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Don Lemon Tonight

Thousands Of Children Will Be Back To School; Former V.P. Annoyed By January 6th Committee; Committee Also Focuses On Former POTUS' Plan; President Biden To Sell His Voting Rights Bill; Actor Ben Saget's Memories Lingers. Aired 10-11p ET

Aired January 10, 2022 - 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)

UNKNOWN: This is CNN breaking news.

DON LEMON, CNN HOST (on camera): Yes, we begin with breaking news. This is DON LEMON TONIGHT. And we do have breaking news out of Chicago.

The Chicago Teachers Union voting to accept a deal to reopen the city schools. Let's listen to a press conference the mayor, Lori Lightfoot is speaking.

MAYOR LORI LIGHTFOOT (D), CHICAGO: Another thing that has been done over these difficult few days, to make sure that their voices were heard. I encourage you, keep going. We need you at the table, always. Some will ask, who won and who lost? No one wins when our students are out of the place where they can learn the best, and where they are safest.

After being out of school for four days in a row, I'm sure many students will be excited to get back into the classroom, with their teachers, and peers, and their parents, and guardians can now breathe a much-deserved sigh of relief.

I know that there are hardships that people endure through this process. And we've got to make sure that we are understanding that and doing everything that we can support you to get over these difficult days.

This most recent fight, if you want to call it that, that we have been in this a fight to access to in-person learning. Learning that is far superior to the remote programming our students had to endure for far too long last year.

Let me remind you, when we were all remote before, we lost contact with 100,000 children. That's nearly a third of our CPS school population. A third. When we're all remote before, parents and guardians lost their jobs because they were having to monitor their children at home.

No parent should be forced to make the choice between earning an income to take care of their family or being home to monitor their kids on remote learning. That's a choice we should never force parents into. Absent an emergency that did not manifest itself this time.

Think about who our kids are. Over 70 percent of our kids qualified for free and reduce lunch. That means they come from poor and working- class families. Families with adults, who sometimes are working multiple jobs to keep the family afloat. Switching completely back to remote learning without a public health reason to do so would have created and amplified the social, emotional, and economic turmoil that far too many of our families are facing.

We can never forget the impact on the lives of our children and their families. They must always be front and center. Every decision has to be made with them at the forefront.

There are many people to thank for getting us to this moment. I want to thank, first and foremost, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. He and his team have done yeoman's work, and have been steadfast partners and making sure that we focus on getting our children back to in-person learning.

Thanks is also due to CDPH Commissioner Allison Arwady and her team who provide the science and the data to make sure that we were making informed decisions that recognize, of course, the surge in omicron, but didn't abandon the science in the midst of a pandemic and a lot of misinformation that was being spread. So, thank you, Dr. Arwady.

I would also like to thank those in our school community, not only for the patience but for making their voice heard throughout this process. I can't thank the parents enough. Thank you. Thank you for being steadfast. Thank you for being resolute. Thank you for being relentless.

And last but absolutely not the least, I want to --

LEMON: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot holding a press conference. The Chicago Teachers Union voting to accept the deal to reopen the city schools that children, some 340,000 of them, more than 340,000 have been out of classes since Wednesday of last week. Tomorrow they will be in class. The mayor explaining what's happening there.

Also, thanking the Chicago public health commissioner, whom we had on last week, Allison Arwady, Dr. Allison Arwady for her help in this situation.

But much to the relief, I'm sure a lot of parents and a lot of folks in Chicago. The schools will be open tomorrow. More than 350,000 students will be back in class, public school students.

I want to get not to CNN's Omar Jimenez who's been covering the story for us in Chicago.

[22:04:59]

So, Omar, the teachers union tonight voting to accept that deal. What else do you know? Details for us if you have them, please. OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's all very preliminary right

now, Don. But they voted to accept this deal. This came from their House of delegates. They voted to suspend their push for remote work action which of course led to these cancellations from the district side. And the details that we have gotten so far is that tomorrow it will be teachers that come back first in-person and then on Wednesday students will then come back after.

So, it doesn't bring back students right away as we just heard from -- from, as the details, I should say, we just got a few moments ago. One of the more interesting parts that I think will be significant and it's what got them over the edge here. Because prior to tonight, they had been far apart on a few major issues including testing.

For example, the teachers union wanted universal what they called opt out testing. So, everyone was being tested no matter what but the city said we want to opt in testing. That way we can get parental consent for some of these students to be tested. They also wanted, basically to stay remote until January 18th. The city said no, we're doing remote, it's too detrimental to education.

Plus, data shows that being in person is safe. So, it will be interesting to see what details eventually got them over the edge. And I should also mention that it was earlier this evening that the CEO, Pedro Martinez of the Chicago Public Schools, has said that he was cautiously optimistic, that they were going to get to the finish line, but of course, we've heard hints of that in recent days. Today, though, it seems to have actually played out.

LEMON: I'm glad you have the details, because I understood that it was -- kids will be back tomorrow, but you corrected there. They won't be back tomorrow. So, it will be five days since negotiations have been going on for days now. Today the fourth day students were out of the classroom. What has been the hold out? It's going to be five days. A legit week that these kids are out of school. What was the hold up on those negotiations?

JIMENEZ: Well, this all began or the vote was inspired because the teachers union, bottom line, didn't feel that the school district have provided adequate enough resources to come back to the classroom safely. That they felt that things were lacking in categories like contact tracing being able to provide quality mask for people.

I mentioned the testing aspect of it before, and because we are seeing record levels of COVID-19 among students, staff, and in the surrounding Chicago community in recent weeks.

So, that's what sort of began he standoff if you want to call it that. And again, Chicago Public Schools also canceled class because said, you know what, we can't send children not knowing if our teachers are actually going to be there.

And so, they then began to whittle away and that's why I think it will be interesting to see these details of what got them over the finish line. Because another aspect of the testing that they wanted was they wanted everyone who needed them to have access to at-home tests. And the holdup there was, the district said, we don't have enough

tests to guarantee that. So, it will be interesting again to see if they got more tests from elsewhere but those details are slowly coming out now in the late hours now here on Monday, Don.

LEMON: I had Dr. Allison Arwady on -- Arwady on last week and she said she believed that kids were safer in school health wise because they may not be distancing at home. That many students have only meals or most of the food that they get during the day comes from schools. And she believes that kids would be better off in school even with the pandemic. This is -- it's a huge inconvenience for many families. What are you have been hearing from the community there?

JIMENEZ: Well, the bottom line or the question that the school district parents and others were having is what's worse. Going to remote learning and putting a detriment on these kids' educations, or staying remote and keeping an eye on their health potentially.

That was sort of the situation that these parents and teachers are facing. Parents that I spoke to throughout this were frustrated. And it was necessarily at one side or another. They were frustrated at both sides for not being able to figure it out and not allowing them an option for consistency when it comes to where they are going to be sending their kids to school every morning.

And this was also the second year in a row that we've led to a cancellation or a delay of classes between the union and the Chicago school districts because of COVID. And I think parents here just wanted to find out how they were going to continue this education for this.

So, they are definitely relieved even though it's come at this late hour. The question though, is, once these guidelines and what these winning parameters when they come out. We'll see if they were actually able to hold up with, as we know, has been a very dynamic and changing pandemic.

LEMON: Yes. Omar Jimenez in Chicago has been covering and giving us some of the new details. Again, this is happening, the mayor just holding a press conference now. This just been announced. Omar, thank you very much.

[22:09:57]

More than 340,000 students missed that fourth day of class today. They will be back on Wednesday according to Omar not tomorrow five days that they will have been out of school. We'll continue to follow this as we get new details, we'll bring them to you.

We've also got some breaking news tonight on Mike Pence and the January 6 committee to tell you about. The former vice president has left the door open to voluntarily cooperating with the committee investigating January 6th. But hasn't decided whether he is going to do it or not.

But tonight, the New York Times is reporting that Pence is annoyed about the perception of how much his aides have been talking to the committee, which may have a lot to do with the former V.P.'s 2024 hopes.

The testimony under oath from the then vice president who had to flee the United States Capitol. Remember, he had to do it while rioters were chanting hang Mike Pence out as they were trying to break into the capitol. His testimony could be crucial to that committee.

We have also -- we also have news tonight on Jim Jordan. Jim Jordan won't say definitively if he has closed the door on cooperating with the committee. Instead, dancing around that question, referring to a letter that he sent claiming that he has nothing relevant to offer.

This from the congressman who just a few months ago said that he has got nothing to hide. Look, we know that he spoke to the then president on January 6th, we know because he said so himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Did you speak with president Trump on January 6th?

REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): Yes, I mean, I speak -- I spoke with the president last week. I speak with the president all the time. I spoke with him on January 6th. I mean, I talk with President Trump all the time. And that's -- that's -- I don't think that's unusual.

I would expect members of Congress to talk with the president of the United States when they are trying to get on the things that they told their voters in their district to do. I'm actually kind of amazed sometimes that people keep asking this. Of course, I talk to the president all the time. I talk, like I said, I talk with him last week.

UNKNOWN: On January 6th did you speak with him before, during, or after the capitol was attacked?

JORDAN: I have to go -- I spoke with him that day after. I think after. I don't know if I spoke with him in the morning or not. I just don't know. I would have to go back and -- I mean, I don't -- I don't know when those conversation happened. But what I know is I spoke with him all the time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): So, for a guy who had nothing to hide that sure is a lot of humming and honing. That as a federal judge is considering a trio of lawsuits from House Democrats and capitol police officers who want to hold the former president and some of his allies accountable for the capitol attack.

That, as we're getting down to the wire for President Biden to deliver one of the biggest campaign promises and that is protecting voting rights. The president is headed to Atlanta tomorrow to wage war on Republican attempts to restrict our most sacred rights as American. All right? Countless Americans have fought and died for. President Biden needs to

make the case for two new bills. Bills that can't pass without changes to Senate -- the Senate filibuster rules. A step the president is prepared to endorse.

And Chuck Schumer wants to vote by Martin Luther King Jr. Day which is just one week from tonight. But Democrats are going to be left holding the bag unless they can come together on changing the filibuster and allowing a simple majority to pass bills.

So, there is a lot going on, a lot to report on this broadcast and the question is now, at least when it relates to January 6th, will Jim Jordan speak to the January 6 committee? Will Mike Pence? What happens if they refuse?

[22:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON (on camera): So, we have breaking news tonight on the former Vice President Mike Pence on whether he will voluntarily talk to the committee investigating January 6th.

Let's bring in now CNN senior political analyst John Avlon, and Kim Wehle, a professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law. Good evening to both of you. Smiling faces this evening. So happy to have you on.

John Avlon, the New York Times is reporting tonight that former Vice President Mike Pence is increasingly less likely to voluntarily cooperate. He's told aides that he's annoyed that the committee is publicly signaling more cooperation from his aides than it's actually gotten.

That's -- it sounds like a convenient excuse but, I mean, what do you think? How crucial is his testimony? And I don't think it's any surprise that he's questioning it.

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: No, but it is crucial. And look, this is an inquiry that should be taking place on a plane far above partisan politics. And the presence of Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger on the committee indicates that.

So, you know, Mike Pence is a man of faith and you should remember that the truth will set you free. This is -- this is basic. He has just got to go and tell the truth. This is a mob that wanted to hang him. This is a president who is not going to reward any belated loyalty because he has already thrown him to the mob.

This is about American history. This is about preserving democracy. And doing the right thing and telling the truth is the surest way to show that you are a credible candidate for president if indeed that's what he wants to do in 2024.

LEMON: But how is he going to do that, I mean, with the, you know, with the former president has such a strong hold on the party and people, you know, the entire party is in thrall to him? How is Mike Pence going to do that? He certainly doesn't have a chance on his own in 2024. Come on. Especially if Trump is in the picture.

AVLON: Look, you know, Republicans need to grow a spine, and remember that one man with courage can make a majority. Someone has got to stand up to Donald Trump or multiple people because he represents a threat to the republic. The man tried to overturn an election.

LEMON: Yes.

AVLON: The man tried to seek a mob to kill his own vice president. This isn't complicated, folks.

LEMON: I'm with you. I'm just thinking --

AVLON: I hear you.

LEMON: -- you know what I'm saying.

AVLON: I hear you.

LEMON: Mike Pence is saying what? What am I going to do? He's between a rock and a hard place. Kim, could we end up seeing the committee's subpoenas or the former vice president, even if he did would that have any real teeth?

KIM WEHLE, LAW PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE: Well, it happened once before in 1946, so there is a precedent for subpoenaing a former, in that case, John Tyler, president and vice president. Would it have teeth? What would happen is we would go to court presumably.

[22:19:59]

And as we talked about before, Don, this is all about running up the clock to the midterms.

LEMON: Right.

WEHLE: The window is closing. S,o the longer that feet are dragged around testifying the greater likelihood that they will never have to testify if the midterms go to the Republicans in November. And I think it's really important to put a pin in this.

And that is, we're not just talking now about accountability for former President Trump. And I agree, and we can talk about what happened in the court today with the lawsuit and the judges kind of astonishment that the position is essentially no accountability? That can't be the case.

But the other thing that's on the table right now is the government of the members of Congress that are currently sitting in office and some of them may be up for reelection in November. So that information needs to come out so that voters can decide whether some of these folks should be fired frankly at the ballot box come November.

LEMON: Well, let's talk about someone who is in office. Because we are, Kim, we are learning tonight that Representative Jim Jordan won't say if he -- if he is definitively close the door on cooperating with the committee. CNN did catch up with him and he kept referring back to his letter to the committee where he writes and I quote here.

He says I have no -- I have relevant information that would assist the select committee in advancing any legitimate legislative purpose. I mean, how -- I'll let you in, John, because I hear you banging on the desk there.

But, Kim, how about on finding out what happened that day, the committee is calling him a material witness since he spoke to Trump on January 6th?

WEHLE: Well, he spoke to him beforehand, he spoke to him in December. The lawyer Lee Ward there, Don, is legitimate, you know, they're legislative purpose. That's the question not so much relevance. He will argue as has been argued that this whole thing is not a legitimate function of the United States Congress.

That's a loser legally, of course. The United States Congress needs to take steps to prevent insurrections. We have the 14th amendment to the United States Constitution includes a provision banning people from office if they are insurrectionists or participated in rebellions. Of course, post-Civil War reform, I have a piece out in Politico this weekend on that.

So of course, Congress can do that. Again, I think this is, this is gaslighting. This is sort of, fake it till you make it with the hope that the American people won't wake up on mass and realize that American democracy is in its twilight, it's hanging by a thread and we all need to come together and get some reforms between now and November, or it's going to be very ugly in the coming years for our kids and grandkids. When, not only democracy goes, but what democracy functions to uphold, which is individual liberties.

LEMON: Right.

WEHLE: Which is the right of us to not have a bullying government. That's what's at stake right now, Don.

LEMON: I hope people are listening to you. You're right. John, before you hurt your hand banging on the desk what did you want to say?

AVLON: No, the mic was that sensitive.

LEMON: It certainly is.

AVLON: I mean, we just need to help the congressman out here. The legitimate legislative purpose could very well be reforming the Electoral Count Act, which what his text seems to be specifically advocating. As ranking member of the judiciary committee that the president and the vice president tried to thwart. So, there's legitimate legislative purpose right there, Congressman Jordan. Got you off the hook.

LEMON: Thank you very much both of you. I'll see you both soon. AVLON: All right.

LEMON: Thank you.

AVLON: Cheers.

LEMON: The committee investigating January 6th also looking into Trump's attempts to subvert the election in key swing states. Next, I'm going to speak with a secretary of state from one of those states who has been speaking with the committee.

[22:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON (on camera): So, we have a lot of breaking news tonight as you probably notice. The former Vice President Mike Pence leaving the door open to voluntarily cooperating with the committee investigating January 6th but no decision has yet been made.

That, as the New York Times reports Pence is annoyed about the perception of how much his aides have been talking to the committee. Now it comes as we are learning the committee is also ramping up their investigation into then president's attempts to subvert the election in key swing states including Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.

So, let's go to Arizona now. Joining me now Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, she's also a Democratic candidate for governor. Good to have you on, Secretary Hobbs. Thank you so much.

So, you are one of the state officials who spoke with the select committee. Can you tell us about those conversations, please?

KATIE HOBBS (D-AZ), SECRETARY OF STATE: You know, we just gave a lot of background about the events leading up to the election, the massive amounts of information that were coming out of the White House that basically interfered with our preparations for the election, and then just the activities post-election in attempts to try to stop the counts for voting and attempts to submit alternate electors to the feds for Arizona. So, it was a lot of mostly background information.

LEMON: Let's talk about this Politico reporting. Politico is reporting that the National Archives received forged certificates declaring Trump and Pence the winner of Michigan and Arizona. What did you tell the committee about this?

[22:30:06]

HOBBS: Well, this is something we knew about. We knew when they were sent. There are two groups in Arizona that sent them and one of them actually use the state seal to make them look official. But there are many steps that those electors, the certified electors have to go through to get to where, to the National Archives, and these folks didn't follow all those steps and they obviously weren't the right electors. So, this was a new information to us, but we did talk about that with the commission.

LEMON: Who was behind those forgeries? Do you know?

HOBBS: One was the Arizona Republican Party, and the other one was another group, and I don't remember their -- the name of the group. It was some independent group that just formed and put together this slate of electors.

LEMON: That's pretty brazen. I mean, that's fraudulent.

HOBBS: Yes.

LEMON: I mean, that's fraudulent.

HOBBS: Yes.

LEMON: Yes.

HOBBS: Yes. I mean, they use this fake seal to make it look official, which is not a legal activity.

LEMON: So, tomorrow, President Biden is going to make this urgent push for two new voting rights bill. Arizona is one of dozens of states actively trying to make it harder to vote. You witnessed attacks on our democracy firsthand. Explain, please, what is at stake here?

HOBBS: Well, I think what's clear, and what has become more and more clear as we have progressed over the last year since the election, is that these seemingly disjointed attacks on our democracy are not disjointed at all. They are coordinated.

The attempts to continue to undermine the public's trust and confidence in our election systems, the attempts to make it harder for people to exercise their freedom to vote, and the threats against election workers, these election subversion actions like the fake audit that was conducted here in Arizona that they are trying to bring to other states.

These are all a coordinated attack on our democracy, and there needs to be federal action to stop it. Our democracy is what is what's at stake here.

LEMON: Yes. Katie Hobbs, thank you very much. I appreciate it very much. And I love the wall paper.

HOBBS: Thank you.

LEMON: Lots of cacti. Thank you so much. Hundreds of thousands of patients in hospitals. Omicron really running rampant. It's 2022, so why don't we have it together when it comes to fighting COVID? Stay with us.

[22:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON (on camera): So, here's our breaking news tonight. More

breaking news. Three hundred forty thousand kids going back to school on Wednesday. Chicago's Public Schools reaching a deal with the teachers union late tonight.

So, let's discuss now with former Biden White House -- Biden White House senior COVID adviser, Andy Slavitt. He's the author of "Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, politics, and selfishness doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response."

We are happy to have him. Thank, you Andy, for joining us.

It is January 2022. It's not January 2020. Other big city school districts are successfully navigating this. Kids will have missed a week of school over this disagreement, ultimately. Why couldn't one of the biggest school districts in the country get it together?

ANDY SLAVITT, FORMER WHITE HOUSE SENIOR ADVISER, COVID-19 RESPONSE: Well, look, this is a situation without a lot of easy answers. Teachers don't want to get sick. Parents don't want students to get sick, and of course everybody wants their kids to get educated. But at the same time, we need -- we need (AUDIO GAP) tests and everything else for people to feel safe and we're in the middle of a crisis where we haven't seen so many cases in the history of respiratory illnesses.

So, it's a tough time but hopefully it will pass quickly, and I think there's some light at the end of the tunnel that by mid-January we could be in a better place.

LEMON: Well, and we've heard these predictions before, and I'm sure you are loath to predict anything right now. Hopefully we'll be in a better place. But the U.S. is approaching an all-time high hospitalization rate, Andy. States like New Jersey are seeing the highest hospitalizations that they had the entire pandemic. What can be done fast to try to ease the pressure on the health care system?

SLAVITT: Well, look, the lion's share of people, if you look inside the hospitals these days, are unvaccinated. The next highest amount of people are people that have been vaccinated and boosted and then the lowest number of people in the hospital, very few people have been actually boosted, so the thing we can all individually do to relieve the burden on hospitals is to get boosted and wear masks in public.

We have, I think we have, in the short term, we've got troops that are coming in that are helping in the hospitals that almost badly struck, but look, in a crisis like this, with exponential growth in cases, sometimes it's just a matter of triage. And so, we have to do everything we can, as individuals, to prevent this from happening, because there are no easy answers.

LEMON: You've heard it before. A lot of people out there who have had all their shots are really losing their patience right now. What do you say to people who say hey, look, I'm vaccinated, I'm boosted, I accept the risks, let's go back to normal? What do you say to them?

SLAVITT: Look, we're going to have periods of time in the middle of this pandemic, as you say, when hospitals are filling, when we all are going to need to do our parts. And not to mention the fact that, you know, go back to normal. There's restaurants, bars, stores, schools, many of them aren't even open.

So, we might like to go back to normal but the pandemic has other desires, and sometimes those desires rule. Again, these aren't forever, and you know, we are starting to see in some places that signs of peeking.

[22:40:04]

That peak will take a couple of weeks to in fact go down, and then we'll see hospitalizations hopefully go down soon after that. And hopefully that will lead us to a better or more normal year, we've got a lot of protection. Right now, we just have to get through a very rough period.

LEMON: The White House is responding today after more than 50 lawmakers send a letter demanding the administration do more on COVID testing. The White House says that they are already working on it and that the first free rapid test will be arriving for distribution. That's happening next week. I mean, but we should've had this kind of capacity before the holidays. Is this a little late?

SLAVITT: Well, look, I think we all wish we had more tests, including the president who said as much. But look, we have 20,000 sites where Americans go for free testing. Five hundred million were getting mailed out next week, and then they just announced today that on an ongoing basis Americans are going to able to get about $1,000 worth of tests for free covered by insurance.

That's a test per person per month, so there's a lot of strategy. I know there's money going into these two new manufacturers that have just made at home tests. And we have to remember those at-home tests are themselves aren't perfect. I think that's one of the reasons why the FDA doesn't just greenlight them without any effort. We have to be careful that they are not 100 percent. They are certainly better than nothing. They certainly have a lot of value, but you know, nothing in this is easy, so I advise everybody to mask up, do your part, take a test if you can get one and then we'll get through this.

LEMON: I'm glad as I was looking down, you know, I have to keep his, I've gone from the blue cloth to the N95, right, to the black one, and then there's one that I have that is so thick that I could barely breathe through it. It's a white one. I think it's an N95.

But look, you got to do what you got to do. I'm not complaining about it, I'm just expressing what is happening. The Washington Post is reporting the CDC is considering updating their mask guidance, to suggest that everyone use N95 or KN95 masks. And just a few days ago they said that cloth masks were still fine.

So, what is going on? This one is a KN95. I think the N95 I have is the one that is tougher to breathe in. But what is going on here?

SLAVITT: If you can wear a KN95 or an N95, if you can get it is absolutely the best protection there is. No question about it. No one disputes that. The CDC doesn't dispute that, and they hopefully will update their guidance and say so.

Every test that has been done shows that these are the masks you should wear. Cloth masks are just not enough in the case of Omicron, so don't bother wearing them. Surgical masks will sometimes do, but they're not as good as N95s. And we need to make it very clear, hopefully the CDC will reinforce the fact that we know that if you wear an N95 or KN95 you are going to have really good protection.

LEMON: All right. Andy Slavitt, thank you, sir. I appreciate it.

SLAVITT: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: Bob Saget, can you believe it? Dying at the age of 65. Tom Arnold is here to remember him. There is Tom. Get rid of the gum. Right after this.

[22:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Play with me, dad.

UNKNOWN: OK.

UNKNOWN: You know, sometimes grace and coordination skip a generation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): That was Danny Tanner, a.k.a Bob Saget, the star of the hit TV series Full House. His death at only 65 years old shocking his millions of fans. And tonight, we still don't know the cause. Saget's body was discovered yesterday in a Florida hotel room. Medical examiner in Orlando saying that there is no evidence of drugs or foul play and the investigation is ongoing.

Actor and comedian Tom Arnold, a longtime friend, joins me now. Hey Tom, good to see you.

TOM ARNOLD, ACTOR: Hi.

LEMON: I wish it was under better circumstances. I'm so sorry. I'm really sorry.

ARNOLD: Yes.

LEMON: Yes.

ARNOLD: Well, you know, Bob, I got a lot of friends that have died was suspicious circumstances, and because of the way they lived because of the way I've lived in my past, but you know, Bob, it's very shocking and quite sad. LEMON: Listen, I know you he was your longtime friend. You too ran in

the same circles with comedy and acting. I know he had just gotten back on the road. Right? I know you are devastated. How do you remember him tonight?

ARNOLD: Well, first of all, I'm so grateful that he was so happy. You know, he just had a two-hour set and he was so happy, because that's the place he liked to be. He was a great comic. And you know, Bob Saget is a guy who started on Full House, there's a lot of people remember it, and America's funniest videos.

[22:49:59]

But then his standup comedy is so different that he had to do something like Miley Cyrus did where she was this Disney kid and then to come out. And it doesn't work usually. But he was a lovely guy. You know, he had the most, most of the stuff I did with him was charity stuff.

You know, he had the Scleroderma Foundation for his sister, and then I did that, and then he would do my (Inaudible) my heart camp and he was so funny because I said, I just don't want to go on after the video. Whatever charity. And he had -- because where you do, when you have a charity, you put a very heartfelt video on there because you are there to get people's money. And Bob was one of the few people that could follow the video.

LEMON: Yes. You know, I always, I have, listen, my past time, especially these days, because I need to laugh, is listening to a stand-up comedians.

ARNOLD: Yes.

LEMON: And what he did on stage in standup was so different than what he did in, you know, in sitcoms. I was like, my God, what a great actor he was, and it shows such great versatility. But you're right, the tributes have come pouring in from friends and colleagues praising Bob Saget, not just for his talent but for his incredible kindness, his incredible generosity. Tell me about your friendship with him. When did you to first meet?

ARNOLD: I met Bob in the 80s. So, way back. You know, the great thing about him, and I did feel like, you started as a stand-up comic, he loves stand-up comedy, I've run into him at the comedy store, the improv, but then he would get on the hit show like Full House and you can kind of get pigeonholed.

OK, this is the guy, you are in a huge success as was the video show, but that's really wasn't who he was. And when people talk about Bob saying being dirty or ready, you know, he did it in a way that Bob Saget could do it. He was never mean. It was ridiculous, and it was as though he couldn't control himself, and he was an amazing, amazing comic and amazing human being.

I think being a standup comic was the most important thing to him. He certainly has the respect of everyone in my business. LEMON: Well, he, I mean, look, he pulled it off really well. And what

few in Hollywood could do, portraying a wholesome father doing primetime TV and yet, you know, he had this more adult, shall we say, some would say raunchier, or dark humor in the comedy clubs. And in shows like entourage. I remember him in that where he played an exaggerated version of himself. Here's a clip of that. Let's watch it.

ARNOLD: OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Hey. Bob Saget. There he is.

UNKNOWN: Aqua (Ph) man himself.

BOB SAGET, ACTOR: How you doing? I'm reading about you all morning, man. I live right next door. I'm a big fan, Ben. So, my daughters. But do me a favor? Don't you (muted). Don't you (muted) my daughters.

UNKNOWN: Hey, Bob.

SAGET: Stacey, how are you doing?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARNOLD: Here's the thing. Here's the thing, because he was that funny and if Bob was here, he would have something ridiculous to say, but he was that funny. But he was also, in real life, a great father. You know. He loved his daughters and he loved his wife. And my heart goes out to them.

Candace Cameron, who played his daughter, and I did a movie a few years ago, and we were the only people left, everybody went home and we were up in Vermont in a hot tub. She played my daughter. And I was just -- I was just raising her because she is very born-again Christian, but she's one of the best people I've ever met in my life, because she walks the walk. And I don't think if she tried to convert me, I'm a big star of David here.

And I go, what about Saget? Have you ever seen his act? I mean, come on. And she's like, I love Bob Saget. And my love for him is bigger than anything.

LEMON: Yes.

ARNOLD: But she was married to a hockey pay layer, so.

LEMON: Yes.

ARNOLD: So, but people, generally he roasted me at my third bachelor party. Steve Tisch, a friend, a mutual friend, hired him to destroy me. What an honor to be destroyed by Bob Saget, because he was ruthless, he was excellent at it, he raised millions and millions of dollars for great charities, and he was always Bob Saget.

LEMON: I know Steve. He hired a comedian. I wish you would hire a comedian for my birthday. But listen --

(CROSSTALK)

ARNOLD: He was my best man. He was my second favorite best man. But there you go.

LEMON: But let me tell you this. That clip, by the way, that was just one of the ones that we could actually find to air on CNN.

ARNOLD: Yes.

LEMON: Because listen, his act was completely different than who he portrays on television. And I loved it, right. A mean, that's many comedians are that was. If you look at Pryor, you look at Murphy, their acts are completely, somewhat different. I mean, you know, --

(CROSSTALK)

ARNOLD: Yes. Great. But you know, Bbob also, he wasn't mean about it. It seemed like, this just seems can't control himself.

LEMON: No, no. It wasn't insulting.

ARNOLD: Anyway --

LEMON: It was just adult content. Right?

ARNOLD: Yes.

[22:54:55]

LEMON: It was for the comedy clubs. He was -- Tom, he was only 65 years old. He was back out touring, as we said, doing stand-up, it is, so hear it is from his Instagram. He said I'm back in comedy like I was when I was 26. I guess I'm finding my new voice and fine loving every moment of it.

Seems like he was truly enjoying this chapter. He lived an extremely full life. What do you think his legacy is? going to be. I know that's a tough one, but what do you think?

ARNOLD: Well, I mean, obviously, you know, his daughters, you know, his wife, he was such a generous soul. He was also wicked funny and wicked been and he would always have something to say. I think he had so many true friendships, so many moments of kindness. You know.

I think that's always your legacy, is the love that you give. People are like, what? Is sad that he died in a hotel? Well, that's what we do. Where on the road. And then that's -- that happens. And he loved what he had done the night before and it's terribly sad, but I'll tell you what, he had a family that was looking for him.

That's how they found him. A lot of us don't. And I don't mean me, but a lot of people don't. And that's how they -- so it's terribly sad. I'm sorry for his family but I hope people revisit his standup because it's, you know, only he could do it and get away with it. LEMON: I'm going to go and, on the internet, and go through some of

Bob Saget's stand up this evening. Hey, Tom, good to see you. I'm sorry about your friend. Thank you so much. You be well. You take care of yourself, OK?

ARNOLD: Thank you for doing that. Absolutely. Thank you, buddy.

LEMON: All right. Tom Arnold, everyone. Thank you.

Up next, 340,000 kids kept out of school until now. A deal reached late tonight between Chicago Public Schools and the teachers union. Stay with us.

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