i wish you every blessing and good health and have a good weekend. before you do, you got to get your brain food. laura coats now. >> i'll market that. brain food. have a good weekend. >> you, too, my friend. this is "don lemon tonight." the sad truth is, america's gains against covid are quickly unraveling because now for the first time since january, covid cases are rising in all 50 states. and president joe biden is pointing the finger right at social media bluntly accusing the platforms of killing people with the spread of misinformation.

>> covid misinformation, what's your message to platforms like facebook? >> they're killing people. i mean, they -- look, the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated and they're killing people. >> now, once we were almost helpless to combat covid. today, we're watching the spread of something that actually might be preventable with vaccination. and the truth is, the ills of social media might also be completely preventable with truth and information. but it's been a week of misinformation on every front. from the pandemic to the big lie that's still alive and thriving even today with bogus claims about non-existent election fraud. fuelling the nationwide -- on the right to vote. mike pence who was threatened with hanging by the rioters on

january 6th letting a little bit of truth sneak out in the midst of praising his former boss. >> we've been through a lot in the last year. i mean, a global pandemic, civil unrest, a decisive election, a tragic day in our nation's capitol. >> and as kevin mccarthy is weighing his picks for the select committee to investigate who mike pence called a tragic day, the qanon congresswoman one of the biggest deniers of what we all saw with our own eyes on january 6th, well she wants a seat at the table. marjorie taylor greene tweeting republicans on the committee should be the toughest fighters and defend the former president. so now let me get this straight. one of the biggest proponents of the big lie, not to mention all those qanon conspiracy theories now wants to be on the select committee so that she can fight against the committee's mission to find the truth. the truth of information we need to protect our democracy and our lives.

i want to bring in cnn political commentator charley dent and congressman and cnn political analyst kirsten powers. nice to see you both. charlie, i'll begin with you. whether covid or the big lie, misinformation is running wild and what is this doing to our country? >> well, laura, what is happening is our citizens now, our fellow citizens can't agree on facts because of this misinformation and of course, the casualty is the truth, and it's part of the reason why this nation is so divided and i wish there was an easy answer to this but we have to do a better job presenting better information and we have people in high positions of responsibility that need to stand up and speak truth on another network we have anchors, you know, casting doubt on the vaccinations and why their important. we have a lot of people out

there who know better saying stupid things because they want to attract an audience it seems and monetize whatever it is they're selling and this is the tragedy but truth is a casualty. >> i mean, kirsten, i want to hear your thoughts on the idea the appetite and idea of monetizing the falsehoods and it's got to be said that these social media companies and fox and right wing media are making big profits and it's so distorted, misinformation is both big business and a way to manipulate people and stay in big power. that's a dangerous combination, don't you think? >> incredibly dangerous and what is so twisted about it, they portray themselves whether it's the people in the media at fox news or the people that i think joe biden was talking about, which were called the disinformation dozen. it's about a dozen influ we

influencers. that put out the majority of the vaccines present themselves as the only people telling the truths, right? so that's what makes it so particularly twisted is you have people who don't trust other sources coming to these people who are telling them this and who are monetizing the misinformation. they are building an audience off of telling people things that aren't true and they know aren't true. that's the thing. it's not that they're not smart enough to know this and have the right information, it's that they know this is how they get an audience and keep an audience and they're willing to do that and the results of it in this case is deadly. >> and kirsten, it's, you know, the idea it's a willing audience, as well, that are eyeing up to follow to actually hear it and receive the information and follow it is really shocking, as well. if you look at the polls of who received a vaccine dose, nearly

two thirds of those who think biden won because of voter fraud, they haven't been vaccinated. so what possible incentive do republicans or right wing media have for putting out lies that frankly can kill their own supporters? >> again, this makes no sense. i think the argument has to be that people who live -- that physicians, health care professionals who live in these states in those districts where there are low vaccination rates need to be the ones who have those conversations with their patients and tell them why it important to get vaccinated. they need to tell them if you don't do it for yourself, do it for the kids many of whom are not permitted or eligible to be vaccinated at this point and can get sick. do it for them. protect them and you're unvaccinated friends and your unvaccinated family. do it for them if you can't do it for yourself. and it's so sad that vaccinations have become so politicized. who could have ever thought of this? this isn't like abortion or

heaven sake. this is vaccinations, basic public health and that's what is so troubling about why this country is so divided that we seem to politicize everything, even things that are good for us. >> kirsten, are we now at the point where if you're an adult and you've not been vaccinated, it's your own personal responsibility if you get seriously ill from covid? is that where we are? >> of course, if you have an opportunity and you haven't done it and the thing is, you can still get covid if you've been vaccinated. it's pretty unlikely but it won't be deadly. it won't -- and it won't be as bad. so by choosing to not get it, you are putting yourself in risk of possibly dying and getting very, very ill. i think the thing is just listening to charlie, this has been the thing everyone is saying, we've been saying over and over, just try to think of other people and it's clear at this point that these people

don't care. they're not -- this isn't an argument that works with them. right? the idea that and i hear people saying this. it's like i'm not worried about it because i'm not in the age group. okay. other people are. what is so hard about this? and what is so hard about thinking about other people? and that's the thing that i think has to be figured out is how do we get to a place where people have such disregard for other people that they think putting a little piece of cloth over their face is just too much of a sacrifice to make -- to save people's lives. it's just -- it just incredible. >> it is, indeed. kirsten, charlie, thank you. later in the show we'll talk to somebody by the way who was formally an anti-vaxxer and i want to hear what changed her mind and what arguments could work with someone like that thank you for your time. i want to bring in cara swisher.

"new york times" opinion writer and host of the pod cast. president biden is slamming these platforms for covid misinformation. i wonder, we talked with the last guest here, is being named and shamed going to make any difference whatsoever to these companies? >> well, i don't know. it depends. it's not a good position to be in to be called killers by the president or you're responsible for people dying. he's clumping them in with makers of opiates or things like that. there is a lot of tension between these companies and the biden administration pushing hard and need good information from facebook and others about this. it's an on going struggle because these companies, you know, one thing after another happened whether helping donald trump insight violence after the -- for january 6th, which they waited and waited and waited to cut him off or

anything else. it's been one situation after another for these companies and it's not a great situation for a business to be in although the business has never been better, let my say that or the stocks. >> you're right about the idea of facebook being that sort of persona. it didn't start now. it been for quite sometime. the 2016 election, all that is part of it. facebook is putting out a defiant statement. i want to read it. they say we will not be distracted by accusations that aren't supported by the facts. the fact is more than 2 billion people have viewed authoritative information about covid-19 and vaccines on facebook. and cara, you actually spoke with the white house chief of staff ron klain on your podcast about facebook. here is what he said. >> i said directly we gather groups of people that have not vaccinated and ask them and they

why and tell us things that are wrong and untrue and we ask them where they've heard that, the most common answer is facebook. >> given that, is there any question the misinformation is huge on these platforms and are they doing a lot to stop it? >> they are doing a lot and putting out good information about covid and everything else, it's not not true. the problem is the lies and the flood of information, misinformation and the people that play this system, which on lots of topics on election lies, fraud, all kinds of things. i mean, there are so many different things they have to deal with. the problem is they allow unfettered speech on these platforms and they're allowed to but they cause damage and that's the problem and so one of the things that's hard to do is when they say they give out information and they do. they absolutely do. it's like putting a sandbag in front of the most toxic ocean and saying we're stopping the flow by putting truth out here

and as you know, lies have a way especially if they're massive and constant of getting into people's heads and you can see it again and again and again and it's not the only way. look, it's on cable news. it's on a lot of places but these sites have a way of addicting people and being amplified in a way that is unprecedented in human history. not like sending a letter to people. it's talking to all kinds of people constantly and reinforcing things and that's the problem. >> and the reach is so extensive but cara, there is real concern over the government getting involved in deciding frankly, what is acceptable information. as a general principle, we don't want the government dictating who can speak out and what they can say when they do. what's the way to address that and find that happy medium? >> that's the problem. we can't. there is a thing called the first amendment and the government can't do this. that said, facebook and other sites can't do it. they can do these things.

they can police these things. there is other ways of getting at them in terms of, you know, not just calling it a speech issue, fair share of taxes and paying the cost these things entail and ways that are regulating them and making sure there is more players so it's not one company impacting so many people. there is all kinds of solutions that don't have to impinge on free speech. that's a difficult problem here. it's an incredibly difficult problem. >> well, where there is a will, there is a way. thank you. >> maybe. i don't know. next, she was an anti vax influencer and now, she's vaccinated and she's spreading the word to get everybody else to do the same. she'll tell me what changed her mind when we come back. >> unvaccinated americans are not protected against serious illness, hospitalization and death and we're seeing it in the data. your skin isn't just skin, it's a beautiful reflection

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a pandemic of the unvaccinated. that's how the cdc director is describing the rise of covid-19 cases across the country. for the first time in months, all 50 states are seeing a rise

in new cases. death and hospitalizations are also up from last week but nearly all of these people are unvaccinated. joining me now, heather simpson used to be part of the anti vaccine movement but is now encouraging people to get the covid-19 shot. heather, welcome to the show. >> thanks for having me. >> heather, you used to be an anti vaccine influ we think -- influencer. you were, as i say, pushing misinformation to hundreds of thousands of followers but here you are. you're getting your covid vaccine shot i'm looking at it now and you're encouraging everyone else to do the same. i got to ask, what changed your mind on this issue? >> you know, honestly, i -- this sounds ridiculous but i lived my life in fear of tetanus just

knowing that it was everywhere, all around us and my daughter got this tiny little cat scratch a few months ago. it was just not even worth going to the pediatrician over it but, you know, i'm a new mom and took her in and they didn't want to do the tetanus shot. they said it's small and fine but saw how worried i was about tetanus and they said, you know, heather, there is a solution to your fear. and that is the tetanus shot, modern day science. it was like -- it was a lightbulb moment. >> it was that mind blowing moment of thinking oh, here is what i can do and it's funny motherhood would be the emphasis. i understand why. i'm also a mother. we tend to think of people are so entrenched in their opinions their minds can never change but obviously, that's not the case and you show that. i wonder, explain how you got wrapped up in the first place in the anti vaccine world that led to this epiphany but what led you first to all the of the

misinformation? >> so back when my husband and i were trying to get pregnant, we started looking into vaccines and i believe it was on facebook where i saw an ad for this nine-hour docuseries called "the truth about vaccines." afterwards, i was terrified. i basically thought if my daughter got a vaccine, she could die that night. that's how traumatized i was from watching that. when i spoke out about vaccines and how i didn't like them, i didn't -- i was basically an anti vaccer, i got the courage to speak out on facebook, i was welcomed into a huge world of anti-vaxxers that facebook allows on their site. >> and from there, i sense you get involved in this whole anti vaccination movement. the white house, you mentioned facebook, the white house is

calling out what they are calling the disinformation dozen which is 12 people for the center for encountering digital hate. they account for 65% of all vaccine misinformation on social media and you actually used to follow seven of these 12 people. what was it about their posts? you mentioned the docuseries but what was it about the posting and made you feel convinced you were doing the right thing? >> i mean, these guys are so confident when they're posting things and they speak like they are such authorities on these issues that you don't know anything else to do but to follow them. i mean, in such a vulnerable state a lot of these people are as new parents, you're reading these and thinking some of these people are fully doctors that are spotting this misinformation. i mean, what else are you going to do? you're going to think it's a doctor saying that and that's scary.

you don't just have the disen -- disinformation. you have a bunch of people you wouldn't think of that are not in that dozen but they are spreading just as much information because every time they post something, it gets hundreds of shares. and it's -- there's an entire world on facebook of this stuff. >> and the more it's shared, the strength in numbers, the more credibility you're attaching to it. i wonder, heather, what is your message to all the people out there that are choosing now to be unvaccinated? what would you have them know? >> if you are choosing to be unvaccinated, what you're probably saying is i don't want to take this risk of vaccine for a virus that only has a 99% -- or that has a 99% survival rate but if that 1% was your child or

your grandparent or your spouse, that would probably feel different to you. so to be so dismissive and to say i don't need to wear a mask. i don't need to get vaccinated on and on and on because it's not going to affect me, it will affect real life people and that -- i mean, you have the power to help stop this and to save lives and you're not doing it. it's entitled. >> heather, thank you for expressing your views and talking about the power that people actually have. we're really not thankfully helpless in this and the owning is on us and thank you for spreading the word. appreciate it. >> yeah, thank you. now, is there such a thing as real america? paul krugman answers that question, next. [beeping] [ringing]

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the biden administration making a major move this week that immediately increases the incomes of millions of american families. the expanded child tax credit puts cash directly in the pockets of moms and dads. president biden calling it a giant step toward ending child poverty in america. it's being dubbed social security for kids. but it's only for this year.

the president and many democrats want to make it permanent. joining me now is "new york times" columnist paul krugman, author of "arguing with zombies." paul, good to see you on this friday evening. you know, president biden has been pretty focused on showing that government can work, that it does work, but you recently wrote, as well, that it's morning in joe biden's america. what will this credit actually do for americans? >> it's not actually all that much money but it's targeted on the people who really need the money. i mean, the -- we have a huge problem of child poverty in america, and the funny thing is it doesn't take a lot of money to drastically reduce that problem and we have huge amounts of evidence from the past from things like the expansion of food stamps that give families with children just a little bit of extra financial resources

does incredibly good things. the kids this receive that aid now will grow up to be healthier and more productive adults in the future. so this is a big social step, even though the amounts of money properly if you view it in the proper perspective aren't that much. >> it's quite telling that this amount of money does make that big of a difference and could end, i think, child poverty or cut it in half. but some republicans are calling this, well, socialism, which of course, begs the question since when are republicans against lowering taxes? >> well, yeah. i mean, it is true that a fair number of the people receiving this will not be paying taxes or they won't be paying income taxes any way so this is showing up as a grant of money. you know, i for decades conservatives told me, well, i don't believe in equality of results, i believe in equality of opportunity. let me tell you, kids who grow

up in poverty do not have the same opportunity as kids who don't and so this is actually a step in the direction of what conservatives have always claimed to believe in except now all of a sudden, helping children who are not -- four children are not poor through any fault of their own and giving then enough resources so they can make lives for themselves. if that's socialism, then basically anything good is socialism is the point. >> the statement is never denied. >> it's very luxury position to be in. you know the culture wars are still raging on. you took note of ohio senate candidate tweeting out he heard new york was disgusting and violent and let's point out by the way that violent crime rose by 3% across the country last year. i mean, homicides are up. rising 25% between 2019 and 2020.

this isn't just a new york problem we all realize. what is he trying to do, exactly? >> he's just trying to get people riled up and trying to -- it's signaling to the republican base. he's trying to appeal to primary voters, most of whom have no idea. people who are actually in new york, which i happen not to be at the moment but am mostly in new york know it not a socialist hell hole. there are not gangs of looters roaming the streets. things look pretty good, but it's a story they can tell and it's a way to -- i mean, it's more -- i'm not sure if he -- i'm sure he knows better and i suspect even a lot of his voters know better but they're -- it's signaling by talking about the evils of the big city and evils of the big city with a large implicit notion that it has to do with people's skin color not the same as your own.

that's a way of signifies which side you're on and the culture wars. no, this is crazy. i mean, we have a lot of problems with this country. we have a lot of problems with new york but a lot of the problems are much worse in small town america. >> quite a way to signal something. you're right about that. you also talk about cynical politicians who this is a trend for. disparaging certain parts of the country, they aren't part of this real america and you say that criticism has effectively killed thousands in the pandemic and could end up killing democracy. tell me more about your thoughts on that. >> we really need to understand the modern republican party, it is not a normal political party. it is at this point really a personality and an authoritarian movement. they really don't believe anybody else has the right to

win elections or hold power. there were -- they're rapidly turning the people that tried to overturn a legitimate election on january 6th into martyrs, into heroes of the lost cause so this is really scary stuff and it all hinges on the notion that there's a real america somewhere out there and that excludes places like new york and just actually imagine, imagine doing that in reverse. imagine if a democratic politician said all those people living in appalachia and eastern kentucky aren't real americans. these are terrible and violent and disgusting. that would decrucify if they did that from the left and democratic politicians don't. they say hey, we're all americans but somehow considered acceptable to trash parts of the country where a large fraction of the american population lives. >> imagine that. paul krugman, thank you.

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being arrested for perpetrating a violent crime against someone but instead, we find out that this is a man accused of helping another passenger avoid paying subway fair. now, so far, our reporting shows the man swore at the police and appeared to be resisting arrest. but even so, and even if he had committed the crime and yes, fair evasion is considered a crime in new york, does it really warrant this type of police response? this number of officers? this level of force? this application of force for a non-violent crime that posed no threat to the public's safety? i mean, he's now been charged with multiple crimes and his attorney tonight telling cnn the charges are quote absolutely absurd. and a classic example of the nypd using excessive force on black people. now, riding the subway costs

$2.75. and i understand that a system that derives most of it revenue from everyday workers can't tolerate free riders. everyone has to pay their fair share, but keep in mind allen weisselberg, the now former cfo of the trump organization stands accused of failing to pay not $2.75 but more than $900,000 in unpaid taxes and undeserved tax refunds. our tax system also can't tolerate free riders, yet, he was allowed to turn himself in and walked out of the courthouse of his own accord. no on slot of officers, certainly no taser. just the presumption of innocence, a guarantee of due process, an opportunity to be heard and spoken to like a human being or at least, treated like one.

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vice president kamala harris meeting at the white house with a group of black women who are leaders in the fight for voting rights. harris saying it's an important issue affecting all americans. >> this is -- let's be clear, not about any one racial group or gender group. this is about all americans. this is not an issue about democrats versus republicans. this is about americans and this group of national leaders are very clear about that. this is a fight for all people regardless of who they voted for in the last election or who they vote for in the next election. >> let talk about that with martin luther king, iii. happy to have you on this evening. sorry we keep having to have these conversations about the fight for voting rights, but you're the right person to have here tonight. thank you. >> thank you. >> now, martin, are you confident that the white house is really understanding the sense of urgency that folks are

facing with voting rights in this country and also, do you think they're fighting back with everything they have? >> that's a very good question. my response is i don't know that they are fighting with every tool. it is my hope, it is certainly been what i have challenged and in fact, we are launching tomorrow a campaign called for john to raise dollars literally small dollar figures from hundreds of thousands of individuals to support grass roots campaigns -- i mean grass roots organizations that are actually registering, meeting voters on the ground. that's helping them mobilize because people need to be calling senators every day. we are in a ditch, and we are trying to dig our way out, which is very sad. we live in a democracy we all know and we talk about democracy around the world but we suppress

democracy at home and that is a very sad contradiction. >> and of course, you said for john. we know tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary since congressman john lewis passed away. i want to play some of the former president obama's eulogy for congressman lewis. listen to this. >> remember what john said, if you don't do everything, you can do to change things. then they will remain the same. you only pass this way once. you have to give it all you have. as long as young people are protesting in the streets, hoping real change takes hold, i'm hopeful but we can't casually abandon them at the ballot box. not when few elections have been as urgent on so many levels as this one.

we can't treat voting as an errand to run like we have time. we have to treat it as the most important action we have to take on behalf of democracy and like john, we have to give it all we have. >> that was almost a year ago, and he was pressing lawmakers then to pass the john lewis voting rights act and in that year, not only did it not pass, but as you know, republicans across the country have moved quickly to enact even more restrictive voting measures. so, what is it going to take to protect against these bills? >> so i -- you know, i think the -- one of the great suggestions was the suggestion that congressman clyburn came up with. which is, if we can pass budget issues by not having to utilize the filibuster. why, then, can't we pass the

most fundamental right, which is the right to vote, in the same way? legally, i don't know what that looks like but i know it's, certainly, up for suggestion. but in the interim, one of the things that we're doing. august 28th is the anniversary of the march in washington. and we're doing -- we have joined with a number of organizations, national action network, march on, futures coalition, sciu, to do another march. and we're doing marches in five cities around this country. atlanta, miami, phoenix, houston, and washington, d.c. and their sister cities that are coming on. people are gonna be in the streets mobilizing and the other goal is to register 2 million people, by the midterm elections. these are things that may, potentially, create a change in our nation. >> and like you just noted, i mean, it's been nearly-60 years since your father's march on washington. so, what does -- what does it say, to you, that you're launching this initiative, now? what does it say about the state of our democracy, and also civil

rights, in general? >> well, it -- it -- what it says is what my mother used to say, is that every generation has to reacquire its freedom. freedom is not just given, permanently. it's a sad commentary. hopefully, we will get to the day where freedom can be sustained, eternally. but at this, particular moment, as mom said, every generation has to re-earn its -- its freedom. and that's what -- when we look at democracy and its crumbling in the united states of america, when we ought to be ashamed of ourselves. you can't shame someone into doing right. but you can get enough people to mobilize, so that, ultimately, they are going to have to pay attention. they are not paying attention right now. they are only looking at, well, this is going to protect my interest and what i'm doing and where i stand. but at the end of the day, hopefully, all of that is going to backfire but that's a hope. >> well, we hope that the ideas and principles of democracy will, someday, be impenetrable.

thank you for your time. thank you, mr. king, martin. nice to talk to you. >> always nice to talk to you. thank you. >> thank you. we'll be right back. what do we want for dinner? burger... i want a sugar cookie... wait... i want a bucket of chicken... i want... ♪ it's the easiest because it's the cheesiest. kraft. for the win win.

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challenges, including an epidemic of gangs and crippling poverty. amidst this national crisis, haitian cnn heroes are stepping up to keep the most vulnerable children and women safe. robbie duval and maya hope this moment points haiti towards a better future. people are in state of shock. i'm, particularly, very much shocked no matter how much you can criticize the former president. there is nothing that requires such a barbaric action of a violently taking his life. [ speaking foreign language ]

>> i would love to think that it could be a turning point, where people are -- about how the system works and the reason behind such a horrible act. [ speaking foreign language ] >> this cannot be. there is not enough change to contribute to -- this nation. there are reasons i am doing everything i can to have the most impact towards the people who need it most.

>> to learn more about how these and other cnn heroes are working to help the haitian people, go to cnnheroes.com. you are there, you can nominate someone you know to be a cnn hero. thanks for watching. our coverage continues. homes, hopes, and lives, washed away by europe's worst flooding, in decades. hundreds, still, missing. and scientists warn it could happen, again. with vaccination disinformation running rampant, coronavirus cases rise in every-single state in america. now, masks are going back on in los angeles. also, why the crisis in cuba has many on the island desperate to leave for the u.s. hello and welcome to "cnn newsroom," everyone, i'm michael holmes