this is "cnn tonight." i'm don lemon. just imagine what anthony bourdain would make of the eat or be be eaten world of washington, d.c. where one of the most powerful republicans of capitol hill can see his career vanish just like that. >> effective july 31st, i will be be stepping down as majority leader. it is with great humility that i do so, knowing the tremendous honor it has been to hold this position. >> tonight, the fallout from one of the biggest political shockers in years and what it means for the republican party and the tea party as a matter of fact. plus, the ultimate crime story and america couldn't look away. 20 years after the brutal murders that turned o.j. simpson

from famous to infamous, the families of the victims we'll never forget. tonight, nicole brown simpson's sister joins me exclusively. you'll be surprised at what she says about o.j. we want to know what you think. tweet us using #askdon. breaking news out of iraq. a day after taking over iraq's second largest city, militants are on the brink of taking control of the northern city of takrit. now the embattled iraqi government has signaled a willingness for air strikes to help stop the insurgents. jim shuuto joins me with the latest. >> reporter: this is a situation that is deteriorating very quickly and has gotten out of the control of the iraqi government and iraqi security forces very quickly. mosul, the second largest city in the country, significant security force there melted

away, couldn't fight off the insurgents. tikrit, the sound of baiji, with an oil refinery, all three of them falling to militants. these are security forces that the u.s. has trained and supplied to the cost of billions of dollars and they're not standing up at this point up to the task of fighting off these al qaeda militants. >> and understand, jim, they're being -- this is being called a crisis, the invasion after the invasion and the withdrawal, being called a crisis by the iraqi government. what is going on there to bring this to the brink now of the largest cities being taken over? >> reporter: well, this is about the ambitions of this group, the islamic state in iraq and syria. this is a group that joined two very nasty groups of militants in iraq and syria, actually, so the same group fighting president bashar al assad in

syria and the same group that controls a large amount of territory in syria. you're seeing the syrian civil war spill over into iraq, so soon after u.s. forces left, and they have aspirations for bringing down the iraqi government. it is a terrorist group. it is a powerful one. it is a well armed one. and there are indications now they have been able to take up some of the weapons and you see there a -- what was an american made humvee going by, now it appears in the possession of these militants. >> and, again, the u.s. is being invited back to launch air strikes. what will air strikes achieve, jim? >> reporter: well, that is an open question. what u.s. official tells me is that the iraqis have said that they're open to this. this doesn't mean the u.s. is going to follow through on this. i'm told the u.s. is considering a number of options. among those options are kinetic options. but, you know, this is not a request that the u.s. accepted and air strikes would carry with them even though they come from on high, they would carry with

them a lot of risk, risk of civilian casualties, where do you launch them from. remember, when the administration was presented with this possibility after the use of chemical weapons in syria, the administration decided not to move forward then. you remember last fall, so, you know, i would imagine that there is a fair amount of reluctant. >> jim shuuto reporting on the breaking news out of iraq. thank you very much. we get any more information on this broadcast, we'll bring it to you live, right here on cnn. we want to turn now to an ominous anniversary. in los angeles, two vicious murders, the bronco chase, a superstar athlete arrested. it all ended up as being the trial of the century. and the verdict that shocked the country. joining me now is a woman whose life was changed by what happened. tonya brown, younger sister of nicole brown simpson and the author of "finding peace amid the chaos: my escape from depresside

depression and suicide." tomorrow marks the anniversary. you were only 24 years old at the time. how do you feel after so much time has passed? >> you know it so surreal it almost feels -- it really feels like it was yesterday. 20 years have gone by. and we are still talking about it. i'm grateful that, you know, nicole is not forgotten and ron is not forgotten. it is so surreal that is really seems like yesterday, but life has gone on, you know. it's been, i lived out 20 years of my life and had to go through a lot of chaos as the title of my book says to get to where i'm at today. 20 years ago tomorrow, my life and my family's life turned up side down foreever. >> we'll talk about the challenges you faced in your life and your book, but wasn't to go back to the events of 20 years ago, if you will, you revealed your father actually called o.j. during that infamous bronco chase and when o.j. was in that bronco, right, being driven by his friend, what did he say to him?

>> deuce, don't do it, you have two kids, don't do it. you know, kind of, like, what tom lang was talking about last night on the special. it was the exact same thing that my daddy was saying to him, deuce, don't do it. you have two kids. they love you. we all love you. people don't understand that this was family, this wasn't a stranger who did this. this is somebody who i've known since i was 7 years old. so, you know, he was my dad's son, basically. and he was uncle o.j. to me. and, you know, so maybe if it was a stranger i would be feeling different, but this was, again, so surreal that, you know this is somebody who i've known since i was 7 years old. you're showing a picture of it now, but, you know, nobody wanted to see this happen. and it could have easily been prevented. but years ago, when my sister had first called 911 for i think it was in 1989 for a batter -- he was beating her up or there was a 911 call, so, but, yeah, my dad was just being my dad.

and just the soft soul he is and nobody wanted to see this happen. >> do you know what he was saying so your dad, what explanation he was giving for running from police? was he saying, you know, it was interesting for him saying he's not guilty, yet he's running from police, what was he saying to your father? >> i know. you know what, i don't even know. i wasn't on the other line. i couldn't hear. but i was in my parents' room and he was in his office. and i just remember that conversation, and i think that day my sisters were up at nicole's condo cleaning everything out because her condo was being looted. and all i remember is my mom just sitting on the edge of bed just saying i want my kids home. i just want my kids home. and, yeah, it was just -- again, we didn't want to see this happen to a family member, yet alone. i just saw pictures last night of my dad hugging o.j. at the funeral. you know, that episode brought things back last night. >> you were talking about the conversation with your father,

let's talk about a conversation that you had with o.j. simpson. you said you did not believe he was guilty until a phone call from jail that changed your mind. tell us about that. >> yeah, there were all these little incidents that happened and a private phone call was one of them. he called my private line shortly after his arrest. and it was a very narcissistic conversation. what turned out to be, you know, i'm so -- i was waiting for him to say i'm sorry or this is horrible that this is happening. some sort of acknowledgement from what just happened to our entire family but it was nothing. it was more, you know, i would have put myself in front of a train for your sister, you know i loved your sister. and then it turned into, what what did she ever do for me? and i'm, like, she gave you two kids, gave you a house. and it just turned very narcissistic. and then it just -- then we had a family friend of ours that had an aneurysm and brought that conversation up and he basically

said, i don't care about him. look at me. i'm in a 7 by 9 cell with a steel toilet. really turned -- it really turned back to him, and then there was the cut on the finger what people don't know is i was driving with him in the limo on the way from st. martin of torres for the funeral service to the cemetery and there was a cut on the finger. and i was sitting in the limo looking at this going that's the cut everybody is talking about. and then when the dna came out and the blood evidence, i was, like, that just sealed -- that sealed the envelope. >> the moment that changed for you was that phone call when he called you from -- >> that phone call. >> you mentioned the children. you said she gave you two children. justin and sydney. they lived with o.j. for many years after the trial. how are they doing now as adults? >> you know what, they're doing great. they have really carried themselves tall and they're good kids, they're not even kids anymore. they're young adults in their late 20s.

they're professionals. they have gone on with their lives and they have created a sense of normalcy for their lives. they don't -- it is not their identity. they identify with it, with this whole tragedy and this incident because it is part of their life, but they don't -- it is not part of them anymore. and they really, yeah, they have really -- they're standing tall and with dignity. i'm very proud. >> they have been very quiet after this, doing their own thing and not really garnering much media attention which is good for them. you've written a new memoir called finding peace amid the chaos, my escape from depression and suicide. you have a lot of advice for people going through loss because you suffered a lot. and you dealt with depression and you dealt with other things. >> yeah, you know, this is my message and the whole purpose of me writing this book is so people start walking through the tornadoes of life. there is daily life chaos on every level. and if we don't address our

issues, our anxieties, our stress, our distress, our despair, our grief, whatever that is for you if we don't face that stuff and cope with it, head on, you'll find out, you'll end up where i ended up, which is the psych unit ten years after nicole got killed. and i don't recommend going into a psychiatric ward. but my message is that nobody is alone in this, nobody is alone in this storm of life. stuff happens. it is just how -- are you going to live it out on your own or pick up the phone and reach out for help and thank god my suicide attempt was interrupted by my sister dominique, thank god. but i didn't know that there was a hospital with a psychiatric unit right down the street from me. so i know the resources. and i know there is a lot of hurting people out there, death happens every single day. you know, stress happens every single day. and i didn't face any of that stuff. i had to bury six friends of mine in high school. and then the murder of my sister

and what didn't dawn was the cancellation of my wedding in 2004. losing a relationship is one thing, but trying to kill yourself over something is totally different. i knew i was spiraling down. >> and you did something about it. and i want to remind our viewers, the book you've written, "finding peace amid the chaos: my escape from depression and suicide" by tonya brown. everybody will be watching tomorrow, a candlelight vigil taking place for nicole and ron goldman. thank you for joining us at cnn and we're thinking about your family as well. >> thank you. thank you very much. when we come back, what happened after the verdict, the cast of characters made famous by the trial of the century, where are they now? also after shocks from the gop earthquake that cost eric cantor his job. who else should be worried? tweet us using the hash t tatag tag #askdon. a yummy reward is important after a good workout

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20 years after the o.j. simpson case exploded into the headli headlines, where are they now? o.j. simpson is behind bars. he was sentenced to nine to 33 years for a las vegas armed robbery and kidnapping plot. lead prosecutor marcia clark stopped practicing law and went on to write four mystery novels. johnnie cochran who coined the famous phrase if it doesn't fit, you must acquit, he died in 2005

of a brain tumor. now kyra phillips has the stories of some other famous faces from that trial. >> this is interstate 5. police believe that o.j. simpson is in that car. >> reporter: it's been 20 years since nfl hall of famer o.j. simpson led police on a low speed chase that unfolded live on national television. >> all along sunset boulevard there are people stopped as well ahead of the chase. >> reporter: what followed transfixed millions of viewers and was dubbed the trial of the century. >> and it became a national obsession because it was a perfect storm of media, 24-hour cable news, celebrity, murder, a beautiful woman, a young man with so much promise, killed in such a personal way. >> i'm jim moran in los angeles. >> reporter: jim moret covered the phenomenon for cnn. >> the o.j. simpson murder case

was the first true reality show for the country. >> reporter: in a rarcially charged courtroom lined with tv cameras, a cast of characters surfaced as a real time soap opera unfolded. >> if it doesn't fit, you must acquit. >> reporter: so where are some of these unforgettable characters now? >> no one knows where he is. >> reporter: gil garcetti who was in front of the camera as the d.a., is now behind the camera. >> my iron worker series. my focus is on photography and other things not related to the law. i made that career decision when i left after the voters told me to leave. this book is called "water is key." >> reporter: garcetti is a globe trotting photographer with critically acclaimed exhibits and pictures published in six

books to raise money for social causes like clean water. but garcetti hasn't strayed too far from the law or politics. >> there is kyra over here, essential wick. >> reporter: he became a script consultant for "the closer" and "major crimes" and his son is now the mayor of los angeles. >> i said eric didn't you learn anything from me? he said, yeah, i did. i'm going to run. >> reporter: the prosecution, the defense, and even simpson's houseguest cato kalin became household names. >> it was walking out of the courtroom and having cameras flash. i can't explain it. it was, like, oh, my goodness, i became this public image and people saw it as a tv show. and i'm one of the characters and they wanted to relate to it. i was a character.

>> reporter: in the past two decades, kaelin embraced his fame, taking parts in reality tv shows like "celebrity boot camp." "give me my reality show," "eye for an eye" and a very fitting "houseguest" which never got off the ground. >> i'm dropped off in the middle of nowhere with a suitcase and no moneys and have to knock on doors and say i'm cato kaelin, can i live here? >> reporter: today, kaelin has his own online interview show. >> you have a new song out, right? >> yes, i do. >> reporter: and is launching a clothing line. >> media called me the biggest slacker in the world and freeloader. i said, embrace your inner slacker. come up with cato potato, cato couch potato, so we came up with cato potato line. >> reporter: a collection of

lounge wear with pockets for snacks and a remote control. kaelin can now laugh about his role in the trial that cemented him in pop culture. >> i think my epithet is going to read my 15 minutes are up. but i do. >> a lost peopt of people made f money off of that. joining me now, yale galanter. jeffrey toobin as well, the author of "the run of his life: the people v. o.j. simpson." and attorney carl douglas who represented simpson in his criminal trial. jeffrey, there is video of a young jeffrey toobin, i want to take you back to the trial. you're in the courtroom, you sat behind the goldman family as the verdict was read. what was that verdict like? >> it was like nothing that i've experienced before since.

it aged me, obviously. the going through it. i was stunned. i remember the jury was out only for one day. and just to lay my cards on the table, i thought then and i think now o.j. was completely guilty of killing those two people. and i thought the jury got it wrong. and i was horrified, frankly. and then to compound the outrage of the day, we saw how the public reacted. we saw the incredible racial divisions, black folks cheering the verdict, white people appalled, which somehow made the whole experience both more important and more depressing because it created a political -- >> you were in the courtroom. you didn't see that. those of us who were watching, you know, from their homes and i was watching at a newsroom and really took a moment to observe people and you're right, even in a newsroom, i was working for a local fox station, there was a

separation of black and white people. we'll talk more about that. i want to get to you, this was another big moment in the trial. you were there at that defense table that famous moment that drama when o.j. tried on that glove, and then doesn't fit. you must acquit. what was that like? >> i'll tell you, don, i've been a lawyer for 34 years. i'm in trial right now. but that is, without question, the most dramatic moment of my life. none of us knew at the moment what was going to happen. the experiment that chris darden tried to spring on us in itself was a surprise. so i remember sitting just two people away from mr. simpson when he first tried on that glove, the camera to your right watching everything that was going to be happening then. and i recall johnnie telling us,

they're going to try on the glove, so not anyone react. and then i remember o.j. first putting on the nylon latex glove and after he first tried to put on the actual glove itself, the murder glove, it became clear that it didn't fit. and you saw o.j. holding up his hand and standing up and walking over to the jury. he was then in full actor mode. >> i was going to say, that was quite a bit of acting. >> he sure was. >> because he played that moment for all that it was worth. yale, i want to talk to you. you were o.j.'s attorney from 2013, i'm pretty sure. yale if you can hear us, give us insight on what o.j. thought about -- yale, can't hear us. we'll get back to -- jeffrey, you thought it was a bit of acting and as you said, and as you heard jim moret say in that piece, right, this case was all about celebrity, about sex, about race, and murder. how did this trial change the

way the media covers a case like this, with gavel to gavel coverage, even, you know before o.j. it wasn't bad, was it? >> well, what happened was there was a tremendous backlash mostly among judges against cameras in the courtroom because i think they felt that judge ito, lance ito, looked bad, didn't do a good job controlling the room and they said the heck with this, we don't want cameras in our courtroom. and if you think back to the big televised trials since o.j., they have almost all been in florida and florida is the state with the famous sunshine law where everything is open to the public. but casey anthony, the zimmerman case, have all been in florida, all the other big cases including every case in federal court has not been televised. so i think there really has been a backlash to cameras in the courtroom. >> even for the conrad murray

trial, there were cameras in the courtroom for that. yale, you were o.j.'s attorney from 2000 to 2013. tell us, did he share any insight on that infamous bronco chase? >> yeah. i mean, we used to discuss it a lot, don. and, you know, the most surreal thing to him was that everybody characterized it as a chase and it was never a chase. i think the bronco never went over 35 miles an hour. >> slow speed chase. >> on the phone with law enforcement, they knew where he was going, it was -- really wasn't a chase. a chase is, you know, something where cops are trying to run you down and the police here made an intentional effort not to stop it. so he was, you know, a lot of things that we discussed about the trial and the chase was just one of them. >> but, yale, he wasn't driving to the police department to turn himself in. it wasn't a high speed chase, but, you know, he was trying to

flee. >> well, i don't think he was trying to plea. he told me numerous times he was trying to visit the grave, it was a very emotional moment, and when it ended, the police knew exactly where he was going to go, that he pulled into the driveway, you know, he sat in the car for a number of hours. the police handled it very well. nobody was injured and they took him into custody. >> okay. we'll talk more. stand by, everyone. stay there. when we come back, the verdict was read and some were in shock, some were celebrating. which side were you on? which side were you on? it may have a lot to do with race. what changed today? we'll talk about that.

imagine this 150 million people tuned in to hear the verdict in the o.j. simpson trial and to put that into perspective for you, the population of the united states at the time was 266 million. 150 million people tuned in, 266 million people in the united states at the time. so it is no surprise that the case continues to fascinate, especially with what it tells us about race in america. back with me now is yale galanter, jeffrey toobin and carl douglas. jeffrey toobin jumped ahead in the workbook here and started talking about the race polarization here. this is what a new cnn orc poll shows, a majority of african-americans now say that simpson was guilty. this is a big turn around from 1994, when six in ten african-americans believed the charges were not true. what has changed, carl?

>> you know, probably time and the intensity of the moment at the time. for african-americans, in 1995, it was very, very important that there be justice, or at least a perception of justice. there was a police officer that was caught in a lie, there were pieces of evidence that were found or suspected of being planted. this was the police state doing what they could to convict someone who they thought was guilty of a crime. as time has passed. as the groundswell has continued to grow. as o.j. has been in custody and out of the public eye for the last many years, i think the tide has now changed somewhat. >> yeah, jeffrey, does that change in perception have anything to do with the book that he eventually wrote, you know, the one where you said if i did it. why would he ever do that? >> i think it is an accumulation

of things. if you look at all the evidence that has come out since the criminal trial, including the civil trial, where the photographs of him wearing the bruno magali shoes, the shoes where the footprints were found at the murder scene, the evidence is so overwhelming in this case that i think people with calm reflection of time have come to see the truth about it, that he's guilty. >> you look at, you know what was happening with the l.a. police department that played a big role in it, because there were many charges of racism in the l.a. police department. you had rodney king, which wasn't long before that. all sorts of things. and people thought this was the system that was setting up a black man, yale, during that time. >> yeah, you know, i agree with jeff and i agree what carl said. i think obviously time has passed. but o.j. instead of going along with his life and just playing golf and being quiet has done

some incredibly stupid things. he had the if i did it book, but before the if i did it book, caught stealing cable, you know, he was vepinvestigated by the d for drugs and the las vegas thing. whatever goodwill he had, when that verdict came out, and whatever people truly believed he's innocent, his stupidity since then has just turned america against him totally. and now he's obviously one of the most vilified and hated humans on the planet. >> and, of course -- go ahead, jeffrey. >> if i can add the crowning absurdity of the o.j. simpson case, i think, is that he was acquitted of the crime that he was guilty of, the murders of ron goldman and his ex-wife nicole brown, and he was convicted in this totally bogus case in las vegas where yale tried hard and decent through defend him, where as far as i can tell, a crime didn't even

take place. so, you know, as far as i'm concerned, couldn't happen to a nicer er guy. he's locked up for the wrong reason. >> today -- >> jeff is 100% right. that jury hated him with such a passion, it didn't matter what i said, what i argued, what the prosecutors were going to do, they were going to convict him because of all of the stupid things he had done in the last ten years, and the fact that most people thought that he had committed the murders. i mean, and jeff's right. should have never been convicted in las vegas. >> he's appealing that trial on grounds that he didn't get a fair trial. i want to get carl in here. carl, today you know there are many similarities, you know, that i've spoken about with the george zimmerman trial. o.j. meant something to african-americans. george zimmerman means something to conservatives and -- or many white people in the country. it is a very similar thing that

happened with george zimmerman and o.j. how would this trial be handled today? >> i'm not sure that there would be a great deal of factual difference. there may well be, don, a difference in perception. a difference in the way that the media might play the case. but for some reason, we americans are always fascinated with the issues of race. and concerning what jeff said, i think in order to understand the verdict from the prism of an african-american juror, you have to understand the dynamics that was going on then between the african-american community and the los angeles police department. those jurors filtered the facts of that case through the prism of their own experience. so it really is unfair to castigate the jury without understanding the greater context within which that trial sat in that day and age. >> i got to go.

thank you, everyone. i appreciate it. great conversation. we have the stories of some of the other key players. make sure you tune into cnn spotlight, the o.j. simpson trial, where are they now, friday night at 10:00 p.m. eastern. coming up, congressman eric cantor will soon be out of a job. what happens after his shocking ouster? that's straight ahead. but first, cnn's original series, 'the 60s," watch tomorrow night at 9:00 eastern. here is your '60s minute. >> the president has been hit. ♪ >> john f. kennedy died at approximately 1:00 today. >> the whole world suffers his loss. >> america was a different place on the day before john f. kennedy was killed. the assassination changed the trajectory of the '60s. >> i remember. i remember it as long as i live. >> lee harvey oswald is

arrested. >> did you kill the president? >> no, i've not been charged with that. >> lee harvey oswald has been shot. >> information concerning the cause of the death of your president has been withheld from you. >> the story has been suppressed. witnesses have been killed. we have a right to know who killed our president and why he died. >> the '60s tomorrow night at 9:00 on cnn. so i can reach ally bank 24/7 but there are no branches? 24/7 i'm sorry- i'm just really reluctant to try new things. really? what's wrong with trying new things? you feel that in your muscles? yeah...i do... drink water. it's a long story. well, not having branches lets us give you great rates and service. i'd like that. experience a new way to bank where no branches = great rates. ally bank. your money needs an ally.

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a veteran republican lawmaker says eric cantor's stunning defeat in the primary election is sending shivers through the gop and now he's stepping down as house majority leader. the second highest ranking republican in the gop controlled house and the scramble is under way to replace him. joining me now is dana bash. dana, i want to read this tweet that a viewer sent to me. it was similar to a question you asked eric cantor today. steven says, how does a guy like eric cantor manage to lose touch with his constituents when his district is just outside of washington? >> it is really not that far. it is pretty easy drive, i'm

sure you've done it yourself. i did ask eric cantor that question today and his answer was that he actually went home to his district every single week. going home, of course, and actually campaigning and doing the things you really need to do to prove to your constituents that you're in touch are two very different things. the one thing we have to tell our viewers, remind them this was not a general election campaign, meaning it was a very small percentage of his constituents who actually voted, 12%, that's it. the only ones who showed up in this primary and the vast majority didn't want to come back. >> you also asked eric cantor about what he did before he went to bed last night. i thought it was a great question. i couldn't wait to hear his answer. let's play it. >> did you kind of look in the mirror before you went to sleep last night and said, how did i let this happen? >> no, because i really do believe that we did everything we could. i'm very proud of my team on the ground in richmond for all they did. there was a tremendous

outpouring of support on all sides and i, again, i came up short and the voters elected another candidate. >> he answered it with candor. what's next? there will be a vote on june 19th who is going to run to replace eric cantor. >> right now, it is the number three kevin mccarthy who wants to move up a slot. he hasn't formally announced, but it is very clear from his aids, other people he's been talking to, he wants. and cantor virtually endorsed him today. one thing that is going on in the dynamic to fill maybe two leadership slots is that right now people might not know this, all of the leadership positions are filled with either sort of blue state republicans or purple state republicans. there is no rock red state republican representing -- representative in the leadership and many people in the rank and file want to change that. that's going to be a big question about whether anybody from -- whether the tea party

wing or just the more conservative wing of the caucus is going to be in the leadership. >> we have been talking about the loser. let's talk about the winner and hear from him. >> it is not about david brat winning tonight. it is about returning the country to constitutional principles. it is about returning the country to judeo-christian principles. and it is about returning this country to free market principles where -- >> as my grandmother would say, used to say, you know, you too kind of favor each other. they have very similar looks. but we don't know very much about him. >> a blonde dye job, it is true. it is a little eerie. we don't know that much about him. we didn't know his name, most

people who even cover politics until 24, 36 hours ago at this point. one thing is clear is he's got some work to do. he's a first time politician. he has a staff of two in this campaign, just two. and i think the evidence is in a question he was asked today about his position on the minimum wage and he said something like, i got to get back to you, i don't have a position yet. number one, he's an economics professor. number two, it is not like nuclear physics where people have to dive into the policy. everybody gets minimum wage, gets the concept of minimum wage, it is pretty much involved in everybody's lives. so maybe we appreciate the candor of reporters who try to listen to politicians and try to flub their way out of that question, but the fact that he didn't have a policy position on something really basic is going to change pretty fast. >> we can hear that dana bash is alone in the capitol. dana, get home safe. we appreciate your reporting.

it has been a long day for you. thank you. when we come back, the battle for the soul of the gop. a tea party conservative goes head to head with a romney republican. that's next. how are things with the new guy? all we do is go out to dinner. that's it? i mean, he picks up the tab every time, which is great...what? he's using you. he probably has a citi thankyou card and gets 2x the points at restaurants. so he's just racking up points with me. some people... ugh! no, i've got it. the citi thankyou preferred card. now earn 2x the points on dining out and entertainment, with no annual fee. to apply, go to citi.com/thankyoucards

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welcome back, everyone. tonight the tea party is declaring victory. whose victory? a previously unknown economics professor dave brat who vanquished eric kantner a primary last night. joining me is scottie mews, author of "roar, the new conservative woman speaks out." kevin, 24 hours after cantor's stunning loss, who or rather what is the gop? >> well, look, i think the gop is always flourished when it is a party of ideas and party of reform. and also a party that is built from the bottom up. that's up with of tone of the g the tea party has brought to the republican party, a reform element that is trying to remind republican candidates across the

country that they have to be in touch with the voices of grassroots conservatives across is the country. so one of the things that really happened, i think, in this race with -- down in virginia was that you saw a candidate much more focused on his assent as part of leadership, a gap emerged between him and his constituents and he paid the ultimate price in a primary. i think that's sort of the reminder. i think the lesson that we learned from virginia 7. >> so, scottie, usually we talk about the winner, spending more time talk about the loser. let's talk about the loser a little bit more. why did eric cantor lose? >> immigration. he sat there and brought up the principle that each mitch mcconnell was smart enough not to bring up until after his primary. you can look at the fact he repealed the sequester, put into laws that raise taxes and the only time we heard conservative come out of his mouth was last night in his giving up speech. so that -- >> but, scottie, eric cantor was

one of the most conservative leaders -- republican leaders in washington, in the house. >> when he was elected. and he ran -- we were happy with him. i think this is what is great about my party and my side of it and my group is we hold ours just as accountable. we expect action. we don't want the words on the campaign trail. and that's what you saw in this. you run as a tea party conservative, we'll hold you accountable to that. >> kevin is saying -- kevin is not mincing immigration and you're mincing immigration. kevin is saying he was out of touch. >> the people of the seventh district of virginia did not want the immigration reform he was pushing. >> go ahead, kevin. >> i think immigration was an issue. it was not the issue. look, i think eric cantor has, you know, i think he ran previously as having run against some of the immigration reforms that were previously proposed by those folks like senator john mccain, back in 2007, i believe. and then when he came back, he talked about the need for

immigration reform this time. look, i think the big difference here on the issue of immigration is that everybody up on capitol hill believes that we need immigration reform. that the current system that we have is not serving our economy, not serving our national security objectives. i think the difference here is that eric cantor, he tended to take a couple of different positions and a lot of that had to do with the simple fact he was a -- a part of leadership on capitol hill. and that's where that canyon emerged, his role as a party leader and his role to the people of the -- seventh district in virginia, somehow there was a conflict there. >> here's the deal. you said different issues, that's called flip-flopping. that's what we're missing in our party. we want leadership. we wanted him to stand up to the president. he didn't. >> that's one criticism that democrats had of eric cantor, all he ever did was oppose barack obama. i think it is hard to square that criticism with ultimately his profile. >> let me get this in quickly, the president said similar

sentiments that you're talk about, kevin, in 2012 but said should i win the second term, a big reason i'll win the second term is because the republican nominee and the republican party have so alienated the fastest growing demographic group in this country, latino community. they have won, scottie's tea party may have won. are you doing the party more damage than you are helping it? >> on the issue of immigration, and i also think as far as demographics go, the republican party does have a demographic crisis. i think increasingly one of the big worries i would have and in trying to grow the party is that we become a party defined by what we're against, we're against illegal immigration, but we have to become a party, that's what we're for. what is a modernized immigration system look like. how does it fit into -- >> i've got to go. i'm so sorry. i'm up against a hard break. anderson has to get on. thank you. we appreciate it. we'll be right back.

time for "cnn tonight" tomorrow. an update on our breaking news. the white house condemning the deadly violence in iraq launched by the radical islamist militants and administration says it will provide and as required increased assistance to iraq's government to help it fight back. american official tells cnn that

iraq indicated a willingness to allow u.s. air strikes against the militants. what is called the world's most widely viewed sporting event, the world cup, kicks off tomorrow in brazil. soccer tournament is held every four years and 32 teams from around the world are competing for the title of world champions. i'm don lemon. thanks for watching. that's it for us tonight. "ac 360" starts right now. good evening, tonight a view inside this walmart where the las vegas shooting rampage ended and a hero fell. new details about what happened on this tape. different from what we thwait we knew. later this is staggering, hundreds of unaccompanied children, kids on their own coming into texas across the border with mexico. not every month or every week, but every single day, huge numbers of children. it's like nothing they have ever seen before. you'll see it tonight. we begin in las vegas where the husband and wife pair of