tv Erin Burnett Out Front CNN May 15, 2023 4:00pm-5:00pm PDT
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and began removing content and links pertaining to it. cnn has also reached out to the shooter's parents for comments on the lawsuit, as well as to the gun store, the weapons manufacturer, and the body armor supplier. we have not heard back from any of them. the shooter's parents have not been criminally charged in relation to the shooting, and they have condemned their son's actions. wolf? >> we'll of course stay on top of this story for our viewers. brian todd, thank you very much. and to our viewers, thanks very much for watching. i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." "erin burnett outfront" starts "erin burnett outfront" starts right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com "outfront" next, putin's military suffering its worst day in 50 years as cnn has exclusive new reporting about the lengths the cia is going to right now to recruit russian spies. plus, four years and at least 6.5 million taxpayer
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dollars later, john durham issues his report. was it everything trump promised it would be? and a florida teacher under investigation for playing a disney movie that happens to include a gay character. chasten buttigieg, the former teacher and husband of pete buttigieg, is my guest tonight. let's go "outfront." and good evening, i'm erin burnett. "outfront" tonight, russia's worst day of the war, in fact, it was the worst day for putin and his prized air force in more than 50 years. so here's what happened. ukraine's antiaircraft missiles systems took four down four of putin's fighter jets and helicopters. it reportedly does not appear that the crew of the four aircraft had time to eject. now, the worst day in more than 50 years for putin's air force, ukraine has stopped short for taking responsibility of the attack, only saying tonight that the aircraft ran into some
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trouble. now, these attacks could be a precursor to the counteroffensive. just today two, more strikes in luhansk, one was inside a barbershop, appeared to be targeted taking out a tie with a member with links to top officials in russia. it has been until now a safe zone for russians so this is a game changer in that record. and in bakhmut, meanwhile to the west, new video into "outfront" tonight of the intense shelling going on there. and you can hear it. many of these firing, likely wagner fighters. according to "the washington post," yevgeny prigozhin, the boss, made ukraine a jaw-dropping offer. according to the leaked classified u.s. intelligence documents, prigozhin offered to hand over putin's troop positions if ukrainian commanders withdrew their soldiers from bakhmut. that would then have allowed prigozhin to declare victory and
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get the credit. now, that did not happen, but it is a stunning thing to give over the location of russian troops so that russians could be killed en masse by ukrainians. prigozhin's denying discussions like that took place. ukraine's president played coy, telling "the washington post," quote, this is a matter of intelligence, do you want me tried for treason? zelenskyy obviously not denying it there. but it comes as something else happened, which is strange. the man you're looking at is the belarusian president alexander lukashenko. he's laking a very public showing today, trying to squash rumors that his health is failing. this image, which was released, is only raising more questions. he is the top ally for putin, fell ill after visiting moscow. this appears to be a bandage of his left hand. he looked frail last week, unable to make the short walk with putin to a memorial of the unknown soldier. matthew chance is "outfront" live in london.
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ukraine edging closer to that long-awaited counteroffensive tonight, already it appears dealing the worst day to putin's air force not just of this war but in more than 50 years. >> yeah. and if ukraine's got anything to do with it, there will be more very bad days for putin in the weeks and the months ahead. that ukrainian counteroffensive is not quite underway yet, but it is poised to take place. when it does, it will be with the help of western training, for its armies, and of course western weapons. on that, president volodymyr zelenskyy of ukraine has been on a european tour for the past week, and his officials are tonight calling it a huge success because they've got billions of dollars of military aid from germany and more advanced weaponry from britain and from france. the war in ukraine may be at a turning point with ukrainian forces reporting daily advances in the city of bakhmut.
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with russian positions there apparently crumbling. >> translator: now the extraordinary allegation carried in "the washington post" that this man yevgeny prigozhin, the russian wagner mercenary leader, offered ukraine intelligence on russian military positions if kyiv withdrew its troops from bakhmut where wagner has been fighting. prigozhin has vehemently denied it, releasing an audio statement, accusing comrades in moscow of trying to discredit him. even ukraine has dismissed any talk with its bitter enemy. a ukrainian official telling cnn that if prigozhin had been back-channelling without the knowledge of the kremlin, he would not be alive today. ♪ but these are fraught times for friends of the kremlin.
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one of its backers, alexander lukashenko of neighboring belarus, here at the victory day parade in moscow last week, is rumored to have been taken ill, later appearing looking uneasy at a wreath-laying ceremony at his capital minsk. an official told cnn he is, quote, absolutely fine. and now new video said to be of lukashenko at work as usual inspecting air defenses, but rumors abound about the health of this aging kremlin-backed leader. meanwhile, a ukrainian official is calling president zelenskyy's european tour a huge success. this the latest leg with the british prime minister at his country residence where attack drones and air defense systems were pledged. >> i look forward to us discussing what more we can do to support you and your country.
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>> thank you very much. you supported already a lot for us. >> reporter: with british cruise missiles already delivered to ukraine, britain is now at the forefront of providing long-range weapons. there was no promise of game-changing f-16 fighter jets from any european power. still, a ukrainian official tells cnn that, in time, ukraine will get the planes, the tanks, and the long-range weapons it needs to win this war. erin, that is contingent on western support for ukraine, including its continued provision of arms holding up particularly from the united states. because even with the latest european contribution to the ukrainian war effort, it is still the u.s. that's the biggest most important military backer for the country. >> matthew, thank you very much. i want to go now to retired lieutenant general ben hodges, the former commanding general of the u.s. army europe.
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general hodges, i want to start with this worst day for the russian air force really since 1970, more than 50 years certainly of this war four russian aircraft downed over russian territory this weekend. what impact does this have, general? >> well, to lose four aircraft in one day would certainly send shock waves through the aviation community of the russian federation forces, just like it would anybody. i'm interested in how this happened. it seems that ukraine may have been able to infiltrate capabilities in there still not entirely confirmed how it happened. but if they're able to do that, that would really demonstrate a level of sophistication that will worry the russians. but it's important that russia not be allowed to have sanctuary, the launch strikes that murder innocent ukrainian people. and so the ukrainians are going to continue to take action with this. >> and obviously to emphasize on russian territory where this happened.
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ambassador sullivan, putin's most loyal ally, you heard matthew reporting on the belarusian president, lukashenko. he said belarusian air defense units were placed on high alert after the downing of those russian aircraft. he is there every step of the way for putin. belarus' role as ally is crucial. and he is the dek dictator there. there has been such speculation about his health. two photos, he appears to have a bandage on his left wrist. it appears he fell ill in moscow. if he was no longer in power, what would that do to putin, ambassador? >> that's a big problem for putin. lukashenko, president lukashenko has ruled belarusian with a hard authoritarian hand for almost 30 years. he was a vital supporter of putin's war against ukraine. he is the one foreign leader that putin meets with more than anyone else. i think he's met with him something like 14 times since
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the war started. so, he is his most important ally. >> most important ally, but he had to leave that meeting in moscow, it appeared, to take ill there. and he is putin's closest ally. i'm curious, general, because you seem to think that the downfall of lukashenko could actually give putin something that he wants, possibly an excuse to end the war in ukraine? >> well, i see it as an opportunity if he's looking around for an excuse to get out of this war that he is losing terribly in ukraine. he could -- i mean, the kremlin is pretty good at manufacturing fairytales to explain what it is they're doing. and, so, in order to justify why they might have to avoid getting crushed in ukraine to actually withdraw, you could almost envision a scenario where saving belarus would be the excuse that he needs. of course, i don't know that. what i would really hope would happen is that the people of
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belarus would see the opportunity to finally throw off the yoke of kremlin suppression as well as from their own president. >> there are opposition leaders in belarus. one of them is serving a 17-year president sentence, it is a mirror image of russia in so many ways. ambassador, i want to ask you about that intelligence leak regarding yevgeny prigozhin. "the washington post" is saying that in the leaked information from that young man in massachusetts that prigozhin back-channelled ukraine, offered information about russian troop positions so that the ukrainians could kill them and that he could then take over bakhmut. that would be the exchange, and get the credit for it. true or not, let's just start with how is this news impacting putin, possibly? >> well, it certainly, i think, would shake leaders' confidence in this criminal that they've
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b put in charge. prigozhin isn't a military leader, and the wagner group is a trans national criminal organization so designated by the united states. this isn't a military and military leadership. this is a criminal gang. and to the extent that putin has relied on people like this, he's paying the price now with prigozhin possibly doing this and, at a minimum, saying things like the russian minister of defense and the chief of the general say that their traitors and cowards. >> general, when you look at the state of the war right now on the ground, you come on the heels of zelenskyy, you just heard him there thanking the british prime minister for the support, and you're getting those shadow cruise missiles from the uk that give them more distance. you're getting extremely significant aid both from the uk and germany. do you think that the tide is going to change here or not? >> i think we're looking at the beginning of a major momentum
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shift. this didn't happen by accident. president zelenskyy and ukrainian general staff and frankly all 50 nations that support ukraine have been working very hard for the last few months. but it really was the ukrainian forces that have managed to put together a large armored formation that's been training and preparing while other ukrainian forces held bakhmut and allowed russian forces to bleed themself there. and when you put that against all the other good news that's been happening, you do have the sense that we could be very close to ukraine achieving catastrophic success. i think this counteroffensive, number one, are the ukrainians ready, number two, have they degraded the russians enough, and then, number three, is the ground ready? when those three conditions are set, i think he will turn to his president and say we're ready to go. >> the ground that is not so soft from the melting.
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thank you both very much. next, new reporting on the cia's new strategy to recruit russian spies. we have the exclusive recruitment videos and it is a story you'll see first "outfront." plus, after four years and millions of taxpayer dollars, the durham report about the fbi's russia investigation is out. so, was it anything trump promised it would be? and then two staffers who worked for democratic congressman gerry connolly now in the hospital. they were attacked by a man with a metal baseball bat at work who came into their office. congressman connolly, tonight, is responding. 0 we don't have to worry. eh, not worried. take control of yourur financial future to empower what's next. relapsing ms isn't t the only thing i have going on. that's why my doctor and i chose kesimpta. kesimpta is different. it's the only b-cell treatnt for rms i can take at home once a month. kesimpta was proven superior at reducing the rate of relapse active lesions
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new tonight, the trump administration's hand-picked special counsel concluding after a four-year investigation, four-year investigation that the fbi should never have launched a full-blown investigation into connections between trump's campaign and russia during the 2016 election. full investigation being the operative words. special counsel john durham did not recommend any official changes to fbi policy. he only proposed a new bipartisan fbi position on, quote, politically sensitive investigations. now, just to be clear, over these past four years, the durham probe cost taxpayers at least $6.5 million. what has out of it is one minor conviction. former fbi lawyer kevin kleinsmith. the other two cases that durham took to trial ended in acquittals. i want to begin with our senior
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justice correspondent evan perez "outfront." evan, tell us about the report, the size, the length, the scope and what you learned from it. >> reporter: well, 300 pages from john durham after four years really summarizes what he thinks that the fbi should never have really gone the extra step of opening a full investigation. he says there was plenty of reason for them to do a preliminary or even an assessment, which is much lower-level investigation by the fbi. but he says that the fbi repeatedly ignored exculpatory information that maybe would've explained a lot of the suspicions they had about trump and members of his campaign. i'll read you just a part of what he says here. he says, based on the review of cross-fire hurricane and related intelligence activities, we conclupd that the department of the fbi failed to unhold their important mission of strict fidelity to the law in connection with certain events and activities described in this
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report. the bottom line is that john durham was looking for what he thought and certainly what people in the trump administration believed was a conspiracy by the deep state to go after the former president. what he finds is really, you know, confirmation bias, not political bias. a bunch of people, especially some of the counterintelligence officials who were predisposed, he says, to suspect things about trump and were, you know, did not look at some of the exculpatory evidence that may have answered some of their questions. as you pointed out, after all of this, he did not find any additional new crimes to prosecute and didn't really find any changes he thinks the fbi needs to make at this point. erin? >> all right, evan, thank you very much, giving the key headlines here. ryan goodman our legal expert joins me now. as you heard evan say the conclusion, no further crimes,
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and no recommendations. 300 pages. you've had a chance to go through it. how would you sum up? >> it's a bit of a dud in the sense that mr. durham was supposed to be looking for violations of law or crimes, and he has found none, in the sense that he did try to bring two charges, they ended in very embarrassing acquittals, and then he brought the one charge that resulted in a small plea deal. there are no criminal referrals. he's not saying there's something else out there, he's done. he doesn't really find confirmation bias, in his view. i think others would very much disagree with that. the idea that they found additional information that should have taken them off of the path of the investigation and that they were still confirming in their minds that they still had something towards collusion or conspiracy and didn't take into account the cou countervailing evidence. >> trump has said in an
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interview with fox digital it would be, quote, the crime of the century. he said this is such a big event, nobody's seen anything like it. he's referring to this 300-page report. he's never missed a chance to pump this investigation. here he is another time. >> this was an attempted overthrow, and a lot of people were in on it, and they got caught red-handed. i look forward to the durham report, which is coming out in the not-too-distant future. it's got its own information, which is this information, plus, plus, plus. >> information, plus, plus, plus, attempted overthrow, crime of the century. did you see any of that? >> he definitely, mr. durham did not find any of that. point-blank, i have to imagine that those who are looking for it have to be very disappointed in what the report found, but it's good for the country in the sense that this wasn't a politicized investigation. >> i mentioned 295 pages, it was
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not that, but it was 300 pages. on page 295, when you see durham say, yes, there should've been an investigation launched, even with his, point of view, he does reach that conclusion. but it's a different type of an investigation. >> that's right. so the inspector general actually testified about this back in 2019, i think it was. but it's years ago in which he said, look, i did determine as the inspector general that they could have opened a full investigation, there is no political bias. it is true that john durham has strangely spoken out about an ongoing investigation that he has and says that he doesn't agree with me. but he does agree that this could have been a preliminary investigation, which is just a policy difference internal to the fbi's to how much authority they're given. but the inspector general, that authority comes with a lot for law enforcement. so the difference is quite semantic at a very basic level. even durham is saying they had enough to open -- >> and that's what i think is very crucial. one can discuss, okay, how much
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power should you have an investigation. but amidst all of this, the fundamental conclusion, as you're saying it is, he still felt that there was enough to launch some sort of an investigation. >> absolutely. it would be an incorrect headline to think they could not open an investigation. just one step below a full investigation. >> i think it's important in this context, it matters so much. thank you so much for sharing. next, a story you'll see first "outfront." the cia's new strategy to recruit russian spies. why the u.s. believes these videos will really work right now. plus, martha stewart making history as "sports illustrated's" newest swimsuit cover model.
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questions being asked in russian in a new dramatic video reby the cia, by appealing to russians' patriotism and the oppression they face under the putin regime. the war in ukraine has created an unprecedented opportunity that they want to capitalize on to recruit new russian assets. >> disaffection with the war will continue to gnaw away at the russian leadership beseethe the steady diet and practiced repression. >> reporter: in the past year of the war, the cia has been encouraging russians with valuable information to contact them quietly, securely, and anonymously through a portal on the dark web. >> we're looking around the world for russians who are as disgusted as we are because we're open for business. >> reporter: instructions have
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been posted on the cia's social media accounts. and this new video after making an emotional pitch to russian viewers, details how to do that using the dark web browser called tour. you're not powerless, it says, contact us in a safe way. the cia recruitment video was first posted monday evening on telegram, the social media app that is highly popular among russians who can't easily access unfiltered news or other social media sites. >> i call that hanging out the shingle and spreading the word far and wide that u.s. counterintelligence is open for business and we have deep pockets, and if you want to strike back against this man you hate, vladimir putin, you have an opportunity now to do it safely. >> reporter: cia officials told cnn they hope the video will resonate beyond intelligence and security officials with people who may not realize that they have sensitive information to share working for example, in cyber, tech, finance, and other fields. they may think contacting the
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cia is too difficult or too dangerous, the cia telling cnn they want to demystify that. >> we need people to cooperate with us familiar with the russian economy. >> reporter: there is no direct mention of putin or ukraine, nor cia, officials insist, is it meant to fuel unrest in russia. rather, they tell cnn, these are timeless themes that they hope will drive russians into the arms of the cia. [ speaking non-english ] ♪ >> reporter: in terms of what the cia has already seen in their efforts to recruit new russian spies during this war, they say they have been successful. one cia official told me, in his words, there is contact coming in. now, erin, they won't give any numbers or say where these russians work, but the cia says
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they wouldn't be rolling out this new video if they hadn't already had some success. the fbi has tried recruiting russian spies right here in washington with ads specifically targeted at people coming and going from the russian embassy. an effort that the embassy called ridiculous. >> alex, thank you very much. it is important in that context just to note to everybody, there are a lot of russians who are coming and going out of the united states. that is still the reality. "outfront" now, a russian foreign affairs expert and the president and ceo of the center for european policy analysis. as you hear these recruitment videos, which, just to be clear, going out on telegram, is alex's reporting, that is a place where russians spend a lot of time, that is the social media, the predominant social media in russia. so, what do you hear when you hear these videos and the appeal that they're making to retain your dignity, to take care of your family? >> i mean, hearing the russian
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languages being spoken in these videos just now i think is absolutely brilliant, honestly. there are so many russians that we will never ever hear from who are disappointed with the future they see ahead of them, which is a very, very bleak future under president putin and we'll never hear about them talk publicly because people in russia are deeply afraid of the kind of punishment that might come with saying anything in public. this is a country that will throw you in jail for holding up a white sheet of paper with no words on this. i think this is absolutely brilliant ploy by the cia to see if we can get some informants, average people, to cooperate with the united states. >> you heard what alex is reporting. he's saying the cia knows that they're doing this, and they are having contacts already coming in. do you think, to this point about the risks, that the russians you're speaking to are inside russia who may see this,
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that this dark web browser, that going to tor, that this is something that people -- enough people, i guess, would take a risk on? >> look, it's very hard to strike the right tone. the kind of message that we just heard in the segment is not going to appeal to everyone. some people are going to laugh it off. but, presumably, they get things out of cooperating with the intelligence services here. they might get some payments. they might get security. these are things that russians, many russians are really craving right now. so there is a certain appeal there. is it going to reach a large number of people? we don't know. but i think the cia is probably counting on the fact that even if it reaches a few dozen who take the necessary steps and who feel comfortable doing that, that's already a win. >> and one further question. alex was talking about the fbi trying to recruit people coming, going from the russian embassy. and it does make you realize, there are a lot of people who do find ways to come and go from
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russia in and out of the united states that are here completely legally. >> that are able to do that. there are russians who also come and go from other places in large numbers, maybe places in the united arab emirates, for example. do you think that there's been success in recruiting among that group? >> again, it's hard to know. we don't know what the intelligence agencies are doing. they're not going to share that kind of information with us. but, of course, there are many, many russians who are still coming to the united states as tourists. it's not easy to get a tourist visa for most russians. but those who have the money and the wealth to travel to go to a different country besides russia to get their visas, basically impossible to get a visa to the united states in russia today. but, look, if you have a visa to go to germany or estonia, it's probably not that hard for you if you're willing to wait it out. so i think certainly there are huge opportunities here. we know that many, many russians, especially those that are more well off who are in the
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middle class, you know, who want a different kind of life for themselves are going to come to the west, and they want to live like westerners, they don't want to live in an oppressive society with a bleak future. >> alina, thank you very much. next, a democratic congressman's staff who was attacked by a man with a metal baseball bat. two people are now hospitalized. tonight we have new details about the suspect in this shocking attack. plus, a fifth grade teacher now at the center of florida's culture wars for showing a disney movie that has a character who is gay. chasten buttigieg, a former teacher and husband of pete buttigieg, has something to stay about this story. and you'll see him "outfront." hd the world through their lens and invest accordingly. you can call us christmas eve at four o'clock in the morning. we're gonna always make sure
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trinet serves small and medium sized businesses... so they can do more of what matters. benefits. payroll. compliance. trinet. people matter. tonight, attacked. two staff members for democratic congressman gerry connolly are in the hospital after being attacked with a metal baseball bat that's inside the congressman's office in virginia. fairfax police in virginia arrested and charged this 49-year-old man with the attack. connolly says the suspect had asked for him before attacking his staff with a, quote, out-of-control rage. and it comes amidst a series of incidents members of congress, their staff, their family members have been attacked in recent months. jessica schneider is "outfront." she is at connolly's district office where the attack took place.
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this is truly terrifying. you're in a suburban quiet, normal office environment to. imagine something like this, it does defy the imagination. what more are you learning tonight? >> reporter: yeah. it happened just behind me, erin. tonight our team actually caught up with the suspect's father. he says that the suspect has been suffering from schizophrenia. he hasn't taken his medication in the past three months. plus, our team learned that just last year this suspect was actually arrested for assaulting a law enforcement officer, charges, though, were ultimately dropped. tonight, though, that suspect is being held without bond. so authorities have released his name. he's 49-year-old xuan kha tran pham. and authorities say just before 11:00 he went into this district office of congressman gerry connolly. he attacked with a metal bat two staffers. one was a senior aide who was hit in the head. one was actually an intern. and this was her first day on the job. they both went to the hospital with nonlife-threatening
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injuries. the congressman was at a ribbon-cutting event and wasn't here. but he did say this is a rage-filled attack. he says that the suspect shattered some glass in a conference room, broke several computers. and tonight that suspect is being held without bond, erin. >> so, jessica, this comes seven months just about after then-speaker pelosi's husband paul pelosi was brutally attacked by that assailant who broke into his home. have capitol police said anything tonight about ensuring the security of lawmakers? others of them have faced threats and attacks as well. >> reporter: yeah, there have been several attacks, erin. u.s. capitol police are launching a joint investigation with fairfax city police. but they're using this as well to really highlight the threats against lawmakers and staffers, and they're saying that the threats have actually grown exponentially and they're pointing specifically to testimony just last month from the u.s. capitol police chief tom man genk r saying that in the last six years alone, threats have gone up against
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lawmakers and their staffers 400%. so obviously a big problem that capitol police are looking to tackle. >> absolutely. well, thank you very much. just terrifying to even think about what they went through today. and of course they're in the hospital. we hope that they are both going to recover quickly. we do understand it's nonlife-threatening injuries. thanks so much to jessica. coming up on "ac360," andrew mccabe gives his reaction to the durham report. a florida teacher is under investigation for showing a disney movie to her classmates. plus, martha stewart, she's a successful businesswoman and author and television host, and now she's adding "sports illustrated" swimsuit cover to her resume. ♪ start your day with naturure made. the #1 pharmacist recommended
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[ laughter ] who is it? >> uh, it's no one. >> his name is diazo. >> i really like him a lot. i just don't know how to tell him. >> that's it. that's the mention in the movie. the teacher says she chose the movie because the overall plot was related to the science lesson that she's teaching. >> the lgbtq aspect of the movie, they're harmless, it's just a talked-about crush, and it's only a couple lines, and total scene time of just over two minutes, not pushing anything, just being accepting. that's what i do. >> "outfront" now, chasten buttigieg, he is the husband of transportation secretary pete buttigieg, and he has a new book out tomorrow "i have something to tell you: it is for young adults." let me just start because this whole thing about this movie, this is a two-hour movie about a lot of things. this isn't the plot, it's a kid
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who happens to have a crush on a boy. what's your reaction when you hear that the florida teacher is being investigated for showing this disney movie? >> well, besides being disgusted that this teacher is under investigation by the state, i'm thinking about what the students are learning from her investigation. so the students saw a 20-second clip where a boy says he has a crush on another boy. totally normal. and now these students will watch their teacher in the news for weeks and weeks to come. students right now in her class are being pulled out to be interrogated by the state. >> a line in the movie they might not have even heard. >> most young people growing up in america today, which is a great thing, are moving right beyond that. they don't understand why some of these adults in positions of power are so upset about the idea of equality for all people. >> right, over who someone has a crush on. so, the teacher says that this has now gotten to the point in the investigation, she got a
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permission slip from every parent to play pg movies during the school year. this is a pg movie. it's on the list of movies you can watch in my house. but the parent who is also a board member says that the teacher broke school policy because she did not get the specific movie approved by the school administration. i just wanted to play the parent in her argument. here she is. >> allowing movies such as this assists teachers in opening a door, and please hear me, they assist teachers in opening a door for conversations that have no place in our classrooms. >> um, what do you even say to >> what do you even say to that? >> every movie i watched in preschool through 12th grade had straight characters in it. i wasn't indoctrinated into being straight. this is a parent using her power and push to push anti-lgbtq
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agenda, and she knows it. it's just a ruse to push an anti-lgbtq agenda. if you have a question about what's appropriate for a child to read or watch, as a parent myself i'm going to turn to a librarian or a highly educated teacher. if a parent has a problem with that, bring that up. but you know what this parent is doing. >> you mentioned how every single role model you would have seen in a movie and presentation is straight where you grew up. you released a memoir in 2020. this is a young adult version that you're putting out. so, they're more targeted at this age range, seventh, eighth grade. you talk about growing up as a gay child in a conservative part of northern michigan. one of the things you wrote, i started to believe something about me was deeply twisted or wrong, i wondered what was malfunctioning inside of me. the way gay people were described as disgusting or evil, caused me to question god first
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for making me this way. why would he do this to me? what i find so amazing about that -- that's a powerful statement any child or young person could relate to -- is that you're going to states like texas. you're going to florida. you're going to missouri. you're going to places where you're seeing some of these states take action to talk about your book. and i know that's purposeful. >> yeah, it's really important to me because there are a lot of young chasten's out there. there are kids out there growing up in this country wondering whether or not they belong. not only if they belong, but if they should stick around. i spent 18 years of my life believing i was the only one. i didn't know that it was okay. >> believing you were the only one. >> the only gay person because we didn't talk about gay people. my parents certainly didn't have that conversation with me, how i could have benefit frd a 10-second conversation with them that it's okay to be who you are, gay, straight, or otherwise, we will love you.
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you will always have a roof over your head. i want to go to these places where i know kids like that teacher's classroom. there are kids in that classroom -- >> there is somebody that spoke to. >> somebody -- many kids in florida are wondering, do i matter? do i belong? and should i stick around? >> and here's the thing. a few years ago, i did a town hall with your husband. we were together out in las vegas, i remember, with you. but, you know, it's just amazing what's happened in those four years. it's not maybe what anybody would have expected. we talked about some of the attacks he was facing about his sexual orientation running for president. i wanted to play one specific exchange. >> oh, sure. >> -- made homophobic comments about you, and he said that america's not ready, he doesn't think, for a gay president. then lyind bah gave a -- >> lecturing anybody on family
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values -- [ cheers and applause ] >> i mean, sorry, but one thing about my marriage is it's never involved me having to send hush money to a porn star after cheating on my spouse with him or her. so, they want to debate family values. let's debate family values. i'm ready. >> so, has anything changed? do you think america's ready? >> oh, absolutely. but i also know that things were getting better and are still getting better because more and more people are coming to the table in good faith wanting to be on the right side of history. often times it is the loudest voices that get the biggest microphones. i have met people in rural michigan, in places across the country, who are ready to move beyond the noise and focus on the things that matter. >> chasten, thank you so much. i really appreciate you're taking the time. >> thanks for having me. and the florida teacher who is now under investigation after playing that disney movie,
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we moved out of the city so our little sophie could appreciate nature. but then he got us t-mobile home internet. i was just trying to improve our signal, so some of the trees had to go. i might've taken it a step too far. (chainsaw revs) (tree crashes) (chainsaw continues) (daughter screams) let's pretend for a second that you didn't let down your entire family. what would that reality look like? well i guess i would've gotten us xfinity... and we'd have a better view. do you need mulch? what, we have a ton of mulch.
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tonight, martha stewart making history once again. this time the 81-year-old is on the cover of "sports illustrated," the oldest person to ever appear on the cover. and she talked about the photo. >> martha, what do you think? >> i like that picture. >> i would think so. >> to be on the cover at my age was a challenge. and i -- i think i met the challenge. >> in what way? >> well, i -- i didn't starve
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myself, but i didn't eat any bread or pasta for a couple of months. i went to pilates every other day. >> so, the photo took place in the dominican republic. stuart said there were a total of ten looks. what's interesting, with all the many accomplishments in her life, she began her career as a model back when she was 15 years old. previously the oldest to be on the cover of "sports illustrated" was 74 at the time. martha stewart showing she is still making history in so many ways. the print of that magazine will be out on may 18th. and thanks so much for joining us. us. "ac 360" begins now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good evening. tonight after four years and very little to show for it in terms of prosecutions, john durham, the special counsel chosen by william barr to investigate the fbi's russia investigation has reached
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