Summary
More than 94 million ballots have already been cast. The polling averages have been steady, showing Joe Biden with a large national lead over President Trump. In swing states, where the election will be decided, polling averages are tighter, although Biden has an edge in most of them. Former President Barack Obama made a stop in Georgia to get voters to the polls on Election Day for his former running mate, Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Trump and Biden focus on Pennsylvania in final stretch. Federal judge rejects GOP push to toss 127,000 ballots in Texas. Boarded-up windows and extra security, retailers brace for the worst ahead of Election Day. White House coronavirus adviser, Dr. Scott Atlas apologized for doing an interview with Russia's state-backed RT network, saying he "was unaware they are a registered foreign agent.
Transcript
LAWRENCE O'DONNELL, MSNBC HOST: Ray Charles gets the LAST WORD on the four long years America has been waiting for this election.
"THE 11TH HOUR" with Brian Williams starts now.
BRIAN WILLIAMS, MSNBC HOST: Well, here we are. Good evening once again day 1,383 of the Trump administration. It will be Election Day at the conclusion of this broadcast here on the east coast.
At this hour, Donald Trump has one more stopped his final one of the day, for that matter the final event of the campaign for Trump in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Warming up the crowd is Vice President Mike Pence. This would be the fifth event of the day for the President that included Wisconsin, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Joe Biden campaign today hard in Ohio and his home state of Pennsylvania.
Our final poll of the battleground states shows Biden averaged out leading Trump 51-46 though of course, all individual cases differ by a few digits. So far, nearly 97 million of us have already voted. That's a record. In fact, as of tonight, four states now have more early vote already in than the total vote in 2016. The Trump and Biden closing arguments could not have been more different in tone or content.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R) PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: I fought like hell because we don't know any other way. We have to fight. But we caught them. And they turned out to be the people that were corrupt.
I have to fight to protect me and to protect you. Because once I'm not here, there's nobody else to protect you.
We caught them trying to take out a duly elected President of the United States. That's treason. That's treason. We caught them.
Boy, oh, boy. I can't. We don't want to do anything prior to the election.
JOE BIDEN (D) PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Tomorrow, we can put an end to presses that's divided this nation and fanned the flames of hate. Tomorrow, we can put an end into a presidency that has failed to protect this nation.
The power to change this country is in your hands and your hands. I don't care how hard Donald Trump tries. There's nothing, nothing that's going to stop the people this station (ph) from voting. Period.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAMS: Though we should point out the incumbent President of these United States spent a good bit of this day trying to throw the legitimacy of the election into question that includes mail-in ballots of course. He's also steamed about recent Supreme Court decisions, extending timeframes for states to count votes. He insists the winner of the election should be declared on election night even though no state has ever reported final vote tallies on election night, even though our country has never certified a winner on election night. All that came with a not so-veiled threat to the governor of Pennsylvania about counting votes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Count the votes honestly, Governor. Count them honestly.
When the Supreme Court gave you the extension, they made a very dangerous situation. And I mean, dangerous, physically dangerous, and they made it a very, very bad, 0they did a very bad thing for the state. They did a very bad thing for this nation. You have to have a date. You can't extend dates, the danger that could be caused by that extension. And especially when you know what goes on in Philadelphia. Please don't cheat, Governor, please don't cheat. Because we're all watching. We're all watching you Governor, get a lot of -- we have a lot of eyes on the governor and his friends.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Tonight, he followed up with this and as you read this. Remember, this is the President of the United States talking and we quote, the Supreme Court decision on voting in Pennsylvania will allow rampant and unchecked cheating and will undermine our entire system of laws. It will also induce violence in the streets.
Well, even Twitter flagged that comment warning it was disputed and might be misleading. The Biden campaign is concerned Trump may be setting the stage to declare some sort of victory tomorrow night before all the votes are counted. Yesterday, Trump promised to launch a legal battle as soon as the election is over.
Today, Biden's campaign manager insisted they were lawyered up and ready for any challenges while just missing the possibility of a Trump win before midnight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEN O'MALLEY DILLON, BIDEN CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Under no scenario, will Donald Trump be declared a victory a victor on election night and we think that that's really fundamental to how we want to approach tomorrow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAMS: Tonight, while campaigning for Joe Biden in Miami, President Obama called out Trump's efforts to limit the counting of mailed-in ballots.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, FMR PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: That's not something that a leader of a democracy does. Not something a dictator does. If you believe in democracy you want every vote counted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAMS: Of course, there's nothing quite like an uncontrolled pandemic to set a record for early voting.
On the virus front, over 9.3 million Americans have thus far been infected that we know of with the coronavirus over 232,000 souls have been lost. As the virus surges through our country, the President is indicating he might fire the foremost infectious disease expert in all the land. Dr. Fauci his name came up during Trump's rally in Florida late last night/very early this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKERS: Fire Fauci, fire Fauci, fire Fauci, fire Fauci, fire Fauci.
TRUMP: Don't tell anybody, but let me wait till a little bit after the election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAMS: Here is what that is about. Over the weekend, Fauci gave an interview with The Washington Post warning that the U.S. was about to be in a quote world of hurt because of the virus surge with daily cases averaging over 80,000. That assessment is at odds with Trump's repeated insistence the nation is quote, rounding the corner and of course the virus will just disappear.
Tonight, the Washington Post reports Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Task Force is pleading for much more aggressive action to contain the virus. Paper says Dr. Birx internal memo contradicts many of Trump's public statements concerning the reality of the pandemic. The White House responded with a statement that said in part and we quote, we are working around the clock to safely treat the virus and ultimately defeated.
Today, Joe Biden who worked on the H1N1, SARS and Ebola outbreaks during his time in the administration slam Trump's handling of COVID.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: People of this nation have suffered. They've sacrificed for nine months.
Last night Trump said he was going to fire Dr. Fauci, ain't that wonderful. I got a better idea. Elect me and I'm going to hire Dr. Fauci. And we're going to fire Donald Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAMS: Here for a leadoff discussion on this election night Eve Monday night, Peter Baker, Chief White House correspondent for The New York Times. Robert Costa, national political reporter for The Washington Post. He is also moderator of Washington Week on PBS. And Mara Gay, a member of the New York Times editorial board, former New York City Hall bureau chief over at the Wall Street Journal. She also happens to be a coronavirus survivor.
Good evening, and welcome to you all. An important night we have ahead of us. Mr. Costa, I'd like to begin with you, knowing you've been in touch with both campaigns, both parties. How are they really feeling or how much would they admit to you?
ROBERT COSTA, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, WASHINGTON POST: The Democrats are feeling good about their chances because they're seeing an erosion of Republican support in the suburbs for President Trump because of his handling of the pandemic. And that issue more than any my democratic sources tell me who are on the ground around the country say that's the salient issue, that's breaking through with many of these voters who may have shifted to President Trump in 2016. They also see progressives energized.
I spoke to Representative Jayapal of Washington today. She says the Bernie Sanders voters coming out for Biden is not going to sit on their hands. This time around, Republicans see -- the Republic, the women vote going away the suburban vote going away. And it's all about turning out white voters now in rural and extra urban areas. That's the narrow path, if any, for President Trump.
WILLIAMS: Peter Baker, I want to play for you something this is Donald Trump talking about the Pennsylvania decision before the Supreme Court. This was him between rallies today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I think it's a decision that allows tremendous cheating to go on after the fact. But before the votes are tabulated. And I hope it's going to be readjusted, we'll be asking for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAMS: So Peter Baker, the question is, you know, a little something about action, versus words that kind of ratio between the two during his political career. If the night goes very badly for him, what's the real chance we see any of this? None of what he said was correct. But what's the real chance we see any of this?
PETER BAKER, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, look, you know, this is a president who's looking to do a couple things. One, he's looking to find a way to justify not winning, OK. And he has done this for months, he has said for months that any victory of any outcome other than a victory for him must be rigged, must be crooked, must be corrupt, because otherwise he couldn't possibly lose. This is just a way of justifying the possibility that he could lose which all polls at this point seem to be indicating.
Now, what they -- we also are doing here and the President is basically saying he acknowledges he cannot win with just the votes were being counted on Election Day, and therefore, he needs to stop the voting from the account. He said over the weekend, as soon as the election ballot boxes are closed, we're going to send lawyers to court immediately stop us any further counting. Now, there's no legal basis for this. There's no reason to believe that Pennsylvania is going to have any cheating any more than any other place. There's no widespread cheating. There's no record of this, no matter how much the President says it again and again. This is just him making something up basically, to create some muddy waters in an election that the polls indicate that he is trailing badly. So, if he cannot win through the counting of all the votes. He's trying to disqualify as many votes as he can, in order to have a small, narrow path to victory.
WILLIAMS: Mara, I have something for you. This was a comment today from the last two term American president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: If I saw a Democrat who was lying every single day, I mean, the fact checkers can't keep up. It's like, just over and over again. No, I would say, well, I don't, that's not the example I want. I don't trust that person to manage the country's affairs, because it's violating the values that we try to live by.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAMS: Mara, in his kind of controlled incredulity, and he really has let it fly on the road these past few days. Is that as good a marker as any, as -- and how far we've come?
MARA GAY, EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBER, NEW YORK TIMES: Absolutely. I think what former President Barack Obama described, is really what we have before us is an existential election. And something we haven't seen, certainly in our lifetimes. And, you know, nobody can kind of stay light on his feet, the way Barack Obama can. But what he's talking about is actually deadly serious.
And I think that there's a -- the big concern for tomorrow is to protect the vote, to get out every voter no matter who they're voting for every American who is eligible has a right to vote. And so, that focus is I think, foremost in my mind. And then I think, you know, beyond that, my great concern is that the President of the United States, President Trump does not seem to respect the process of the Democratic vote at all.
And so, I really think it's a scary time. And -- I, my hope is that, you know, Americans won't be dissuaded from voting. I think Donald Trump has gone a long way to discourage Americans from voting. That's a concern. And then on top of it, even if Joe Biden does win, how do you turn off this mania among some Trump supporters, where they think that a Joe Biden win means that the election has been rigged? This really is an existential threat to democracy. And I would just say to all Americans, just because we haven't experienced it in our lifetimes, most of us, doesn't mean that what happens in other countries, were in democracies fall cannot happen here. You know, my father is old enough to remember a time when he drank from a segregated water fountain.
So, I really think we are a newer and younger democracy than we think. And everything that was won and fought for in the 1960s is on the ballot tomorrow.
WILLIAMS: Yes, no matter how sophisticated we think we are in the scope of human history, Jim Crow, and all that that meant, especially in the American South, was the equivalent of yesterday.
Peter Baker, to the point Mara just powerfully made to the point President Obama made before her. Your last piece really stayed with me it's about the legacy of disinformation that is left behind, no matter whether Donald Trump has a one or two-term president. The part of it that really gripped me was when you came to the hardening of the notion of fake news. That's now in the bloodstream. Is this unavoidable? And in your view and the people you interviewed for the piece, is it recoverable?
BAKER: Look, I think that whether President Trump wins this election or doesn't win this election, we're in a period where the very fabric of trust has been eroded. And we are divided into tribes in this country that no longer operate on the same set of facts no longer believe, the same truce and effect. And I think that that's something the President didn't start, but he has exacerbated are friends with the Washington Post have tabulated 22,000 false or misleading statements he's made in his presidency. My colleagues of the New York Times to one rally in Janesville, Wisconsin, they, they kind of 131 things he said that were not true, simply not true.
And I think when you have that volume of deception, that volume of distortions and lies and, and misleading statements, it, of course, tears away at the legitimacy of the system, and we've got a president right now is saying is they cannot the Americans cannot trust their own democracy. They cannot trust their elections. And again, whether he wins or loses, that's something that doesn't go away in just a day or a week or a month. That's something that has lasting consequences.
WILLIAMS: Robert Costa, where do you see the likelihood of the Senate flipping?
COSTA: At this point, it's very hard to see it -- staying in Republican hands. Republicans feel uneasy about the races in Colorado, in Maine. But I spoke to Senator Todd Young today the head of the Senate Campaign Arm for Republicans and he feels Senator Collins is really navigated that race as best she could and she could pull out a win up there in Maine. But you're looking across the map at Democrats feeling good about South Carolina, the two Senate races in Georgia Senate race in Arizona that's tightened. But Mark Kelly, the Democrat, they're an astronaut has campaigned as a moderate and won a lot of support in Arizona. So it's not just about keeping their seats in the in the Midwest there they could make gains in New England, in the Deep South and the Sonbil (ph).
WILLIAMS: Mara Gay, just tonight in the Lindsey Graham race in South Carolina, we saw news about ballots apparently being tossed. Got to say voter suppression, has not disappointed this year. It's having a banner season, voter intimidation, sadly, probably just getting started because we're only on the eve of Election Day. Was this inevitable given the four years we've come to know?
GAY: I don't know if it was inevitable. I think it's not surprising, we should still be shocked by it, we should still be angry. And we should do something about it. I think no matter who wins, we really need to double down on Democratic institutions and protecting the vote, making sure that every American's vote counts as much as the next. And that means looking at everything from the Electoral College to where we put polling sites and how many there are. But I think in terms of tomorrow, you know, there's always been a saying in the black community, that you have to be twice as good. And I think this is a case where not just for black Americans, although they are being disproportionately targeted with voter suppression along with other minority groups. But I think for all Americans, you really need to go above and beyond your civic duty.
If you have to wait in line tomorrow, wait in line. If you need a raincoat, bring a raincoat. Bring some snacks. It should not be this way. It really is abominable, in my opinion. But this is the situation that we find ourselves in. And I think every American, you know, we owe it to one another, to go above and beyond. And really do the right thing and save this democracy.
WILLIAMS: Our big three tonight will be known here after the friends and family as the first guests of the last broadcast before Election Night. And they go with our thanks, Robert Costa. Peter Baker, Mara gay, great to see you all, greatly appreciate you coming out.
A break for us and still to come in this hour. Two leading voices both making their final predictions before said Election Day is upon us. They would be James Carville and Michael Moore.
Also, depending on where you live construction grade plywood may be a bit hard to find for a while because it's all being used to cover up plate glass windows on stores, banks, government offices, in cities and towns across our country. We'll ask our security analyst what we're missing here and what it is they're worried about.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: When I got a call and said, look, Georgia, Georgia could be the state. Georgia could be the place where we put this country back on track. And not just because Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have a chance to win Georgia but you got the chance to flip to Senate seats. I said well, I got to go. I got to come. I told Michelle, I'm sorry babe, I got to go to Georgia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAMS: You heard the man making a last minute appearance today in what used to be the reliably red state of Georgia sign the Biden campaign. Just might think they have a shot there.
With us, one last time before Election Night, the one and only James Carville. James, you're the last person I need to remind that it's been since '92 when you with an assist from the candidate you were running with one Georgia for the Democrats. I believe it's your ancestral homeland. If true that should be on every interstate sign. Do you think it's achievable tomorrow night?
JAMES CARVILLE, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: I think we're going to win Georgia. I was born at Fort Benning, but mom and dad took care of free government health care, canoes in the army. I think we're going to win Georgia. I really honestly do. I mean if the place had to if we're heading into election where Texas is a toss up and a South Carolina Senate seat is a toss up. This is something I never thought I'd see in my lifetime. I really have Brian. And I'm very encouraged by pulling out of Georgia. I'm very encouraged by anecdotal evidence from talk to people all day. And I'm very optimistic about the audience that I really am. And I think President Obama being there is going to help a lot. I am very optimistic about the entire election.
WILLIAMS: James, I don't need to tell you how much anxiety Democrats have right now. Because they feel --
CARVILLE: Right.
WILLIAMS: -- they've seen the movie -- they fear they've seen the movie. They're wondering if, if there's going to be shenanigans, as a friend of mine put it if Trump can pull a Russian out of a hat. What convinces you this time that it's for real. I note you've moved your ETA up your estimated time that the race will be called, you trot it out 10:30 Eastern Time, a week ago on this broadcast today, you did it one better you think this will be done and dusted at 10:00 p.m.?
CARVILLE: It very well could. And Brian, this is why I say that when Charlie Cook was on the show before yours. Charlie is the foremost election predicted maybe in American history, he was starting to make analogies to 1980. Charlie Cook does not make an analogy to 1980. Unless he has a really, really clear idea that this was going to be a pretty big election. He didn't say it would be 1980. But the fact that he mentioned it in the same sentence to a guy like me is really significant.
The second thing is, the single most important number in public and everybody in my business learned this earlier, you don't stay in the business very long is the incumbent phone number. In our poll, NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, which is correctly regarded as the best public poll out there. Trump's vote number is 42. You cannot dismiss that, that is hard evidence. Now, you know, I saw a poll today people are freaking out, he's up 51 and 46 in Pennsylvania. Well, if he said 46 in Pennsylvania, he's going to lose really, really bad, real bad. I mean, that's just what's going to happen here. There is no doubt about it.
Now, I feel very confident. I understand these Democrats are really nervous. I understand that they're anxious about actually kind of broken out in a rash on my neck myself. But I am very, all the evidence that I see points to the fact that Joe Biden is going to win this election and we're going to know tomorrow night that he win this election.
WILLIAMS: I take your point on Charlie Cook. I've known him since Eisenhower was in kindergarten. He also hires nothing but the best people and writers on his team and I follow them assiduously. He made news today because he was asked about the Trump undercount that we all missed in 2016. Not by much, but by just enough. He indicated today that if anything, the dynamic he's looking at, is a Biden undercount and listening to you, it sounds like you might agree with that.
CARVILLE: I do agree with it. And here (INAUDIBLE) is man David Wasserman, who has worked for NBC News, pointed out that he thinks is could be easily be an undercount and sunbelt states like Georgia, Texas, and Arizona, it's on our news site. It's an NBC news site. It's a little technical, but it's easy enough to digest. And then one thing went over, both no human natures. So if the post is under estimated the value that older whites, the white working class, you know, instinctively they're going to straddle a target, they're going to overestimate it in a cycle and I think that's highly likely. It takes, you know, three artillery rounds he hit the target. So they'll probably hit it in 2024.
But in the underlying things that I see just the polls I get over the transom the indicate to me all good news I wouldn't sit -- I'm not sitting here but my reputation is on the line. I've made the biggest most public bullish call ever. And, you know, like anybody else I want to be right, you know, the interview show be allowed me to make these predictions. I think I'm right. I'm doubling down.
WILLIAMS: To the men and women in the audience. Please know James Carville in an easy chair relatively relaxed and making this prediction of his own free will. The fun thing is by about this time, tomorrow night, we'll find out if he's right or wrong or if it's leaning Carville. James, it's a pleasure to talk to you along the way over the next 24 hours, greatly appreciate it.
Coming up for us, where they're live to three of the states that could decide this thing.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We win Pennsylvania. We win the whole deal. You know that, right? Just like last time, we want to have the same result as we had last time.
BIDEN: Our best is just simple. The power change this country is in your hands. In your hands. I don't care how hard Donald Trump tries. There's nothing, nothing that's going to stop the people of this nation from voting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAMS: One of the closing arguments today. So let's ask three of our friends to give us a lightning round. We have reporters. correspondents across the country three of them have stayed up to be with us tonight after a longer than average day covering a campaign.
Our own Shannon Pettypiece in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the site of the President's final rally tonight. In Pikeville, Pennsylvania just outside Scranton, our senior national correspondent Chris Jansing. And in Houston, Texas, NBC News correspondent and proud native Texan, Garrett Haake.
So Shannon, you get to go first. I understand the president is still minutes away on a cold night but I'm guessing nobody's moving. This is it for the campaign.
SHANNON PETTYPIECE, NBC WHITE HOUSE SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Right at any minute about to take the stage in what could be his very last campaign rally. And he is ending the 2020 campaign much the way he ended 2016 with a midnight rally here in Grand Rapids, Michigan, once again, trying to pull off a come from behind victory.
And like in 2016, if he is going to pull out that victory, his campaign believes that it's going to be one again, by record turnout among the white working class voters in the industrial Midwest at even greater numbers than they saw in 2016. That's what they are banking on. They don't know if they're going to be able to pull it off.
There's a lot of pessimism about Michigan and Wisconsin, Pennsylvania is their biggest hope. But they even acknowledge that that is really on a knife's edge to some extent at this point. So expect the President to lean into an economic message that's going to appeal to those voters and his clients closing message here tonight. Brian.
WILLIAMS: Shannon Pettypiece Grand Rapids, Michigan. Thanks. So, Chris Jansing, the always fascinating Trump rally playlist is playing House of the Rising Sun. Democrats in Pennsylvania are hoping it's going to be House of their favorite son Joe Biden. But what our contest in Pennsylvania?
CHRIS JANSING, NBC SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's a nail biter. The folks here at the Lackawanna County, Democrats they're feeling optimistic, but they also have 40 lawyers on standby for tomorrow. Look, this area has always been a bellwether, Lackawanna nearby Luzerne County where the President was just a little while ago, but it also became a representation of those white working class voters that left the Democratic Party and went over to Donald Trump.
So today, I went out with a bunch of union guys, they're going door to door that GOTV particularly important because of all the 11 battleground states, the wide battleground states, fewer people have voted in Pennsylvania than any of the others. So it's going to be a big day tomorrow. They need to get out there vote.
Now the republicans will tell you, they have that $350 million data plan. They put a lot of boots on the ground here in this area of Northeast Pennsylvania, and they've registered more new voters.
Having said that, we've got a lot of people here who say it's going to come down to COVID and the economy and Brian, you'll relate to this, as I was driving around today, there was a big sign that said that there's going to be a roast beef dinner on Friday night. I think it's Holy Cross church. And a lot of folks here tell me, all people want us to be able to go into that church hall sit next to their friends and eat that roast beef dinner, not have to take it home in a paper bag.
So if Joe Biden does well here, it's going to be because they believe he can turn it around. Brian.
WILLIAMS: Boy, my stomach and I wish you hadn't mentioned a hot roast beef dinner at 11:37 Eastern Time. But there you have it. Chris Jansing, veteran Midwesterner. Thank you very much for that.
Now we go to veteran Texan Garrett Haake. And Garrett. The talk of the Democrats is turning that big red state to something closer to blue. But the talk in Texas is about getting vote in legally and counted.
GARRETT HAAKE, NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brian, we had some late breaking news here tonight on these drive-thru ballots. 127,000 of them cast here in Harris County that a group of Republican activists had sued to have thrown out they lost that lawsuit in federal court today but appealed it up the chain to a Circuit Court and rather than fight it out legally.
The county clerk here in Harris County said they're going to shut down nine out of the 10 drive-thru voting locations in Harris County tomorrow, not risk anybody casting their votes on Election Day having to worry that they might be thrown out at a later date.
Why does all this matter? If Democrats are finally going to break a 40-year run and turn Texas blue, they're going to do it on the backs of Harris County. The city of Houston has been Democrat for quite some time. But it's those suburbs where Democrats have been picking up house seats in 2018. And where they think they see themselves running up the numbers, that could be the key to turning the state the suburbs here in Harris County, around Dallas and Fort Worth and around Austin and San Antonio. Brian, that'll be the big story here tomorrow night in Texas Democrats are counting down for this opportunity.
WILLIAMS: Big thanks to Shannon to Chris to Garrett's safe travels my friends. Thank you very much for staying up for us. Coming up for us, businesses boarding up in cities across our country. Just what is it they are preparing for? Is there something we don't know that we should be worried about? We'll ask our FBI veteran security analyst when we come right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WILLIAMS: An ominous sign of our times as we were saying tonight across the country, there's a sea of plywood windows on the eve of this election based on fears of some sort of violence related to the election. Tonight in Washington, our White House has now been fortified by what they're calling a new unscalable wall. It's now a fortified compound much more like the kind of presidential palaces we see overseas.
So we wanted to have back with us again tonight, our friend Clint Watts, former FBI Special Agent, distinguished research fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, and our national security analyst, also the author of the recent book, Messing with the Enemy: Surviving in a Social Media World of Hackers, Terrorists, Russians and Fake News.
Clint, I've been looking forward to asking you this question because I legitimately don't know, where did these rumors come from? What side are we expecting shenanigans from and do these rumors kind of feed on each other because that much plywood also sends a message that violence is kind of expected in urban areas?
CLINT WATTS, NBC National Security Analyst: Brian, it's the real transition over the last month and we went from worrying about foreign descent or disinformation, interference to domestic mobilization. It's really the top topic. If you were out there in the social media landscape, you're seeing a wide selection of groups talking about moving to either polling places, and ballot drop off locations or in this case, the District of Columbia really the nation's capitol has become a new focal point.
In terms of lots of different militia groups, they're saying, hey, we need to rally and we need to mobilize tomorrow. You're also seeing then counter protesters talking about showing up at those same locations. And we could be looking at the Portland or Kenosha type scenario in several locations tomorrow, potentially, depending on the outcome. And really how heated this contest becomes as the night wears on.
WILLIAMS: Well, that's scary enough. That's why we're going to have you tethered close by us tomorrow during the vote.
Something else that's scary is this. This is a tweet from Scott Atlas. This is the California radiologist who's basically sub-planted Tony Fauci because our president saw him on Fox News quote, I recently did an interview with Artie, that would be Russia today, and was unaware they are registered foreign agent. I regret during the interview and apologize for allowing myself to be taken advantage of. I especially apologize to the national security community who was working hard to defend us.
So that's the apology. Here's just a portion of what he said to RT and their global news audience.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SCOTT ATLAS, WHITE HOUSE ADVISOR: The lockdowns has been one of the one that -- will go down as an epic failure of public policy by people who refuse to accept they were wrong, we're wrong. We refuse to accept they were wrong, didn't know the data, didn't care and became a frenzy of stopping COVID-19.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAMS: So Clint, much of what I know on this score came from you. This is exactly what the Russians want. You have always said they would rather face an adversary dealing with illness, which is what we're dealing with. These are their talking points to foment disagreement and hubbub in our country. No less a guy than Scott Atlas. Basically the President's coronavirus advisor goes on Russia today. What should we know about RT when people see the nice seeming network with the flashy graphics on cable?
WATTS: That's right, Brian. RT does that mean retweeted means Russia today. It is their news outlets that they broadcast, specifically television news. And this case, it's English speaking news in the U.S. designed to tell America that it sucks coming from Russian mouthpieces.
And if you were invited to come on Russia today, you're there to either advance the Russian agenda of what they want broadcast around the world, or to undermine confidence and faith in us institutions, its elected leaders, and those appointed to lead those institutions, which is exactly what Dr. Atlas did when he went on this show. How do you show up on that show for years, I mean, four years ago, on this very night, we were watching RT to see how they were trying to interfere in the election. And here he is just in the lead up to the election tomorrow doing the exact same thing.
And speaking about policies that by the way, they have in Russia, these they were masked in Russia, they do lockdowns in Russia for COVID-19, yet he's here on the RT channel in the United States, essentially tearing down U.S. institutions. He is a useful idiot for their cause. There's just no excuse for this to happen, particularly after we spent so much time focused on this issue over the last four years.
WILLIAMS: Clint Watts can't thank you enough. Those are some weighty words to end on. We'll probably be talking along the way tomorrow night, greatly appreciate it.
Coming up for us, Michael Moore's final prediction in the waning moments of this election night eve.
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WILLIAMS: This broadcast we were reminded tonight was named THE 11TH HOUR four years ago because we were in THE 11TH HOUR of the most consequential presidential campaign any of us had seen. Well, here we are four hours -- four years later, and there can only be one final guest leading up to the vote.
With us tonight is Michael Moore, proud Michigander moviemaker, muckraker, the host of the podcast Rumble with Michael Moore. He famously predicted a Trump victory during the summer of 2016. As we all watched him on Bill Maher.
So Michael, you have two minutes, 15 seconds. Final prediction, what will we be talking about this hour tomorrow night?
MICHAEL MOORE, MOVIEMAKER: Well, there's First of all, no question. I think amongst anyone that the winner of the popular vote tomorrow is Joe Biden. He will as Hillary won it four years ago, he will win it, she won by 3 million, he'll win by double or triple that. OK, so that's fine. But that's the system we have. We have the Electoral College.
I think that Biden's going to pull this off and maybe in a large way, if, if everyone watching this right now votes, if you've already voted, great. You haven't voted vote tomorrow. And everyone watching this. If you convince just one person to vote tomorrow that wasn't going to vote. Just go through your address book, you know, somebody who doesn't usually vote, convince that one person to vote, you've doubled your vote.
Brian, I don't know how many millions watch THE 11TH HOUR, but I know tonight, it's got to be pretty large, as Trump would say ratings are huge. If everyone watching call, text right one person and convince them to remove Donald Trump. We could literally double how many of you are watching the show right now.
But I think the writing's on the wall for the Republicans for a long time. This should come as no surprise what I'm saying. Democrats have won the popular vote in six of the last seven presidential elections. Since George H.W. Bush won in '88. Republicans only won the popular vote once since '88. That was an '04 with George W. Bush. And that was only with one state, Ohio and 100,000 votes.
So the country has already shifted. The country already doesn't want Republicans in the White House, they only get in there, W and Gore, because they lose the vote of the American people, the will of the American people is not with them. So that's on our side here in the next 24 hours. So I'm optimistic. And I'm hopeful about that.
I want to -- I just want to two quick things I want to point out that are great symbols of what I think's in store for us tomorrow. Liberals have watched that footage of the Biden bus them -- the Trump trucks trying to ram it off the road and actually ramming into one. I think I didn't take it. Yes, it's terrifying but on the other hand, what a beautiful symbol. They could not run the Biden bus off the road.
And what you see are all those guys with their flag, Trump flags and their trucks, yelling, putting the guns out the window. That is the sound of a dying dinosaur. They know it's over. Trump knows it's over. And that's -- whatever the dinosaurs must have sounded like in their final hours or days. That's what you're seeing on I-35 outside of Austin, in that footage.
And finally, my last Texas comment about this because I think Texas is a possibility tomorrow.
A year ago in August, there was a horrible shooting at the Walmart in El Paso. And Trump went there. Went there for a photo op. None of the victims the ones who survived would wanted the picture with him. It couldn't get a photo op. Trump was angry. And then he heard about that. Well, there were two people who died, two parents of a two-month old baby but the baby survived because the parents protected the baby's life.
And from second give me that baby. The baby wasn't in the hospital. Margot's. nothing had happened to the baby. They went and got the baby. They convinced the relative to bring the baby for that famous photo, that photo op where he used this two-month-old baby who's now an orphan because of policies that he supported.
The gunman ran through the Walmart firing a gun, saying I'm here to stop the Mexican invasion. The Mexican invasion. Where did we hear that first coming down the golden elevator and the escalator in the in June of 15. Trump stands up with a microphone called Mexicans rapists and criminals and started this racist attitude.
70 percent of the people eligible to vote tomorrow are either women, people of color or young people. He's angered and upset all those people and all of us were allies of them. And I think this is why he's going down and possibly in a large, large way, if people have had it, they're fed up. And they are going to express themselves profoundly.
WILLIAMS: Michael Moore with the last words before the vote tomorrow.
MOORE: Thank you.
WILLIAMS: Fitting. Thank you.
MOORE: Thank you.
WILLIAMS: Thanks very much for coming on. Coming up for us a final word.
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WILLIAMS: Last thing before we go tonight is a word about tomorrow a little something about the importance of voting from none other than the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., AMERICAN CHRISTIAN MINISTER AND ACTIVIST: So all men of goodwill will go to the polls on November 3rd. And I hope we will have a great day in our nation. So that when we wake up on the fourth of November, we will know that America has made the right decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAMS: Our thanks to Dr. Clarence Jones, King, friend and advisor for permission to use even that clip. That was Dr. King in Compton in 1964. The election he was talking about was Lyndon Johnson versus Barry Goldwater. You'll note Election Day was the same November 3 at a very different time in our country, though, like now, it felt like a watershed. It felt like a choice between two very different futures, two very different Americas. Like the choice we face tomorrow, the results of which will be here to cover for you tomorrow night.
Our primetime team goes on the air 6:00 p.m. Eastern. We're fixing for a long night, as I know many of you are. It's not an exaggeration to say the story we cover tomorrow night is entirely up to you.
And so, that is our broadcast for this election eve. With our thanks for spending this time with us on behalf of all my colleagues at the networks of NBC News, good night.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. END
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