"THE 11th HOUR" WITH BRIAN WILLIAMS STARTS NOW.
>>> AND GOOD EVENING ONCE AGAIN.
DAY 1,251 OF THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION.
133 DAYS NOW REMAIN UNTIL THE
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
AS OUR NATION GRAPPLES WITH A
SURGE OF NEW CORONAVIRUS
OUTBREAKS AND AS DR. FAUCI
WARNED TODAY, WE ARE NOW
ENTERING A CRITICAL TWO-WEEK
PERIOD.
TRUMP WAS BACK ON THE ROAD, THIS
TIME IN ARIZONA.
MUST-WIN STATE FOR HIM.
ALSO HAPPENS TO BE ONE OF THE
HOT SPOTS IN OUR COUNTRY.
JUST TODAY ACCORDING TO THE AZ
CENTRAL WEBSITE, ARIZONA SET
RECORDS IN FIVE SEPARATE
CATEGORIES -- NEW CASES, DAILY
HOSPITALIZATIONS, INPATIENT
BEDS, ICU BEDS, AND VENTILATORS
IN USE.
FIVE NEW RECORDS.
TRUMP’S AGENDA DID NOT INCLUDE
ANYTHING ON THE GROUND RELATED
TO THE VIRUS BUT DID FEATURE A
PHOTO OP AT HIS BORDER WALL,
THEN A SPEECH AT A STUDENTS FOR
TRUMP RALLY INDOORS AT A
MEGACHURCH IN PHOENIX.
IT WAS HIS SECOND INDOOR EVENT
IN FOUR DAYS, THIS TIME IN A
STATE WHERE THE VIRUS IS SPIKING
AGAIN AS IT WAS IN OKLAHOMA.
AND NOTE THESE PICTURES SHOW THE
KIND OF INDOOR MASS GATHERING WE
HAVE NOT SEEN IN THIS COUNTRY
SINCE WINTER.
PEOPLE SITTING CLOSE TOGETHER,
MOST OF THEM NOT WEARING MASKS.
IT’S ONLY THE SECOND INDOOR MASS
GATHERING IN OUR COUNTRY IN FOUR
DAYS, AND THE PRESIDENT HAS
PRESIDED OVER BOTH OF THEM.
LIKE HIS SPEECH AT THE TULSA
RALLY, THIS ONE FEATURED A
XENOPHOBIC SLUR TO DESCRIBE THE
VIRUS.
>> I SAID THE OTHER NIGHT,
THERE’S NEVER BEEN ANYTHING
WHERE THEY HAVE SO MANY NAMES.
I COULD GIVE YOU 19 OR 20 NAMES
FOR THAT, RIGHT?
IT’S GOT ALL DIFFERENT NAMES,
WUHAN.
WUHAN WAS CATCHING ON.
CORONAVIRUS, RIGHT?
KUNG FLU, YEAH.
KUNG FLU.
[ APPLAUSE ]
COVID.
COVID-19.
COVID.
I SAID WHAT’S THE 19?
COVID-19.
SOME PEOPLE CAN’T EXPLAIN THE
19.
COVID-19.
I SAID THAT’S AN ODD NAME.
>> THE 19, OF COURSE, IS ABOUT
THE YEAR 2019 WHEN THE VIRUS WAS
DISCOVERED.
TONIGHT "THE WASHINGTON POST"
SAYS SEVEN STATES REPORT
HOSPITALIZATIONS SINCE THE START
OF THIS PANDEMIC.
AS WE MENTIONED, ARIZONA.
BUT THEN ARKANSAS, CALIFORNIA,
NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA,
TENNESSEE, TEXAS.
THEY ALL FALL INTO THAT
CATEGORY.
ABOUT HALF THE STATES IN THE
NATION ARE REPORTING A RISE IN
VIRUS INFECTIONS HEAVILY IN THE
SOUTH AND WEST NOW.
TODAY WHAT WAS IN EFFECT THE
FIRST VIRUS TASK FORCE MEETING
IN TWO MONTHS, EXCEPT IT TOOK
PLACE DURING A CONGRESSIONAL
HEARING.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI ISSUED THIS
WARNING ABOUT THE NEW OUTBREAKS.
>> WE’RE NOW SEEING A DISTURBING
SURGE OF INFECTIONS.
ONE OF THE THINGS IS AN INCREASE
IN COMMUNITY SPREAD, AND THAT’S
SOMETHING THAT I’M REALLY QUITE
CONCERNED ABOUT.
RIGHT NOW THE NEXT COUPLE OF
WEEKS ARE GOING TO BE CRITICAL
IN OUR ABILITY TO ADDRESS THOSE
SURGINGS THAT WE’RE SEEING IN
FLORIDA, IN TEXAS, IN ARIZONA,
AND IN OTHER STATES.
>> FAUCI DID ADD HE BELIEVES
THERE’S A GOOD CHANCE WE MAY
HAVE A VACCINE BY 2021.
IT CAN’T COME SOON ENOUGH.
THE VIRUS HAS KILLED WELL OVER
121,000 OF OUR FELLOW CITIZENS.
IT HAS SICKENED MORE THAN
2.3 MILLION THAT WE KNOW OF.
MEANWHILE, BOTH THE PRESIDENT
AND MEMBERS OF HIS CORONAVIRUS
TASK FORCE TODAY FACED QUESTIONS
ABOUT TRUMP’S COMMENT AT HIS
TULSA RALLY ON SATURDAY, WHEN HE
ORDERED HIS PEOPLE TO SLOW DOWN TESTING IN ORDER TO REDUCE THE
TESTING IN ORDER TO REDUCE THE
NUMBER OF NEW CASES.
[ INAUDIBLE ].
>> I DON’T KID.
>> AS A MEMBER OF THE TASK FORCE
AND MY COLLEAGUES ON THE TASK
FORCE, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, I DON’T
KNOW FOR SURE, BUT TO MY
KNOWLEDGE, NONE OF US HAVE EVER
BEEN TOLD TO SLOW DOWN ON
TESTING.
WE’RE GOING TO BE DOING MORE
TESTING, NOT LESS.
>> ALL OF US HAVE BEEN AND
CONTINUE TO BE READY TO
INCREASING ACCESS TO TESTING.
>> THIS AFTERNOON IN PHOENIX,
TRUMP AGAIN MADE TWO MORE FALSE
ASSERTIONS THAT CONTRADICT WHAT
WE’RE SEEING AND WHAT WE’VE
HEARD FROM THE MEDICAL EXPERTS.
>> WE’RE DOING SO WELL AFTER THE
PLAGUE.
IT’S GOING AWAY.
THEY’LL SAY, WE HAVE MORE CASES.
NOW, LOOK, WE WANT TO DO
TESTING.
WE WANT TO DO EVERYTHING.
BUT THEY USE IT TO MAKE US LOOK
BAD.
WE DO ALL THESE TESTS, AND WE
FIND POCKETS AND WE FIND PEOPLE
AND WE FIND CASES.
AND THEY SAY, THE CASES HAVE
JUMPED.
>> MEANWHILE, A NEW REPORT FROM
"THE DAILY BEAST" CO-AUTHORED BY
SAM STEIN, WHO IS STANDING BY TO
JOIN US, SAYS TASK FORCE
COORDINATOR DR. DEBORAH BIRX
TOLD THE NATION’S GOVERNORS IN A
CALL ON MONDAY THAT IT WAS VITAL
THAT THEY RAMP UP TESTING.
THAT COMES AS "THE NEW YORK
TIMES" REPORTS WHAT WOULD BE
SOMETHING OF A SWITCH, A CHANGE
IN THE POWER DYNAMIC IF YOU
WILL.
THE EUROPEAN UNION CONSIDERING
BLOCKING AMERICANS FROM ENTERING
THE EU BECAUSE THE U.S. HAS
FAILED TO CONTROL THE VIRUS.
"THE TIMES" ALSO REPORTS SAUDI
ARABIA HAS EFFECTIVELY CANCELED
THE HAJJ, THE ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE
TO MECCA FOR WHAT SOME SCHOLARS
SAY MAY BE THE FIRST TIME IN ITS
HISTORY.
AMID ALL OF THIS, TRUMP IS
CONTINUING TO SPREAD
UNSUBSTANTIATED ALLEGATIONS
AGAINST VOTING BY MAIL, WHICH
MANY STATES ALREADY DO AND
OTHERS ARE CONSIDERING DURING
THIS PANDEMIC.
HERE’S WHAT HE SAID ABOUT IT
JUST TONIGHT.
>> THE DEMOCRATS ARE ALSO TRYING
TO RIG THE ELECTION BY SENDING
OUT TENS OF MILLIONS OF MAIL-IN
BALLOTS USING THE CHINA VIRUS AS
THE EXCUSE FOR ALLOWING PEOPLE
NOT TO GO TO THE POLLS.
MAIL-IN BALLOTS IS A DISASTER
FOR OUR COUNTRY.
THIS WILL BE, IN MY OPINION, THE
MOST CORRUPT ELECTION IN THE