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tv   Anderson Cooper 360  CNN  December 2, 2022 9:00pm-10:01pm PST

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early voting ended tonight in georgia senate runoff. according to one georgia election official it set a record for the day which is no surprise. a lot is riding on republican herschel walker's challenge to senator raphael warnock including the former president reputation, he practically hand- picked walker to run. also at stake, democratic control of committees which raphael warnock committee victory would ensure .
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beyond that, there's the question of what kind of person the people of georgia want representing them. herschel walker is a low show local and national sports hero and also the target of numerous allegations during the campaign about his personal life and his character. late today at a fundraiser in boston, president biden weight in saying walker is a different breed from republicans he dealt with in the senate and then added that he doesn't deserve to be in the race, something the former president obama also mockingly suggested campaigning for senator warnock last night in atlanta. >> mr. walker has been talking about issues that are of great importance of the people of georgia, like whether it's better to be a vampire or a werewolf. this is a debate that i must confess i once had myself. when i was seven. and then i grew up.
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as far as i'm concerned, he can be anything he wants to be, except a united states senator. since the last time i was here, apparently he also claimed that he used to let me beat him at basketball, but then he admitted that we've never actually met. so i guess this was more of an imaginary well-being that i laid on him. >> much of the rest of his message to democrats is the same as walker circuits have been sending hit to his surrogates namely get out and vote. voters seem to be taking the message to heart. >> reporter: on the final day of early voting, long lines did not deter georgians from going to the polls.
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>> this runoff is so important. >> there is a sense of accomplishment to come in and get it done early. >> reporter: just four days until tuesday's runoff, and neither candidate is letting up. >> we can't rest on our laurels. it's way too early to do a happy dance. >> reporter: new cnn polling shows democratic incumbent raphael warnock holds a slim lead over republican challenger herschel walker. among likely runoff voters, 52 percent say they plan to support warnock, 48 percent said they plan to vote for walker. both candidates enjoyed overwhelming support from their respective parties, but independence break in favor of warnock, 61 percent to 36 percent, but make up a relatively small slice of likely voters. turnout has been strong during the early voting period, but the overall turnout still lags behind the georgia senate
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runoff's in january 2021, with this year's runoff having fewer days of early voting under the states new voting law. both candidates making their closing arguments to voters with walker continuing to tie warnock to president joe biden. >> he went to georgia and said he would represent georgia but who is he representing? >> reporter: and raphael warnock urging voters to keep pushing, not taking the early vote totals for granted and maintaining the races about competence and character. >> the early voter turnout appears to be high, there's important context to help understand the numbers. >> reporter: there sure is, we have seen record-breaking daily turnout during this early vote period, but we are also trending behind the overall 2021 runoff election, so both
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of these things can be true, and that is likely due to the compressed voting schedule. in the runoff two years ago, there was nine weeks of voting and right now we only have four weeks and this is of deep frustration to the voting rights community here. there are less mandatory days of early voting in this state this time around. i spoke to one woman online this week here in atlanta and she told me that yes she was excited to vote, paying attention to the selection, but the last time around she felt as though it was easier to vote in the last runoff. >> two perspectives and how the race is shaping up. . it's good to see you. when you look at turnout so far, what is the take away for
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you? >> i'm looking really closely at where the turnout is. if you look at how herschel walker did against governor kemp, in the counties that were atlanta south, he rammed about two percent behind governor kemp but in the counties that are north georgia counties which is where about 60 percent of the republicans live in georgia, he ran 4 to 6 points behind governor kemp, so what i'm looking closely at is what the turnout is like in those very red counties in georgia. >> last night, van jones called this a decision between the pride of a community and the shame of a community and i'm wondering if you see it that way? >> i do wholeheartedly and i think a lot of people are missing this tone and tenor and i think a lot of people probably do not understand culturally the impact of what it means for herschel walker to be elected. black folk are upset 100 percent
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that republicans nominated someone who represents every stereotype and every prejudice and bias that individuals have against us. you think about this in the totality of it and you put them up against raphael warnock who is a pastor from literally is literally ebenezer baptist church which is doctor king's church and you look at him being articulate and the fact that he, herschel walker, cannot have a conversation with you with any depth about policy and you look at the abuse allegations and the totality of it and he's a caricature of what many people believe african-american males to be so there is a great deal of shame and how that translates into the ground i will tell you, that there is a large amount of energy of individuals and usually this is not the democratic playbook. usually democrats are not someone who come out and simply say we are going to vote against that individual, but we are voting against, in large numbers, herschel walker. >> i want to take a look at the new polling from today showing
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georgia independence break in raphael warnock's favor 61 to 36 percent but make up a relatively small slice of likely voters at 17 percent and there's also a big age gap in the upcoming contest. those 65 or older in walker's favor, is there anything in the new polling that stands out to you as an advantage for walker? >> even with all the money that's been spent it's still pretty much in the margin of error and i think it will depend upon turnout, but i think one of the worst moments in the campaign for senator raphael warnock is that he did a series of ads where he used the worst pictures of herschel walker. i run for office before and i know that the standard practice, but it was a sweaty picture of herschel walker with the mouthpiece in looking like those stereotypes, and it was a paid for raphael warnock add. there was a series of them, so while i don't disagree
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completely with what he said, i will disagree that the raphael warnock campaign has played into that also and they have played up that stereotype and i think there's going to be a lot of soul-searching that will have to happen after this campaign. >> we saw former president obama in georgia last night, how many voters you think are still persuadable? is it more just about getting excitement for people to go out and vote? >> we are beyond persuading voters, i think everybody would agree with that, we are about getting voters to the polls. i'm someone who does not believe necessarily that george is a purple state. i don't think george is a purple state, i think that was indicative by the amount that brian kemp won by in his general election campaign and i think georgia is a common sense state and i think common sense voters, democrats, republicans,
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independents, voters in brookhaven which is a suburb of atlanta, those kind of suburban voters are going to determine the selection and nobody in their right mind is voting for herschel walker. i didn't see those ads, i don't live here, you can comment on those ads that may or may not be provocative, i don't know if raphael warnock did that, but i will take that, but i will will tell you that even more importantly, people see what type of candidates both of them are, and you can put your hand on the bible and said that raphael warnock is a better candidate than herschel walker as there's been no greater discrepancy in the talent and value of wanting or belonging. >> do you think some of the people who will vote for walker are necessarily voting for him because they think he's the greatest guy or think he is a
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of upstanding moral character, but they just want a republican in that seat and they want to vote republican? >> i think the choice is, do you want someone that will vote with resident biden 96 percent of the time would you want someone that will vote like a republican? the thing that herschel walker has to do and what he's going to do is you will see him a lot with the governor over these last few days, you will see him looking in that direction because he is the most popular republican in georgia, so i think that's what the choice is going to be, if herschel walker wants to win, but this is going to be a close race, and you are right, georgia is not a purple state yet, because so many republicans stayed home in the 2021 election, about 430,000 that you can vote but your vote may not count as a message from former president trumps so those republicans stayed home. we are going to see what happens, but it was a good night on november 8 for
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republicans in georgia and we will have to learn how to close the gap on tuesday. >> what you think it means for the former president if walker does not win? >> i don't know, i will leave that to others to describe. i think georgia republicans are probably the only group of individuals who have adequately repudiated everything that donald trump stands for from government camp to the secretary of state, they have all come on national tv or to their campaign said that the election was not stolen and also acknowledged that that is a low bar, but they've cleared that low bar for democracy. herschel walker is who he is, let's not sugarcoat this. this will still be a close race which i think is a travesty and a tragedy, i am not sure that
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anybody who comes on your show, be them democratic, or republican, with a straight face can tell you that herschel walker should be in the united states senate. if you want to disagree with some of their values of who are the principals, conservative versus progressive of who raphael warnock is, so be it. herschel walker does not deserve anyone's vote in the united states senate. >> it's good to have you both on, thank you. now to an election where there's no polling, where it all could come unglued for the front runner with a handful of votes going the other way, this is house minority leader kevin mccarthy's existence right now, he wants to desperately be the next house speaker in the new republican-controlled house but because his new majority is so slim he's got to keep as many hardlines as possible from voting no as some have already vowed to do so he's also got to keep moderates on board and not end up a hostage to extreme supporters of the former president if he actually gets the job but also not alienate
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them completely which might explain some of his recent verbal contortions such as condemning the former president's dinner with anti- semites without condemning the host by name. >> i don't think anybody should be spending any time with nick fontes, he has no place in this republican party and i think president trump came out four times and condemned him and didn't know who he was. >> the former president has never condemned to that person, let alone four times, in any event, his zigzagging is not new. here he is after the january 6 attack on congress. >> the president bears responsibility for wednesday's attack on congress my mom writers. he should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding. these facts require immediate action by president trumpet >> and just days after the insurrection he was back at mar- a-lago garnering favor with his supporters.
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so, as of tonight, how does mccarthy's path to the speakership, how does it look like he will get there? >> it's really uncertain at this point. this is precisely the concern that mccarthy and his allies had in the run-up to the midterms. they spent a ton of money to try to build what they called a governing majority, they wanted 230 seats, 235 seats or even 240 seats and i got probably 222 seats and that means to become elected speaker you need to have 218 votes on january 3 so more than four republicans voted against him or vote for another candidate, that means he will have a problem and right now there are about five republicans who are signaling they will either be a hard know or they are likely to vote against him meaning that mccarthy has a math problem. talking to some of those hardliners they tell me there's more than five, there could be 20 and there even larger numbers and some like congressman bob goode of virginia said he is urging more
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to come out publicly and make clear that mccarthy does not have the votes and at that point he says there will be another candidate who will emerge. >> there are quality candidates who represent the conservative center of the republican conference who are privately acknowledging that once it becomes clear it's not going to be kevin mccarthy they are becoming interested in becoming speaker but they will not raise their hand until it's clear to them that it's not going to be mccarthy. >> are you one of these private no votes that he's not coming up publicly to say so? >> the whole point is to have a conversation now. i'm not talking about how i'm going to vote or not, what i'm talking about is my constituents sent me here to end the status quo. >> that last congressman is what gives mccarthy and his allies some hope.
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mccarthy did get a boost from more mainstream republicans earlier today, a letter was sent from 21 republicans warning about dire consequences of a messy floor fight on the 1st day of the new congress saying, make no mistake, we will not allow this conference to be dragged down a path to a paralyzed house that weakens our hard-fought geordie majority. >> is there anyone who can make a run at the speakership if he doesn't get those votes? >> that is also unclear. we have learned that republicans in this group have reached out to some of the course mccarthy's on top deputies. they asked all of them to jump into this race, we were told all of them said no, that they are backing mccarthy. the hope among these mccarthy detractors is once it is abundantly clear that he cannot become elected speaker, somebody else could jump into the race, perhaps one of those
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three at the moment they are not signaling they will do that, but this is such a rare scenario that we are talking about, if he can't get 218 votes, then we will go to a second ballot voting and third ballot voting and even beyond. it's been 100 years, 1923 was the last time there had been more than one ballot to elect a house speaker and it's possible that could happen again. >> thank you. up next, the latest on the house january 6 committee and the question that now the special counsel has been appointed to handle possible charges against the former president, will the committee recommend any of its own? later live report from hawaii with two volcanoes erupting. so aaron's folks could help hook him up with a new ride. we'll drive you happy at carvana. why do so many businesses use stamps.com? they save time by printing discounted stamps and shipping labels right from their computers get a 4-week trial plus postage and a digital scale go to stamps.com/tv and get started today
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both men following up on prior testimony during which they declined to answer certain questions citing the former president's claims of executive and attorney-client privilege. in the meantime the house january 6 committee met today among some of the other items left to decide whether referred to criminal charges against former president or others to the department of justice. do we know anything about his appearance before the grand jury today? >> what's clear by the fact that they are returning is what prosecutors want is more information about conversations that these two men had with former president trump directly and advice they gave him. officer we don't know exactly what they told the grand jury, those proceedings are secret but we know these are people who were in close proximity to donald trump in the final days of the aftermath when he lost the presidency and we know pets a baloney pushed back on a number of efforts trump was making to try to overturn the election and we know they both pushed back when donald trump
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talked about replacing the attorney general was someone who was open to pursuing these bogus claims of election fraud so obviously they have a lot of information and front row insights that prosecutors want as they delved into efforts to subvert this peaceful transition of power. >> the house anyway six committee is expected to wrap up the investigation so what is left to finalize? >> they know it's crunch time and they have a lot left to finalize. they have two.the capitalize and cross the tease in there talking about how they have to get this off to the printer but they have not done this yet. they need to make a decision on criminal referrals. they feel like this could send a powerful signal about their work. they still have not made final decisions about criminal referrals and they say they hope to announce those in the coming days and they also have to decide what they want to do about people who snubbed the committee subpoenas. didn't want to refer them to the ethics committee or hold them in contempt of congress or
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do nothing is republicans are going to take control in january. they have a couple more weeks to make these decisions and you can tell in every conversation with them that they know that they are going down to the wire. how much more jeopardy in your opinion could the former president be and now that these men have appeared before the federal grand jury? is there anything that would change in their willingness to talk about things they hadn't been willing to talk about before because of presidential privilege? >> i think what they were doing is waiting for a judge to order them to speak. they had a commitment that they could've decided they were not going to honor that. the attorney-client they don't throw off as easily so what the
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grand jury got was a lot of first-hand information about what they had told the president and the president's reaction to all the things sarah nicely summarized and that's a lot of information that the grand jury did not have, so this, to me, would increase mr. trumps jeopardy considerably pit >> so just to be clear you think because the judge ruled in this and sent it back to testify, that they would say things that for instance they would not say to the january 6 committee because of executive privilege? >> absolutely. that nails it. >> on the mar-a-lago documents case were you surprised at the ruling? >> i was not surprised. to some degree trump has been able, his lawyers have been able to play out this string and because you are journalists and you want to give due to what they were filing, they were filing documents which to anybody who knew anything made no sense. the notion any criminal
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defendant after a search can go into court and say stop the presses, i want to look at the documents, give me back the documents and i want to see whether you ceased things that you shouldn't have seized, the notion that any, action let me change that, anybody who's house was searched before they were indicted has rights to control the investigation is absurd. there certainly attorney-client privileges, law firms get special masters, that no one had ever been treated this way and if the former president says he's treated worse because he's a former president, it's actually the reverse. these arguments were considered in dignified and the 11th circuit finally said as the district court judge should have said, this is absurd. >> i understand you've given consideration to where charges might ultimately be brought against the former president. there's palm beach or in dc where he removed the documents.
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>> that's going to be a complicated question and i don't think we have the fax to answer it. on the surface it was clearly illegal retention of national defense information and documents that didn't belong to him after he left the presidency. that retention that takes place in mar-a-lago but the taking of the documents started in dc, but arguably started when he was still president, and had a right to these documents. the testimony of pat's a baloney and others might help understand whether there was a conspiracy to illegally retain the documents that began in the district of columbia. if that is so, then the charges can be brought in the district of columbia which one thing we know for certain by the way is even if the charges were brought in palm beach, i don't think judge cannon would be
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sitting on this case. with the 11th circuit slapped down essentially saying you had no jurisdiction to do what you are doing, i think should foreclose her sitting on this case in the future pit >> who would decide something like that though? >> if the venue issue is something that the department of justice has to decide, what were the acts committed? >> but who decides if it does go to florida, who would make the decision while the judge who made this inappropriate ruling before should get the case? >> what happens is a goes into the draw, essentially a lottery and if she wound up getting the case again they would certainly be motions to disqualify her and the chief judge of the circuit could weigh in and say you should be disqualified, unlike the supreme court i have to say, there are ethics rules that apply to the district court and are actually enforced. >> with january 6 committee, there's the question of whether
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they will submit something to the department of justice about prosecution, they don't need to, it's not like the doj is waiting around for a referral from the january 6 committee, do you think your final report will focus on the former president himself as opposed to the totality of the events of that day? >> i think that is the case. certainly they were rumbling that the staff was unhappy about the focus of the final report, but on this issue of referral, there's probably a good consensus that they will make referral and the reason i think that's the case is because they got overwhelming evidence and it will be more than donald trump, it will be other players that we've heard less about that they will make those referrals. justice doesn't have to, they can ignore that information, but what it does is that affects the public perception of the case and i think that could put a wind behind the
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sale of the department if they make referrals. >> the flipside of that, do you think the department of justice wants to get a criminal referral in terms of the optics? could it give a whiff of politics is something that merrick garland is trying to keep a political? >> on the one hand it could give a whiff of politics but on the other hand, the january 6 report if it's anything like the live testimony, will tell a much more complete narrative than the department of justice is able to tell in the confines of a formal indictment. they can say much more and they can tell the story as they really have, in the way journalist tell the story. the legal proceedings are much more structured and much more formal so on the one hand that story may be one department of justice wants to see out there that yes, it does give a whiff of politics but frankly at this point, that's unavoidable.
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coming up, alex jones declaring personal bankruptcy, what does it mean for the families of victims owed more than $1 million after two successful defamation suits, will he ever pay the money he owes? . happy holidays from lexus. ♪ for people living with h-i-v, keep being you. and ask your doctor about biktarvy. biktarvy is a complete, one-pill, once-a-day treatment used for h-i-v in certain adults. it's not a cure, but with one small pill, biktarvy fights h-i-v to help you get to and stay undetectable. that's when the amount of virus is so low it cannot be measured by a lab test. research shows people who take h-i-v treatment every day and get to and stay undetectable can no longer transmit h-i-v through sex. serious side effects can occur, including kidney problems and kidney failure. rare, life-threatening side effects include a buildup of lactic acid and liver problems.
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personal bankruptcy today in the filing could potentially delay the nearly $1.5 billion award to families over his false claims over the sandy hook massacre. later this month will mark 10 years since the mass shooting that killed 26 people including 20 children. is about how long these family members have been waiting to hold him to account. he was spinning lies about the shooting being a false flag attack and he eventually attacked families as crisis actors, ridiculing them and lying about them. in october after the billion- dollar verdict was announced, i spoke with some sandy hook parents and the daughter of the principal who was murdered, who told us these verdicts were important because they send a strong message, not just to jones but for anyone who has a sick aspiration to be like him.
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also joining us is a former assistant u.s. attorney. i know you've looked through jones's bankruptcy filing so what stood out to you? >> what he said in his assets section of today's filing will surely be challenged by the family is, he said he has assets of between one and $10 million. the families maintain that he has much more than that and in fact that he has siphoned $60 million out of the business possibly into the coffers of family and himself. that's what they allege and they will definitely be questioning what the filing was today and trying to find that money. >> is filing for bankruptcy, can he it these assets? >> he is trying but i don't think it's going to succeed and
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it might even backfire. a person cannot just declare bankruptcy and have all of his debts miraculously vanish. bankruptcy can discharge essentially get rid of certain types of debts but not these debts, not when you are talking about a judgment with these trial verdicts that involves an intentional wrong. this complicates the task for the families so now i have to basically get online with other creditors and other people who are owed money and what alex jones is trying to do is shrink the amount of money that's available to them, he's taking money and moving it all over and he's trying to create these ridiculous debts that elizabeth reports on where he essentially owes himself and his parents $50 million in order to jump that line ahead of the parents but what i think this will result in is the parents and their lawyers have every incentive to track down this money and make sure he pays. >> during the first defamation
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trial in texas there was a forensic economist who testified that jones had moved around a lot of his money, how much do you know about that, how much of their lawyers learned about that? >> he has claimed that he is indebted to the tune of $54 million to an llc that is controlled by himself and his parents, so in a way it's a kind of shell game. he's worth between 130 and $270 million according to that forensic economist. >> he's worth what? 200 what? >> between 130 and $270 million, so for him to say he has assets of between of one and $10 million is something that would be absolutely challenged by the families and their lawyers. he earns revenues of up to $70 million a year, so it's a lot of money that we are talking about and he's trying to make
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it look like a little bit. the families challenge, even the notion that he is bankrupt, because of these debts to essentially himself and the money he's been moving out of the company into things like real estate and related ventures, and things that the families and really nobody at this moment fully understand. >> it's extraordinary that this guy who plays this tough guy on his broadcast and acts like he's this big, tough guy with security guards dressed identically and i guess they plan the wardrobes the night before, is hiding behind his parents. he's hiding behind that he's loaned money to his parents. >> it's preposterous. it doesn't measure up with the bombast that he's known for and this motivates and it should motivate the parents to track lawyers in investing and pit
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>> it cost a lot of money to track them down. >> it does and that's why you hear higher lawyers and investigators to try to find this money. he is a double-edged sword because on the one hand it can protect you from certain debts but it also exposes you to real scrutiny, there will be a judge involved or maybe a trustee involved, so if this gets into actual bankruptcy proceedings the parents will have an opportunity to question alex jones, he has to answer these questions under oath and if he lies, if he commits fraud, prosecutors can get involved where the department of justice has prosecutors who specialize in bankruptcy fraud and that's why long-term this could be dangerous for him. >> almost 10 years since sandy hook i wonder what your thoughts are especially as these parents have been on this nightmare quest for truth while they are grieving. >> as upset with you
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previously, this is a significant secondary trauma that they have suffered. for four years, they have been fighting with alex jones, but for years before that, they've been trying to bat back against people who not only, the worst day of their lives but people who deny that it actually happened. this has taught them nothing if not patients and fortitude and i think that's what we are going to see as they go forward and they use and hope the bankruptcy courts do their jobs in shedding light, using this filing today and the previous filings for jones's company, to try to expose where these assets are, what they actually are, and to point out where he is gaming the system. >> thank you so much. still to come, the first comments from china about the company's zero covid policy and the disturbing example of how extreme that policy can be. we also go live to hawaii near the lava flow and we will bring you there live with those
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meeting in china, the first known comments were given on the recent protest, a source says officials believe china's president said the protests were mainly students frustrated at three years of covid. the official also said china could ease its strict policy that was important to point out there has been no official word this could happen or what that might look like. harsh measures are still very much in force. >> reporter: the video is extreme and troubling, a man dragged off to quarantine by police officers. he tries to resist the hazmat authorities as they force him off the couch. the man apparently trying to avoid being sent to one of the quarantine facilities set up around the country for covid cases and close contacts, many of them run down, dirty, and unsanitary. it's not the first time
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authorities and covid enforcers have been caught on camera taking extreme and sometimes violent measures, but this time, local authorities apologized and said it suspended those responsible. the incident only one in a series of extraordinary videos still emerging from china. residents destroyed covid testing booths, police in riot gear immediately swore man. years of pent-up anger over china's zirconium covid lockdowns boiled over into unprecedented protests across the country. some even chanted for the leader to step down. authorities are cracking down on protesters, but it appears they have heard their demands and for the first time, a clear shift in tone. china's top official in charge of the countries covid response said the country is now facing a new situation regarding the pandemic. in recent days, some major cities across china have easter rules around covid.
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in beijing, public transportation will no longer reject passengers without a negative covid test result taken within the last 48 hours. and authorities adjusted quarantine measures and scrapped a districtwide mass testing plan. the changes have been praised by the world health organization. >> we are pleased to learn that the chinese authorities are adjusting their current strategies. >> reporter: despite the change in rhetoric, the chinese government has still not said if it will transition away from zero covid. many in china are still sealed in and people's daily lives are still dictated by a web of covid restrictions. >> is there any indication at this point that this easing of restrictions is real and that it will continue or could this just be a temporary effort to appease protesters? >> it appears to be real because protesters voices have reached the very top.
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we don't know the exact language she used, but this is a big deal on several levels, for one, authorities have been censoring the protests at home and here you have the supreme leaders apparently acknowledging that they happened. after years of demonizing covid, this is a clear shift. with that being said, anderson our lives here are still very restrictive. i still need a reason covid test into most public areas. we are still track, forced to scan our health codes and still be threat of lockdowns and quarantine. the reality is, health experts say, china cannot just walk away from zero covid. because, instead of focusing on boosting vaccinations of the country's health infrastructure, china me for the last few years, has poured all of its resources into enforcing zero covid.
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>> appreciate it. coming up, in hawaii, the mauna loa volcano continues gushing out lava and crowds with the unpredictable path of what is concerning officials the most to me next. with diet and exercise, and nothing worked. there was just kinda this stubborn area on my stomach. but coolsculpting worked for me! coolsculpting targets, freezes and eliminates treated fat for good. no needles, no incisions. discuss coolsculpting with your provider. some common side effects include temporary numbness, discomfort and swelling. you've come this far... coolsculpting takes you further. visit coolsculpting.com
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tonight, the world's biggest active volcano is becoming hawaii's newest
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tourist attraction. the lava spewing out of the mauna loa is about three miles away from the main road, connecting the east and west coast of the island. it looks fast moving in some images, but belowground me down below, it is low enough where authorities can give at least 24 hours notice if that highway is in danger, for instance. no immediate threat to people, they authorities. the state health department warns of the fog, the volcanic version of smog. officials are urging people to watch this latest spectacle from a safe distance. that is what david colbert has been doing. he is with us from the foothills of mauna loa. david , how are things looking from there? met >> hey there, anderson. a little tough to see, because we are starting to see some rainy weather move-in, but that will give a whole another view as the sun goes down and the lava glow comes up. you can see a little bit further out there, that is where this eruption is at its most active point.
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that is fisher three. it is moving at an active and stable pace. as you pointed out, really slowly. still has brought folks want to see this. it has become a tourist attraction out here. this has been one of the side roadways turned into a one-way lane so people can park on the side and take in the sights. they have been doing that at all hours, but primarily at night and this is the reason why, take a look. the nighttime glow of mauna loa's oozing lava, well you have to pull over to admire it properly. >> it is basically in the middle of the night and you guys are out here, why? >> this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be able to experience this and we decided to come early in the morning that we would not have to sit in the traffic. big not having hopped from oahu to here, the big island, this family came to respectfully honor the hawaiian eruptions. >> it is beautiful. we pay huge reverence to this. it is a culture advocates as well. it is a big deal. >> a site made even more alluring with the site of the
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sunrise. officials turning this stretch into a one-way street, lowers passersby to a chance to stop and let the view seep in. that keeps drivers from pulling over and stopping on this, what is one of the main highways connecting one part of the island to the other. usgs and state officials warn the lava flow, while slowed in recent days, is inching closer to cutting off this highway. it is within three miles now. the other worry, not here on the ground, but up in the air. what looked like plumes of smoke, experts say, those are acid gases. officials monitoring the levels warning, it could be toxic for residents and visitors of the big island. mauna loa is the second of the island 's volcanoes currently erupting. this one destroyed more than six homes in 2018. >> this is very significant. my wife made leaves and we gave it as an offering. you come as respect. >> many hawaiians see the
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potential path of destruction as a simultaneous creation surfacing from this, the world's largest active volcano. >> so incredible. we mentioned the lava flow is less than three miles away from possibly cutting off this major highway. do officials expect that is going to happen? >> yeah, too.7 miles from where we are standing, at the edge there, he follows occupies the side road, anderson. you can see where the officer has actually pulled a car over for stopping in a face up to $8000 fine -- $1000 for parking on that highway. that is where they are concerned that this lava could end up if he continues at the pace. they do think, though, it is still a week out from doing that, if it happens at all. as we pointed out, they could get up to potentially two days notice. i feel confident it will not be in imminent danger, however, it is something they are watching. you cannot forecast these lava flows. they will go whatever direction they want and turn overnight. coming up, perspective on this year's final ballot for
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the u.s. senate. why he thinks one of these two campaigns is more interesting now, even with thinnest control already decided, that is next. you got me the head up display. wow! the massaging seat. okay, okay, what next? alexa, turn on holiday lights. this year, give the gift of technology in every buick syouv. it's the holidays. get 3.99% apr and no monthly payments for 90 days on these buick suv models. ( ♪ ) (snorting) (clattering) (frustrated grunt) i need some sleep. (groaning) (growling) (silence) (sigh, chuckle) if you struggle with cpap, you should check out inspire. inspire. sleep apnea innovation.