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thank you for watching. it's time for the big show, "don lemon tonight," and its star d. lemon. >> good to see you. man, this variant. more concerning, for me, and i think for everyone, than last week. i don't -- i'm not sure things are going the right way. except, we do have more people getting vaccinated. that is some good news. but, man, oh man, oh man. >> we are playing catchup and i don't like the cases getting younger. >> yeah. >> that's frightening because you don't have a lot of those people vaccinated. and that's -- seems to be the achilles heel here. if you're not vaccinated and you get this, it seems to be worse than what we've seen, before. that's frightening.

>> yeah. well, i'm going to take you to my hometown, as you know, baton rouge, louisiana. and you spoke to the governor, earlier. >> cases are up over 120%. >> man, oh man, oh man. you should have heard the conversations in my house, when my family visited back in july about what's going on there. and then, even now, over the phone and via text. >> number one in vaccinations, though, in the last week. number one. >> yeah. well, let's hope it stays that way. let's hope it keeps going in that direction. again, this is not political. this is about saving lives. keeping people healthy. i'm going to get to it. i will see you later, my friend. >> i love you, d lemon. >> love you, too. >> thank you very much. this is "don lemon tonight." and look. look. a lot of news about covid. it -- it is, really, unnerving. and this is not hyperbole. i am not trying to scare you. i'm just being real with you. a lot of you are worried about this delta variant, as you should be. worried about having to wear masks, again. worried that cases are on the rise. the average-daily count, up 44%

since last week. that's a lot. it's now about 72,000 cases. that's a lot. higher than the peak last summer, everyone. and i hear you. i hear you. but we've got some good news, today. 70% of american adults have now gotten at least one dose of the vaccine. meeting the president's goal. well, we met that goal about a month late, by the way. but the white house is mounting a full-court press, trying to get the vaccination message out. even with cases on the rise, more than 99.99% -- are you hearing me -- more than 99.99% of people fully vaccinated against covid have not been hospitalized or died from a breakthrough case. there's your -- there's -- that's all you need to know, right there. so the vaccines are very good at preventing serious illness and death. and vaccinations are up. but here's the question. will that be enough to turn the tide?

>> while we, desperately, want to be done with this pandemic, covid-19 is, clearly, not done with us. and so, our battle must last a little longer. >> so, you want to watch, you want to stay tuned because, in -- i have someone coming up, from my home state, that you want to hear from. in my home state of louisiana, they are expecting to hit an all-time record number of hospitalizations tomorrow. the governor, john belle edwards, temporarily bringing back their statewide mask mandate for everyone, vaccinated or unvaccinated. and he just spoke with chris, a little while ago. said the situation is urgent. >> the urgency is -- is that we have the highest case-growth rate in the country. and -- and the second-place state is quite a ways behind us. that's not a distinction that we're proud of. um, and the percent positivity is above 13% of all tests coming back positive, and that seems to be increasing which means we have not reached the peak.

and we don't know how much further this is going to go. >> and more specifically, in my hometown, the place i grew up, baton rouge, the state's largest hospital has no more beds left. no beds. can you imagine being sick enough to go to the hospital, and being told there's just no room for you? and that's happening, right in my hometown. all of this is happening, as senator lindsey graham, announcing today that he has tested positive for covid, despite being fully vaccinated. put up this full screen for you. the senator says that he has mild symptoms, but he is very glad that he was vaccinated because, without the vaccine, he is sure that he would be much sicker. okay? so, graham was part of a small group of senators on joe manchin's house boat over the weekend. senator manchin, who is also fully vaccinated, says that he has tested negative. you hear that? he is happy. i am talking about lindsey graham. that he was vaccinated because otherwise, it would have been a lot worse. you got to wonder, though,

whether, maybe, some unvaccinated republicans will listen to lindsey graham. but a new monmouth national poll, out tonight, showing 31% of republicans say that they will likely never get the vaccine. so, it's no surprise, that a senior-biden administration official tells cnn that there are governors in this country who are putting politics, ahead of public health. that official didn't name names. but florida's republican governor, ron desantis, would probably be at the head of that list. his state accounts for a stunning 20% of all-new covid cases in this country. hospitalizations are breaking records. there were long lines, today, at a testing site in hialeah and governor desantis? well, he is representing the party of no. >> i think it's very important that we say, unequivocally, no, to lockdowns. no, to school closures. no, to restrictions.

and no mandates. >> he should be saying no to the coronavirus, the delta variant. but, you know? last week, governor desantis signed an executive order to ensure there will be no-mask mandates in schools. putting some warped idea of freedom ahead of the health and safety of kids, too young to be vaccinated. that, as the former-president barack obama is raising some eyebrows, celebrating his 60th birthday, this week, with a party for hundreds of people. but we're told, the party will be a covid-compliant event in martha's vineyard. a source says the party will be outside, and will follow all cdc public-health protocols. there will be testing for guests, and a covid-safety coordinator on-site. but is it the right thing to do, right now? with covid surging. that, as the senate is gearing up for the fight over the amendments to the trillion-dollar bipartisan

infrastructure bill. majority leader chuck schumer says, the longer it takes to finish the bill, the longer we'll be here. in the middle of all this, with infrastructure on the line, with covid raging again in hot spots across the country, what is the top republican in the house doing? making what he apparently thinks is a funny, funny joke about hitting the speaker with a gavel. >> if we win the majority, which i know we're going to, you're all invited. more importantly, i want you to watch nancy pelosi hand me that gavel. [ cheers and applause ] it'll be hard not to hit her with it but i will bang it down. >> look. i know that he is joking, right? he's joking, if you want to call it that. first rule of comedy, though, is that it has to be funny.

considering the times that we're in, as well, joking about hitting the speaker of the house with a gavel? in the times that we're in. less than seven months after blood blood-thirsty rioters stormed the united states capitol? they threatened to hang mike pence. they were there hunting for nancy pelosi. >> speaker pelosi, yeah, we're coming, bitch. oh, mike pence? we're coming for you, too, fucking traitor. >> disturbing language? you bet it is. why does kevin mccarthy think he is, you know, it's okay for him to do that? we have heard way too much violent talk from his boss. the disgraced, twice-impeached, one-term, former president who, let's not forget, told those rioters, quote, we love you, you're special. you know what? why don't you try telling your funny, funny joke about hitting the speaker with the gavel, try telling it to those brave police officers who risked their lives to defend the speaker, the vice

president, and all those lawmakers on january 6th? see if they think it's funny. those officers, american heroes, have lost another of their own. d.c. police officer gunther hashida, who defended the capitol during the insurrection, died by suicide last thursday. look. we don't know why. but his death is the third-known suicide of an officer, who responded to the capitol during the attack. officer michael fanone, another of those american heroes, a man i have gotten to know well. worked with officer hashida for a number of years, and said that he was loved by everyone. mike also said, and i quote here, grappling with mental-health issues should not be deemed a weakness. it's -- if anything, it is a strength, and he is right about that. and he's not the only one speaking out about mental health in the wake of what happened on january 6th. listen to officer harry dunn. >> i wanted to take this moment to speak to my fellow officers

about the emotions they are continuing to experience from the events of january 6th. there is absolutely nothing wrong with seeking professional counseling. what we went through that day was traumatic, and if you are hurting, please, take advantage of the counseling services that are available to us. >> again, he is so right. all of this can be hard to talk about. but there is no shame, in asking for help, for yourself or for someone you know who is struggling. you can call the national suicide prevention lifeline or text the crisis text line at the numbers up on your screen. let's hold it there, for a bit. look at your screen, at those numbers. and that's how you can get in touch. if you are having issues, or you know someone who is having issues. no shame. no shame. no stigma. call those numbers or text them. with covid cases soaring in my home state of louisiana, i am

going to talk to a doctor who is on the front lines, and ask him just how bad things are tonight. as the governor brings back that mask mandate. >> this is having an adverse impact on people's lives. today. as we speak. and the least we can do is put a mask on. i love making brides feel beautiful. a lot of times when i'm doing weddings, it's six or seven hours on my feet. i have a thyroid condition. and so i need medication so that i can have the energy to do what i love to do. previously, i couldn't afford health insurance and this year i went on healthcare.gov and prices were great. now my monthly premium is zero. the process was easy. it took me minutes to apply and get approved. if i could do it. anybody can do it.

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the delta variant wreaking havoc among -- among unvaccinated americans. louisiana seeing more new cases of the coronavirus, today, that at any other point -- than at any other point in the pandemic. louisiana's governor, john bell edwards, announcing that he is temporarily reinstating the statewide-mask mandate for vaccinated and unvaccinated residents, as many state hospitals are getting overwhelmed. >> it has become extremely clear that our current recommendations -- um -- on their own, are not strong enough to deal with louisiana's fourth surge of covid. in fact, nobody should be laboring under the misapprehension that this is just another surge. we've, already, had three of these. this is the worst one we've had, thus far.

>> i am joined, now, by dr. mark laperouse, he is the emergency-room medical director at our lady of the lake regional medical center in baton rouge. again, which is my hometown. doctor, thank you so much. this is very important. i really appreciate your joining us because you are on the front lines of this new wave of cases in louisiana. how bad is it? >> well, thanks for having me, don. um, it's pretty bad. this is as i have been telling people, this is the fourth round that we're going through this. and this is the worst round, so far. where the healthcare team is tiring out -- um -- trying to battle this. and it seems that all the things that we were experiencing, back in march of 2020, april of 2020, we're not doing the same things, um, current state. you know, mask wearing, social distancing, kind of, respecting each other's personal space. you know, and then, at that time, we didn't have a vaccine. but now, we do. and there is a lot of discussion about should i get a vaccine? or should i not? and it's, still, a very personal decision for people. but this round is proving that

it's a community decision, whether you're going to get the vaccine, or not. when i hear people's hesitation, it's -- it's reasons that are selfish. it's for themselves. and i'm not saying you're selfish if you don't get the vaccine. i'm saying, think differently. think bigger. um, this is a community. um, a nationwide, a worldwide pandemic and if you look up the word, the definition of pandemic, it's pretty scary. and there -- there's a way to fix this. the short term, is mask up. the long term is vaccination. >> yeah, listen. and doing research for this and, also, just covering this for the entire time that we've had -- we've been dealing with covid-19. you know, even today, i -- i was reading and looking. you know, some of the research involved going online. and people said -- there were people there saying it's not real. the hospitals aren't full. um, hospitals aren't experiencing any difficulties. there aren't many patients going in. there's still that information out there. doctor, what can you -- what do you -- can you tell people about this, please? >> well, um, as my mom told me a

couple days ago, you look tired. um, i am tired. i'm tired because we have a team that's, constantly, on the front lines of this and we're working really hard. um, and it doesn't seem to be an end in sight. the hospital is full. the hospitals all around the -- the state are full. you know, i'm reaching out to medical directors at some of our partnering hospitals and they have got patients in the emergency department waiting for an admission for 37 hours. >> wow. >> they have got icu holds and other -- in other emergency departments that we, typically, can bail out and bring to the -- you know, to the mother ship of our lady of the lake. we're not able to do that, right now. so, um, our departments, our hospitals, are extremely stressed. we're short staffed. there is a national nursing shortage. so we are doing this with less team players, you know, think about that on a soccer field. if you had three or four less team players than you're supposed to have. it's a hard game and we're -- we're playing it right now and we're not quitting but it's hard. >> moments ago, the governor, governor edwards, told chris. he was on chris's show.

he says there's a 13% test-positivity rate. that's high. and he said, 90% of hospitalizations are unvaccinated people. but that means 10% of covid hospitalizations are among the vaccinated. he thinks that comorbidities are a factor, here. but that's got to worry you, no? >> sure, absolutely. you know, the breakthrough rate for most vaccinations, when you have the flu every year, it's not uncommon for people to -- to come into the hospital after vax -- after they have been vaccinated. a lot of it has to do with age and comorbidities. but that number of -- of admissions, you know, 80 to 90% of unvaccinated patients. that's really astounding. there's not much in medicine that's 80 and 90% and that's telling us something. this fourth wave has told us what we need to know about the pandemic. um, the first couple of waves, maybe, we could get away with not paying attention to this. this is a serious statistic. anything above 80% is -- is very telling.

>> in layman's terms, what has it told you? you said it's told us what we need to know about this pandemic. what is that? >> well, previously, you could be young and healthy and i could understand you saying i don't want to get a vaccination because young and healthy people don't get sick, they don't get hospitalized. >> children, as well. said that, before. but not anymore. yeah. >> exactly. um, but now, we do have 50% of our patients that are admitted are under 50. um, you know, so it's just telling us this -- this thing is evolving. it's changing. it's -- it's making it harder, and nobody is really -- um -- nobody's really safe from it. but even if you could get through, what about the rest of our community? what about the rest of our -- our friends and families? those that are scared. those that have been vaccinated. those that are wearing masks. those that do stay six feet away from each other. what does it say, when we don't do all those things? i think that's the most important message here is that we need to be kind to each other. we need to be -- um -- we need to have an element of humanism here. you know? let's -- let's respect

everyone's decision to try to get through this thing. and if you -- if you're not going to get vaccinated, then stay home. stay six feet away from people. wear a mask. wash your hands. um, the vaccination is -- is a very personal decision. but again, it's now become a community decision, if you decide not to get it. >> yeah. on the subject of children, nearly a dozen children were being treated for coronavirus at the hospital over the weekend. several of them, in the icu. do we need to be worried more about that? about what delta can do to kids, doctor? >> yeah. i mean, any illness can -- can get someone sick. and covid is -- is definitely the same. you know, whether it's rsv, which is really running -- running through all of our children's hospitals. or flu or covid. children can get sick. they don't have all the mechanisms that we have, as adults, to fight things. and they're very brittle. the fact that we're having more hospitalizations is concerning. the number of -- um -- the number of covid infections in school-aged children is rising. and, you know, at least in

louisiana, we're starting school this week. so, that is a concern. you know, what is -- what is the next couple of weeks hold for us? back in march and april of last year, kids were out of school. we were all in lockdown. so, we didn't have that same thing to worry about. but we're at a -- we're -- we're -- the positivity rate is -- is -- on -- on a very steep-upward curve and now we are going back to school so this is -- it's concerning for a lot of people. >> you are tired. but keep up the good work, and stay strong and stay safe. thank you for what you are doing. i really appreciate it. >> very much, appreciate it. >> thank you. >> thanks. >> thank you. breaking right now. i want to tell you that we are hearing of a fourth officer, who responded to the january-6th insurrection, dying by suicide. we'll tell you about it more, next.

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okay. we are back now with our breaking news. we had we said there was a third officer, earlier. now, we are learning a fourth officer who responded to the insurrection has died by suicide. metropolitan police officer kyle defraytag was found deceased on july 10th. that's according to police. the cause of death was suicide, the department said. that, after we learned, earlier today, of the death of d.c. metropolitan police officer, gunther hashida. so joining me now is former-washington, d.c. police chief, charles ramsey. he is also the former philadelphia police commissioner and a cnn law enforcement analyst. my goodness, chief ramsey. i would say good evening to you but it's not a good evening, but thank you for joining. we are hearing about this four -- fourth officer who has died by suicide, after

responding to the insurrection. what goes through your mind when you hear this? >> well, first of all, i want to offer my condolences to the families of these officers that are killing themselves. as well as the men and women of the department because this is tough, whenever you lose an officer. but clearly, the -- there's a mental-health issue here that we've got to address. it's not just the january-6th insurrection that the officers responded to. obviously -- obviously, that was a very traumatic incident. but it's just a day-to-day policing and the trauma that they're exposed to, on a regular basis, especially in those cities that have high rates of gun violence and so forth. this stuff adds up, over time. >> are you worried about this number? you said it adds up. you worried about this number keeping up, rising? >> well, yeah, i am, and i have been for a long time. i mean, there's a very high rate of suicide among police officers. and a lot of it is due to untreated trauma. psychological trauma. that officers are exposed to, on a regular basis. you know, in policing, it

becomes almost routine to go to homicide scenes. scenes where sexual assaults have taken place. child abuse or what have you. that's not normal. it is not normal to be exposed to this, on an ongoing basis. and we, in our profession, we have do a much better job of taking care of the mental health of our police officers. do a good job, if you get shot, stabbed, hit by a car, or what have you. but it's the psychological wounds that we need to pay more attention to and have regular mental-health checkups for these officers. and understand and -- and observe -- i mean, recognize the early signs that a person is, perhaps, in mental distress. don't wait until it's too late because then you wind up with the kind of outcome we're talking about tonight. >> officer michael fanone, who testified before the -- the committee on january -- the select committee. last week. he worked with officer hashida, for years. and he released a statement about him saying, in part, that he was loved by everyone. there is no one in the law enforcement profession loved by everyone. most are not loved by some.

he literally was that guy, who everyone loved. so much more needs to be done to normalize the conversation about mental health, not just in our profession. grappling with mental-health issues should not be deemed as weak -- as a weakness. if anything, it's a strength. why is there such stigma around mental health in the police -- and look, there's stigma around mental health in all -- you know, throughout society. but why, in policing, considering the amount of stress and, as you said, as you so eloquently laid out for us, what police officers face, the situations they face every single day? >> well, you know, it's part of the culture of policing. you know, i have been around a long time. back in my day, when i was working the street as an officer, i mean, you know, if something happened, you know, suck it up and keep moving. it didn't matter what it was. and so, you know, a lot of that is still present, unfortunately. and then, you have officers that are, you know, just afraid of losing their jobs. if they admit that they're having some psychological issues.

after all, you know, they carry a badge, a gun, and so forth. and they don't want to get caught up in whether or not they are going to be able to -- to hit the street, if they're going to be fit for duty. so, i mean, there is a lot of things that have to be taken into consideration. but the bottom line is, if they need help, they should seek it. but i think, the leadership of police departments have to be more proactive in just forcing the issue. not waiting for an individual to stand up and say, hey, i got a problem. have regular mental-health checkups for everyone, and that in includes the police chief because, believe me, police chiefs are under an awful lot of stress, as well. and it's just hard on everyone, especially if it goes untreated. >> look, this is probably -- the -- the end spell to injury category here. this is officer fanone during his testimony about those trying to downplay what happened on january 6th. here it is. >> i feel like i went to hell and back to protect them and the people in this room. but too many are now telling me

that hell doesn't exist. or that hell, actually, wasn't that bad. the indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful! >> it is disgraceful. um, we have people saying that it was tourists. that these officers weren't brave. they should be able to handle this. that this was just a normal day at the capitol. um, that they were crisis actors. really, just saying, hey, what they went through, just denying their reality. what kind of an impact does -- do lies like this about january 6th have on these officers who risked their lives that day? >> well, it has a tremendous impact. i mean, it's totally irresponsible on the part of our elected leaders to take that position. they know, full well, that wasn't a normal day. it wasn't just tourists going through the capitol, that day. they know that. and yet, they lie and they try to spin the truth. they act like it's a game and it's not a game. you've got lives at stake here.

you've got men and women, that will, tomorrow, fight for those very same people that are saying those kinds of things. and they know that they'll be there to protect them, no matter what. and so, you know, for them to -- to turn around and then pretend as if it didn't happen. it is just -- it is disrespectful and -- and fanone is absolutely right. i mean, it takes its toll. it really does. and i don't think people really realize just how difficult a position not only those officers are in but just think about policing, in general. it's been a rough couple of years, in terms of policing and the way police are viewed. um, and understandably so, in many instances. but everyone's being painted with that broad brush and now, on top of that, you have got january 6th and all the rhetoric and things that are going on around that. it's just tough being a police officer, right now. >> chief ramsey, thank you, very much. i appreciate it. >> thank you. here is the breaking news. a fourth police officer responded to the capitol on january 6th has died of suicide.

metropolitan police officer kyle defraytag was found deceased on july 10th. that's according to the mpd public information officer, sean hickman. the cause of death was suicide, the department says. he had been with the department since november of 2016. our thoughts and prayers are with his family. all of this can be hard to talk about, but there is no shame in asking for help for yourself or for someone you know who is struggling. you can call the national suicide prevention lifeline, or text the crisis text line at the numbers up on your screen. we'll leave them there, as we go to break. why choose proven quality sleep from sleep number? because a quality night's sleep is scientifically proven to help increase energy. the new sleep number 360 smart bed helps keep you asleep by sensing your movement and automatically adjusts to keep you both effortlessly comfortable. proven quality sleep is life-changing sleep. only from sleep number.

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okay. we are back, now, and as we have been reporting, we have some breaking news. another police officer, who defended the capitol on january 6th, dying by suicide. we are learning that

metropolitan police officer, kyle defreytag died on july 10th. earlier, we learned that gunther hashida also died of suicide. joining me now to discuss is democratic majority whip, congressman james clyburn. congressman, thank you for joining. sorry, that i have to give this news to you. or we have to talk about this news. but two more officers lost. our hearts go out to their families. it's a terrible reminder of just how violent january 6th was. the emotion, the trauma, still, out there. does it make the house committee on the insurrection even more urgent? >> well, first of all, thank you so much for having me. yes, it does. it really does. i think that people need to come to grips with the fact that something happened on january 6th that's never happened in this country, before. never. have we seen this kind of violent insurrection, brought on by fellow americans. and we, all, know what happened.

we, all, know where it happened. we, all, know that something and somebody is behind all of this. and to see four lives lost. that, to me, is just unacceptable. >> auh-huh. >> and for my republican colleagues to continue to obfuscate, and continue to obstruct. refusing to take part in trying to get to the bottom of this is beyond me. i don't quite understand that. it makes me have a great appreciation of what thomas paine was writing about, back when this country was trying to give birth to itself. when he talked about summer soldiers and sometimes patriots. people who will stand for the country, so long as the weather is right. people who are patriotic in the

sunshine. but when the storms come, when the challenges come, they're nowhere to be found. and that's what's happening to our republican colleagues. >> uh-huh. >> they are sunshine soldiers and -- and they are just absolutely a threat to the future of this great country. >> and speaking of people who -- who are standing up for what they believe in, a number of our civil rights leaders are out there. but reverend jesse jackson is out there, as well. arrested, today, protesting against the filibuster to protect voting rights. black civil rights leaders are out there, on the front lines, saying now is the time to get voting rights passed. but the john lewis act languishing in the senate. how is this going to get done? >> well, it -- it is really h.r. 1 that is sitting over in the senate. the for the people act. the john lewis act has not been introduced in the house, yet. simply, because the john lewis act is, simply, to try to

correct what the supreme court said was wrong with the 1965 voting rights act. now, here is where the rub comes because, in order to reauthorize the john lewis act or h.r.4, as we called it, you have to have a record developed for why you're targeting these specific states. now, before, it was only around six states. what we did the last time out was expand it to around nine to 11 states. but, you know, if you make the preclearance section of the john lewis act apply to all 50 states, there will be no need to have this record developed. and so, i have been asking the congress. the senate can just take s.1. they have introduced it, before. take s.1 and put the preclearance in it. apply it to all 50 states.

and then, take what is in h.r.1, for the people act, and pass it. that's all we want out of the h.r.4 is what we call preclearance. and the senate can do that, if they apply it to all 50 states. they would not need the record that's being developed on the house side. that we cannot get done before september. >> uh-huh. well, let's hope that they're listening. um, i want to ask you, now, about a -- this really contentious primary going on in ohio for marcia fudge's house seat. you were supporting chantel brown but progressives are backing nina turner. millions of dollars are being spent. lots of attack ads. name calling. what do you think this outcome will mean for the direction of the party? >> well, it all depends upon what the results will be. you know, i -- i'm a great believer that we must do everything we can to elevate the

political discourse in this country. we just had a president, who lowered the discord -- discourse to a level unimaginable. we cannot have legislating by sound bytes. and i am a big believer that we should be working on trying to make headway for the american people. but there seem to be people who are more interested in what the headline is. more interested in got-ya politics. and so, i've been supporting chantel because chantel asked me to support her. chantel is the kind of person that i think will help elevate the political discourse in this country. she is a big supporter of joe biden, and i worked with her for about ten years on marcia fudge's various events. and i think she would make an outstanding congressperson. and i do believe that, as my dad used to tell me all the time, the first line of a good

education is good manners. >> uh-huh. >> and i'm doing everything i possibly can to help people get elected to office, who can bring that kind of attitude to the political discourse. >> hmm. you're right about that. you know, my parents used to say that, as well. i forgot about that saying. boy, we can sure -- there are a certain group in this country now could sure use some good manners. thank you very much, congressman clyburn. i appreciate you joining. >> thank you very much for having me. >> thank you. they attacked him as a traitor. his career was destroyed. but key impeachment witness, alexander vindman, isn't done talking, yet. you know what? he's here, next. i know a thing or two about cars. and, sometimes, buying them can make you tight in the chest. but with carvana, i can finally breathe easy, buying my car 100% online without any tense negotiation. smells like the internet. shop now at carvana.com. when i'm not racing, i'm personalizing, just like how carvana lets you personalize your financing.

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. as the house select committee investigates the deadly pro-trump riot at the capitol, we're getting a new look into what led to his first impeachment. retired lieutenant colonel alexander vindman, the star witness who testified to congress about the critical phone call between trump and ukraine a president is now telling the story on his own terms. his powerful testimony in 2019 detailing how the then-president pressured ukraine to investigate joe biden and why he felt it was his duty to come forward. >> dad, i'm sitting here today in the u.s. capitol, talking to our elected professionals is proof that you made the right decision 40 years ago to leave the soviet union and come here to the united states of america in search of a better life for our family. do not worry. i will be fine for telling the truth. this is america. this is the country i've served

and defended, that all of my brothers have served, and here, right matters. >> well, those last words, "here, right matters," that's the title of lieutenant colonel vindman's new book, and he joins me right now. colonel vindman, thank you so much. i really appreciate you taking the time to join us here on the program. >> thank you, don. >> you know, it's hard to believe, but that was nearly two years ago. since then, the former president tried to overturn the election. there was an insurrection at the capitol by a pro-trump mob. he was impeached for a second time. could you or anyone have foreseen all of this chaos and tragedy that unfolded? >> absolutely not. i think in my worst nightmares, i couldn't have foreseen a catastrophe that resulted in 600,000 americans dead, and we usually attribute that directly to president trump. but it's more than president trump. it's his enablers.

it's the congressional leadership that failed to hold them accountable in that first impeachment, that emboldened him going into a pandemic, resulting in 600,000 dead. imagine the world in which he was removed or even censured, and he was back on his heels. would he have taken the pandemic more seriously? would 600,000 people have died? and i think not. >> you know, his first impeachment hinged on what you heard during that infamous phone call. take us back. what were you thinking when you heard trump asking ukraine's president to "do us a favor"? >> well, to me, it was the culmination of an enterprise. in the preceding months, i watched as this irregular channel unfolded where giuliani was looking to demand an investigation into president biden, and it didn't come to fruition. so it was a nuisance until it

was no longer a nuisance. where vice president pence pulled the plug on his participation in the inauguration. and then the president himself stepped in and demanded an investigation into the bidens in exchange for a white house visit and aid. so it was a slow-moving train wreck i watched unfold, culminating on july 25th. >> yeah, and kind of at the beginning of this strange behavior and interviews from rudy giuliani, and then after that, it just got more bizarre. you know, even after the first impeachment. immediately after that call, colonel, you went to usual twin brother, who was a top ethics official at the national security council. you knew it was on you to say something. what did you tell him? >> yeah. so i walked into his office like i do so many times on a given

day. i'm usually behind my computer, plugging away, long days. but if i wasn't there, i'd be in his office. and after that meeting, i marched into his office. he knew that this was going to be a potentially difficult phone call. i closed the door, and in about as solemn a face as i could muster around my twin brother, i told him, if what i'm about to tell you ever becomes public, the president will be impeached. and it was clear as day to me. >> you had a handful of people who stood up back then. today we see representatives liz cheney, adam kinzinger standing up for truth in the face of the big lie. they're putting everything on the line for what is right. you have a message for them? >> i do. i think it's one of the key messages i try to communicate in the book, and that's you know what the right thing to do is. you've done it repeatedly. you've trained yourself how to do the right thing. all you need to do is trust in yourself and follow through. and frankly, my book is what i

would like to believe is a tool to help folks overcome some of those challenges, train themselves to be better, and maybe each one of us could be a little bit better about dealing with challenges. >> listen, i wish you the best in life and the best with your book. colonel alexander vindman. the book is called "here, right matters: an american story." again, we're happy to have you. thank you so much, colonel vindman. >> thank you. covid cases are up, but so are vaccinations. the u.s. hitting a milestone today. more after this. scientific cle. and you need it here. and here. and here. which is why the scientific expertise that helps operating rooms stay clean is now helping the places you go every day too. seek a commitment to clean.

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the pandemic of the unvaccinated is surging tonight. the average daily new coronavirus cases up 44% since last week. it's now about 72,000 cases, higher than the peak last summer. but c