the grieving son of an 86-year-old woman killed in buffalo and a favorite son of uvalde by way of hollywood both making emotional pleas to do something about gun violence. john berman here in for

anderson. actor and uvalde native matthew mcconaughey spoke at the white house. and a son of a woman killed in buffalo testified before the senate judiciary committee. >> you're elected to protect us. and because if there is nothing -- and respectfully, senators, you should yield your positions of authority and influence to others who are willing to lead on this issue. the urgency of the moment demands no less. my mother's life mattered. >> negotiations in the senate appear to be at a critical stage, with one lawmaker telling cnn they hope to reach an agreement by the end of the week. we'll have a live report from the white house coming up. first, though, some of what matthew mcconaughey said from the briefing room. he talked about getting the news, going back to his hometown of uvalde, about meeting overworked funeral directors who

are trying to make badly-torn bodiyies look like children aga for memorial services. he spoke with parents like ryan and jessica ramirez, who told him about their daughter. >> her dream was to go to art school in paris and share her art with the world. ryan and jessica were eager to share her art with us and said if we could share it, show, maybe that would make her smile in heaven. maite wore green high-top converse with a heart she had handdrawn on the right toe because they represented her love of nature. camilla's got these shoes. can you show the shoes, please? these are the same green converse on her feet that turned out to be the only clear evidence that could identify her

after the shooting. how about that? then there was the fairytale love story of a teacher named irma and her husband, joe. what a great family this was. irma was a teacher who her family said went above and beyond and just couldn't say no to any kind of teaching. joe had been commuting to and from work 70 miles away in del rio for years. together, they were the glue of the family. both worked overtime to support their four kids. irma even worked every summer when school was out. the money she had made two summers ago paid to paint the front of the house. the money she made last summer paid to paint the sides of the house. this summer's work was going to pay to paint the back of the house. because irma was one of the

teachers who was gunned down in the classroom and joe, her husband, literally died of h heartache the very next day, when he had a heart attack. they never got to paint the back of their house. they never got to retire. and they never got to get that food truck together. >> mcconaughey did not simply make an emotional appeal, also pushed for what he called responsible gun ownership and reasonable, practical regulations. we should point out right here for the people living in uvalde, two things come first before any of that. one is burying their dead, the funerals are not even over yet. the other priority is getting antss from their public officials, which they still do not have about what actually happened the day their children were murdered.

for that, let's go to cnn's shimon prokupecz who is there in search of those answers. and i understand there was an emergency city council meeting today. what have you learned before and after and was chief arradondo even there? >> reporter: right, so the chief, who is the newly appointed city council member, he was not at this city council meeting. and you know, john, two weeks after we stood out here fighting for information, we still continue to do that. with the mayor at attendance in the city council, you know, i approached him as he was getting off the elevator to ask him questions about this investigation, about the confidence of the police department. and we learned some new information. one of the things we learned was that the city police chief, that's the police chief of the uvalde police department, for the first time, we're learning that he actually wasn't here on that day. that he was on a scheduled vacation. take a listen to some of the back and forth i had with the

mayor today. do you have confidence in the local police department to continue their duties? >> i do. >> reporter: and in the chief, as well, chief rodriguez? >> chief rodriguez, you know, was out of town when this occurred. he had put in vacation for a month before, so, when this initially took down, chief rodriguez wasn't in town. he canceled his vacation and flew back the next day. >> reporter: so, who was in charge of the police department at that time? >> he had an assistant chief, i'd have to find out who that is. >> reporter: do you have confidence in chief arradondo? excuse me, sir, don't push me out of the way, i want to back up. that's fine. please don't get in my way. please -- well yes, he's been avoiding our questions. and john, that was the first time we've been able to question the mayor. we felt this was a public hearing, something we should do. he did go on to answer more questions after that. he does have this confidence in his police department, but he

says he is also being kept in the dark on the investigation, that officials here are not sharing information with him. but something else is sort of starting to happen here, is that the local authorities here, the city officials are starting to lay some of the blame on the state officials, for some of that bad information that has come out, you know, many of them feeling they were the ones that were talking, the dps officials, state investigators, and that they were the ones that were giving the bad information, but it begs the question of, where was the state official, where were they getting the information from? and so, we still wait for more answers. i spoke to a community leader today who said the families, as they continue these funerals, they're just feeling immense frustration and pressure to try and get answers from authorities here. >> shimon, keep pressing. we know you will. thank you. we played you some of matthew mcconaughey's emotional appearance today at the white house. he also brought policy ideas, which is why we want to turn next to cnn's kaitlan collins,

our chief white house correspondent. what was the mood like in the white house briefing room when matthew mcconaughey spoke like that? >> reporter: john, it was almost completely silent in the room, because he was going through the graphic horrors that the children went there, as you heard there. really waving it together in a way most officials didn't do. he was not only talking about his hometown, but what he thinks needs to happen going forward when it comes to gun restrictions. and before you hear what he believes should happen, he cast himself as a responsible gun owner. he talked about growing up learning how to use a gun, different kinds of guns he used growing up in uvalde. and then he said that he believes there needs to be changes made after what happened. >> so -- we know what's on the table. we need to invest in mental health care. we need safer schools. we need to restrain

sensationalized media coverage. we need to restore our family values. we need to restore our american values. and -- we need responsible gun ownership. 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. these are reasonable, practical, tactical regulations to our nation, states, communities, schools, and homes. 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're a step forward for a civil society and -- and the second amendment. >> reporter: he said elected leaders need to be worried about more than just being re-elected. and he had just left a meeting with president biden when he made those comments. >> yeah, kaitlan, what came out between the meeting of the actor and the president? >> reporter: the white house isn't really going into detail. obviously they talked about what they need to see going forward. what matthew mcconaughey saw on the ground. he and his wife and two kids drove down the day after the shooting happened and have been on the ground talking to the family since. that's really what detailed what he said. and this is as president biden is having conversations here in washington with the lawmakers who are working on potential gun control legislation. chris murphy, the top democrat leading those talks, he met with president biden for about 40 minutes before president biden's meeting with matthew mcconaughey. and the white house says the president feels optimistic, they feel they've made more progress lately when it comes to these

discussions and the talks and the negotiations than they've made in decades. and one other thing, john, it's clear what they are talking about is likely to falwell short of what mcconaughey is calling for there, what president biden called for last week, but the white house said they believe any step forward is a good step. >> kaitlan collins, that's where we'll go next. thank you very much. hawaii democratic senator mazie hirono is in close contact with chris murphy's office that is leading the negotiations for the democrats and joins us now. thank you so much for joining us. what are you hearing from your colleagues about where these negotiations stand tonight? >> i have so much faith in chris murphy and his commitment to providing us with an option for some kind of common sense gun safety legislation, so as he remains optimistic, i remain optimistic, but the sense of urgency is there. >> some of the things being discussed, investments in mental health care, bolstering school

security, incentivizing states to pass red flag laws, and then what might be the most interesting, newest item here, is potential waiting periods for 18 to 21-year-olds to buy ar-15 style weapons. do these measures go far enough for you? >> none of these measures individually go far enough, but i completely believe that we need to make a start on sensible gun safety legislation. you know, you mention waiting pe periods, et cetera, hawaii has the strictest gun ownership laws. we have the lowest incidence of gun violence. there is a causal connection. and i know that you know that, the judiciary committee in the senate had a hearing today on domestic terrorism, of which, by the way, white supremacy is among the most troubling, but all of the panelists, there were five of them, three democratically invited and two

republican invited, they all agreed that easy access to guns is a huge, huge contributor to the massive gun violence in our country. >> i mentioned the idea of a possible waiting period for people 18 to 21-year-old to buy ar-style weapons, that's different than raising the age to buy them to 21. right now, that doesn't appear to be on the table, but right now, we did learn today that senator mitch mcconnell, the senate minority leader, has privately expressed an openness to raising the age to 21 for purchasing semiautomatic rifles. what do you think of that? he noted, he doesn't think it will be in the final deal because of other republican opposition. >> well, i hope his private expression becomes public policy. and a public position of the republicans, because, let's face it -- it is the republicans who have kept us from voting on a lot of these sensible gun legislation bills. so, i hope the tide is turning and we can get at least ten republicans to support common

sense gun safety legislation this time out. we cannot continue to have these kinds of massive shootings, in fact, from the time of uvalde, we've had some 34 mass sho shootings. that's in less than a week. so the easy access to guns is what makes our country, as chris has said, makes our country the outlier of other nations. we all have mental health issues, we all have other kinds of issues, but it is our country that makes access to guns, ar-15s, so easy. >> you mention being supportive of these measures as a first step. are you at the point now, are democrats at the point now, where they basically have to take what republicans are willing to give? >> my hope is that we'll be able to come to some kind of a compromise that moves us forward. and as i said, i have such trust in chris murphy, who has been

fighting for sensible gun legislation over a decade and i have faith in him that he will present to us, as well as the other negotiators, present to us something a heck of a lot more than a nothing burger to move us forward. >> of course, senator chris murphy was the congressman representing newtown nearly ten years ago, at this point, senator mazie hirono, thank you for being with us. thank you. >> thank you, aloha. next, crandi kaye talks to owners of ar-style rifles in what they see as something as a type of weapon really on soldiers carry. also, a retired three-star general weighs in on whether civilians should even have access to them. later, with the january 6th. hearings about to begin, new warning of federal officials of violence in the country, perspective from conservative lawyer george conway.

shh! stealth mode? yeah. [cricket sounds] shh! shh! [light switch clicks] don't pta meetings end at nine? -it ran... late. -oh got lost. the lexus rx built for modern families. ♪ ♪

finding the perfect developer isn't easy. but, at upwork, we found her. she's in prague between the ideal cup of coffee and a truly impressive synthesizer collection. and you can find her right now (lepsi?) on upwork.com (lepsi.) when the world is your workforce, finding the perfect project manager,

designer, developer, or whomever you may need... tends to fall right into place. find top-rated talent who can start today on upwork.com ...years faster than our initial projections. when you see things differently, you can be the difference. capella university sees education differently. our flexpath learning format lets you earn your bachelor's degree at your pace.

at booking.com, finding perfect isn't rocket science. kitchen? sorted. hot tub, why not? and of course, puppy-friendly. we don't like to say perfect, but it's pretty perfect. booking.com, booking.yeah. if you wake up thinking about the market and want to make the right moves fast... get decision tech from fidelity. [ cellphone vibrates ] you'll get proactive alerts for market events before they happen... and insights on every buy and sell decision. with zero-commission online u.s. stock and etf trades. for smarter trading decisions, get decision tech from fidelity.

we talked before the break about the prospects, slim prospects of legislation raising the age to purchase semiautomatic rifles such as the ar-15 from 18 to 21, something cnn is reporting that republican senator mitch mcconnell is privately open to. some, though, most notably the president, think these weapons do not belong in civilian hands, period. >> a few years ago, the family of the inventor of the ar-15 said he would have been horrified to know that its design was being used to slaughter children and other innocent lives, instead of being used as a military weapon on the battlefields, as it was designed. that's what it was designed for. enough. enough. >> the president last week. and now south dakota republican senator john thune talking to cnn today. >> in my state, they use them to

shoot prairie dogs and other types of vermin, so, i think there are legitimate reasons people would want to have them. >> whichever view prevails, consider this. according to a "wall street journal" reporter on the history of the ar-15, there are about 400,000 ar-15 style rifles in circulation when the 1994 assault ban took effect. when it lapsed in 2004, the number began rising. today it stands at 20 million. it's gained a symbolic value for some of the political spectrum. but others, they just plain like having one. our randi kaye has more on that. >> reporter: anna thomsen learned to shoot an ar-15 style rifle back in 2015 after a battle with breast cancer sidelined her from running marathons. >> being a girl in my family, that was what the boys did. so, i had never learned how to do that before. >> reporter: did it give you confidence learning how to use it? >> incredible confidence,

incredibly empowering. the energy coming off that gun, i feel goes into your body and you're not tired again. >> reporter: it energized her so much, she became an instructor. >> eyes and years. >> reporter: and along with her husband, now teaching others how to use it. we caught up with them at eagle gun range in texas. does it fire differently when you use it compared to other rifles? >> it's softer shooting than most. it doesn't have a lot of recoil and it almost feels like shoot i ing, like, an air gun, as opposed to something that's really heavy. >> reporter: bryan also likes the ar-15 style because he says they're easier and safer to handle than handguns, so, you don't need to spend as much time and money on training. >> the thing about easy that matters is that when you defend yourself, it's more accurate. so, if you're in a home and your family is all there, you'll be more accurate with that. >> reporter: bryan and anna use

their ar-15 style rifles for target practice, but mainly for their own protection. what you do you say to people who say, why would somebody like you have to own an ar-15? what do you say to those people? >> this guy right here. he, he, he, any of those people can punch me once, i'm going to be lights out. but if i can defend myself and give me distance and time, then i have a fighting chance to live past today. >> i know some people are afraid of them and not comfortable with them. if we can introduce it to them safely, then they normally say, that thing's not even scary. >> this is an ar-15, chambered with 556 with the eo-tech red dot. >> reporter: ray rodriguez is also a big fan of the ar-15 style rifle. >> i fell in love with it the first trigger pull. >> reporter: ray says he owns them for protection. >> i can clear my apartment if i need to. >> reporter: ray says the ar-15 style is especially popular

because they're so customizable, often described as legos for adults. anna personalized hers to fit her small frame. it weighs less than five pounds. >> we've had to find different components to make it as light as it can be. i would not be able to hold up a 20-pound gun and fire it where i needed to fire it. >> reporter: bryan also had anna's ar-15 style rifle decorated with a pink hello kitty decal. others took it to greater extremes. and then, there's ray, who tattooed a picture of his heavily modified rifle on his arm. when you add onto the real gun, you're going to add onto the arm? >> yes, adding onto art, yes. >> reporter: despite his loyalty to the ar-15 style rifle, there are still many who will question why anyone needs to own one. >> i would say, give a proper gun range the ability to coach them through what an ar-15 is

capable of and what you can do through proper training and proper coaching. you can see that it can be a sport and it is a sport. >> and randi kaye joining us now from dallas. r randi, i'm curious, has this gun store you visited saw any change in demand for the ar-15 style rifles after the most recent shootings? >> reporter: well john, you've certainly seen a run on this type of weapon after other mass shootings. people hear a lot of talk of gun rights, a lot of talk of banning this style weapon, so they tend to rush out to the stores and buy them. but we spoke to the eagle gun range and they told me they vicinity seen any uptick in demand or sales of the ar-15 style rifle. and john, just one other note, you mentioned, i want to put something in context, because you mentioned this nearly 20 million ar-15-style rifles in the united states now, that's actually just a very small percentage of the number of guns in the united states. there's actually 393 million

privately-owned firearms in the united states right now, so, 20 million of those are these ar-15-style rifles, john. >> randi kaye, thank you so much for that report. now, someone who used the ar-15 close cousin, the m-16 as a tool of his trade. cnn military analyst, retired army three-star general and gun owner mark hartling. as a military man who has seen what these types of weapons were more or less built for, what goes through your mind? >> it's an interesting dynamic, john. what you just said, as i've qualified on the m-16 and m-4 weapon, the .9-millimeter and the .45 caliber pberetta, .50 caliber machine guns and a1 tank, i think i know a little about weapons. i'm a supporter of

the second amendment, i own a weapon, have it in the house in a lock box with a trigger lock, am qualified on it and do all those things because we happen to have five grandchildren. but with the m-16, people are enamored with it, because as your guests described, it's a good weapon to fire. it gives someone a sense of protection, as the young woman said. it gives you a sense of power, but truthfully, as the president also said, it is a weapon with a high muzzle velocity, when sold along with high capacity magazines. we have to understand this was designed, and this is factual, as a weapon of war. it's designed for catastrophic killing, to damage tissue and cause organ dysfunction in the enemy. there are very few survivors of an m-4 or an m-16 just as i would say of an ar-15 hit. from my experience, you know, and from what we've seen factually, it's also the weapon of choice for mass killings, for

mass shootings. we have seen the ar-15 used in almost 90% of the mass killiing that we have seen in the united states. and that's because it is easy to use, it does have, in most cases, a high capacity magazine, and it's -- you know, it's a weapon that can be transported very easily. to comment on one other thing, though, i'd say, if you're saying you're buying a weapon like this for vermin killing, i'm going to question, first of all, your common sense as well as your choice of weapons for that kind of hunting. these are excuses made by those who want an m-16 -- excuse me, an ar-15. i'm not opposed to owning these kinds of weapons. i am very in favor of responsible gun ownership, common sense weapon regulations, regulation, or registration of weapons, we do that for our cars. red flag laws. the limits on magazine capacity. and the banning of ghost guns.

those are the kind of arguments i believe our representatives in congress should be taking up. >> you were mentioning senator tune. senator tune hune of south dako said his constituents wanted ar-15 for varmint hunting, his exact words. >> he's one of several who have done that, too, and it's a bizarre argument. >> you mentioned they were designed in your mind to cause catastrophic damage, tissue destruction, what exactly do you mean by that? >> well, there's been a lot of studies on this, medical studies recently. you talk to doctors who work in emergency departments, emergency rooms in hospitals. they will tell you because of the velocity of the round that leaves the weapon, anywhere from 3,200 to 4,200 feet per second, that round, because it is so small, usually the 223 or 556, it will enter an individual and when it hits anything, a bone, an internal organ, it will ricochet. it also causes a small entry

wound, but a very large exit wound, because it tumbles inside of the human body. there are films of this kind of round striking pig tissue, gelatin that represents human flesh, and you can see the kind of damage it does, like it did, unfortunately, on the young children in places like uvalde, where it just, it blows the human body apart both on the outside and the inside from the tumbling inside the body, the striking of different organs. if it hits a bone, it will ricochet. that's what it's designed to do in combat. so that's why, truthfully, i have problems with the ar-15, but i can understand why other people want to use it and want to own it. >> general hertling, i appreciate your perspective. thank you. >> thank you, john. coming up, the department of homeland security threat bulletin on the possibility of heightened extremism fueled by

the midterm elections. also, a 2020 scheme in georgia by the former president's campaign comes to light as the january 6th committee gets ready to hold its first public hearings on capitol hill. we'll talk about it with conservative lawyer george conway next. book with priceline. 'cause when you save more, you can “no way!” more. no wayyyy. no waaayyy! no way! [phone ringing] hm. no way! no way! priceline. every trip is a big deal.

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. ♪

no ink! ugh! i need you to print, i need you. you think you're empty? i'm empty. do you suffer from cartridge conniptions? be conniption-free, thanks to the cartridge-free epson ecotank printer. a ridiculous amount of ink! you're mocking me. not again! the epson ecotank. just fill & chill.

tonight, the department of homeland security is warning of potential domestic violence through the summer and fall, possibly tied to the expected

supreme court decision on abortion, calls for copy cat mass shootings like the one in uvalde, texas, and even potential attacks over the midterm elections. meanwhile, another scheme to is understood mine the 2020 election has come to light. an email from september 2020 obtained by federal prosecutors shows the former president's campaign told a group of fake republican electors in georgia to have, quote, complete secrecy as they planned to gather in the state capitol and collect votes for the president even though he lost for that state. in the end, all of georgia's electoral votes went to the biden/harris ticket. this failed scheme coming just two days before the january 6th committee holds their first public hearing on capitol hill. joining me now, conservative lawyer george conway. this terror threat assessment

says in the coming months we expect the threat environment to become more dynamic as several high profile events could be exploited to justify acts of violence against a range of possible targets. how concerned are you that we could see another moment of mob violence like the one we saw on january 6th? i think we might have just lost george conway's signal. all right. we'll take a quick break, get george conway back up, stay with us. problem so lve together, and find the answer that was right under their nose. or... his nose.

"peace of mind." such a big, beautiful idea. and for us at booking.com this means - free cancellation on most bookings. it's a bit functional. but we'll gladly be functional. so you can be free. booking.com booking.yeah ♪ ♪ 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. so this is the meta portal plus. a smart video calling device that makes working from home, work. it syncs with your favorite vc apps so you'll never miss a meeting.

and neither will she. meta portal, make working from home work for you. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ millions have made the switch from the big three to xfinity mobile. that means millions are saving hundreds a year on their wireless bill.

and all of those millions are on the nation's most reliable 5g network, with the carrier rated #1 in customer satisfaction. that's a whole lot of happy campers out there. and it's never too late to join them. get $250 off an eligible 5g phone with xfinity mobile. take the savings challenge at xfinitymobile.com/mysavings or visit your xfinity store and talk to our switch squad today. when it comes to cybersecurity, the biggest threats don't always strike the biggest targets. so help safeguard your small business with comcast business securityedge™ it's advanced security that continuously scans for threats and helps protect every connected device. the choice is clear. get unbeatable business solutions from the most innovative company. so you can be ready for what's next. get started with a great deal on internet and voice for just $49.99 a month for 24 months with a 2 -year price guarantee. call today.

all right, back with us, conservative lawyer george conway. george, thank you so much for waiting with us. look, these january 6th committee hearings set to begin thursday night. you said before right here on cnn, the committee doesn't need to show any new bombshells in order to make their case for conspiracy, but what are you hoping to learn from these hearings? >> well, i'm hoping to learn, with the rest of the american public, more of the details of what happened. i mean, we're hearing a lot of this stuff kind of third-hand and not directly from witness depo depositions. like to see some of the witnesses, some of the video from the witnesses. if it's done correctly, and i

have every reason to believe it was done correctly, it's going to be very dramatic to see the people who, for example, work for mike pence talk about the pressure donald trump put on mike pence. to see witnesses like mike ludig go on the stand and talk about the advice he gave vice president pence. and also hear more direct evidence about what happened on january 6th at the capitol. there's just a lot of things we can hear, but the fact of the matter is, as i've said, we already have enough evidence to conclude that there's a substantial likelihood that there was a criminal conspiracy here, and in fact, one other point that needs to be made during these hearings is that it wasn't just about the january 6th violence. it was about the fake electors, it was about the pressure on pence, it was about the attempt to coopt the justice department, we're going to hear from some of the justice department lawyers who donald trump tried to

pressure. all of those things made this a conspiracy to defraud the united states, to corruptly impede a congressional proceeding, to fraudulently attempt to obstruct the governmental function, all of which is illegal under federal law. and even without the violence, it violated federal law. but with the violence, putting it all together and having all of these strands tied together and show how they were linked and they were linked at the top, by one man, donald trump. for the commit tee to put this all together was a constructive thing for the american people to see. >> george, you just talked about the fake elector scheme. cnn's reporting that in the wake of 2020, trump campaign official called georgia republicans and told them to operate in, quote, complete secrecy and discretion, when they held this meeting of

would be electors. complete secrecy and discretion. what does that say to you? >> well, that's classic evidence in a criminal context, it's classic evidence of criminal intent, when you are doing something surreptitiously, it tends to suggest there's a reason you don't want people to know it, which is that you know that whoever finds out about it would think you are doing something wrong and they were acting surreptitiously, not because -- if they knew that somebody found out they were trying to do what they were trying to do, they'd get called out for it and people of at the georgia capitol would try to stop it. and, you know, it's absolutely important evidence of criminal intent and the fact that it came from the trump campaign is highly significant. >> also notable, that this elector situation is part of the january 6th investigation, part of the doj investigation and part of a separate georgia investigation all at once. george conway, do appreciate you

sticking around with us, thank you very much. >> thank you. several states holding primary races today, including california, where crime and homelessness have become major focal points. in just a few hours, polls will close there at 8:00 p.m. local time, 11:00 p.m. eastern, and it's gearing up to be a big showdown in two of the nation's major liberal cities. democratic congresswoman karen bass and former republican now democrat rick caruso, a real estate developer and billionaire, they are leading the pack. in san francisco, dissatisfaction over crime has fueled efforts to recall the district attorney. cnn's senior national correspondent key kyung lah has the details. >> i say karen, you say bass. karen -- >> bass! >> karen. >> bass! >> reporter: her name a part of d.c. politics for decades. six-term congresswoman karen bass now aims closer to home, running for los angeles mayor.

>> let's go get those voters! >> reporter: the clear front-runner when she launched, something happened along that journey. >> well, i think $40 million explains that. i mean, i actually think anybody that had $40 million would be close to me. >> reporter: she's talking about billionaire developer rick caruso. >> think nobody can clean up l.a.? meet rick caruso. >> reporter: the first-time candidate is smashing spending records by self-funding his nearly $40 million campaign, blanketing all video screens. >> 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. >> reporter: the once registered republican then independent who became a democrat just this year is running on a law and order message. caruso hones in on frustration over l.a.'s exploding homeless problem and rising crime rates. that message is resonating. >> have you vote?

ed. >> reporter: with democrats like nicole couch. >> we are fed up with the gas prices, the homelessness, every block we go on, there's homelessness. >> they're looking for a change. they're tired of excuses. they're tired of having career politicians tell them we can't do anything about it. i think everybody in this city and this country are looking for somebody to lead in the middle. and the extreme right and the extreme left is just -- it's failed us. >> reporter: voter frustration over crime is most acute in california's second-largest city, san francisco, where theft and violent crime, homelessness and open drug use in parts of the city has put the political bulls eye on the city's district attorney. >> we filed more than 10,000 new criminal cases. >> reporter: he's on the ballot in a potential recall that if successful would show one of the country's most liberal cities revolting against progressive prosecutors. anger in california's two largest cities is the political opening for caruso, who is

better known for being the builder of santa tized outdoor malls in l.a. he now appears poised to advance in california's open primary system. the top two vote getters head to the general regardless of party. but one could win outright in the primary, if either grabs more than 50% of the vote. why is a mall guy even a factor here? >> he does have a message that's tapping into the anxiety and the frustrations that voters are feeling. it's clear there's a slice of electorate that wants something different. they don't want someone in political office. they want an outsider. >> kyung lah joins us from california. what's voter turnout been like so far? >> reporter: well, if you look at what the state returns are looking like, and we're tracking them right now, it is just about 4 million people returned their ballots. if you are really good at math, i'm not, that is 18%. so, even though you are seeing people voting behind me, we're seeing more people coming in,

there's still a couple of hours left to vote here in california. that turnout is pretty abysmal. and so that's why democrats here in los angeles say it's going to be really tough for them to extrapolate exactly how the democratic base is feeling when the turnout is that low. that will have to wait until the general. and it is in the general, john, that the caruso campaign and the bass campaign believe that they will be facing off in a full match-up. >> kyung lah, no one told me there would be math. thank you so much for that report. we are four months into russia's invasion of ukraine, and with no end in sight, there is more destruction in parts of eastern ukraine as the kremlin claims they've now built a land corridor between russia and crimea. the latest from ukraine, next.ee s to be, well... more you. so thank you. we hope you like your work. ♪

your shipping manager left to “find themself.”

leaving you lost. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. visit indeed.com/hire when you need help it's great to be in sync with customer service. a team of reps who can anticipate the next step genesys technology is changing the way customer service teams anticipate what customers need. because happy customers are music to our ears. genesys, we're behind every customer smile.

and you do >> war bloody attrition new satellite images show. parts of eastern ukraine significantly destroyed after weeks of intense fighting smoke rising from. explosions and one village crater from artillery strikes. donna field just outside another this comes as russia's defenceman. this tree claims they have opened up a land bridge from

crimea to russia through occupied ukrainian territory cnn senior. international senior correspondent is in eastern for us tonight. >> at three years old, of on does not know that war rages around. doesn't get it yet his father in your. it is just, boom. try to understand that it is just a loud car passing by. ivan's mother shows where they live. neighbors who left the city of sloviansk let them move into their ground floor apartment because it is safer. the hallways are full of bottled water. there's been no running water here for weeks. and as the air raid siren blares. those who remain behind wait for food supplies at a distribution center. we are staying, my neighbor has

a well. i have dogs into cats. husband has. 64 year old touch trump. . you can. village nearby lines your theater. those very hard there she says there was a lot of shelling have the village. disappeared unlike us resolution. hot we will continental. but the everyday people gathered for buses out of sloviansk the war now into its fourth month has seen. millions flee their homes

>> some believe. some. châteauguay county's mother father. julie i didn't plan but i decided to leave because the situation is getting more and more dangerous parents will stay behind women joins me now ben >> we mention this land corridor. the crime, which is been a long term goal of the russians were. the russians saying about it now,? well. we heard john from said gay shoigu is the defensive minister of russia who says that the next necessary conditions for a full rail connections between russia and crew crimea are now in place and that's really been made possible of by the fall of the sea port city of mariupol which

sort of stood in the way of that and now and this is one of this was one of russia's main award goals when this war began on the 20 so it is a major development and given that there hold on the southeastern part of the country at this part point looks fairly firm looks like that goal may have been achieved john and william thank you as always for your reporting will be right back. . so on and a fresh batch of wireframes. and you can find her, and millions of other talented pros, right now on upwork.com ♪ ♪ ♪ (sha bop sha bop) ♪ ♪ are the stars out tonight? (sha bop sha bop) ♪ ♪ ♪ alexa, play our favorite song again.

ok. ♪ i only have eyes for you ♪ "peace of mind." such a big, beautiful idea. and for us at booking.com this means - free cancellation on most bookings. it's a bit functional. but we'll gladly be functional. so you can be free. booking.com booking.yeah

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. ♪

bipolar depression. it made me feel trapped in a fog. this is art inspired by real stories of bipolar depression. i just couldn't find my way out of it. the lows of bipolar depression can take you to a dark place. latuda could make a real difference in your symptoms. latuda was proven to significantly reduce

bipolar depression symptoms and in clinical studies, had no substantial impact on weight. this is where i want to be. call your doctor about sudden behavior changes or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants can increase these in children and young adults. elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. report fever, confusion, stiff or uncontrollable muscle movements, which may be life threatening or permanent. these aren't all the serious side effects. now i'm back where i belong. ask your doctor if latuda is right for you. pay as little as zero dollars for your first prescription. >>. . yes. >>, cnn. still another one but wait, there is more that. used to