longer i have been saying "cnn tonight." you know, it's bound to change. if i can just -- i don't disagree with you, so don't take this the wrong way. >> how can you disagree? >> no, no, i'm not disagreeing. >> okay, good. >> no, i'm just going to add to what you said. you said talk to someone. i think they should do what you and i do, and talk with someone, right? because when you talk with someone, that means you are doing a whole lot of listening, as well. and you're learning. i know we're saying -- we are saying the same thing but i think we need to talk with each other, not at each other, not about each other. i think we need to be in relationships with people who don't look like us, who have nothing in common with us, who don't share the same religion with us. and quite frankly, you know, i tell you about it all the time. i don't pay attention to social media. i know people out there. and they're like oh, you know, they're just -- a story would be that someone said or did something controversial, and social media didn't blow up or have a hissy fit. now, that would be a breaking-news story. so, whenever i see reporters or reports about, oh, my gosh,

twitter went to a tissy about somebody. i'm like, okay, well -- >> well, look, there is a cheap aspect to the media. people are lazy and it's easy because there is a proxy for insight in that. you know, they can take 50 people or 500 people or 5,000 people on twitter and make it sound as though there's a national movement. but i do think that a big part of the division and a big part of the disconnect, and how we're being really manipulated by the fringe, in this country, right now. >> yep, you're right. >> is because of this difference in the prepositional understanding of dealing with human beings. >> yeah. >> where, if you're talking about somebody, it's very easy to be negative. it's very easy to be pejorative. if you are talking to or with, as you say, it's a different situation. >> yeah. >> and there is no hope for the way we are right now. you're seeing it tonight, in realtime. they won't even study how people came to attack them. >> yeah. which is very important. listen. you and i have these conversations, and they get very intense and they should be. that's how -- that's how people

talk to each other. that's how family talks to each other. last night, john kasich and i. i love john. he's great. but we -- we have very tough conversations, sometimes. and i think you should treat people, who you are in friendship with. you are a family member with. you should have those conversations the way you have at a dinner table, a barbecue, or a picnic or whatever, and then you say, oh, man, you are crazy. now, give me that rib. you know what i am saying? instead of like not everybody -- look, you should be respectful. but you don't have to polite and like tiptoe around things. chris, wait a minute, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. >> just help you find the connective tissue. you know, there is a stat that really bothers me. 70% of the american people agree on the main priorities. well, then, why the hell are we so divided? a little bit of that is the fringefication. a little bit of that is salacious. but it's also because people, social media, you're not around.

you are not in confrontation with. you are not dealing with directly so you don't have that moment i will have with someone's like why do you want to take away my second amendment right? i'm like i don't know, i'm a gun owner. what do you mean you are a gun owner? i'm a gun owner. why do you own the gun? to shoot somebody if they try to hurt me or mine. i don't even hunt. you know? so, and then, all of a sudden, they're like, oh, i didn't know that. you never said that. i say it all the time. >> yeah. with me. why are you so anti-police? i'm like no, i'm not anti-police. and then, during the insurrection when i had michael fanone and officer dunn on, harry dunn, and they're like when did you become pro-police? i'm like i have always been pro-police. i just want better policing. i want it all to be better. i just don't want people being harmed for no reason or the brutality. but i have always been pro-police. same thing with the second amendment. look. i grew up in louisiana. everybody i knew had a gun. my sister carried a gun and my aunt carried guns in their purses. my mom would say, don't go near her purse. i'm like, why?

just don't go. and then, you look at it and you're like oh, i see why nay don't want me to into it. but even with that when i was a kid, for christmas, no guns. >> shoot your eye out. >> no, no like toy guns. like, cowboys and indians? no. my mom got one for christmas. my dad took it. nope. once, when i put my -- i grabbed the gun, i didn't realize, i was a kid because my dad owned businesses and i grabbed the gun. and my dad -- talk about knocking you into, like, to the moon. >> that's scary. that's scary for -- for an adult to see that with their kid. >> but i grew up with guns. you're -- you're -- you're anti- -- no, i'm not. >> look, it's because we're -- we're just -- there is too much about and not about -- or not enough to or with. and i just think especially memorial day, it's such a c confusing one. what am i supposed to say? have good one? what's good about remembering the dead?

so, you know, that's why this started off by just putting poppies on graves after world war i. obviously, it started after the civil war but decoration day, putting poppies because poppies can grow anywhere. and that's the point. we can get to a better place, because good intentions and progress can come from anywhere. >> yeah. >> you just have to want it, and that is honoring the sacrifice. doing what you can to make it better. >> yes, and i tell you what we can do to make it better now is get out. enjoy the progress that we've made with the vaccine. see our loved ones. respect people have issues with mask, respect them. but also, believe in the science. you don't have to wear the mask, if you are outside. get out and enjoy your family. i'm going to see you. i will enjoy, if the weather holds up, fingers crossed. >> i will see ya, anyway. >> i know, and then i won't have to be inside with you, which is really an issue. so i love you. i can't wait to see you this weekend. i can't wait to -- i'm going to have a summer, like i was a 12-year-old. i've made that pledge. knock wood. >> live your life. >> barefoot and everything.

eat whatever i want. do whatever i want. >> you only get one chance, and i wish everybody watching your show, your legion fans that they make good memories this memorial day weekend. >> amen. >> i love you, d lemon. >> i love you as well. this is "don lemon tonight." thanks for watching, everyone. we have some breaking news to tell you about because we're going to take you live to the capitol right now. and that's where the vote america has been waiting for -- is coming now, at any moment. we will get you live pictures there, in just a bit. the vote on the commission. there it is. live pictures of the capitol. vote on the commission tasked with telling the truth of what happened right there, at the capitol, on january 6th. where, apparently, a dark cloud of amnesia generated by ignorance and cowardice has descended on the senate. maybe, we should remind them. maybe, we should remind them. this is what that day was like. that's what it was like. the day we'll never forget.

the day we, all, watched in horror, as violent rioters ran wild at the united states capitol. the seat of our democracy. hunting lawmakers. fighting police officers. trying to stop the certification of the vote for joe biden. and then, tonight. at that same capitol, it seems like republicans are going to -- in no uncertain terms that they lack the guts to do what is right. they want to kill that january-6th commission, before it has even begun. live pictures now of the senate floor. the senate majority whip, dig durban, says that the vote will happen tonight. as it gets later and later, you have got to wonder whether republicans are hoping to hide their cowardice under the cover of darkness. last night, i asked a question. okay. and that question was, are -- are there ten-republican senators who will defend democracy? are there ten-republican senators who will defend democracy? i said that i thought i knew the

answer, but i hoped that i was wrong. well, you would think that the grieving mother of officer brian sicknick going to the capitol to speak to republican senators, face to face, you would think that would matter. the same people he lost his life defending. and even faced with a mother, who's lost so much, they still can't step up and do the right thing for her. and for the people they were elected to serve. >> they are supposed to uphold the constitution and right now i don't think they're doing it. >> hmm. i can only imagine, that was my mom. imagine if it was your mother, your brother, your son. sources telling cnn those meetings were very hard for mrs. sicknick. she reportedly asked how they can not do the right thing. capitol hill police officer harry dunn, d.c. metropolitan police officer, michael fanone, went to the hill with mrs. sicknick today meeting with senators including ron johnson.

ron johnson, who over and over, has tried to sell the lie that what happened on january 6th was a peaceful protest. there. there's your peaceful protest, right there. there it -- oh, that's -- wow. i hate to see what a nonpeaceful protest looks like. officer fanone has told me, over and over, that he is not political. he just wants the truth of that day to come out. but they don't want to hear the truth. well, today, sources say that he let ron johnson have it. and i've come to know michael fanone. i can imagine just what that was like, and i'm sorry for his experience today. i'm sure he believed, as a law-enforcement officer and a decent, honest man, that if he just talked to them, got face to face with them. told them the truth of that day. that, they would understand and that they would listen. and now, he's learned what everyone must understand. they have no conscience. they don't want to know the truth. truth tellers are an inconvenience to them. truth tellers are just people,

who make it harder for them to ignore their oaths to preserve and protect the constitution and the responsibilities of their jobs. and yet, they find a way. because they care about nothing, beyond their own prospects for power and protecting the former guy. think about this. these republican senators could, all, have been killed. that's the reality. and what would they want if that had happened? would they have wanted their loved ones to stick with trump, even then? we're never again going to ask what it would take for republicans to break from trump. clearly, there is no bottom for them. this has nothing to do -- this is nothing -- there is nothing, i should say, that they won't do. nothing, they won't do. and republicans -- democrats, i should say, anger is real tonight and it should be. they should be angry. the deal for this commission was bipartisanship. it was supposed to be

bipartisan. it included everything republicans asked for. everything. 35 house republicans voted for it. democrat joe manchin, angry, today. but not angry enough to blow up the filibuster. >> there was a lot of negotiations. and the leadership, democrats, in both the house and the senate have agreed to the recommendations that were made. to make the adjustments. there is no excuse for a republican not to vote for this, unless they don't want to hear the truth. >> if republicans can't even stand up for the truth, in the face of one of the darkest days in american history. if they are still trying to bury the truth about the insurrection we all saw, with our own eyes, and heard with our own ears. if they are, still, trying to bury the truth, even after those rioters hunted for them in the halls of congress. well, that tells you exactly what you need to know.

they're too afraid of a former president, who has been out of office for more than four months. that is why mitch mcconnell went so far as to beg senators to filibuster the bill, as a personal favor to him. mitch mcconnell. who knows, exactly, what happened on january 6th. and who knows, exactly, who is responsible. he knows. he told us so, after he voted to acquit the former president. >> there's no question, none, that president trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day. no question about it. the people who stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their president. >> mitch mcconnell doesn't care about the truth.

all he cares about is 2022. well, actually, i take that back. all he cares about is 2024 and winning, back, the white house. and he is willing to do anything. he is willing to say anything to achieve those goals. he told us that, too. >> if the president was the party's nominee, would you support him? >> the nominee of the party? absolutely. >> and then, there is one-time house speaker paul ryan. criticizing the former president, tonight, and his death grip on the republican party. watch this. >> once again, we, conservatives, find ourselves at a crossroads. and here's the reality that we have to face. if the conservative cause depends on the populist appeal of one personality or of second-rate imitations, then we're not going anywhere. >> okay. where was that when former

spe speaker, i didn't see the tweet ryan was in power. remember, he never saw trump's tweets whenever you asked him about it. i didn't see the tweet. that's why i call him the former speaker. i didn't see the tweet speaker. now, the former speaker, i didn't see the tweet paul ryan is on the board of fox corporation. you know, the parent company of the fox-propaganda network. the home of exactly the kind of cultural battles he is complaining about tonight. >> as the left gets more woke, the rest of america is getting weary. this stuff is exhausting. and we, conservatives, have got to be careful not to get caught up in every, little cultural battle. sometimes, these skirmishes are just creations of outraged peddlers, detached from reality, and not worth anybody's time. >> outraged peddlers, huh? and speaking of that woke, when he calls woke. republicans are doing all the cancelling, right now. ask liz cheney.

outrage peddlers, huh? who, exactly, is it who peddles that outrage? the gop and their absurd-culture wars. >> first, they outlaw dr. seuss. and now, they want to tell us what to say. >> i am sam. i am sam. sam, i am. that sam i am, that sam i am, i do not like that sam i am. do you like green eggs and ham? i do not like them, sam i am. i do not like green eggs and ham. >> look out, mr. potato head, you're next. >> first, it was kermit the frog, mr. potato head, now, dr. seuss. i have said i think this is the biggest threat to freedom we face. >> they cancelled mr. potato head. you know, this week alone, they cancelled the muppets. you know, they're -- they're -- they're cancelling dr. seuss from reading programs. >> oh, my gosh. they're cancelling liz cheney.

ha-ha-ha-ha. these people, come on. i i'm sorry. kevin mccarthy. sorry, paul. kevin mccarthy, come on. really? there is a thing in there. kevin mccarthy. what's joe biden's favorite word? full of malarkey. and as paul ryan speaks out for his vision of the gop, the trump wing of the party is on full display tonight. >> this is donald trump's party. and i'm a donald-trump republican. we're not going back to the days of the bushes and the mccains and the romneys. our way, america first, is the way forward for america. >> and that is the face of the gop. gaetz and the qanon congresswoman. >> we've got to clear something up.

who won the presidential race on november 3rd for georgia ? >> let's answer that question for her. joe biden. it's settled. but that's what joe biden is faced with tonight. a republican party enthrall of the former president. a republican party, letting matt gaetz and marjorie taylor greene speak for them. a republican party, too scared to stand up for the truth of what happened on january 6th. even though, it could have killed them. president biden saying this, today. >> i can't imagine anyone voting against the establishment of a commission on the greatest assault since the civil war on the -- on the capitol. >> tonight, we'll find out

whether ten republicans have the guts to do what's right. because we've got the latest on the vote expected, at any minute, tonight. the vote on the commission charged with finding the truth of what happened on one of the darkest days in american history. >> we owe it to the brave men and women, who defended our lives that day. and in some cases, did so at the cost of their lives. tonight, i'll be eating a pork banh mi with extra jalapeños. [doorbell rings] thanks, baby. yeah, we 'bout to get spicy for this virtual date. spicy like them pajama pants? well, the top half of me looks good. no wonder we still single. hello lenny28. wait a minute, i know a lenny28. ooo...lenny is cute!

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so, we have the breaking news tonight. we are standing by for that senate vote tonight on the commission to investigate the capitol insurrection on january -- the one that happened on january 6th. the gop, all but certain to block it. senator lisa murkowski, one of the handful of republicans who is backing the commission, has a message for her colleagues, like the leader, mcconnell. who worry that talking about the january 6th insurrection will hurt their chances in 2022. she says in part, to be making a decision for the short-term political gain, at the expense of understanding and acknowledging what was in front of us on january 6th, i think we

need to look at that critically. lisa murkowski saying that. so joining me now to discuss, democratic congressman jamie raskin of maryland. he was the lead-impeachment manager during trump's second-impeachment trial. congressman, thank you. really appreciate you joining us this evening. i know it's -- it's a very busy time for you. so, it -- it seems that the -- the vast majority -- >> it's good to be with you, don. >> yeah. thank you. sorry, we do have a delay. so, let's acknowledge that and be cognizant of it, congressman. you know, it seems, that the vast majority of republican senators will vote against this commission. some looked into the eyes of a grieving mother, today, who lost her son. and officers who fought back that mob. and they're still going to say no. what do you say to them tonight? is this a new low? >> well, they've elevated what they think is in their best-political interest, over what is clearly in the best interest of the country, which is to determine the truth of those events. and the cause of those events.

but they are too eager to protect donald trump. and -- and the evidence of his attempted-political coup against the government and against the election. and too eager to protect the proud boys and the three percenters in the oath keepers in their insurrection against america. and they are too eager, i think, to protect the rioters, themselves, who were seduced by donald trump's invitation to come to warn shington from the truth because those people will defect very quickly, once we simply proclaim the truth. which is, that the big lie is a lie. that donald trump did not win the election. but these are people who were brought to washington, under the premise that the election was being stolen, and they were going to go and stop the steal. so it's hard to blame them in a weird way. but we need to get the truth out to those people. and donald trump should be an absolute pariah in america, as well as everybody who has been

enabling his anti-social and anti-democratic conduct. >> and the fact that they can look in the eyes of a grieving mother. and -- and still, vote the way that they are planning to vote. gladys sicknick, is who i am speaking of. the mother of the fallen capitol police officer, brian sicknick. also, michael fanone. capitol police officer, harry dunn. they all tried to convince republican senators to support this commission. now, this is officer -- let's look, put this up. officer fanone's body-camera footage. this is from january 6th. and i spoke with him just before the show. he said it was traumatic to relive the most devastating moment of his life, over and over again. but felt many senators simply just didn't care. these lawmakers can't stand up for the truth for the people who risked their lives protecting them. what can they stand for? what do they stand for? >> well, they're not interested in law enforcement. all of the capitol officers i've spoken to, including officer fanone, including officer harry dunn, who is a constituent of mine.

have been depending that we do a commission to figure out how this happened and what security precautions need to be put in place. but also, we need to investigate violent-white supremacy. you know, domestic-violent extremism, which is basically violent-white supremacy, accounted for two-thirds of the terror incidents in america, in 2020. i mean, this is the single-biggest terror threat to the american people. and to our public security, right now. and they are covering up for them, as well as covering up for donald trump and the proud boys and the oath keepers and so on. >> not only were you -- >> and, you know, that's a scandal when it comes to the -- i was just going to say, the law enforcement officers on capitol hill and the metropolitan police department in d.c., who came to our rescue. if nothing else, if they don't care about the constitution and the future of the republic. at least they owe it to the police officers, who they claim to support. otherwise, everybody will know that that's a total lie. >> yeah. i was going to say not only were you a witness to this insurrection.

your daughter and your son-in-law were, also, on capitol hill on january 6th locked in an office, sending what they thought were good-bye texts. this is what you said at the impeachment trial about your conversation with your daughter, after the attack. here it is. >> i told her how sorry i was, and i promised her that it would not be like this, again, the next time she came back to the capitol with me. and you know what she said? she said, dad, i don't want to come back to the capitol. of all the terrible, brutal things i saw and i heard, on that day, and since then, that one hit me the hardest. >> listen. i hate to have you relive that because i know you were suffering loss in your family. and you -- there was a horrible, horrible time for you. do you fear january 6th could happen again? >> well, it certainly will

happen again. i mean, january 6th wasn't the first outbreak of this. remember, there was a plot to kidnap and assassinate michigan governor whitmer. and a siege of the michigan-state capitol, which donald trump had been encouraging. and other high-level republicans had been encouraging. there was -- there were the maga marches on washington, which ended up in violence. and so, you know, part of what we showed at the impeachment trial, which ended up with a 57-to-43 vote to convict was that january 6th was the culmination of a series of events. and if we don't intervene to stop it now, this will become the norm. political violence will be validated and normalized. that's what donald trump wants. i mean, he is someone who always likes to encourage chaos and violence, wherever he goes. and then, he wraps his political plans inside of it. i mean, remember, there was a coup that was built into all of the riots and the violence and insurrection. and the coup was targeted at mike pence, to get him to reject

the electoral-college votes coming from arizona and georgia and pennsylvania. and they thought, if all -- if all -- the only thing they needed to do was to get pence to repudiate those votes. kick it to a contingent election in the house and donald trump would win because they controlled 27 of the state-congressional delegations. we don't vote one member, one vote, under a contingent election under the 12th amendment of we vote one state, one vote. so they were very close to conducting and perfecting that coup. now, there were right-wing elements, like the proud boys and the three percenters who had an insurrection in mind. and they, also, were talking about violence against pence and nancy pelosi and killing members of congress. and then, there were the people who were just brought in as rioters. but you got to peel this like an onion to figure out what was really going on. and i'm in the process of trying to do that. i hope that we have a commission that can do it formally and publicly. and remember, this commission, we voted for in the house, don, five republicans, five

democrats. equal-subpoena authority. right down the middle. just like the 9/11 commission. and they won't take yes for an answer. and that was exactly what kevin mccarthy was asking for. why? because they don't want the truth. because they want this to become the norm in our politics. >> yeah. yeah. that was -- that's what katko asked for and nancy pelosi gave it to him. thank you, sir, i appreciate it. enjoy your holiday weekend. i really appreciate you joining. >> thank you very much, it's wonderful to see you. >> thank you. he says american democracy is hanging by a thread. so, who does he blame for it? i'm going to ask paul krugman, next. with a cfp® professional. a cfp® professional can help you build a complete financial plan. visit letsmakeaplan.org to find your cfp® professional. ♪

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-thank you. -[ speaks native language ] let's keep making a differene together. so, republicans in the senate, all but certain to block a vote on the bill to establish the january-6th commission. the vote expected any time, now.

we are going to have it for you just as soon as it happens but until then, let's talk. paul krugman joins me, the author of "arguing with zombies, economics, politics, and the fight for a better future." professor, thank you for joining, i appreciate it. it's good to see you. >> good to be on. >> so, the january-6th commission on its way to defeat in the senate. republicans don't want an investigation into an attack that threatened their lives and our democracy. is this a paermanent-black mark on our nation? what do you think? >> yeah, i think we're in very deep trouble and i think it's important to understand the nature of the trouble of. it's not -- i mean, obviously, the extremists, the white supremacists, the people who would like to violently overthrow the government are scary, extremely scary but we have always had people like that in this country. we had the john birch society. we had joe mccarthy. we have had white supremacy as a political force has been around for decades. the difference is that we, now, have a republican party that

will not stand up to those people. you know, the great majority of republicans in congress, both in the senate and the house, know that joe biden, legitimately, won the presidency. they know that january 6th was an attempt at the violent overthrow of an electoral result but they are cowards. and that's not because, you know, just somehow, by some accident, we have a cowardly-republican party. it's the result of a 40-year degeneration of what that party is about. this is not the republican party of dwight eisenhower. it's not even the republican party of the reagan years. this is a party that is really gone downhill, has become corrupt. >> yeah. i was looking at some of the -- one of the quotes that you have here. you have this great piece in "the new york times" talking about the danger -- danger our democracy is facing. you also point out the differences in the way the two

major-political parties are structured. you say the gop is ideology based and the democratic party's a coalition of interest groups. i understand what you are saying. explain that more, though. >> yeah. so, democrat party is what we normally favor a political party as being. it's a group of people who don't agree, you know, interest groups. not all of them saints by any means but teachers unions, lgbtq activists, all the people who have goals. and politicians navigate between and try to satisfy the demands of these different groups and try to build a coalition. the republican party is this monolithic thing. it's not even -- it's actually just a piece of something. a movement conservatism. all of us look at, use the phrase, political scientists took about it. it's a cohesive, centralized thing. it's held together, or has been held together, largely, by billionaire money. let's -- let's be frank. it's -- it's a lot of the

reasons that republicans hold the positions they do is because there -- there's money in it. and it has been for decades, now. the life of being a loyal-republican politician has been a pretty easy life. all you had to do was say some things. they weren't true but they served the interests of certain people. you probably had a nice, gerrymandered seat. you didn't really have to worry about losing an election. and actually, if you happened to lose an election, there was a safety net. you know, the phrase we use is wing-nut welfare. there would be a place waiting for you at a think tank. speaking, you know, gig on fox news. it was all very comfortable. all of a sudden, it's not so safe and comfortable because now, you have had this, you know, the barbarians have moved in. but think of the kind of people who prospered in that party. they are not the kind of people who are going to show any kind of moral or courage. they are not the kind of people who are going to take a stand on

principle. you know, to name names, kevin mccarthy is -- is the -- at all -- but that's the kind of person who has flourished in the republican party. and has, then, left that party completely vulnerable to forces that really want to tear down our democracy. >> yeah. paul has a really interesting piece in "the new york times" about the conversation we're having now. i would strongly urge all of you to read it. paul, our time is a little bit short tonight but we appreciate you joining us. have a great holiday weekend. thank you so much. >> same to you. take care. >> thank you. prepare for 2024, now, or risk losing everything. that's what my next guest is warning democrats. so stay with us. in the romo household we take things to the max oh yeah! honey, you still in bed? yep! bye! that's why we love skechers max cushioning footwear. they've maxed out the cushion for extreme comfort. it's like walking on clouds! big, comfy ones! oh yeah!

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top-election officials in arizona and michigan are warning democrats that democracy, itself, is at stake in the

upcoming elections. michigan secretary of state jocelyn benson says it is time to start preparing for the 2024 elections now. secretary bensen joins me now. thank you. good to see you. >> good to see you don. thanks for having me. >> for sure. you are issuing a dire warning about the upcoming election, so talk to me about the danger. what's the biggest threat? >> that we don't learn from what we endured and successfully overcame in 2020. that there's no accountability. that we take our eye off the ball, and allow those bad actors to continue to intensify their efforts to put pieces in place, to undermine democracy. so that, when the next-presidential election comes along, the same actors, the same bad forces that tried to undermine democracy in 2020. and were not successful in doing so, despite very valiant effort, very challenging, even violent, effort. those forces will be back. but they will be better organized. they will be better funded. they will be more strategic.

and they will be in more places of authority, than they were in 2020. and we will, therefore, be at higher risk of seeing them be successful in undermining our democracy and stand in the way of the vote being, you know, the determining factor of who wins an election. >> okay. so let's talk more about that because, you know, during that, as we have been talking about. as you've mentioned here. a few brave state officials stood up and kept our democracy going into 2020. you say election officials across the country are being replaced as you -- you did. so, what -- what is the exact impact, then, on 2022 -- 2024? is it that republicans take over with minority rule? is it that -- trying to get the former guy back in the white house? is it we want to make sure that we win, at all costs? what is it? >> i think it's important to separate the political implications from the democracy implications. because what we saw in 2020, regardless of which candidate won or lost, was an attack on democracy that was a response

to, among other things, an increase in voter turnout. also, historic levels of voter turnout in communities of color. and so, we can't -- and then, the -- the efforts that we have been talking about tonight and, in particular, around the tragedy in the u.s. capitol on january 6th. all of that was connected to an effort to actually intervene, with the certification and the finalization of a fair and secure, and highly-accurate election. so, that effort's going to come back in 2024. and what's happening right now, in 2021, and what we should expect to only escalate in the months and years ahead. is an effort for those bad actors to prepare so that next time around, they'll have more people in positions of authority. and again, be better organized and more strategic to be able to be successful at blocking democracy. at stopping the count of votes in states all across the country. and interfering in the processes with an eye watowards continuin to cause chaos and confusion.

continue to sow seeds of doubt about the faith of our democracy, to cause people to disengage and not participate. and also, put rules in place that will allow for voter suppression or reduction of access to the vote. and that will ultimately decrease turnout, particularly in communities of color across the country. that's what we're looking -- that's where we are headed. >> i was saying, that is -- if i have ever seen a flashing-red light or a horn or a warning siren. what you just said was it. we are seeing, tonight, how lawmakers, secretary, are trying to whitewash the insurrection to protect the former guy. does that show that they'll do anything to win? it's part of what i asked in the last question, minority rule, whatever it takes. is it -- does it show they'll do anything to win? >> so, i certainly think we have seen, over the past-seven months, since the polls closed in november. just how far people are willing to go to undermine democracy. and that should alarm us. but it, also, should ensure that we stay vigilant to protect democracy. and not forget that we succeeded in protecting democracy in 2020

but we have not, yet, held those bad actors accountable. the accountability that we have to have, if we are going to finally move forward from those efforts into a more healthier and robust democracy. until we have that accountability and more truth telling, we are not going to move forward. and we are just going to see an intensification of these bad actors doing things like they're doing in arizona with the quote/unquote fraudit. passing laws across the country to make it harder for people to vote in states all over the country. and removing authority of election administrators or replacing election administrators with people who will be more willing to bend to the whims of candidates and party officials, instead of listening to the will of the voters. >> thought we were going to lose your signal. we didn't. it all worked out. thank you, secretary bensen. i appreciate it. enjoy your holiday weekend. >> you, too, don. thank you. donald trump may be out of office. but his presidency has lasting consequences. like, high-profile appointees, who now use their power to take

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(man) eye contact. elbow pump. very nice, andrew. very nice. good job. next, apparently carvana doesn't have any "bogus" fees. bogus?! now we work hard for those fees. no hundred-dollar fuel fee?

pumping gas makes me woozy. thank you. no $600 doc fee? ugh, the printing, the organizing. no $200 cleaning fees. microfiber, that chaps my hands. you know, we should go over there right now and show 'em how fees are done. (vo) never pay a dealer fee. with carvana. take this. a trump appointee serving on west point a advisory board is spreading the racist replacement

conspiracy. in a local radio interview uncovered by cnn's k file team, douglas mcgregor says the biden administration's policy is to bring in non-white immigrants to outnumber white americans of european ancestry in the u.s. listen. >> the idea is that they have to bring in as many non-europeans as possible in order to outnumber the numbers of americans of european ancestry who live in the united states. that's what it's all about. and i don't think there's any point in questioning it. that is the policy. >> okay. so the racist conspiracy which has been perpetuated on the fox propaganda network and by some republican lawmakers is not based in fact, but that doesn't stop the colonel from saying it's all a grand plan. >> and i think some of you must have seen the thousands of pregnant women coming up from

latin america so they can have their children here and then the child immediately is declared an american citizen. and, again, all of this is part of the grand plan. this is what mr. biden and his supporters want. they want another country. they don't want the united states. >> and there it is. and there it is. i don't really have to say anything. i can just go to break here, but let me just explain. mcgregor did not respond to cnn's request for comment, and a white house official tells cnn that his standing on the advisory board at the country's top military academy is under review. he was previously nominated to be the trump administration's ambassador to germany but cnn found other controversial remarks from his past. he said u.s. involvement in world war ii was a disaster and falsely claimed there was no desire in this country to go to war with nazi germany.

again, this is someone the former president thought should be adviser to germany -- ambassador, excuse me, to germany. so there you go. our breaking news tonight. we're watching the senate floor where it's late-night tonight. we're going to see what's happening. they're supposed to get that vote. it's expected on the commission to investigate the capital insurrection. we're going to follow it. make sure you stay right where you are. we'll be right back. ♪ smooth driving pays off. saving is easy when you're in good hands. allstate. click or call for a quote today.

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we're keeping an eye on washington, d.c. tonight where the senate is still in session. the vote on creating a bipartisan commission to investigate the deadly january 6th capitol insurrection being pushed well into the night right now. gop leader mitch mcconnell doing everything he can to kill the bill, asking