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Don Lemon Tonight
Building Collapsed in Surfside, Florida; Ten Lawmakers on Board for a Bipartisan Package; President Biden Remains Optimistic; Congressman Bob Good Was Called a Racist; Rudy Giuliani Suspended by New York's Court; Lawmakers Help Surfside with Resources. Aired 10-11p ET
Aired June 24, 2021 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[22:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST: We're going to keep watching and following the developments in Florida. There's plenty of reason for hope. We've seen amazing things happen over time once this delicate work starts going. It takes time. This is not easy. It's dangerous.
Thank you for watching. Don Lemon is going to pick up the coverage with Don Lemon Tonight. Right now.
DON LEMON, CNN HOST: In the meantime, for families that's watching and waiting in agony. But as you said, Chris, at this point we should be optimistic. There is -- a long time has not gone by where people can still be OK. They can be beneath, there is air pockets and so on. So, I remain optimistic at this point, but for those families, the family members watching and waiting, 99 people still unaccounted for. Wow.
CUOMO: That's an interesting number, right? Because we don't know that those are people that for sure were all in the building. Maybe they were not in the building. There could be other people who were in the building, who aren't registered as such and others. It's a very transient place. People come. They visit. They leave. You know? Especially in this area of Florida.
But this is still early on. In fact, it is very rare that I've covered these situations where you don't have people.
LEMON: Exactly.
CUOMO: Get pulled out. Now that said, I've not seen anything like this in America before since 9/11, which was a much more complicated situation, but it is the last time I've seen a large number of people waiting with the agony of the unknown and watching the first responders rush in and seeing the clergy come on site and support them. And support the difficulty of their own angst of wanting to find people. And all of these different families, worried about suffering the same fate. These are -- these are hard moments.
LEMON: Yes. Listen, this is not public accommodations, or this is not roads and bridges, but it shows the importance of taking care of structures and making sure that they're up to code and up to par. And I say that because you know, we have this deal on infrastructure, so we are watching a lot. Chris, I'm going to let you go and I'll get to the breaking news. I'll see you, brother. Thank you very much.
CUOMO: I love you.
LEMON: I love you as well.
This is Don Lemon.
We have another busy night of news on multiple stories. And as Chris and I were just talking, this is our breaking news. A devastating scene down in Florida as rescuers are desperately searching nonstop right now. If you just look at these pictures.
They are searching through the night for survivors of this deadly condo collapse. Surfside, Florida, to be specific. Just a few miles north of Miami Beach. At least one person is confirmed dead. Ninety- nine people are still unaccounted for, though it is not known whether all of them were in the building at the time. The mayor of Miami-Dade County saying this tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR DANIELLA LEVINE CAVA (D), MIAMI-DADE COUNTY: Our firefighters, men and women, are working around the clock. A huge task force of people that are continuing there right now, working. They're going to work all through the night. The dogs they're working in the garage. They are working on the tops, so they are visible right now. But they are -- they are proceeding with all their might.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON We are standing by for any news and we are going to bring it to you in this broadcast. You know, one fire official telling CNN that rescuers are working in 15-minute shifts are carrying 80 pounds worth of gear, protective equipment and concrete saws that have to be used manually because of the unstable building.
It's a tenuous, tenuous situation that they are in there. At least 37 people have been pulled out of that rubble. It's been 21 hours since the collapse. Hundreds of people are sleep in their beds when that building went down. No warning. No warning. No warning. Still no word on the cause.
We're going live to the scene in just a few moments and get the very latest update there. So, make sure you stay, you stay with us for that.
As I was telling Chris as well, we have news coming up out of Washington, D.C. tonight. President Joe Biden. His big bet on bipartisanship really paying off with the announcement today that he, in a group of senators, bipartisan senators, five Democrat and five Republicans agreed to the framework of an infrastructure package totaling more than $1.2 trillion over eight years. It's a long way to go to get this across the finish line but I want
you to listen to what the president just last week on his overseas trip, what he said. He was talking about how democracy can survive and thrive here at home by delivering for the American people. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I pointed out we have to prove to the world, and to our own people that democracy can still prevail against the challenges of our time. And deliver for the needs of our people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well today, President Biden saying this is a victory for his agenda and for democracy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: One of the underlying questions is can democracies compete with autocratic enterprises in the 21st century? And this is a big move toward that, being able to compete.
[22:05:09]
This deal means millions of good paying jobs. I'm sure burdens felt at the kitchen tables and across the country for safer and healthier communities. But it also signals to ourselves and to the world that American democracy can deliver, and because of that it represents an important step forward for our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: You know it was absolutely lost on no one, that today's big victory was on infrastructure, right? After years of jokes about infrastructure weeks gone bad. I don't know how many infrastructure weeks we had during the last administration. Nothing ever came of it.
But the president apparently blew off the first line someone wrote for any announcement today. You see it there it's highlighted. Welcome to infrastructure week. What's ironic, that it is President Joe Biden who made this deal and not the guy who thought he was such a great deal maker, a great negotiator, a great deal maker.
He wrote the book on that, right? Well, he claimed to write that book. We know the truth. He didn't really write it. And in the face of what could be genuine progress on some of the biggest issues facing this country, some in the GOP are determined to keep revving up that old outrage machine, this time with critical race theory, using it to stoke outrage in schools all across the country where it seems like it's all anybody is talking about and well, yelling about.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: Shame on you! Shame on you! Shame on you! Shame on you!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The outrage, the yelling. Spreading in Congress today where someone shouted racist at a GOP congressman. His name is Bob Good while he argued with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona over critical race theory.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIGUEL CARDONA, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF EDUCATION: I have confidence in our educators across the country to get it right. And I think this has become more politicized --
(CROSSTALK)
REP. BOB GOOD (R-VA): So, you will not challenge it legally?
CARDONA: I think this has become more politicized than it is about programming.
GOOD: OK. I'm going to move on. Please, thank you sir. In my home state of Virginia, unfortunately has embraced the Biden administration's in the Department of Education policies here and it's proof that that causes all kinds of issues. You can just see this past week in Virginia's Loudoun County, one of the largest counties in Virginia, the board of education there rather than face parental criticism they shut down public comment.
They adjourned the meeting and they actually called the police --
(CROSSTALK)
REP. DON NORCROSS (D-NJ): Racist!
GOOD: -- to come in and arrest parents who had gathered to express their grievances with government and local school officials. I hope that you will not nationalize the culture war that started in Virginia and bankrupt critical race theory with hard-earned taxpayers' dollars.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: OK, so listen. You've heard me talk about talk to expert after expert night after night after night on the show. Critical race theory is not being taught in grade schools. I'll say it again. Critical race theory is not being taught in grade schools. I'll say it again. Critical race theory is not being taught in grade schools. It's not about hating white people.
It's not about studying the fact that, you know, that's right. It is about studying -- excuse me -- it is about studying the fact, that's right, the fact that systemic racism is part of American society and challenging the beliefs that are allow it to continue to flourish.
But the fact that so many Republicans just keep stoking that outrage even though their claims have been debunked over and over again and again, it is not being taught in grade schools. So even though over and over again Republicans have this outrage, it's got to make you wonder whether this is a grassroots movement, or it's a cynical game.
Hello, everyone. We are losing the suburbs. Centrist moms and dads, families, we got to do something to get them back from the Democrats. Let's come up with this critical race theory thing so we can get them all outraged about their kids about something that's not even happening with their kids, but we can pretend and then they will get all upset about it, because they won't read about it and we'll just come up with a name for it. A scary name.
That's exactly what's happening. In all of the right-wing propaganda networks, they are doing it because what? They are political arm of the Republican Party. Of actually the Trump and Republican party. The Trump party, the Republican party. So, this echo chamber of misinformation about critical race theory that's not actually even being taught. It's another big lie, just like the whole lie about election fraud and a stolen election. None of it is true.
The critical race theory thing is not true. Yet, they are -- they -- the same thing they did with January 6. Stoking people's anger and fears. And then they are all outraged all around the country at these school board meetings for no reason, because their kids are not being taught critical race theory.
[22:10:02]
Over at the Fox propaganda network, that's happening -- over at the Fox propaganda network Mitch McConnell would have you believe that there is no need for the House select committee announced by Nancy Pelosi today to investigate January 6th. His reason? Well, I'll let him tell you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: Nobody is going to get away with anything and all of those who participated are going to be punished.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, I think at least one guy who got away with something, can you think of him? I can. The guy McConnell voted to acquit in his second impeachment trial just a month after the insurrection. And then there's that guy's former personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani was suspended today for practicing law in New York state over what an appellate court called demonstrably false and misleading statements about the 2020 election. And that really shouldn't come as a surprise for anyone who heard him saying things like this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP'S LAWYER: They only submitted 8,021 ballots from dead people. Mail-in ballots for dead people. Probably easier for dead people to submit mail-in ballots than it is to vote in person.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: That piece of misinformation got him in trouble. It got him
suspended. Or what about this? At the infamous four seasons presser. Remember, the one at the landscaper. Not the fancy hotel?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIULIANI: We cannot not allow these crooks, because that's what they are, to steal an election from the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Yes. I forgot about the bronze or the hair dye whatever dripping. Wow. That was -- that brings back memories. Or this. This is on January 6th.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIULIANI: Let's have trial by combat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well for now anyway, the former president's former lawyer won't be representing anybody, which just shows you how big that that big lie was. The big lie we're still living under the shadow of today. Perhaps there will be consequences for the big lie of critical race theory that is not even being taught to children. We'll see.
Let's get to the breaking news though. I want to get to Surfside, Florida where rescuers are searching all night for survivors of the condo collapse.
And joining me now, Surfside Mayor, Charles Burkett. Mayor, I'm so happy that you're here. Thank you so much. Absolutely devastating. I'm so sorry for what's going on. I know it's a busy time for you. It is a race to find survivors, so please give us the latest on the search and the rescue efforts.
MAYOR CHARLES BURKETT, SURFSIDE, FLORIDA: That's all we're doing. We are just searching 24 hours a day and we're pulling as many people out as we can. That's the whole goal right now and nothing else matters.
LEMON: Are you hopeful more survivors will be rescued at this point? Because it has been 21 hours, but still, enough time, there hasn't been a lot of time that passed. There could still be survivors.
BURKETT: Absolutely. We are not giving up. We are absolutely -- that is the one thing -- we're not -- we've got hundreds of people at our community center. This is like a missing airplane they want to know where their loved ones are and we have a duty to make sure that we do everything in our power to find them. We've got the resources, we have no problem with resources, we just have a problem with some luck, we need a little more luck.
LEMON: Amen. So, firefighters have heard sounds --
BURKETT: Amen. LEMON: -- sounds like people banging, are those noises still being heard, Mayor?
BURKETT: We -- we, you know, listen, I was out there at two o'clock this morning. We've got the dogs out there at four o'clock. We did have a couple hits. We've had hits during the day. We pulled a little boy out. We pulled his mother out, I think. It's very touch and go. It's raining now, which complicates the issue and that is upsetting me because it's going to inevitably slow down the process but we are not going to stop. We have seven to seven crews and at seven o'clock in the morning we'll get a new crew and we will just keep going.
LEMON: You previously mentioned that there is a sister building about a block away. Is there a concern that the surrounding areas are still in danger?
BURKETT: You know, in the United States, buildings don't just fall down like this and there is a reason for that and we've got to get to the reason and we've got to understand what happened here because this is not normal. But today is not the day for that. Today is the day to try to save as many people as we can. There will be a time for that and as soon as that time comes, we will be on that like, you can't believe.
LEMON: Yes.
BURKETT: So, right now, we're just -- our job is getting people out of there if we can.
LEMON: Yes. I want to talk to you about this coordination, the coordination effort that you talked about between local state and federal authorities. Can you talk to us more about that? What do you have going on there?
[22:14:55]
BURKETT: Yes, it's been amazing. We had a call from the White House. I've had calls from both of our United States senators, they have -- Senator Rubio has been here, Governor DeSantis has been here. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz has been here and she's been incredible.
We've had our county mayor, Mayor Cava who has drowned us in resources here. We just have so many resources it's unbelievable. All we need to do is get lucky and start finding as many people as possible. So, we've got the commitments, we've got the backing, we've got resources, we've got everything we need, we just need that luck.
LEMON: Yes. It's just so weird that just one portion of this building collapsed. And you said look, now is the time for rescuing, the cause that we'll get to and I think you are exactly right on that. That's what you are devoting your time and attention to.
You just said you also told my colleague Wolf Blitzer earlier that you are not lacking any resources. You just said you are drowning in resources, but is there anything that your community needs that it's not getting while you have the attention of people watching? BURKETT: No, no. We really just need some prayers and look. That's all
we need, because we've got, you know, we got guys that ran into the building just like in 9/11. That building was in danger of collapsing but they just ran right in and they went in and they grabbed a few people that were left over that couldn't walk out on their own and that was amazing.
So, there's a major silver lining to this very, very dark cloud. And those guys will be recognized when the time is right, as far as I'm concerned and I've said that to the senators, I've said that to the congresswoman and they've all agreed. That we've got incredible people working on this and it's as good as it can be right now but we are not going to stop and it's -- you know, we just keep going.
LEMON: Mayor, what do you want --
(CROSSTALK)
BURKETT: We'll just keep going. Now with respect to the collapse, you know, you mentioned the collapse, yes, it's more than a little bit of the building. It's probably about half of the building that we lost. And we just don't understand why.
LEMON: Yes. What do you want people to know about the community and also family members as well? Because it's probably not just family members there in Florida that could be watching from all over the country. What do you want folks to know?
BURKETT: That's -- that's -- well, they're actually, I was just on with the president in Paraguay, who has people in that building. And they're arriving tomorrow. So, I mean, this is a worldwide situation and it's a catastrophe.
So, the only thing that we can do is just stay focused and get as many people out as possible and we will not stop looking until we do. That's our focus and that's all we're going to do. We're just going to focus on bringing people out of that rubble if we can. Nothing else to talk about.
LEMON: Mayor of Surfside, Charlie Burkett, Mayor, thank you so much. Again, I know it's a very trying time for you.
BURKETT: My pleasure.
LEMON: We appreciate you joining us. If you get an update please come back. All right? We'll be talking about this and --
BURKETT: I'll do it.
LEMON: Thank you so much. Thank you.
BURKETT: Pleasure. Ba-bye.
LEMON: We've got much more to come from Surfside, Florida, as rescuers work through the night tonight trying to find survivors of a condo collapse. I'm going to ask an expert what could've caused a tragedy like this, but again, overtime we should find out what happened here, but right now trying to get those people out, the folks who were in there that they may have heard tapping or what have you.
I think that they're -- the mayor is right, their attention and resources should be dedicated and focused exactly on that. And as he said, prayers. Send your good thoughts and your prayers to the folks in Florida. Back in a moment.
[22:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Rescuers searching nonstop through the night for survivors of that deadly condo collapse in Surfside, Florida. We've been following the breaking news for you all day here on CNN all day. One person is confirmed dead, 99 others unaccounted for, while investigators are trying to figure out how this could have happened.
Let's discuss now. Glenn Bell, he is the former president of the Structural Engineering Institute and the director of Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures U.S.
Glenn, thank you for joining. You know, we just had the mayor on. And the mayor said, you know, they are focusing on trying to rescue which is completely understood. And concede here and talk about what could have happened. because this building stood for decades. What could have cause this to happen? Very simply.
GLENN BELL, DIRECTOR, COLLABORATIVE REPORTING FOR SAFER STRUCTURES U.S.: Well, there could be a lot of factors. It's going to be some time before we sort it out. We typically, when doing investigations like this, we're looking at construction issues, design issues, engineering, materials, operation, and maintenance questions, alterations.
As you said, the primary question that the investigators are going to be focusing on is why did this building stand for 40 years and then collapse suddenly just this morning? You know, why -- what changed? What changed in the condition of the structure, what changed in loading and other environmental factors that were impinged on it.
We heard a lot today in the news about some of these potential changes. We heard about deterioration, reinforcing rusting and the concrete. That certainly should be looked into. Could have been a factor. We heard about settlement of the foundations that perhaps could have been a change factor. Had there been alterations of the building done overtime. We don't know. Where there some extraordinary load on the structure recently or at the time of the failure? We don't know that.
LEMON: What about gas?
BELL Gas -- an explosion with gas?
LEMON: Yes. Yes. Could that have -- BELL: It's happened in other structures. In fact, it happened in a
very famous progressive collapse like this. In 1968, a structure in London, Ronan Point, there was a gas explosion that caused a progressive collapse like this.
LEMON: The reason I'm asking is because you see the --
BELL: Yes.
LEMON: -- you know, right through the middle. We can show that video. And I'm sure you've -- if you've done this, you probably studied that video to try to figure out.
[22:25:01]
BELL: Right.
LEMON: But if you look at it, I don't know if it's an explosion. You do see something right about there, where it's, you know -- but that could be an explosion from the collapse. I don't know. I don't know what happened. I'm just asking questions here.
BELL: Right. Yes. Yes.
LEMON: And you see it, you see several sort of, sparks in the top left of your screen, behind the building. But I would imagine if a building collapses like that there's lot of gas and all kinds of electricity and things going on.
BELL: Absolutely. At this point in time, nothing can be ruled out. And what the thorough and competent investigators do is create hypotheses. And at the beginning, you have to imagine anything and everything that could have happened. And keep turning over, you know, the evidence and studying and proving or disproving different theories until you are down to one exactly what happened. It's painstaking work and it takes a long time.
LEMON: What do you seen when you look at it --
(CROSSTALK)
BELL: But the fact that this building stood for 40 years and fell today, is going to be the focus of a lot of the investigation why.
LEMON: If you're looking at this video -- because that's part of the investigation, this video. Are you seeing anything in that, Glenn?
BELL: I don't see the video right now on my screen.
LEMON: But I mean, have you watch -- have you seen it on the air or no?
BELL: I've watched lots of videos today.
LEMON: Yes.
BELL: Are you referring to the one that shows the collapse.
LEMON: The one that shows the explosion. It's from Fox Sports 640 South Florida.
BELL: OK.
LEMON: And it looks like some kind of tower cam, possibly. Yes.
BELL: OK.
LEMON: I don't have that up on my screen right now.
LEMON: Yes.
BELL: But you know, certainly, gas explosion is something that's happened before. It's one of many factors that the investigators will be looking at.
LEMON: Yes.
BELL: And there are, I'm sure that nobody has imagined yet that need to be thought about and investigated, as well.
LEMON: So, what happens once the search -- because they've got to do the search and rescue first, obviously.
BELL: Exactly.
LEMON: When that is finished, what happens, what's the focus?
BELL: The investigative team come in. The first thing they are going to be looking at is the condition of the debris. And you really focus at the beginning in evidence that could disappear. So, after the search and rescue operation is done, there is in interesting prevailing evidence until you have the information that you need.
So, the investigators will be interested in the way that the pancake parts are lying, the way that they are broken, the configuration. It's sort of like taking a broken jigsaw puzzle and trying to put it back together. And the structure will talk to you. And the trained eye of a good investigator will allow you to imagine what that configuration tells you about how the -- how it initiated and how it progressed, the failure.
LEMON: Yes.
BELL: So that will be a lot.
LEMON: One --
BELL: They will be digging through the debris to find details, like how things were put together. Was there a deterioration? They'll be sampled through.
LEMON: I just got -- I just got one very important question for you before I let you go here. A researcher at the Florida International University's Institute of Environmental -- excuse me, Environment, told CNN that a recent study he found, in a recent study he found that this condo showed signs of sinking in the '90s. I'm wondering if that could be a factor here. But weren't there redundancies built into buildings in case there is some sinking or whatever? But what do you make -- what do you think of that?
BELL: Absolutely. It's certainly nothing we can rule out but you can't make too much of it early on for a couple of reasons. Almost every building settle to some extent. It's just a matter of, you know, the soil picks up load and it starts to strain with that.
So, you expect something. So that in and of itself isn't unusual. The other factors to think about is, generally, just a uniform vertical movement of all of the foundations really doesn't stress the building. It's the differential movement, it's the shearing motion that causes, it causes strain, that causes the stress in the structure.
So, we really don't know to the extent there was any settlement, whether it was uniform or whether it was differential. That's really an important factor as well.
LEMON: Yes.
BELL: And different structures have different tolerances to foundation settlement. More flexible ones can absorb those very well. Stiffer ones will have more distress. So, there's a lot to look at when we talk about settlement.
LEMON: Glenn Bell, thank you so much. I appreciate you coming on. Thank you.
BELL: Happy to help.
LEMON: Thank you.
BELL: Thank you.
LEMON: President Biden announcing a bipartisan agreement over infrastructure. But it's not a done deal. Will enough senators get onboard to overcome a filibuster?
[22:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A major bipartisan agreement on infrastructure is one step closer to reality, with President Biden telling the American public, and I quote, "we have a deal." But there are a lot of hurdles to jump over before the $1.2 trillion plan ever becomes law.
The president praising the work of a bipartisan group of senators saying bipartisanship is how things get done on Capitol Hill. But will Republicans and even some Democrats vote for a final deal at the end of the day?
I'm joined now by Anita Dunn, a senior adviser to President Biden. And I'm sure she'll say, yes, don't jinx it, Don. It's going to get done. Thank you, Anita Dunn, for joining us.
So, President Biden's words, it's his words, we have a deal. He is sounding pretty optimistic. We haven't seen this sort of bipartisanship in a long, long while. But we all know the margins on Capitol Hill are tight. I don't know. Is -- do you think this is going to happen? What happens next?
[22:35:00]
ANITA DUNN, SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: All great questions, Don. But as we'd like to say at the White House today, it's infrastructure week in Washington, finally. So, you know, what happens next? You had something that's very unusual today. Five Democrats, five Republicans, who both gave up some things they cared in this package to come together.
And it's really a historic package. It's probably the largest investment in our nation's infrastructure, in our roads, our bridges, our public transit, in making sure kids aren't drinking water out of lead pipes any longer. And electric vehicle charging stations. The largest investment since we built the highway system back in the 1950s.
So, we believe that this package working in tandem with another package that will have most of what President Biden proposed and his families plan. This is what we would think of this the human infrastructure. This is, you know, the child care, an education, paid leave, the care economy. And other things as well, the children's tax credit.
That will be in tandem with this infrastructure package, and these are things that Democrats can unite behind, and as is -- and with the bipartisan infrastructure package, a package that we believe Republicans can vote for us well. People have talked about infrastructure for decades in Washington, now is their chance to actually vote on it.
LEMON: Yes. Listen, I remember the discussions, especially heavy around 2006, 2007. Remember the Minneapolis bridge collapsed --
DUNN: Yes.
LEMON: -- or the Minnesota bridge collapsed. I want to play something the president said and I want to continue. This is what we heard from President Biden today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: When was the last time, if you would ask me whether or not I'd be able to get passenger rail service or $66 billion worth? The largest investment ever since Amtrak came about. I asked for 90, we got 66 billion. We talk about public transit, 49 billion, $49 billion for public transit. Electric buses, 7.5 billion. I asked for 15, we couldn't get all of it, but we compromise. Electric infrastructure, that is, charging stations along the roads. I got -- I asked for 15, I got seven and a half. (END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So, Anita, what the president is describing there, asking for 15 billion and getting half and so on, that's how a lot of people think about negotiating and getting to a compromise. But what do you say to those in your own party who think, not big enough?
DUNN: Well, I think if you have said to anybody in my party a year ago, that we would be talking about a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package, that they would have been pretty darn happy. And I think once they've look at the details of this, they'll see a lot to be for. You know, nobody is going to get everything they want when you have to compromise, but this is a historic set of investments in America's future, in jobs, in good paying union jobs, in jobs that allow us to compete with China, and the rest of the global economy.
And jobs that actually will help us build a clean energy future. That we know this country has to start working on yesterday, Don. We should have been doing this a long time ago. You know, when the president announced he was going to run for president back in April 2019, he talked about compromise. And he said, he believes in it. He believes that's how you get things done. But he also knows that there are times when you can't find common ground with the other party, and at times like that, you have to go it alone.
That's what we did with the American rescue plan, that passed without one Republican vote. So, in this case, we would see his jobs plan, the infrastructure plan, moving forward in a bipartisan way. And the bulk of the family's plan would move forward, probably through a reconciliation process.
LEMON: OK.
DUNN: We would hope that Republicans would vote for it.
LEMON: President Biden talked about this agreement as being a signal to the world that democracy can still deliver. But when you look at Republicans using a filibuster to block something as, you know, fundamental as voting rights, and block the January 6 commission, is democracy still at risk at home?
DUNN: No. I think that President Biden has spoken about democracy as always being at risk. And something that we always have to be defending. You know, as a young senator, he actually fought successfully to get the Voting Rights Act extended for an additional 25 years. But, as he would be the first to tell you, these aren't new issues.
At the same time, in the aftermath of 2020 and those elections, but what we are seeing in this country the attempts to suppress the vote, to write rules, to decide who gets to vote to make it easier for some people and harder for others is wrong. And he has used language like atrocious, and it is atrocious.
[22:39:58] So, we are going to figure out a path forward. He is not going to stop fighting for voting rights, he's not going to stop working for legislation, we're not going to stop looking for ways in states to try to make sure that people's right are protected, and I think you'll be hearing more from him next week on these issues.
LEMON: Anita Dunn, always a pleasure. Come back, early and often. Or in our case, late and often. Thank you so much.
DUNN: Late. Don, thank you for having me.
LEMON: Absolutely. Thanks, Anita. She did stress late there.
Rudy Giuliani spent months spreading lies about the 2020 election. Now, a court has suspended him from practicing law in New York.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A major smackdown today for Rudy Giuliani. The former personal lawyer for President Trump who was once a top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, suspended from practicing law in New York state.
[22:45:03]
An appellate court ruling, Giuliani made demonstrably false and misleading statements about the 2020 election and that his conduct threatens the public interest.
CNN's Tom Foreman has more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIULIANI: It isn't true. The president of the United States says, I didn't --
(CROSSTALK)
CHUCK TODD, HOST, MSNBC: Truth is a truth. Mr. Mayor do you realize what --
GIULIANI: No, no.
TODD: -- this is going to become a bad meme.
GIULIANI: Don't do this to me.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): long before a New York appellate court suspended his legal career --
GIULIANI: Wait. Wait. damn it. Let me finish.
CUOMO: The inspector general - -I got -- I got to cut --
FOREMAN: America's mayor was melting.
GIULIANI: And the reason to keep all these things together, is precisely to avoid what the Democrats did.
Donald Trump.
FOREMAN: From the outset of Donald Trump's tumultuous term, Rudy Giuliani was a prize player around the Oval Office.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Rudy is a very straight shooter.
FOREMAN: But others saw him differently.
REP. JACKIE SPEIER (D-CA): He is the political henchman for the president.
GIULIANI: You're repeating spin. The prosecutor --
(CROSSTALK)
CUOMO: But you don't, right?
GIULIANI: The prosecutor --
CUOMO: You're not spinning anything. Go ahead.
GIULIANI: I'm not spinning a damn thing.
FOREMAN: The chief problem, Giuliani was neck-deep in the Ukraine scandal from the get-go, despite evidence that he was part of trump's effort to secure foreign help in the 2020 election. Giuliani insisted with no proof that Democrats were trying that trick.
GIULIANI: In fact, I'm a legitimate whistleblower.
FOREMAN: He seemed in lockstep with all the president's denials.
GIULIANI: He didn't do anything wrong. I mean, he didn't obstruct.
FOREMAN: All the time.
TRUMP: No collusion. And no obstruction.
FOREMAN: And if anyone doubted his closeness to the commander in chief --
GIULIANI: You can assume that I talk to him early and often.
FOREMAN: Soon whenever accusation arose of any wrongdoing in Trump land, the president's lawyer started swinging.
GIULIANI: Shut up, you moron. Shut up.
(CROSSTALK)
LAURA INGRAHAM, HOST, FOX NEWS: Hey, Rudy. Hey, Rudy. Hey, hold on, everybody.
GIULIANI: Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about.
INGRAHAM: Chris, Chris, Chris.
GIULIANI: You don't know what you're talking about, idiot.
FOREMAN: And when Trump decided to dispute his clear and fair loss in the election, Giuliani was right there, too.
GIULIANI: Dead people voted. Over 300,000 ballots were counted in secret.
FOREMAN: Pressing the case at the four seasons in Philadelphia.
GIULIANI: Wow.
FOREMAN: Not the hotel, the landscaping firm. And anywhere else anyone would listen.
GIULIANI: We cannot allow these crooks, because that's what they are, to steal an election from the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: For a long time, a lot of Trump's critics have felt that Giuliani has been running dangerously wild with his claims and should be shut down. Now, the court has granted their wish, saying before the New York Bar, at least for now, the former mayor has been muzzled. Don?
LEMON: Tom Foreman, thank you so much. Rudy Giuliani suspended from practicing law in New York State after all his election lies. And he's not the only lawyer close to Trump who is facing problems.
[22:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK, so let's talk about Rudy Giuliani, the man formerly known as America's mayor and President Trump's former personal attorney, suspended from practicing law in New York State over false and misleading statements about the 2020 election. A court saying that his conduct threatens the public interest. Threatens the public interest.
I want to talk to CNN's senior legal analyst Laura Coates about that and other things, she's also a federal, former federal prosecutor. Laura, wow, here we are. Before we get to this, did you ever think we would get to this point with, Rudy Giuliani considering his behavior over the last couple of years?
LAURA COATES, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, if you look at the last couple of years, perhaps that this was already maybe inevitable. But if you're talking about the scope of his entire career, this is somebody who is known as America's mayor. We remember the infamous hardhat photograph of him approaching the scene at 9/11.
LEMON: Yes. COATES: We also recall that he was a top federal prosecutor in the SDNY, the Southern -- otherwise known as the Southern District of New York --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: That's how he became mayor.
COATES: -- when he would routinely engage. That's how he became the mayor.
LEMON: Yes.
COATES: Because he was in a position of public trust. And up until now, according to this board in the appellate court, had not violated that trust.
LEMON: Yes. All right, So, let's go through what the court says, OK? The court's ruling today, Laura, says, we conclude that there is incontrovertible evidence -- let me say it -- I'll make sure -- is that the right thing I said? -- yes. We -- wait, wait, wait. Can we back up? Because I think I have two different things here. Back up to the beginning of this. I think I have two different notes here. OK. There we go.
We conclude that there is incontrovertible evidence that respondent communicated demonstrably false and misleading statements to courts, lawmakers, and the public at large in his capacity as lawyer for former president Donald J. Trump. These false statements were made to improperly bolster respondent's narrative that due to widespread voter fraud, victory in the 2020 United States presidential election was stolen from his client.
We conclude that respondent's conduct immediately threatens the public interest and warrants interim suspension from the practice of law.
We got too many notes and too many statements, so thank you for being patient with that, Laura. OK. So false statements and a threat to the public interest and pushing the big lie. This is the attorney who served as a lawyer for the president of the United States and he is in disgrace.
COATES: He absolutely is. And of course, I hear all of that, and I think about the umbrella term "a duty of candor." You know, lawyers have the obligation, I know people oftentimes consider lawyers to be oftentimes the underbelly of society, I know they can have different roles, they're sometimes a champion, and other times they're vilified.
[22:55:02]
But ultimately, lawyers are supposed to exercise this duty of candor and honor, meaning they can't just tell lies to the court. They're supposed to obviously put up a defense, put forth a case, but they've got to be honest and they cannot be misleading.
And notice the first term, misleading the courts, the public, legislators. Well, there is a reason it was that in that order because he's unlike perhaps a politician who is only exercising in the court of public opinion or in legislative activities. He actually was trying to present false statements to the court.
And remember, it's not just the oath you must take if you're testifying. When a lawyer comes into the courtroom and is before a judge, they are expected to put forth statements that are honest and truthful. They may have some distinctions and nuances based on their case.
But if he's making statements that are directly contrary to the facts, meaning -- remember, at one point in time his actual client, the campaign, I believe, was saying they weren't putting forth some certain statements. He came up and had the opposite thought and had to be corrected in the courtroom.
This misleading nature undermines his credibility in the courts. It smacks of a lack of ethics, a lack of integrity, a lack of honesty, and most important here, Don, they associated that with what happened on January 6th, in terms of the immediacy of the threat of allowing him to continue in that role.
This was a former mayor of New York City, the former SDNY top prosecutor, and the former president of the United States' attorney. This is extraordinary.
LEMON: Yes. Hey, Laura, I've got to go, I'm already over time, you know because you sit in this chair so you know what I deal with, and I'm really bad because I get in trouble a lot.
They are in court today, I'm talking about Sidney Powell and the My Pillow guy, Mike Lindell, defending themselves against the many and they are saying that, their assertion is that, I guess their defense is that, what they said about the election is protected speech. Yes, or no, is that a winning argument?
COATES: No. You're over time. No.
LEMON: Thank you, Laura. I appreciate it.
COATES: You're welcome.
LEMON: Thank you for staying up. I'll see you later. Bye.
COATES: Take care.
LEMON: Rescuers desperately searching to find survivors from that condo collapse in South Florida. The latest from the scene, that's next.
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