To learn more, go to sleepnumber.com.
>>> DR. SCOTT ATLAS, THE RIGHT
WING RADIOLOGIST WHO RUNS
AMERICA’S CORONAVIRUS POLICY
INEXPLICABLY AND DONALD TRUMP
HAVE BEEN TRYING FOR A LONG TIME
TO CREATE A FALSE POLARIZATION
AROUND RESPONSES TO THE PANDEMIC
THAT’S KILLING PEOPLE DAY BY
DAY, BASICALLY LOCKDOWN
COMPLETELY AND DO NOTHING OR GO
ENTIRELY BACK TO NORMAL.
BUT IT HAS NEVER BEEN LIKE THAT
AND IT HAS NEVER BEEN ABOUT
THAT, AND RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A
PERFECT EXAMPLE TO FIND A MIDDLE
SPACE, THANKSGIVING.
NOT ONLY HAVE TO STAY IN THEIR
HOME BUT DON’T HAVE BIG INDOOR
THANKSGIVING DINNERS WITH
PEOPLE, THAT’S DANGEROUS.
BUT NO, NO, NO.
DR. SCOTT ATLAS THINKS
OTHERWISE.
>> THIS KIND OF ISOLATION IS ONE
OF THE UNSPOKEN TRAGEDIES OF THE
ELDERLY WHO ARE NOW BEING TOLD,
DON’T SEE YOUR FAMILY AT
THANKSGIVING.
FOR MANY PEOPLE THIS IS THEIR
FINAL THANKSGIVING, BELIEVE IT
OR NOT.
WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE?
I THINK WE HAVE TO HAVE A
POLICY, WHICH I HAVE BEEN
ADVOCATING, WHICH IS A WHOLE
PERSON, WHOLE HEALTH POLICY.
IT IS NOT ABOUT JUST STOPPING
CASES OF COVID.
WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THE DAMAGE
OF THE POLICY ITSELF.
>> WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE, SCOTT
ATLAS?
GOOD QUESTION.
SOMEONE WHO IS WORKING ON A
PIECE RIGHT NOW FOR "THE DAILY
BEAST" ABOUT HOW PEOPLE ARE
SPENDING THEIR THANKSGIVING
DURING COVID, SHE JOINS ME NOW.
SOME OF THE REPORTING, ERIN, IS
THAT AT LANLAS IS ACTIVELY TRYIN
STOP STATES FROM IMPLEMENTING
POLICIES OR MESSAGING THAT WOULD
STOP PEOPLE FROM TRAVELING OR
GETTING TOGETHER FOR
THANKSGIVING.
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
WE’VE HEARD A LOT OF DIFFERENT
KINDS OF STORIES ABOUT SCOTT
ATLAS OVER THE PAST SEVEN
MONTHS, BUT OFFICIALS WE SPOKE
TO AT "THE DAILY BEAST" ARE THE
MOST CONCERNED ABOUT ATLAS’S
RECENT RHETORIC INVOLVING
STAY-AT-HOME ORDERS, LOCKDOWNS,
MASK MANDATES.
HE MADE A COMMENT ON TWITTER
EARLIER IN THE WEEK IN WHICH HE
CALLED FOR PEOPLE TO RISE UP
AGAINST GOVERNOR WHITMER’S NEW
RESTRICTIONS ON COVID-19 FOR THE
NEXT, YOU KNOW, WEEK OR TWO.
SO WHAT OFFICIALS SAY IS THAT,
YOU KNOW, THEY MAY HAVE BEEN
FRUSTRATED WITH ATLAS IN THE
PAST, SOME REMARKS HE HAS MADE
ON TV, BUT THEY ARE NOW REALLY
CONCERNED THAT THE RHETORIC
THAT’S OUT THERE NOT ONLY FROM
ATLAS BUT OTHER TOP WHITE HOUSE
OFFICIALS IS DANGEROUS AND IT IS
PUTTING AMERICAN LIVES AT RISK.
THEY’RE ESSENTIALLY ADVOCATING
THAT PEOPLE TAKE BACK
THANKSGIVING, RIGHT, THAT THEY
CONTINUE TO GATHER IN WHATEVER
GROUPS THEY WANT TO, THAT THEY
DON’T WEAR MASKS, AND THE WHOLE
IDEA IS THAT, YOU KNOW, IT IS A
LIBERTY.
AMERICANS CAN CHOOSE WHAT THEY
WANT TO DO FOR THANKSGIVING, BUT
NOW TOP HEALTH OFFICIALS,
INCLUDING THOSE WORKING ON THE
CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE, SAY HE’S
DIRECTLY THREATENING AMERICAN
LIVES.
>> YEAH.
I MEAN I JUST WANT TO MAKE A
DISTINCTION HERE BECAUSE I THINK
IT IS IMPORTANT.
THERE’S POLICY, RIGHT?
THEY’RE SHUTTING DOWN
NONESSENTIAL BUSINESS, CREATING
CURFEWS, RIGHT?
THEN THERE’S COHERENT UNIFIED
MESSAGING USING FACTS AND MORAL
PERSUASION WITH THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT THEIR BEHAVIOR
SHOULD OR SHOULDN’T BE AND
THEY’RE GOING THEOUT OF THEIR WA
TO SEND THE WRONG MESSAGE.
THEY’RE URGING PEOPLE TO TURNED
THANKSGIVING INTO A CULTURAL
WAR, TO BE INSIDE AND NOT WEAR
MASK SO MORE PEOPLE GET SICK.
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
SO THE SCIENTISTS AND HEALTH
OFFICIALS AND, YOU KNOW, STAY
TISH TISH
-- STAY
-- STATISTICIANS HAVE BEEN
PUSHING BACK ON ATLAS’S
MESSAGING FOR THE PAST MONTHS.
NOW THEY FEEL WE’RE SO FAR GONE
THAT LARGE SWATHS OF THE COUNTRY
BELIEVE THAT THE VIRUS IS A
HOAX, THAT WEARING MASKS DOES
NOTHING AND THERE’S NOTHING TO
WORRY ABOUT.
NOW WITH THIS NEW RHETORIC FROM
AT LAN
ATLAS AND THE WHITE HOUSE
SPOKESWOMAN -- YOU KNOW, THEY’RE
ESSENTIALLY DOWN PLAYING THE
VIRUS, SAYING GO FORWARD WITH
YOUR PLANS FOR THANKSGIVING.
DON’T LET ANYONE STOP YOU.
THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST
DANGEROUS KIND OF MESSAGING WE
HAVE SEEN IN RECENT MONTHS FROM
THE WHITE HOUSE.
>> WE SHOULD NOTE, CANADA HAS
ALREADY GONE THROUGH THIS
BECAUSE THEY HAVE THEIR
THANKSGIVING EARLIER, OCTOBER
12th.
YOU CAN SEE WHERE IT IS ON THIS
CHART.
THERE IT IS, LIKE RIGHT BEFORE
THAT BIG SPIKE.
YOU KNOW, IT DOESN’T MEAN THAT
CAUSED IT BUT IT PROBABLY
CERTAINLY DIDN’T HELP.
WE HAVE UNITED AIRLINES SAYING
THAT IN RESPONSE TO GROWING
AIRLINE TRAVEL DEMAND THEY’VE
ADDED MORE THAN 1,400 FLIGHTS,
AND YOU’VE GOT NEARLY TWO IN
FIVE PEOPLE REPORT IN OHIO STATE
STUDY THEY WILL LIKELY ATTEND A
GATHERING OF MORE THAN TEN
PEOPLE, A THIRD WILL NOT ASK
GUESTS TO WEAR MASKS.
LIKE THIS -- I MEAN JUST TO BE
CLEAR, THIS IS A BAD IDEA.
WE ARE -- LIKE IT IS BAD RIGHT
NOW.
1,800 AMERICANS DIED TODAY.
IF WE ALL GET TOGETHER FOR
THANKSGIVING WE CAN GET IT UP TO
3,600.
I DON’T KNOW IF THAT’S SCOTT
ATLAS’S GOAL.
IT FEELS LIKE IT HONESTLY, BUT
PEOPLE SHOULD NOT GET INSIDE IN
BIG FAMILY GATHERINGS INDOORS ON
THANKSGIVING, RIGHT.
THAT’S WHAT THE OTHER PEOPLE ON
THE WHITE HOUSE TASK FORCE
BELIEVE, PLEASE TELL ME THAT.
>> THAT IS TRUE.
THAT IS TRUE.
THEY BELIEVE LARGE GATHERINGS,
INDOORS, WITHOUT MASKS IS A
TERRIBLY DE.
NOT ONLY BECAUSE WE’RE GOING TO