thank you for joining us on today's interactive show getting tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. the outbreak at the white house widening tonight. and now the coronavirus reaching the pentagon. the joint chiefs of staff, america's top military leaders, all but one now in quarantine after being exposed to the virus. a coast guard admiral was infected. he recently attended a white house event. also tonight, abc news now confirming a military aide responsible for carrying the so-called nuclear football has tested positive. a presidential valet testing positive, too. more than 20 connected to the president and the white house now testing positive. and the surreal images inside the press briefing room. workers cleaning in full hazmat gear. president trump at the white house, recovering. his doctors giving very little information. and tonight, the president tweeting, no stimulus, no deal to help americans until after i

win. jon karl and martha raddatz standing by live tonight. and after the president told americans don't be afraid of covid, american families whose loved ones battled the virus react tonight. 28 days until election day. millions voting already and what will the debates now look like? president trump tonight saying he'll be at the next debate. what joe biden is now saying tonight. and tomorrow evening, vice president mike pence and senator kamala harris on the debate stage. and tonight, pence now saying he does not want that plexiglass barrier. the biden/harris team asked for it to protect senator harris after the outbreak at the white house. the new warning about covid-19 here in the u.s. the cdc now acknowledging air born transmission of the virus is possible. tiny droplets lingering in the air for minute us, possibly hours. infecting people more than six feet away in poorly ventilated, enclosed spaces. and hospitalizations on the rise

in 36 states tonight. the police officer charged with murder in texas. the latest tonight on the cat 4 hurricane barrelling towards the u.s. and this evening, we remember a true rock legend. one of the best guitar players ever. good evening and it's great to have you with us here on this tuesday night. there is a lot to get to this evening, beginning with the outbreak connected to the white house, now growing tonight. reaching the pentagon. the joint chiefs of staff, america's top military leaders, all of them but one are now in quarantine after being exposed to the virus. after a coast guard admiral tested positive after attending an event at the white house. tonight, the president back at the white house after he timed that return to play out as americans were watching the

evening news here last night. and his messages now that he's back at the white house drawing out rage from some. that final gesture from the balcony, taking off his mask. and the video message talking about how he feels great. the president did not update americans on the first lady or any of the staffers at the white house who are now battling this virus. the images today from inside the white house. workers disinfecting the white house brefing room and the press office. and now the outbreak linked to the white house is still gr growing. a military aide now testing positive. a presidential valet testing positive, as well. and, of course, at the pentagon, that admiral from the coast guard positive, too, leaving for that mass quarantine at the pentagon. 28 days until election day. millions already voting, of course. the president now saying he is looking forward to the next debate, that's nine days away, between the president and joe biden, but his doctor would not promise on that front yesterday. he offered little new information on the president's condition today.

and the vp debate, of course, tomorrow night. what vice president mike pence says he does not want on that stage tomorrow night as he debates senator kamala harris. it is a lot this evening and we'll guide you through it all, beginning with our chief white house correspondent jonathan karl. >> reporter: a surreal scene at the white house. workers in hazmat suits disinfecting the briefing room. much of the west wing empty today as staff stay away from the coronavirus hot zone at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. and now the trump administration's covid outbreak has reached the pentagon -- joint chiefs of staff forced to quarantine after admiral charles ray, the vice chairman of the coast guard, tested positive today. it's impossible to say where he was infected, but admiral ray attended an event at the white house a week ago sunday. a pentagon spokesman says even though the military leadership now must work from home, "there is no change to the operational readiness or mission capability of the u.s. armed forces." it comes amidst a flurry of new cases at the white house,

including -- one of the president's military aides, that's the person who carried the so-called nuclear football. a presidential valet, one of the people who serves his meals. and one more staffer in the press office. all told, 22 people who have been at the white house over the past ten days have tested positive. as for president trump, he's recuperating in the white house residence after three days in the hospital. his doctor released a short statement saying the president "reports no symptoms and continues to do extremely well." the president's carefully choreographed return from walter reed medical center was designed to project an image of strength and health even as his doctors say he is not out of the woods. after he walked up the steps to the truman balcony, the president dramatically removed his mask, even though he is still contagious and there were others, including a white house photographer, nearby. he then stood there for nearly two minutes gesturing out to an empty south lawn. once inside, he made a video to

say he feels great. he didn't mention the first lady or his staffers who have tested positive. he said people shouldn't be afraid of a virus that has already killed more than 210,000 americans. >> don't let it dominate. don't let it take over your lives. don't let that happen. >> reporter: but the president had just spent three days in one of the most advanced hospitals in the world, receiving the kind of aggressive treatment available to virtually nobody else, including an antibody treatment that has been given to a total of less than ten people outside of a clinical trial. his statement enraged some of those who have lost loved ones. amanda kloots, the widow of nick cordero, who died after 95 days in the hospital, offered this message on instagram. >> have some empathy. why are you bragging? have empathy to the americans that you are our leader. have some empathy to the people is who are suffering and grieving. >> reporter: and we spoke with

aaron burr ch ch of montrose, michigan, who lost his mother to the virus. >> the statement that he made last night, where he said that, you know, don't fear coronavirus and don't let your life be, you know, dominated by coronavirus? my life has been redefined by coronavirus. >> reporter: but even now, the president is suggesting covid-19 is no worse than the flu. twitter flagged that tweet for misinformation. so far this year, more people have died of coronavirus than have died of the flew over the past five years combined. >> you don't get a pandemic that kills a million people and it isn't even over yet with influenza. so it is not correct to say it's the same as flu. it has some overlapping symptoms early on, but flu doesn't do the things to you that covid-19 can. >> all right, so, let's get right to jon karl with us live tonight from washington. jon, even as the president recovers at the white house, he

did announce late today that he's now pulling out of talks to strike a stimulus deal, saying, no deal until after i win. and of course, millions of americans are waiting to hear, waiting to receive help during this continuing crisis. >> reporter: that's for sure. this came in a tweet. he said that he had directed his representatives to stop negotiating with democrats until after the election. the tweet sent the stock mark tanking. but the bottom line, david, is despite the economic anxiety that so many are now feeling across the country, the people i have spoken to on capitol hill didn't think those talks were going anywhere anyway. >> jon karl tonight, thank you. and from the moment we knew this virus struck the white house, there, of course, were the questions, would this impact the security of this country in any way? and of course, now that quarantine involving the joint chiefs. so, let's get right to abc's chief global affairs correspondent martha raddatz. and martha, this has nearly all of the pentagon leadership in quarantine tonight. >> reporter: david, this is

simply unprecedented, to have almost all the joint chiefs quarantined like this, having to work from home. even after 9/11, when the building was hit by an airliner, they worked out of the pentagon. the pentagon is, of course, insist end that this is not a national security threat and the chiefs and the chairman do live in secure military housing and can carry out their duties from there, but however prudent it is that these generals and admirals are quarantining, it is humiliating to have our nation's highest military officials all confined to their homes and you can bet our adversaries are getting a good laugh out of it. david? >> well, you mentioned that laugh, martha, they can all work from home, but some are asking, does this make the u.s. vulnerable as our adversaries watch all this unfold? >> reporter: well, the pentagon, again, just insists there is no more vulnerability, and they really can carry out their duties, but it is embarrassing, david. >> martha raddatz with us live

tonight. thank you, martha. election day, as you know, exactly four weeks away now. million millions already voting across this country. and the question tonight, what will the debates look like? president trump says he will be on that debate stage tonight. what joe biden is now saying. and tomorrow night, havenvice president mike pence and senator kamala harris going held to head. now the vice president signaling tonight he does not want that plexiglass meant to offer some protection after the white house outbreak. here's abc's mary bruce in salt lake city, where the debate will play out. >> reporter: tonight he's sidelined at the white house with covid, but president trump is trying to reassure his supporters, promising them he will be on the trail again soon, and will be at next week's debate. tweeting, "it will be great!" his opponent joe biden says he will listen to the health experts -- if they say it's safe, he says he'll be there, too. the stark differences between the campaigns on full display. biden with this blunt rebuke of the president -- the caption? masks matter. they save lives.

from the fields of gettysburg today, an exasperated biden imploring americans to take this virus seriously. >> enough. no more. let's just set partisanship aside. let's end the politics and follow the science. >> reporter: biden tested negative again today. overnight, he said the president bears some responsibility for contracting covid. >> anybody who contracts the virus by essentially saying masks don't matter, social distancing doesn't matter, i think is responsible for what happens to them. >> reporter: the biden campaign is making a safety a priority, insisting that kamala harris be more than 12 feet away from mike pence at tomorrow's vice presidential debate here in salt lake city, with a plexiglass barrier. but pence, the head of the white house coronavirus task force and the second in line to the presidency, does not think the extra precaution is necessary. his spokeswoman saying in a statement, "if senator harris

wants to use a fortress around herself, have at it." but there are still questions about pebs's safety, and whether he may have been exposed to the virus at the white house. with four weeks to go, tonight biden is getting a boost from the former first lady, ripping into the president's handling of the pandemic. >> his willful mismanagement of the covid crisis is just one example of his negligence. >> reporter: michelle obama, in a 24-minute video, is urging americans to vote like their lives are on the line. >> search your hearts, and your conscience, and then vote for joe biden like your lives depend on it. >> and so let's bring in mary bruce tonight, live in salt lake city, where the debate will take place tomorrow night. and we know tomorrow night's debate is on between mike pence and kamala harris, and so mary, a couple of questions for you. bottom line, will there be that plexiglass barrier? and looking ahead to next week, what do we know about that debate between joe biden and president trump, the president saying, "i'll be there." >> reporter: well, david, we did just get a first glimpse at the

stage tomorrow night and there is plexiglass set up on both sides, but that could change. pence's team says it is not necessary, because they will be those 12 feet apart. and they both tested negative again today. looking ahead to the presidential debate, it is still on the books. both candidates are willing to do it. it is possible parts of it could go virtual, but david, right now, tonight, almost every detail of that debate is up in the air. david? >> you'll be right here with us, 8:00 p.m. eastern tomorrow night. we'll see you then. of course, all of this playing out with new guidance now from the cdc, the agency finally acknowledging that tiny droplets of the virus could linger in the air for several minutes, potentially hours, meaning after an infected person even leaves the room. it comes with cases rising in 32 states and hospitalizations rising in 36 states tonight. and more than 210,000 american lives have now been lost. here's abc's stephanie ramos on that airborne guidance. >> reporter: as colder weather forces more americans indoors,

the cdc is finally acknowledging airborne transmission of the virus is possible. after revising its guidelines three times, the cdc now warning, beyond close contact, covid can also spread in small droplets that can linger in the air for minutes to hours and can infect people who are further than six feet away after the person has left the space. >> we should always acknowledge it, especially in indoor settings with poorer ventilation. >> reporter: but infections are still averaging over 40,000 a day and rising. hospitalizations now climbing in 36 states. >> this side of the unit is covid patients recovering from covid. >> reporter: from iowa to utah, doctors are seeing sick patients who worry they won't make it. >> they're in the icu all alone, no visitors nowadays, writing good-bye notes to their children. that's not something that's easy to watch.

>> reporter: for many survivors, it's a daily struggle. in cincinnati, 47-year-old christine wilson has been hospitalized three times since testing positive for covid in july. >> every day i feel overwhelmed. >> reporter: the mother of five battled pneumonia, has lung inflammation, is on daily oxygen and says she's on the same steroid as the president. >> i've compared it very much to feeling like you're drowning. i constantly feel like i'm suffocating. >> reporter: david, the fda told vaccine makers they want volunteers monitored for at least two months after receiving the last dose. "the new york times" reporting the white house was blocking those stricter guidelines, but the white house says that guidance was never blocked, which means no vaccine by election day. david? >> stay tuned on that front. stephanie ramos, thank you tonight. we're going to turn new to that texas police officer charged with murder in the fatal shooting of jonathan price. witnesses say that price was simply trying to stop a domestic dispute.

here's abc's marcus moore from texas. >> reporter: growing questions tonight about why a 31-year-old black man was shot dead by police after attempting to break up a domestic dispute at a texas convenience store. witnesses say jonathan price was trying to defuse an argument inside this wolfe city store on saturday. when officer shaun lucas arrived, investigators say, price "resisted in a non-threatening posture" and walked away. lucas tasered price, then shot him. >> three gunshots went off and i turned and looked at them and i said, "a cop just shot somebody." >> reporter: a lawyer for the family says price was unarmed. tonight, his mother demanding justice. >> just let him feel the pain that i'm feeling. my son got life. i want him to get life. >> reporter: lucas is now charged with price's murder. >> we don't think that he should be ever, ever free again. there was an absolutely no justification for the use of force. >> reporter: price has been described as a leader in the small town. his death sparking marches

overnight. david, the lawyer representing price's family says there is video of this incident and he wants it released. david? >> marcus, thank you. when we come back here tonight, that cat 4 people are waking up tog with what's possible with rybelsus®. ♪ you are my sunshine, my only sunshine... ♪ rybelsus® works differently than any other diabetes pill to lower blood sugar in all 3 of these ways...

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you may pay as little as $10 per prescription. ask your healthcare provider about rybelsus® today. hurricane delta bearing down on the u.s. coast. right now, it's a cat 4. let's get right to ginger zee with the latest track for us. hey, ginger. >> reporter: david, in 72 hours, we should see the seventh landfalling storm of the season along the gulf coast alone. unbelievable season. and you can see it there. it is a buzz saw for now. it's going to jump over the yucatan peninsula. as it makes its way into the gulf, some of the warmest waters on the planet going to help fuel this storm. back toward louisiana is what it looks like at this time. david? >> and we will be on the lookout with you ginger, thank you. when we come back here

to they do one of the most deven in normal times.s, our frontline health care workers. and when these heroes lack the resources they need, that risky job gets ten times harder. prop fifteen makes corporations pay their fair share. to invest in our communities, in our clinics, in the essential workers who treat everyone- rich, poor, and in-between. whether it's this pandemic or the next health crisis, vote yes on prop fifteen. for all of us.

chilling video tonight. an attempted kidnapping in rhode island. a man grabbing a 9-year-old girl, appearing to force her into his car after she got off the school bus. she was latder found safe and tonight police are asking for help in finding that suspect.

finally tonight here, we celebrate a master at the guitar, a rock legend. his son revealing the news today. ♪ ♪ might as well jump >> eddie van halen was a master at the guitar. ♪ his group van halen was one of the most popular rock bands of all time. ♪ there was "jump", their biggest hit. ♪ might as well jump >> reporter: his technique influencing so many others. ♪ playing some of the most distinctive guitar riffs in history. ♪ this is eddie playing in michael jackson's "beat it." he could play most any instrument, but he could not read music.

tonight, his son wolf, who played on tour with van halen, remembering his father, sharing this image. saying his father lost his long and arduous battle with cancer this morning. adding -- "he was the best father i could ever ask for. every moment i've shared with him on and off stage was a gift. my heart is broken and i don't think i'll ever fully recover from this loss. i love you so much, pop." >> and the music sure takes you back. we're thinking about his family tonight. so many of us were fans. i'm david muir. i hope to see you right back here tomorrow night. good night.

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.

they get harassed, threatened, intimidated, assaulted, et cetera. it is scary indeed. >> bus drivers on the front lines. their effort to stay safe and keep you protected on public transportation. but that is not an easy thing to do. good afternoon. thank you for joining us. i'm dan ashley. >> i'm kristen sze. the vast majority of riders dot right thing and wear masks but those that don't often become combative putting the well being of operators at risk. lyanne melendez has the numbers. >> reporter: when getting on a bus in san francisco, the rules are in plain sight. no mask, no entry. since april 22nd, when the mask ordinance went into effect, the san francisco municipal transportation agency kept a record of the number of people who wear a mask while on board. on average, 90% of passengers