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Don Lemon Tonight

Atlanta Police Have Not Ruled Out Hate Crime Charges in Spa Shootings; GOP Congressman Brings Up Lynching During House Hearing on Violence Against Asian Americans; George W. Bush on Capitol Insurrection, I Was Sick To My Stomach; FBI Releases New Video Clips of Officers Being Assaulted During Capitol Insurrection; Don Interviews Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA); Senate Democrats Introduce Sweeping Voting Rights Bill; Captain Who Said Spa Shooting Suspect Had Bad Day No Longer a Spokesman on the Case; Rep. McCarthy Spars with CNN Reporter When Questioned Over Support for Trump's Efforts to Overturn Election; Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Ex- Florida State Senator Frank Artiles Charged in Spoiler Candidate Scheme. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired March 18, 2021 - 23:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


[23:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Tonight, police in Georgia say nothing is off the table in the investigations in to the shootings at three Atlanta area spas that killed eight people including six Asian women. They have not yet confirmed a motive but also say they haven't ruled out filing hate crime charges against the suspect who is already charged with eight counts of murder. And they say it appears he frequented the spas.

Also, President Biden and Vice President Harris traveling to Atlanta tomorrow to meet with Asian-American leaders who are reeling from the deadly violence that has struck their community. We're going live to Atlanta for the very latest on the shooting investigation. We'll do that in just a moment.

But first, I just want to talk about the Congressional hearing on discrimination against Asian-Americans that went off the rails today. And I want to bring in CNN's senior political analyst John Avlon and political commentator Ana Navarro to help me get through this. Good evening to both of you. I really appreciate you joining here.

Yeah, Ana. Yes, my sentiments exactly. But there were some wild moments on the Hill today. The GOP Rep. Chip Roy brought up lynching at a hearing focused on violence against Asian-Americans. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. CHIP ROY (R-TX): We believe in justice. There is an old saying in Texas about you know, find all the rope in Texas and get a taller tree. You know, we take justice very seriously and we ought to do that. Round up the bad guys. That's what we believe. My concern about this hearing is that it seems to want to venture into the policing of rhetoric in a free society. Free speech. [23:05:08]

And away from the rule of law in taking out bad guys. I'm not going to be ashamed of saying I oppose the (inaudible), I opposed the Chinese Communist Party. And when we say things like that, we're talking about that, we shouldn't be worried about having a committee of members of Congress policing our rhetoric.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: John, what is he saying there about a rope and a tall oak tree? I mean, he's describing a lynching, that's not justice. How is that OK?

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: He's talking from a perspective of total cultural myopia. He's thinking of some western. Because he doesn't understand apparently how when folks talk about trees and ropes, they're talking about lynching. It didn't even occur to him. But he dug even a deeper hole then by going off, making -- allegedly about political correctness and then attacking Chinese Communist Party which has nothing to do with the purpose of the hearing at all.

This is about a community that is grieving after murder and an increase in violence in the wake of COVID. And he wanted to make it about, you know, the Chinese Communist Party and policing language and then used a lynching metaphor so cluelessly. Because that's the lack of perspective he's got -- from where he's coming from. It is pathetic. It's embarrassing. And as Mike Hogan, a Republican governor of Maryland said, it's disgusting.

LEMON: Ana, you know what's next. Huh, what, see. I can't say what I want. We are going to -- can't -- so you can't say anything anymore. I mean, really?

ANA NAVARRO, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Right. And look. It's so offensive that it is happening at a time when all over the country, there's been an exponential spike on hate crimes against Asian- Americans. What we have just witnessed this week, the killing of Asian-Americans. The targeting of Asian-Americans.

And you know, you just -- you hear this guy, this Congressman from Texas, Chip Roy. And first he makes no sense. The word solid coming out of his mouth, you look at him and you think to yourself, this guy has got to have failed reading comprehension on the SAT. There is no way that he understands that he is at a hearing about anti-Asian sentiment. I mean, -- look, can we just roll tape a minute of silent on him again? Don, just look at the way this guy wears his mask.

LEMON: I saw that earlier.

NAVARRO: I mean, and you have, you need any further proof that this man is an idiot. Just look at the way this man wears his mask and pray to god that is not how he wears his underwear. I mean, he is an embarrassment to Congress. He's an embarrassment to Texas. He's an embarrassment to the Republican Party. And these days, that's a very, very high bar.

LEMON: John, we're also hearing from the former President George W. Bush, he is speaking out on the Capitol insurrection. Here's what he told the Texas tribune.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I was sick to my stomach having to see our nation's Capitol being stormed by hostile forces. And it really disturbed me to the point where did I put out a statement. And I'm still disturbed when I think about it. It undermines rule of law. And you know, the ability to express yourself in peaceful ways in the public square. This was an expression that was not peaceful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, what do you think about that? Because this is a former president who has largely stayed out of politics.

AVLON: A Texas Republican talking about the rule of law for real. That is the kind of rhetoric we need to hear from Republicans. About clarity, about defending our Democratic institutions, about compassion for communities that are under distress, and total more clarity flowing all through it. Chip Roy could learn a lot from George Bush. So could the entire Republican Party frankly right now.

LEMON: Ana, Bush was asked if he thought the election was stolen. He said no. And then he also said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: Politics has always been rough, Evan. And right now, we're at a period of time though when there is a lot of anger in the system which then causes people to worry about the future of our democracy. I think it's going to eventually work its way out of the system. History in the United States has showed, these populist movements begin to, you know, fritter over time. And so I'm optimistic about democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Yes. Ana, I'm curious. Is he being overly optimistic or not?

NAVARRO: You know, if you know anything about the Bush family, that's kind of their nature to be optimistic and believe in the institutions.

[23:10:00]

He also said, Don, if I can just read. I'm appalled by the reckless behavior of some political leaders since the election. And by the lack of respect shown today for our institutions, our traditions, and our law enforcement. It made me think of the interview you had yesterday with Officer Dunn.

And I have to tell you, I think George W. Bush was talking, yes, as a former president. This is a family who has a deep connection with the Capitol and with institutions in Washington for generations and generations. His grandfather served as a Senator there. But I think he's also talking like an American.

Look, January 6th is going to be one of these days that's going to go down in history for all of us. You know, like 9/11. Like the day the Challenger exploded. Like the day John F. Kennedy was shot, for those who were alive then. Where you remember how you felt. You remember where you were. You remember how you learned about it.

Because it was an attack on so much. On our values, on our democracy, our institutions, on our Congress, on people, on our law enforcement. I mean, it's something that just, you know, should break the heart of every American and should make every American, not just former president, sick to their stomach.

LEMON: Thank you, Ana. Thank you, John. I appreciate it.

The FBI releasing new video clips of the Capitol insurrection showing the horrible violence directed at Capitol police officers. I want to bring in now Representative Katie Porter. A California Democrat. Representative thank you. I appreciate you joining. So, let's talk about this. I want to ask but the FBI releasing this new video footage of officers being assaulted during the insurrection on January 6th. What do you think as you watch it? It is so violent.

REP. KATIE PORTER (D-CA): Well, it was a violent attack. And I think we are not benefited from looking away from the problem. I think we have to understand that this was a direct attack on our democracy. People were physically harmed and killed because of this. And we have to take it very, very seriously. Both understanding why it happened and to curing some of the racist and the hatred that gave rise to the event.

LEMON: So, Rep. Porter, during the Capitol attack, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ran into your office to hide from the insurrectionists. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): They go into her office, and I'm at like a 10, right? Like, I'm at like a full 10, fight or flight. I thought I was going to die like 10 minutes ago. Then thought I was going to die again. I start, you know, ripping through Katie's office like a mad woman. And you know, poor Katie. I'm opening every closet. I'm opening every nook, I'm opening like every cranny, looking for where I'm going to hide when they get into this office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, we hear that Representative and we see the latest FBI video showing the violence. What do you think when many in the GOP are trying to rewrite history of what happened that day?

PORTER: Look, it was terrifying, and a lot of the fear came from not knowing where the attackers were. We were able to see only what the television cameras showed us which was, the attackers were inside the building. We didn't know where they were inside the Capitol complex. We didn't know how to get in touch with the police and we were barricaded in our office and that was literally the instructions from the police, were to hide in your office. Barricade yourself. Make it dark and make it silent and wait.

And that's exactly what we did. But it was really, really terrifying, not knowing where they were, what they were coming for, what they are going to do, and if we had adequate security presence to protect us and we clearly did not and that's something that we need to figure out how we are going to correct going forward.

LEMON: Listen, I have got to ask about the rise in anti-Asian attacks that we've seen all across this country during the pandemic. You spoke at a rally about this crisis just this past weekend. You represent many Asian-Americans. What are you hearing from constituents about how to tackle this crisis?

PORTER: Well, I think we have to start by recognizing our Asian and Pacific American community as for being a vibrant part of our country. And they've been here for a long time. Some of them here for centuries. Some are new arrivals. These are our neighbors. These are our friends. These are our colleagues. We have to stand up for them just like we would for anyone else who is being attacked.

Asian-Americans are not protected from the forces of racism, from the forces of hatred. They are too often victims of it and I think we need to see more leadership calling out, condemning it and working to find solutions. And I'm really proud of what President Biden and Vice President Harris have done on this front. Providing both the leadership and the willingness to listen to the API community.

LEMON: And speaking of the president and the vice president, they're going to head to Atlanta tomorrow to discuss the spa shootings. The president is also meeting with Stacey Abrams who presumably to discuss the attack on voting rights across the country. How do Democrats plan to out maneuver Republican efforts to both restrict voting access and block legislation from Democrats?

[23:15:14]

PORTER: Yeah. We definitely need to pass HR1, For The People Act. Which has now moved over to the Senate and it has the support of every Democratic Senator. And so that bill will go a long way toward providing baseline federal protections against abuse of elections. And so we need to pass that bill, prevent things like automatic purges of voter rolls.

You know, protect people's right to the ballot box. We need to do that and we also need to be organizing on the ground. And I think the conversations and the work that Stacey Abrams has done, is really inspiring and uplifting to want to make sure that every American's voice can be heard in an election. That we have free and fair elections. That's what she's fighting for. I can't think of anything more fundamentally patriotic to be engaged in but that fight.

LEMON: Rep. Porter, thank you so much. I appreciate your time. The mayor of Atlanta says it is hard to see the shooting spree that

killed eight people. Six of them Asian women. As anything other than a hate crime. So, why did police say it is too soon to say?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:20:00]

LEMON: Investigators are still trying to determine the motive of the 21-year-old suspect who went on a shooting spree at Atlanta area spas killing eight people. Six of them Asian women. Police say nothing is off the table including whether the killings will be considered a hate crime. CNN's Ryan Young covering all the angles of this story for us. Ryan, I appreciate you joining us. What's the latest that you're hearing from investigators tonight?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, we are getting some new details. Some chilling details. An incident report was released, and we do know three of the women who were shot in Atlanta spa were actually shot in the head. Now, investigators have been painstakingly going through all this information to try to put the pieces together. But the toughest part of this, Don, is they're having trouble notifying family members of these victims. That's why their names haven't been released. In fact, take a listen to the Deputy Chief talking about that today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES HAMPTON, DEPUTY CHIEF ATLANTA POLICE: We wouldn't be doing justice by putting a lot of this information out in the public, and especially if, in our cases, where the next of kin has not been notified. So, I know it is tough. I know there are a lot of questions that want to be answered. But again, we just ask that you just respect the families that are still mourning. And some who may not even know yet. So that's the real key part for our victims, that our victims' next of kin have not been officially notified.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Yeah, Don, you can feel the difference in tone today. A lot of just questions about how this investigation is progressing. And one of the things that we do know as well is that the shooter bought the gun on the same day of the shooting. And I can tell you, police are going through mounds of video evidence as well.

One of the things they're trying to do is piece together an exact timeline of everything that happened. And now we also realize that that suspect did waive his first court appearance today. You know, the reason that makes so much sense is obviously no judge was going to grant him bond in a case like this. But there still remains so many questions.

Especially with the deep down on this on whether or not he is talking to investigators at that point is a big question. Now we do know that he was placed on suicide watch shortly after this shooting. He did indicate to police before that he wanted to commit suicide. We know that's not what he did at this point, Don.

LEMON: Ryan Young, live for us in Atlanta. Ryan, I appreciate your reporting. Thanks so much. I want to bring in now former federal prosecutor, Shan Wu. Thank you for joining us, Shan. Listen, law enforcement has not ruled out calling this shooting a hate crime. Mayor Bottoms said that it is hard to see it any other way. Do you have any doubts about how this case should be prosecuted?

SHAN WU, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I don't have any doubts, Don. The police are being too cautious. They're saying they are still looking for motive. Motives is right in front of their face. The hate crime statute is very plain. It allows prosecution if the crimes motivated by sex, as well as race. And here he murdered eight women. There's the sex. And he selected six of them were Asian women. There's the race. It's a no brainer. They should prosecute it as a hate crime.

LEMON: So, I have to ask you about this, because it has been ruminating since, you know, this happened. And there was a first press conference. The Captain, Jay Baker, is no longer the spokesperson for the Cherokee County Sherriff's Office on the spa shooting case.

Baker is being criticized for his description of the suspect actions and he allegedly posted a photo to Facebook last year of shirts with the message, COVID-19 imported virus from China. You say, this demon -- excuse me, this demotion, pardon me for that, is not enough. Why is that?

WU: If that allegation is correct, that man has no business being a police officer. And frankly, he sounds more like a defense counsel offering these motives, almost sympathizing with the defendant saying that he was at the end of his rope. It was a bad day. That's not the actions of a police officer. So he absolutely shouldn't be working on the case.

LEMON: Shan, let's listen to that and then I'll let you finish. I want you to hear him say it and then we'll let you finish. Here it is. Pardon the interruption.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY BAKER, CAPTIAN CHEROKEE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: He was pretty fed up. It had been -- kind of at the end of his rope. And yesterday was a really bad day for him and this is what he did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Go on.

WU: That kind of language sounds like he is offering a defense for the guy. He wants to almost engender some sympathy for his situation. Were obviously there can be no sympathy for person who did that. And it really raises this question of, do they treat white defendants differently? I mean, it raises this whole specter even from the Capitol riots.

Some police fist bumping members of the Proud Boys, letting them into the Capitol and you have to wonder, why is this man so empathetic toward the defendant? Now maybe those posts, if they really are his, give pretty good reason as to why.

[23:25:10]

LEMON: Where do we go from here, Shan? How do we stop these anti-Asian attacks on the community?

WU: I don't think there's one easy answer to that, Don. I mean, certainly, all of the awareness being given right now is so important. And we have to raise that awareness. But I think from the law enforcement prosecution side, the prosecutors have to show some courage. They have to have a backbone bringing these cases.

I mean, they have these hate crime laws on the books, and not to use them. It is like erasing the laws just like the violence against people of color has been erased in our history. And they need to bring these cases. And most importantly I think, as we talk about these issues, we must not fall for the trick of letting people be divisive. Or pitting one group against the other. This is a time to come together and not to be trying to let people point fingers at each other.

LEMON: Amen. Thank you for your expertise and thank you for your thoughts. And that I really appreciate that Shan Wu.

The House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy trying to claim that he didn't back former President Trump's efforts to overturn the election. But that's not what the records show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, is getting defensive today when questioned over his support for the former president's efforts to overthrow the election.

Let's discuss now. CNN's chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju is here and CNN political commentator Amanda Carpenter, as well. Good evening to both of you. Welcome to the program.

Manu, you had a combative exchange with Rep. McCarthy today when you tried to ask him about his support for former President Trump trying to overturn the election. How did this all go down?

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, the backdrop being as what's happening right now in the House. There's actually contested race from Iowa, a house race. A Republican who was the certified the winner by just six votes in November, the closest federal race in the country, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, she had been seated in her seat.

But the Democrat who lost that race, Rita Hart, is challenging that race and going through the House, a very unusual process to get the House to overturn her loss because she said 22 legally cast votes were not counted appropriately.

Now, Democrats have not made a decision on what to do, but they are still reviewing the case and the evidence before that. Now, at the same time, Republicans are saying that Democrats are trying to steal a seat, a certified election, and they're trying to steal a seat.

So today, I asked Kevin McCarthy how what's happening in the House right now is any different than his support of Donald Trump's efforts to get Congress to overturn his loss.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): I disagree with the premise of your question. If you challenged Arizona and Pennsylvania, would that have changed and lowered President Biden's numbers below 270?

RAJU (voice-over): You supported the Texas --

MCCARTHY: Wait, wait, wait -- I asked you -- you asked me questions every week. I just asked you a question.

(LAUGHTER)

MCCARTHY: If you removed Arizona, but you weren't removing it, you were just asking the question about it, if Arizona and Pennsylvania were removed in the Electoral College, would President Biden's number lower between -- lower -- below 270?

RAJU (voice-over): No, but Donald Trump --

MCCARTHY: OK, the answer is no.

RAJU (voice-over): -- the House could have voted. The Congress could have overturned the election --

MCCARTHY: Wait, wait, wait, I'm not Donald Trump. So you're asking me the question. I'm answering your question. Let me answer your question since you asked me. Let me follow through. So, you gave a premise that's not true.

RAJU (voice-over): Donald Trump tried to overturn the results in Congress, and you supported that effort.

MCCARTHY: Well, now you're saying something that's not true. So, let me answer your question and show you how your premise is not true.

RAJU (voice-over): Did you not support his efforts though?

MCCARTHY: And I'm showing where your question doesn't hold merit. Now let me show you another answer.

RAJU (voice-over): You supported the Texas lawsuit. Did you regret supporting that lawsuit?

MCCARTHY: No, no, no, I don't. Do you know why? It's because it's going to the court.

RAJU (voice-over): Did you or did you not support Donald Trump's effort to overturn the election in Congress?

MCCARTHY: No.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LEMON: Manu, my head hurts.

(LAUGHTER)

RAJU: Look, this is complete revisionist history, Don, because Kevin McCarthy, not only did he support that lawsuit in Texas that would invalidated millions of votes across several battleground states, he was passively and publicly supporting efforts to try to get Donald Trump to win the election.

Remember, even though he says there were just two states that they voted to overturn electoral results, they failed in that effort, Arizona and Pennsylvania, those state votes occurred after the riot happened on January 6th, but he still voted to overturn those states.

The Republicans in the House actually tried to object to six states. And had they succeeded, which was very unlikely to happen, that would have overturned the entire results of the election.

The only reason they didn't vote on those six states is because Senate Republicans didn't join them in all six of those efforts to force both chambers of Congress to vote.

So, McCarthy here is making a complete different case about what the actual facts are, which was that he supported what Donald Trump was doing or he certainly did not object in any way during the course of the run up to January 6th.

LEMON: It's just -- listen, Manu. It's logic. I mean, come on. You're speaking --

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: I don't know how you do it every day. Amanda, help me understand what Kevin McCarthy was just saying, because he supported overturning the election. He refused to recognize Biden as the president-elect. Why is he trying the rewrite history and then playing these silly semantics or word game with Manu? I don't get it.

AMANDA CARPENTER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS ADVISOR AND SPEECHWRITER FOR SENATOR TED CRUZ: Yeah. Well, number one is because he's a Democrat who is now treating, you know, wanted to take the congressional option to try to get an election, just like the Republicans did for Trump.

[23:35:04]

CARPENTER: So, look, no wonder it only took a couple weeks for a Democrat to want to try it. But I do think there is something else going on here. He wants to retake the House in 2022 and there's a lot of pressure from corporate America not to donate to Republicans who supported these conspiracy theories that resulted in an insurrection.

That is something that is very real that is happening. It is something that Kevin McCarthy is watching. While at the same time, he is still trying to keep all of Donald Trump's support, like, OK, after the insurrection, he is still flying down to Mar-a-Lago to make up with him and make sure that he stays inside the republican tent and campaigns for congressional candidates in the midterms.

And so you see him struggling here because he's trying to have it both ways and it is just impossible. You cannot say that you didn't play a role in this because it's all on tape, as Manu pointed out, over and over again. It wasn't just the Texas lawsuit. He was on camera at Fox News saying that, you know, President Trump won the election days after. I mean, he was there from November all the way to January.

LEMON: Manu, there's another exchange that you had with Kevin McCarthy from last June that is so relevant to the moment that we are in right now and here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU (voice-over): The president has been describing the coronavirus. He's been calling it the kung flu. Do you think that's an appropriate way to characterize the coronavirus?

MCCARTHY: Do you think that's the most pressing issue you have about the coronavirus?

RAJU (voice-over): What do you think about that?

MCCARTHY: I know, but what I'm thinking about is why that is your most pressing issue as a question.

RAJU (voice-over): Well, can you answer the question?

MCCARTHY: When we've just seen a spike in coronavirus, you're concerned about somebody and the way they name it. That's appalling to me. It is interesting to me, if that's what your viewers care most about, because --

RAJU (voice-over): But can you say if it's racist or not?

MCCARTHY: -- you know what -- you know what my constituents care most about? Their safety and their health.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And he's -- he's just -- he's so smug about it and so self- righteous. And again, he doesn't have an answer, so he goes on the attack. But isn't this what leadership or lack of leadership is right now? Because look at where we are, Manu.

RAJU: Yeah. Look, I mean, the question today has been, was political rhetoric like that, saying the kung flu, saying the China virus, has that not contributed to the rise in hate crimes and violence against Asian-Americans. That's what we heard in testimony that happened before the House today. That's what people have said who have studied this issue that in fact it is.

But a lot of Republicans are not willing to go there. We heard what Chip Roy said earlier today in that hearing, saying this is the first amendment rights of people to say what they want. Today, McCarthy, in fact, was asked about that rhetoric that occurred last year. He downplayed all of it, saying, you know, we still need to understand what happened in Atlanta, the shootings down there, he wouldn't accept at all that such rhetoric contributed to it.

But that's why I asked him last year, because at the time, people were saying this was racist rhetoric, saying kung flu and Asian-Americans feel that way, and there's concern about the safety of this community. But, of course, he didn't want to address that because he didn't want to criticize Donald Trump, who at the time was saying kung flu over and over again.

LEMON: Hey, Amanda, I hate to give you short shift. I have to go. Do you think he looks at that and he's embarrassed by it or has second thoughts now looking back?

CARPENTER: No. If he does, I would like him to say so.

LEMON: You are concise and you are correct. Thank you very much, Amanda. Thank you, Manu. Manu, I don't know how you all do it. I'm glad I'm here in New York because they would kick me out of everything, the White House, the Senate, the Congress, wherever, the Capitol, because I'd have to tell somebody off. Thank you both.

President Biden touting his progress on COVID vaccinations, but there are concerns a surge could be right on the horizon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: As of tonight, about 12 percent of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated. Millions more Americans have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine. And officials are racing to boost those numbers because a surge in cases may be looming.

Time for our nightly house call. Who is that with? CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner. Good evening, doc. So, President Biden announcing today that the country will meet his goal of 100 million vaccine shots well ahead of his 100 days. So, what is the next goal?

JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST, DIRECTOR OF CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION PROGRAM AT GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: I think we need to get to three million shots a day, and I think we should try and get the vast majority of adults in this country vaccinated by the beginning of the summer. We have the ability to do that.

We have the vaccine supplies. We have enough vaccine on order from the three approved vaccines to vaccinate 400 million Americans. There are only 330 million Americans, so we are going to have enough vaccine. The vaccine is excellent. Now, all we have to do is get it into arms. And we have the infrastructure to do this.

So, right now, we're averaging about 2.5 million shots per day. Let's boost that a little bit, three million shots per day, and we'll get to herd immunity sometime this summer.

LEMON: You talked about -- you're in a race, currently in a race between vaccines and variants, right? Seventeen states are reporting a rise in cases. Are you worried about another big surge?

REINER: No, I'm not worried about a nationwide surge. I think we're going to see mini surges in regions or in states.

[23:45:03]

REINER: So, for instance, right now, hospitalizations in cases are up in Michigan, you know, for the first time in over -- almost three months. We're seeing cases rise in a state like Michigan. Now, Michigan has a good proportion of variants in the patients that have the genomic testing and they're having some trouble getting vaccine into folks. So, it is a cautionary tale.

But in other parts of the country like in the southeast and the southwest and in California where cases have just dropped dramatically, things look better, still a lot of cases in New York, flat in the Pacific Northwest.

So, it is going to be patchy, and I think we are going to see sort of fire spring up place to place, which is why we have to keep wearing masks and keep getting shots into arms. But overall, we're in a much better place than we were at the beginning of January.

LEMON: Meanwhile, states all over the country are easing their COVID restrictions. Do you think that it's happening too soon? Do you think we can do it safely? I know people have COVID fatigue, right? They have got mask fatigue, they have got quarantine fatigue. What do you think?

REINER: I'm worried about it. Look, I think there should be things that fully vaccinated people can do. But I'm worried about this notion that we're just going to open restaurants and we're going to start filling them, like New York going to 50 percent occupancy in restaurants. This is not the time. You know, there are still almost 5,000 cases a day in New York City, way too much to increase occupancy in restaurants.

Everyone is tired. I get it. Believe me. I get it. I am really tired. But we don't have that much further to go. It will take longer to put this out if we have to start shutting down again because we're having surges in more places because we couldn't wait long enough. We did this last spring. LEMON: Yeah.

REINER: And we saw what happened over the summer.

LEMON: Hey, listen. Real quick, though, doctor, please. If you -- what if they start increasing access to vaccine and then saying, OK, we're going to increase access to vaccine and we're going to open restaurants 50 percent? Do you think that would offset? Is that a possibility? I don't know.

REINER: You know, what I would love to see, this is great idea, of having nights in restaurants where restaurants can fill to 100 percent if the clientele are all vaccinated. So you have, you know, vaccine nights in restaurants, a way to increase the business for our really struggling retail establishment and start to open the economy.

LEMON: Dr. Reiner, thank you as always. I'll see you tomorrow night, hopefully.

REINER: My pleasure.

LEMON: We'll be right back.

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[23:50:00]

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LEMON: Tonight, a former state senator in Florida stands accused of financing a sham candidate for a hotly contested state Senate race last fall with the intent on taking away votes from a legitimate Democratic candidate. Here is CNN's senior investigative correspondent Drew Griffin.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

KATHY RUNDLE, MIAMI-DADE STATE ATTORNEY: Today, we are alleging that November's Florida Senate district 37 election involved crimes.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Miami-Dade state attorney says disgraced lawmaker Frank Artiles masterminded a plot to help a Republican win a key Florida state Senate seat.

RUNDLE: He knew then, and we are alleging that he knows now, that he was blatantly thumbing his nose at the law.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Last November, incumbent Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez lost his Senate seat by just 32 votes, a race that he tells CNN he would have won.

JOSE JAVIER RODRIGUEZ, FORMER FLORIDA STATE SENATOR: There is no question that this had an impact on a race that was ultimately decided by 32 votes out of nearly a quarter million casts. GRIFFIN (voice-over): But Jose Javier Rodriguez lost. There was a third candidate, a sham candidate, in this race with the same last name as his, who syphoned away Democrat votes, Alex Rodriguez, who's also charged in the plan.

UNKNOWN: We have been looking for Alex. Is he around?

UNKNOWN: No. He would be back tomorrow, though.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): That's actually Alex Rodriguez behind the door lying to a reporter from CNN affiliate WPLG about his own identity last year.

Alex Rodriguez told officials Frank Artiles paid him nearly $45,000 to be a so-called ghost candidate. He was promoted as a liberal in advertising mailers but never campaigned and never debated.

RODRIGUEZ: In addition to the same surname, it was all a very well- orchestrated and funded last-minute campaign to persuade voters and frankly trick them.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): While entering a sham candidate into a political race isn't a crime, the funding of one is, according to prosecutors. Both Artiles and Rodriguez are charged with three felonies each.

RUNDLE: What is a crime is making illegal campaign contributions to get a candidate to run.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): The Republican challenger who won the election by just 32 votes is Ileana Garcia, a founder of Latinas for Trump. Prosecutors say there is no evidence she knew anything about the plot to get her elected. Her spokesperson telling CNN, she has never even met Frank Artiles.

[23:54:57]

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Artiles's attorney tells CNN his client is cooperating and we fully intend to defend any charges in court.

This case is part of a pattern CNN previously reported last year. Three races with ghost candidates supported by political action committees that all registered at the same time and had similar donations and similar spending on nearly identical mailers.

RODRIGUEZ: There was also hundreds of thousands of dollars of dark money. We still don't know where it came from, sending mailers to voters in the district to confuse them with democratic-leaning messages.

GRIFFIN: Alex Rodriguez's attorney says his client deeply regrets being used in this way for this election. As for Frank Artiles, he has a history of controversies. He had to resign from his state Senate seat in 2017 after using racial slurs in front of two Black lawmakers.

Drew Griffin, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LEMON: Drew, thank you so much. Thank you for watching, everyone. Our coverage continues.

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