-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com reminder, don't miss "full circle," our digital news show that gives us a chance to dig into important topics. you can catch it streaming live at 6:00 p.m. eastern on mondays, wednesdays, and fridays. watch it on the cnn app or at any time on demand. news continues with "democracy in peril." >> thank you very much. i'm jim acosta, and this is "democracy in peril." tonight we are going on offense against the lies. and when you think about the poisonous lies undermining our democracy, trump probably first comes to mind, or social media outlets like facebook or twitter. and of course the manure spreaders like fox, news max or o arcn. you're going to hear tonight from a former fox on what

carlson. another carlson, gretchen carlson, no relation, will take us on down the fox rabbit hole. he left fox in 2016 two weeks before candidate trump accepted the republican nomination. but what's largely escaped similar scrutiny and come dem nation for fanning the flames of the insurrection and providing the fuel for the next bonfire of insanities is the podcast ecosystem. a recent study by the brookings p institution analyzed how podcasts pushed misinformation about voter fraud before and after the election and specifically between the election and january 6th, 2021. researchers reviewed 1,500 episodes from 20 of the most popular podcasts and found that bogus allegations of voter fraud rose dramatically in the run up to the insurrection, with more than 50% of all episodes devoted to the big lie. here's a flavor from that moment

in time. >> we have evidence of ballots being brought in in the middle of the night that look like they were just written off, come in and trash cans, paper bags, car board boxes. >> mike pence does not have to accept the results of polluted and poisoned electors. >> if they steal this election, they have basically thwarted the will of the people. the deplorables understand what you're trying to do here. you're trying to steal it. not going to be stolen. and all i can say is strap in. the war room a pos si, you have made this happen. it's going to happen. tomorrow it's going to happen. strap in. let's get ready. >> there are issues of mail-in ballots that are not being tallied accurately, coming in after the election, as well as being totally invalidate td because they weren't signed by some kind of witness. we also have the issue of plenty of dead people voting. we also have the issues of computer glitches that we

already know to the tune of thousands. >> those were some of the worst offenders, but tragically there are tons more. brookings did a tally of podcast episodes spreading election lies from a few months before the election to the insurrection itself, and steve bannon's war room takes the prize. rush limbaugh was second. close behind sean hannity and glen beck. mark levine, dan bonn geno, michael knolls, and ben shapiro. it's like the mount rushmore of misinformation there. but ben truly is in a league of his own. >> all hell is going to break loose tomorrow. just understand this. all hell is going to break loose tomorrow. >> who knows if bennet will ever pay a price for that. he's certainly not going to give you the shirts off his back. but seriously there should be some corporate responsibility in this. you can find bannon's war room show on apple's podcast, even the ones right before the

insurrection. and you can find many of the other hosts on podcasts too. is removing disinformation something apple and other platforms should consider. ceo tim cook said publicly on the day of the attack, those responsible should be held to account. how about people like bannon? there were some social media companies that cracked down on trump for his dangerous lies, like facebook and twitter. trump's twitter account is permanently gone. and aren't we all the better for it? it's not like we miss him tweeting about "celebrity apprentice." and youtube is removing bannon's channel altogether after january 8th after the attack for violating their terms of service. let's turn to someone with a podcast himself, scott galway, nyu stern school of business. scott, great to see you. it seems like, you know, podcasts are an ideal tool for

misinformation, and it's been happening under the radar i think for millions of americans. obviously a lot of people tune in. but i think a lot of people did not realize all of this was going on. why do you suppose that's the case? and what do you think can be done about it? >> good to be with you, jim. yeah, it's podcasts. i don't think people realize the impact podcasts are having. it's one of the few mediums that's growing. 40% of americans say they've listened to a podcast in the last 30 days. in addition, there's something -- it's a kind of an intimate relationship when you're listening to someone and have ear pods in their ears. and they're very influential. i would argue, though, it's more like traditional media. generally speaking they're on algorithms trying to enrage people by forwards you certain podcasts. so, and also i would argue that, jim, we're about to see more guardrails put in place, whether it's legal liability, whether

advertisers, or as we saw with neil young, artists withdrawing. i think these platforms that distribute podcasts are probably more vulnerable than facebook or google. if an advertiser or artist leaves, they just don't feel it. i think this is more like traditional media. but if more shoes drops, if more artists leave platforms, i think you'll start to see more and more attention paid to this misinformation being spread on this kind of emerging medium, if you will. >> and what about steve bannon and his podcast? i mean, he's still running this podcast, despite being under indictment for contempt of congress, refusing to comply with that subpoena and the january 6th investigation. but you could go on your apple podcast app, and there he is right there. i mean, why doesn't apple do something about that? >> i don't like it when big tech wraps themselves in a first amendment blanket, because the

first amendment says the government is not supposed to pass any laws that prohibit free speech. and these organizations have no real obligation to the first amendment. they have an obligation to their shareholders, and they consistently argued for those interests and the interests of the commonwealth. i do think, however, jim, that it's somewhat dangerous territory to begin going after people for what's perceived as political views. now, if you were able to reverse engineer death or injury from the insurrection to a specific call to action, i would argue there's some liability there. and we saw -- you mentioned another cable news network. they went on air and apologized to a company that owned voting machines because they incorrectly spread information, misinformation, around those machines being weaponized, whereas that same misinformation on facebook or google could not -- was harmless to them because of section 230. but i don't think -- i think you can try and hold these platforms accountable or threaten to

cancel your subscription, or an artist can say they're coming off of them. but i think people are somewhat wary to go after people for their political views. >> sure. no question about it. i do think there's a -- there's maybe a distinction between political views and what steve bannon was doing right before the insurrection, saying all hell is going to break loose. strap in. i mean, he was -- he was really instigating people there. but let me ask you about this. as for the role of the platforms, here's what spotify's ceo told axios last year about why he doesn't feel like they have a responsibility for what is said by podcasters. >> we have a lot of really well-paid rappers on spotify 2 that make tens of millions of dollars each year on spotify, and we don't dictate what they're putting on their songs either. >> what's the difference between, say, in rap lyrics or a podcaster pushing election lies? do you buy that excuse there from the ceo?

>> i think there's a link there where i think that argument falls flat or deflates, jim, is that any content a rapper is putting out or even strongly held extremist political views don't -- shouldn't be conflated with junk science that's spread and results in our icus being overrun. so, i do think americans and the courts correctly afford special protections or fidelity to medical information or the spread of junk science, as we're seeing with joe rogan. i would argue, look, if you can reverse some of steve bannon's comments from injury to insurrection, that's one thing. and obviously the courts would have to figure that out. what i think that spotify will come under pressure for is when 270 doctors say that this is a real -- that joe rogan is a menace and we have 850,000 dead americans. more americans have died from covid than all combat fatalities

combined in all of our conflicts. even section 230 has carveouts for sex trafficking, for ip violation. and i think it's just a different ball game when you start talking about junk science as it relates to medical -- medical topics. >> yeah. >> so, i think they might have -- they might have poked the wrong bear here. we'll see if other shoes drop, if you will. >> so, does that mean that neil young could use some help in all of this? i mean, you know, if some other big name artists were to step in and, you know, hop on the band wagon, so to speak. >> well, that's exactly right, jim. this was an economic decision. joe rogan is the biggest artist in the world in a medium, podcasting. neil young is not. and so this was probably a fairly easy decision for them. now, if taylor swift or drake decide they want off the platform, they might find religion around junk science as it relates to covid-19. >> and what worries you the most

right now when you just look at, you know, the entire spectrum of disinformation that we see out there? is it podcasts? is it places like fox? is it all of that taken together? >> i think it's a few things. i think our discourse has become incredibly course. i think there are algorithms on facebook and google that will recommend extreme dieting sites to a 5'10" 100-pound 15--year-old. i worry these organizations have become so bullet proof and have overrun washington that their ability to show no regard for reckless abandon for the health of the commonwealth, weaponize elections, depress our teens, that the algorithm is wrong. they are immune from the same standards we've held other companies to. for some reason we've granted these companies the mother of all hall passes.

and anyone who is struggling with a daughter with an eating disorder and find out these sites have been suggested to her by an algorithm, that takes it to another level. my fear is we don't hold these to the same standards we hold other companies. >> absolutely. looking forward to your show on cnn plus as well. good to see you. next our spotlight turns to georgia. state bets investigating trump's attempted coup, but the big lie as toxic as ever. special report next.

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now that's putting the future of our elections in doubt. >> i for one do not believe that brad raffensperger has protected our election integrity in this state. >> reporter: in georgia, donald trump hand picked a slate of election deniers to challenge republicans who refused to overturn the 2020 election. >> jo i did is running against rhino brad raffensperger. >> planned a vigil to pray for the january 6th, quote, patriots. and state lawmakers are already proposing new legislation that some say will make it harder to vote in upcoming elections. that's a snapshot of georgia gop, a year after the state lost the senate seats. >> it's raining change in jor r jo. >> reporter: and 14 months after democrats flipped georgia blue for the first time in nearly 30 years. >> you change the state by bringing more people legally to the polls. >> reporter: a political smackdown like that might have

come with a reckoning for republicans, an acknowledgment that lying about the 2020 election being stolen wasn't great for gop turnout. >> i think it's a mistake to rehash the 2020 election again. it's over. it's done. we lost. >> reporter: instead, much of the party remains tightly bound to trump. republicans here are crafting campaigns around fears about widespread voter fraud that didn't exist, and pushing policies to chip away at voting access that expanded during the pandemic. in cob county, republican party chairwoman has questions about whether trump actually lost georgia. and those questions still linger ahead of the gop primary. >> do i trust the process? that's a hard question. i trust the -- the election process. do i think that there are improvements that still need to

be made? yes, i do. >> reporter: deeply held doubts fuelled an insurrection on january 6th. and while grubs condemns the violence that day -- >> the people who participated in a violent way, i do think there needs to be justice for that. >> reporter: -- she also defended the vigil scheduled for january 6th this year, that was cancelled amid backlash. >> it wasn't to glorify what happened on january 6th. the only thing i can change is the messaging because my heart is still in the right place. i want justice to be done for the people who are held -- >> reporter: now she's pouring hours into fighting for gop victories in 2022. >> we can't stay in 2020. we do have to move forward. but we take what we learned in 2020 and take that with us to prepare. >> reporter: but after cobb county censured republican county brian kemp last year -- >> i think it sends a message we want to follow whoever donald trump wants us to follow. >> reporter: -- quit the party

in protest, isn't sure grubs can unite if a candidate who hasn't been endorsed by trump wins the primary. >> the cobb gop has made it hard to go with a straight face and say, we now support brian kemp 110% because he is our nominee. >> reporter: uniting the party may prove challenging across the state. for many gop candidates here, the 2022 message is largely about 2020. >> today we're divided and brian kemp and brad raffensperger are to blame. >> reporter: embrace the election lies and challenge kemp, who certified the 2020 election in the face of trump's f fury. heist makes absurd claims like this one. >> i'm convinced, quite frankly, if martin luther king were alive today he would be on the side of the republicans on this issue. voter integrity matters. >> heist is challenging

republican brad rarchs burger for secretary of state. saxby chand liss empathizes with voters swayed by the election lies but says it's time to move on. >> realistically it's done and it's over. >> otherwise he fears a replay of senate runoffs when republicans stayed home. >> if i were on the ballot in 2022, i would not relitigate 2020 election issues. the republican party still stands for the basic principles of smaller government, more freedoms of individuals and lower taxes. that's what they ought to be talking about. >> reporter: he says there's simply no evidence to support the ongoing doubts about the election. >> when you looked at the facts on the ground, then there was

just no -- no facts to substantiate it. >> reporter: and doesn't want to see efforts to undermine election results become the norm. >> everybody ought to be able to vote, and their vote ought to be counted if they are a valid voter. on election night, we want to figure out who won and who lost and let's move on. >> reporter: voting rights advocate, helen butler, has her own concerns about 2022, mainly that republicans are exerting more control over elections and making it harder to vote. >> my home county and morgan county -- >> reporter: she's among the black democrats booted from boards after the republican led legislature paved the way for overhaul. >> if you're unhappy with the outcome of an election, this is a way that you can have total control of a process.

>> reporter: the move comes on top of republicans passing a restrictive new voting law that imposes new voter identification laws for absentee ballots, limits the use and number of ballot drop boxes, empowers state officials to take over election boards, and makes it a crime to give people waiting in line food and water. butler says she will ensure voters are aware of the changes. >> we're going to tell them, if you need to bring water, if you need to bring snacks, do it. come prepared. we're going to ensure people are able to exercise the right to vote. >> reporter: but even she is eyeing the midterms skeptically. >> they're trying to make life more difficult for the election officials and the voters. in terms of midterms election outcome, we will be watching. >> and sara marie joins me now. sara, how are georgia dems trying to counter what the republicans are doing there? i hope it's more than cookies

and water. >> it is more than cookies and water. you know, look, they're making an effort that is essentially doomed to fail. but they're making an effort to repeal the new georgia law in the state legislature. we've learned a lot from democrats in this state saying they want to hear the federal government act. the other reality on the ground is this is a weapon in democrats' arsenal ahead of 2022. they're facing national head winds like joe biden's sinking approval rating, so they're going to use this rhetoric from republicans to paint the entire republican party as sort of the antidemocracy party. >> and perhaps hope that some republicans stay home because they still don't trust the process, which is what we saw the last time around. all right, sara murray, thank you very much. great report. thanks as always. we appreciate it. "democracy in peril" continues a. ahead, with the gridlock in washington, the upcoming battle over the opening on the supreme court. and what do democrats need to

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it's been nearly two years since the pandemic started. our students and teachers tried their best, but as a parent, i can tell you that nearly 18 months of remote learning was really hard. instead of helping students get back in the classroom, the school boards spend their time

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perhaps it was this biting headline from the onion that crystallized where we are as a country when it comes to the supreme court. mitch mcconnell blocks justice stephen breyer from retiring. no, and i'm betting staffers checked on this. mcconnell cannot do that. but it's no secret democrats have been begging breyer to give up his seat on the high court, essentially in a panic that mcconnell would block in the justice. conservatives had a 6-3 majority on the court, and it will stay that way even after breyer is replaced, which is a remarkable turn of events considering this. democrats have won the popular vote in seven out of the last eight presidential elections. of course we have the electoral college system, which is how trump, who lost the popular vote

in 2016, got three picks on the supreme court. now, a hard right supreme court appears poised to turn back the clock to the 1970s. it's like americans voted for the west wing and instead got "that '70s show." this has created the scenario where the minority views on major hot button issues could carry the day for a generation. and that brings me something justice sonia sotomayor warned last year, that overturning roe vs. wade would create a stench in washington. >> will this institution survive the stench this creates in the public perception, that the constitution and its reading are just political acts? i -- i don't see how it is possible.

>> sotomayor -- sonia sotomayor is warning that the credibility of the supreme court is on tlien, arguing the most important reason why abortion rights are in jeopardy is because the composition of the court has changed, not the merits of the case. just listen to how the court's conservative justices have been weighing the case that could to topple roe, mississippi's restrictive abortion law. >> if it really is an issue of choice, why is 15 weeks not enough time? >> the fetus has an interest in having a life, and that doesn't change, does it? from the point before viability to the point after viability? >> the reason this issue is hard is that you can't accommodate both interests. you have to pick. that's the fundamental problem. >> that last voice you heard, brett kavanaugh, a trump-appointed justice, sounded inclined to uphold mississippi's

15-week ban. but back when he was being confirmed, he emphasized the importance of precedent. >> what would you say your position today is on a woman's right to choose? >> as a judge -- >> as a judge. >> as a judge, it is an important precedent of the supreme court. by it, i mean roe v. wade and planned parenthood versus casey, been reaffirmed many times. casey is precedent on precedent, which in itself is an important factor. >> our system appears to encourage nominees to the supreme court to mislead the public about their views, which brings us back to mitch mcconnell, who has been plotting, waz e know, a dominant conservative majority on the supreme court for years. after justice antonin scalia died in 2016, mcconnell blocked barack obama's pick, merrick garland, by denying him any senate hearings.

mcconnell said, it just wouldn't be right to put garland on the high court during an election year. >> we're in the process of picking a president. and that new president ought to make this appointment, which will affect the supreme court maybe for the next quarter of a century. >> then in 2020 justice right bader ginsburg died less than two months before the election. according to pbs, mcconnell called trump the night ginsburg died, urging him to quickly select amy coney barrett. >> mcconnell told him two things. he said, first, i'm going to put out a statement that says we're going to fill the vacancy. second, he said, you've got to nominate amy coney barrett. >> less than a year later, get this, justice barrett actually appeared at an event at the mcconnell center at the university of louisville. she told the crowd this. my goal today is to convince you

that this court is not comprised of a bunch of partisan hacks. now, where would anybody get an idea like that. the polls show a majority of americans oppose overturning roe vs. wade. opponents of roe have become the dogs who have caught the car, or the get away car, depending on your point of view. i suppose democrats can just say, life's a -- which is why it's a mystery to me that some democrats are clinging to the filibuster, the same kind of filibuster that is preventing passing in the senate, from gun rights, to abortion laws, to protecting this with voting rights legislation. and yet the senate no longer requires overcoming a filibuster for justices. it's easier to pack the court than pass laws. consider the ages of trump picked, kavanaugh, 56, amy coney barrett is 49 years old. president biden is likely to

choose a young justice as well. is that what the founders intended, an arms race between both parties over who can pick the youngest justices for the high court. is this a pillar for our democracy or fantasy football? after they get their new justice, democrats might want to take a second look at the filibuster and ask themselves what's more important. is the filibuster more important than election rights and women's rights? democrats could just ask themselves, what would mitch do? mcconnell has insisted he's against scrapping the filibuster. but what happens if the republicans are back in power? and if the filibuster does live on, mcconnell gets his judges. what do democrats get? i'll tell you. more of the same. i get they can keep on telling themselves, life's a mitch. the most watched host of fox news has been spreading dangerous conspiracy theories

about january 6th and now can't understand why the u.s. doesn't side with the kremlin. his bosses, the murdocks, must own what comes out of tucker carlson's mouth. when we come back we're going to talk to a former fox host about the impact on our democracy. gretchen carlson is here, and she joins us next. realtor.com's draw a map feature helped us find what we wanted, where we wanted. so we could finally buy our first "big boi house." big boi house. big boi foyer! big boi marble. big boi quartz. word? realtor.com to each their home. [upbeat acoustic music throughout] [upbeat acoustic music throughout]

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it's no secret donald trump and the far right media continue to operate as one big machine, continuously pushing out false narratives, conspiracy theories, and the big lie, all the while ignoring its impact on our democracy and descent into further chaos and peril. so, what can the real news media do to dispel this information? i want to bring in former fox news anchor gretchen carlson. let's listen to what has been coming out of fox lately as tensions between ukraine and russia escalate. let's listen to tucker carlson.

>> why would we take ukraine's side and not russia's side. sincere question. if you're looking from the american perspective -- why? who's got the energy reserves? who's the major player in world affairs? who's the potential counterbalance against china, which is the actual threat? why would we take ukraine's side? why would we have russia's side? i'm totally confused. >> well, clearly. ukraine is a democracy. russia is an authoritarian regime that is seeking to impose its will on a validly elected democracy in ukraine. we're on the side of democracy. >> yeah, i guess i'm on the side of democracy in other countries, i guess. >> how house republicans are parodying tucker carlson's pro-russian stance. why do you think tucker does this? and why do the murdocks allow it? do they not even care, or is it just about money and ratings do you think? >> ratings i think first and foremost. but this is the result of fake

news. we're seeing not only the fallout from fake news during the trump era but what happened with the insurrection on january 6th. now it's moving into other areas, not just news. now it's hitting science with vaccines. and now it's into cold war politics. i mean, the idea that we would be talking about whether or not we should support ukraine or russia, there wouldn't be a republican on the planet that five years ago would have said they would have supported russia over ukraine. but this is where we are now. conservative television news is certainly not the conservative news that was out there even just five years ago. >> yeah. it's stunning. and since the insurrection, you mentioned that we've learned some big names over at fox were acting almost as advisers to trump like sean hannity and laura ingram. and then their texts came out where, you know, it sort of suggests they knew there was a problem inside the trump white house and that problem being the president at the time. you worked at fox. does this surprise you that fox anchors would be advising a

president, advising a white house? >> not necessarily. i'm not sure that it doesn't happen on the other side as well, depending on who happens to be in the office. but i think the bigger story coming out of that is how disingenuous it was to be sending those texts of warning while then going on the air to the american people and doing a complete injustice and disservice by saying something completely opposite and ginning up this whole reaction that it was just fine and patriotic for people to be there on january 6th. you know, slowly but surely this has morphed into ir rad kating any other point of view since the trump era that is not just opinion. it's gone from an opinion, which was fine, to completely devolving into nonfact-based conspiracy theories and outright dangerous rhetoric, in my mind. and i think it's a complete disservice to our country. >> totally. and there have been these bizarre moments where we've seen

top republicans like senator ted cruz graveling on tucker's show. did you ever think that day would come? >> no. i think this is very upsetting to republicans also to be quite honest. i mean, i wish more of them would have the courage to do what i did, quite honestly, and then come forward and take on a behemoth. but, listen, for the safety of the republican party and for our democracy, i wish more would because this is not going to end well in my mind. it's really hard to change people's opinions because they're only watching what they want to hear. you know? and that's the other problem that we have in society with the media right now is that we're so siloed into only watching what we agree with. so, every day, that thought process just gets reinforced time after time. i mean, there are some people, jim, who actually when i'm walking through the airport still think that i work at fox news. >> wow. >> because -- yeah. because they watch only fox news

and they never covered by story there obviously. and so, you know, that's what they see and what they hear. now, that works on the other side too. there's probably people that only watch other networks that have another point of view. >> true, true. >> but i think it's incredibly dangerous to have -- a big difference between having a conservative opinion and having one that supports conspiracy theories. >> totally. and despite your concerns about your democracy, you are trying to utilize our democracy to make change. wednesday there's going to be a house vote on your bill, what you said will be one of the biggest accomplishments in your life. do you have the votes? and tell us about it. >> well, thank you so much for asking about it. this has been my personal passion over the last five years since i did "soup box news." i'm trying to get rid of the silence mechanisms, mainly forced arbitration for assault itself that keeps these issues silent in the workplace. i know you'll love. the cosponsors are senator

lindsey graham and senator kirsten gillibrand. it may be one of the few things they agree on, but they've been champions of this. and i have republicans and democrats in the house. it will be the biggest labor law change in the last 100 years, by biggest life accomplishment. more importantly this is going to change the landscape, making the workplace safer for millions of people. and i'll be incredibly proud with this moment happen. >> gretchen carlson, my hat's off to you. bringing republicans and democrats together. that's not easy these days. even the president is having trouble with that. thanks for joining us tonight. thanks for those perspectives. we really appreciate it. >> thank you for having me, jim. it seems like we're the divided states of america, but john avlon says there's reason for hope. i would love to hear some hope. and he'll tell us why in tonight's reality check. that's next.

my mental health was much better. my mind was in a good place. but my body was telling a different story. i felt all people saw were my uncontrolled movements.

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save our democracy is dire and urgent. but i don't say this to leave you in despair. keep in mind there are plenty of things that divide us, yes. but there is so much more that unites us. that is the subject of john avlon's "reality check" tonight. he's here to take us through it. john, give us some hope here. >> we're going to keep hope alive. despite the doom and gloom and division that seems to dominate our democracy, today we got good news. the u.s. economy grew 5.7% last year, despite the drag of the pandemic. that's the fastest since 1984, when reagan was re-elected. typically political sentiment follows the james carville rule, you know, it's the economy stupid. but despite record economy growth, we're feeling not so fresh as a nation. look, there are plenty of rational reasons for folks to feel frustrated, from the ongoing pandemic to the persistence of the big lie and

rising costs from inflation. yes, we face real challenges, as every generation does. perfect is never on the menu. but what if i told you we are not as deeply, evenly, and hopelessly divided as it feels because the truth is we're not a 50/50 nation on many major issues. instead, there's surprisingly broad agreement on basic facts and values within america. it's just that a loud minority of the population keeps dominating the population. the fact we have one political party who for the most part refuses to accept a free and fair presidential election is bad for our democracy, no question about it. even if 69% trump voters believe the big lie, that translates to just 29% of the american people as a whole. that's not an evenly divided nation. instead it's evidence of an intense minority who have been

indoctrinated by hyperpartisan nonsense. so, don't let them gaslight you into thinking you're the crazy ones. they're the odd outliers. like wise, the persistence of the pandemic frustrates us all. but the vast, vast majority of hospitalizations and deaths are among the unvaccinated. it's a self-inflicted tragedy. but consider this. 75% of the american people have received at least one dose of the vaccine. that's extraordinary. now, that means that 25% of americans are still unvaccinated. and according to the kaiser family foundation, they lean 3-to-1 republican. now, it's impossible to say the exact overlap between the 29% of americans who believe the big lie and the 25% who are still unvaccinated. and these bitter enders do have a negative effect, though, on the overall health of our democracy. we're being held back, held hostage, some might say by many of their conspiracy theoryist

beliefs. have seen movement toward majority consensus. take same sex marriage. according to the most recent gallup poll, a record 70% of americans now believe in equal rights on the issue. that up from 25% back in 1996. or marijuana legalization, a new high with 68% support. and 72% of americans oppose overturning roe v. wade. no wonder there's a discomfort with majority democracy. the divisions we're dealing with are real, but the good news is we are not as deeply divided as you might think. it's just that the right wing echo chamber is loud and relentless in its dissemination of disinformation. don't give up hope. let's confront the challenge we face with the confidence that comes from knowing that our nation's overcome major obstacles before in the effort

to form a more perspective union, and we will again if we can see our way past all the screamers to build on the considerable common ground that still exists. and that's your "reality check." jim? >> and john, what is the one thing that can get us going in that direction, do you think? >> i think we need to emphasize what unites us more than what divides us. i think we need to give people the confidence that they're not alone. >> i love it. sounds great. let's do it. john avlon, thanks very much. we'll be right back. cozy and precocious. with 465 fresh, clean, craveable pairings, find a you pick 2 for any mood. panera, the familiar made fantastic.

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-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com and that's it for us tonight. join us tomorrow as we examine how right wing radio feeds its listeners a steady diet of lies and conspiracies. and "don lemon tonight" starts right now. >> you're going to need a lot more than an hour. >> i think that's just one segment, sadly. >> you need -- you need weeks

upon weeks upon weeks. i'll tell you a story. >> please. >> so, i was home with my mom for the holidays once, and we were driving to new orleans. and we were just flipping through the radio, had to listen to traditional radio in a long time. we were flipping through and i found a conservative channel. and that has been at least two or three years. my mom has never changed it. she says, sometimes i'm driving to walmart, don, and they're talking about you. they say, they say your name but i don't recognize the person they're talking about. >> rush limbaugh would occasionally drop my name to his listeners, and it wasn't in the best possible way. i'll put it that way. >> really? i'm shocked. >> i'm shocked as well. don, you raise a great point. we'll get into this tomorrow. this whole right wing, you know, conservative talking point that the media is hopelessly liberal and so on. rush limbaugh was the most popular radio host in america, and you could driv