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Don Lemon Tonight

Georgia D.A. Requests Special Grand Jury To Investigate Trump's Election Interference; What Does President Biden Need To Do Going Forward?; So Now You Can't Teach Facts If They Make People Uncomfortable?; Stunning New Coral Reef Discovered Off Coast Of Tahiti; Adele Postponing Her Las Vegas Shows. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired January 20, 2022 - 23:00   ET

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

[23:00:00]

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DON LEMON, CNN HOST (on camera): Trump legal trouble. A Georgia D.A. asking for a special grand jury to investigate the former president's interference with the result of the 2020 election in that state, which he lost fair and square.

And the January 6th Committee asking Ivanka Trump to voluntarily cooperate and testify.

Also ahead, an amazing discovery. Scientists finding a giant coral reef deep in the ocean off the coast of Tahiti.

And startling news from superstar singer Adele.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADELE, MUSICIAN: I'm so sorry, but my show isn't ready.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): Postponing her shows in Las Vegas after record- breaking tickets sells. We're going to tell you why coming up.

But I want to bring in now CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig and former U.S. attorney and deputy assistant attorney general Harry Litman. Gentlemen, good evening to you. Thank you so much. Let's talk about what's happening, especially with the former first daughter and what's happening with the January 6th Committee. Elie, you first.

Trump is having a brutal week on the legal front. Fulton County D.A. asking for a special grand jury. The January 6th Committee wants to know a whole lot from Ivanka surrounding January 6. And the major loss at the Supreme Court, that's going to free up potentially explosive evidence about his actions then. And Rudy Giuliani -- there's more, right? There's more. His attorney involved with putting up fake electors, according to sources.

Where does he face the biggest legal peril here? ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, Don, that is a lot legal peril in a lot of different forms. We're talking civil, we're talking congressional, we're talking people associated with him. But to me, the biggest risk is down in Georgia from the Fulton County district attorney, first of all because we're talking about potential criminal charges there. That's a whole different ball game.

Then the civil kind of charges that he's looking at from the New York attorney general or whatever may come out of Congress, which could be enormously damaging, but you don't go to prison for that.

Now, today, of course, the move of asking for this special grand jury is a big step forward for the D.A. It shows that the D.A. is getting very serious about this investigation, will soon be armed with the subpoena power.

And Don, it's important to understand, we are not talking about prosecutorial grand jury subpoenas. These are not the congressional subpoenas that everyone is just sort of brushing off with no consequence. These are the real kinds of subpoenas. They are different being legally and witnesses are going to have to comply with them or else face consequences.

So, that's where I see the biggest risk for the president right now.

LEMON: Finally, a subpoena that the, you know, big people have to comply with, unlike the little folks who just go along and comply with subpoenas, because they have to.

HONIG: Right.

LEMON: So, Harry, look, the committee's letter to Ivanka Trump, it includes testimony from General Keith Kellogg, that Ivanka witnessed her father pressuring Mike Pence. Why do they need her to talk about that? Are they trying to get to Trump's state of mind here or his intent?

HARRY LITMAN, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: So, it's part of it, yeah. She's there when he says, you are a wimp, I chose the wrong guy four years ago, you don't have the courage to do it.

It's not just that, though. She is also, of course, the one who tries to talk him down and the only one who can in the middle of January 6th, and she is supposedly around after January 6th when there is opinion given to Trump personally that the whole big lie is bogus. So, she figures in a lot of different ways.

Moreover, I think it's an inflammatory kind of shot across the bout at Trump himself. He called that previously the red line. And it puts Ivanka in a kind of funny position. She wants to be the moderate, so she may have a political future. I think she may feel she needs to cooperate a little bit. We'll see if she has the same sort of stiff arm.

[23:05:01] Very quickly, I am with -- I agree with what Elie said. It's a very discrete, clean case in that audiotape that they have of the January 2nd conversation makes it very dangerous for Trump.

LEMON: Elie, in the letter, the committee says they have information suggesting that Trump's White House counsel may have concluded that what Trump was directing Pence to do would be illegal. They want to hear from Ivanka if her father was aware of that. Explain it. Why? Why is that? What's going on here?

HONIG: There are so many fascinating bits of information in this letter. That one jumped off the page to me, Don, because this, I think, is the first time we're hearing that people in the White House and not just anybody, the White House counsel may have advised the president or others that the scheme to try to challenge the election was unconstitutional and illegal.

And here's why that matters, because it goes to intent, because the defense that we're hearing essentially is well, Donald Trump legitimately thought that he won the election and it's not a crime to put up a legal defense, even if it's a sort of novel or aggressive legal challenge.

But this takes it into different territory. If the White House counsel said, that's illegal, that's unconstitutional, and Donald Trump and his people said, we're doing it anyway, now we're crossing into much grayer areas of potential criminal intent.

LEMON (on camera): Harry, it's also clear in this letter that the committee is looking into why Trump didn't make a live address asking rioters to go home and instead, you know, he released this video. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: This was a fraudulent election. But we can't play into the hands of these people. We have to have peace. So, go home. We love you. You're very special.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): That gets me every time. You're very special.

LITMAN: Yeah.

LEMON: The committee wants to see different takes of that video. They have information suggesting that Trump did not explicitly ask rioters to leave. Why are they chasing this particular lead?

LITMAN: Well, I mean, it's very explicit because this is part and parcel of the big 183 minutes where he's not calling them off. This is hardly an emphatic calling them off.

And by the way, they also have information that the White House didn't want him to go out and make an unscripted address because who knows what he would say.

So, it's more evidence of intent, the same with the evidence that he was jubilant as it was going on. These are not the words of someone who is appalled and is looking to make the insurrectionists stand down. These are words for a sympathetic guy who's being forced to say something.

LEMON: Interesting. Thank you, gentlemen. I appreciate it.

I want to turn now to CNN contributor Michael D'Antonio. He is also the author of the book, "High Crimes." It is good to see you. It has been a long time, sir. I hope you're doing well. Thank you so much for joining.

MICHAEL D'ANTONIO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good to see you, Don.

LEMON: The January 6th Committee officially asking for testimony from Ivanka Trump today. I can't imagine that she'd cooperate without a subpoena. What will Trump's reaction be to this, you think?

D'ANTONIO: Well, I think, as Harry Litman said, the former president has always tried to indicate that there was some sort of red line drawn around his children. In this case, the committee is, I think, trying to solicit the cooperation of the brightest of his three children. Ivanka is the one who was smart enough to avoid speaking at the Ellipse on January 6th. I think she is smart enough to recognize that she's at an inflection point.

And what she's going to have to decide is, is she a woman who's going to do her duty, do her civic duty, and cooperate with this committee? Perhaps she can ask for a subpoena and be forced to cooperate. Or is she going to be a Trump? Is she going to continue to stonewall in that tradition of her father?

I think a lot is going to ride on whether she thinks he's going down now. Does she imagine that his future is over and that her long life is yet to be lived?

And, you know, I think if she does that, the president or the former president might actually recognize that she had no choice because he's in decline and I don't know that there's anything that's going to rescue him from the judgment of history or the judgment of the American people.

LEMON: What do you mean, is she going to be a Trump? When has she not been a Trump? She's always -- I mean, they left out -- she left out the first part of her letter where she said they were patriots. I mean, come on. Her tweet, she deleted it. Go on.

D'ANTONIO: Look at what her husband chose to do. Jared bugged out as soon as the election was over. He saw where this whole clown car was headed, and he didn't want to be any part of it. And I can't imagine that he's not pulling her in the direction of doing the right thing.

[23:10:04] Now, I agree with you that the impulse there is always to be a Trump, but she's of all of them, she's been the one who's wanted to be somewhat different.

Now, she hasn't pulled it off, I agree with you there, but at some point, it could dawn on her that she's in more trouble than she bargained for, more trouble than certainly any first daughter has ever been in. And, you know, there is no father/daughter privilege for her to claim.

LEMON: Wanted to be different or just pretended because there is a whole difference.

D'ANTONIO: It is very deep psychology there.

LEMON: Yeah. So, listen, as we learn more about Rudy's involvement, Rudy Giuliani's involvement in this bizarre scheme to send false electors, what do you think the odds that (ph) wasn't done with the knowledge of the former president?

D'ANTONIO: Absolutely zero. I am sure that Rudy was in touch with Donald Trump, very gleeful about the plot that he was hatching. You know, it is really a lot of craziness. I think that some people around the White House recognized that. Certainly, Sean Hannity recognized that this was all craziness.

But anything that Rudy would have been able to bring to Donald Trump to give him a shred of hope would have thrilled then President Trump and it would have made Rudy very relevant.

And, you know, he spent a lot of time being irrelevant and he spent quite a bit of time in the last few years being very relevant. I think he prefers the ladder.

LEMON: It really is, but just a clown car of characters.

D'ANTONIO: It is.

LEMON: Thank you, Michael. I appreciate it. It is good to see you.

D'ANTONIO: Thanks, Don.

LEMON (on camera): One year ago tonight, President Joe Biden was newly inaugurated. He was elected to be a problem solver. So, what does he need to do going forward?

Plus, a bill advancing in Florida that would bar schools and businesses from making anyone feel discomfort when they teach or train people about discrimination. So, now you can't teach the facts if they make people uncomfortable?

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SHEVRIN JONES, MEMBER, FLORIDA STATE SENATE: This is Governor DeSantis's move to try to stop the teaching of true American black history. Our history is a part of American history. And also, my white counterparts are part of that very history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[23:15:00]

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TOM HANKS, ACTOR: We are stronger than we were a year ago today.

UNKNOWN: We are bringing on new drivers. We're expanding. The fear that was there is going away. Business is booming.

UNKNOWN: This is an exciting time for the auto industry. We're building our bridges, our roads, our transit system. And the jobs. That's what this administration has been doing.

UNKNOWN: From our toughest times, America has always built a brighter future.

UNKNOWN: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): That was Tom Hanks narrating a new ad from the Biden Inaugural Committee. Exactly one year ago, there were fireworks in Washington. President Biden and first lady Jill Biden celebrating a new era on their first night in the White House.

Now, many viewed Biden's inauguration as a much-needed reset after all the turmoil of the Trump presidency and the horrors of the January 6th attack on the Capitol.

He told the country that he was elected to solve problems and that he has a record with some big accomplishments like COVID relief and the bipartisan infrastructure bill.

But, of course, the president is still facing challenges heading into the midterm election.

So, I want to bring in now CNN political commentators Paul Begala and Joe Lockhart. They both worked with the former president -- with former President Bill Clinton, I should say. Paul as chief strategist during his 1992 campaign and then counsel to the president, and Joe as the campaign spokesman for Clinton's 1996 reelection campaign and then White House press secretary. Big resumes here. Gentlemen, good evening. Good to see both of you.

Paul, I'm going to start with you. What is your assessment of the president's first year in office?

PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think he had a great first year. He had a terrible last couple of weeks. But I think you're right, if you put together the recovery act for COVID and the bipartisan infrastructure, that is over $3 trillion of spending on things that most Americans think we need like rescuing us from COVID, saving the economy, rebuilding our roads and bridges.

I think what he needs to do now is -- his first year was about legislating. His second year needs to be about leading. Hand off the legislative matters to your vice president, who is an experienced senator, your staff who has got a lot of talent.

He needs to go out in the country. And this is what Clinton did, he played with strength. Unlike Clinton, Biden's greatest strength is his empathy. And he used to run (ph) the country and comfort the families. We are going to hit a million people lost to COVID. We lost 100,000 to opioids. And no one ever seems to give a damn. Biden cares.

And so, that's what I want to see more, him taking these accomplishments. So, the Recovery Act has $4 billion to help people who are addicted to opioids. Go to those clinics, go to those communities, go to the inner cities, go to the small towns and the rural communities being devastated by opioids. He could do so much with the empathy that is so powerful in him.

LEMON: Listen, I don't disagree with that, but it's going to be tough to do with COVID because, you know, we don't want the president of the United States, right, to be exposed so much to COVID. So, we will see.

Joe, similar question as to what I asked Paul here. One year in the Biden administration. He made a lot of significant changes.

[23:19:56]

But tonight, the narrative is voting rights failed in the Senate, Build Back Better stalled, COVID cases are still surging, inflation hitting nearly a four-decade high, and the list goes on.

I mean, this is a wakeup call for Democrats. What do they need to do now to turn things around?

JOE LOCKHART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Listen, I agree with Paul that the year was significant and successful. I think what the president needs to do and Democrats need to do, and this is what Bill Clinton did, which is he made Republicans start to pay a price for getting in the way of things that the public wants.

The public wants a lot of the things that are in Build Back Better. They want voting rights. They want to see their government working for them. And you've got 50 Republicans who are against everything. And right now, they are not paying any price at all.

LEMON: So, how do they do that?

LOCKHART: Well, you know, I think the president has to shift. I think the president has to shift from saying, I can make a deal, I am the great compromiser, to basically the Republican Party screwing you and they need to pay a price. I mean, right now, you know, there was -- a lot of people have been doing things on the first year. I have not heard a word about 50 Republican senators being against voting rights.

LEMON: Uh-hmm.

LOCKHART: Fifty Republican senators being against things like paid leave and expanding the child tax credit, things that people need. The social safety net is broken and there is not a single Republican who wants to fix it. And right now, they're paying no price. Democrats and the president have to start exacting a price from them.

LEMON: Uh-hmm. They're not as good as messengers as the Republicans. Paul, you know, some are comparing Biden's presidency to, so far, to Jimmy Carter, who served just one term. But your former boss, Bill Clinton, also had a rough first term. He was able to turn it around. Do you have advice to give to Biden to lead him down the Clinton path? Is that what you said? Lead the legislating to other folks? What is your advice?

BEGALA: I do. I think Joe is right that he needs to make the Republicans pay a price. You know, Clinton wanted to be a uniter, and he really did. And yet he had to draw the line when Newt Gingrich and the other Republicans wanted to cut Medicare. So, he did. And he made them pay a price. Joe is exactly right.

But beyond that, Clinton understood that the presidency has vast powers outside of legislating. It's not just these bills. So, for example, Clinton created, I think, 19 national monuments. Millions of millions of acres that he set aside to protect wilderness. And, of course, Republicans, as Clinton said, they squealed like a hogs ducked under a gate. But he used his executive power to protect the environment.

This -- and then he picked a big fight. Clinton picked a big fight with big tobacco. And it was politically courageous and it was politically successful.

I want to see Biden pick a big fight with big tech. There's a lot of principled Republicans, even right-wing Republicans who are very skeptical of big tech. And I happen to share a lot of that skepticism. Why not use your powers of anti-trust and other regulatory matters to rain in some of the excesses we've seen in the Facebook papers that Frances Haugen released or other monopolistic practices? He can do a lot. Pick a big fight with big tech and people will notice, and I think they'll appreciate it.

LEMON: You know, Joe, President Biden was elected as moderate, right? We wanted sanity. America wanted sanity, someone to restore order. Has he drifted too far from that?

LOCKHART: Well, I don't think so. Here is my view. One thing he has restored, honesty and civility in the White House, and that is a very big deal. Trump was -- I don't think we've even gotten to the depths of the damage that the Trump presidency has done to this country. I think that he got a number of things done early, COVID relief, infrastructure, and he saw an opportunity to go and restore the social safety in this country. He went big. He went big to try to reverse 30 years of neglect. You know what, and he didn't have the votes.

And. you know, in Washington, just trying -- you know, you don't get credit for just trying. You get credit for winning. But I think if -- you know, if you look at what he was trying to do, I don't think he was drifting to the left or trying to appeal to the moderates. It was about taking on a really big problem and trying to solve it at once, which -- you know, it just doesn't happen very much in Washington these days.

LEMON: Yeah. Thank you, Joe. Thank you, Paul. I appreciate it.

BEGALA: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: Florida lawmaker sounding the alarm over a new bill pushed by Ron DeSantis that would shield people from feeling discomfort when teaching about race.

Plus, a stunning undersea discovery right off the coast of Tahiti. Gorgeous.

[23:25:00]

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LEMON: It is a bill that prohibits people from making others -- quote -- "feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race, color, sex, or national origin in school or private business." Individual freedom bill just got a key approval from the Florida State Senate after being pushed by Republicans Governor Ron DeSantins.

[23:30:02]

The only Black member of the committee that advanced the bill tells CNN this equates to a ban on black history.

So, joining me now, Peniel Joseph, a professor of history at the University of Texas. Peniel, what is this?

PENIEL JOSEPH, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY AT UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, AUTHOR: Well, this is the Republicans winning the cancel wars. We talk about cancel culture. I call it a narrative war for the soul of America. And this banning of African American history, this banning of black history really impoverishes all of us.

It's a threat to American democracy and it is continuation of the lost cause from the 19th century that really transform our understanding of the Civil War instead of thinking about the emancipation as legacy of the Civil War.

We instead start to celebrate confederate generals and confederate military heroes. And again, that led to public policies that segregated, that punished, that brutalized, that impoverished African Americans. But in doing so, it led to the impoverishment and segregation of the entire nation.

I think what we're seeing now is just this pushback from 2020 and the racial and political reckoning we saw in the aftermath of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and the protests and inequality in the context of the pandemic. We're seeing again the GOP is really -- has won this war or is winning the war right now in terms of what people sometimes call cancel culture.

This is not just sort of attacking somebody on Twitter. This is actual legislation in addition to the voter suppression that has proliferated since 2013. This is actual canceling of American history.

LEMON: Well, it's interesting because, you know, the right likes to talk so much about, you know, snowflakes. It seems like they may be raising snowflakes because if they think people are going to be uncomfortable by the actual facts -- facts are uncomfortable, when you think about slavery, lynching.

And it is not just black history. I mean, think about the internment camps in this country during World War II, or learning what happened in Germany at the time of the holocaust.

I mean, shouldn't people feel uncomfortable or upset or angry when they are learning about things that would make any normal human being upset, uncomfortable or angry?

JOSEPH: Absolutely. I think this narrative war is connected to -- we've talked about 1619, Don. I'm somebody who read and enjoyed your books. I'm going to talk about your book.

LEMON: Thank you.

JOSEPH: I think what you did in "This is the Fire," you talked about slave rebellion in Louisiana, you talked about 1898 and the Wilmington, the white riot in Wilmington, North Carolina. That was the first coup detat in the United States that overthrew a duly elected, interracial government in Wilmington, North Carolina and slaughtered dozens of Black people, you talked about that in the context of American democracy and transformation.

The reason you brought that up in that book is not because you hate America, it's because you love America and love the country. But the only way we can move forward is by facing that history. We can't -- it's not -- James Baldwin reminds us, not everything that we confront can be faced and transformed, but without facing it, it's never going to be over.

So, I think what we're seeing with these narrative wars is the Republican Party that doesn't want to face, not just the legacy of slavery, but the contemporary reproduction of inequality and segregation and poverty and violence that is owed to that legacy of slavery.

The only way we're ever going to get over this is to have truth, justice and reconciliation, is if we tell that shared history, and that shared history shouldn't make white people or anybody feel uncomfortable because we have white heroes who are part of the story alongside of Black heroes and Asian and Latinx and other queer folks who are part of that rich, rich history.

So, what we do if we confront that history? Maybe we start erecting monuments, not only to the Black survivors and stragglers of that history, but to abolitionists, the white and Black abolitionists who -- and indigenous and native American people who wanted a different America.

So, we should be thinking about that reconstructionist legacy of our country and not be ashamed of that redemptionist legacy. That reconstructionist legacy are the supporters of multiracial democracy then and now. And that redemptionist legacy are advocates of white supremacy then and now.

This country has always had those dual, warring challenges within it. But we shouldn't be ashamed of the redemptionist part because we have had the Ella Baker and the Fannie Lou Hamer and the Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Angela Davis.

[23:35:00]

But also, Alicia Garza, the Opal Tometi, the Patrisse Cullors, the Darnell Moore (ph), all these different people who want a multiracial America, and now who want an America where we have our queer brothers and sisters, we have our trans women, we have our disabled folks, we have so many different people in this sort of multi-cultural America, and that's the America that we can be proud of, that's the America that is liberty's surest guardian around the world.

So, if we face up holistically to our history, we don't lose, we actually all win. Whether it is a five-year-old -- my youngest is a first grader, I want her to know the good, the bad and the ugly of America, so she can aspire towards Martin Luther King, Jr.'s beloved community.

LEMON: It makes you a more well-rounded person and not a snowflake. Thank you very much, Peniel. I appreciate it.

A rare discovery off the coast of Tahiti. A coral reef stretching miles long, untouched by climate change. Look at how beautiful that is. Scientists think there is more to be found.

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[23:40:00]

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LEMON (on camera): So, here is a bit of good news. One of the world's largest coral reefs has been discovered by scientists in pristine condition off the coast of Tahiti. They are discovering how much we have yet to uncover in our oceans' depths.

CNN's Rene Marsh has the story for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION AND GOVERNMENT REGULATION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Here off the coast of Tahiti, a stunning discovery. Resting up to 230 feet below the surface was this, a huge, untouched rose-shaped coral reef nearly two miles long. Researchers on a United Nations-led scientific mission discovered it diving near the depths of the ocean known as the 'twilight zone,' 100 to more than 200 feet below the surface where there's just enough light to sustain life.

That is where they found one of the world's largest coral reefs, appearing unaffected by climate change, stunning since warming waters have wiped out nearly half of the earth's known wreaths. And over the next couple of decades, there will be a 90 percent decline, according to the latest projections.

EVERT FLIER, NORWEGIAN MAPPING AUTHORITY: It shows us still how little we know about our own planet and how important it is to gain more knowledge to better understand the processes of those oceans that will again influence life on our planet.

MARSH (voice-over): Norwegian oceanographer Evert Flier is helping to lead an international network of governments, ocean scientists, industry and volunteers in a mission to map the world's seabed by 2030.

FLIER: The shape of the seabed and how deep it is and the ocean currents, it all influences to a great extent how climate will develop and how climate will change. Therefore, if we let (ph) parts of the knowledge on which these climate models are based, our climate models are not as good as they could be.

UNKNOWN: It also depends where the currents are.

MARSH (voice-over): The topography of the ocean floor dictates how currents move warm and cold water throughout the planet and that impacts climate. Ocean seafloor mapping is critical for precisely predicting and preparing for the climate crisis, melting glaciers and storm surge.

JAMIE MCMICHAEL PHILLIPS, PROJECT DIRECTOR, SEABED 2023: That will allow lots of clever people to use that information to conduct all sorts of science, all sorts of modeling.

MARSH (voice-over): This mission is underway in various parts of the world. But so far, just 20 percent of the world's ocean floor has been mapped. That is the equivalent of the continent of Asia and Africa. But what still needs to be mapped is almost double the land mass of all of the earth's continents.

It's estimated it will cost $3 to 5 billion to complete the mission. The technology exists, but the financial appetite to do it is not robust. Country's militaries and private entities like oil and gas companies map areas central to their work at sea but are not always willing to share the data. The leaders of the Seabed 2030 mission are now calling on everyday citizens.

MCMICHAEL PHILLIPS: Whether you are a master of a bulk carrier, whether you are a yacht skipper, whether you are a ferryboat captain, then you are in a position to gather data to help us chart the seabed.

MARSH (on camera): The United Nation has endorsed this mission to map the world's ocean floor and anyone with a boat can get involved by visiting the Seabed 2030 website.

As for those beautiful coral reefs, researchers hope to learn how and why it has been able to thrive despite the climate crisis, and what they learned may enable them to save the rest of the world's reefs, which protects coastlines from storms and erosion. Don?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON (on camera): Rene, thank you very much. So beautiful. Joining me now Roberto Rinaldi. He is an underwater director of photography and a part of the 1 Ocean team that made this discovery.

Roberto, gosh, it's so beautiful. We are all sitting here discussing it in the control room as we were watching it. Your team found this reef about 200 feet below the surface of the ocean, in what's called the 'twilight zone,' and it goes for nearly two miles.

[23:45:00]

What did you think when you found it?

ROBERTO RINALDI, HEAD DIVER AND CAMERAMAN, 1 OCEAN: It was wonderful because -- I mean, we are full of these ideas of the ocean damaged by global warming and the corals are dying and -- we experience many corals dying everywhere in the world. So, when you find a place which is so pristine and so alive, so rich, I mean, you are just happy and touched.

And then what I want to say is that what I really felt was the immensity of this. I mean, the coral reef we were exploring was endless, really endless. And you can watch these roses, they're roses- shaped.

LEMON: Yeah, I see it.

RINALDI: I mean, also, we use underwater (INAUDIBLE) and then can ride for over one kilometer without anything stopping, without seeing any dead coral, without anything was wrong in this place. It was a true paradise.

LEMON: Could you believe your eyes?

RINALDI: Yes, I believe my eyes because I know the sea and I know that, of course, we are launching alarms because, of course, the situation is not good, but the sea is strong. We, as divers, I mean, we can experience many, many places which are still alive and pristine and naturally reacting to us. All is carrying on with its own life. So not anything is damaged and destructed. This is well known. So, this doesn't mean that we are to stop working and struggling for the ecosystem to protect, but this means that we are not doing something useless because if everything was dead, we would be doing something useless. All our efforts are very important because -- just because this is not destroyed yet, just because the oceans are still alive, so we just have to protect and let them live as it was before.

LEMON: Let me jump in here because I want to ask you, because it is only -- I think about 20 percent of the ocean floor currently mapped. Do you think there are more huge and healthy reefs out there that we just have not found yet?

RINALDI: Yes, I am sure of this, I'm sure of this, but I'm also sure -- we love to dive deep. And dive deep is something which is ridiculous because if you're seeing that a normal average diver can dive around 40 meters which is under 20 feet, we, the divers, we do double. We can go to 100 meters, 300, 350 feet. But the average depth of the ocean is 3,000 meters. So, 90,000, 100,000 feet.

I mean, this shows that we know nothing about oceans, but we are doing discussions now. We are considering the ocean like the land. In land, we are on the surface, but ocean is a place, is a world where life isn't the tridimensional area. I mean, it is in a volume.

If we go -- I don't know. Whenever in the forest, we have the life from the ground to the top of the trees. But when you are at sea and you are in a place where the sea floors and seabed is 3,000 meters deep, then the life is from 3,000 meters up to surface. It is a huge volume. We are not considering this.

So, when we say that we explore -- that the sea covers 70 percent of the earth's surface, okay, we misunderstand that the volume (INAUDIBLE) in the water is much, much more because it is in the volume, it is not on the surface.

LEMON: There is a lot there. Listen, one of the most fascinating things I have ever seen was -- gosh, I think it was from the '90s, the BBC, the blue planet which shows you the vastness of the ocean.

Hey, listen, that is all we have time for. Roberto Rinaldi, thank you so much. It is so beautiful, what you have done. Continue the work. We really appreciate you joining us here on CNN. Thank you so much.

RINALDI: Bye.

LEMON (on camera): Thank you. Bye-bye.

So, before she even had the chance to say hello, Adele now postponing her Las Vegas residency -- I had to do it right -- now postponing her Las Vegas residency the day before it was set to begin.

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ADELE: I can't give you (INAUDIBLE) right now, and I'm tired. I'm tired.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[23:50:00]

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LEMON (on camera): What a voice, huh? COVID crisis impacting everything, even superstar Adele's upcoming show in Las Vegas. I want to show you the emotional video she posted to Instagram tonight just one day before the first show.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADELE: I'm so sorry, but my show ain't ready.

[23:55:00]

ADELE: We tried absolutely everything that we can to put it together in time and for it to be good enough for you, but we've been absolutely destroyed by delivery delays and COVID. Half my crew, half my team have COVID. They still are. And it's been impossible to finish the show. And I can't give you I have right now. And I'm tired. I'm tired. And I'm sorry. It's last-minute. We've been awake for over 30 hours trying to figure it out, and we've run out of time. I'm really, really sorry. I'm really sorry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): It's the environment we're in right now. COVID really affecting everything. Adele's series of sold-out shows at the coliseum at Caesars Palace is supposed to begin tomorrow and continue through mid-April. She's promising fans that all performances will be rescheduled, but no new dates have been set. So, stay tuned, everyone.

Thank you for watching. Our coverage continues.

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