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Don Lemon Tonight
Trump to Conduct Another Super Spreader Event; Nine Attendees Positive with COVID; POTUS' Health Status a Top Secret; Trump Projects He's Cured; Terrorism Charges Filed Against 13 Men; Hurricane Delta Battered Gulf Coast. Aired 10-11p ET
Aired October 09, 2020 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[22:00:00]
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST: I wish you all peace this weekend the best blessings for head and hearts and your families. Thank you for watching. CNN tonight with the man, D. Lemon right now.
DON LEMON, CNN HOST: That is a tall order that you're asking, come on, really? The same old --
(CROSSTALK)
CUOMO: Stop asking people to overthrow the country.
LEMON: Isn't that amazing? Isn't that amazing? And asking people, what did he call today, Black Lives Matter racists? And he said, Black Lives Matter was bad for black people.
CUOMO: Yes.
LEMON: Earlier I was on with Brianna and I was he was blacksplaining. I got that wrong, he was whitesplaining what's good for black people which is.
CUOMO: It's a key distinction.
LEMON: It's a key distinction.
CUOMO: Shame on you.
LEMON: It's a very -- well, you can't tell lately, I mean, have you seen the makeup? He's darker than me. That's some bronzer. He got -- he got, you know, my bronzer in the mail by accident and put it on, I don't know.
CUOMO: The man's looks are the least of my concerns.
LEMON: I'm just saying, the makeup is a little heavy lately. I guess -- I guess, honestly, he's trying to show the public that he's healthy, right? And he just, you know -- it's browner, darker. He's got some sun.
CUOMO: Yes.
LEMON: He's not pale.
CUOMO: I got a much easier way. Show us a negative test.
LEMON: There you go. There you go.
CUOMO: Show us the test.
LEMON: Instead of having all of this -- I cannot believe-- I just cannot believe that he's inviting people --
(CROSSTALK)
CUOMO: Two thousand.
LEMON: -- he's inviting them to possibly get sick and get COVID. Not necessarily from him because he's going to be on the balcony, right, doing his thing. But -- because they're all going to be jammed in together at a place that's already a hot spot. A super spreader house. Interesting.
CUOMO: Yes. It's a cluster. It's literally --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Always a cluster. It's a cluster in a whole lot of ways.
CUOMO: -- if they're inviting him -- they're inviting -- he's inviting them into --
LEMON: yes.
CUOMO: -- a cluster site.
LEMON: Yes.
CUOMO: And I got to tell you, you and I disagree on this, so I'll make it quick. I feel for many of the people who follow him. They have legitimate frustration and disaffection and they were desperate enough to bank on someone as a radical change agent and he is embarrassing them on a daily basis.
LEMON: Well, I feel for them in a different way. But they're adults. And they're grown. And if you don't believe in science, if you don't believe in reality, if you don't believe in facts, if you don't believe 1 plus 1 equals 2, if you believe QAnon, if you believe a pizza conspiracy, if you believe that there's actually hundreds of miles of walls being built, if you believe that the tax cuts are in your best interests, if you believe all of those things, as an adult, that is on you.
So, I don't feel for them in that way. They're getting suckered. But they're grown people. That's their own business.
CUOMO: Grown people get suckered all the time, especially when they're desperate.
LEMON: Yes, but desperate for what?
CUOMO: Better. Look, some --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: We're all desperate for better but we're not trying to overthrow the government.
CUOMO: Some of his followers are haters, bigots, and ignorant. But not all of them. The problem is, all, it seems -- if they're going to be involved in the process, if you're a hater or a bigot, you back Trump. And that's something he's got to explain to them.
And again, it just -- the only sympathy I have is that -- I think about how desperate you have to be to back this guy and have to explain all this stuff that they almost never agree with. I almost never have a Trump person who stops me to talk to me where they will own any of the things that he says or does.
LEMON: Yes. Well, I think you're proving my point. I think you're being very generous because I know that you are not a hater or a bigot, and you would not follow or support anyone who's a hater or bigot, because you would be, what, complicit in hatred and bigotry.
CUOMO: That's the catch.
LEMON: So that's the catch. So, it is what it is. Thank you, sir. I'll see you.
CUOMO: All right, Captain Bangle.
LEMON: These are for protection.
CUOMO: Both arms.
LEMON: Against you. There's nothing on this arm. You see.
CUOMO: Both arms. You tucked them up.
LEMON: I got you.
CUOMO: You tucked them up. I love you, Don Lemon, I'll be watching.
LEMON: You too. Have a great. I'll see you this weekend.
CUOMO: All right.
LEMON: This is CNN Tonight. I'm Don Lemon.
We've got a lot to tell you. So, boy, what a week. That's what I wanted to say to him. Do you remember at the beginning of the week what was happening? Or even last week as we were talking about taxes? You know, all kinds of things. Now here we are. Every week, every day, really, it's something else. Can't even keep up with it. You can't become numb to it, though. Because then you make it normal. You make stuff like this normal. Stunts, rants, the cover-ups, that's what you're getting from the
president, your president, America, stunts, rants, and cover-ups. Twenty-five days to the most important election of any of our lifetimes and tonight Donald Trump always trying to put on a show, pulls another unreality TV stunt.
[22:05:04]
Don't get caught up in this latest episode of the Trump show, OK? Don't do it. Don't you do it. If it were up to him, you'd only see what he wants you to see, OK? He won't let anybody in the White House, anyone in the White House, say when he last tested negative for the virus.
He won't let his actual doctor answer any questions. Well, the questions that we need to know. Which in fairness Dr. Conley doesn't really answer anyway, right? But he'll go on state TV and be interviewed by Fox News, a medical contributor, a pre-taped interview, using a White House camera. So, we still have no independent sightings and nothing live. He tells Fox he felt a little bit off.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I didn't feel very strong. I didn't feel very vital. I didn't feel like the president of the U.S. should feel. And I knew there was something a little bit off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Except the president can't get his story straight. On just how sick he's been. Because he told Rush Limbaugh just a few hours earlier, he wasn't in good shape. He might not have recovered at all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I was in not great shape, and we have a medicine that healed me, that fixed me. I feel better now than I did two weeks ago, it's crazy. I recovered immediately, almost immediately. I might not have recovered at all from COVID.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: But the thing is, that's not what his doctor said the morning after he was admitted to the hospital.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN CONLEY, WHITE HOUSE PHYSICIAN: This morning, the president is doing very well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president this morning is not on oxygen, not having difficulty breathing or walking around the White House medical unit upstairs. He's in exceptionally good spirits, and in fact, as we were completing our multi-disciplinary rounds this morning, the quote he left us with was, I feel like I could walk out of here today. That was a very encouraging comment from the president. (END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Remember when Johnny Carson used to do the amazing Carnac? So, which is it? Why the cover-up? Why the shifting stories? Now tonight he says he has been retested but claims he doesn't know the results.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I have been retested. And I haven't even found out numbers or anything yet. But I've been retested. And I know I'm at either the bottom of the scale or free.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: OK. So, it was daytime when he said that. And it is now 10 p.m. Just after at night now. Does the White House have those results yet? Do you think if the president had a negative COVID test, they'd keep that to themselves?
The way they are keeping the last negative test to themselves as well, because of how dangerous and negligent it is that they apparently were not testing the president daily, the way they promised they were. By the way, that interviewer, that is Dr. Marc Siegel. Does he look familiar to you? When was the last time we saw him?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It was 30 or 35 questions. The first questions are very easy. The last questions are much more difficult. Like a memory question. It's like you'll go person, woman, man, camera, TV. So, they'll say, could you repeat that? So, I said, yes. So, it's person, woman, man, camera, TV. OK, that's very good. If you get it in order, you get extra points. OK.
Now he's asking you other questions, other questions. And then 10 minutes, 15, 20 minutes later, they'd say, remember the first question? Not the first but the 10th question? Give us that again. Can you do that again? And you go, person, woman, man, camera, TV.
If you get it in order, you get extra points. They said nobody gets it in order, it's actually not that easy, but for me it was easy. And that's not an easy question. In other words, they ask it to you, they give you five names, you have to repeat them. And that's OK. If you repeat them out of order, it's OK. But, you know, it's not as good.
But then when you go back about 20, 25 minutes later and they say, go back to that question -- they don't tell you this. Go back to that question and repeat them. Can you do it? And you go, person, woman, man, camera, TV. They say, that's amazing. How did you do that? I do it because I have, like, a good memory because I'm cognitively there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[22:09:59]
LEMON: Yes. The man in person, woman, man, camera, TV. Or was he the person? Dr. Siegel.
Now this incredibly irresponsible president, desperate to make it look like he beat the virus, and terrified that he will lose, he is planning an event on the White House lawn tomorrow with 2,000 invited guests even though his Rose Garden event just two weeks ago was a super spreader that infected multiple people in his own White House.
OK, look. If you wrote this for the West Wing, you wouldn't believe it. You would take the remote and go, nope, that would never happen, I'm turning to something else.
This is real life, people. The person who is the leader of our country, who downplayed the virus since the beginning, and admitted it in a phone call to Bob Woodward, admitted it, then invited people to the White House and it became a super spreader event, then he got COVID, and went to the hospital on a helicopter, medevac'd, and then did it like a little parade reception, and then medevac'd back. What's the reverse of medevac'd? Back to the White House as he is shooting a campaign propaganda video, standing on the balcony like Evita.
Then he does -- I forgot the debate that he possibly was positive with COVID. This is crazy. There is no other way to put it. This is crazy. Now he wants to invite people back to the same super spreader house that they had to disinfect because there is a COVID cluster.
This is cuckoo. But it's real. I can't believe I'm sitting -- as I was sitting here reading this, I was -- it was -- out-of-body experience. It's surreal that this is actually happening in this country.
Dr. Anthony Fauci because he's a truth teller, who sidelined, who was sidelined by the president when he didn't tell him what he wanted to hear. He says this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We had a super spreader event in the White House. And it was in a situation where people were crowded together, were not wearing masks. So, the data speak for themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: He's saying it is what it is when he says the data speak for themselves. But this president doesn't care about any of that. He said last night that he wanted to get back on the trail. But he can't, because you see, he is infected with coronavirus.
You know, the guy who didn't want to wear a mask. The liberate guy. People can make the decision for themselves. Open up the country. So, they're going to bring the rally to him. And then Trump, super spreader tour. It hits Florida on Monday night for a campaign rally in an airplane hangar outside of Orlando.
In case you think the danger isn't real, we are learning tonight that nine people, nine, count them, were infected who attended one of the president's rallies at an airplane hangar in Minnesota three weeks ago.
We showed you the video. We showed you that they weren't socially distanced. Most of the people weren't wearing masks. But you know, hey, I can make the decision for myself, don't take away my freedoms, liberty, it's fake, it's a pandemic, the media, the whole thing.
Two of them are hospitalized. One is in intensive care. I want you to listen to a fiery Joe Biden. Notice he is wearing a mask, unlike the president, who the last time we saw him with one, he was shoving it in his pocket during his staged photo op in his campaign video shoot on the White House balcony.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: His reckless personal conduct since his diagnosis, the destabilizing effect it's having on our government is unconscionable. He didn't take the necessary precautions to protect himself or others. And the longer Donald Trump is president, the more reckless he gets. How can we trust him to protect this country?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[22:14:59]
LEMON: So, while the president is putting on his unreality show, we -- you remember earlier in the week when I was -- when I said, don't be distracted by what was happening? We need to talk about what is really going on in this country, OK? Let's focus, people.
More than 213,000 Americans are dead from the virus that he mismanaged and downplayed from the very beginning. And this president is flip- flopping again and again on coronavirus stimulus, a coronavirus stimulus deal that would be a lifeline for millions of you, millions of unemployed Americans.
And remember his tax returns? Remember that? The president really hopes you don't remember him paying not one penny in federal taxes in 10 out of 15 years, and only $750 the year he won the presidency and his first year in office, $750.
He hopes you've forgotten all about his refusal to condemn white supremacy in last week's debate, telling the Proud Boys to stand back and stand by. He wants to distract you from all of that, the lies, the pandemic, the cratering economy, the racism. He wants to distract you with his stunts.
But do not fall for the latest episode of the Trump show. Election day is just 25 days away. And you are smarter than that. The president says he has been retested for the virus, but they still haven't announced the results. While he's planning a big event at the White House tomorrow and a campaign rally on Monday.
Why are we hearing crickets when it comes to one of the most important questions about his health? Plus, ranting, stunts, cover-ups. I'm going to talk to this man right here about it, known him for years. Knows how he operates. Michael Cohen. Ask him if he's ever seen Donald Trump like this. After the break.
[22:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: So tonight, we don't know, and this is vitally important, the American public does not know if President Trump is now testing negative for COVID-19. He is claiming tonight in an interview that he has been retested, but says doesn't know the results, he doesn't know the results.
And the White House hasn't released them. Yet tomorrow Trump will address 2,000 supporters who will gather on the South Lawn of the White House. He'll be up on a balcony. But let's remember that packed Rose Garden ceremony two weeks ago where there was no social distancing, very few masks worn. It's now called a super spreader event.
Lots to discuss. CNN's White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins is here, and our medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner here as well. Good evening to both of you.
Kaitlan, the president says that he has been retested in that interview. Wasn't this interview taped a few hours ago? If he was negative, wouldn't the White House have released the results by now? At least they should have by now, if he is.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And they said if he tested negative, they were going to let us know, Don. If you're looking at all the context close here, you're going to have to assume the president did not test negative, because we were told -- this interview was taped around 4 o'clock this afternoon, so here it is now 10 o'clock at night and the White House has not released anything about the president taking a test today. We only found out that he did because of this interview.
And Don, they also haven't released a letter from his doctor. This week every day we've gotten at least a statement from Dr. Conley, since he hasn't briefed reporters in person since Monday. But we didn't get that tonight. Yet it seems to be, despite that, that they are moving ahead with planning these events for tomorrow and for Monday where the president is going to hold a rally in Florida.
So, it's just raising concerns about the decisions the White House is making to do that without having secured that negative test result yet. And the president in that interview said he'd been retested, so he said he was either negative or very low, at the bottom of the scale.
But Don, of course, you're either positive or you're negative, and he did not say one way or the other. But it seemed to indicate he did not get a negative result today.
LEMON: All right. Dr. Reiner, I want to bring you in, I want you to listen to what the president said about testing his lungs at Walter Reed. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They tested the lungs, they checked for the lungs, they tested with different machinery. They have incredible stuff that I've never even seen before. And it tested -- it tested good. Initially I think they had some congestion in there. But it tested -- ultimately it tested good. And with each day it got better.
And I think that's why they wanted me to stay, frankly. But the CAT Scans were amazing. The equipment was incredible. I've never seen equipment like this before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So congested? Would that be an indication of pneumonia? Because all his doctors said previously was, expected findings.
JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: This is all such nonsense, Don. You don't admit a patient with COVID-19 to the hospital unless they have pneumonia or some other catastrophic complication. So, you know, he had to have pneumonia. And I don't know why it's such a national secret and why they can't just simply say that.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Dr. Reiner, can you say that again? You don't admit a patient to the hospital -- say that part again, please, for the viewers?
REINER: Yes. That's why you admit a patient to the hospital with a respiratory illness. You admit them to treat their pneumonia. So, the president had pneumonia. It's not that hard to say. And it's not that terrifying to say.
And the White House simply should have said that day one. The president of the United States is admitted with COVID pneumonia he's doing fine, we expect him to get better. Gee. The world hasn't collapsed. That's what they should have said, and that's what happened. He was admitted with COVID pneumonia.
Now we don't know how long into the illness he was when he was admitted, because we don't have a last negative test. So that's become a national secret, when he was last negative. But the White House is very eager to tell you when he tests negative, in the future, so they definitely want you to know when he's negative.
[22:25:02]
And if he's negative tomorrow, they will -- they will find a way to tell you that. He won't be negative tomorrow, because people with COVID will shed remnants of viral RNA for a long time. So, if the testing came with PCR, he's going to be positive for a long time. That's why --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Is he still contagious? REINER: Yes.
LEMON: Is he still contagious? Is he still contagious when that happens, right?
REINER: Well, you know, we don't know. But the CDC recommends if you've had severe illness, you can shed live virus and be contagious up to 20 days. So again, what is it? Did the president have severe disease, which required medevac and triple emergency therapy? I think that's what the facts state.
In which case, to be on the safe side, and to protect his staff, his Secret Service, and the supporters and the community at large, the president should remain isolated for 20 days. I don't understand why this is so hard. PCR isn't going to help us. And I -- and frankly, I'm at the point where I don't believe the data that the White House presents to the public.
LEMON: Doctor, Kaitlin, thank you both, I appreciate it.
Hours of interviews with conservative radio and TV. Hours of rants and lies. What is going on with President Trump? Michael Cohen kept his secrets for years. He's going to fill us in, next.
[22:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: So, if President Trump's decision to invite 2,000 people to the White House during a West Wing outbreak isn't enough to make you question his judgment, pay attention to this. He's increasingly clinging to the safety of friendly media outlets, making all sorts of outrageous comments. I want you to listen to what he said about Iran today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: And Iran knows that, and they've been put on notice, if you (muted) around with us, if you do something bad to us, we are going to do things to you that have never been done before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. He's a grown man. You know. But have you ever heard a president publicly speak like that? Well, and for the second straight day, President Trump going after some of his closest allies, including the attorney general, William Barr. The president upset that Barr hasn't been able to bring indictments against his political rivals, including Joe Biden and Barack Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: See, this is what I mean with the Republicans. They don't play the tough game. They don't play the tough game. If this were the other side, you would have had 25 people in jail for the rest of their lives with what we've found. (END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So, joining me now is his former personal attorney, Michael Cohen. He's the author of this book, by the way, "Disloyal, A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump." Good evening, sir, how are you doing?
MICHAEL COHEN, FORMER DONALD TRUMP'S LAWYER: Good evening, Don, how are you?
LEMON: I'm well, thank you. What is going on with him? Why is he ranting and raving?
COHEN: Because he's like a trapped animal right now. He knows he's losing in the election. He knows that every time he opens his mouth, the world sees that it's -- you know, there's that old joke, how do you know that Trump is lying? His mouth is moving. Well everybody's beginning to see that.
So, you know, the emperor's got no more clothes. He's naked in front of the world. And he doesn't like it. So, he doesn't know what to do, so he's ranting. I mean, that's just what Donald Trump does, he rants.
LEMON: Have you ever -- listen, you've seen good times and bad. You've written about it in the book. Have you ever seen him act like this?
COHEN: Yes, I've seen him act like this. But -- let me rephrase that. He's acted like this in comparison to the Trump organization with certain things that were going on. But nothing like this. I mean, this is a level that I don't think anybody has ever seen in this entire -- since, you know, since the beginning of this country.
He is completely out of control. He's completely unhinged. He's lost it. I mean, he knows that he's losing the election. He knows he needs to keep power, otherwise he's looking at a tremendous amount of trouble regarding the taxes, regarding the Trump organization, regarding Don, Ivanka, Eric, Jared. He knows that there are investigations pending against each and every one of them, that if they lose the power, that they're going to be indicted and he's nervous as all.
LEMON: What is this obsession with wanting to jail his political rivals? he wanted to, you now, remember the chant was lock her up. Now he wants to put Joe --
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: What do I have to remember? Don, forget about --
LEMON: -- that you -- go on.
COHEN: Forget about the chants. I was there. I was -- he had me incarcerated. I mean, my action against Bill Barr where I was finally removed from Otisville Prison, the second time they remanded me, I mean, that's exactly what he told Bill Barr to do, the case is Michael Cohen versus Bill Barr. I mean, it's retaliatory, as Judge Hellerstein put it.
I mean, for God's sakes. Why everybody needs to listen up. When I went before Elijah Cummings, before the House oversight committee, I told you Donald Trump was a racist and I was right. I told you that there were never be a peaceful transition of power in this country again. Now everybody is using my words.
I told you he was a con man. I told you he was a fraud. And I was right on both of those. Well, here's the last part. So I could be five for five. He's a liar. Nothing that comes out of Donald Trump's mouth should be listened to, and none of it should be accepted. It's just plain and simple.
LEMON: He --
COHEN: We have a president that doesn't know how to tell the truth.
LEMON: Yes.
COHEN: And that's a very scary thing.
LEMON: But he is obsessed with Barack Obama. And Barack Obama is no longer the president, Joe Biden is not the president now but he's obsessed with somehow doing -- jailing them. It's really unbelievable.
[22:35:01]
I want to get to this interview, though. And you're right about his obsession with the former president, Barack Obama, in your book. You said he's jealous, he wishes he could be him, and he just doesn't like him because he's black. Did I sum that up correctly?
COHEN: No, you summed it up perfectly.
LEMON: OK, great. OK, so listen, President Trump was on Fox News tonight, pre-taped interview, Michael, using a White House camera. We haven't seen him independently since Monday. You know how he usually does the chopper, walks out, talks to everybody, or whatever, he loves being in front of the cameras. If he's so much better, as he is claiming, why is he going to such extremes to control his appearances?
COHEN: Because he's not. Again, it goes right back to the notion that Donald Trump --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Let me ask you something else.
COHEN: Donald Trump lies.
LEMON: Let me ask --
COHEN: He is not feeling well.
LEMON: OK, because you are used to seeing him, right? When you see him in these interviews, what do you think? How does he look to you? COHEN: Well, he looks like he's under the weather. He looks like he's
seriously under the weather. I mean, all of a sudden, you're in the middle of a -- of an interview, and he would be like this. Hey, Don, hey, Don, right? I mean, this is not Donald Trump. You don't see -- you don't see him acting like that. And especially if you're the President of the United States and you're not feeling well, you have Walter Reed, he should be there right now.
But then he wouldn't be projecting strength. I mean, listen to the words that he used. Everything is tremendous, everything is excellent, he's never seen machines like this before. Mr. President, it's called a CAT Scan, right? They exist in every hospital. They exist in medical offices all around the country and the world. It's a CAT Scan.
You had a chest x-ray and a CAT Scan, right, that determined that you probably have walking pneumonia or you have some sort of pneumonia- type symptom as a result of COVID. They're not tremendous. They're not excellent. They're not the only ones in the world.
I mean, everything he tries to project is the best. It's the greatest. It's a one of a kind. No, it's not, and you're not one of a kind. You're one of seven plus million people that are COVID positive because of your ignorance and your arrogance. All right?
And if you want to continue your ignorance and your arrogance, you're going to end up much sicker. So, do us all a big favor, knock off this nonsense with 2,000 people coming so you could stand up on top of the -- by the White House like the pope, looking down in the Vatican, waving to your people. This isn't a joke.
LEMON: It's insane.
COHEN: You cannot beat this pandemic. He can't -- he thinks he's going to bully the pandemic into submission. Well, no, Mr. President, that's not how it works. You will lose. And you will lose by -- because of your own ignorance and your own stupidity.
LEMON: Michael, and listen, not to comment on anyone's looks. This is not about that. But I had not -- if we have the video of him doing the propaganda video where he's saying we're going to get this, the same stuff I have -- the one we just played. He has gone from -- do you see his makeup? He's gone from orange to burnt amber. He is like my color. Does he -- does he often do that? Is that, no, no, I'm serious. It looks -- it's bizarre. Have you ever seen him wear --
COHEN: No, what looks --
LEMON: -- bronzer or makeup that dark?
COHEN: No. I mean, first of all, what looks interestingly strange to me is his right eye looks very much like it's closing, that it has some sort of -- almost like a muscle weakness that's going on there. And I can't figure that out. But you notice even his breathing pattern is very dysfunctional.
LEMON: Yes. COHEN: And that, of course is COVID related.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: But Michael, we're not doctors. I'm just asking you about that because he seems darker. Maybe it's a result of the medicine, I don't know. I was asking if you've ever seen him that dark. And I don't know, maybe it's makeup, maybe he's dark because of the medicine because he's sick. I didn't mean that to -- I'm not judging his looks or anything, but he's almost as dark as me.
COHEN: No, he's usually a hue of orange.
LEMON: Yes.
COHEN: Yes, he's usually a hue of orange and that's the bronzer he uses.
LEMON: OK, so that's bronzer, all right. Thank you. Michael, be well.
COHEN: Good to see you.
LEMON: Happy anniversary, thank you.
COHEN: Thank you very much, Don.
LEMON: All right. I'll see you next time.
COHEN: Be well.
LEMON: Michigan's attorney --
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: You too.
LEMON: Michigan's attorney general says white supremacist groups were behind the plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer and she's got a warning for the rest of the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): It's not a Michigan problem, it's an American problem, and I think there's going to be more incidences to come.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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LEMON: A major threat across the country becoming more and more apparent as the 2020 election approaches. That threat, far-right and white supremacist extremism. FBI director Christopher Wray warning that violent far-right extremism
is the top domestic threat to the U.S. The Department of Homeland Security just releasing its threat assessment report showing that in 2019, there was -- it was the most deadly year for extremism in the United States since the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.
And this. Thirteen men charged for alleged, alleged domestic terrorism in Michigan. Officials accuse the men of planning to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer and overthrow the government.
The state's attorney general says groups like the Wolverine Watchmen are making similar plans all across the country. The threat is very real. And leaders in D.C. and across the country need to take it seriously.
Let's discuss now with CNN's legal and national security analyst Asha Rangappa. Asha, it's so good to see you. Thank you for coming on and talking to me about this important story. We've talked about it before, and here we are again.
ASHA RANGAPPA, CNN LEGAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Yes. I mean, look. Four years ago, we were worried about foreign election interference. And here we are four years later, and we're looking at domestic interference by these domestic violent extremists.
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And as you noted, Don, this is something that the FBI has been warning about since 2019. And even more recently, that this is a growing threat. And it's clear that this is going to be an issue for us both as we approach and perhaps even in the aftermath of this election.
LEMON: I'm just wondering about how widespread this is. Because authorities believe several of the suspect -- suspects arrested in the alleged plot to kidnap Governor Whitmer, that they are supporters of the boogaloo movement. There have been arrests of other boogaloo followers in other states. Just how widespread is the threat from these far-right groups?
RANGAPPA: Yes, I mean, look. Even in just the last few weeks we've seen arrests of members of this boogaloo movement, which is, you know, loosely affiliated, it's a right-wing ideology, anti-government, it's -- you know, they haven't -- there's no clear manifesto, but it is something that there's an affiliation here.
And like I said, the director of the FBI has mentioned that this is an ongoing threat. I suspect that this crosses state lines and is present in a number of places that the FBI is monitoring.
I think what's unfortunate, Don, is that we don't have a whole of government response to this coming from the top, condemning this, stating that it is not something that we will tolerate as a part of our society, much less when it comes to our elections. And, you know, having a forceful statement, and speaking of that, Don, it is 10.46. Do you know where your attorney general is? Because I don't. LEMON: That's a very good question. We have not seen or heard anything
from him when he went into quarantine. We don't know if he's -- we don't know. You know what I'm saying?
But I want to get this in because this is really, really important. This is from our affiliate -- this is from our affiliate WXMI. And it's -- this is a local Michigan sheriff. He was seen on stage at a rally in the spring with two of the Michigan suspects. This is a sheriff responding to the charges -- this is a sheriff, now, remember, OK? Responding to the charges against those men. Here it is.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any regrets from being on stage, center stage with a guy who's now being charged in a plot to kidnap the governor?
DAR LEAF, SHERIFF, BARRY COUNTY, MICHIGAN: It's just a charge. And they say a plot to kidnap. You've got to remember, are they trying to kidnap? Because a lot of people are angry with the governor. They want her arrested. So, are they trying to arrest? Or was it a kidnap attempt? Because you can still, in Michigan, if it's a felony, you can make a felony arrest. I think it's MCL 764.4, something like that, .5, somewhere around there.
And it doesn't say if you're in elected office that you're exempt from that arrest. So, I have to look at it from that angle. And I'm hoping that's more what it is. In fact, these guys are innocent till proven guilty, so I'm not even sure if they had any part in it.
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LEMON: OK, listen. We all believe in innocent till proven guilty in this country. In this case, though, officials allege a very serious and thought-out plot to kidnap, to kidnap the governor. This sheriff's defense appears to be, well, maybe they had the right to do it.
RANGAPPA: Yes. All this sheriff had to do is read the FBI complaint. This was a months-long conspiracy which involved training, firearms training, explosives training, plans to kidnap the governor at her vacation home, to bomb bridges in order to divert law enforcement and first responders and throw Molotov cocktails at their vehicles.
This was not a citizen's arrest, Don. I find his response to be not a normal response that a law enforcement person should have. I would also just emphasize that law enforcement personnel were targets of this plot. And we've been hearing a lot about law and order, and especially the threats to the safety of our law enforcement personnel. So, I find it incredibly troubling that this sheriff would not find any concern about that.
LEMON: Yes. But he's saying also, arrest her. Like, maybe they just wanted to arrest her. Like that's no big deal. What right do they have to arrest the governor?
RANGAPPA: No, Don, Don, and it's -- this is so important to say. You know, in America, when we don't like the policies that our governor or our president puts into effect, we have a remedy for that. It's called voting.
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You go to the ballot box, and you decide which policies that you want to vote --
LEMON: Right. You --
RANGAPPA: -- if there is a dispute, you go to the court.
LEMON: Right.
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RANGAPPA: If you don't like --
LEMON: Or you can protest. You can protest in the street.
RANGAPPA: You can protest.
LEMON: I've got to run though. But this is outrageous to me.
RANGAPPA: Yes.
LEMON: I can't believe it. And this is a thinking that it's taking that it's being somehow legitimatized in this country because of, you know --
RANGAPPA: But we have -- we have scary thing coming word from the top that is, you know, liberate Michigan, stand back and standby.
LEMON: Yes.
RANGAPPA: The -- our political talking points that are being taken as green lights for these kinds of activities.
LEMON: Thank you, Asha. I got to get to the hurricane. Thank you. I'll see you soon. Hurricane Delta makes landfall tonight.
RANGAPPA: Thank you.
LEMON: We're live on the Gulf Coast, that's next.
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LEMON: So, the breaking news tonight is on the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Delta is pounding southwest Louisiana with powerful winds, heavy rain after making landfall a few hours ago.
There you see him up on your screen right now. Martin Savidge is in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Give us the latest, Martin.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, this is the second hurricane in six weeks to strike just about the same part of Louisiana, conditions starting to ease or improve here in Lake Charles. Winds are dying down. It was a category two storm that came ashore. Quickly went down to a category one.
The problem with Lake Charles getting hit was the fact that it got hit by a category four storm, that was Laura, just six weeks ago it devastated this town. And so many of the structures were already weaken. The mayor estimates about 95 percent of the buildings had suffered in some way including homes, and then you got another powerful storm that comes in.
They began evacuating on Wednesday. They hope many people left. But here's the thing. The mayor is reporting they have received emergency call 911 calls from people needing help in the midst of the storm. It was too dangerous for the crews to go out. They will have to wait until the winds here and the conditions improve and the winds subside.
They are very practice tragically at doing this. Search and recovery will begin as soon as this storm moves away, and once again this community will have to try to rebuild but the problem is all that debris that was laying around the streets, tons of it, much of it went airborne and is likely to have done additional death. So those that left will come home they have to start all over again, Don.
LEMON: Sadly. Martin Savidge, thank you very much. Martin is going to keep an eye on it and we'll get back to him if need to be throughout the hours here on CNN. We'll be right back.
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