thanks so much for joining us tonight, and this week in our 9:00 p.m. experiment, until next week, you can follow me on facebook, instagram, twitter and the tiktok. @jaketapper. our coverage continues with the magnificent laura coates and the excellent alisyn camerota. >> she's waiting for her adjective to kick in, if she's magnificent, what am i? >> excellent. >> there you go. >> excellent is great dashing jake tapper. >> simple but classic. >> we like the no tie. gives a different vibe from him. >> somebody stole all my ties. it's not a fashion choice. tie left. >> i see. i also like you're calling it an experiment. you should be in a white lab coat starting on monday. >> the waist down, i am. >> disturbing.

>> this just came a little real just now. wonderful. nice to see you, jake. >> thanks, jake. have a good weekend. everyone, we're keeping the conversation going tonight not about the lab coat and jake tapper but here we are. good evening, everyone. i am laura coates in washington, d.c. >> and i'm alisyn camerota in new york. this is "cnn tonight." we have a team here in new york with me. >> and the other team here in washington d.c. so we're going to kick it off with the herschel walker raphael warnock senate debate. it just wrapped up a little while ago in georgia. we'll talk to the panelists, but wow. have you seen some of these clips? >> yeah, i was trying to watch it while prepping. it was a very high stakes debate because it's the only one until election day and of course, all eyes on everyone knew the abortion issue would come up and how herschel walker would address it and how raphael warnock would address it.

we'll get into that right now. let's get the impressions of our panel. we the cnn economics professor. we have kathryn here along with cnn political commentator scott jennings and nina co-chair of the 2020 presidential campaign. thanks for being here. let's get to it. let's see how they talked able the issue that has been in the news all week and that is the abortion claims. watch this. >> this week you said that the accusations are, quote, all lies. for the voters watching tonight, can you explain the circumstances surrounding these claims? you have 60 seconds. >> like i said, that's a lie. i put it in a book. one thing about my life is i've been very transparent, not like the senator. he's hid things. at the same time, i said that's a lie and on abortion, i'm a christian. i believe in life. i tell people this, georgia is a state that respects life and i'll be a senator that protects life. i said that was a lie and i'm

not backing down and we have senator warnock, people that will do anything and say anything for this seat but i'm not going to back down because this seat is too important to the georgia people for me to back down right now. >> the patient's room is too narrow and small and cramped a space for a woman, her doctor, and the united states government. we are witnessing right now what happens when politicians, most of them men, pile into patient's rooms. you get what you're seeing right now. and the women of georgia -- the women of georgia deserves a senator who will stand with them. i trust women more than i trust politicians. >> i felt like senator warnock there pivoted away from herschel walker's personal story. he has four children with four different women, three of whom hays only recently acknowledged. he's not a family man according

to his son speaking out. he's an absentee father. i felt senator warnock pivoted away from diving into that. did he miss an opportunity? >> i think senator warnock is concentrating on the larger issue, which is what women of this country need. not more government in their wombs but to be able to have the ability to have choice. however, the republicans at large have a problem. is the moral issue of life, is that real for them or is it just about bossing around women? if it's real, if the moral issue is real, than republicans in georgia should vote for senator warnock to be there again. if it's the moral issue. >> but do you think senator warnock should have gone more about his personal -- >> i mean, he could have for more political points, yes, he could have but he's focused on the needs of the women of that state and his country so he stayed on his message. >> scott, i know you don't often give the democrats tips, but what you do you think of that response? >> i can start. >> let's do it. what would you have said to

senator warnock? >> there was more to the exchange, actually. i don't know if we'll play it or not. warnock got asked directly by the moderators, i thought did a good job by the way, if there were any instances or any limits he would put on abortion at all, and he really dodged it. he didn't have an answer for it. walker got asked directly his position on the policy and he said endorsed the georgia heart beat bill. he took a specific position on the bill to governor kemp popular in georgia and warnock really dodged -- i mean, it's been a central argument of his campaign to say, you know, wide open here and he kind of ran away from it. it was interesting. i thought they both -- >> i'm not hearing you giving him advice. >> my advice is own your own campaign. his campaign and record is no limits any time all the time. that's what they're running on. >> we argue about this all the time. >> yes, we do. it's true. >> walker is a hypocrite and republicans are hypocrites. >> it's his voting record. >> no, it isn't, scott.

it's about saving the mother's life. if you don't want to save the mother's life, i don't know what we're talking about. you're talking about abortion after 20 weeks. that's when it is used. >> that's not the limit in the bill. there is no limit in the bill he voted on. by the way, you shouldn't be exasperated. that's the core argument of his campaign, full blown abortion on demand. >> that's not true, scott. help. kathryn, what did you think of the clips you've seen here? >> i thought it was interesting in that warnock is clearly -- well, to some extent he's trying to make this a referendum on the issues but also about his opponent and his opponent is trying to make -- walker is trying to make the whole campaign a referendum on biden and i thought that that was an interesting juxtaposition there. you saw warnock himself distancing himself several times.

>> doing -- sorry, warnock doing what? >> distancing himself. from biden. >> given the opportunity to talk about 2024, to talk about other kinds of alliances with the president. he kind of indicated there was some coolness between them. >> yeah. >> he also talked quite a bit about his alliances with republicans. he talked about teaming up with republicans on maternal health for example with rubio. so there were a number of opportunity -- a number of instances where warnock was trying to make this about he's the bipartisan guy, you know, not specifically going after the peccadillos of his opponent but, you know, trying to make it about the policy. trying to make it about how he's not a died in the wool democrat. that was kind of interesting. >> so laura, you heard the thoughts here of our panel. what other angles would you like to bring up? >> we were actually chomping at the bit here thinking about the other things that happened, as well. there was a moment i want to play for everyone.

a moment everyone is talking about. the no experience herschel walker. we've seen before the outsider philosophy of this person can come in. listen to this exchange between warnock and herschel walker. it's when he's talking about the closing statements, if you will. >> these are difficult times. these are dark times. but the scripture says that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness overcome if not, i'm honored to represent you in the senate. i hope that you'll show up to vote early. >> for those of you concerned about voting for me, a non-politician. i want you to think about the damage politician like joe biden and raphael have done this to country. i want you to think about raphael warnock what he said today. and i said he was going to try to give you some smooth talk and tell you what's happening. what's happening is this country is hurting.

what's happening is we need leaders. >> gosh. i'm with my panel now. you guys, he makes the argument and talks about this, the idea of elliott williams here and a former obama white house senior director. cnn legal analyst elliot williams as well. i'm so excited to talk and hear your opinions. what do you make of this discussion? i mean the whole, look, i know i'm not a politician but that's a good thing. is it persuasive? >> he's trying to tie warnock to biden and yes, biden's overall numbers in georgia are polling they don't think the country is headed in a good direction but two-thirds of georgians will say they would encourage friends and family move to georgia. they think things in georgia itself is great. we're seeing a split ticket. 10% of republican voters for kemp for governor really like warnock. it almost as if they neutralized the issue on the surface and maybe now if you're able to look at the issues.

>> when you think about race issues in georgia and the conversations up until now is law enforcement in part and that was one of the ways they tried to get at herschel walker and also raphael warnock. listen to the exchange. you hear what they had to talk about. it was discussing about -- well, you'll see it. maybe a prop of some kind was used. >> you can support police officers as i've done through the cops program, through the invest to protect program while at the same time holding police officers like all professions accountable. one thing i have not done, i've never pretended to be a police officer. [ laughter ] and i've never threatened a shootout with the police. >> and now i have to respond to that. >> we are moving on, gentlemen. >> no, no, no, i have to respond to that. you know what's so funny? i am -- work with many police

officers and at the same time -- >> mr. walker. >> no, no, no. >> mr. walker, excuse me, mr. walker. >> when he say -- the truth is here. >> i need to let you know, mr. walker, you are very well aware of the ruse tonight and you have a prop. that is not allowed, sir. i ask you to put that prop away. >> this is not a prop. this is real. he said i have a problem -- >> it's considered a prop. mr. walker, excuse me sir, you're very well aware of the rules, aren't you? >> well, he -- >> aren't you aware of the rules. >> let's talk about the truth. >> thank you for putting that prop away. >> elliott, i know you were dyeing to the rules are there ain't no rules. i know there was a movie reference coming out of you. it was coming. >> no, no, no. i think there is a lot going on there. the prop thing was stupid and silly and maybe a real badge, maybe it isn't. what is striking here is you have two black men debating on a stage and frankly, to state the obvious, the next senator of

georgia will be a black man, something that walker did point to earlier in the debate is his own race and his own blackness. there is a lot of ways to be a black person in america as i think you and i can attest to and many people, viewers watching. now at the end of the day law enforcement and the experiences of black folks are an important issue to come up in a debate. i don't know if that helped move the debate forward at all. but to be clear none of this is to say race is off the table because these two black men are running. there is still black people in the south. >> what do you think? >> throughout this campaign i've seen walker do this awe shucks routine. it makes them think he's much like me. for people who don't have a plug into washington it works every single time. this badge pulling out this prop badge, just is a continuation of that routine. i saw one thing tonight that really struck me. and it's the fact that there was dodging of the questions by both men, actually. and that just was obvious to me.

walker struggled with delivery but there were moments he was able to shine and bring that reliability out. i'm not like them. i'm like you. >> that's the challenge of what happens, when walker gets those moments, he's constantly fighting his own negative narrative. a negative narrative he himself has fallen into. >> he does step on the brake a lot. >> absentee fatherhood and now how he takes care of children or not and the idea whether a badge is fake and whereas you have walker -- rather you have senator warnock able to walk around georgia for the last year and change talking about the bipartisan infrastructure investments. he's talking about real deliverers and the majority like how that is going, that favors incumbents. >> that awe shocks, i'm just a simple former heisman winner

here. >> he's a guy that runs the church that martin luther king did. >> i'm not a career politician. not noting raphael warnock has upon a politician for 19 months. somehow he's managed to maybe land with georgia voters but managed to create this narrative that man that literally was a pastor, still is a pastor and not a career politician by any stretch of the imagination but the problem in washington. it's really fascinating. maybe it works. who knows? >> alisyn camerota, the awe shucks moment of tonight, we are looking at this as the national media of cnn, is it working to say listen, they can tell you who you're supposed to vote for, why i shouldn't be the person but georgia, you tell me. is that even persuasive to you? >> i think so actually. i also thought that herschel walker did a good job of really lowering expectations before hand. i mean -- >> was that intentional, though? >> yeah, yes.

there was this moment beforehand back in september where he was asked about the debate and he said, look, i'm not that smart basically. i mean, i think i'm quoting him. he's self-described. i'm not that smart but raphael warnock is a smart guy and dresses really nice. i know he'll kick me around. that's the ultimate awe shucks where he's saying don't expect anything and then everything is going to be better, you know, than that. >> well, i mean, the lawyer in me loves to manage expectations but the voter in me, i don't know. i wrestle with whether it's intentional or whether it's that's how it started and then a great strategist said, you know what, let's lean into this more. either way, an outsider we know has been successful in all facets of the government but i wonder how much outside you can be if you run for reelection. >> good point. we'll see what happens in the next couple of weeks. everybody, stick around. we have a lot more to talk about and want to know what you think. what's your reaction to this race? that and anything else you want to say to laura and me and i mean anything.

tweet us. >> alisyn means anything. just alisyn. >> that's right. use the #cnnsoundoff @alisyncamerota and @thelauracoates. ♪ music: “everywhere” by fleetwood mac ♪ you ready? ♪ ♪ ♪ can you hear me calling ♪ ♪ out your name? ♪ ♪ you know that i've falling ♪ ♪ and i don't know what to say ♪ ♪ oh, i ♪ dude ♪ i want to be with you everywhere. ♪ from bolt to blazer, equinox to silverado, chevy evs are for everyone, everywhere. over 5 million people have fallen in love with a portable blender. blendjet 2 gives you ice-crushing, big blender power on-the-go. so you can throw in your favorite ingredients and blend up a delicious smoothie anytime, anywhere. blendjet 2 even cleans itself. just add water, a drop of soap,

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all right. tonight we have more never before seen video from january 6th. the filmmaker, alexandria pelosi, nancy pelosi's daughter, was at the capitol to document the peaceful transfer of power. that didn't happen and what she captured was her mother and vice president mike pence on a call, the two of them trying to work out how to certify the electoral vote from fort mcnair, where congressional leaders were actually sheltering in place. >> we're at fort mcnair that has facilities for the house and senate to meet as a backup plan should that need if something happens to warrant that. if we logistically want to bring the members here of the house and senate anyway but we're just making a judgment. we'd rather go to the capitol and do it there but it doesn't seem to be safe.

what do you think? have you spoke in terms of going back to the capitol, which is what we want to do, too? but mitch was talking about going back to the capitol. yeah. well, we would like to go back to the -- i -- that would be our hope, as well. the security is telling us that it's going to be awhile before the capitol will be able to do that. >> laura, it's so valuable. this video seeing it every single frame of it is so valuable for the american public to see because what that reveals to me. i was struck by that again yesterday that senator mitch mcconnell and vice president pence were determined to have them come back to the capitol that night and vote to certify

it. while nancy pelosi and chuck schumer wanted that to happen but weren't sure it was going to be able to happen. so they were looking for alternatives because they weren't sure that it would be able to be cleaned up and get even out but the more we hear from this, it was vice president and mitch mcconnell who made it happen back there. >> yeah. think about how she said it. mitch wants -- the familiarity. you don't often hear that. mitch, she's talking to mike pence. we wondered what was going on and what was transpiring. how did they get back to finalize the job. i want to turn to our panel in d.c. and ask their advice and thoughts on this. again, you guys, i mean, are you struck by the fact that, again, this is not the commander in chief doing any of this. they were so intent in making sure that the american people and dare i say the world knew this was getting done today, this was classic taking care of business. did that strike you as

unbelievable? >> you know, it's interesting. i feel like a lot of people have this gauze image of the 1980s of regan and tip o'neil and these guys that cut the back room deals and everything worked out fine and it was perfect and wonderful and it's not the case. right? a lot of that still exists today but you have these politicians needing to blast each other afterward. sadly, it took a tragedy to expose these people actually interacting like human beings and people that care for each other and so on. how we get past the ugly partisanship is really beyond me but they do work together well behind the scenes and that was evident on this day. >> to me, it's also they were poised. i mean, the human part of people would be like i'm scared, i'm freaking out, i'm running, i'm crying. this is happening. the family said let's get the job done. they were ready to serve their

country, right? they stepped up to the moment. we didn't see this on the tape but i did kind of love the moment when she pulls her mask down and she's asking vice president pence if he's okay and how is he doing and busts out a beef jerky and starts eating that. >> snapping into a slim jim. >> this is what we do. this is how moms roll. we take care of business. it also exposes the very real human nature of what was going on behind the scenes, how easy it is to have the bureaucracy or people dragging their feet, gum up and put our democracy at risk, right? the president was still thinking of potentially of maybe coming there. you have senator chuck schumer saying i'll call d.o.d. we need to make this happen. calling national guards from other states and we know based on the evidence that every one of those entities that could have helped had been dragging its feet all along. >> it's important that you said the world had its eyes on us at that moment because in a period of transition, that is when

adversaries of the united states are watching america and ready to pounce and they -- pelosi says at some point, we need to show that our government can continue and endure and so on. so it was a symbol to not just the other political party. >> more so, it was the classic show of american strength we can unify around and say our country needed to meet the moment and our leaders met it. >> some of our leaders met it. >> let's be honest, i think we saw senter thune, senator mcconnell, mccarthy absent. i didn't see him anymore. i saw steve scalise. >> whatever your politics are, nancy pelosi was the star of the show. if that's not a brilliant ad why we need to elect more women to office, i don't know what is. she was calm and cool and obvious she wanted to take care of everybody. didn't matter their party. she wanted to get the job done. it goes back to the feeling we

need each other. we need to go across the aisle. i'm a former capitol hill staffer. i know nothing gets done unless one side meets the other in the middle. >> we need to do something to make sure this doesn't happen again. they updated the electoral count act will be a proform thing. this will be acre in the hospital -- acknowledged but you can transfer without having that capitol a target again. >> there's one thing you said, though, it made me think. and i want to bring in alisyn into this, too. we were talking about this. the idea here when you've got the question of why are we just seeing this now? the idea for the reasons that it did show strength, i mean, pelosi was undeniably strong, had the resolve. mcconnell was involved. you had schumer. you saw different actors there. vice president pence. there are talking points out there and chatter will always be

around that this was a hell of an ad campaign to show what it means to have democrats in control or bipartisanship working. i wonder if that is part of what people will take away, that sort of cynical view of oh, i know why we're seeing this now. >> well, i mean, obviously they did hold it for this hearing and it was powerful. i mean, the hearing, the committee members have wanted to have some level of a bombshell each time and something new that people could take away and something that viewers would tune in for and i get that in terms of tv production and wanting to draw eyeballs. makes total sense. in terms if we seen it earlier, would it change anything? i don't know. i'm grateful we're seeing it now for all of the reasons we're talking about. it's a really important piece of history there. >> for me, i take a step back and wonder why the committee didn't use it sooner. that to me i think about in prosecuting and trying to make sure you have the case and you lead with your proverbial trump,

the more i have to show the chaos and what is happening and getting things done, the more you think about using it. i wonder what went into that calculous. i really do. >> i think we'll have an opportunity to ask some of them at some point about that. great panel. meanwhile, here is what is coming up. a jury deciding that the parkland school shooter deserves life in prison without parole. not the death penalty as you know but the families of his victims say that's not justice. we'll speak to one of the family members and to a juror who is going to explain their thinking. ? that's the moment i realized i'm ready to open my own restaurant. ♪ start your financial plan today. ♪

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a jury in florida deciding

against the death penalty for the gun wman who killed 14 students and three staff members in parkland, florida. instead the jury recommending life in prison without the possibility of parole. the mother of scott beagle, the teacher who died protecting his students and linda, it's always great to see you despite the really trying circumstances of this week. so linda, tell me why you were disappointed and what message you think this verdict sends. >> well, thank you for having me and thank you for always being with me from the very beginning. you have no idea how much that means. the verdict was -- i believe the verdict was wrong. i mean, when we heard the verdict, we were all in disbelief. i mean, you know, i find that the verdict was totally

disrespectful of the 17 people that were murdered. it seems like the jury decided that the murderer's life was way more important than the life of the 17 people that he murdered. it was just so wrong. i mean, all of the aggravating factors were checked off. every single one of them. and i believe that if the jury would have gone forward with the letter of the law and how they go through the mitigating -- the aggravating factors and they checked them all off and said yes, he did this and yes, he did this and yes, he did this. i was unanimous every single aggravating factor was checked off. there is no way in the world those mitigating factors could have outweighed the aggravating factors. >> yeah -- >> i mean, the state's attorney did such a great job and even disproved the experts from the

defense attorneys. it just boggles the mind. >> i want to ask you about the mitigating factors. there was a lengthy list of 41 different mitigating factors. i mean, everything from fatal alcohol syndrome, developmental disorders, sexually abused, neurological impairments, should those factors matter? >> yes, they should matter if they were proven. it seems like the -- it seems like the defense attorneys threw as much noodle on the wall to see what would stick. after all of those factors, the state's attorneys could disprove them and prove them wrong. at one point they asked to reread part of, you know, the record that had been made. they asked the court reporter to read back some portions. and what the court reporter read back should have proven to them

that the expert that said that fatal alcohol syndrome was, you know, one of the top reasons, our experts' testimony disproved all of it. it was just -- at one point they also asked to see the weapon, the ar-15, the weapon of war. because at one point, they said something about, you know, the tapping of his finger. well, he managed to tap the trigger of that ar-15 139 times and it didn't seem to bother him. >> linda, as i mentioned, we have one of the jurors who was a no vote on the death penalty coming up. what do you want to say to the jurors about this? >> you know, i know they had a job to do, and they did their job, and their job was unbelievable. day in and day out looking at autopsy photos, looking -- actually going to the 1200 building.

i just would love to be able to ask the juror face-to-face what it was, what -- tell me, tell me why? why did you find it that this murderer who was cold-blooded, he'd premeditated, calculated, and planned it all and wrote it out and did exactly what he wrote out, exactly the way and what he put on his cell phone and how he dictated what he was going to do and i want to make everyone suffer. he actually did everything that he planned. i would like to know why they didn't give him the death penalty. let's face it, alisyn, it's a perfect death penalty case. if this case didn't want the death penalty, then why do we have a death penalty? i want to know if their own feelings and their emotions played into this. it's not supposed to. your emotions should not be playing into, you know, the verdict. it just shouldn't. and it seems to me that -- i mean, one of the mitigating

factors, i think number one is he's a human being. really? >> yeah, that was -- i was struck by that one as well. that one -- i don't know. you know, that is its own statement but the others were complicated but i hear everything that you're saying and we'll try to get you some answers, linda. thank you for making the time and sharing your thoughts with us. it's been a really hard week for you and so many of the other family members and we're thinking of you and scott and of your entire family and linda, thanks so much for being with us. >> thank you, alisyn. thank you for always being there for me. >> so, laura, you just heard there, i think that linda has always been able to, i think, in a really straightforward direct way talk about how she's feeling and exactly what she wants and she just did. they want answers. they want to know what the reasoning was. if this was a perfect death penalty case to the victims' families and that's what they all say, what happened and went

wrong there? >> i can't help but think about the evergreen nature of this and how on the backdrop of other school shootings and the process to try to even bring a case to trial, if the shooter is even still alive. i mean, all this is going through my mind listening to her talking about my mind goes to what is going on in places like uvalde, going on to what happened in connecticut with the parents of the sandy hook victims and beyond and, you know, up next, alisyn, i'm going to speak with a member of the jury who did vote against the death penalty and i want to hear what she has to say. over 5 million people have fallen in love with a portable blender. blendjet 2 gives you ice-crushing, big blender power on-the-go. so you can throw in your favorite

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one of the parkland jurors says serving on that jury is such a horrific mass shooting case was one of the hardest experiences of her life and then after the vote to recommend life

without parole but no death penalty for the shooter, well, the atmosphere in the jury room got ugly. that juror is melody and she joins me now. melody, thank you for coming. this can't be easy. the entire process, i mean, i know as a former prosecutor, look, you don't ask to be on a jury and we ask a lot of the jurors. you've had to go visit the site that was preserved. you've been to the school. you've had to be through the trial. you've seen the pain and anguish. i want to check in with you, melody. you said it was one of the most horrific experiences of your life to even go through this trial. what has it been like emotionally for you to be in this position? >> harrowing to say the least. as i stated earlier, one of the hardest things i've ever gone through in my life. >> when you hear and we're all hearing, we just heard from one of the mothers of a victim,

there's a lot of conversation about people watching the decision that was made and at one point she mentioned and others have if this is not the phrase was a perfect death penalty case, i wonder what was the deciding factor for you as to why this particular defendant should have had life without the possibility of parole. >> first of all, you know, we were instructed that he will be punished in either way it is a punishment. also, for me, it was the combination of the mitigating factors and i was undecided up until the very end and during deliberation going through some of the other evidence and, you know, being able to sit with it and read it in its entirety, i believe that overall, the system really failed. i saw numerous documents where several professionals as well as members of the school district

recommended that he be in a residential facility since he was very young, that didn't happen. so i think it was a measure of, you know, his whole background in utero through until that day. >> i mean, there were about 41 different mitigating factors and obviously, you were instructed that, look, at the end of the day, you have to decide collectively as a part of the jury whether those mitigating factors outweighs what he has done to others. as you mention you talk about the system failing him. what was it like when you were speaking your mind in the

deliberation process? i understand things got ugly. were there particular points that stuck for the other jurors trying to persuade you to choose differently? and if so, what were those moments? >> i think it was very, you know, respectful going, you know, through the process. things really didn't get heated until after the paperwork had been turned in. and those who were very strongly felt that he should have been given the death penalty in a very small room started to chat and insinuate some things about those of us who, you know, voted for life. >> like what? what did they insinuate? >> that particularly the one juror who knew, you know, what

her thoughts were and where she stood earlier in the process, the assumption was that she, you know, she knew, you know, going into the process how she was going to vote. so assumptions like that. and it was really disheartening considering all of the months that we had been together and we had formed relationships. so it was disheartening to say the least the comments that we, you know, that were, you know, shared after, after the fact. >> you know, there was a question earlier as i mentioned, there was one of the mothers on the program and one of the questions she had and i'd like to ask you this question as difficult as it may be and just to paraphrase, it was did you bring your emotions about the

defendant into the deliberative process? did you yourself pity him in a way that made you not think of the pity that maybe should have gone to the victims? that was her concern and wondering how you balanced it. can you respond to whether your emotions took precedent over what you were instructed to do? >> i think, you know, my emotions were clearly there for the victims. there is not a day that goes by that i don't see their faces. so i don't think so. what i think failed the families is the florida law. you know, personally, should we be able to consider mitigating factors? you know, i'm not necessarily for that but we had been instructed time and time again, these are the rules. it was more emotional for myself, the other jurors and even the defense attorneys during the impact statements, yet, we could not consider all

of that in our determination and i think that when you have 12 very diverse, unique individuals on a jury and i'm no mathematician i think it's hard pressed to assume, despite the facts in the case that all 12 would ultimately go for the death penalty. their difference opinions on what punishment is. i know there's people out there who feel that the death pepalty is the easy way out. so everyone has their opinions about the case. for me and i can only speak for myself, the families and victims are, you know, have stayed with me throughout this whole time. i feel that it is florida law and to my understanding the majority ruling changed in 2016,

so had that not happened, he certainly would have gotten the death penalty and myself, i would have been okay with that. so. >> melody, thank you so much. i will tell you exactly what i told every juror in a courtroom even though we're in the court of public opinion, and it is thank you for your service. i know it was not easy. thank you. >> thank you. thank you for having me. >> alisyn, it is very difficult to wrestle with these issues. you and i have talked about so many times what that must have been like for everyone in that courtroom. >> that's what i'm struck by for every single one of these horrific shootings and for every burst of violence the ripple effects. so the victims' families are ruined and traumatized and the jurors are traumatized. i mean just the incredible fallout across the board after a moment like this. she described it as harrowing being on that jury and having to look at all the evidence. i feel for her, and that was

brave. it was brave of her to come on and of course brave of linda to come on and share her feelings, but i understand how hard and traumatizing it was for everyone there. >> and she talked about the difference of punishment. and you heard her make that comment. the death penalty is the easy way out, punishment otherwise and also the system failing. she didn't think that mitigating factors ought to be considered here, and if fact they were was required. there's a lot to unpack, alisyn. >> all right, meanwhile we want to get to this because attacks, accusations and smears. we're talking about the wisconsin senate debate. it got ugly, so ugly that senator ron johnson was booed by the audience, and that was after a softball question. so we'll show you what happened next. the food dogs where built to eat. the farmer's dog is changing the way we feed our pets. visit tryfarmersdog.com to see your dogs personalized meal plan.

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so cnn is learning tonight that the former president, barack obama, will actually go to the wisconsin state to actually stump for senate candidate barnes at the end of october, alisyn. i mean, barnes and his republican opponent, senator ron johnson they debated last night, and one of those moments, well, it really stands out. listen. >> what do you find admiral about your opponent? >> well, no seriously i do think the senator has proven to be a family man, and i think that's admirable. that's absolutely to be expected. he speaks about his family. he's done a lot to provide for them. and absolutely respect that. >> mr. johnson? >> like wise. i appreciate the fact lieutenant governor barnes had loving parents, a schoolteacher, worked through shifts. he had good upbringing. i guess what puzzles me about that is with that upbringing why

has he turned against america? >> alisyn, that's the definition of a backhanded. >> he got booed. >> yes, i thought that was interesting that the wisconsin audience did not like that answer. that wasn't something positive, senator johnson. that wasn't the question. you failed on that question. >> yeah. you did not understand the assignment. >> please resubmit for a better grade. yeah, that was not civil discourse. and i wonder -- i just wonder if it would hurt him -- if it will hurt him in wisconsin, but i don't know based on the boos, but probably not. they have bigger fish to fry i'm sure. >> they had to be prepared for that question. they probably did a bit of a focus group so maybe it was v advantageous and maybe we'll see if president obama is advantageous in wisconsin. >> tell us what you think. how would you have answered the moderator's question? we're going to rephrase it. tell us something positive about

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