zero fat. 17 vitamins and minerals. In delicious blueberry pomegranate and mixed fruit. Could mean less waiting for things like security backups and file downloads youd take that test, right . What are you waiting for . You could literally be done with the test by now. Now you could have done it twice. This is awkward. Go to comcastbusiness. Com checkyourspeed. If we cant offer faster speeds or save you money well give you 150. Comcast business. Built for business. Welcome back. Democrats are circling the wagons like in the old cowboy movies and Hillary Clinton hits the campaign trail in kentucky
where democrats are running short on time. If they want to pull off a big upset against Mitch Mcconnell. The nationwide battle for the senate is likely going to come down to five key races where democrats desperately need to win. Im calling on the big five. We think this is the democrat strategy based on our conversations. The polling out there and some calculations. It starts with North Carolina. Got to win there. New hampshire, got to beat scott brown. Theyre in pretty good shape and both, senators kay hagan looking good. Then they have to lock down other states. Just by a few points. Throws the big five as i see it. And heres how we got to the point they need those big five. Republicans are on pace to pick up West Virginia and montana. They have chances in south dakota, arkansas, louisiana. Thats five of the six they need. They only need one more. Which means democrats to have sweep those big five. But republicans have to hole on to incumbents, georgia, kentucky and kansas. Lets dive in. The one guy on for the show. One of the young tigers here. The senior political reporter. Thank you for nbc. The idea at some point in a campaign you stop bsing. You. You decide where you have to win and they can do it but it means drawing a straight. They have to win a lot of states that look pretty tough. Thats true. Kentucky where i think Allison Grimes still has the outside shot has never been on senator harry reids list. Hes in charge of this for the democrats. He has the job and he has the money and he has the instrument at. The machinery out there to do this. What harry reid said to a few of
us a few weeks back said, this is going to be about the ground game more than ever before. We wont spend proportionately. Well spend on it paid staffers and ground game in the states. Because . Because the airwaves have canceled themselves out. He said you get less bang for the buck. And this is a low turnout election. We need to cherry pick everyone of our people and get them to the polls. This started in new orleans. Polling operations. In those key states that you mentioned, keep an eye on georgia also the republican has stepped it into big time. Thats the one case the democrats are paying offense. The others are the circling the wagon exercises that youre talking about. I think, i look at states like colorado and iowa. Right there. And they have to win them. It is a tough year. I cant speak for the great tim russert but i think he would be hear. Iowa. I just feel that. Theres Something Weird about how it always seems to go back to that. I think kentucky, arkansas, you will see less spinning by democrats there. Theyll be going away. We have to mentio