>> to learn more about danielle's organization, and how you can grant a wish to a foster child in need, go to cnnheroes.com, right now. thanks for watching, everyone. our coverage continues. good evening. looking out at lower manhattan, at the end of a day that by, much like it was years ago. reminder of the twin towers of the world trade center that fell that morning, and the twin columns of smoke that rose for, what seemed like, days after. even now, on just about any mild september day, it's impossible not to be reminded, even if it's only for a moment, what happened where that light shines. all the first responders, who made the ultimate sacrifice running straight into what was nothing less than hell on earth to save others. today, as it's been for every september 11th since then, each and every name of the fallen was spoken. only this time, due to the

pandemic, they were prerecorded by family members. >> gregory thomas saucedo. >> susan m. sower. >> anthony savas. >> even all these years later, it never gets easier. but anyone who remembers the trauma, possibly, also, remembers the comforting and reassuring words of then-mayor, rudy giuliani, that day. he was known, up to that point, for being sharp-tempered, abracive, sometimes even abusive. in the middle of such chaos and fear, he was none of those things. he showed leadership. speaking in gentle tones, he did not soften or gloss over or play down the harsh facts of what happened and the horrors of what was to come. his honesty provided comfort, some measure of calm.

being told the facts, plainly and simply, relieved us all of the worst possible burden to carry, in addition to everything else that day, which is the fear of the unknown and the suspicion of being kept in the dark about it. rudy giuliani, back then, spoke like he understood that notion. president bush must have known it, too, later that month when he spoke to congress and signalled to americans that what would follow might not be quick or easy. >> now, this war will not be like the war against iraq a decade ago. with a decisive liberation of territory and a swift conclusion. it will not look like the air war above kosovo two years ago, where no ground troops were used and not a single american was lost in combat. our response involves far more than instant retaliation and isolated strikes. americans should not expect one battle, but a lengthy campaign,

unlike any other we have ever seen. >> he told the truth there. mayor giuliani told the truth. winston churchill spoke plainly about setbacks in the second world war and the prospect of a german invasion, as did franklin roosevelt about the great depression. this is what leaders do. it's what brings people, of all persuasions, across the political spectrum, together in those times. if, perhaps only for a short time, truth is a powerful weapon, in any great endeavor. it depends, any great endeavor, depends on truth and trust. yet, president trump, who likes to compare himself to great leaders, doesn't seem to understand all that. he lies to us. and then, gets caught in the lie. and then, he lies about lying. he appears to think we are all suckers. that word that he uses, with great frequency. losers. suckers. 19 years after 9/11, and six months to the day since the world health organization

declared the outbreak a pandemic, the evidence is clear. the president has lied repeatedly to the country about it. and this week, we learned from listening to what he told journalist bob woodward, that he lied while knowing the facts about how deadly the virus is, how easily it's spread, and even that young people are vulnerable. we heard him admit downplaying the threat and prefers downplaying the threat. which is what he has done and we have all suffered for it. according to columbia university, tens of thousands of our fellow americans may not have died if social distancing guidelines were put into place two weeks earlier. even a week earlier. imagine how different life, today, might be, had the president told americans exactly what he told bob woodward, back on february 7th. >> it goes -- it goes through air, bob. that's always tougher than the touch. you know, the touch. you don't have to touch things, right? but the air. you just breathe the air. that's how it's passed. and so, that's a very tricky one. that is a he

that's a very delicate one. it's also more deadly than your -- you know, even your strenuous flus. >> think how different today might look, if he had simply said all that, publicly, back then. february 7th. imagine a battle, in which people across the political spectrum were all armed with the same set of facts. or a world, in which wearing a mask was a patriotic, not a partisan, act. because everybody heard the president saying the virus is airborne. and everybody saw the president wearing a mask. and rallied all of us to fight this virus, together. masked up. distanced. yes. socially distanced. but together. imagine a federal government able to respond, coherently and effectively, because of a focused message, from the top. in other words, in other countries, people don't have to imagine that. we do. but in other countries, they don't. all this actually happened. in south korea, where fewer than 400 people have died.

not 400,000. fewer than 400 people have died. at one point, early on, we were on the same path as south korea. we faced the same virus. and now, the president, who likes to compare himself to great leaders, from george washington, abraham lincoln, on down, is trying to explain away his dishonesty, with the american people, about a virus that's now killed more than 192,000 of us, the american people, by saying, well, that's shrimp h simply how leaders lead. >> they wanted me to come out and scream, people are dying. we're dying. no. no. we did it just the right way. we have to be calm. we don't want to be crazed lunatics. we have to lead. >> he is saying that, while screaming and sweating. keeping him honest, no one was asking the president to scream like a crazed lunatic that people are dying. no screams are necessary. but you know what is?

honesty and trust. rudy giuliani. he didn't scream, back then, when he was mayor. he certainly does now. george bush didn't scream. barack obama did not act like a crazed lunatic when talking about the loss of life at sandy hook or the threat of ebola. but the president did not stop at that strong-man argument. oh, they wanted me to scream. who ever wants somebody to scream? he also ducked responsibility for repeatedly lying about the virus by trying to lay it off on the one person he told the truth to. >> if bob woodward thought what i said was bad, then, he should have immediately, right after i said it, gone out to the authorities so they can prepare and let them know. but he didn't think it was bad. and he said he didn't think it was bad. >> now, look. you can criticize bob woodward for not, immediately, publishing the interview. you can take issue with that. but just -- just stop and think about the argument the president

of the united states is making, right there. just for a moment. just -- just focus on what the president is saying. bob woodward, he's saying, should have told the authorities. he should have reported the president of the united states to the authorities. i'm not sure president trump is aware of this, but he is the friggin authorities. he's the president of the united states. he is the one with the power to demand time on national television, to tell people exactly what he told bob woodward. he just -- he just didn't care to, which he admitted to woodward, in a later conversation, saying he always preferred to, quote, play it down. just like other great leaders, according to him. >> when hitler was bombing, i don't know if you know this, when hitler was bombing london, churchill, great leader, would oftentimes go to a roof in london and speak. and he always spoke with calmness. he said we have to show

calmness. as the british government advised the british people, in the face of world war ii, keep calm and carry on. that's what i did. >> okay. keeping him honest. churchill did not broadcast from the rooftops as the bombs fell. he didn't. lot of reporters. edward morrow is known for that. other cbs reporters. other reporters did that. churchill was a leader. he was actually, you know, leading. he was making difficult decisions. and when he did speak to the country, yes, he was strong. and he was calm, and he rallied the country. but he did not do that, by downplaying some hard truths about what lay ahead. here's a tweet from churchill biographer, jon meacham, from today, citing churchill, himself, on this very subject. churchill said, and i quote, the british people can face any misfortune with fortitude and

buoyancy, as long as they are convinced that those in charge of their affairs are not deceiving them, or are not dwelling in a fool's paradise. do you look at president trump and honestly say there is no way that man would deceive me? do you? do you look at him and say, there's no way he's dwelling in a fool's paradise? he's a realist. he sees things as they actually are and he doesn't lie about them. it should be noted, by the way, the british government, never, as the president claims, told to keep calm and carry on. the posters for that were printed but never used. they were only discovered about 20 years ago and they've become popular since then. the president doesn't read. he wouldn't know that. as for the whole speaking calmly just like churchill thing. this president has done everything he can to create fear and division and panic. this is what he does. he's done it long before he ever ran for president. but he's certainly done it from

the moment he came down that escalator. take a look. >> when mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. they are bringing drugs. they're bringing crime. they're rapists. >> donald j. trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of muslims entering the united states. >> right now, you walk down the street and you get shot. >> this american carnage stops, right here, and stops right now. >> north korea best not make any more threats to the united states. they will be met with fire and fury, like the world has never seen. >> and they got a lot of rough people in those caravans. they are not angels. >> they want to destroy your suburbs. rioters and vandals, rampaging through all, in all cases, democrat-run cities. you'll have crime like you've never seen.

>> for as long as we've known donald trump as a public figure, he's acted as though he believes leadership consists of scaring the crap out of people, not leveling with them. that last sound bite you just heard came just moments before comparing himself to the real thing. cnn political commentator and obama adviser, david axelrod. joining us as well, cnn chief political analyst, gloria borger. so, gloria, you think back when his opponent, lloyd benson, you know, had the famous retort. i knew jack kennedy. jack kennedy was a friend of mine. senator, you're no jack kennedy. if churchill's contemporaries were still alive, they'd certainly be saying something to the president tonight. i'm not sure i understand why the president continues to compare himself to great leaders. and then, has no idea what they actually did or how they did it. >> right. first of all, let's say that

donald trump is the complete polar opposite of winston churchill and his contemporaries would say that. and you quoted winston churchill and he told the public he had nothing to offer but blood, sweat, toil, and tears. and what is donald trump offering? he is offering lies to the american public. i have no doubt that, if he were not on tape in woodward's book, and we have yet to hear all the tapes, anderson. but if he were not on tape, he'd be calling it a hoax. he'd be saying bob woodward is lying about what i said. but the facts, now, are incon a incontrovertible. he knew how difficult this covid was going to be. and what did he do? he wanted to act like it was mission accomplished, for one reason only. he didn't want to shut down the country because he was worried that he would not win re-election. you can't get control of the economy, we've all learned, in a

very difficult way these past six months, without getting control of covid. and so, he abdicated his responsibility. and now, and you played the clip, what he is trying to do is blame democrats and the governors of democratic states. and remember, way back, donald trump was trying not to make too many decisions on this. leaving it to the governors, and then criticized the governors. blaming it on blue-state governors, in case there are any issues with -- with covid going forward. so he's claiming mission accomplished. he is trying to divert the public. and he hasn't done his job. it's a complete abdication. >> you know, david, you know better certainly than i do. but it seems to me, it wasn't just the president was deceiving the american people and downplaying it to the american people. that was a message, which clearly went out to everybody in the government. to everybody at, you know, cdc.

at, you know, or at least to the leadership. and they began to bend to what the president's tone was and what the president's message was. and the cdc would downplay, you know, would rewrite guidelines based on criticism from the president. the fda, you know, has embarrass embarrassed itself. i mean, it's -- it's not just that he was lying to the people. it's that he was enforcing that, across the -- all the arms of government. >> yes, and is, to this day. i mean, we're still getting distorted guidance from the cdc, which is unthinkable. i mean, one of the real tragedies and dangers of this administration has been the subjugation of all our institutions to the president's political needs. and this has certainly been the case on this. and you know, you wonder about the vice president, who was put in charge of the coronavirus task force had access to all

this information, understood how serious it was. and told us, in april, that we'd be -- this would be in the rear-view mirror by memorial day. without any grounding to say that. and, you know, one of the things that we've witnessed, which is really devastating, is a president who is running the government, that's supposed to be responding to this virus. and at the very same time, is leading the resistance to the guidance that public health officials were giving to try and save people's lives. and all that comes down to what dr. fauci said in bob woodward's book, which is the only thing he cares about is re-election. and he thought that re-election meant keeping this on the down low, so that the market wouldn't be spooked. and the economy would be intact because his narrative was that he had delivered great economic gains to the country. and he saw that going down the chute. and so, that was what was on his mind. not the lives that might be lost. not the suffering.

and one last thing i want to say about this, anderson. you talk about the leaders, who we saw come forward in 9/11. but there, also, were -- and you mentioned it -- but just as in today, there were people rushed into danger, sacrificed their own lives, their own safety, to help others. that's something this president doesn't honor or understand. that's why he calls fallen soldiers, suckers and losers. he does not understand being about something larger than yourself. and that is a terrible quality in a leader, especially at a time of crisis. >> carl, i mean, you know, you also -- i mean, how about being just a normal human being, you know, of decent spirit? and as opposed to somebody who is -- i mean, i know he has -- you know, this is what he's built his career on, is lies and fabulous talk. but, you know, he's president. and it's -- and -- and people are dying. >> first of all, there's no

evidence, in his life, especially his public life, of decent impulse. and that's what we've seen in his presidency, through all of the lying. this really is a criminal presidency, with a criminal president. and we've seen the criminality, as never before in his negligence, as revealed in bob woodward's book, and on tape. the smoking-gun tape of this president's felony. the greatest felony, perhaps by any president, in our history. resulting in tens of thousands of deaths. let's take a breath. a deep breath. all of us. and look at fact and truth, here, about what's happened. there's never been anything like this kind of abdication of responsibility and decency, as you put it. this is a president of the united states, who put his own, narrow, re-election interest in front of the health and welfare of every american. endangered the lives of every

american. encouraged a pandemic to take through the air, instead of trying to fight that pandemic. because he cannot confront the truth, and tell the american people the truth because he has abdicated his responsibility. and is criminally negligent. >> because he talks about, you know, he doesn't want people to panic. what -- what it tells me is he was panicking, and assumed everybody else would panic. when, in fact, americans don't -- do not panic. americans rise to the occasion, when told the truth, and are willing to -- to do what is necessary, as long as they have confidence, trust, and truth in front of them. david axelrod, carl bernstein, gloria borger. thank you very much. coming up next, breaking new and higher estimate of how many americans could lose their live on this president's watch. and how many times have we said

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and chief medical correspondent, dr. sanjay gupta. dr. murray, this new estimate, more than double the amount of deaths in this country right now. it's up 5,000 deaths from your estimate just a week ago. how did you get to this number? >> well, you know, people think that because the case numbers are sort of going down in the last three, four weeks. deaths are sort of being pretty flat. that the epidemic's over. it is certainly not. and when we look ahead, into the winter, with seasonality kicking in, people becoming clearly less vigilant. you know, mask use is down. mobility is up in the nation. you put all those together. and we look like we're going to have a very deadly december, ahead of us, in terms of the toll of coronavirus. >> a deadly december. >> absolutely. >> sanjay. i mean, yeah, i know you have questions as well. >> i'm curious, when you look at these models, dr. murray.

you do have -- it's -- it's a range. there's a best-case scenario. and a worst-case scenario. and this is sort of the mid-range. i know you talked about masks. how much of a difference does it make? new therapeutics. possibly, a vaccine. what is the best and worst-case scenario with these things? >> well, the worst-case scenario is if we -- our governments, state and federal, and ourselves, do nothing as things get worse, as the winter comes upon us. and so, people just ignore the virus. go about work and school. and that's where we get the really scary numbers in december. you know, essentially, we go back to that notion of what was happening to new york in the early part of the epidemic. but everywhere. the -- our -- our forecast is where we assume that people will respond. but only when things get really bad. and that's when we build in the idea that state governments when, in each state, the hospitals start to become

overwhelmed, the death rate gets high, they'll put back in place mandates. and that's where we come up with our 415,000 death figure. in the best scenario, at least given what we know about vaccines and therapeutics today, our best scenario is if we can get mask use up to 95%. and then, we can avoid a lot of this death. >> 95%. where is mask use, right now? i mean, i think last time we talked, i think you said it was -- well, what is it now? >> well, unfortunately, mask use is slipping below 45% in the u.s. and, you know, the trend has just been down. so it's really disturbing that, as we head into the fall, because people think things are over, they are being less careful. we're seeing it in the mobility data. we're seeing it in the mask use. and so, we're -- we're making the wrong choices, right now, for what's ahead of us. >> 95%. if we could get mask use up to

95%, that would -- that would be great. that's like saying -- i mean, if we're at -- well, if we got to 95%. i mean, that's like saying, you know, i'm going to get as big as, you know, chris cuomo is. i mean, it's not going to happen. like, no matter how much -- and i am going to try to work out a lot to make that happen. but it's not going to happen. there's no way. if americans aren't doing this, now. sanjay, i mean, how -- how do we get to 95%? >> i -- if people seem to talk about this, like it's in the rear-view mirror. you know, i don't know, dr. murray, how much you sort of look into people's motivations or what's inspiring them to behave or not behave a certain way. but i keep hearing this. you know, it's almost like talking about covid in the past tense, as if it's over. and i'm not sure why. even people, i think, at one point, were being serious about it. >> one reason why. i mean, the president just told people that we're rounding a corner with covid-19 cases. >> right. >> i mean, what we're just

hearing tonight. we may be rounding a corner but there's, like, a pit with spikes at the bottom of it that we're about to fall into. i just want to play what dr. fauci said when he was asked about the president's comments. >> i'm sorry but i have to disagree with that because, if you look at the thing that you just mentioned. the statistics. andrea, they're -- they are disturbing. you know, we're plateauing at around 40,000 cases, a day. and the deaths are around a thousand. >> so, sanjay, i mean, it's rare for -- for -- for him to directly contradict the president but it tells you how serious it is. >> yeah. it -- it -- it is rare. and i will say, i've noticed a change in tone, i think, from several members of the task force, including dr. fauci becoming a little bit more emboldened. even admiral giroir yesterday, or two days ago now, saying we absolutely need more tests. before, he was saying we can't test our way out of this. francis collins, you and i interviewed him last night. he was pretty forthright about

this, as well. but the numbers and the data don't lie. i mean, i think that's the point that dr. fauci's making. i mean, we may see some improvements, in some areas. dr. murray's always made this pointful you sta point. you start to redline in one area, and people start to pay attention. but we can show this graph and i am always a little his tantd es show this graph because it's alarming. but if you look at these various peaks going back to 1918, you have that first peak. and it was really the second peak going into the season that we're going into now, that was so problematic. and again, for all sorts of different reasons. you could see they were able to bring the numbers really down before they went into that second peak. we haven't been able to do that, even, so far, in this pandemic. so i think that's really what's driving his concern. >> well,let' keep that graphic up. just i'm not good at reading graphics. but -- so, just tell us what we are looking at. that first bump. that was the first reaction to the spanish flu? and then, it went down. and then, it's -- the second

bump is -- >> yes. >> it went down. and then, there was another big wallop. >> that's right. and this is over time. you know, the -- the x-axis is months. and you can see -- i can't read it exactly -- >> 1918-1919. >> yeah. and then, that second peak is sort of the fall of 1918. and you can see how significant that was. and, you know, everyone keeps talking about the potential twindemic now going into the fall this year because of coronavirus and flu, potentially superimposed on one another. and -- and i do wonder, dr. murray, is that part of what's driving these numbers as well? because hospitals will certainly become fuller with flu patients, even aside from covid. >> you know, the challenge of the twindemic, as you said, is certainly something that all the hospital administrators that we talk to are very concerned about. there was some good news from australia and new zealand. that they, because of all the actions to protect against covid, they had a pretty mild

flu season. but it's another reason why, you know, people being vigilant, avoiding contact, wearing a mask, can actually address both of those, as well as, of course, getting a flu shot. >> dr. murray, sanjay, thank you. appreciate it. one quick programming note. tomorrow morning, cnn and sesame street are teaming up together for a town hall. the abcs of back to school. an hour-special on staying safe in classrooms and making the most of virtual learning. that's tomorrow, 10:00 a.m. eastern, right here. more breaking news ahead. and growing concern the reason was political pressure from the top. ♪ go go go ♪

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breaking news tonight in the investigation order by president trump's attorney general william barr into the origins of the fbi's trump-russia probe. sudden key departure from the legal team and the reported reason behind that departure has renewed criticism from democrats that the probe is a fishing expedition. >> so what do we know about the prosecutor who resigned? >> well, her name is nora, anderson, and her -- the -- the u.s. attorney's office in hartford, connecticut, said that she did resign. what they're not saying is exactly why. now, the hartford current newspaper, which first reported her departure, said that she told colleagues that it was because of political pressure. she felt that there was political pressure for the durham investigation. she was working under john durham, the prosecutor there, to deliver something before the november election. now, durham is looking into the origins of the trump/russia

investigation. and this is something that, obviously, the president has been eagerly anticipating. his campaign has been sort of anticipating, and hoping for some kind of an october surprise from durham. we don't know, exactly, whether that's going to be the case or not. but danahy we know is highly regarded, anderson. and her departure was certainly a surprise. >> and are there any details from officials at the department of justice on how the probe into the fbi's russia investigation is going? >> yeah, look. there is a lot of skepticism that there's going to be any other big shoe to drop. any big indictment from this investigation. we already saw a low-level fbi lawyer who got indicted for falsifying an e-mail that was used in -- in -- in the investigation. we don't -- nobody's expecting any big revelations, here. it's going to be very harsh criticism, we expect, of some of the officials that ran the -- the investigation in 2016 and 2017. but, you know, look. we also expect, anderson, that it's going to go well past november.

so the question is, is there pressure to produce something? an interim report. a halftime report for the -- for bill barr, before november. that is the big question. that would be highly unusual, even in -- in these abnormal times that we live in. >> evan perez, appreciate it. here with perspective, two men who tangled with president trump at the justice department. now, cnn senior legal analyst. and andrew mccabe, former fbi deputy director, currently cnn contributor. what do you make of this prosecutor's departure? and, you know, the reported concerns behind it? >> look. prosecutors leave, come into office, leave office. she's very well respected, as evan said, by all of her colleagues within the justice department and outside. she and i overlapped when she was acting u.s. attorney in connecticut in 2009 and 2010 whif when i was in the southern district of new york. but if it's true that the reason

for her departure, as suggested by reporting, is the result of political pressure, that's a real problem. that's a difficult thing to take, as someone who loves the justice department. any time a justice department official resigns for a reason like that, in protest, if that's true, is a significant problem. and it's not the first time we have seen it. we've seen all four prosecutors in the -- so it's not just one case. there is a track record of this and i think it's something people should be very, very concerned about. >> andrew, i mean, if this does all just happen to come out, right before the election. whatever it is. even if the investigation, especially if the investigation, itself, is not over. i mean, that would certainly, you could say, lend credence to or just be evidence of the political nature. or the -- the -- you know, the alleged political nature of this. >> that's right. that's right. and, you know, look. i think we've all had a number

of reasons to question the legitimacy or the possible intrusion of politics into this -- into this investigation. certainly, though, comments of the attorney general, himself. the repeated references by the president to, you know, almost calling for a particular outcome in the case. and i should say, also, mr. durham's own comments after the conclusion of the inspector general's investigation into the russia -- into the russia case. all those things are reasons for people to think that politics might be playing a role here. now, if it is true that this prosecutor, who has a sterling reputation, who is a longtime, and very close associate of john durham. who left her other position and came on with him, for the purpose of working this case. if it's true that she has, now, left, departed the investigation, and her doj assignment because of her concern about politics. that is a very, very damaging

confirmation of what we've all worried about. and it's the type of thing that will greatly undermine whatever results mr. durham finally produces, whenever that might be. >> i mean, is there historical precedent for how much attorney general barr seems to run interference for trump? the lafayette protest. the michael flynn dcase. the durham report. >> i'm not aware of one. there have been, from time to time, you know, suggestions that particular attorneys general have done things to protect the president. that allegation is made, you know, not that infrequently. this is something different, altogether. all the examples you mention, i think, are items of great concern. and, in this one, you know, people talked about this general, norm, and policy, and tradition and practice of not trying to do something on the eve of an election. so as not to unduly influence the election.

what that tradition is about is if you have a good-faith investigation going on that involves politics or a particular politician or an election. and you happen to be done with that investigation. if it's really close to an election, you should consider withholding, knoll aftuntil aft election. if the suggestions here are true, this is much worse than that. if you have someone in the justice department and, certainly, even worse if it's attorney general at the behest of the president. pressuring someone to bring something before an election, for the purpose of affecting the election. and whether or not that's true, the president of the united states has made it clear that, that is his desire. that is his wish. and on many other occasions, the attorney general has made clear that he likes to do the president's bidding. so the combination of those things makes for, i think, a very, very bad look for the justice department. for the president. and for the rule of law. >> andrew, i mean, with all these -- these kind of norms broken. does this -- regardless of what happens in -- in this particular

election. i mean, do we -- is -- are we able to go back to a system where, you know, where there is faith in institutions? >> well, i think, for the reasons that preet mentioned, it's incredibly corrosive. it makes the jobs of the fbi agents and the u.s. attorneys around this country harder, every single day, when the public continues to lose faith in the very institutions that we rely on to -- to protect our democracy. can it be restored? it absolutely can. it needs the right leadership, from the president to the attorney general, and on down. and i don't think we have that right leadership, today. >> appreciate it. thank you. coming up next. a dire, new development in the west coast wildfires. it's just extraordinary what's gone on. preparations in oregon for what one official calls a possible mass fatality incident. when the world gets complicated, a lot goes through your mind. how long will this last? am i prepared for this? are we prepared for this?

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monrovia, which is right outside of los angeles. >> reporter: massive wildfires from southern california to washington state. nearly, the entire west coast of the united states is now covered in smoke. in california, infamous for its infernos, five of the largest fires, ever recorded, in the state, are burning now. firefighters are battling california's biggest blaze in history in the northern part of the state. none of these big fires are close to containment, just a week after record temperatures reached 121 degrees in los angeles. >> this is a climate emergency. this is real. >> governor gavin newsom is declaring he is done debating deniers of climate science. >> when you have temperatures. record-breaking temperatures, record droughts. then, you've got something else at play. what we're experiencing, right here, is coming to a community all across the united states, unless we disabuse ourselves of

all the bs that's being spewed by a very small group of people. >> reporter: newsom says firefighters from as far away as canada and israel are on the way to help. >> this canyon has not burned in recorded history. so it is a powder keg. >> reporter: one northern california fire has already claimed at least ten lives this week. more than a dozen are unaccounted for. >> we watched these trees right there beside us going up and embers fly across the lake. >> at the butte county shelter, henderson says she jumped into a lake to survive. >> eight of us had to go down to the end of our road, go into the sand and get down in the water to avoid the fire. >> reporter: statewide, the fires are burning a thousand acres, every 30 seconds. turning day into night, this week, in san francisco. in oregon, destroyed neighborhoods are stained pink with fire retardant, while some 10% of the population is evacuating. >> we came here a year ago after

leaving the paradise fire. lost everything then. so there's not much to lose now, i guess, for us. but, god, this is terrible. >> contrasting satellite images show entire communities in the city of phoenix, oregon, now reduced to little more than ash. in washington state, more acres have been burned in the last three days, than in all of last year. >> i have never seen anything like this. the entire town is maulded. >> this is devastated to our town. we have no chance. >> and back here you can see the smoke. you can see the smoke across this entire state. it has been raining down and it has been raining down ash for more than a week now. >> the skies and scope of all this in california alone. the fire is burning and acreage

is burning. it is about double the size of the state of delaware. >> sara sidner. >> unbelievable. players locked arms, he joins me to talk about athletes protest. stock slices. for as little as $5, now anyone can own companies in the s&p 500, even if their shares cost more. at $5 a slice, you could own ten companies for $50 instead of paying thousands. all commission free online. schwab stock slices: an easy way to start investing or to give the gift of stock ownership. schwab. own your tomorrow. but today there's a combination of two immunotherapies you can take first. one that could mean... a chance to live longer.

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black man, a former player, i think it is best with me to support the players and not be here tonight and figure out what happens after that. >> i respect that. >> the spotlight is turned to professional football, some of the limited number of fans allowing the nfl first game of the season, the boos lasted about 5 to 10 seconds while the players locking arms. the crowd applauded. >> kenny smith, thank you so much for joining us.

i want to start off of what we just watched when you walked off the scene. it was a powerful moment of solidarity. given the time that passed, how do you look at it and if things have changed for you professionally or personally? >> well, i think overall, anderson, thank you for having me. i think the one thing that i did understand as the moment that's happening. ashappening, i thought it was the right thing to do. sometimes i feel like you need to talk about the march. sometimes you need to join the march so to speak. i feel it was a join the march moment. the players are going to sit out and in terms of solidarity and why they are doing it and we are tact talking about social justice and all the things that's going on in our country that we love so dearly. now looking back i feel more

confident, more than anything else. i have kids and my 12-years-old son, malloy, i didn't get to talk to him. i facetimed him. as soon as i facetimed him all he was doing is this. he gets it. he understood it. my older kids understood but for him it was big for me. >> people who are fighting for change in their lifetime or in the time they are fighting the hardest, generally society is not on their side. it is only in retrospect that people look back and say oh what that person did was extraordinary, muhammad ali was a perfect example. when he started speaking out and refusing to go to vietnam and all the things he did.

>> this is the first time i think collectively worldwide, this is not just america, it is worldwide where people who are not being affected on a daily basis by systematic racism or any kind of racism or social in just, they're all feeling a way about it collectively. so, i think in terms of history, we'll see a great walk on this young generation who just says we just want equality and we want equality for all people. i think that's what we are seeing around the world. that's what's so great to see right now. >> the nfl season opener last night, texans and kansas city chiefs, players linking arms and one of the players kneeling. i wonder what you make of the moment? >> i think it shows a thing of solidarity. i saw people are booing as well. people have the right to boo.

i want them to know why you are booing. when someone on your team, someone on the opposing team catches the ball and makes a first down, i can understand why you are booing but do you understand why you are booing now? that's important to know. you do have a voice and you can use it. make sure you know why you are doing it. i think it is important. right now and as we hear the sayings all could fit a hat, black lives matter and this is important and that's important. what we are all saying is we are all in the same thought process of equality. if you can't understand that, that's the issue that i think everyone relies on. >> ken smith, i appreciate you spending some time with us. thank you. >> appreciate it. >> that's it for us. i am going to hand it