thank you so much for watching. please, join me tomorrow and every-saturday morning at 9:00 eastern for smerconish right here on cnn. "don lemon tonight" starts right now. michael, how are you? i never thought i would be saying happy juneteenth. but here we are, in 2021, and finally, we are celebrating at least a national holiday, or marking the end of slavery. >> and it's a good thing. and i think, you know, the acceptance by -- one of those rare issues, don, about which, it seems like the congress, the house, and the senate, were able to come together and that's a great thing because we see so little of it, these days. >> yeah. and i will be watching your coverage on the actual juneteenth day, tomorrow, the

19th. michael, it is always a pleasure to see you. you have a great weekend and happy juneteenth. >> thank you, sir. >> this is d"don lemon tonight." i hope you are enjoying your j juneteenth national holiday today. we are owning up to our history and that is a good thing, as michael just said. not running away from it like so many republicans on the hill, capitol hill, i mean. like they are trying to do. so we are ending this week on a high note of truth. yet, we have seen so much shameful whitewashing of the truth this week. especially, about the deadly insurrection on january 6th, and it was an insurrection. so many lies about what really happened. today, the justice department releasing more video of horrific violence. this video is -- is graphic. actually, their acts, what they did, was graphic. lot of profanity. it's not only disturbing, it's downright frightening. but we need to keep watching these videos, because people are lying about what happened. trying to point fingers. or they are saying that it was

just tourists visiting the capitol, that day. >> are you an american? >> you guys have no idea what the fuck you're doing. not one idea. don't touch me. >> get the fuck out of here. >> fuck them. >> yeah. so much for support for law enforcement. is it embarrassing to watch that? should be. does it anger you? it should. is it frustrating? yes. shocking? yes. no violence, right? that's what they said? huh. that man in the camouflage jacket, you just saw, who shoves and punches one of the police officers, is identified as scott fairlamb. he is a gym owner from new

jersey. a judge is shoholding him in ja until his trial, because he is too dangerous. gee, i can't figure out why. >> patriots do. we fucking disarm them and then we storm the fucking capitol. i -- fuck you! >> there you go. peaceful tourists, patriots. just another tourist. and it just gets worse. crazier. my colleague, drew griffin, has a big-special report. it's on sunday night on that insurrection. it talks to a diehard-trump supporter. who -- he talks to a diehard-trump supporter, i should say, who is in denial about the deadly violence. i want you to take a good listen to this. >> believe officer sicknick died because of the riot? >> i'm not even so sure that officer sicknick's even dead. >> coy. >> i'm serious. that's -- that's how -- and i hate to be so crazy-conspiracy minded. i'm not even so sure ashli

babbitt is dead. >> coy. >> i mean, who is to say that was -- have you seen anything of her family? >> up until the point where she passed, we lived two blocks apart. >> reporter: the answer is yes. >> i mean, i'd say through high school, me and my sister were best friends. >> reporter: this is ashli babbitt's brother. roger witthoeft. he says he and his 35-year-old sister were very close. >> it was weird, because we saw it on the news. and it was, like, you know, that's my sister. >> reporter: he says his sister was a tomboy, who joined the military out of high school. >> she could do anything. she was invincible. you know, that's the way i looked at her. >> reporter: after the air force, ashli babbitt then bought a pool company in san diego, which she ran with her husband and her brother. >> she was happy. talked about how she lives in a beautiful place. you know, does what she wants, it's the american dream. >> reporter: and he says his sister had voted for barack obama. >> i think that proves, in itself, she wasn't as crazy as a

lot of the media is portraying her out to be. >> reporter: then, she became a trump fan. >> drew griffin's special report airs sunday night at 9:00 p.m. and as i everhave been pointing, republicans and right-wing media who are downplaying the violence tried for months to blame followers of antifa. but that got no traction. some claimed antifa folks dressed as trump supporters. yeah, right? now, they are blaming the fbi and government agents. the host over at the fox-propaganda claims to have documents. >> so, fbi operatives were organizing the attack on the capitol on january 6th, according to government documents. and those two were not a llone. in all, revolver news reported there are upwards of 20. all, playing various roles in the conspiracy, who have not been charged for virtually the exact-same activities and in

some cases, much, much, much more severe activities as those named alongside them in the indictments. huh? so, it turns out, that this white-supremacist insurrection was, again, by the government's own admission in these documents, organized, at least in part, by government agents. >> huh? that's -- huh? yeah. it's a problem. he says that. yeah. sure, it is a problem. it is a bigger problem that a lot of people are now going to believe that. susceptible people. they can be co-opted. susceptible people, who don't bother to find out the facts. it's an even bigger problem, that some of them can now spread this from their seat in congress. like, qanon supporter marjorie taylor greene. here is what she is tweeting. we need names and answers about the fbi operatives who were involved in organizing and carrying out the january 6th

capitol riot. first, they had a back-up plan to stop trump and russian -- russia collusion witch hunt. now, we are finding out they were deeply involved in january 6th deep state. this is so ridiculous. one conspiracy theory, after the other. it just keeps -- they just keep upping the ante on the craziness, and it is craziness. and guess what? no respect for the people they are serving because they are lying to them. i told you that we're going to bring you the truth, and here it is. okay? former-fbi agents and former-federal prosecutors told me, just this week, on this very program, that the phrase "unindicted co-conspirator" absolutely cannot apply to an fbi agent acting undercover or to anybody acting on behalf of the fbi. because, under federal law, if a person is acting for the government, they are not, actually, part of a crime. an unindicted co-conspirator is

someone who cooperated with prosecutors, after the fact. and by definition, cannot be a government agent. but they'll never hear that, because they'll never say it. everyone's in their silo, right? their silos. just watching the propaganda channel, and just getting filled up with nonsense. as i like to say here, facts, first, of course. but then, there is texas gop'er louie gohmert, who always loves to spew a good conspiracy theory and waste time on the house floor. >> we need to know how much participation did any of our federal friends, either, at doj, fbi, or any of the intel community. what kind of role were they playing? >> but here's what -- what is even kookier than all this

fbi-co fbi-conspiracy bologna. or what does the current president say? malarkey. it's what happened to mike pence. is there anyone more conservative than mike pence? i mean, seriously. he ranks up there, as one of the most loyal, conservative soldiers. and yet, today, at a conference for religious conservatives, pence was heckled and called a traitor. listen. >> and i want to thank my friend ralph reid for those overly generous words. i am deeply humbled. ralph reid knows me well enough to know -- i prefer is a little bit shorter. i am a christian, a conservative, and a republican, in that order. and i am honored to stand before you today. >> well, we know why pence got the traitor treatment, right? because, on january 6th, in his role as vice president, he upheld the constitution and the will of the american people. and did not bow to trump's

insane demands, that he overturn joe biden's election victory. and for that, on january 6th, he was met with these chants. >> hang mike pence! hang mike pence! hang mike pence! >> trump supporters bringing a gallows to the grounds of the capitol. let me say that, again. a gallows was brought to the capitol. there it is, on your screen. you know, don't take my word for it. there it is. to capitol hill to hang the vice president of the united states, if the attackers who stormed said-capitol building could get their hands on the vice president. mike pence had to be safely evacuated from the house floor, as rioters broke into the chamber. mike pence put country, above trump's crazy request to overturn the election so trump could remain in office. and for that, he gets heckled by

the same people, who would be the first to lecture you, or me, or anyone, about law and order and the constitution. right? he did something, that should be deemed, in any circle, as -- as patriotic. and for that, he is called a traitor. that's the treatment he gets. hang him. and yet, the twice-impeached, one-term, sore loser, still gets a free pass from those conservatives and others. he incited a deadly insurrection. he incited a deadly insurrection. imploring his supporters to fight, like hell, at the seat of our democracy. because his too-fragile ego can't accept the fact that he lost the election. or has he, finally, admitted it? roll that tape from sean hannity's show two nights ago. >> we were supposed to win, easily, at 64 million votes. and we got 75 million votes, and we didn't win. >> hmm. no, you didn't win. and like i said, last night, he

knew it, all along. just played a big game with his supporters. they fell for the okeydoke. are they going to, still, fall for it? but the rest of the country didn't fall for the okeydoke. but enough of him. all right? because it's a friday night. and i want to show you something really, really great. okay? friday night. something good. capitol police officer eugene goodman, who may have saved lives by luring rioters away from the senate chamber on january 6th. throwing out the ceremonial-first pitch tonight at the game between the nationals and the mets. here it is. >> announcer: officer goodman, when you are ready, it's your pitch. >> boom, hey, look. wasn't bad. bravo, sir. you are an american hero. and that's the truth, at the end of a long week. but those who stormed the

capitol are not heroes. they are not patriots. and the proof is in the video showing horrible acts of violence. up next, two former members of the fbi on the insane-conspiracy theory on the right that the bureau was behind the deadly attack. ugh, these ba. or is that the damp weight of self-awareness you now hold in your hands? yeah (laugh) keep your downstairs dry this is the epson witecotank color printer.r. no more buying cartridges. big ink tanks. lots of ink. print about... this many pages. the epson ecotank. just fill and chill.

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police officer. and i must warn you, it's disturbing. >> are you an american? >> you guys have no idea what the fuck you're doing. not one idea. don't touch me, bro. >> get the fuck out of here. #. >> yep. support the blue, right? blue lives matter. law and order. that rioter's name is scott fairlamb. he is the gym owner from new jersey charged with 12-criminal counts, including assaulting police and carrying a dangerous weapon into the capitol. the judge says these videos show fairlamb may, still, be dangerous. so he is in jail, pending trial. joining me now, former-fbi assistant director for the criminal-investigative decision. and asha rangappa, a former-fbi special agent, who is, also, a cnn legal and national security analyst.

good evening, to both of you. good to see you. asha, i am going to start with you. so almost 500 -- 489 people have been charged in connection with the capitol attack and the fbi director says that more serious charges are coming. which means, videos, like this, showing the horrors of -- on january 6th will be coming out, possibly, for years. how important is this video, not just as evidence but, as a record of what happened on that day? >> yes, don. these videos are a witness to what happened that day. and as we are seeing, both, time and, you know, the spin that's being put on what happened on january 2nd is erasing the events of that day. and how -- how we experienced it, in that moment, from our collective memory. and so, these videos are going to be incredibly important. these indictments are going to be incredibly important, as they put down, on paper, exactly what each of these individuals did. and i think that, for this reason, the impeachment was important. even though, you know, there was

no chance of conviction. you know, and -- or anything. it really, in that moment, in the immediate aftermath, kind of, set down how it was remembered and experienced in sort of a historical document in my opinion. >> chris, when i look at these videos, look. it's -- they make me angry, and i just can't believe, you know, what i am seeing and that people really acted this way towards law enforcement and -- and think it's their right to do so. i mean, this video shows how rioters were taunting, stalking, punching officers outside the capitol. what do you see when you look at this? >> don, i -- i see -- and it's been like this for the last-14 months. i see disrespect and violence committed against those people who are out there trying to protect us. and as i said, i don't care what your political persuasion is. i have seen it from the left. i've seen it from the right. and we've all had enough of it. we all ought to condemn it, no matter where it comes from. they ought to put these people under the jail.

>> um but, how can people -- chris, i just want to know from you as -- as a member of law enforcement. how can people be in denial about what happened? i am talking about the people who are in denial saying these people are patriots and tourists and they were, somehow, peaceful protestors? >> yeah. nothing that happened that day is defensible. i mean, i -- i'm a conservative, don. i'm -- you know, i'm for strong-law enforcement and other conservative issues. but what happened on january 6th is -- is completely indefensible. there were no-fbi conspiracies cooking. we will find that out when these cases get to court. when the evidence comes out. when these pleas come out. because most of these unindicted co-conspirators are cooperators. i will say it now, and you will hear it again, in court, when these people plead out and when they have trials. >> yeah. asha, officers were beaten, they were tased. they suffered brain injuries. one lost an eye. and, of course, five people died. but like chris mentioned, trump

supporters' latest-conspiracy theory is that the fbi was behind the insurrection. you, both, worked with the fbi. you know this is crazy. but it is being pushed by sitting members of congress. how dangerous is that? >> it's very dangerous, don. because it is -- it's making the government the -- the enemy. listen. the -- there is a threat, an anti-government thread that, you know, it is distrustful of law enforcement. of, you know, political officials. this has been the case since the '80s. i think the difference is, is that presidents, you know, like ronald reagan, george h.w. bush, put a lot of resources into fighting these anti-government militia movements. and we saw that over the years, leading up to, you know, oklahoma city. i think what is really dangerous here is that that used to be a fringe movement. that, you know, we put government resources into

combatting. and now, that fringe movement has, sort of, morphed and merged with at least elements of a political party. and that makes it very difficult to combat. this is a part of the domestic-terrorism strategy that was just put out by the biden administration. the anti-government militia groups. but, it's going to be very hard, when we have members of congress who, essentially, are helping to, you know, obfuscate what happened. and prevent a full accounting of what happened on january 6th. >> and thus, possibly, promoting more violence. at least, more division, for sure. >> correct. >> chris, are you concerned that these conspiracy theories could put law enforcement in danger? >> no, i mean, i -- the -- not anymore than they are now. i mean, as i said, they have been getting it from the left and the right. they have been getting it from every direction. we are seeing officers quitting the force. people retiring early.

none -- none of this is good for law enforcement. and, you know, the disrespect. it does get viral. you may be right about that, don. when you start -- start seeing this type of thing. the media picks up on it and people think it's okay. so, officers are bunkering down and i -- you know, i -- i feel for them. it's a tough time to be a law-enforcement officer. >> yeah. the -- the difference, though, i will say, chris, is that there are people in congress who are denying the violence on the officers on january 6th. but not denying the violence of the officers in the situation that you are talking about that happened for -- during the -- the unrest of last summer. they are saying, one is completely not legitimate. you should not be, you know, going up against police officers. and the other one is a patriotic act. and that is sort of the disconnect that most people around the country don't understand. thank you, both. >> agreed. >> i appreciate it. so, and take this. i want to show you two tweets demonstrating the absolute absurdity of the gop-outrage

machine. both, from right-wing provocateur, charlie kirk. the first is a tweet from last year. praising senate republicans for introducing a bill to make juneteenth a federal holiday. and then, it goes on to ask why former-president barack obama and then-vp biden didn't establish a holiday during their administration? fast forward. but not that far forward. remember, one year. to a tweet from yesterday. kirk says that juneteenth is an affront to july 4th, and slams gop lawmakers for supporting the bill. ladies and gentlemen, that is a f f flip-flop of stupid proportions. but not the only foolish republican take on -- on juneteenth. coming up. former-president trump claims that he is the one who made the decades-old holiday famous. it's coming back to you now... real pants. find amex offers to save on the brands you love.

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supporters of the former guy heckling former-vp mike pence at a religious conservative conference. some people outright calling him a traitor. >> and i want to thank my friend, ralph reid, for those overly generous words.

i am deeply humbled by them. ralph reid knows me well enough to know the introduction i prefer is a little bit shorter. i am a christian, a conservative, and a republican, in that order. and i am honored to stand before you today. >> well, there you go. joining me now, mark mckinnon, former adviser to george w. bush and john mccain. he is the executive producer of "the circus" and cnn political analyst, april ryan is here, white house correspondent for the grio. good evening, to both of you. boy, oh boy. >> hey, don. >> that is something to see. mark, pence refused to go along with trump in trying to overturn the election. even though, he was one of trump's most-loyal lieutenants. is the big lie the only loyalty test that matters, now? >> clearly, it is, because nobody had been more loyal to donald trump than mike pence. and the irony of what's going on there is that these -- that these republicans, these base republicans and trump supporters

who are now calling pence a traitor. they are calling him a traitor for -- because he was protecting the constitution. he was upholding the constitution, which these republicans say are so dear to them. it's a fundamental right that they claim republican ownership of. so, when pence actually upheld the constitution, what did they do? they called him a traitor. >> they called him a traitor. right? they are supposed to be patriots, right? the constitution. it's all about the constitution. april, so there's -- there's a new-political article, adapted from michael bender's new book. the piece is called "i made juneteenth very famous: the inside story of trump's post-george-floyd month." that line comes from what trump told him saying no one heard of juneteenth before his tulsa rally. it sparks a firestorm because it was originally scheduled on juneteenth. this shows how oblivious that he is to racial issues in america, if he thinks that no one knew about juneteenth and he made it famous. >> yeah. it's the black quotient.

and also, him begging for credit for everything. donald trump has made black america and the world see what happened in black america. cut me a break. bottom line. donald trump, in -- in reading this extraordinary work -- donald trump had to ask his black secret service agent who was on the detail, what do you think about this? and the secret-service agent said, you know, this is disrespectful for you to do this and he wanted to change the day. but going back to the original issue that you brought up about him telling everyone. well, this is a time of celebration that many in this country have known about. it's mostly a regional issue. but many across the nation, particularly blacks, a lot of us knew about. but, yes, he did bring more people into an earshot of juneteenth. but he really didn't explain it, as he tries to rewrite history.

but at the end of the day, donald trump did make more people aware of it but he did not -- >> april -- >> -- by any means, make people totally understand, oh, juneteenth is something. no, it was there before. >> but i would say most people made donald trump aware of juneteenth. and through that awareness, he got to talk about it. i don't -- i don't think it's -- i don't think that he made people aware. people made him aware. and then, he was surprised like, oh, is this a big deal? or -- and the people around him should have known better. that's just their ignorance. so, mark, binder describes how trump was actually repulsed by what he saw in the george floyd video. and here's what he writes. said the president showed a level of empathy for floyd, behind closed doors, that he would never fully reveal in public. had he tried, it might have helped dial down the tension. but trump didn't see it as part of his job to show empathy. he was worried that such a display would signal weakness to his base. i mean, this was a moment to unify the country. and instead, he doubled down on division, mark. >> no question about it.

and as we've known, all along, empathy is not a fundamental component of donald trump. certainly, not anything he ever wants to show publicly. and his presidency, he believed, was always about showing strength, versus weakness. and at the end of the day, those sort of empathetic moments pass and then he'd start talking how important it was for law enforcement to be cracking down on protestors. just backing on the juneteenth issue, you know, he claims to have been such a proponent of black issues in the criminal-justice reform which, really, jared kushner pushed. he wasn't even aware that, for three years prior to the -- the -- the tulsa rally. that his office had put out statements, from him, about juneteenth. and he didn't even know it. he wasn't even aware that he put out statements on juneteenth. by the way, michael binder is a very good reporter not with "the new york times" or "the huffington post" but with the conservative "wall street journal." >> uh-huh.

yeah. yeah. so, april, listen. you have all this reporting. even though -- you know, from binder but even though juneteenth is now a federal holiday. you point out that some in the black community are unimpressed because there's been a little -- little progress on voting rights, on police reform. why was this holiday so easy? yet, the gop is intent on stopping legislation targeting racial inequality and, you know, voting rights and so on? >> i'm glad you read my report. basically, we have an issue here that people want to do things that feel good. when it comes down to getting to the meat of it for rights and freedom, where are they? they are making it over the hurdle, somewhat, with joe manchin. now, the next hurdle. this uphill battle is with mitch mcconnell. at issue? democrats, minorities, people of color are winning. and there is an effort to stop the winning with these restrictive-voting laws in

states. texas, florida, and georgia. and even if the federal government had a new voting rights law. it would not affect the states that already came up with these new, restrictive laws. the laws as we know it, as it comes to voting rights, are diminished and if mcconnell holds it up. and the rest of the republicans. we're doomed when it comes to voting. especially, after the next elections. >> thank you, april. thank you, mark. happy juneteenth to both of you. appreciate it. >> you, too. >> thank you. thank you. he says george floyd's death wasn't a shock to him. but it did push him to the edge. and now, he is speaking out about the power of protest. the one and only, the nba great, kareem abdul-jabbar, next. it would be cool to ride a horse on the moon.

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juneteenth path to becoming a federal holiday was a long time coming but following the outrage after the murder of george floyd last year, the tide changed enormously. and my next guest, nba legend, kareem abdul-jabbar, has a new documentary that examines how protest movements change history in this country. and he talks about his own fight for racial -- racial justice. and what he learned from meeting dr. martin luther king jr. watch this. >> this picture shows me, at a press conference that dr. king gave. i was in a journalism workshop. and i was given press credentials to cover this event with the national media. in 1963, had been voted man of the year. at that point, i wasn't, like, the biggest fan of nonviolence. i -- i was angry at the way black people were being brutalized. and i wanted to strike back. but after meeting dr. king, and, you know, really getting into his philosophy.

i saw where the power was in it. >> kareem abdul-jabbar joins me now. his documentary, "fight the power: the movements that changed america" airs tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. on the history channel. >> thank you for joining us. it's so good to see you. you have -- you have led such a rich life. i mean, it's just unbelievable, the things that you have experienced and what you've accomplished. so thank you for that. what a moment that must have been, for you, to interview martin luther king jr. what did you take away from that? >> well, it's great talking with you, don. at -- at the time, you don't really understand where you are and what you're doing. that -- that's how it was, for me. you know, this was just, like, oh, jeez, i got an opportunity to do this. but it really made me take a serious look at, exactly, what was happening and why.

and balancing dr. king's philosophies against the philosophy of, say, malcolm x. more or less, was, i could see that they were -- both sides of the same coin. but that, dr. king's approach was the one that was going to work for black-americans. and it was very clear, that by embarrassing the powers that be and showing them to be the bullies that they are, we take their power away. and we make people lis toten to, as human beings. and i -- i value that my whole life now. it has helped me make good choices. and it's a very special time in my life. very special moment in my life. >> yeah. and -- and here we are, kareem, all these years later. president biden signing a bill making juneteenth a federal holiday. and i had dl hughly on last night and he said america is the only place where you ask for justice but you get a holiday. what are your thoughts on that? >> well, i think, it's -- it's

taken a little bit too long for this to happen. for us to -- to be, completely, happy about it. in some ways, we're more relieved, than happy. but i think that when people understand what black-americans have been through, in human terms. i think we -- we'll -- that -- that is the steps that we need to take. and i think that's happening, now. >> uh-huh. >> it was the unfortunate circumstances of mr. floyd's murder. but it enabled a lot of white-americans to see the truth to what black-americans have been saying for 400 years. >> yeah. your documentary is called "fight for power -- fight the power, the movements that changed america." it's about the power of protest and resistance. the catalyst for change. and it includes all groups impacted by bigotry and discrimination. why was it so important to tell the stories of all these different groups? >> it's important to tell the

stories of all marginalized groups because, until we understand and make sure that all groups are free. all marginalized groups have the right to protections that every-other group has. until that happens, none of us are free because, no matter what particular issue it might be. you're going to end up in the box where everybody discriminates against you. and now, you have to deal with it. so, it -- it's absolutely important that the whole idea of empathy and understanding how these events and these situations touch everybody. it doesn't matter, your background. sooner or later, you are going to have to deal with this. >> i want to ask you about this. i understand that you were inspired from a young age by the book by james baldwin. it is the book that inspired me to write my book, "this is the fire."

what did you learn from it? and how did it change you? >> well, it -- it changed me, insofar, as it explained to me how racism is the american-original sin. it's often spoke of in that terms. but that -- that makes a lot of sense. when -- when you look at it objectively, like that. and it gives you an idea of what you can do to change your circumstances. and force people to acknowledge your humanity. and to -- to force them to accept the fact that your rights and privileges have to be assessmented. accepted. and it takes a while. and it takes patience. and they are setbacks. but unfortunately, that's what we have to do. but that's the only way that change can occur. >> well, thank you, so much, for doing what you do, what you have done and what you continue to do. kareem abdul-jabbar, i appreciate it. and again, the documentary is

"fight the power: the movements that changed america." and it premieres tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. on the history channel. i really appreciate it. i love the background. your background, tonight, is -- you win. you win the award. it's better than mine. thank you, kareem. i will see you soon. >> nice talking to you, don, have a good one. >> thank you very much. so, we got -- this is awful that we're going to talk about -- i can't believe that this is happening. broad daylight in new york city. a masked gunman, shooting at a 24-year-old man on a busy sidewalk. two children caught in the crossfire. thankfully, though, both unharmed. but why is this lawlessness happening now? former-new york city police commissioner is here, next. the . no more buying cartridges. look at all this ink it comes with. big ink tanks. lots of ink. no more cartridges. incredible amount of ink. the epson ecotank. just fill and chill. think of what peanuts have given humanity!

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so i want you to look at this, but it's horrific. it's new video showing a gunman opening fire on a busy new york city sidewalk in broad daylight. before i show it to you, i just want to warn you, it is extremely graphic, okay? so this surveillance video released -- look at that -- by police, new york police, it shows a masked gunman shooting multiple times yesterday in the bronx. you see the victim, or the person he's shooting at falls over the two children in the chaos as the others run away. the nypd says the children were not hurt, fortunately. the 24-year-old victim was shot in the back in both of his legs. he's in stable condition. the gunman fled on a scooter driven by someone else. joining me now is bill bratton, the former new york city police commi commissioner. he's the author of "the profession: a memoir of community, race, and the arc of

policing in america." commissioner, good evening to you. let's look at this again. you got these two children. they were not shot. i can't believe that they weren't shot after all of that. but what do you think when you see a 10-year-old and a 5-year-old caught quite literally in the military of gunfire, and these brazen -- this brazen man and the getaway guy in broad daylight. i mean what the hell is going on? >> i'm disgusted by what i see, having worked very hard to make new york the safest large city in america, reducing the homicide rate by 90%, the overall crime rate by 80%, to have it all collapse in a year is something i never would have imagined could happen. i predicted for 25 years crime would never go up in new york city again. well, it's going up in catastrophic ways, and the scene you're showing is just evidence of how bad it is.

i'm an optimist. you know that, don. we've dealt with each other for years. but that's optimism now being shaped by the reality of the chaos on the streets of this country's cities. it's not going to get better. it's going to get a lot worse during the summer. that's the sad part unfortunately. >> that is a horrific omen. i hope that you're long. but, listen, you know law enforcement. you know policing. why do you think it's going to go up? >> i see nothing happening in terms of city after city wihere the crime rate is accelerating going into the warmer weather, the amount of guns in this country is obscene, over 400 million of them. we are constantly weakening our laws to control who has those firearms. and we have a criminal justice system that during the coronavirus epidemic collapsed. no trials. we had a criminal justice reform movement that was going out of control with bail reform,

criminal justice reform, in which we were letting people out of jail faster than we could put the bad ones in. and it's something that the criminal justice reform movement has forgotten is unfortunately in our society, there are bad people like that guy there with the gun, who could have killed those two little children, 10 and 5, and not thought anything about it. some people need to be in jail. the criminal justice reform movement needs to recognize that. so there's really no punishment for people any longer. in new york city, people arrested on gun charges very seldom will do any time in jail waiting to go to trial, and we have them arrested three or four times with guns during the time waiting for trial. it's not just new york. it's around the country. i don't know what happened here in that year of coronavirus. maybe we just got too comfortable with how safe the country had become. well, we're rushing back to 1990 in the space of a year.

it took us 20 years to get to 1990, the worst crime year in the history of our country. 2,243 murders in new york city. over 5,000 people shot. it only took us a year to start going back this time. political leadership has got to get their act together. but i'm not seeing anybody with any plans to deal with this. that's the sad part. that's why i'm talking about there needs to be a great deal of concern on the part of the public. who in public safety leadership is putting forth plans to keep the citizens of this country safe? i'm just not seeing it. >> yeah. listen, the economy can come back. the real estate market can come back and all that. but you know what doesn't come back? a life. you're right. we've got to -- that's the most important thing is getting crime under control in new york city. commissioner, i think that was the year i moved here in 1990, the worst year as you said. and crime did get a lot better after that. thank you very much, commissioner bratton. i really appreciate it.

>> wish i had better news. >> yes. i wish you did too. by the way, the book again is "the profession: a memoir of community, race, and the arc of policing in america." thank you for watching, everyone. our coverage continues. way for you to sell your car. whether it's a year old or a few years old. we wanna buy your car. so go to carvana and enter your license plate answer a few questions. and our techno wizardry calculates your car's value and gives you a real offer in seconds. when you're ready, we'll come to you, pay you on the spot and pick up your car, that's it. so ditch the old way of selling your car, and say hello to the new way at carvana.

tonight, i'll be eating a veggie cheeseburger on ciabatta, no tomatoes.. [hard a] tonight... i'll be eating four cheese tortellini with extra tomatoes. [full emphasis on the soft a] so its come to this? [doorbell chimes] thank you. [doorbell chimes] bravo. careful, hamill. daddy's not here to save you.

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>> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. welcome, everyone. i'm michael holmes. we have just learned that preliminary results in the iranian election with 90% of the vote counted, ebrahim raisi poised to be the winner. earlier the conservative chief justice was congratulated by his sole moderate opponent, and president hassan rouhani, whose term is ending, also congratulated the president-elect before the official results were made public. the last polling places closed well after