a quick reminder the house january 6 hearings begin thursday. our prime time special coverage starts at 7:00 p.m. eastern time. the news continues now so let's hand it over to laura coates in "cnn tonight." >> thank you so much. i'm laura coates. this is "cnn tonight." remember that old tv sales pitch, you know the one, but wait, there's more. that used to mean something good was come next. not in this case. the department of homeland security is now warning about, wait for it, an america facing more volatile threat from within in the months ahead. issued a really alarming new bull ten warning the violence in this country could get worse in the summer month and the run up to the midterm elections. the reasons why are frankly as stomach turning at eye opening. saying people on extremist online forums are encouraging

uvalde copy cat attacks. how cool. but wait there's more. america's old foe, disinformation. this information is popping up to an extent it could fuel further violence. wait, there's more. as campaigns are gearing up for the midterms, the dhs expects calls for violence by domestic extremists to not only continue but actually to increase. but wait, because there's still more. it's not all about elections. and no the dhs also does warn to look out for the fall out from potential supreme court decisions. that must shock you. the roe v wade discussion. it should surprise no one there will be a visceral reaction to the final ruling. the reaction could not just be

visceral but violent. the agency is actually flagged both abortion rights supporters and opponents. for advocating violence. and the summary says is that the primary threat of mass casualty violence in the united states stems from lone offenders and small groups motivated by ideology believes and or personal grievances. pause on that for a moment. that's the primary threat of mass violence in this country? it comes from within the united states. now it doesn't mean that foreign adversaries are not stirring the pot. they are. the primary threat to the u.s. remains us. so what does that mean i'm wondering for our global standing? has america lost the ability to condemn violence in other places when other own government's warning of threats right here in this country? imagine what that would mean to a world that refers to our

president as the leader of the free world. this homeland security alert the new one comes out as senate is holding a hearing on the threat of domestic terror after the racist massacre at tops supermarket in buffalo, new york. and i was absolutely transfixed today by the words of the son of the oldest victim killed in that attack. her name ruth whit field. his name is gar nel jr. a retired fire commissioner and now a grieving son who is directly challenging people in power to step up and finally do something. >> you are elected to protect us and our way of life. is there nothing you personally are willing to do to stop the cancer of white supremacy? and the domestic terrorism in that inspires. because if there is nothing,

then respectfully, senators, you should yield your positions of authority and influence to others that are willing to lead on this issue. my mother's life mattered. my mother's life mattered. your actions here today would tell us how much it matters to you. >> it brings tears to your eyes think about that question. it reminds you of what murphy said about why are we here if not to do something. i'm wondering if the senators that he was addressing and talking about the value of his mother's life, did they hear him? house lawmakers listened closely tomorrow the testimony of 11-year-old uvalde survivor mia. she is the little girl who smeared her own friends blood on her own body just to have the gunman think that she too was dead.

did any member of congress watch uvalde native and actor emotional plea for action on guns? at the white house today. >> 9-year-old rodriguez. he wanted to be a marine biologist. the same converse on her feet that turned out to be the own clear evidence that could identify her after the shooting. can both sides rise above? can both sides see beyond the political problem at hand and admit that we have a life preservation problem on our hands? >> for her sake, can both sides actually walk the walk. her shoes the only way to identify her little body. so what can actually get 60

senate vote? certainly not banning assault rifles we're told. republican senators said to cnn earlier -- >> why do you think people need to have ar 15s in this country? >> you're talking about a constitutional right to keep and bear arms. people who are law-abiding citizens and good mental health aren't a threat to the public. >> in my state, they use them to shoot prairie dogs and other types of varmt. there are legitimate reasons why people want to have them. >> it's used for sporting events, for sporting activities all the time. >> you shoot prairie dogs with ar 15s? i'm from minnesota the home of the gophers. i didn't realize ar 15s were used to shoot them. that surprises me. probably many of you who own weapons as well. what do we want to prioritize in this country? we heard positive things object bipartisan gun reform negotiation. the white house says president

biden is optimistic. believing any step quote is a step forward. not exactly the definition of high expectations. let's bring in some other minds into the mix. we have casey hunt, ana navarro with us tonight. i don't mean to sound tongue and cheek, the idea of saying you have to have an ar 15 because you might want to kill the occasional prairie dog. i don't understand that being persuasive to anyone. you think about where we are, is there room for optimism? room for the united states to suggest this time really will be different? >> i think it's really tough. honestly, the reason why john is saying that not because it's going to make a difference or convince anyone, he knows there are people in the state -- he's up for reelection. people in the state who will vote against him if he takes away their ar 15 to shoot prairie dogs or whatever else they do it it. there is a deep cultural divide on this issue.

the plea you heard from matthew mchay. he's from texas, from this place. i'm not -- he thought about being a politician. he's not. he said, we have to look at this as humans. that's what washington has been so bad at on this issue. i covered the first the post sandy hook attempt to do something about this issue. i followed and it was the most difficult story i have of had cover in my entire career. following those families from senate office to senate office with just the children's death on their faces. begging senators to do something. democrats controlled and more seats and couldn't do anything. they went from the giant package to this tiny skinny thing. just background checks. they couldn't do it then. they can't do background checks. they had to skinny down that bill. i would be interested as a republican on this too, the question that i have is how much

will it matter to actually get something done? anything at all. how symbolic would that baa for the republicans who can say i didn't lose my seat in congress, we all did this together. maybe we actually can try and fix this. >> imagine that. losing your seat in congress is the calculus over a loss of human life? that's the calculus. it seems it is. >> do you know these people? >> i don't. that's the truth. that's the hard reality. >> quick correction. i don't consider myself a republican. i'm conservative. and i do know people who -- a good friend who shoots prairie dogs with an ar 15. there's that. i don't like shooting cute things. that's what it is. i think there a lot of people who hear the questions about why do you need the guns for this, that or the other thing. if you are a hard second amendment supporter you never hear, why worship that god?

why assemble with those people. why do you need to use that speech? it is a they consider it a fundamental right and justify the right is a bad framing of the question. in their minds. >> there are other areas where people justify the right. the first amendment. the idea of everything is not an unconditional in a civilized society notion. >> i get the point. joe biden says this all the time, no right is absolute. and he's right. the second amendment isn't absolute. there are a lot of gun control laws in the country. >> machine guns. >> they have been banned since 1930s. the reason i'm hopeful about this, i do think that senator murphy has the rite idea. the first thing you have to do is convince republicans that you can vote on some kind of reform and not pay a terrible price for it. you have to take off this notion

that any movement towards gun reforms of any way is a death nail for a republican. if you go big, it's not going to work. >> i saw that happen in florida. i lived 30 minutes from parkland. and i saw us pass red flag laws after parkland. i saw us increase the age to be able to buy an ar 15 to the age of 21. i'm hopeful because what choice do we have? my husband has 12 school age grandchildren. i have got a 32-year-old teacher niece. a niece who is a teacher. and terrified of going to do her job. i have got a cousin who was killed at pulse. and whose parents also want jerry's life to matter. what choice but do i have but to be hopeful and what do i see as different? that sandy hook we now know

sandy hook was not a one off. we have seen parkland. we have seen uvalde. we now -- >> columbine. >> we know this is not happening once every ten years. we shouldn't be acceptable. it's happening once every ten hours. every ten days. we were still burying the victims of buffalo when uvalde happened. and i say thank you to matthew for using his platform. nobody can accuse him of grand standing. he's walked those streets. this is a little town of 15,000 people. he knows that park. he knows that plaza dh is now filled with little crosses. and he's using his platform so we can be talking about it and realize your children are not safe, your children are not safe. your child is not safe. and my husband's grandchildren are not safe. >> there's so many mothers, i think about -- you drop your kids off at school. we had to do that after uvalde,

that's the kind of like visceral, deep reaction that i think people are having the country is having. the question for these -- >> it's so true. you said that, i had panic attack. >> i got chills. >> her kindergarten classroom, i remember walking into the classroom and she was so excited to show me her seat. the first thing i thought was it's the first desk in front of the door. i thought about having her seat changed. you can have some chance if a gunman comes in. a gunman. i thought to myself how selfish am i. i'm putting another child in danger. >> both of you having the fear, there's little children in america who are aware of what's happening. that have the same exact fear. there are teachers in america who in addition to being underpaid and overworked and told what they have to teach, and having all these books banned and feeling shunned if

they are gay. they're being told you have to arm yourself? and you have to protect yourself and you have to act as a first responders. being a teacher in america has become a dangerous profession. what kind of country are we? it's got to come to a point and come to a time where american citizens and american voters pick up the phone, call their senators and say enough, damn it. pass something. >> sadly, as you all know we'll talk about this more. it's not just schools. synagogues, movie theaters and in the name of prairie dogs, stick around for a moment here. a rare interview with the mayor of uvalde. exactly two weeks after the shooting massacre, he's willing to answer a few questions from cnn including this one. >> hearing what you have heard so far from the officials, do you have confidence in the local police department to continue their duties? >> i do. >> really? should he? we'll talk about that in a

moment. plus perspective from a police chief in another small texas school district. when "cnn tonight" returns. allergies don't haveve to be scary. spraying flonase daily stops yourur body from overreacting to allergens all seasason long. psst! psst! flonase all good.

meet three sisters. the drummer, the dribbler, and the day-dreamer... the dribbler's getting hands-on practice with her chase first banking debit card... the drummer's making savings simple with a tap... ...round of applause. and this dreamer, well, she's still learning how to budget, so mom keeps her alerts on full volume. hey! what? it's true! and that's all thanks to chase first banking. freedom for kids. control for parents. one bank with tools for both, all with no monthly service fee. chase. make more of what's yours. the unknown is not empty. it's a storm that crashes, and consumes, replacing thought with worry. but one thing can calm uncertainty. an answer. uncovered through exploration, teamwork, and innovation. an answer that leads to even more answers. mayo clinic.

you know where to go. ♪ (queen - we will rock you) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ the new gmc sierra. premium and capable. that's professional grade. (music) who said you have to starve yourself to lose weight? who said you can't do dinner? who said only this is good? and this is bad? i'm doing it my way. meet plenity. an fda -cleared clinically proven weight management aid for adults with a bmi of 25-40 when combined with diet and exercise. plenity is not a drug - it's made from naturally derived building blocks and helps you feel fuller and eat less. it is a prescription only treatment and is not for pregnant women or people allergic to its ingredients. talk to your doctor or visit myplenity.com to learn more. ♪ ♪ ♪ thunderstruck ♪ ♪ ♪ thunderstruck yeah, yeah♪

now that's eatin' good in the neighborhood. we're hearing from the fourth grade teacher who was trapped inside the uvalde classroom with the gunman. after he was shot twice, he says he had to play dead for 77 minutes. officers finally took the killer down. >> did you feel abandoned in that moment? by police, by the people supposed to protect you? >> absolutely. after everything, i get more angry because you have a bullet proof vest, i had nothing. i had nothing. you are supposed to protect and serve. there is no excuse for their actions.

and i will never forgive them. >> so the shooter killed every single student in your classroom? >> yes, ma'am. i lost 11 that day. and i tell my parents i'm sorry. i tried my best. what i was told to do. please don't be angry with me. >> it's hard -- it's hard to hear. the guilt that he is burdened with and should never have had to bare. please forgive me he's asking parents. i can't recall the last time i heard from the powers that be in uvalde. 19 children and two teachers were killed that day. and we still don't know why it

took so long for police to move in and why their stories changed multiple times. even the uvalde mayor says he is in the dark. >> we need answers to what happened to. there's an investigation going on. we'll find out what happened. i want those answers just like everybody else. >> why is he still waiting too? uvalde county district attorney says it will be a while. that was the word. awhile before her office releases new information. in the meantime we have nothing from school police chief. so what is this mean for accountability and school safety going forward? i want to bring in texas school police chief. who oversees a police force just like the uvalde school district. thank you for being here, chief. when you hear this, i always wonder what's going through the mind of other law enforcement agents in this country who are hearing this. who are waiting as we all are

for answers. do you feel sympathy for the officers and not being able to provide information, do you find yourself casting or dispersions or giving the benefit of the doubt? what goes through your mind? >> well, thank you for having me on. it is absolutely devastating as a career law enforcement officer of four decades. i cannot imagine the pain of the victims, families, the community there. it is absolutely uncthat this at occ occurred. >> why are we still waiting for answers? tragic as this. why do you think they're still waiting for answers? is it about a union? is it about lawyering up? is it about trying to get all the information before you have the whole picture? what's the delay about?

>> well, it's hard to say not being onlt ground there in uvalde. i suspect some of it is a wanting to take enough time to get it right. we did hear missteps early on obviously. and it's more -- it does create a problem with survivors and family members by all means. but i think that it's a more of trying to piece together the mountain of evidence that is involved in incident of this magnitude. to be able to be deaf afinitive what went wrong. >> you hear the conversations across the country. parents are afraid. wondering if their children are safe from most places, schools. summer break hasn't begun yet. we're sending our kids back to school. are you feeling in your own

community some of those concerns from parents from your own officers looking to you to figure out, we have to have a change of plan or reimplement something or follow different protocol. what are you on your watch, what's happening? >> well, of course we're out of school for summer now. we ended on the 27th of may. so we're out right now. we are having conversations with our community. i have fielded a number of questions from parents. and from school board members. our administration. we are working as a team to review the processes and protocol. and our procedures. to be able to reassure come august that we are in a position to do everything humanly possible to protect their children. >> do you think you are in that position, though, ultimately?

you are hearing about the 19 officers and i know we're learning information as you are speaking about, you think about the notion of the presence of some of the weapons, your forces aren't carrying them. they're not the ones who have all the equipment that might be able to ultimately defend in a holistic manner initially. do you have concerns given the current laws that you will have shortcomings that you will be ill equipped to try to twlart an attack? >> i can tell you this, from myself down to all the way down through my department, we're going to go in. we're going to make an entry in, we're going to go to the threat. we're going to do our best to neutralize the threat and then protect life and limb there after. we have equipment and we train regularly. we use the alert protocols here in texas almost exclusively --

>> what does that mean? >> alert is the that's the advance law enforcement response rapid response training. an agency a texas state university in san marcus and they have developed the rapid response protocols. came to into being after columbine that says that we don't stand around and wait on swat teams, the initial responders it could be one officers it could be two officers. whatever it is, form a team and go in to see what they can do to neutralize the threat. >> good speed. thank you, chief. thank you for your time. >> thank you. it was a pleasure. something has to change. a lot of people are trying to help make a difference including some with very famous faces. that you recognize like actor

matthew mc -- a uvalde native. we'll show you his powerful appeal for gun law reform from the white house briefing room. next. hybrid work is here. it's there. it's everywhere. but for someone to be able to work from here, there has to be someone re making sure everything is safe. secure. consisnt. so log in from here. or here. assured that someone is here ready to fix anything. anytime. anywhere. even here. that's because nobody... and i mean nobody... makes hybrid work, work better. >> tech: cracked windshield? make it easy and schedule with safelite, because you can track us and see exactly when we'll be there.

>> woman: i have a few more minutes. let's go! >> tech vo: that's service that fits your schedule. go to safelite.com. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ the day of the heart attack, i was scared. i didn't know what to do. seeing my daughter have a heart attack, it shook me. aspirin helps reduce the chance of another heart attack by 31%. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. i strip on public transit. i strip with the guys. i strip all by myself. breathe right strips open your nose for relief you can feel right away, helping you take in air more easily, day or night. bogey's on your six, limu. they need customized car insurance from liberty mutual so they only pay for what they need. woooooooooooooo... we are not getting you a helicopter. only pay for what you need. ♪liberty, liberty, liberty. liberty.♪ hitting the road, not all 5g networks are created equal. t-mobile covers more highway miles with 5g than verizon.

t-mobile has more 5g bars in more places than anyone. another reason t-mobile is the leader in 5g.

whatever you thought of matthew mcconaughey's words from the white house this afternoon,

it was undoubtedly a remarkable moment in briefing room. the oscar winning actor got really real in the 22 minutes he spoke from the microphone of presidents and secretaries. pleading for lawmakers to take action following the massacre in his beloved hometown of uvalde. his mom was actually once a kindergarten teacher less than a mile from robb elementary. he shared numerous personal stories about some of the victims like irma garcia. one of the teachers killed. she and her husband had been putting away money for the past three years to paint their house. the goal was to eventually retire. her husband died a day after his wife, possibly from a broken heart. according to his family. and mcconaughey spoke of 9-year-old victim rodriguez and brought her green converse sneakers with a heart on them to highlight how so many of the victims could only be identified

through items on their bodies or through dna. we thought it was important to share more of his profound message which the nation saw on live tv today. for 22 minutes. here are some of the key moments. >> we need to recognize that this time, it seems something is different. we are in a window of opportunity right now that we have not been in before. a window where it seems like real change can happen. you know what every one of the parents wanted what they asked for? they want their children's dreams to live on. they want their children's dream to continue to accomplish something after they are gone. they want to make their loss of life matter. we heard from so many people. families of the deceased, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers.

texas rangers, hunters and border patrol. and responsible gun owners who won't give up air second amendment right to bear arms and they all said, we want secure and safe schools and we want gun laws that won't make it so easy for the bad guys to get these damn guns. we need responsible gun ownership. we need background checks. we need to raise the minimum age to purchase an ar 15 rifle to 21. we need a waiting period for those rifles. we need red flag laws and consequences for those who abuse them. responsible gun owners are fed up with the second amendment being abused and hijacked by some deranged individuals. these regulations are not a step back, they are a step forward. for a civil society and, and the second amendment. this should not be a partisan issue. there's not a democratic or republican value in one single act of the shooters.

there's not. but people in power have failed to act. we're asking you, and i'm asking you please ask yourselves, can both sides rise above? can both sides see beyond the political problem at hand and admit that we have a life preservation problem on our hands. maybe set an example for our children. give us reason to tell them listen and watch these men and women. these are great american leaders. hope you grow up to be like them. let's admit it. we can't truly be leaders if we're only living for reelection. where do we start? voting to pass policies that can keep us from having as many columbine, sandy hook, buffalo, las vegas and uvalde from here on. we start by making the loss of these lives, matter.

>> he spoke for 22 minutes. extremely powerful words. it's also powerful to hear, for 55 more minutes a teacher had to play dead in a classroom with 11 dead children around him. the people with the power to act on his pleas, will they do something? we'll continue this conversation next. you both stay comfortable, and to help you get almost 30 minutes more restful sleep per night. and now, save up to $700 on select sleep number 360 smart beds. plus, 0% interest for 36 months. only for a limited time.

this is a hero, walking his youngest down the aisle, which to his bladder, feels like a mile. yet he stands strong, dry, keeping the leaks only to his eyes. depend. the only thing stronger than us, is you.

lemons. lemons, lemons, lemons. look how nice they are. the moment you become an expedia member, you can instantly start saving on your travels. so you can go and see all those, lovely, lemony, lemons. ♪ and never wonder if you got a good deal. because you did. ♪ ♪ sweet ♪ ♪ emotion ♪ ♪ sweet... ♪ now that's eatin' good in the neighborhood.

a powerful plea for action on guns at the white house today from actor matthew mcconaughey. we have been playing the sounds because it's resonating with so many people. i want to bring back our panel nodding along and reacting to it. you had really visceral reactions and really strong ones about what you were hearing. you pushed back a bit. >> yeah, so, look i think i agree with everything that he said. i share the moral out rage entirely and the outrage with everybody on this panel about how horrific and morally repugnant the slaughters are. you talk about how you are

scared for your kids and i have a daughter, i get being scared. if we're going to tell people they should be scared this is going to happen to them, put this in perspective. there are 54 million kids in k through 12 in america. in the last 29 years, 170 kids have been killed in school shootings. >> how many how does that compare to if my kid goes to school in great britain or canada? >> one school shooting -- >> it's too many. >> my approach is terrorism the same. the number of people killed on 9/11 was not -- more people die in car accidents every year. i don't care. it's unacceptable. the moral out rage and valid and justified. you can't switch lanes. you are right to be outraged about the crime. if we're going to tell people to be terrified about their kids being dropped off at school, remind them their kids are more in danger on the drive to school statistically than at the

school. >> we weren't -- >> you can't do this. >> a child's life is not a statistic. you can't tell the parents of oliver of parkland and my cousin. >> a basic point. don't tell people to be terrified. >> if it was your child it not be a statistic. it would be a tragedy. >> if i don't have compassion, of course i do. >> a statistic and probability. >> you shouldn't tell americans that this is the thing that they should be so terrified with paralyzed with fear about their kids. when their kids are more likely to die from a lot of other things. >> going to school. you know what happened? what happened because of that is that we have car seat laws. that passed. we have seat belt laws. we have speed laws. and so, it used to be more people died of car accidents. more kids died of car accidents.

more people died of pool accident. we have fences around pools. we pass regulations. this is one of the only places where we're not doing anything. it has become status quo. shame on us for accepting that. i'm not morally bullying you. i have children i care about. you do too. >> you're making it sound as if you point out that there are the risk to your kids are that there are greater -- if you want to protect your kids there are other things you have more control than random madmen shooting up schools. >> we shouldn't do anything about it? >> you're making it into a statistic conversation. instead of about the fact there's children being buried in coffins with super-man decals. >> i said i'm morally outraged by that.

it's grotesque. one shot child is too many. tell people they should be paralyzed with fear it's going to happen to them and their kids you are doing them a disservice. >> no one is saying that. pick up the phone and call their senator and tell them it's ten years since sandy hook and we haven't done anything. it's a national shame. paralyzed with fear and paralyzed with acceptance and resignation is what we have been for the last ten years. it's enough. no more paralysis. get your ass in gear and call your senator. >> that's fine. i'm doing analysis. not activism. call their senator, that's fine. that's not my job. >> i have a cousin killed at pulse. >> hold on. excuse me, i want to hear from both of you. i want to clarify this point. moral bullying the idea of providing -- you want to provide perspective. there are other ways that children die. got it. both can be true. you can also be fearful of gun violence and also talk to your

kids about other aspects. you have the same moral outrage but the idea of the objectivity and approach to it, what can be done? >> so, i just want to say to your point, i was not saying people should be afraid of this. that was not the point i was trying to make. i was saying people are because they see what happened. they are afraid. and your point is well taken there are a million different ways your kid can be harmed. but the reality is, as she was saying, there are regulations and rules that we all agree on it's much harder to get a driver's license and buy a car than buy and use an ar 15. which is kind of when you think about it, we regulate cars because they are giant machines capable of killing people. >> i use the comparison of terrorism. that's to scare people. the statistics are not -- beside the point whether it's domestic or international. >> our system is not equipped currently. this is part of a much bigger

conversation about whether our entirety of the government is equipped to handle the challenges because it is so divided and many ways our system of electing representatives and how they operate in washington is so broken, that it doesn't line up with this -- the vast -- matthew mcconaughey used the phrase the middle. both sides. those words have become verboten in dc language. it's literally it's not a political statement. it's the vast center of the country who frankly are completely outside of our political process because they see it and -- >> hold on. the middle a commercial break is coming in this discussion. we're coming right back. lt most populated state may send a message to the entire nation tonight. three years ago we saw a red california county turn blue. are voters in two key liberal cities ready to shake things up

themselves? a recall campaign. around crime and violence in this country. more in a moment. allergies don't have to be scary. spraying fnase daily stops your body from overreacting tallergens all season long. psst! psst! flonase all good. we strip in the community garden. i've been stripping here for years. i strip before take-off. breathe right strips open your nose for relief you can feel right away, helping you take in air more easily, wherever you are. ♪ ♪ 100 years ago, a beautiful empire built on black excellence was booming. black wall street. it was a sight to be seen. until one day, it was all burned to the ground. but fire is no match for the fire

within black dreamers everywhere. and so, new black wall streets rise. ♪ ♪ citi is committed to helping build black businesses through banking.

(burke) a new car loses about ten percent of its value the minute you drive off the lot. or more. that's why farmers new car replacement pays to replace it with a new one of the same make and model. get a whole lot of something with farmers policy perks. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪

do you feel safe? a simple question with a simple answer that for far too many is just "no." not just for mass shootings, but for many it's about the uptick in violent crime overall. there are voters answering the question of whether elected officials keep them safe or make them feel safe and they're answering in the voting booth. in san francisco, the progressive d.a. is facing a potential recall, while in l.a. the race for mayor is centered around the questions of crime and homelessness. it's part of the reason u.s. congresswoman karen bass is being challenged by former republican rick caruso. >> i'm running for mayor because the city we love is in a state of emergency. rampant homelessness, people living in fear for their safety.

>> now, the number of people living without a home in california far exceeds any other state. of course we can't conflate homelessness or housing insecurity with crime, but some voters do. and images like this are far too common in california, and they have a powerful influence on voters. l.a. and san francisco were two of the most liberal cities in our nation, and both are experiencing quite a dramatic shift in the perception of the role of policing and accountability from just two years ago in the wake of george floyd's murder. but from then to now, the numbers of assaults and auto theft in san francisco are up. even as things like robbery and burglary numbers are down. in l.a. both murder and property crimes and violent crimes are up. those numbers are reflected nationally. a majority of americans say they worry, quote, a great deal about crime. let's talk about what this means for democrats in november. when you guys haer this and thinking about what is the top of mind issues for voters, it

goes back to your point about what people are concerned with, the moral bullying. there's a reality that crime is up and there is cause for concern. >> it is up. you can see it in the statistics across the board. anecdotes are not data, right, but i certainly have experienced this as a resident of washington, d.c., that there is more crime in my local neighborhood, in my community there are more carjackings. we're hearing difficult stories and i think the way that this ties into our national narrative, you got a couple things going on. i mean, you got a lot of social factors hard to solve with policy with income inequality, mental health crisis. many people are on the streets because they have mental health problems, et cetera. that's sometimes what people equate with crime, people simply dealing with other issues. but there's this lawlessness, this sense of lawlessness in the wake of the pandemic, i think, that has a lot of people unsettled. when you combine it with the recent history of some democrats

using the slogan of defund the police, they're connect what they're seeing and feeling in their own lives to what democrats are saying. it's a tough one to do. >> there's also a 1970 show feeling to all this. people aren't necessarily rational about these things. inflation feels like it's out of control. gas prices feel like they're out of control. in the wake of covid, we had huge spikes in air raids, road rage. people didn't like being cooped up. >> they're still driving like maniacs. >> they definitely are. >> it's sninsane. >> i live in miami, you want to talk about that. >> where there's one party in control of things and the status quo feels incredibly unsettling, it's a big problem for whichever party it is. in some places like san francisco and l.a. in particular where homelessness really is out of control, public drug use really is out of control, it's put together in a big blob.

>> the common thing here is accountability and holding authorities accountable. there are things you depend on your local authorities to be in charge of. crime in your city, like potholes, like traffic, like -- there's things you depend on your state authorities to be in charge of. i'd like ron desantis can make sure i can buy home insurance. there's things we depend on and we want from our federal authorities. and so the people that are in power, if they are democrats or republicans, are the ones that are going to be held accountable when citizens are unhappy with the way things are going at the different levels. >> it's called democracy, right? >> it's called accountability. >> it is. the idea -- one thing that's concerning is if the response has taken it to the voting booth to address these issues, i think we're all fine based on the notion. we're two days away from the first public hearing on january 6th where you take it to a

violent extreme if you're unhappy. >> yeah. >> and that's the thing that i think really is what we're grappling with. you started the show out with the department of homeland security saying that increasingly people are going to try to solve their own personal problems or what they perceive to be problems in the world with violence. for me, january 6th was an attack on my workplace. i was covering the capitol. i was there and it was one of these things that was just incredibly unsettling not just for all of the public and critically important democratic-related issues, but because it was a demonstration of a deep insecurity in my personal sphere, in my personal world. and there are more and more americans who are starting to experience that, and the more instances we see that are publicized and become these huge things, the more there are copycat attacks. there are other people who think this is how we're supposed to solve our problems, and you combine that with the fact that are fewer and fewer the people who have faith. even if they don't want to be violent, they don't have faith

our political system -- >> i lived through a revolution and a civil war. it was an attack on everything america stood for that was different from venezuela and nicaragua and cuba and the places people flee from and come to america. >> we're in a different world, aren't we? we'll be right back. ♪ thunderstruck ♪ ♪ ♪ thunderstruck yeah, yeah♪ now that's e eatin' good in the neighborhood. >> tech: cracked windshield? make it easy and schedule with safelite, because you can track us and see exactly when we'll be there. >> woman: i have a few more minutes. let's go! >> tech vo: that's svice that fits your schedule. goo safelite.com. >> singe: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ meet three sisters. the drummer, the dribbler, and the day-dreamer... the dribbler's getting hands-on practice with her chase first banking debit card... the drummer's making savings simple with a tap...

...round of applause. and this dreamer, well, she's still learning how to budget, so mom keeps her alerts on full volume. hey! what? it's true! and that's all thanks to chase first banking. freedom for kids. control for parents. one bank with tools for both, all with no monthly service fee. chase. make more of what's yours. the unknown is not empty. it's a storm that crashes, and consumes, replacing thought with worry. but one thing can calm uncertainty. an answer. uncovered through exploration, teamwork, and innovation. an answer that leads to even more answers. mayo clinic. you know where to go. ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ introducing the all-new infiniti qx60. take on your wild world in style. ♪ ugh-stipated... feeling weighed down by a backedup gut" miralax is different. it works naturally with the water in your body to unblock your gut. ...free your gut. and your mood will follow.

thanks for watching. i'll be back tomorrow night. "don lemon tonight" starts right now. hey, don lemon. >> hey, laura coates. see you tomorrow night. this is "don lemon tonight." we are at a very critical point in this country right now. a crucial point, as a matter of fact, a moment when we get to decide whether we're going to do something about the gun violence that is killing more and more americans every day, even if it's only a first step, or do nothing and just watch more and more funerals, more and more families torn apart. this could be the moment, right? this could be