you're watching cnn tonight. i'm don lemon. 29 days. can you believe it? until election day. we are following multiple breaking news stories that could impact the way you cast your vote. president trump back at the white house tonight after spending three days at walter reed being treated for covid-19. even though his own doctors warned he is not out of the woods yet. this president making a big show of taking off his mask as he enters the white house where he walked around maskless shooting retakes of twitter videos.

hard at work tonight right? as more than 20 states reporting an increase in new cases. as the u.s. death toll from covid-19 surpasses 210,000. 210,000 dead americans. cnn's white house correspondent is john harwood and he joins me now. our medical analyst is dr. jonathan reiner. he is here as well. david axelrod former senior adviser to president obama and frank gruny columnist for the "new york times" all join me. good evening one and all. john, first up. once again everything we heard from the president about his understanding of the virus better was all a complete farce. the entire thing is a farce. and now a man who is actively infected with the deadly virus has left the hospital, returned to the white house without proper precautions. a complete and utter total dereliction of duty.

now what? >> well a couple things, don. we'll watch over the next few days to see the course of is disease. if he was only infected a few days ago he has a significant course of danger left. the doctor has shown to be not credible over the last few days. we have to assume the president does have pneumonia. if he was infected a week earlier then maybe he, his odds are better. dr. reiner can speak to that. second thing we have to do is monitor the trail of wreckage around the president. so many people associated with him now, campaign manager, press secretary, multiple republican senators, debate adviser chris christie, have now come down with coronavirus. see what happens to them and how many more are added to that list. and the third thing is to see whether there is any political effect of the situation. i know the president was hoping

for a triumphant video and they immediately tweeted out the president walking up the stairs pumping his fifth but the more likely scenario given how his poll numbers have been going backward lately is people will look at the supreme court event and people don't want that nomination rushed and to have that event turn into a super spreader event that sort of merges two things the public doesn't like about donald trump and help explain why he may be making his political problems worse rather than better. >> dr. reiner, the threat of the president infecting others is still something that is very real. his own doctor said this about it yesterday. >> why is the president not wearing a mask in the videos? >> well, the president wears a mask any time he's around us and we're all wearing our n95s, full ppe. he's the patient. and when we can, when he'll move

out into -- move him out and about other people that aren't in full ppe i assure you as long as he is still under my care we'll talk about him wearing a mask. >> we will talk about him wearing a mask. so much for that. >> dr. conley had a bad weekend. i think that was a disastrous performance in which he demonstrated his willingness to overtly lie and omit key data from the american public. really shameful. look, the big question is, when did the president last test negative? we were told in july, right, by the press secretary, that the president is tested quote multiple times a day. unquote. what they should be able to say is earlier on thursday he was tested negative or late on wednesday he tested negative. but they can't say that. my guess is that the president

is infrequently tested. now the question is the white house signed a certificate certifying the delegation to the debate, the entire delegation including the president, tested negative within 72 hours of the debate. was that true? it is very important because the president becoming ill on thursday is not consistent with someone who just tested positive a day or so before. something is wrong. >> that last line sums up everything. something is wrong. that's all we needed to say the entire show. good night everyone. thank you. >> i'll make a t-shirt. >> something is wrong. >> something is wrong. >> thank you. i needed that. frank, something is wrong. i mean, we still don't even know

how many people the white house and the president exposed to this virus by holding their unsafe maskless nonsocially distanced events even after they knew they had that positive test in their midst. >> don, it is not just that event. the funny thing is when you go back over the last week it is one potential super spreader event after another. it is just mind boggling to think about it. here we are and the thing i can't get out of my mind is what a lost, squandered opportunity the last couple days have been for the president. i am a realist. unlike him i don't live in fantasy mind. i would never expect president trump to come out and say i made some mistaks. learn from me. he could have at least said, hey, this is a reminder we are all vulnerable. it is a summons to caution for all of us. he could have left all the other stuff under the surface

implicit. the power of that message coming under these circumstances would have been immeasurable. instead, he is continuing to model not wearing a miss k. he is telling people that covid is no big deal. well, it is a big deal. maybe it is a less big deal if you've got the kind of physicians he does and if you can just check yourself out of the hospital and go from one hospital to the white house because there is a mini hospital there. that is not the reality for most americans and the message donald trump is putting out to them, you know, he is risking their lives. he is going to get people killed. >> you were saying what he has to do requires a sense of decency and even intelligence. growth. david, the president saying don't be afraid of the virus while he is being treated for severe coronavirus disease. don't be afraid of the virus

that has killed more than 210,000 americans. don't be afraid of the virus when he is said to have two experimental treatments. he had to basically be medevacced to a hospital. don't be afraid of it. i am not surprised. i'm not saying he doesn't have covid but, you know, there is a lot of milking it going on. if nothing else has done it, doesn't this raise questions about his fitness role? >> well, look. this is -- he is a super spreader of lies about the coronavirus and that has been true from the beginning. he sat with bob woodward on february 7th on the phone and told him this thing is deadly. it is highly contagious. it is really bad. then he told the country it was just a cold or a common flu. and that has been his posture from the beginning. i've said this many times here and elsewhere, don. he thought from the beginning that he could spin the virus and he still thinks it. but i want to speak to, you

know, when the doctor said something is wrong you never want to hear a doctor say something is wrong. but let me tell you what was wrong. what was wrong was that i think that this he were trying to cover up -- they were trying to cover up that he had the virus much sooner and, you know, they sent him off to the fundraiser on thursday knowing that hope hicks had been -- that hope hicks probably had, may have been tested by then, the virus. i think if he hadn't gotten symptoms and if bloomberg hadn't broken the story that hope hicks had the virus i think they really thought they could sort of bogart their way through this. and he would just go out there with the virus. he exposed all a room full of his donors on thursday. and, you know, there is a reckless disregard for human life. donald trump cares about donald trump. but as for the larger issue i disagree slightly with john. i think the real point here is

he has been decimated by his handling of this virus pl politically and misled the american people from the start and now he is flagrantly and flamboyantly misleading the american people even in his own case. and i think he is going to pay a terrible price for that. >> you know, john, 13 people who have been close to the president. everyone look on your screen. okay? 13 people. tested positive including the press secretary kayleigh mcenany. is there concern inside the white house about his return? >> absolutely there is. the white house was a ghost town today. let me just add, maybe i didn't express it clearly enough but i don't disagree with david's description of the politics at all. the american people, a large majority of them don't like the way the president has handled

the coronavirus. we just had a new poll out today. 60% of the american people disapprove of his handling. 72% of women. 66% of senior citizens. that's killing the president politically. he is trying to get a bump from his core supporters and 3/4 of republicans like what he is doing. >> he is trying to get a sympathy vote. >> yeah right. >> i am a strong man vote. i conquered the virus. that was obvious from the beginning. go on, sorry. >> right. that is going to work about as well as law and order worked for him or the supreme court fight. they haven't worked for him. the public is pretty locked in against it. within the white house there is tremendous concern. there is anger that the president has been so heedless with their safety as well as his own. you know, it will be interesting to have a conversation with somebody over the next week like chris christie who is in the hospital. we haven't heard anything about

his condition since he checked himself into the hospital the other day. >> you're reading my mind. >> there has got to be a lot of people very embittered about the fact that the president has put their safety and lives in dawn jere. >> since he brings up chris christie and that is why i said he is reading my mind. dr. reiner listen. chris christie tested positive. said he had mild symptoms. there are beds needed for people who have beyond mild symptoms? is that normal, doctor? >> one wouldn't be admitted to a hospital with mild symptoms. so either the former governor is sicker and i hope he is not and he gets better quickly or he is nervous about a potential outcome. he has obviously struggled with his weight over the last many years and obesity particularly

that level of obesity is a very strong risk factor for a bad outcome. so i am concerned about him. i don't fault him for going to the hospital. i'm sure he is nervous. but he's either doing this because he has connections, he is the former governor and can do this, something that the average american cannot do, or he is sicker. frankly i hope he is not sicker. i hope he is just doing this because he can. >> don, can i ask dr. reiner a question? >> sure. >> doc, i saw that, i watched the president tonight and the thing that occurred to me was this is unhinged. and it makes me wonder with all the drugs that he has on board do we have any assurance that he is, you know, of sound mind or at least sound mind for whatever his baseline is? and if not, are there, should there be questions about whether he should be functioning in that role during these days when he's on these medications?

>> yeah. absolutely. to give you a sense of a different administration, the last time the 25th amendment was instituted during the administration of george w. bush for his colonoscopy before it, the third section would be reversed, generaltub his physician gave the president a mini mental exam to make sure he was in possession of his faculties before returning the power of the office to him. now look at this current administration. the president does appear to be unhinged but who in this administration is willing to challenge him toward the 25th amendment? dr. conley? i think not. the vice president? i think not. so a legitimate question could be made about the president's competence on steroids with pneumonia. we heard last week periodically with low blood oxygen levels.

absolutely. high temperature. >> as you said, something is wrong. >> something is wrong. >> thank you all. i appreciate it. the president's doctors and his staff keep dodging the question of when he last tested negative for the virus. it matters because this president has been traveling and he has been traveling a lot including to new jersey last week. was he spreading the virus along the way? governor phil murphy is saying this. >> some number of the folks there were from jersey. there were folks also from around the country. we got on it the first thing monday morning contact tracing but we can't do this alone. we need more federal help. and it is a concern. it should be a concern. it was a reckless decision to go ahead with that event. to get virtually every hair on the first stroke, while washing away dirt and oil. so you're ready for the day with a clean shave and a clean face.

♪ ♪ monitoring patients in hospitals around the world so that doctors and nurses can make sure you feel safe. as new challenges have arisen, we've grown to bring that same safety and support

to the place that you want to be most. together. masimo. together in hospital. together at home. whether it's bribes ...or an overdue makeover. get all your pet essentials right when you need them, with curbside pickup at petsmart. and enjoy 15% off when you buy online and pickup in store. do i use a toothpaste that or one that's good for my teeth? now i don't have to choose. crest 3d white. it removes up to 95% of surface stains. and strengthens enamel. from the number one toothpaste brand in america. crest. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

who trust in our performance and comfortable, long-lasting protection. because your strength is supported by ours. depend. the only thing stronger than us, is you. did you know diarrhea is often causedtry pepto diarrhea. food? pepto® diarrhea is proven effective to treat symptoms, and it also targets the cause of diarrhea. the 3 times concentrated liquid formula coats and kills bacteria to relieve diarrhea. while the leading competitor does nothing to kill the bacteria, pepto® diarrhea gets to the source, killing the bad bacteria. so, try pepto® diarrhea, and remember to have it on hand every time you travel. also try pepto®-bismol liquicaps for on-the-go relief.

this is really important and we'll add some substance and background to everything we're talking about. take this.

the white house and the president's doctors not did you say closing when the president, his last negative coronavirus test was. why is that important? in the past ten days the president and his staff have been all over the country not social distancing not wearing masks. if they don't know when the president was last negative for covid that means he was possibly infecting people at every stop along the way. his doctor refused to answer this question multiple times today saying he doesn't want to look backwards. so we will. because it is important to identify anyone who may have been exposed and who could be spreading the virus more. so here is a timeline for you. okay? pay attention to this. starting september 25th trump had events in florida, georgia, washington, d.c., and virginia. the "new york times" is reporting that the gop chairwoman ronna mcdaniel was with the president that day. she tests positive the following

wednesday. on september 26th the now infamous rose garden event to announce trump's supreme court pick. several attendees including two republican senators have since tested positive. the president also had a packed rally in pennsylvania that night. the next day september 27th the president played golf at his virginia golf course. attended debate prep sessions with advisers including kellyanne conway and chris christie. both later testing positive for the virus. and then that same day the president spoke at a white house press conference inside and maskless. he hosted an event in the east room inside the white house for gold star families. monday, september 28th. events to promote electric vehicles and new covid testing initiatives with groups of people gathered at the white house. at the testing event look how far the president, president trump and vice president pence's podiums were placed.

okay? look at that. wow. that's curious. that event don't you think? never been placed that far apart before. that was followed by more debate prep without masks according to chris christie. up next debate day. on tuesday. the president attends a presidential debate in ohio. chris wallace the moderator said the president arrived late and was not tested. there was an honor system for the candidates who had been previously tested and cleared to be previously tested and cleared. well tonight the cleveland clinic says trump's name is on a list of negative covid-19 tests submitted by his own campaign before the debate. so again, if that is true, why can't the campaign tell us what day he was tested? the next day is wednesday. the president ataentends a fundraiser and rally in arizona. officials say hope hicks began

displaying symptoms while on the trip and isolated on air force 1 on the way home and at some point after tests positive for coronavirus. on thursday the opportunity to do the right thing comes and it goes. despite being exposed to someone who tested positive for coronavirus the president leaves the white house, travels to his new jersey club for an indoor fundraiser, then sometime after and i'll say again after returning to the white house trump receives a positive rapid test result for coronavirus. the virus has clearly been swirling around the white house and wherever the president went for about a week. okay? and what is important here is to prevent more people from getting sick and to figure out how far the white house coronavirus outbreak extends we need to know when the president last tested negative for the virus.

and no one will answer. let's bring in now cnn political analyst carl bernstein and amanda carpenter. good evening to both of you and thank you so much for joining. >> good to be with you. >> enough about the president. you want to talk about his republican enablers. you have been making calls to some of them. tell me about that. >> there is real fury particularly among republicans in the senate in what they see in trump's behavior both in this cover-up which they are well aware is a cover-up but also to go back to david axelrod's term he is unhinged. there is great awareness among leaders of the republican senate and on clul that right now this president of the united states is unhinged. he is not acting like a sane person. and this is really a time that one person i talked to tonight

said it's time for some courageous republicans to call for the 25th amendment of the constitution to be invoked and that the vice president exercise the duties of the president until it's clear that trump is capable of sane governance and shows us that he is not just jacked up on steroids. will they do it? will they continue with the same craven attitude and cowardice they've shown republicans on the hill particularly in the senate they've shown president trump throughout his presidency? no they probably won't but are there one or two or three republicans on the hill who are thinking about the need to call for the 25th amendment of the constitution? yes because there is recognition. what we saw today on the south lawn, that performance, both acts before the cameras to get it right for his campaign video, the cynicism, the craziness of

it. let's not pretend that the people no matter how craven they might be the republicans on the hill don't see it for being as crazy as it is. the there really is a question, that all of us need to be looking at. david gergen served four presidents three republicans said today the president of the united states is acting like a mad man. my colleague bob woodward said to wolf blitzer tonight, where are the republicans? calling for some, something to restore sanity to our governance in a moment of grave, grave damage to our national security. >> don't hold your breath on that. >> um' not holding my breath. >> for the past five years they've done nothing but enable this president. >> here is what needs to happen. >> let me bring your book up. you wrote the book on gas lighting the american people. go on.

>> i agree with you both the republican enablers are the problem. but lucky for everyone the biggest enabler of donald trump is going to be put in the hot seat on wednesday night and that is vice president mike pence who also happens to be head of the coronavirus task force. the entire debate should be spent on the white house's mishandling of this pandemic. the first question needs to be to him vice president mike pence, do you want to apologize to the american people for your gross mishandling of this pandemic? because he is responsible. don, you were right. we don't need to keep paying attention to donald trump because he is not the sole problem. all of the other republicans are. mike pence can't get away from this. we can't get other republicans on the hill to stand up but he has nowhere to hide. on wednesday night. if the moderators don't do it kamala harris must. joe biden has run a great

campaign. people are upset he is not going negative. no one has to go negative. you just have to state the obvious facts. they ran a public service announcement saying please wear your mask, social distance, and avoid crowds that would be taken as a negative ad. they just have to state the facts. vice president mike pence. why in god's name did you hold the republican national convention at the white house? people standing shoulder to shoulder sweating and spitting on each other? it is not shocking that the president got coronavirus. it is shocking it took so long to happen. they've been on a covid tour since tulsa when herman cain dude god rest his soul. i mean, this is sad, but our sympathy must not make us soft on these facts and i want to hear what mike pence had to say on wednesday. i can't wait. >> hang on. i don't have time for it but i want to put this up.

just despite all the theatrics, the american people aren't buying it. 63% say it is irresponsible. i'm sorry. we'll have you back soon but for time i got to run. >> no problem. >> thank you both. with only weeks until the election mike pence and kamala harris are about to face off the only vice presidential debate of 2020 airs wednesday night on cnn with special coverage starting at 7:00 eastern. so the president is telling americans to get out there and not let coronavirus dom naught their lives. that is his message. as a death toll in this country passes 210,000 people. stay with us. ♪ i try so hard, i can't rise above it ♪ ♪ don't know what it is ♪ ♪ get a dozen double crunch shrimp for one dollar with any steak entrée. only at applebee's.

>> tech: every customer has their own safelite story. this couple was ontrée. a camping trip... ...when their windshield got a chip. they drove to safelite for a same-day repair. and with their insurance, it was no cost to them. >> woman: really? >> tech: that's service you can trust. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ until i found out what itust? it actually was.d me. dust mite droppings? ewww. dead skin cells? gross!

so now, i grab my swiffer heavy duty sweeper and dusters. dusters extends to 6 feet to reach way up high... to grab, trap and lock away gross dust. nice! for dust on my floors, i switch to sweeper. the heavy duty cloths reach deep in grooves to grab, trap and lock dust bunnies... no matter where they hide. no more heebie jeebies. phhhhew. glad i stopped cleaning and started swiffering.

but then i found out about nonsurgical treatments. it was a total game changer. learn more about the condition at factsonhand.com

there are hundreds of thousands of coronavirus patients out there tonight who aren't president trump. so let's talk about them. i want to bring in now the former acting administrator of the centers for medicaid and

medicare services. thank you so much, sir. good to see you. so there were nearly 30,000 hospitalizations reported yesterday and cases are on the rise. we have the information up on our screen. the president's message does not match reality. not shocking though. go on. >> the 11th day in a row of increased hospitalizations week over week. this is not a good trend. the difference between 45,000 people who had covid the same day president trump tested positive and everyone else as i think dr. levine at city hope said is that they weren't getting a regiment of drugs that were not approved for the public. they were not getting 11 doctors from walter reed medical center standing around every moment. they were in some degree of whether they were even able to get admitted to the hospital,

some level of illness. basically ignored. i think we need to focus on how do we stop that from happening and sort of the spectacle of president trump saying that all of those other people ought to just live with covid and not worry about it. that is a campaign stunt but a bad public health message. >> andy, dr. fauci was on with chris earlier saying that he suspects the antibody treatment from regeneron the president is on may well have made a difference. at least that is encouraging, right? >> absolutely. i think there is a really promising study. i think what is unfortunate about the regeneron cocktail is that they haven't been able to complete the clinical trial because everybody and their brother is starting a clinical trial to raise their stock price and the things that are really promising, we've known all along when the chips are down and the president is in the hospital we

learned it ain't hydroxychloroquine that he cares about. he didn't take hydroxychloroquine. that's good enough for other people. he took the drug that is the most promising and that we haven't been able to get enough people into clinical trials for yet. we need to prioritize the things that will save other people not just trump. i do agree it is good news that is -- the antibodies seem to be something that is a very strong daut daut to make our lives better. >> while this administration is trying to get rid of the affordable care act during a pandemic and now there will be many millions more people who could potentially be considered to have a preexisting condition as a result of covid. >> well, covid is the ultimate preexisting condition, don. as you know from some of your colleagues. >> the president now has a preexisting condition along with obesity so even if he were to somehow manage to string together a health care plan that

did not include preexisting conditions he wouldn't be covered on his own plan. go on. >> yeah. i mean, look. here is the problem. we know that with viruses like this, this affects every potential organ system. your gut, liver, kidney, your limbs, your nervous system. it can affect obviously your blood clotting and immunology system. what happens ten years from now when these 24-year-old kids at symptoms has asthma and the affordable care act is gone and the insurance company says no we're not covering that. or you have heart arrhythmia. anything will be able to be traced to covid. it is the ultimate preexisting condition and the ultimate irony it is trump's last act, last gasping breath is to try to take health care from everyone else when he enjoyed the best health treatment known to man. >> do people not see that? it is just weird. thank you.

i appreciate it. i'm sure i'll see you soon. >> thank you don. cases rising in parts of the country that have been doing pretty well for the past few months. we'll tell you where hot spots are popping up again. plus will senator lindsey graham lose his senate seat? the race is all tied up. next time try bounce wrinkle guard dryer sheets. the world's first mega sheet with 3x more wrinkle relaxers. look at the difference of these two shirts... the wrinkle guard shirt has less wrinkles and static, and more softness and freshnes*á to tame wrinkles on the go use bounce 3in1 rapid touch up spray bounce out wrinkles with bounce wrinkle guard dryer sheets and touch up spray! both, with a money back guarantee.

before we talk about tax-s-audrey's expecting... new? -twins! ♪ we'd be closer to the twins. change in plans. at fidelity, a change in plans

is always part of the plan. it'swhat if i sleep hot?er's fall sal...or cold?w sleep number 360 smart bed... no problem, with temperature balancing, you can sleep better together can it help keep me asleep? absolutely, it intelligently senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both effortlessly comfortable. will it help me keep up with mom? you got this. so you can really promise better sleep? not promise... prove. and now, save up to $700 on select new sleep number 360 smart beds. plus, 0% interest for 36 months on all smart beds.

only for a limited time. to learn more, go to sleepnumber.com. honey honey? new nyquil severe honey is maximum strength cold and flu medicine with soothing honey-licious taste. nyquil honey. the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever best sleep with a cold medicine.

in the tubbs fire. the flames, the ash, it was terrifying. thousands of family homes are destroyed in wildfires. families are forced to move and higher property taxes are a huge problem. prop 19 limits taxes on wildfire victims so families can move without a tax penalty. nineteen will help rebuild lives. vote 'yes' on 19.

tonight as the death toll in the united states and coronavirus passes 210,000 people, more than 20 states are seeking or seeing an uptick in the number of new cases. more from cnn's nick watt. >> reporter: in nine new york city zip codes schools are closing down again. >> it's time for us to rewind. >> reporter: in the same zip codes the mayor also wants nonessential stores, gyms, indoor dining closed again as test positivity rates rise too high for comfort. the governor won't go for that yet. >> we expect to move forward but this -- >> reporter: also concern over in new jersey after the fundraiser thursday hosted by a likely infectious president. >> the actions leading up to and during this event have put lives at risk. >> rising again across the northeast which was so recently

a success story. these five states saw at least 50% more cases this past week compared to the week before. >> this is a wakeup call to everyone in new york city to tighten up again to do the things that work. we overcame the worst in the entire country. >> reporter: new york state's governor says a lack of local enforcement is a big part of the problem. >> you will see people die if we don't do more enforcement. the state is going to take over the enforcement oversight in all the hot spot clusters. >> reporter: meanwhile this morning down in miami dade county another former hot spot with more than 22,000 kids returned to the classroom. >> here to report happily that i see nothing but happy faces. >> reporter: at one north carolina school all third grade now quarantined after a teacher julie davis tested positive. she later died. there will be plenty more pain

ahead. >> i am actually disturbed and concerned about the fact that our baseline of infections is still stuck around 40,000 per day. >> he's been saying that for weeks and we've only gotten worse. back-to-back days of 50,000 plus new cases nationwide friday and saturday. first time we've seen that since mid august. nick watt, cnn, los angeles. >> all right. nick, thank you so much. jamie harris telling senator lindsey graham to, quote, be a man. we'll go inside the neck and neck race for a south carolina senate seat next.

the new razor from harry's is not the same. it's got our sharpest five german blades ever and unlike some other companies, we don't raise the price when we make you something new.

harry's. not the same. use a siwe use 11.ftware? nope. eleven. why do an expense report from your phone when you can do it from a machine that jams? i just emailed my wife's social security number to the entire company instead of hr, so... please come back. how hard is your business software working for you? with paycom, employees enter and manage their own hr data in one easy-to-use software. visit paycom.com for a free demo. hon? first off, we love each other... every time you touch a surface, bacteria is left behind. now, consider how many times your family touches the surfaces in your home in 24 hours. try microban 24. spray on hard surfaces to kill 99.9% of viruses and bacteria initially. once dry, it forms a bacteria shield that keeps killing bacteria for 24 hours, even after multiple touches. try microban 24.

available in multi-purpose, sanitizing, and bathroom sprays. this has been medifacts for microban 24. whether it's bribes ...or an overdue makeover. get all your pet essentials right when you need them, with curbside pickup at petsmart. and enjoy 15% off when you buy online and pickup in store. >> tech: every customer has their own safelite story. this couple was on a camping trip... ...when their windshield got a chip. they drove to safelite for a same-day repair. and with their insurance, it was no cost to them.

>> woman: really? >> tech: that's service you can trust. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ chairman of the senate judiciary committee, planning to hold confirmation hearings for amy coney barrett, beginning next monday. graham's hoping a prominent role is getting president trump's supreme court nominee confirmed. he is hoping it will play well back in south carolina. where he is in a tough re-election battle. here's cnn's manu raju. >> reporter: he's gone from outspoken trump critic to a staunch trump defender. >> thank you for being the best commander in chief. >> reporter: and now, lindsey graham is battling to keep his senate seat in south carolina, and trying to convince voters he should be rewarded for his loyalty to the president. >> here's what i'm going to tell all the liberals talking about south carolina. we're going to kick your ass. >> reporter: despite attacking trump five years ago. >> he's a race-baiting,

xenophobic, religious bigot. >> he now says this. and graham is betting his vigorous defense of supreme court nominees and push for amy coney barrett by month's end will earn voters in this state, despite what he said in the past. but graham is being swamped by a deluge of attack ads painting him as a craven politician. suddenly, making him among the most endangered republicans. democrat jamie harrison, a former congressional aide, state party chair, and lobbyist, is raising a staggering amount of money. and bombarding the airwaves with ads, like this one. >> one of the reasons our political system is broken is politicians, who've been in washington so long. >> reporter: harrison has already spent $40 million in advertising, compared to roughly 14 million by graham. harrison has let his ads do the

talking, doing little public campaigning and speaking sparingly to the media. >> they have been blitzing us with ads, back to back. >> i have seen a lot of jamie harrison ads. >> reporter: as a father of two young sons and prediabetic, harrison has been cautious in the age of coronavirus. even, insisting large plexiglass be placed beside him during saturday's debate. harrison's campaign says his schedule has been packed but his aides would not provide a list of his virtual events, despite many requests by cnn. >> mr. harrison. hi. manu raju at cnn. do you have a quick minute to talk before the debate? yeah. we've been trying to talk to you for this -- your campaign hasn't been responding to our questions. mr. harrison, do you have a quick second to talk about the debate? how it went? >> reporter: at the debate, harrison attacked graham over his repeated promises in 2016 and 2018 not to advance a supreme court pick in a presidential election year. >> could use my words against

me. >> you took an oath to serve and that's what you have done. now, just be a man of it and stand up and say, you know what, i changed my mind. >> reporter: graham was unapologetic about his reversal. >> amy barrett will be a buffer to liberalism. if you want conservative judges, i'm your only bet in this race. >> reporter: yet, it's that kind of shift that may cost graham this voter in myrtle beach. >> kind of liked him, until he flip flopped on the supreme court thing. and that kind of turned me off. >> reporter: but graham thinks most voters will ultimately reward him in his quest to keep the court and the senate conservative. >> not at all. i think people can trust me to be fair. >> and don, in my interview, i asked whether he had any concerns over the president's handling of the coronavirus. graham said the president was right to not create a panic or, in the words of graham, not say that the country was going to,

quote, blow up. and i asked him, though, what about having packed rallies, for instance? crowded, white house events? he sidestepped that question, but he ultimately said that this virus came from china, not from trump tower. don. >> all right. manu, thank you very much. so, there's only weeks left until the election. mike pence, kamala harris, they are going to face off so make sure you watch. the only vice presidential debate of 2020. it airs on wednesday night, right here on cnn, with special coverage starting at 7:00 eastern. i'm so glad that you could join us this evening. thank you so much for watching. i'm don lemon. our coverage continues. my father always reminded me, "a good education takes you many different horizons" and that sticked to my mind. so, when $1 a day came out, i said, "why not"? why not just utilize that resource. and walmart made that path open for me. without the $1 a day program, i definitely don't think i'd be in school right now. each week for me in school is just an accomplishment.

i feel proud every step of the way. (fisherman vo)ce) how do i register to vote?ential election... is just an accomplishment. hmm!.. hmm!.. hmm!.. (woman on porch vo) can we vote by mail here? (grandma vo) you'll be safe, right? (daughter vo) yes! (four girls vo) the polls! voted! (grandma vo) go out and vote! it's so important!

(man at poll vo) woo! (grandma vo) it's the most important thing you can do! my body is truly powerful. i have the power to lower my a1c. because my body can still make its own insulin. and trulicity activates my body to release it, lowering my blood sugar from the first dose. once-weekly trulicity responds when my body needs it, 24/7. trulicity is for type 2 diabetes. it's not insulin. it isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't take trulicity if you're allergic to it, you or your family have medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction, a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, changes in vision, or diabetic retinopathy. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. taking trulicity with sulfonylurea or insulin raises low blood sugar risk. side effects include indigestion, fatigue, belly pain, decreased appetite, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting which can lead to dehydration and may worsen kidney problems.

i have it within me to lower my a1c. ask your doctor about trulicity.

new garlique healthy blood pressure formula helps maintain healthy blood pressure with a custom blend of ingredients. i'm taking charge, with garlique.

good evening. thanks for being with us. after a long weekend at walter reed medical center, the president of the united states returned to the white house, a little more than an hour ago. three days since he was taken to the hospital. four days since we learned of his illness. and we still do not know how serious his condition was and is. the president is infected with coronavirus, and he is highly contagious. yet, before going into a white house, the president took off his mask, and posed for a photo op, as the helicopter which brought him departed. he, then, turned around and, without his mask, walked inside. back into a white house, that's now already seen more covid infections in the last several days than the entire country of new zealand has. with his photo op, the president was trying to project strength. what he proved was his complete disregard for anyone else forced to be around him. and in case you thought the whole thing wasn't a public-relations stunt, once he was inside and most people were no longer watching, he came back outside with a