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report about the pool, you know, and the maintenance under the pool and all that. and we are going to talk about it but it's a mess. it's a mess, it's a mess. >> it is a mess. and the worst part is that there is this looming agony of the unknown. we are, all, holding out hope for miracles and they do happen. but looking for 150 million people introduces realities to these people, these family, the extended families, and they're raw. >> you mean 150 people? >> 150, at least. >> you said 150 million. >> oh, i'm sorry. no, 150. 150 people at least. we will see. we will see what the number is. it would be great to have miracles. i know the people doing the searching haven't given up hope. but, you know, in circling back with some of 'em this weekend, we got to be careful. legal analysis is subjective to speculation. norm eisen is a great-legal mind and you need to know. here is a potential avenue. could go this way, could go that

way, you got to know that. that's legal analysis. factual analysis of what happened to this building does not bode well for suggestion, by speculation. >> yeah. >> and i think what i heard -- i don't think -- what i heard from these guys is it hurts. they don't want to hear a hundred different architects and engineers tell 'em, coulda, shoulda, woulda. this crack, that crack. the state needs to get with the feds, put together a team. take the time. get the answers. put 'em out. have any accountability that takes. these people deserve that. and i don't think this piecemeal stuff is helpful. >> but they're still looking. >> absolutely. right now. >> right now. >> right now, task force three is all over that. got three different task forces on it. florida is blessed to have as many task force it does. they are the best search-and-rescue people we have. >> you and i always talk about this. we always talk about how just tenuous life is. remember, your dad diesd a few years ago, we talked. my sister died.

just before i came on the show, i got -- had a lot of folks at the house this weekend or whatever. and i didn't see a text from my high school buddy, i graduated college with. our families are good friends. you know, his mom and my mom went to school together. known each other forever. his dad died. he found him this weekend. and he said, you know, i just -- i just -- i saw the text. and i talked to him just before air. and no day is promised. no time is promised. no moment is promised. and so, while we have each other here, we should love each other. spend as much time with each other. and figure out what is important in life. so i want him to know, because i know he is watching. arthur, your entire family, if you are watching, my hearts are with you. the service is going to be this weekend. my family will be here visiting me. so -- and i am going to hug them up and love them up, as much as possible. as much as i hugged up this weekend. and loved you, this weekend. thank you for showing up, at the house. and celebrating pride with me and my little family. >> we have every reason to be proud. for the diversity of who we are but, also, for how lucky i have

been to have you in my life, as my friend. and you are going to celebrate your friend's father by loving your own family. and that's what, i'm sure, he would want. i love you, d lemon. >> i love you, too. i will get to the family now in florida. thank you, sir. i will see you later. this is "don lemon tonight" and we have another busy night of big news on multiple, huge stories. and as we have been talking about, this is our breaking news, tonight. the country, the world, watching the desperate search-and-rescue effort, still, going on, at this very moment. more than 116 hours after that condominium collapse in surfside, florida. more than 400 rescuers assigned to this search. about 200 on the wreckage, at any, given time. a state fire marshal is warning that they are standing on a giant piece of metal with lightning and -- and a constant threat. okay? families trying to hold out hope, really. but it gets harder and harder as these days -- every moment -- goes by. and night after night after

night, after it goes by. i -- look. i can't even imagine. i had have loss in my life but i can't imagine this. the agony. and this kind of waiting. they are hoping there, they are praying, that they won't get the terrible news that every family is dreading. so tonight, this is where the death toll is. it is rising to 11. >> in total, the number of people accounted for now stands at 136, with 150 unaccounted for. the number of confirmed deaths is 11. tragically, 11. >> i don't know if you ever want to imagine that but if you will, just put yourself in these folks' shoes by imagining what it is like. what it's like, not knowing what happened to your mother, to your grandmother, not being able to tell your 6-year-old son what happened. >> very difficult. um, not knowing and -- and really, the only hope i have is

that they find them. we can have some kind of proper burial. some kind of closure. and hope that they investigate this, and the people responsible are held to be responsible. they're held to be accountable. so that this never happens, again. >> amen. imagine what it's like for a child, afraid she's lost her mother or father. >> there was a little girl. she was about 12 years old and she was sitting by herself. and i know this little girl because i had met her. and she had told me that, either, her mother or father was in that building. and that, either, her mother or father lives in another building, a couple streets down. so, she had a mom here and a dad there. and one of them is gone, now. and she was sitting there, by herself, with her cell phone, reading prayers. all by herself. and that broke my heart. >> so, and amid all the hope and grief, the question everyone is asking tonight is what caused this? what caused this? a structural engineer hired by the town of surfside says that

he's already begun examining that building. that, as a contractor servicing a pool at the condo, 36 hours before the -- the collapse, by the way, telling t"the miami herald" that he saw standing water, cracks in the concrete in the pool -- in the pool-equipment room, i should say. much more on that, in just a moment. we have someone who can talk directly about that. but right now, there are more questions than answers, okay? how many other buildings are vulnerable? what will it take to protect unsuspecting residents from another collapse? a lot more to come on all of this throughout the next-two hours, as i carry you through. and then, much more on cnn with our live coverage, after that. >> then, there is the republican party we need to talk about that is going on right now. still, under the spell of the disgraced, twice-impeached, one-term president, the big liar and his big lie. nearly-six months since trump-supporting rioters ran wild at the united states capitol. beating police and hunting lawmakers. more than five months since joe biden took the oath of office. the former guy's still raging

and obsessed with his own lies. his party can't move on when its leader is still pushing his -- his position. and now, bombshells from three new books revealing just how deep his delusions go. he was obsessed with conspiracy theories and surrounded by aides who knew that he was delusional. but were afraid to tell him the truth. so, some expert -- excerpts, i should say, of his book. it's called "betrayal." of this book called "betrayal." published in the atlantic. jonathan carl writes what happened when then-attorney general bill barr admitted in an interview with the doj that he uncovered no evidence of widespread-voter fraud. the then president, quote, and i am quoting here, how the f could you do this to me? why did you say it? barr: because it's true. the president responding, quote, you must hate trump. you must hate trump. barr telling carl, quote, my attitude was, it was put-up-or-shut-up time and there was evidence of fraud.

i had no motive to suppress it. if there was evidence of fraud, i had no motive to suppress it. but my suspicion, all the way along, was that there was nothing there. it was, all, bullshit. now, as the former-attorney general laundering his reputation here? yeah, it's true. after all, this is a guy who told our very own wolf blitzer in september that they'd indicted someone in texas for collecting 1,700 ballots and filling them out, himself. spoiler alert. that was not true. >> we indicted someone, in texas. 1,700 ballots collected. he -- from people who had -- could vote. he made them out and voted for the person he wanted to. okay? that kind of thing happens with mail-in ballots. and everyone knows it. >> okay. so, again, spoiler alert, that was not true. that was, actually, a local case. and the da who prosecuted it told "the washington post" that that's not what happened at all.

the voter said those ballots were legit. so, yes, this is reputation laundry. but that doesn't mean that bill barr is not telling the truth, now. does it? both things can be true. then, there is the cowardice of mitch mcconnell. you would think that he'd be embarrassed by this, if he were capable of actually being embarrassed. and i quote here. mcconnell, also, believed that, if he openly declared biden the winner, that trump would be enraged and likely act to sabotage the republican-senate campaigns in georgia. look, we need the president in georgia, mcconnell told barr. and so, we cannot be frontally attacking him, right now. but you are in a better position to inject some reality into this situation. you are really the only one who can do it. so, he knew it was wrong. he let it go on, while pushing barr to take -- to take a stand, when he, himself, was too chicken to do it. and then, there is michael wolf's new book and it's called

"landslide." the final days of the trump presidency. he writes that trump's senior advisers all knew mike pence would never go along with the unconstitutional scheme to overturn the results of the election and here is another quote. the president's aides and family understood, too, that he was the only one, along with rudy giuliani, or along with giuliani, they don't say his whole name -- which only made the situation more alarming in any professional-political sphere to believe this. hence, they did not call it such and try to see it as more nuanced derangment. and then, there is the new book. it's from wall street reporter -- "wall street journal" reporter, michael bender. and it says, frankly, we did win this election. that's the name of the book. where he describes a shouting match between chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, general mark milley, and then-president donald trump. who wanted to invoke the insurrection act, and use the military to stop social-justice protests last summer. like i said, that's how deep his

delusions go. pushing the big lie, again and again and again. and then, there's the former-president barack obama and he warns that it could happen, again. and it could even be worse, the next time. >> in this election, what we saw was my successor, the former president, violate that core tenet. that we count the votes, and then declare a winner. and -- and fabricate and make up a whole bunch of hooey. so that, as bad as january 6th was, if we had a repeat in future elections, in which, let's say, the republican-controlled pennsylvania legislature decided, we're not gonna certify all those votes coming out of philadelphia because we think that those urban votes are shady. imagine what would have

happened. we would have had a worse constitutional crisis than we did. >> that's actually the perfect word to describe it. hooey. okay. so, listen, i want to turn to the breaking news. i want to get right to the latest on that condo collapse and "the miami herald's" reporting on what a contractor says he saw in the pool-equipment room a day and a half before that collapse. so joining me now is miami herald reporter, erin. i really appreciate it. this is really important stuff we are talking about because you spoke to a pool contractor who took those photos in the garage area just 36 hours before the building collapsed. tell us what you are learning and what these photos show, exactly. >> sure. thank you so much for having me. we spoke to a contractor, who was working for a company that was bidding to renovate the champlain tower south pool as part of their 40-year recertification process. and on tuesday, two days before the collapse, he did a

walkthrough of -- of the property. initially, walked through the lobby, walked through the pool area. didn't notice anything particularly alarming. he was being escorted by a building employee, who then walked him downstairs to the north part of the building. and in the garage, below. and that's where he -- he told us that he saw deep-standing water in the parking garage that he -- he found odd and concerning. he asked the employee what it was about, at the time. the -- the employee said it was probably a waterproofing issue that was going to be fixed. then, he was led over to the south side, underneath -- underneath the pool area. still, in the garage. to where the pool equipment room was. and inside that room, he saw major-concrete spalling. exposed rebar in -- in one of the beams there. >> wow. >> he found it alarming enough, that he snapped photos. actually, sent them to his boss,

at the time, to say, you know, this project might actually cost a little bit more than -- than we initially thought. that particular area was, actually, not what collapsed. but what experts tell us is that the photos looked -- looked quite bad. and -- and could be indicative of significant issues in the rest of the building. and we know, from a 2018 report, that waterproofing issues from the pool deck that were affecting the concrete in the garage were significant concerns at least three years ago. >> yeah. and i think that they said that this person was told, erin, that they had so much water that they had to pump it out so much that the change the pumps, the water pumps, every-two years because it was so bad. the standing water? >> that's right. the -- the employee suggested that this was -- this was a significant problem that -- that people knew about. there -- there was another, new

report tonight from "usa today" from where they received an e-mail from the president of the condo association. from just this past april. who suggested that these issues of -- in the parking garage had gotten significantly worse since 2018. so, you know, all of these things. they're concerning. you know, we -- we're speaking with experts who say that they are cause for concern. obviously, we don't know and we're not going to know, for quite some time, exactly, what caused this catastrophe. but it's important to -- to gather whatever facts we can, at this point. >> we appreciate you and your reporting, thank you, sir. >> thank you. hundreds of rescuers combing the wreckage of that collapsed condo while desperate families cling to hope. we are going to have an update from officials on the scene. are other buildings in the area safe?

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so rescue teams discovered another body, today, in the rubble of the collapsed condo in florida. there are now 11 people confirmed dead. 150 others remain unaccounted for. the search-and-rescue operation, continuing, at this hour. i wanted to talk to nellie velasquez, now, the commissioner

of surfside, florida. nellie, thank you. commissioner, thank you, i really appreciate you joining us. i know you have had a long time. listen, you have a long, you know, weekend. and, you know, since thursday. you just left a vigil. we're at the end of the day, of day five. the good news is not coming. what are you hearing from families and from the community? >> well, we're -- we still have hope that we're going to find someone alive. that's the last thing we're -- we want to lose. and, you know, the families are getting together in the -- one of the hotels in town. we have had several briefings with our county mayor, our fire-department chief, the police chief. so we're -- they've been getting information, periodically. >> so, at some point, the decision has to be made, from a rescue mission to a recovery

mission. how and when does that happen? >> well, that's something that the county mayor would have to make the call on that. we don't handle that part within our town. so that -- that information, i really wouldn't -- wouldn't have. >> uh-huh. listen. we know the rescue effort. it's slow, sadly. and they have got to be very careful because, you know, they said they are standing on this pile of rubble. metal, especially, when it's raining and lightning, right? they have got to be methodical about it. but, you know, to -- to anguishing families, it's just not fast enough. tell us more about the support people are getting right now. >> well, i -- i know that it's -- it's very -- it's a lot to take in. when -- when you're waiting and it does feel like it's eternal. but i can assure everyone that there is a lot of rescue crew on that mountain. and they are trying to get it out, as fast as possible.

but they have to be very careful. as we don't want to -- um -- cause any damage or anything to any of the family members. and so, in terms of the -- the families, they have been, you know, patiently waiting for news. and we're trying our hardest to get some positive things out there. >> commissioner, i want to talk more about the building because we know the condo owners were facing $15 million worth of repair, it's reported that. and it was part of the -- the -- the county's 40-year recertification process. the building is 40 years old. does examination and recertification of buildings like this need to happen more often? >> oh, absolutely. i think they need to happen at least every-ten years. i think, after seeing something like this, we can't wait 40 years.

because, first, comes the 40-year recertification. and then, it happens every-ten years. but as hewe can see, i mean, mae things need to take place a lot earlier. and definitely, we need to add, also, a geo-technical testing to these -- to these inspections. >> commissioner, look, if i lived there. and i think anyone, who lives there, anywhere near that area, would be concerned about their buildings, as well. how are you guys dealing with that? because i know people are turning to you and others for questions. and how are people feeling about their safety in their own buildings? >> yes, i know. we have a lot of residents that are concerned. we've, also, addressed, with the -- the -- the condo associations of the other-two buildings that were developed by the same builder that did the

champlain south to see if they wanted to be evacuated and relocated to other locations while we looked at the building. and make sure that it's structurally sound. the good thing is that there's only 14 families in there, at the moment, in one of these buildings. most of the apartments are, like, snowbirds. so, we are waiting to see what these families want to do. whether they want to be evacuated, or not. and in terms of the rest of the buildings in town, we definitely will be requiring a geo technical inspection and to make sure that things like this never happen, again. >> commissioner velasquez, thank you so much. again, i know you -- it's been a long day. it's been a long -- long, you know, couple of hours, couple of days for you. we appreciate you joining us much thanks so much. best of luck to you. >> thank you. you are welcome. thank you, bye-bye. >> 150 people still unaccounted

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crews continuing sear search-and-rescue efforts tonight at the collapse site of -- at surfside, florida, of the families of the 150 people still unaccounted for, holding onto hope tonight. and i want to bring on rachel spiegel. she is daughter of 65-year-old judy spiegel who is still missing. rachel, thank you. i'm sorry. thank you for joining us, and i'm sorry this is happening to you. before i ask you anything else, what do you want to say? >> i just want to say i love my mom and we're not giving up hope. we're there every day. we're working, tirelessly, to bring awareness about what is happening. and -- and about our mom. and, you know, we're gonna do everything we can to fight. >> yep. what else? because i always sit here, in these situations, quite

honestly, right, rachel, and i ask people all these questions. and i don't want to do tv talk with you. i just want to know how you are doing, and what you want people around the world to know what the families are dealing with, you are dealing with. about your daughter, who was so close to your mom. i mean, just go on. what do you want to say? >> i mean, it's just so hard. like, you know, i mean, i got the call from my dad in the middle of the night on thursday morning. we ran over. and, you know, i -- i think the team is working as hard as they can. but i feel like there's so many odds against us. i can't really understand why there hasn't been more discussion about the fires. and i think, personally, for me, like, i'm really hung up on that and nervous about it. and that's a lot of my anxiety, is that i -- i've been there every day. so, like, i understand the extent of the smoke that was in

the air. and so, yes, there could be pockets. and yes, there could be people. but we're approaching day six. you know, it's day five, almost day six. but the amount of smoke that's in the air. and -- and i imagine, the heat of the fire. like, those are things that concern me and keep me up at night. and, you know, i'm very worried. i'm very optimistic with the idea of team. the israelis, the mexicans, think there are so many people -- so many peoples from other countries that are coming in and coming to help us, which is fantastic. but i'm concerned that it's been five, almost-six days, and we've found 11 people and there is still 150 people missing. >> uh-huh. why are you in your daughter's room? >> i'm in the playroom right now. both my daughters are sleeping.

my husband's sleeping. i'm just trying to -- >> you haven't slept? >> -- be a little bit more remote so i don't wake everybody up. i have been missing a lot in my family's life the past few days because my efforts have been, 100%, dedicated to my mom. >> you haven't slept? >> barely. >> yeah. um, can i ask you about your -- your mom? did she ever talk about the building? or ever -- she ever have any concerns or anything about the building? >> you know, i've asked my mom, so many times, to move a little closer to me. to stay at my house more. she really, really liked it there. and she really likes surfside. she never voiced concerns to me about the building, itself. i probably raised more concerns to her. i mean, we spent the day there on saturday. and i was listening to, you

know, the previous interviews. you know, through this -- this call and this interview. and i, personally -- i noticed the water in the garage. like, i -- i saw it. but every time i asked my -- my parents, because i was with both my parents. you have to understand, my dad left to go to california on monday morning. my parents were supposed to be away in new york, this weekend. like, i don't understand the timing of this. and why my mom was there. like, it's very confusing, to me. but going back, i even said, on saturday, i was like, there's a lot of puddles in here. like, did it rain? and i just don't know about it? and, you know, my mom was like, oh, it's just always like this. you know? like, it just rains in florida. and, you know, it's -- it's -- the -- the driveway is a downward slope. so she's like it's just like that. it is just always like that. and that was the answer.

it really wasn't a topic of discussion. it wasn't debated. it just was -- that was how it was. and it probably was like that for a long time. and, you know, sometimes, when you see things over and over, it's just the reality. you don't, necessarily, question it. >> yeah, you get used to it. you are like that's just the way it is, you know, the driveway goes down, what have you. >> right. >> your brothers were on with wolf today, right? >> yes. yes. >> yeah. >> yes. >> and so, it's -- this is an entire-family effort. do you think that you are getting -- is your family getting the information you need? >> i think information we need and information are -- are different things. >> uh-huh. >> i think -- i don't think that the team is withholding information. i think they're communicating everything they can. as a family, and as someone that's going through this, and as someone that's missing their

mom, who is their best friend. and -- and everything in the world to not only me but my -- my poor dad. who -- who, tonight, after the wolf interview and we had a little dinner of whatever we could eat. who is weeping in my arms and that's not my dad's personality. like, weeping. information is an interesting thing. you know, we've talked about it. you know, we -- we pray and hope that my mom is alive under the rubble. but we know that the odds are against us. we know that there's fires. we know that there's smoke. we know that there's rain. we know that there's time. there's thunder. there's -- there's so many things that are against us. and we're -- we're -- we're keeping up hope. and -- and we will keep up hope, until we have an answer. but that the reality is, is that if -- if we need to consider that things are really bad, we want a body. we want -- we want confirmation.

>> uh-huh. >> i don't -- i don't think that it's -- it's -- that the -- the city or the team is withholding anything. i don't. i just think they don't have it. and, you know, but that's what we want, as a family and as a -- in order to grieve. like, we -- we want something confirmed. >> before i end this interview, let me just ask you this. because we are always, you know, again, we're always sort of talk and how is it going? what do you think? and, you know, when someone -- when people die or they are in need, you say, oh, if you need anything, just let me know. what can we do for you guys? is there anything? >> that's, like, been the topic of discussion that i have been having with my rabbi. you know? it -- it -- it's a really weird thing. this is not a typical -- this is not, like, when someone dies. you know? my mom is missing. you know?

we are on pins and needles. we are working tirelessly. we're not really able to grieve because there's no confirmation. it's very confusing on what to do. we know that time is of the essence. you know? everybody can follow me on social media. but, you know, we're -- we're going to create a fund. you know, my dad lost all his belongings. he has no clothes. he went on a business trip. he has, literally, a small carry-on suitcase. all of our family belongings. our haeirlooms. like, i really wanted to wear the dress my mom wore to my wedding, at some point in my life. i can't do that. i can't give things to my kids from my mom. so, we're going -- we're going to create a -- a fund. it should be live tomorrow, actually. and, you know, that's what we can do, right now, because we need to rebuild something. but -- but there will be a time

where we'll be able to figure out more. we're just in this really weird-waiting period. >> well, we are going to say her name so that people know. judy spiegel. everyone is wishing the best for you. and rachel. there she is. a beautiful -- your mom. she is a beautiful lady. and we are certainly hoping for the best for you. and if there is anything that we can do, rachel, just let us know. i don't know. i'm just the news guy. but if there is anything that anybody out there can do, we'll certainly get -- get it to you. and you just let us know. okay? i'm so sorry. >> thank you. >> i'm so, so sorry. thank you. >> me, too. thank you. >> your entire family. okay. and look for ways that you can help surfside in this building collapse. the victims. go to cnn.com/impact. cnn.com/impact. and, um, we'll be back. this may look like a regular movie night. but if you're a kid with diabetes, it's more.

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the house set to vote, as soon as wednesday, on house speaker nancy pelosi's plan for a select committee to investigate the january-6th insurrection. there will be 13 members, eight appointed by pelosi, five by minority leader kevin mccarthy. republican congressman adam kinzinger telling cnn this. he says, i'll say that i prefer this to be bipartisan. i'd prefer a january 6th commission. that said, you know my party blocked it. so, joining me now is matthew dowd, he is the former-chief strategist for president gw bush. matthew, good to see you. you know what? i got to be honest with you. i am glad you are on. hard to conduct an interview, after that last one. you know? it's just so sad. >> i'll hold your hand. i'll hold your hand. >> i know. but let's go on and talk about this because this is important. it's happening to the country, as well. republicans can complain, all they want. but as kinzinger points out, they rejected a bipartisan commission.

if speaker pelosi appoints a republican. something she is considering. someone, like kinzinger or cheney. what kind of message would that -- would that send? >> well, you know, it -- it's interesting, to me, and as i was listening to that very powerful interview you just did. i was thinking about this symbolically. obviously, the tragedy in florida with the building falling down. but we actually have the same situation on democracy, here. right? because we haven't tended to the structures of it. because we haven't done what we need to do to build it up in all of the ways that we could have done. and then, we had an incident, right? that happens on january 6th. and like you would do in florida when a tragedy happens, you want to investigate and make sure it doesn't happen, again. we're not even doing that, in related to our democracy and the u.s. constitution and what happened on january 6th. or, i should say, the republicans don't want that done. and so, it just compounds the

tragedy. it actually makes it even worse because, now, we know there's been a warning signal. republicans -- a few, a very few, who don't represent republicans anymore and that's what's important, i think, to keep in mind. is those people, like adam kinzinger and others don't represent the republican party, anymore. and i think they know that. so, we have a legacy party that has no interest in investigating why the structure of our democracy fell down. in the midst of that tragedy. >> the former-president barack obama, also, bringing up january 6th to push for voting rights. and i want to play some of those comments, again, and then we will talk about it. here it is. >> so that, as bad as january 6th was, if we had a repeat in future elections, in which, let's say, the republican-controlled pennsylvania legislature decided, we're not going to certify all those votes coming out of philadelphia because we think that those urban votes are shady.

imagine what would have happened. we would have had a worse constitutional crisis than we did. >> so, matthew, to his point, what happens next time if there aren't election officials willing to stand up for democracy? look at these laws that are being passed around the country. where they can select the -- the legislators can select whoever they want. and decide the election. >> well, don, to me, of all of the things, and there's so many bad parts of what all these bills that are getting passed from election restrictions to impediments making it hard to vote. all bad. but this, to me, is the worst part about it and this is the part think we have to fight the most. which is basically, election nullification. so even if voters go through all the trouble and go -- overcome impediments and go vote and do all this. they are now setting up a situation that it can just throw their votes out. in many different ways, either going to a court to get it thrown out or state legislature,

as you said, to throw it out. that, to me, is the -- all, bad -- that's the worst part of this. and that's the scariest part of this. that we get in a situation they do this. they could do it in 2022 elections in the midst. they could definitely do it in an electoral college vote in presidential elections. and that, to me, is the part that we absolutely have to fix because once that happens, don, we don't have a democracy, anymore. >> right. >> we no longer have a democracy and that's why i have said this is the most perilous moment in our country's history since 1861. i believe that. i am a zen person and i'm not being dramatic. we are at that kind of point in our country's history. >> i don't disagree with you. as i said, you know, before break-glass moment. just real quickly. i just want to get to what do you think about -- and i have a short time left, sorry about that -- these infrastructure talks? what do you think's going to happen? where do you think we stand now? >> well, i think the president will get a bipartisan package.

the only question is if he isn't able to get the second package through. i think he will get a bipartisan package. my worry, and i will just connect these two, real quick. my worry is that this gives people an out not to do what we really need done. and i agree with the infrastructure part. i think it needs to be done. but it's, to me, secondary to what we need to do to fix our democracy and protect voting rights and make sure that doesn't happen. if, by passing that, gives people an escape valve not to do the voting rights, then i think the infrastructure thing was a mistake if that happens. >> matthew dowd, thank you very much, sir, i appreciate it. . >> thanks, don. take care. >> a joint cheevs screaming match. take this. a top general reportedly blew up at former president trump in a fight full of obscenities. why? we'll tell you next.

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so take this. new reporting says that the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, general mark milley, got into a screaming match with then president trump over the president's desire over a military campaign to quash last summer's racial justice protests. now, here's what axios did. they obtained an excerpt from a new book detailing the last months of the trump administration by "the wall street journal's" michael bender. now, the excerpt details the former president's efforts to invoke the insurrection act and put general milley, quote, in charge. a vendor reports the situation escalated to a screaming match between the two that went down like this. i said you're in f-ing charge trump shouted at milley. milley yelled back that's not the case. trump responded by saying, you can't f-ing talk to me like that. the president denying to axios that the exchange ever happened.

it was just last week when general milley became a target of the gop for rebuking the effort by the republicans to make critical race theory an issue. >> on the issue of critical race theory, et cetera, i'll obviously have to get much smarter on whatever the theory is. but i do think it's important actually for those of us in uniform to be open-minded and be widely read. and the united states military academy is a university, and it is important that we train and we understand, and i want to understand white rage, and i'm white. and i want to understand it. so what is that caused thousands of people to assault this building and try to overturn the constitution of the united states of america? what caused that? i want to find that out. >> and now general milley is getting attacked from the right, including by tucker carlson, who called him a pig. hmm. so much for respecting the military and the troops.

yeah. good going. next, we're on the scene in surfside, florida. at least 11 dead. more than 150 still unaccounted for. we've got the latest. at carvana, we treat every customer like we would treat our own moms, with care and respect. to us, the little things are the big things. which is why we do everything in our power to make buying a car an unforgettable experience. happy birthday. thank you. we treat every customer like we would treat our own moms. because that's what they deserve. you know when your dog is itching for a treat. itching for an outing... or itching for some cuddle time. but you may not know when he's itching for help... licking for help...

or rubbing for help. if your dog does these frequently. they may be signs of an allergic skin condition that needs treatment. don't wait. talk to your veterinarian and learn more at itchingforhelp.com.

oh! don't burn down the duplex. terminix.