. >>> now i want to bring in cnn senior political analyst john avlon. john, there you are, and here we are. listen, no vote. you heard the representative there. you've been hearing everybody else speaking, ryan, kaitlan, brian fallon, what have you. what do you think about this moment where we are? >> i think it's wise to delay the vote if the vote wasn't going to get done. i think the day began, you know, let's not forget the day began with us being unsure whether there was going to be a government shutdown. so that self-inflicted disaster was taken off the table. it seems like democrats' focus is again on trying to get to yes, trying to find some common ground. they're not there yet. they have made progress. progressives have more clout than they've had in the past. i think the centrists, particularly manchin and sinema, the fact they haven't been open -- as open about their negotiation position has made it difficult to tie these bills together and to create that trust. we now know that senator schumer has had an outline of joe manchin's demands for mo

joining me now, john harwood and john avlon. good evening to you. john harwood, i've got to get your take on this breaking news. an aide to the january 6th select committee telling cnn they plan to subpoena john eastman, the trump lawyer who drafted ways to overturn the 2020 election. is that significant, and if so, how significant is it? >> it's very significant if they can get john eastman to testify and testify truthfully. the problem, of course, is that people close to trump have been attempting to delay, to avoid service, to challenge the right of the committee to compel their testimony. don't know how long they can drag that out, but john eastman was at the center of the effort to thwart the constitution and overturn the will of the american people as expressed in the election last november. we learned from the bob woodward and robert costa book that he came up with this memo and a strategy of trying to get the electoral college to declare a result without some states counting, and then if that proved a problem, then throw it to the house of re

. >> let's talk about this with cnn senior political analyst john avlon as well as journalist and the host of the podcast run tell this, maria schiavocampo. what is your reaction? >> he's making this about free speech, he's making this about efforts to reject cancel culture but he has won every skirmish related to the closer. netflix has stood behind him 100%, it refused to pull the special or add a disclaimer. the special has been in the top ten since it has been released. he was greeted at hollywood bowl way standing ovation. he just released ten new documentaries screening dates with ticket sales and he enjoys tremendous support from his fans, especially in the black community. so i'm not sure what he's fighting for at this point, when he is winning everything. >> i think what he's fighting for is against the pressure that is being applied to him and netflix to shut down the closer. people protest outside netflix, from within netflix. he's reacting to that pressure, not the results, which you're right, he has been winning every fight to date. and free speech, especially for a comed

making that public statement, that was clearly done for a reason, john avlon. there. what is the impact this morning? >> well, look, i mine, first of all we need to say the president has zero power to change the filibuster rules. biden moving his goal post on the filibuster is a very big deal potentially. and what he's doing by saying voting rights and the debt limit could be areas where the filibuster needs to be removed is saying that when there are issues of existential basic point to our democracy, full faith and credit of the united states, the ability for our democracy to function, that maybe those areas should be separated from the general filibuster rules. that could lead to a rapid escalation, telling whether that would appeal to senators like sinema and manchin. but it is a significant movement on issues of core importance to the united states. >> let me ask you this though, john, i wonder if there is some risk here because by raising this before he's got, you know, signatures on his infrastructure bill and the budget deal, where he needs a senator li

laura jarrett, also a legal reporter and lawyer in her own right, and cnn senior political analyst john avlon. john, i want to start quickly with what liz cheney said. she went further than i heard her go before, saying the committee has evidence that steve bannon had knowledge of the coming insurrection and likely she said was involved in the planning and this is based on evidence that she says she has seen. >> that's right. and just based on the reporting we have seen to date, that clip of bannon, the video clip is enormously revealing. because he's saying this isn't going to go down the way you think it is. and there is a glint of knowledge in his eye. we know from reporting that trump and bannon were talking. we know that trump was pumping up this rally for weeks beforehand. is this them acting as hype men and what did the president know and when did he know it? we need to get to the bottom of this. this information needs to come out. >> but it is also why they want us to so desperately know what was going on at the war room in the willard hotel. everyone was holed up there. that's where

that independent candidates maybe could get some traction on a state level not presidential. >> john avlonk you. >>> so idaho's republican governor brad little rescinded actions taken by the republican lieutenant governor mckeen while little was gone. he left the state, went to texas. the lieutenant governor, while the governor was gone, used the temporary executive authority mandated by the state constitution while the governor is away, to issue an executive order extending a ban on covid vaccine passports. she also inquired about sending the state national guard to the border. basic live she did a bunch of stuff that little was against while little was gone. and little claimed mckeon was acting without legal authority. i want to bring in idaho's chief deputy secretary of state chad houk. what does the idaho constitution say about this? >> well, good morning, john. the idaho constitution does state that among the different things specifically that if the governor is absent from the state or has an inability to discharge the duties from the office. it is those specific words that the two e

john avlon, thank you. >> thank you. >>> next, new revelations in the brian laundrie manhunt. police admitting he slipped away while under surveillance. >>> plus, a tense sidewalk confrontation between a crowd protesting vaccine mandates and parents who are walking their kids to school. >> and u.s. troops on a secret training mission to counter china. let's check out the hook audrey sent. ♪ i right these wrongs like rhymes ♪ ♪ o like me oh my ♪ ♪ land and sea, that's mine ♪ ♪ and pardon when i shine ♪ ♪ hands to the sky, all mine ♪ ♪ woah, woah no ceiling woah woah good feeling woah woah ♪ ♪ i might send it up ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ i can turn anyone into a beach bum. i bring families together for a living. i make memories for people i don't know yet. i know this view is too good not to be shared. i am a vrbo host. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ your new pharmacy is here. and here. and here, too. it's here to help you save time and money and trips to the pharmacy. it's here to get you the medication you need when you need it. who knew it could be this easy? your new pharmacy is amazon pharmacy. baaam. internet t

john avlon with a reality check. >> in the runup to the civil war, southern congressman used aggressive of violence while playing the victim. it was designed to intimidate critics into silence, while masking their own anxieties about declining electoral power. when the war came, it claimed up to three-quarters of a million lives. americans on both sides. the civil war not only ended slavery, it ended any idea of the legitimacy of succession, at least until now. it is stomach churning to see an uptick in a second civil war. i mentioned it not because it's going to happen but because we have learned violent political rhetoric can lead to actual political violence. the talk of a second civil war used to be for extremists online. lately it crossed over into members of congress. marjorie taylor greene posted a twitter poll asking followers if it was time for a, quote, national divorce. obediently, it was picked up by tea party glenn beck blaming the left for the threat. normally this would be filed under crazy person said crazy thing and get ignored. national divorce, this is an uncoupling f

john avlon has our reality check. >> one week from today we'll wake up to see who won the governor'so close to call between democrat terry mcauliffe and republican glenn youngkin. typically virginia acts as a counterweight to a new president, electing a governor from the opposition party in ten of the last 11 elections. so when mcauliffe tries to tie his opponent to trump and pivot to economic plans, youngkin is a test case for the gop's midterm playbook. he's a wealthy businessman walking the line, refusing to denounce trump's lies, while also declining to campaign with him, trying to make the campaign about culture war wedge issues instead. but culture war crusades can lead to awkward places. you milght remember in march, youngkin was trying to resist the alleged banning of dr. seuss' books. but free speech arguments only go so far. so one week from election day, the youngkin campaign released an ad where a mother called for banning a book that she found offensive. >> when my son showed me his reading assignment, my heart sunk. it was some of the most explicit material you can imag

john avlon, thank you very much. again, the news this morning, general colin powell, former secretary of state, a pioneer in so many ways, has passed away at the age of 84, complications from covid. we're finding out more information. we're going to take a quick break. much more of our special coverage next. they do things differently. yeah, it's wireless with unlimited data and if you join a group it's as low as $25/mo. all powered by verizon. 5g included. woo! just get together and save! we look goooood! what's everyone's handle? visible. unlimited data, as low as $25/mo all-in. powered by verizon, 5g included. wireless that gets better with friends. ♪ i see trees of green ♪ ♪ red roses too ♪ ♪ i see them bloom ♪ ♪ for me and you ♪ ♪ and i think to myself ♪ ♪ what a wonderful world ♪ a rich life is about more than just money. that's why at vanguard, you're more than just an investor, you're an owner so you can build a future for those you love. vanguard. become an owner. imagine having someone else do your books fo

john avlon with a reality check. >> in a senate that often seems proudly dysfunctional, yesterday's hearing on facebook seemed like a throwback to a more bipartisan era. now, unfortunately for facebook, the senators' common ground was a resounding dislike of their business practices. but covering governing can strain people's attention, even when the target for reform is declared one of the most powerful corporate giants in the history of the world. according to one lawmaker, whose products harm children, stoke division, and weaken our democracy. now, let's cut through the noise and look at three social media reforms that seem to be gathering traction across partisan lines. now, the first big point of consensus seems to be the reform of section 230. that's the law that shields platforms like facebook from lawsuits on the basis of content posted by users. >> i think that it will be this congress and this subcommittee that is going to lead the way to online privacy, data security, section 230 reforms. >> hold big tech accountable by reforming section 230. >> now, the fact that republicans and

i want to bring in john avlon because since day one, john, and by the way, you haven't changed one bitis -- just watching that, though, i realize how different of a place this world is now. >> it really is. but, you know, i -- i was thinking about this. first of all, congratulations on ten years. it's been a wild ride and it's been an honor to be along with you for the ride. with your extraordinary team. but i was thinking about how the world has changed and when you joined cnn, you know, it was in the wake of the fiscal crisis. the wake of the tea party wave. but even with your evident expertise, the real-world expertise in finance and poll fi ticks who could have predicted how perfectly that would be primed for the rise of donald trump? and how your willingness to call bs on the far left and far right would be so needed. and also, your passionate belief and understanding of how the world really works at a time when we are dealing with the rise of tribalism and -- and folks who -- nationalists who attacked globalization, you have been a counterweight to that rooted in knowledge and be

. >> john avlon, thank you very much. in you day continues right now. >>> welcome to to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm brianna keilar with john berman. it is thursday, october 21st. a critical day for the biden presidency as democrats are on the verge of a breakthrough economic deal or still struggling to reach one. and tonight the stage is set >> can the president close the deal? we could see it happen in realtime tonight in a cnn presidential townhall. but arizona's democratic senator kyrsten sinema has one more issue that could derail the entire deal. jeremy diamond live at the townhall site in baltimore. jeremy, what's the hold up now? >> reporter: well, listen, john, president biden is certainly ramping up his public push to sell his domestic agenda even as lawmakers in washington are still working to actually finalize the actual elements and the contours of this reconciliation package. a senior official i spoke with this morning told me that the president sees this as an opportunity to hav

john avlon with reality check.t of the enemy the good. that is something centrists understand more than their ideological allies. senators joe manchin and kyrsten sinema have been straining patience on capitol hill with their drawn-out negotiations. despite or nate courting rituals with the white house, it's been unclear where they stand on a number of top line issues, specific priorities within the proposed $3.5 trillion biden budget. senator sinema didn't help with equips like this. when asked by a reporter about senate progressives who are frustrated they don't know where you are on the budget bill, sinema replied, i'm clearly right in front of the elevator. it's a funny line. the marx brothers might applaud. when an entire party's ballot is holding onto the agenda, it is a bit callous. she has a long history supporting ones like the budget bill. she worked on the distraught rouse 2000 presidential campaign for ralph nader for people who didn't think al gore was serious enough about the environment. if that is m

john avlon with a reality check. >> the trump endorsed kaenlt for arizona governor, former local foxr, carrie lake said she would not have certified the 2020 election citing information about serious irregularities, despite the fact the hyperpartisan concluded biden won the state by a larger margin than initially reported. this isn't about the facts. it's about the cult of the big lie and people who back this b.s. are not patriots. they're either cowards are fools, cowards of politicians who privately know better and fools if they continue to be duped by an anti constitutional conman. either way, they're complicit in an ongoing attempt to undermine our democracy. review the results of the election in a state he won by five points. make no mistake, this is about validating voter suppression and election subversion, because already, gop legislators in at least 18 states have enacted 30 new laws that do things like empower state officials to take control of county election boards, strip secretaries of state of their executive authority or make local election officials criminally or fina

. >> john avlon, tha y

john avlon with a reality check. >> if you refuse to answer a subpoena, you should be held in contemptt or congress as the case may be. that's why the january 6th investigation committee is 100% right to pursue criminal contempt charges against steve bannon. one of the reasons we're in this mess is because the trump administration withered the muscle memory around actually enforcing the law. often through obstruction, and the general politization of the doj. when confronted by congressional subpoenas for its inner circle, they stalled for time, proving that delay can mean denial of justice. and all that has got to stop. enforcing the law without fear of favor is the minimum that a return to normal requires. in other words, to defend our democracy just follow the damn law. this applies to issues big and small. that's why it is appropriate to see trump required to give a deposition in an assault case involving a security team during a demonstration outside trump tower. also along with his upcoming deposition in the defamation suit brought by former apprentice contestant summer zerbos. it

. >>> first i want to bring in cnn senior political analyst kirsten powers and john avlon. mr. avalon, you are first. so the country is facing the potential of its first default in our history. republicans know this could be catastrophic, but they're still refusing to blink. do they care about what this could do to the country, or do you think this is all about making democrats look bad? >> well, as mitch mcconnell said in a previous debt ceiling and default crisis, this is a hostage they're willing to ransom. that itself is a very dangerous game by its nature. h default would be disastrous not just to our economy but the world economy because we're the world's reserve currency. we're the only nation in the world, major industrialized nation in the world, that does this to our self. this is a self-inflicted crisis. we need to get rid of the debt ceiling and stop this polarization of it. we've raised the debt ceiling 31 times under a republican president since 1980. mitch mcconnell has voted for debts ceiling increases. this is designed to pay for things the republican congress

. >> john avlon, appropriately dressed and s.e. cup as well. i feel i need to just say it.it. it's done. christopher steele says, yeah, i think it probably still exists. really? even after all of this, after the fbi investigated, even after it hasn't turned up all this time. >> he is happening his happen on some of the most salacious details that is the most discredited. that calls me to question his reliability. a lot of the information has been verified. amount hasn't. but i think the fact that some of the most salacious details like said tape occupied a lot of attention diminished the entire episode's credibility. i don't like doubling down on some of the aspects. it seems to me a mistake. the issue of camp mat is a separate one. >> my question is why. i think george stephanopoulos asked why are you coming out, why do you want to talk about this again? i don't really understand. he said because i want to set the record straight. he's done no such thing that i have seen. he still can't prove some of these more salacious allegations. he is even saying i wouldn't bet 100% c

. >> outfront now, john avlon, cnn senior political analyst. s, former senior adviser to mitch mcconnell. so, john, just to be clear here because i guess you need to be clear given what we just heard. the guy with the horns is jacob chansley, the trump supporter and he is not in afghanistan right now, he is actually in jail. so what is your reaction when you hear this stuff? >> it's sad because you need to point out obvious truths after hearing people make up completely delusional lies. but it's a function of the fact they have been misled. it's a function of the fact this, you know, interview by jordan klepper is -- these folks -- it is hard not to use the word cult when you see the way they have embraced this alternate reality completely. and it's the downstream afeffec of the big lie and it's why republicans need to recognize and confront the fact they are dealing with a cult. and when they play footsie with the big lie because they think they can benefit politically, they are playing footsie with fanatics and these folks will turn on them. d

for more on this i'm joined by cnn political analyst john avlon and cnn political commentator and host of pbs firing line margaret hoover. guys, thanks, as always, for being with us. trump's 2024 teases are beginning to feel like infrastructure week. i guess they just happen over and over again. they never really come to fruition. but this may actually happen. he is sounding more and more like a contender despite, you know, all of those lies that he tells over and over again. >> jim, he's in it to win it. let's not fool ourselves. a lot of republicans -- >> maybe not win it. >> well, as we know, he'll plan that he won it even if he didn't. but i think this is a really serious point because there are a lot of republicans who still look me in the eye, serious republicans who were officeholders who say he's not going to run, and they have some kind of justification. but if you look at every single thing he says and every single thing he's doing, which includes putting the team back together and having his pact going and basically saying everything he can legally without triggering a campa

john avlon with a reality check. >>> it's been surreal to see so many conservatives suddenly become pro-choicerently being pro-life doesn't extend a public health policy during pandemics. then, neither does definite republicans to law school districts or school boards. but arrive got to admit i have changed as well. not a big fan of bans of any kind. the book "nudge" is the best way to encourage beneficial behavior is to incentivize it. it seems we have hit the limit on nudge, at least when it comes to pandemics that have become politicized. months after vaccines became widely available in america after a vaccine lottery payments and promises of free beer, there was still roughly a third of eligible americans refusing to get vaccinated. and as the delta variant spread like wildfire, it was the states with the lowest vaccination ritz like alabama, wyoming, iowa, mississippi. then in late august, the pfizer vaccine got full authorization from the fda which opened the door to mandates, weekly tests soon directed by president biden to businesses with 100 or more employees. seven weeks later, the r

. >> john avlon, thank you very much for that. >> new reporting on breaking news this morning.er hospitalized after alec baldwin fired a prop gun on his movie set. >> what happened on the house floor between marjorie taylor greene and congressman jamie raskin. the congressman will join us next. people everywhere living with type 2 diabetes are waking up to what's possible with rybelsus®. ♪ you are my sunshine ♪ ♪ my only sunshine... ♪ rybelsus® works differently than any other diabetes pill to lower blood sugar in all 3 of these ways... increases insulin when you need it... decreases sugar... and slows food. the majority of people taking rybelsus® lowered their blood sugar and reached an a1c of less than 7. people taking rybelsus® lost up to 8 pounds. rybelsus® isn't for peopl with type 1 diabetes. don't take rybelsus® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrin neoplasia syndrome type 2 or if allergic to it. stop rybelsus® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic react

john avlon with a reality check. >> someone ought to tell senator ted cruz that when you're defendingthe nazi salute, that's one of the examples, my god, a parent did a nazi salute at a school board because he thought the policies were oppressive! general garland, is doing a nazi salute, is that protected by the first amendment? >> yes, it is. >> the issue here isn't the first amendment. the issue is the galloping insanity affecting our lives, by right wing members of congress during america's deadliest pandemic. this drumbeat of disinformation resulted in unhinged accusations, harassment and threats, directed at school board members across the united states. >> we know! we know who you are! we will find you! you will never be allowed in public again! >> as you can see, fists are now flying, all of this on live television. >> you are allowing child abuse. you with your snotty little face, you're allowing it as well. >> because i chose to speak, i'm now being arrested. >> none of this is normal. not this side of desegregation debates anyway. it was in response to these reports as well

. >> >> i want to go now to senior political analyst, john avlon. he is a former federal prosecutor. i mean, sorry, and fworm former federal prosecutor. many things but not a former prosecutor. okay. thanks to both of you. john, i want to, first, mark zuckerberg being defiant tonight and i just read some of what he said but he just said it on an earnings conference call. we were able to obtain the audio so i think hearing the tone matters. here is mark zuckerberg. >> good-faith criticism helps us get better. but my view is that what we are seeing is a coordinated effort to selectively use leaked documents to paint a false picture of our company. the reality is that we have an open culture where we encourage discussion and research about our work so we can make progress on many complex issues that are not specific to just us. >> so -- so, john, i mean, you know, he was obviously very defensive there. we are seeing a coordinated effort to selectively leak documents to paint a false picture of the company. >> the good-faith criticism is coming from with

john avlon with a reality check. >> if you're wondering how our civic debates seem to have gone in insanebecause our incentive structures are screwed up and toxic politics and social media are intertwined. the latest facebook whistle-blower frances haugen pulled the curtain back on internal research showing that the platform knew its algorithms were amplifying division, extremism and polarization. but they did little because they wanted to optimize engagement and profit. incentives. after an algorithm change in 2018, researchers warned misinformation, violent content are prevalent, the tail wag the dog of democracy at home and abroad. a 2019 memo shows that european political parties were complaining that the change to the algorithm forced them to skew negative in their communications on facebook. leading them into more extreme positions. >> the european political parties were essentially saying to facebook the way you have written your algorithm is changing the way we lead our countries. >> yes. you are forcing us to take positions that we don't like, that we know are bad for society. we

i'm brianna keilar with john avlon who is subbing in this hour as berman goes to jury duty, to be clear, as a juror. it is tuesday, october 19th. a house select committee will vote here in a matter of hours whether to hold trump ally steve bannon in contempt for defying its subpoena. if they do, the matter would then be referred to the justice department for criminal prosecution. bannon is claiming executive privilege -- the white house, not buying that. cnn has obtained a letter from the white house deputy counsel and it says that the biden administration will not support any attempt by bannon to refuse cooperation with the select committee. >> and last night, trump did what trump does when he's in a jam. he sued the january 6th committee and the national archives in a bid to keep documents under wraps. lawmakers accuse him of stalling. the white house is accusing him of abusing the office of the presidency. and attempting to subvert a peaceful transfer of power. the national archives is expected to turn over documents early next month if the courts do not stop them. cnn law enforcemen