states. and so this is -- we can't stand up to china on our own, but we can work with a network of other countries to do that. >> pretty incredible. in all of this, the investigations into the origins of the coronavirus itself in that bhwuhan lab. i appreciate you all. anderson starts now. >> good evening, thanks for joining us. we're focused on two powerful lawmakers standing between president biden and everything he hopes to accomplish. one is medical schitch mcconnel other is a did he tell you joe manchin, despite having many of the same goals as the president is refusing to change the way the senate works to achieve them. not on infrastructure, voting rights, or a commission to investigating the attack on the captain. he believes in giving the minority to block will bring compromise is why the bill to create a bipartisan commission

to investigate the insurrection can get 54 yes votes and just 35 no votes and still fail. yet even in the face of that, senator manchin stood firm. 60 votes in other words, ten republican votes to even reach the floor. it would take 51 votes to change the rules. this evening, under intense pressure to bend, he spoke with cnn's manu raju. >> can you just say, just take it off the table and say you'll never reduce a 60-vote threshold on the filibuster? >> let me tell you one thing, we're going to make the senate work the way it was intended to work. i'm totally committed to that. i'm not throwing caution to the wind. i have never desired to do that. i've listened to everybody's point of view. but the bottom line is this country has got to unite. we can't divide it. it has to be united. right now there are people that want to divide it further. it's useless. it can't work. i've never given up on our

country. >> last week mitch mcconnell blocked a commission bill and you say that he wants -- >> i'm not saying that one's dead either. i was very disappointed. i think it was wrong what he did. he knows how i feel about that. and they looked it purely at political. i did not. i looked at it as our country coming back back together. it was totally bipartisan. nancy pelosi was gracious in what she offered. chuck schumer said, okay, i'll do the same. they were able to come to a disagreement. they were at the same staffing levels, everything was done in the most bipartisan way. >> because of the fluster? >> one person blocked it, but the bottom line is, we have seven people, six that voted, seven would, we need three more. let's give it another shot. >> you can say you'll never reduce a 60-vote threshold? >> we're going to make the place work. >> you're not taking that off the table, then? >> we're making it work. >> you're not reducing the

60-vote threshold off the table? >> no, no. we're going to make the place no. we're going to make the place work. >> good effort by manu. that's senator manchin. as for mitch mcconnell, he's made it perfectly clear where his party stands. he says so. >> 100% of our focus is on stopping this new admin administration, what we have in the united states senate is totally different from susan collins to ted cruz in opposition to what the new biden administration is trying to do to this country. >> not only does that not sound like the beginning of a beautiful bipartisan friendship, sounds like what mitch mcconnell told the national journal back in october 23rd of 2010. quoting now, the single most important thing we want to achieve is for president obama to be a one-term president. joe manchin knows in, of course. he's a democratic senator in an overwhelmingly republican state, a state in which nearly 70% of people voted for donald trump in the last election. joining us now is bernie

sanders, independent senator from vermont. senator sanders, we heard there from senator manchin very clear about his intention to keep the infrastructure talks bipartisan. he also wouldn't totally rule out getting rid of the filibuster either. he was saying we're going to make the senate work. do you hold out hope that he may still move on the filibuster? >> well, all i can say is i want to make the senate work. i think we all do. the american people do. what does that mean? what it means is you do what the american people want us to do, anderson. and the truth is that for the last four decades, wages in america for workers have been stagnant. we're seeing massive income and wealthy inequality. we're the only major country on earth not to guarantee health care to all or have paid family leave. half of our people are working paycheck to paycheck. to make the senate work, you got to start doing what the american people want us to do.

and that is stand up for working families and not just for the top 1%. and when you do that, that is called democracy. it's called majority rule. it is making the senate work. and that's what we've got to do. >> so you're for getting rid of the filibuster? >> at this particular moment when you had mitch mcconnell right on your screen -- mcconnell attempted to do everything he could to obstruct the obama agenda, and he has made it very clear, let's give the gry cuy credit. he's going to obstruct joe biden's agenda. our only alternative now is to use reconciliation, as we did for the american rescue plan, which was so important to the american people, getting direct payments, cutting childhood poverty in half, extending unemployment, and was a very popular program.

we did that with 50 votes plus the vice president. and it appears to me that's exactly what we're going to have to do again if we're going to be successful in creating the millions of good-paying jobs that we desperately need, dealing with the dysfunctional child care and pre-k system, dealing with health care, dealing with higher education. if we're going to be stand up for working families, what we need to do is use reconciliation and, of course, we need to get rid of the filibuster. >> senator manchin said that the senate was never designed for one party to go it alone. manu asked the senator if he was open to creating just a limited carveout to eliminate the filibuster just to pass voting legislation, a simple majority party-line vote. he said he was not, citing the concern that republicans would use that against democrats when they're next in power, saying what goes around comes around. doesn't he have a point?

is manchin protecting democrats for when the republicans are in control? >> i think not, anderson. i'll tell you something. maybe the first test of this whole thing will not be on a reconciliation bill in order to create the millions of jobs we need and deal with so many of the infrastructure and climate issues that we have to deal with. the very first test of it may be as to whether or not we remain for all intents and purposes a democracy. i think you are more than aware the american people are more than aware that in georgia, in texas, in states all over this country , what republicans are doing in an absolutely shameful, disgraceful, cowardly way is making it harder for people of color, young people, poor people to vote. they understand their jeagenda tax breaks for millionaires, cutting social security and medicare and medicaid is

unpopular. so instead of dressing the issues facing working people, they're trying to make it hard for people who might vote democratic to vote. and what we are going to be bringing up within the next month is the for the people act, which basically says the very radical statement that in america, if you're 18 years of age or older and a citizen, you have the, right to vote, that we should not have the crazy kind of gerrymandering that we have in states around this country and we should not have the kind of dark bunny, billionaire corporate money, which is doing so much harm without disclosure. that's what we're fighting for. i suspect we're going to get zero republican support for that, and the only way we're going to go forward to protect american democracy to give people in states all over this kian country a fair shot is by passing that bill. >> what do you say to the argument that, okay, you do that this time, democrats are in control, it works for democrats,

you know, two years in now, if the republicans retake the house and senate, then they use it? >> that's true. that is true. but i think where we are -- who comes around, goes around, but where we are right now when we're dealing on whether or not we remain a democracy -- look, what republicans are trying to do now all over this country is stack the deck to make it harder for people who will vote democratic to vote. what that means is that it is going to be very hard to have a democratic senate, to have a democratic house. and i think when you're talking about fighting for basic american democracy, you got to do what you got to do. >> senator sanders -- >> right now that means if we have no republican support doing it with 50 votes plus the vice president. >> finally, i know you probably heard a lot of excuses in your career in politics. have you ever heard a lamer excuse than the texas

representative who is saying that the bill that they're pushing this texas to move the voting time, the voting on sundays couldn't start until 1:00 p.m., that was actually a scriv scrivener'ser roar or typo? they were arguing this for days. nobody picked up that it was a typo? it's insane. >> well, that is what we're dealing with now. we're dealing -- you want to go into insanity? we still have people claiming donald trump won the election. these are tough times, anderson ask, , and they require a tough response. if no republican is prepared to support us, we got to go it ozuna senator sanders, appreciate your time. now kaitlan collins and van jones. kaitlan, senator manchin didn't take abolishing the filibuster

off the table. he just says i want to make the senate work for the people the way it should. manu gave him multiple chances to take it off the table. he made a point not to. how do you read that? >> he didn't. though, on capitol hill several times he said i don't want to get rid of the filibuster, basically stop asking me that question. but pointing to several times saying this 60-vote threshold, that's something you're never going to support changing? you're right, he would not commit to that, which i do think is notable. but of course his comments essentially offering a warning about what happens if they do change it do stand. you saw senator sanders there basically acknowledging it but saying that they do feel -- and this is the feeling among several prominent democrats -- that voting rights and those voting rights legislation, they're worth it to get rid of the fixture even if it comes back to haunt them if helps take the majority. when it comes to elections, that's the basis for all of this, why we're here on capitol

hill. i do think it's notable that senator manchin would not rule it out, but keep in mind he's not the only democratic senator who is not in favor of abolishing the filibuster. there are several others that the white house would have to get on board if that was a path to go down. >> van, do you see daylight there with manchin? >> well, i was frustrated with manchin tonight, and i think people are getting increasingly frustrated just as the becomes more and more clear to the american people what the republicans are up to. the behavior seems bizarre until you put the pieces together. what they're doing, this so-called big lie is actually a big excuse to set up a big heist for the next election. in other words, they are 100% now committed, seems to me, as a party to go down this dangerous pathway of making it almost impossible for the majority to rule in america. the deck is already stacked for

the red states. don't forget the senate already gives red states as many votes as california in the senate. the house is already gerrymandering up the wazoo. they stole two seats on the supreme court. the electoral college gives red states an unfair advantage. t add the filibuster on top of that. you have the game stacked and you want to cheat even more. there's going to have to be thunder on the left. you have a determined effort on the republican party side. i think people have been hoping maybe we'll have a nice summer. okay can we just go out and enjoy our families? i don't think we're going to get that kind of summer. i think there's going to have to be a serious mobilization among frofgz save american democracy. senator manchin, i understand his intentions and heart but at some point he has to look at the facts, at least on the question

of voting, line up with the majority of americans who want us to remain a democratic republic. >> kaitlan, i want to play something from manu's interview with senator manchin. >> reporter: last question. joe biden this week said you vote more with republicans than democrats. >> that's taken totally out of context. >> saying it was taken out of context. senator manchin comes from an overwhelmingly republican state. i wonder what he made of his perception of that. >> saying that it was taken out of kecontext, we saw that full context from president biden. the white house did later try to walk it back, saying it wasn't a criticism, but it's hard to see how it's not a criticism when the president says you're a moderate democrat who votes more with republicans than you do with democrats. we know that's not true. senator manchin votes more with democrats than with republicans. but it's a noticeable dig

because it shows the frustration from the west wing with people like manchin and the way they're involved with president biden's agenda and how they could potentially thwart his agenda when it comes to major pieces of legislation, like with infrastructure where manchin is one of increasingly few democrats who were saying keep these talks with republicans going, let's keep these negotiations happening. you're seeing other democrats saying, a, it's time to move on without republican support because clearly they're never going to agree to what we are looking to pass here. also, i think seeing the concessions that president biden is making, there are several progressive democrats who aren't happy with that. and so i think that's a notable part here. but saying it was taken out of context, we all heard it for ourselves. >> van, what do you make of the argument that senator manchin makes that, democrats, watch what you're fighting for because, yes, maybe getting rid of the filibuster will work this time, but when republicans take control, you know, two years,

four years, whenever it is in the house or senate again, the shoe going to be on the other foot. >> he's right. we have to live with that. look, there already are protections baked in for minority constituencies in our constitution. the filibuster is not in the constitution. so here's the deal. right now what happened because the relentless abuse of the filibuster, when we win, we can't govern. and so at some point why should we even try to vote. i think we have -- here's why democrats might feel more confident. we have a pathway, at least with this republican party if we can have a fair election to hold on to the presidency for a very long time. and so you don't have the filibuster, but you will have the veto. that can protect democrats for a long time if we can have fair elections. if you don't have fair elections, though, then the whole game is over. and so i would rather trade in the filibuster and rely on our ability to veto if we can have

fair elections. >> appreciate it. thanks. breaking news on two related fronts. what mike pence just said about the insurrection his old boss f fomented. what intelligence officials are saying about what the navy pilots saw that nonhas been able to explain. we'll talk with what the journalist as uncovered on the hot rofrmt incredible amount of ink. the epson ecotank. just fill and chill. eport. it would be cool to ride a horse on the moon. ♪eh uh, eh uh♪

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for dreamers, temporary protected status holders, and essential workers but like farm workers, america is home.

in our toughest times, immigrants have helped keep al of us fed, healthy, and safe. now a majority of republican, democrats, and independents support a pathway to citizenship -- over 70% of all americans. immigrants have done so much for america during this pandemic and throughout our history. our country supports immigration reform. we should act. there's a world where every one of us is connected. everyone. everywhere. where everyone is included.

where everyone has access to information, education, opportunity. ♪ ♪ ♪ when everyone and everything is connected. that's really beautiful. anything is possible. good morning. cisco. the bridge to possible. . more breaking news now. almost five months after former vice president mike pence had to be hurried out of the senate chamber with his family to safety during the january 6th capitol riot, the day when some of the rioters were heard by those present to shout hang mike pe"hang mike pence" the former vice president and possible future presidential contender was in new hampshire to show distance between himself and the former president that day. >> as i said that day, january 6th was a dark day in the

history of the united states capitol. but thanks to the swift action of the capitol police and federal law enforcement, violence was quelled. the capitol was secured. and that same day, we reconvened the congress and did our duty under the constitution and the laws of the united states. president trump and i have spoken many times since we left office. and i don't know if we'll ever see eye to eye on that day. but i will always be proud of what we accomplished for the american people over the last four years. [ applause ]

>> and i will not allow democrats on their allies in the media to use one tragic day to discredit the aspirations of millions of americans. >> joined by jim acosta and kaitlan collins is back with us. jim, it's interesting. there wasn't applause when the vice president that had line "we went back and we did our duty." the applause was backing i'm not going to let it -- basically make he turn against the president. i'm so proud of what we did for the four years. what else did the vice president have to say? >> he was also talking about how he supports what they call election integrity efforts. those are code words for essentially trying to fix the next election cycle for republicans because republicans by and large have been driving

this process at the state house level. anderson, one of the things that mike pence did not talk about during that speech, he did not talk about how his own president tried to strongarm him into overturning the election results. the disagreement that exists over january 6th is not just about january 6th. it is about what led up to january 6th and how donald trump for days and weeks, really, trying to overturn the results of the election, calling various state officials and so on, and then trying to strong arm his own vice president into going down to the capitol and overturning the election results. and so the former vice president there is just glossing over what happened around january 6th and it's unfortunate to see. obviously he wants to put that behind him because he thinks it's beneficial for him to get right with president trump, former president trump, for the 2024 cycle. >> kaitlan, one wonders how long it's going to be before he makes

a pilgrimage to mar-a-lago for the same kevin mccarthy photo op with the former president. >> though i think it's even worse for pence to say something like that to try to really minimize what happened because they were chanting about hanging him, the rioters carrying trump flags, wearing shirts bearing his name. so it's stunning for pence to make these comments. it's not surprising, of course. this is a long-held pattern we've seen allies of the president take. lindsey graham, who trump gave out his number one time at a press conference, he is a close affiliate former president. ben carson, trump once called him a liar. the list goes on and on. but pence is at the height of it because the situation he was in where he never got a phone call from the president that day, as rioters were chanting "hang mike pence," something that was well-known on that day. he had to be escorted out by

service. staff at the white house were begging the president to put out a statement. and to hear him minimize it as just one tragic day and essentially blaming democrats and the media for continuing to talk about it even though it was a history-making moment, just goes to show what this next race is going to look like, and the republican primary coming up, you're going to see people like pence who we do expect to run trying to square this while saying, you know, they're not standing by what trump did that day, but they are saying we need to move on from it. that is the words that you heard from mitch mcconnell and those who voted against the january 6th commission saying let's put this in the rear view mirror. and i think it's going to be a really difficult balance for them to try to maintain going forward because, of course, we know what trump expects and that's no criticism at all. >> jim, the former vice president's wife and daughter, if my memory serves me correctly, were with him there that day and scurried to safety. the idea that he now in order to

run and to remain in good standing in the republican party has to kind of recreate or reinvent his feelings about that or what actually happened that day is pretty sad. i know speaking to the former president, you have some new reporting on what he's been saying to some of his closest advisers. >> yeah, we've been talking about this for a couple of days, anderson, this idea that donald trump has been out there talking to advisers about whether or not he could be reinstalled as president of the united states. we were able to confirm it here on cnn. i talked to a trump adviser earlier today a source familiar with these conversations, who said trump has been going around and asking his advisers what do you think of this theory, referring to these far-fetched suggestions coming from far-right celebrities, people like mike lindell, who overnight my pole, and wondering if he can be reinstalled as president of the united states if somehow the election results are overturned, this crazy notion that the election results might be

overturned in arizona or wherever. according to the source familiar with these conversations, these advisers had to talk donald trump off the ledge. in the words of this source i spoke with earlier today, this talk coming from the former president is, quote, very dangerous. and so, anderson, we can write this stuff off as trump just talking out of his back end and so on, he does this on a regular basis. it's this kind of nonsense and craziness that sparked the insurrection on january 6th. it sounds like donald trump is so starved for attention and coverage that he's willing to stoke this once again. the unfortunate thing is there are just so many millions of americans who believe this craziness, even though it's just that. >> jim acosta, kaitlan collins, thank you. the government still accountant explain what a navy pilot saw in the sky. the new reporting when we come back.

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are we alone, specifically where all the strange objects observed over recent years, alien spacecraft tonight the "new york times" learned the report's bottom line. julian barnes shares the byline.

what has the government said? >> well, they found no evidence that these unexplained phenomenon are alien spacecraft, but they still can't explain what they are. that's going to be a big b"but". they have ruled out that these things that were seen by the navy pilots were some sort of secret american government program. that was out there as one possibility. and that's been eliminated. but we don't have a definitive conclusion on what it is, although officials say there's no evidence it's aliens. >> have they -- what about the possibility of, you know, secret programs belonging to some other government, some other country operating here? >> absolutely. and that remains a possibility. there's more than 120 different phenomenon that were investigated by the government and reviewed as part of this

soon-to-be-released report. not all of them can be balloons or scientific research projects. some may well be -- could possibly be a technology by russia or china. both countries are researching hypersonics. but even there we don't have a lot of clarity because if some of these things were hypersonic weapons or aircraft, that would suggest that the russians and chinese are far ahead of america, not just a little bit ahead, but quite a bit. >> right. either way, it's concerning. you know, the fact that they can say that it's not u.s. military or u.s. spacecraft, then they can't say for sure -- they say there's no evidence that it's alien, but that doesn't mean it's not alien. there's just no evidence of it.

correct me if i'm wrong. >> no, that's -- >> it's some other country's aircraft moving in ways that we are not capable of or familiar with in our air space. >> right. there's also a possibility that this is some sort of visual artifact that both humans and cameras could see. there's some scientists who pushed that theory, although the pilots are very certain they saw something and there were related to incidents. so it's a frustrating -- like so many of this intelligence issues, it's pretty frustrating. there's more unknowns than knowns. >> so the government says there's no evidence that this is an alien spacecraft. what happens now? i know the going to stop people believing there's something out there. there were stories that maybe

they had recov there was recovered material. does this report address some of that? >> we don't know for certain, but there's nothing in this report, i'm told, my colleague has told , that presents evidence that points to an alien spacecraft. having material that couldn't be explained, that would be a piece of evidence for alien spacecraft. so that's not in this report. and it's not in the classified materials. >> is there going to be an unclassified version? >> oh, yeah. congress has required an unclassified report. that's due by june 25th and the public will be able to read that. there will also be a classified annex that we won't be able to see, although we're told that in that annex there's no evidence of aliens there either. >> it is fascinating. appreciate it. thank you. coming up next, did pennsylvania state lawmakers

running from cnn's kyung lah from phoenix run all the way home with new ideas to overturn election results there? new reporting on more sketchiness surrounding the arizona ballot review. uh-oh, sorry... oh... what? i'm an emu! no, buddy! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. ♪ magenta? magenta! (crying) magenta! (announcer) the epson ecotank. no more cartridges. just lots of ink. print whatever makes you happy. the epson ecotank. just fill and chill.

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a little preparation will make you and your family safer in an emergency. a week's worth of food and water, radio, flashlight, batteries and first aid kit are a good start to learn more, visit safetyactioncenter.pge.com when last we saw cnn's kyung lah, she was chasing pennsylvania state lawmakers,

not in pennsylvania, but in phoenix, arizona. they were visiting the bogus ballot review going on there, apparently intent on trying something similar back home. in a moment, we'll be joined by pennsylvania's lieutenant governor. but first, a new development in arizona that democrats and republicans are calling a sham. it comes from arizona secretary of state whose office has been documenting irregularities in the operation. >> reporter: it's been a mystery from the start. why the so-called audit workers all wear color-coded t-shirts. but two are in pink shirts, the nonpartisan observers, representing the arizona secretary of state's office told by the company leading the audit that they need to wear them. now secretary of state katie hobbs says she's figured it out. >> what we noticed is they are using these shirts to label our observers as pinko commies or

transgender. i don't know what that means. >> reporter: so it's a joke? >> i think this whole thing is a joke. >> reporter: the pink shirts are one of the more eye-popping details in a summary report from hobbs' office, detailing slew of the ballots. observers noted more than a dozen serious problems from an unintended and open security gate, errors with the software update used to examine ballots, so problematic, they ditched it and went back to the old software. and a cell phone brought to the floor. observers say that cell phone was carried by one of the leaders of the so-called audit, despite rules prohibiting them. and then there's this. >> there were two instances where black pens, again, were on the counting floor. >> reporter: she is an arizona public reporter. pen color is a big deal because blue and black pens can be used to alter ballots during an audit. she pointed out weeks ago to the

cyber ninjas, the company hired by the arizona senate. >> he said we're going to remove the blue pens and use green pens instead. >> reporter: so you noticed the problem before cyber ninjas did? >> i did. a. >> reporter: does this strike you as a reporter covering this, like, a big deal? >> it strikes me as showing that they may not have experience doing election audits before. >> reporter: the cyber ninjas are a little-known tech company hired out of florida for the so-called audit a third review run by the republican-controlled arizona senate, despite two previous audits kbconducted by maricopa maricopa. a spokesman says he laughed out loud when he read hobbs' report calling it a bunch of bs. he also called the observers biased, saying no one picked on them for the pink shirts. but hobbs says her report seeks to rebut what she expects to be the final report from the cyber

ninjas, the next chapter of the big lie. >> i saw them saying we're setting the gold standard. >> this will be the basis of a gold standard. >> there is nobody involved with any type of audit in any industry who would say what's going on here is a gold standard. we know the truth about the 2020 election and that the results we certified were an accurate reflection of the will of the voters. this process is not. >> there are republicans in maricopa maricopa that are trying to fight against the big lie. some are making the connection to the so-called audit and the former president's believing he'll be reinstated in august. >> reporter: we're actually hearing from them more and more. we just saw this tweet from maricopa county supervisor bill garkts one of the more active and vocal republicans here in the county saying, look, this is a lie. and what he tweeted was that taught the is feeding into that

conspiracy theory for his desired, quote, unquote, reinstatement. this is the important part. he tweets that republicans must stand up to this madness and defend the rule of law. silence is becoming complicity. is it going to be fact or fiction? w anderson? >> kyung lah, appreciate it. joining us is john fetterman, democratic candidate for the u.s. senate. lieutenant governor fetterman, thanks for being with us. there are major problems with what's going on in arizona not only from an operational perspective according to the state representatives, but it's also based on the big lie that the election was fraudulent and there was widespread voter fraud, which we know there was not. so what goes through your mind when you see pennsylvania republicans visiting maricopa county and i guess wanting to do the same thing in your state? >> it doesn't surprise me that the three colleagues are very

much less tethered to reality than even the other republicans' colleagues in the senate. these are among a fringe movement. i'm not surprised and i don't expect it to go anywhere. but really the prime directive for republicans at this point is simping for the former president because that waters the tree of liberty for the republican party now. >> the pennsylvania state senator, one of the three lawmakers who went out to arizona, he said, quote, i'm not about overturning everything. i'm just trying to find out what went right, what went wrong and how to have better elections in the future, unquote. he was at january 6th and said he left before any violence and he renounced any violence. but the idea that visiting a privately run audit that do doesn't -- it doesn't have to answer to anybody.

they can announce any results they want and there's no way anyone can check what they have done. do you trust that he isn't about overturning anything? >> of course they would love to. recall him and the others put on that snake handling demonstration in gettysburg late in 2020 trying to overturn the election results. i mean, this is what they do. this is all they know and this is all they have to run on. currying the former president's favor is their only play to be viable in the republican party, and that's a tragedy. if you tell the truth in the republican party, you lose. we've seen it in georgia and across the country. the bottom line is this. no one, including the republicans themselves, believe there was any fraud. they know better than anybody what the results are, and this is strictly about simping for

donald trump. so he can you urries favor. >> you're confident that there's not going to be a maric maricopa-style, so-called audit in pennsylvania? >> i am. the members that made that trip were fringy, even among the fringies. and i do not believe it would go any further than, again, the train wreck in the ramada ball room in gettysburg. it's all for show and just to pander to the fringe and the extremes. it's not going to go anywhere. no one is getting reinstalled as president. it's all just part of this really bad performance art that they just won't let it go because that's the only thing they have left to run on because president biden and the democratic majorities led this country out of this pandemic and are getting people back to work and getting people back to their lives prepandemic.

>> lieutenant governor, appreciate it. thank you so much. >> thank you. coming up next, there's new reporting on why matt gaetz could be in deeper legal trouble than he already is. that's ahead. it would be cool to ride a horse on the moon.

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new reporting tonight that only adds to the trouble florida congressman matt gaetz could find himself in. he's already under investigation for an alleged sexual relationship with a minor. his former friend and wingman is already cooperating in the investigation and now sources tell cnn the feds are looking into whether the congressman may have obstructed justice. more now from cnn's paula reid. >> reporter: a source tells cnn that investigators have been told about gaetz and an associate discussing a plan to visit gaetz' ex-girlfriend in october 2020. investigators have also been provided with material that suggests the woman may have been influenced related to the investigation. the woman is seen as a critical witness in a probe as she was linked to the congressman in the summer of 2017 when he allegedly had sexual contact with a

different woman who was just 17 at the time. politico, which first reported the obstruction investigation late wednesday, also says investigators are looking at a phone call gaetz had with a witness in the sex crimes investigation. the call reportedly originated between the witness and gaetz' ex-girlfriend and gaetz himself joined at some point. the outlet did not report when the call took place or what was said. the congressman has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. >> i'm being falsely accused of sc exchanging money for favors. >> reporter: in a statement in response to cnn's new reporting, a spokesman for the lawmaker said congressman gaetz pursues justice, he doesn't obstruct it. after two months, there is still not a single on-record accusation of misconduct and now the story is changing yet again. >> paula reid joins us now. how significant is the obstruction piece of this investigation? >> anderson, this certainly

heightens the legal jeopardy for the congressman. what we have to remember is at the heart of this investigation is a group of young women who are allegedly trafficked, some of them exchanged sex for money and gifts. one of them was even allegedly underage. i've spoken with some of them. some of them are savvy and some of them are not. some of them have told me they are very scared to be involved in a federal investigation. so the fact that they're looking at any pressure on them, very significant. >> paula reid, i appreciate it. still to come, we remember 40 years ago this week when the cdc issued their first report on a virus the world would come to know as hiv. it means "cyan-ora" honor roll. the epson ecotank. no more cartridges. it comes with an incredible amount of ink. just fill and chill.

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on june 5th, 1981, the cdc reported for the first time on a rare pneumonia in five previously healthy young gay men in los agency's first report on what the world would eventually know as hiv, the virus that causes aids. that was 40 years ago this week. according to the cdc, 730,000 people have died of aids-related illnesses in the country, in the u.s., and 32 million worldwide. dr. anthony fauci spoke about those terrifying early days in which there were few answers, little compassion and widespread fear of and bigotry against those who were ill. fauci said he would be, quote, putting band-aids on hemorrhages with no drugs available watching literally all of my patients die. today the cdc says hiv infections have decreased about 73% thanks in large part to

life-saving drugs, better care and testing. it's a stunning achievement in 40 years. but hiv is still with us. the department of health and human services says more than a million people in this country now live with it. more than one in ten don't even know that they are hiv positive. it's a reminder of the importance of regular testing for hiv because there is treatment, which has turned what was once a death sentence into just a chronic condition. with treatment, you are undetectable. if you are undetectable, that means you cannot transmit the virus to others and you can live a normal life. so treatment and testing is critical. the news continues when i hand it over to chris for "cuomo prime time." chris. >> it is good to remember the dark and it is good to remember the light. happy birthday, my brother. >> thank you. >> you are a gift to us all. i know that you have the best gift in your life now, which is your son. i hope you enjoy him as much as possible. >> thanks, chris. >> happy birthday, brother. >> thank you. >> i am chris cuomo and welcome to "prime time." we all see the problems.