tv Don Lemon Tonight CNN July 14, 2022 12:00am-1:00am PDT
12:00 am
first on cnn, sources say the former president tried to call a member of the white house support staff who was talking to the january 6th select committee. this staffer september someone who routinely spoke to trump and was concerned about the contact so informed their attorney. also tonight we're learning the committee is providing the doj with witness transcripts related to trump's fake elector plot. that is according to chairman benny thompson. this was, of course, central to the former president's plan to overturn the 2020 election. joining me now a member of the select committee. thank you, congresswoman. i appreciate you joining us. >> thank you. >> is there anything that you can add to our reporting tonight
12:01 am
on this call. why did this interaction have the committee so concerned? >> don, witness tampering is serious. it's a crime, and as ms. cheney stated during the hearing, we passed along this information to the department of justice to look into it further. we take very seriously. the safety of any witnesses, anyone who comes forward to the committee, and like wise their privacy. in this case any speculation who this person might have been and a lot of people trying to tie it together the committee may just say we want to protect this witness. but we also want to hold people accountable who have potentially broken the law. >> chairman thompson is telling cnn the doj has been asking for testimony from the committee related to trump's fake elector scheme. is there enough evidence on this one issue to lead to a criminal indictment of trump? >> well, the committee's not the one who's going to determine the criminal indictment. that would be the department of
12:02 am
justice. so, you know, as we've said through the investigation when we discover things it's my personal opinion that if we discover things that indicate criminal activity we should. we have a responsibility to share those with the department of justice. and as the chairman has indicated we certainly want to work with them to facilitate investigations they have ongoing where that is feasible at the point in our investigation. >> do you have confidence in this doj they're going to act, this department of justice will act on the information you have uncovered? >> i have confidence in the rule of law. those people who, you know, are appointed and serve in those positions to enforce the law, so, you know, as we move forward a i see this investigation. investigations like these go on in a way to protect the information as it's gathered. but it's clear this is growing in size, growing in scale. if you look at seditious conspiracy, for example, the number of people involved and
12:03 am
charged with that. i have confidence they -- >> is the capitol that noisy? what is that? >> i think maybe they're rolling something down stairs. >> okay, got it. can we go back to the person -- the staffer allegedly contacted by the former president? is the committee or is anyone doing anything to protect this person? do you think this person is in a position now where they need to be protected? is that a concern at all? >> all of the witnesses who come before us, their safety is of utmost concern to the committee. so on a case by case basis we'll evaluate that and work with the witness, work with their counsel if they have counsel. and of course we want to make sure sure, and that is why we're not identifying who this person is. we're not corroborating your reporting tonight on that person's role or their job. they need to be kept safe and we have that as a concern. >> congresswoman, your committee tried to connect the extremist
12:04 am
groups who stormed the capitol directly to trump. but there wasn't a smoking gun there. i mean, correct me if i'm wrong, is there something we can expect in the next hearing? are we missing something? >> i'll tell you when i said this when we went into the most recent hearing it's a ven diagram. you have these groups, encrypted communications between them, we had people who were from these different groups providing security to some of the people directly in the president's orbit. draw this ven diagram, how much more clearer does it need to be there was involvement and information flowing between these groups and people who had a significant influence on the president and his actions and his thoughts. i mean, we heard at length about this very heated conversation that went on in the white house. and, you know, i think all these things tied together will come into more clarity in the last
12:05 am
hearing. we'll be focusing on that 187 minutes, the time from when the president left the stage at the ellipse until he made that rose garden video. and one would think that the president is only steps away from the ability to make a statement to the nation. and during that time i look at it as a dereliction of duty. he didn't act. he did not take action to stop the violence, so we'll be going through that in a lot of detail in our upcoming hearing. >> obviously that's my next question. what new information will you present? >> stay tuned for the hearing. there will be a lot of information, a lot more clarity about the details of the things that happened that day and the people working in the white house, working around the president and even people advising him to do things, actions he was not taking based off their reasoned advice. we'll go into a lot of detail about all that. >> you said your last hearing but we're hearing there possibly could be others if it warrants. yes, no?
12:06 am
>> of course. i said last week we really want to describe the trajectory, paint a full picture in the information we gather. so in this series of hearings we planned, this is the last one we have planned right now. but of course as we continue to gather more information we'll certainly plan to present that to the public. >> thank you, congresswoman, working late into the night and others at the capitol we can see are working as well -- we can hear are working as well. appreciate it. i want to bring in former republican congressman charlie dent and doug jones. good evening. wow, much quieter where you guys are. hello. charlie, what does it say to you trump called this lower level white house staffer himself? >> well, it tells me that the former president was directly involved with trying to contact the witness, and that he from day one, he has been far too involved with this whole insurrection business. i mean, he was directly making phone calls to people, you know,
12:07 am
in georgia we saw him talk about that many times, you know, calling brad raffensperger. he was directly involved with attempts to overturn this election, and now he appears to be attempting to, you know, influence the testimony of witnesses. and, again, i don't know what the doj is going to do, but, boy, this really smells to high heaven that he is -- >> i'm glad you said that because that's a reaction from most people. we sit here and go, charlie, what do you think, and people are like, man, again with this guy. this guy, what? >> i don't -- look, i just use the basic smell test. has anybody else done this sort of thing i'd guarantee you the department of justice would be crawling up their backside, and they'd be all lawyered up and probably awaiting indictment right now. this guy i guess he's a former president and seems like he's teflon in many cases. we'll see if that lasts. >> uh-oh, doug. what was that? no?
12:08 am
>> there was no crime committed here yet. i mean, look, it does smell to high heaven. there's no question about that, and historically donald trump has always been involved in the day to day. he would reach out and do things -- but there was no contact with the witness. there was just an attempted phone call. there was no threat, no intimidation, but they did the right thing. don't get me wrong. it smells to high heaven as charlie said, and the committee did absolutely the right thing. they sent a very strong message the committee takes any type of witness tampering or attempted witness tampering very serious. they're also sending a message to the former president and others around him that you know what, you might want to think twice before you contact any witnesses because guess what? most of them have lawyers, and they're going to call the committee. >> doug -- >> hang on, number three, the third message is they're sending messages to witnesses who say if you get contacted we'll take care of you, we will protect
12:09 am
you. now you go ahead. >> no, right on all accounts. do you know how many lawsuits has been involved in? don't you think by now that he -- if anybody would know not to try to contact a potential witness it would be donald trump? any person would know that. any lir would say do not contact a witness. i mean it's -- >> and i did not say, don. i did not say it was appropriate. what i said there was no contact. >> you're right, you're right. >> there was no crime. it does smell. and again -- and the committee knows this, it's absolutely why congresswoman cheney was as forceful as she was. she is sending a message to all of those involved, not just the former president but there's other people that could be making contacts as well. she's sending a message in the committee as to a lot of people. and again it's important to remember she's sending messages to potential witnesses. let us know if there's any improper contact because we will
12:10 am
take it seriously. >> i've got to get your take as well, doug, on the doj asking for select committee testimony on trump's fake elector scheme. is this what merrick garland should be focusing on now? >> i think that that's one of many things that the department of justice is not only should be focusing on but that probably is focusing on. remember, don, we talked about this some. this testimony is very compelling, but it's also not testimony in its current form can be used in a court of law. so they're going to follow back up i believe either with a grand jury or -- and all these witnesses are lawyered up. so they've got to go through their lawyers. that's the doj protocols, that's the ethical guidelines. so they're going to be following up with all of this. i think it's a very serious charge about the fake electors, and it's very widespread, and they're going to be following up on it for sure in my view. >> so, charlie, when the hearings began we heard about how trump allies were going to
12:11 am
be holding press conferences, defending him daily. that has not happened, and we're told trump is not happy about that. are republicans quietly shifting away from donald trump? >> the facts are very bad for president -- former president trump. they're terrible facts and who's going to want to go out there and defend, you know, him attempting to call witnesses? or who wants to go out there and try to discredit cassidy hutchinson who very courageously testified and laid forth some very compelling facts and corroborated a lot of what we -- who wants to go out there and put their name to that? i think any member who wants to go out there and defend that kind of action is going to take a big hit on their own credibility. and i've said along president trump is a diminishing public figure but he's diminishing even more because of what we're learning and there's no one on that committee defending him, obviously. so i don't think any member is going to make any headway trying
12:12 am
to defend donald trump right now. >> and supporters like, you know, the oath keepers and the proud boys or whatever, and the shop owners of african american women harassed by trump supporters after they did what they did. so you're right, who wants to come out and criticize those folks? thank you, appreciate it. so the threat is not over, the threat to our democracy. and one of the biggest dangers may be from violent extremists inflamed by political leaders. what we've learned from january 6th and what it will take to keep it from happening again. old used most by dermatologists? it's neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair® smooths the look of fine lines in 1-week, deep wrinkles in 4. so you can kiss wrinkles goodbye! neutrogena® i'm jonathan lawson here to tell you about life insurance through the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85, and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three ps.
12:13 am
what are the three ps? the three ps of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54, what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65 and take medications. what's my price? also $9.95 a month. i just turned 80, what's my price? $9.95 a month for you too. if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the #1 most popular whole life insurance plan available through the colonial penn program. it has an affordable rate starting at $9.95 a month. no medical exam, no health questions. your acceptance is guaranteed. and this plan has a guaranteed lifetime rate lock so your rate can never go up for any reason. so call now for free information
12:14 am
12:17 am
pay attention to this next segment because this is -- as long as i've been doing this for years and years and years, this is probably one of the oddest -- you'll see why. one of the most surreal moments i should say, i think. the january 6th committee not just showing the danger of our democracy -- our democracy was in on january 6th but also the danger that continues in the future. when former oath keeper spokesman you see here right on your screen on the right warning the committee that the threat is not over. and he joins me now. he's the author of the propaganda oath keepers and the perils of extremist. ruth is here as well. she's advised the january 6th committee on political violence. a professor of history at nyu. thank you both for joining. the reason it's so surreal,
12:18 am
jason is i never thought i'd be sitting here with a member of the oath keepers or proud boys or whatever and talk about this. here's some of your testimony. >> i do fear for this next election cycle because who knows what that might bring. if a president that's willing to try to instill and -- and encourage to whip up a civil war amongst his followers using lies and deceit and snake oil and regardless of the human impact, what else is he going to do if he gets elected again? all bets are off at that point. >> i thought your testimony was very -- i thought you were very effective. who was that message intended for? >> i mean, i think it's intended for all of us. i think that we really need to take serious what's happening. i think that we're in a very
12:19 am
perilous time. i know that i worry a lot for the world that my daughters and my granddaughter are going to inherit. and you know if speaking out and trying to warn what the potentials are, past what we saw on january 6th then i'm going to do that. >> you know the question people have. what took you so long? >> well, i've actually been doing it behind the scenes for many years, for several years, anyway. helping some journalists. i didn't do it on the record because i didn't want my name associated anymore. i wanted to walk away from it, but i would point out -- kind of give the scoop to the stories, kind of talk through the players are with different journalists. >> so you think there were people there -- obviously you said your words, right, correct me if i'm wrong, cult-like, right? >> yeah, it does become very
12:20 am
cult-like. >> do you feel you were brainwashed? >> i certainly was swept up. you know, i left around 2016 and kind of right as they were getting to the point where they were courting people like richard spencer and, you know, the rise of the alt-right. and it just got more and more extreme with each one of these standoffs that it just wasn't something i could abide, and, you know, it was something that was financially difficult for me to break away from because we were living in poverty. but it just came to a point where i had to -- i couldn't do it. >> ruth, i'm sure this rings true to you. this is what you studied and talked about. the committee laid out how trump reacted to these calls to standby and the tweet on the 6th it would be wild. what's to stop future political leaders from inflaming violent extremists? >> well, for one thing we cannot
12:21 am
overestimate the impact of these hearings. and, you know, if we were -- many countries in the world wouldn't be able to have these hearings. and i think awareness of just how dangerous our times are and how methodically and systematically donald trump cultivated extremists for five years. and, you know, it wasn't really that he signaled to establish extremists like the oath keepers and proud boys, but he used his rallies. i have a long list of the rallies where he had ordinary followers coming, and he radicalized them by telling them that violence could have a positive value or offering to pay their legal fees if they beat up protesters and they got into trouble. so this was like the genie out of the bottle of this idea that violence could be therapeutic for the country. and we see what happened on january 6th. >> jason is shaking his head in agreement with you.
12:22 am
why, jason? >> well, this is something we've seen, too. he was a licensed attorney. he lost his licensesure because he'd abandoned different clients. oftentimes he was always boasting he was a yale educated attorney, and he would take care of people when they got in trouble. but when it came to rubber on the road he just goes to them. so it's really these people who get swept up and don't know any better. they're falling victim to these social media echo chambers. and when they go off and do stupid things because they're encouraged to, because it's just a kind of frenzy, they're the ones who pay the price. their families pay the price. these leaders never pay the price. they really haven't been held to account yet, and that's also scary. >> what do you think of that, ruth? is he right? >> i think -- yeah, i think that one of the benefits of the
12:23 am
hearings is to put awareness on how radicalized the gop has become because january 6th happened because of radicalization already. but it wasn't itself highly -- it was like an accelerant. it was like a recruiting place. and i think awareness is our watch word to make sure that we can do things to prevent this from festering further. i don't think a lot of people know that on the local and state level there's a lot of intermingling and fusion between extremists and the gop. and i really see the gop as an extremist entity now. it's not just oath keepers or proud boys can become the militia wing or military wing of the party. the party itself is morphing into an extremist force. going forward that's what i'm really worried about. >> do you agree with that, jason? >> i do. i think we're seeing it in
12:24 am
idaho, in the pacific northwest where candidates that have close ties are outright encouraged to run. matt shay and others really have a world view i don't want to live in. >> so what's the fix? >> the fix is us. like, we've got to have these conversations. we've got to be talking about this. we've got to stop mincing words. we've got to -- you know, we've all had these conversations on our couches with our family about how crazy things have gotten, but we've got to figure it out. we can't stop. >> you said we've got to stop mincing words. that means at home but also members of the news media because people want to believe that the gop is not as bad as you guys are saying that it is or it's not morphing into what ruth says or what you're saying, but it's true. >> it is that bad. i mean, it is. it's already that bad. look at what happened. january 6th, perfect -- there were gallows setup for one of
12:25 am
their own. i don't understand how it gets worse than that other than we got lucky because there was incompetence at play. my worry is, you know, what's going to happen when one of these leaders comes up that isn't as incompetent as stewart rhodes, willing to lead the charge instead of step back to where that legal line is and tow it when he's not arrested. what's going to happen to real leadership in that community when they're leading the charge? and every time we see these events happen and there's not accountability it emboldens these groups and that's why we see this ratcheting up from the bundy ranch to the capitol. we started from trying to kick off a bloody revelation right on the steps of the capitol. >> thank you, jason. thank you, ruth. i appreciate it. we should continue to have this conversation. please come back. i appreciate what you did. family members of uvalde
12:26 am
12:27 am
in one second, sara. yes! will get a job offer somewhere sunnier. relocating in weeks. weeks? yeah, weeks. gotta sell the house. don't worry, sell to opendoor, and move on your schedule. yes! when life's doors open, we'll handle the house. ♪ ♪ backyard movie night has never been this epic. thanks to the epson epiqvision mini projector. super bright, jaw- dropping hd picture up 150 inches. wi-fi, yamaha audio and android tv are built-in. just power up and let the movie magic happen.
12:28 am
funny movies are even funnier. [ everyone laughs ] musicals are "musicaler." ♪ ♪ tear-jerkers, "tear-jerkier." toughen up you cry baby. ok. and the mini is portable and versatile. you can even take it inside and stream your favorite tv shows. i prefer the outside, thank you. or just chill in the back for the best movie night ever. the epson epiqvision mini. visit buyepiqvision.com to get this exclusive tv offer. - [narrator] as you get ready for what's next, custom gear from custom ink can help make the most of these moments. we've developed new tools to make it easy for you. custom ink has hundreds of products to help you feel connected. upload your logo or start your design today at customink.com
12:30 am
outrage over the leak of the disturbing hallway surveillance video from the may 24th uvalde school massacre where 19 children and two teachers were killed. the austin american statesman is defending their decision to release the video. and even though many of the families of victims in the massacre felt they should have seen it before the public, many are wondering why it took so long for them to see it in the
12:31 am
first place. the video -- the video's leak follows weeks of questions about the police response to the shooting. joining me now former atf senior executive scott. thank you. appreciate you joining us this evening. the release of this video enraged families because they didn't see it first. i want you to listen to a mother. >> these were our babies, our babies that were taken from us. so to the person that leaked it, screw you. screw you, and that's coming from me, fulelicia martinez, fr all of us. screw you. >> listen, it really captures what this whole investigation has been like for the families, no transparency, no answers, no respect for what they're going through. >> yeah, it does. it's one of the most disturbing
12:32 am
videos i've seen in my 30-year career. and i feel for the victims. everybody's suffering in this, and they're going to be suffering for a long, long time, unfortunately. >> you point to this moment from the video three minutes after the shooter entered the school as a key moment in law enforcement's response. what do you see here? >> well, they made an attempt to do an entry. these are the first arriving officers. they had multiple long guns with them. they all had hand gups as well, so they outnumbered him, and they had superior firepower. and unfortunately, when they took fire on contact, they -- they fled. and that, i think, really set the tone for what followed for the next 70-plus minutes. >> 19 minutes after the shooter entered the school we see officers here with tactical shields, long guns. you said that they outnumbered
12:33 am
him, they had the equipment. so what should have happened at that point? >> don, i think one of the things that's going to come out of this, obviously, is that incident command completely and utterly failed. the officers that were there certainly would have been willing. they had the training. they had the firepower, but for whatever reason they did not feel that they had the ability to go in. i've heard that there was talk about command confusion, but that's really going to be a pale excuse when you have all these kids being shot and they knew this was happening and for some reason did not go in. >> scott, thank you. i appreciate you joining us and your perspective. th thanks so much. >> thank you. during the former 2020 election president obama sending
12:34 am
12:37 am
meet leon the third... leon the second... and leon the first of them all. three generations, who all bank differently with chase. leon's saving up for his first set of wheels. nice try. really? [sfx: bike bell] this leon's paying for his paint job on the spot. and this leon, as a chase private client,
12:38 am
he's in the south of france, taking out cash with no atm fees. that's because this family of leons has chase. actually, it's león. ooh la la! one bank for now. for later. for life. chase. make more of what's yours. tonight we're learning about an e-mail sent by the former president barack obama reprimanding his former white house physician ronny jackson who was also the personal doctor for george w. bush and donald trump. obama wrote the e-mail during the 2020 campaign between donald trump and joe biden scolding
12:39 am
jackson for criticism of biden's cognitive health. here's the e-mail. you always serve me and my family well and i have considered you not only a fine doctor and service member but also a friend. that's why i have to express my disappointment at the cheap shot you took at joe biden via twitter. it was unprofessional and beneath the office that you once held. it was also disrespectful to me and the many friends you had in our administration. you were the personal physician to the president of the united states as well as an admiral in the u.s. navy. i expect better, and i hope upon reflection that you will expect more of yourself in the future. now, obama acted after jackson retweeted a video of biden along with this message. remember the cognitive test i gave donald trump, the one he aced? sounds like somebody else might need some testing done, scary. let's discuss now.
12:40 am
cnn medical analyst dr. jonathan riner is here and david swerdlick, senior staff editor at new york times opinion. david, there's a lot of trolling in politics. why do you think obama felt the need to respond? >> i think he was trying to do the right thing, but i think, don, in this case president obama miscalculated for two reasons. one reason is that no matter his intentions it comes across as if he's saying please don't pick on my friend. president biden -- then-vice president biden can defend himself. he defended himself by winning that election. now that this letter is out it kind of makes him a little bit weaker than obama was interceding on his behalf. and president obama again despite his intentions got away from what made him so successful in politics. when he was running for president they called him everything but a child of god. what did he do? brush his shoulder off.
12:41 am
he didn't give a sermon, just put on the flag pin, never came off. and i think in that way he got away from what helped him win two decisive presidential victories. but on the merits he's obviously right. congressman jackson, that tweet was grimy. he was pandering to try to win an election. >> and he also gave them a selling point for his book, right? >> exactly. he's going to dean out on this letter for the rest of his career. >> yeah. don't give him oxygen. why do you think president obama reached out to him via e-mail and said something about a doctor-patient relationship possibly? >> well, he was betrayed -- i think the former president felt betrayed. ronny jackson did something that is almost unheard of amongst white house physicians, and i've had the honor of knowing several. look, when you are the physician for the president of the united
12:42 am
states you're entrusted with the president's life. and the president puts his trust in you. and you also become part of the administration. i think the former president felt betrayed. mr. jackson has shown himself to be an opportunist. he favored obama so he could be promoted to admiral. he then gave that famous press conference during the trump administration in 2018 when he basically called the former president obama basically an adonis who can live to 200. that got him nominated to -- that got him nominated to become va secretary. and then -- and then in 2020, you know, he attacked mr. biden, which basically got the former president trump to support his
12:43 am
candidacy for congress. so he's shown himself willing to basically do what he has to do to achieve his goal regardless of what the ethics are. and i think former president obama was deeply offended by it. >> this is played out -- this all played out in february of 2020. there were plenty of democrats still on the field to become the democratic nominee for president. was this about ronny jackson doing a solid for his latest patient, donald trump? that's for you, david. >> yeah, no, i think it was just like dr. reiner said. he knew president trump and a lot of people they share in their political base like this sort of owning the libs style. >> he's an opportunist as reine
12:44 am
preiner just said. >> i don't want to dip into your lane, doctor, but correct me if i'm wrong i don't think physicians are even supposed to have the appearance of diagnosing someone from afar on anything like their cognition. it's just -- it's not appropriate for a doctor to do. add on that he was the white house physician when biden was vice president. >> you want to respond to that, doctor? >> well, that's absolutely right. i think he mischaracterized himself as having some sort of inside knowledge about then-vice president biden when, in fact, i don't think he ever examined mr. biden when he was in office. and even more recently he's characterized himself that way with former vice president cheney when he basically asserted that he was the physician caring for the former vice president but still felt the need to speak out against liz cheney.
12:45 am
so he has shown himself willing to say basically anything. look, this past november he called omicron a -- basically a democratic, you know, mid-term election trick. so he is showing himself willing, basically, to throw away any ethic that he might have had when he was a physician in order to achieve some sort of a political goal. >> yeah, well, look this has been the era of the opportunist and the grifter, and there are a lot of them out there. thank you very much. >> thanks, don. the mid-terms are looming and the balance of power in the senate could come down to the race in pennsylvania. speaking of what i just said so -- where are the candidates? exercise minut . es. because proven quality sleep is vital to our health and wellness, only the sleep number 360 smart bed keeps you cool, then senses and effortlessly adjusts for your best sleep. and tells you exactly how well you slept, with your sleepiq score. our smart sleepers get 28 minutes more restful sleep per night.
12:46 am
so, you can be your best for yourself and those you care about most. and now, save 40% on the sleep number 360 special edition smart bed queen now only $1,499. only for a limited time. in two seconds, this family will realize... they're going to need a yard. we got to sell the house. or skip the hassles and sell directly to opendoor. baxter no! yup. when life's doors open, we'll handle the house. buried in receipts, invoices and other paperwork that's preventing you from doing what
12:47 am
matters most? then get the all new epson rapidreceipt smart organizer to scan, digitize and organize your documents and receipts. paper goes in and stress goes away. it's the only solution on the market specifically designed to extract and digitize key data trapped on receipts and invoices. and it integrates with financial software like quickbooks and turbotax. transform paper documents like contracts, tax records, warranties, wills, even recipes, into searchable pdfs. so the information is always right at your fingertips, safe and secure. with this exclusive tv offer, you'll get over $300 in added value, including a robust time saving software bundle. plus get free shipping and a money back guarantee. act now and save up to $100 for a limited time. people everywhere love the epson rapidreceipt smart organizer. when tax time rolls around, my clients need me to be ready. this smart organizer allows me to digitize my clients tax documents, invoices and financial records. there's even a mobile rapidreceipt you can use when
12:48 am
you're on the go. it's like a secret superpower. i use it to digitize receipts for my expense reports at my home office and on-site. and back at the main office i use the desktop scanner for large closing documents and client contracts. they go straight to pdfs, so i can get signatures and share digitally. oh, it's wonderful! i can organize important paperwork and even save my kids artwork. so it's safe and secure, easy to share with the whole family. ready mom? yeah, let's go! with this exclusive tv offer, you'll get over $300 in add value. including a robust timesaving software bundle, plus get free shipping and a money back guarantee. act now and save up to $100 for a limited time. go online or call to get an epson rapidreceipt smart organizer delivered right to your door. epson rapidreceipt, visit buyrapidreceipt.com or call. piece of cake baby!
12:49 am
♪ is this where your grandparents cut a rug, with a jitterbug? or returned from war, dreaming of the possibilities ahead. ♪ where your dad waited for his dad to come home from the factory. is this where they gathered on their front steps, with fats domino on the breeze... ancestry can guide you to family discoveries in the 1950 census. see what you can uncover at ancestry.
12:50 am
it is one of the most hotly contested races in the mid-terms, and it could determine who controls the senate. i'm talking about pennsylvania. that's where a democratic nominee john fetterman is going head to head with his republican challenger dr. mehmet oz. but fetterman is still recovering after a major health scare before the primaries, and oz is facing questions about spending his time in new jersey and not capitalizing on the absence of his opponent. >> reporter: a race with mehmet oz that could determine the balance of power in the senate. fetterman is still slowly emerging from a near deadly setback, a stroke and heart condition that sent him to the hospital on may 13th. four days later he swept to an easy democratic primary victory. >> john is going to be back on his feet in no time.
12:51 am
>> reporter: but ever since he's been side lined and fighting to recover. a surprise visit with democratic volunteers last weekend seen here in this edited campaign video showed both the promise of his return and the serious steps still ahead in his rehabilitation. >> we will be back out on the trail soon. we're almost at 100% so -- >> reporter: his speech is halting, yet stronger aides say than a month ago. >> nearly towards the end of my life. and it's totally changed my life since then. >> reporter: his surprise appearance at the pittsburgh campaign office brought a smile and sense of relief to janice gladin, who was sitting only a few feet away during fetterman's brief stop. >> it's great to see him. he looked so vibrant, like he really came through all those
12:52 am
difficult health problems. >> reporter: have you been wondering how he's doing? >> yes, i have. yes, i have. >> reporter: some republicans worry whether he's taking proper advantage of fetterman's absence. his tv ads have gone dark since winning a hard fought primary in may leaving the air waves to his democratic rival. from afar fetterman is badgering oz for recently moving to pennsylvania after living in new jersey for more than three decades. flying a welcome home banner over the jersey shore. >> i'm here to speak truth to power. >> reporter: he also blasted oz for filming a video from his new jersey mansion, an assertion oz did not deny. republicans, meanwhile, are deploying a missing persons poster of fetterman, also arguing he's too extreme for pennsylvania. the last time fetterman appeared at a campaign event was may 12th. his wife told us she noticed something was seriously wrong the next morning. >> came back to the car, was talking to me and for one second his mouth moved in an unnatural
12:53 am
way. immediately that second i rushed him to the hospital. >> reporter: he left the hospital nine days later with a defibr defibrillator implanted in his chest. a democratic state representative running for congress says she often sees fetterman out walking as he continues to recover. >> obviously the sooner we can get him back on the trail, the better. but if we can get him back ready to go for the long haul after labor day, i think he's going to be in good shape and i think we're going to be better for that patience. >> reporter: and it was exactly two months ago tonight, don, that fetterman was hospitalized, and really no one knew his prognosis at the time. they said he would be out soon. of course since then we've learned so much more about his recovery. yet there are so many questions remaining, and one of them is when he'll return to the campaign trail. his aides said he's growing in strength. he said that himself when he dropped by that campaign office on saturday.
12:54 am
but there are so many questions. yet at the same time dr. oz has not been campaigning here to fill that void all that much over the last two months. so, don, less than four months before the election day one of the most important closest senate races in the country is filled with many questions on both sides. >> fetterman is running a really unconventional campaign while recovering. he's known for his straight talk and he's even mocking oz with online memes. is that resonating with voters there? >> well, look, he definitely is out of sight but not out of mind. he's been tweeting nearly constantly or his staff has usually several times a day going after oz in particular but also going after issues of the day. here's just one example. take a look at this message he sent out earlier today. obviously given the news of inflation of importance to every voter we spoke to here in pennsylvania this is what fetterman said. he said inflation hit another 40-year high, working families
12:55 am
are paying more almost everywhere. things are way too expensive. so of course he's trying to push back on the fact it's his party in power. he of course running as a democrat who would preserve that democratic majority in the senate should he win and others win as well. so he is trying to make himself certainly front and center in the campaign and push back against his own party as well. but, don, the open question hanging over all of this race is when will he be able to come back to the campaign? will he be able to debate in an engaging way with oz? one other date on the calender here is august 15th. that is the date he can withdraw and another placed on the ballot as a candidate. his aides say that's not going to happen but that's one last hurdle before the race in the fall. >> you'll be watching and reporting. thank you for reporting that. and thank you for watching, everyone. our coverage continues. its non-habit forming and powered by the makers of nyquil.
12:56 am
12:58 am
through the endless reasons to stop... through the challenges, the hurt, the doubt, the pain. no matter what, we go on. biofreeze. with xfinity internet, you get advanced security that helps protect you at home and on the go. you feel so safe, it's as if... i don't know... evander holyfield has your back.
12:59 am
i wouldn't click on that. hey, thanks! we got a muffin for ed! all right! you don't need those calories. can we at least split it? nope. advanced security that helps protect your devices in and out of the home. i mean, can i have a bite? only from xfinity. nah. unbeatable internet. made to do anything so you can do anything.
1:00 am
hello and a warm welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm becky anderson joining you live from jetta in saudi arabia where we are following president biden's trip to the middle east. >> and i'm christina macfarlane in for max foster here in london. just ahead on "cnn newsroom" -- >> president trump tried to call a witness in our investigation. >> we're told that
66 Views
Uploaded by TV Archive on