but joining me now is jeffrey toobin, cnn chief legal analyst to talk a little bit more about this. e talking about the legality of unmasking and the outrage that is out there. is there anything legally wrong or what are the legal implications for any of the information released yesterday? >> there are none. because this is a perfectly routine operation of government. this is how the system is supposed to work. names as director clapper just said. in these raw intelligence reports, the names of americans are not supposed to be disclosed. that's a protection of american civil liberties. so if the policy makers want to identify the americans, they have to ask, who is that person? they have to have them unmasked. that's how the system is supposed to work. that's how it worked. and the idea that there is anything improper that went on here is a fox news, president trump fantasy. but nothing -- but it's just not true. >> is there any immunity that exists by being a member of a presidential campaign or presidential transition or for that matter, presidential administration in terms of your

jeffrey toobin. >>> next, when will broadway be back? insider says she's hopeful for january. >>> pluss the crisis in brazil s getting worse. >> you're watching cnn's lift special coverage. are you a christian author with a book that you're ready to share with the world? get published now, call for your free publisher kit today! >>> broadway was one of the venues to shut down, now the theater league's president is hoping for a january even with a few changes. >> a glimmer of hope. she says the great white way would reopen. audiences should expect strict rules. broadway shut down on march 12th, and if broadway remains closed until january, the losses could be billion. >> chloe, thanks for the report. >>> former vice president joe biden sits down with dana bash on "the situation room." he's going to weigh in on coronavirus, the politicization of masks, and what he is looking for in a running mate. >>> a white woman is now insisting she is not a racist after she called police and claimed an african-american man was threatening her life in c

let's talk to our chief legal analyst jeffrey toobin.way finished a book "true crimes and misdemeanors, the investigation of donald trump." we are looking forward to looking at that book. you covered flynn extensively from his admitted lies with his contacts with russia and robert mueller's overall investigation, does this new development make sense to you? >> listen, there are two levels here. one, he lied. we know he lied, he pleaded guilty to lying and lying under oath. we also know that the president fired him and said that his reason for firing him was that he lied to the vice president so he lied. that's one. that matters in the justice system. jeffrey toobin knows that better than anyone. two, thae though, the substance of the lies. he lied about contacts with russians during the transition, specific to the question of encounseling russia so though the allegation not to retaliate for obama administration sanctions for russia's interference in the 2016 election. why did he lie about his contacts with russia? russia an adversary tha

. >> joining me now cnn chief legal analyst jeffrey toobin and elie honig.eff, you think the most important moment during questioning was straight off the top why. >> because chief justice roberts who will be a swing vote here, he seemed to recognize that the president could not be completely immune from any sort of scrutiny from congress or in the second case from a subpoena from the new york city -- the manhattan district attorney. but the question is what is the standard? what kind of subpoenas are allowed? can the congress, can the district attorney go into anything or what are the limits and that balance of rejecting the absolute claim from the -- from the president's lawyers, but not giving carte blanche to the prosecutors, that is the balance i think they'll try to strike here. >> does one case impact the other, are the outcomes int intertwined. >> there is a relationship. but the cases are about much more than donald trump's tax returns. this is a constitutional balance of powers showdown and we heard it today. is the president meaningfully accountab

jeffrey toobin, it's been a month of sundays. how are you? >> i'm all right.'ve been so proud because there hasn't been a big legal story but i'm so proud to watch cnn the past couple of months and see with what a great job you're doing. >> thank you. we miss seeing you. jeffrey, there's no evidence to back up the president's claims of voter fraud. for somebody who constantly tells us how popular he is, the president seems pretty scared of that being tested with free and fair voting. >> well, you know, one of the basic principles of the republican party for the past couple of decades has been to make it harder for people to vote. you know, limit absentee ballots, limit early voting. you know, trying to get, especially african-americans, poor people, people who are more casual voters who don't always turn out, getting them not to vote. so, what happened today with this ridiculous tweet by the president about michigan, it's bad but it's part of a larger pattern of trying to limit turnout to help republicans win. >> i want you to take a listen to what the preside

. >>> now i want to bring in cnn chief legal analyst jeffrey toobin as well as dr. peter hotez, dean of the school of tropical medicine at baylor university and the co-director of the center for vaccine development at texas children's hospital. gentlemen, thank you so much, both of you. jeffrey, first, on the legality of all this, the white house press secretary, who does have a law degree, couldn't answer or didn't want to answer that, so let me ask you, is there any ability legally for the president to actually override any governor who does not want to open houses of worship in their states? >> absolutely not. the president doesn't have this authority. and the reason kayleigh mcenany didn't answer that question is because she couldn't. the cdc is giving recommendations. they are of course free to issue recommendations. but it is up to the states. this is a core state function. it's like the state has every right to tell a church or a synagogue, you have to have fire alarms in your building, you have to have fire extinguishers. this is something that state governm

jeffrey toobin joining us. always good to have you won.s one of the early endorsers, not the lone, but one of the few sitting lawmakers to support him. no love lost at this point. let's listen to how the president attacked a personal jeff sessions over the weekend. >> jeff sessions was a disaster as attorney general. should have never been attorney general. he's not mentally qualified to be attorney general. he was the biggest problem. >> jeff, perhaps remind me who appointed jeff sessions before you react to the attack and what's behind it. >> of course, it was president trump who named his first attorney general. just to remind people of the roots of this feud, jeff sessions was a major campaign surrogate for president trump during 2016. when he became attorney general, the investigation of the campaign began and he, of course, properly recused himself. i can't investigate, lead an investigation of a campaign in which i was a principal part. so he turned the investigation over to his deputy, rod rosenstein who, in turn, named robert muel

here with me are chief legal analyst jeffrey toobin who knows a thing or two, may have written a goodon the supreme court. good to have you. it has been too long. >> hi, poppy. >> hi. >> i know you finished in your time off the screen your other book coming out in august, looking forward to that. let's talk about the stakes for the court. what i find so interesting is the fact that the justices asked for briefs to make the case they should even decide whether the president has to turn over these financial records or should be punted and be a political decision. what is at stake today? >> well, you know, poppy, this case is interesting on so many different levels. this has been, know, one of the great mysteries of the trump campaign and then presidency. what is in those tax returns? why has the president fought so hard to keep them secret? this is the case that may well end that secrecy, even if it is involuntary for the president. but, just as a legal matter, you know what it really raises is the question of congressional oversight. and how much and whether the congress can investigat

the end i ask this question a lot of people is better fact the other day i spoke to our friend jeffrey toobin about this and he said that they're just they're just so traditional and they're just all fashion and it takes so long for them to change i look at this is like a big step they allowed the american public to hear them argue law rights the argument always against cameras in courtrooms in this country for states that don't allow them and there are there are still a few it is because of witnesses who have to testify right but in in oral arguments a supreme court there are no witnesses there's lawyers and justices and it's and it's the most it's the least transparent branch of our government which to me is really sad and unless you live in washington d.c. when they're actually in session in can take off from work and go down there and get in the front of the line you don't get to see it and that's a shame larry in the chief justice order it. can absolutely. yes and when justice roberts was 1st appointed i remember all of us are court t.v. we're like hey maybe things will change because ma

. >> jeffrey toobin, good to see you. stay safe, okay? >> don, see you, man. >> all right. see you. >>> new concerns over super spreading events as the country opens up during this pandemic. we're going to tell you what those super spreading events are and how they can cause the virus to spread like wild fire. that's just ahead. it's time for the memorial day sale on the sleep number 360 smart bed. can it help keep me asleep? absolutely, it senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. and now, save $1,000 on the sleep number 360 special edition smart bed, now only $1,799. only for a limited time. there are times when our need to connect really matters. to keep customers and employees in the know. to keep business moving. comcast business is prepared for times like these. powered by the nation's largest gig-speed network. to help give you the speed, reliability, and security you need. tools to manage your business from any device, anywhere. and a team of experts - here for you 24/7. we've always believed in the power of working together. that

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