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Don Lemon Tonight

U.S. Telling American Citizens To Leave Ukraine; President Biden To Talk With Vladimir Putin; Protesters Blocks Trade Between U.S. And Canada; CRT To Be Banned In Mississippi; Former POTUS Took Classified Documents; FDA Pause Vaccination For Kids. Aired 10-11p ET

Aired February 11, 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)

LAURA COATES, CNN HOST (on camera): That's it for us tonight. I'll be back next week. DON LEMON TONIGHT with Don Lemon starts right now.

DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Hello, Laura Coates, how was your week?

COATES: Hello, Don Lemon. A good week. I tell you it's been a long week of so many things. I'm not certain what comes for the weekend with all the news. Right?

LEMON: Yes. Well, we got the Super Bowl and we have that pesky situation happening in Ukraine for a long time and with Russia and Ukraine I have been telling everyone, even the viewers and also my team here, I have a really bad feeling about Ukraine. Probably for maybe well over a month now.

COATES: Really?

LEMON: I had a really bad feeling about Ukraine.

COATES: Man.

COATES: I don't know where this is going but I think it's going to escalate and it's going to be far worse than we think. That's just what I -- that's just the feeling that I get. Let's hope that that doesn't happen.

COATES: Well, I don't often say this but I desperately hope you're wrong, Don Lemon.

LEMON: Yes.

COATES: And I hope whatever magic eight ball you got is just is on that verge. You know, it doesn't fully do the pyramid. It's on the verge of everything. I hope it's wrong. Because there is so much at stake. So much going on. And you know, especially in politics, the idea of another, you know, military presence enforced from the U.S. abroad --

LEMON: Yes. COATES: -- it's going to have consequences.

LEMON: It's going to have consequences. And I don't -- I'm not sure America has the stomach for it, all Americans. Thank you, Laura.

COATES: All right.

LEMON: Have a great weekend.

COATES: Yes.

LEMON: I'll see you next week.

COATES: Yes. I hope you the stomach for some good food on Sunday, though.

LEMON: I do.

COATES: Bye.

LEMON: I got. We ordered all the wings. We're ready. Super Bowl party, small group. It's going to be great.

COATES: That's how he's telling you America I'm not invited. OK. Thanks, Don Lemon. Small group. I heard you.

LEMON: Thank you. Have a good one.

COATES: Thanks.

LEMON: This is DON LEMON TONIGHT. Thank you so much for joining us.

So, as you heard from the conversation that Laura and I were just having, the world on edge, really is. The warning couldn't be more urgent. Americans in Ukraine get out now. A Russian invasion could happen at any time. And the president won't send troops in to get you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We encourage all American citizens who remain in Ukraine to depart immediately. We want to be crystal clear on this point. Any American in Ukraine should leave as soon as possible and in any event in the next 24 to 48 hours.

The president will not be putting the lives of our men and women in uniform at risk by sending them into a war zone to rescue people who could have left now but chose not to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): That's the warning. Get out now. And this tells you just how deadly the situation is. In the wake of the warning that Americans may now only have hours to get out. The State Department is making phone calls to any who are still there. To find out if they are planning to leave. Again, this is deadly serious. With Ukraine surrounded on three sides

by thousands and thousands of Russian troops, the White House says Vladimir Putin hasn't decided whether to act. But national security adviser Jake Sullivan bluntly laying out what an invasion could look like. Aerial bombing and missile attacks. Civilians killed. A ground

invasion by a massive force. And the possibility of a rapid assault on Ukraine's capital.

President Joe Biden expected to hold a call with Vladimir Putin tomorrow morning at 11. They haven't talked since the end of December. And the situation has only gotten more dangerous since then.

And with fears growing of invasion in Ukraine, right here at home we've got some newly released videos of the scene in the Capitol Rotunda as rioters flooded the seat of our democracy on January 6th. We're not bleeping the profanity, OK, not bleeping the profanity so you can hear and see it exactly as it happened.

This video shot by someone in the crowd shows the battle in the rotunda intense shoving matches between rioters and officers. One officer punching a rioter several times.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: What the fuck? What the fuck? What the fuck?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): There is also new police bodycam footage. This one shows an officer identified as N.R. rushing into the rotunda to join the line of police trying to talk down that mob. Rioters shouting, are you guys proud of yourselves? And who are you guys? We are the people.

[22:05:05]

Legitimate political discourse? I don't think so. And we all know it got so much worse when police were beaten to within an inch of their lives for trying to defend the capitol and our democracy.

And as a January 6th committee keeps digging for the truth, we learn tonight that the former president still hasn't turned over all the documents the National Archives wants. That is according to a source familiar with the situation.

Another source saying that the archives had to threaten to go to Congress and the DOJ to get the 15 boxes of documents that the former president took him when he left Washington in disgrace. Boxes. He reportedly stored in his personal suite at Mar-a-Lago. Documents he is required by law to turn over. But he sure seemed to know when he was yelling about Hillary Clinton's e-mails.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: She showed great negligence. And the real word is negligence in what happened. She put us all at risk.

If I got a subpoena, think of this -- if I got a subpoena for e-mails, if I deleted one e-mail, like a love note to Melania, it's the electric chair for Trump.

Hillary was a criminal. She deleted her e-mails. People go to jail for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): But her e-mails. But her e-mails. Lock him up. Where are the conservatives or the Trump supporters saying lock him up for at this point appears to be much worse than what Hillary Clinton was accused of? Remember, he is the commander in chief.

And in the face of all that, there is what's looking more and more like a showdown on our border with Canada. You're looking at truckers and other protesters COVID restrictions and protesting, I should say, COVID restrictions in Windsor, Ontario at the bridge connecting the city to Detroit, a bridge that carries about a quarter of all trade between the U.S. and Canada.

The protesters defying a judge's order to clear the border crossing by 7 p.m. which was more than three hours ago. The mayor of Windsor threatening to start towing vehicles one by one tonight.

The protests hurting workers on both sides of the border. Workers in Michigan could lose $51 million in wages this week. They're hurting workers. Fifty-one million, $51 million in lost wages this week. And homeland security warning the protest could spread potentially affecting the Super Bowl. So why is the right cheering while our economy is being damaged?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): Let me say the Canadian truckers are heroes, they are patriots and they are marching for your freedom and my freedom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): Well, you just know Ted Cruz that it would be him. We've got more on this coming up. So, stay tuned. I want to get right to the latest on the threat of the Russia invasion of Ukraine. CNN's M.J. is at the White House for us. Oren Liebermann is at the Pentagon.

Good evening to both of you. This is really, really serious at this point. M.J., I'm going to start with you, the big shift in tone from the White House in the last 24 hours, they are making it very clear that Russia could invade at any moment. And President Biden is set to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin tomorrow. What do we know about these high stakes call, M.J.?

M.J. LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: yes, Don, this is a phone call that is set to take place tomorrow morning. President Biden will make this phone call from Camp David which is where he is going to be spending the weekend.

And interestingly, a White House official told us earlier tonight that initially the Kremlin had suggested that Monday is when the phone call should take place. But that the White House had countered with Saturday. So that's why now the phone call is happening tomorrow instead.

That back and forth clearly does seem to suggest that from the White House's perspective they would rather have this dialogue happen sooner rather than later. And in the big picture it of course shows the U.S. still trying to engage Vladimir Putin in diplomacy.

But, of course, diplomacy so far, you know, we are about to actually learn in the coming days whether those diplomacy efforts have actually worked or not. Biden and the aides that are close to him, his senior aides have been pretty clear in recent days that trying to do diplomacy with Vladimir Putin is certainly very tricky and challenging, that he is somebody that the president himself finds unpredictable. He has said repeatedly, you know, he is not someone whose mind I'm going to try to pretend to be able to read.

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In fact, he has said I don't even know if Vladimir Putin himself knows what exactly he wants to do. So, we will hopefully get that readout once that has happened tomorrow. The last time the two leaders spoke was back in December, Don.

LEMON: Yes. Oren, the U.S. ordered 3,000 more troops to Poland. So tell us more about U.S. preparations ahead of the possible invasion.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: From the military perspective, one thing is clear. There is no plan right now to send the military into Ukraine. There are defensive weapons going into Ukraine from America but not troops themselves. More now going to Poland. The 82nd Airborne an elite unit that's able to adapt to a number of different missions, in this case we reported earlier this week on Wednesday that part of the mission they'll be going into Ukraine to do is to assist Americans who are coming out of Ukraine. Give them temporary shelter if they need and see how else they can help.

Part of this mission and Jake Sullivan made clear, was to make sure that NATO allies are reassured, reinforced and to try to provide a deterrent across from Russian President Vladimir Putin as he makes that decision or doesn't make that decision.

It needs to be clear to him that NATO stands united and that if he makes that decision to move into Ukraine that he'll feel the full brunt of sanctions and know very well that if he goes even an inch further NATO stands ready to initiate article 5 there.

LEMON: Oren, we're seeing Russian troops on three sides of Ukraine and Biden's national security adviser made this prediction. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SULLIVAN: If a Russian attack on Ukraine proceeds, it is likely to begin with aerial bombing and missile attacks that could obviously kill civilians without regard to their nationality. A subsequent ground invasion would involve the onslaught of a massive force.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): You talked a little about this. But what are you hearing from Pentagon about possible scenarios here?

LIEBERMANN: Bottom line is, if they decide to go in it will be ugly. Whether that's a smaller incursion on the east side of Ukraine, or whether they go all out. Sullivan also said that Russia has enough forces and perhaps the intent to try to take over large swaths of territory and major cities including the capitol of Ukraine, Kyiv.

If they try to do that first they'll meet a Ukrainian military that's at this point well-armed. Certainly not as well as Russians but well equipped at this point, and if they stick around, if they try to occupy Ukraine or greater parts of it, an insurgency from Ukraine's population it will be ugly, horrible, terrible.

These are words we've heard in the Pentagon about how this would look if they try to move in. But that decision whether he's made it or not is unclear. And again, that's the bottom line it's the hardest part of all this what is Putin's decision, what is his calculation?

And let's not forget that the U.S. is also looking for an increase in cyberattacks, information warfare, disinformation. And a potential false flag operation to signal that it's coming. But at this point, I think it's clear that the U.S. government thinks this could very well be coming in the next few days here.

LEMON: Oren, M.J., thank you very much. We'll be following. Thousands of Russian troops surrounding Ukraine as we've been talking about this evening. Countries around the world urging their citizens to get out now. Will Vladimir Putin invade Ukraine? A former defense secretary weighs in. That's next.

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LEMON (on camera): President Biden set to speak with Russian president Vladimir Putin tomorrow as the White House warns Russian forces could strike Ukraine at any moment, even while the Beijing Olympics are still going on.

The administration warning Americans to get out of Ukraine now. The Pentagon sending an additional 3,000 troops to Poland to reassure NATO allies. But tonight, the Kremlin accusing of White House of whipping up hysteria.

A lot to discuss with former Defense Secretary William Cohen. Secretary, thank you so much for joining us. I've been telling you I have a bad -- I have a bad feeling about this. I hope I'm wrong here. But let's discuss. The White House issuing this dire warning. Russia

attack of Ukraine could come within days. And I want you to listen to what, just tonight, what the House intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff is talking about. Watch. About Putin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): I find it hard to conceive he would go to the trouble of this massive buildup for the second time merely as a show of strength. So there could be a very substantial invasion of Ukraine. It could include trying to take down the capital of Kyiv, try to change the government.

And as the intelligence community has declassified, it also may involve a false flag operation where they stage something and blame Ukraine for the outbreak of hostilities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): At this point, do you see any signs of an invasion that an invasion won't happen.

WILLIAM COHEN, FORMER U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: I don't. Again, it's always possible. But if you look at what he has done I don't think it's at all consistent with a training exercise. You don't invest that kind of money in operational involvement if you're just training for a limited period of time for a limited purpose.

I think that Putin sees this as his opportunity. He has looked at the United States. He has seen the deep divisions across our economy, racially, religiously and certainly economically. And he is saying the United States is divided. And frankly, I'm helping to divide the United States throughout the country. Perhaps up even on our borders with Canada and elsewhere.

So, I'm dividing the United States from amongst themselves. I'm dividing. I tried to divide the Europeans. I haven't succeeded there. But I think his own calculation is if they impose the sanctions, I can weather them with the help of the Chinese. I can work around them over the long term. And perhaps short term. But they will grow more tired of the sanctions than I will. And I think that's part of the calculation.

Now, had the former ambassador to Ukraine on and he suggested there is a camp ramp that Putin can take saying I've won, I wanted your attention, I got it now let's sit down and talk.

But understand what Putin has done. Once again, they're playing the victim. If you listen to them, this is a disinformation campaign. No it's an information campaign that we're waging.

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And once again, the Russians are saying the devil made us do this. The devil is making us kill thousands of Ukrainians. Why? Because they are breathing the fresh air of freedom. And that is a threat to our kleptocratic way of life here in Russia.

So, we are -- they are the victims now, we are the aggressors even though they are amassing 130,000 people on the borders and threatening the extent -- the defeat of the Ukrainians.

One thing that Adam Schiff did not say in the intelligence world they talk about a decapitation strike and that is to go after the leadership and remove them.

LEMON: Yes.

COHEN: Now, that's possible. They have that option in mind as well. The ability to go into the capitol. They may have special forces already on the ground. They may be in a position to take out the leadership then and put their own folks in charge and say it's all over, no need for you to rise up and defend yourselves we control everything now.

So many options available. Tomorrow I think President Biden is saying I'll give it one last shot. This is crucial to world stability because the stock markets are going to react to all of this. The economies are going to be affected everywhere. And Russia will emerge from this in a way in the world's eyes that they are the bullies, they are breaking the world order.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: All right. Let me jump in here. Let me jump in here. What exactly -- this is what a -- this is a concern. People want to know what the role -- what role the U.S. troops, the U.S. military being sent to NATO countries in the region, what happens with them if Russia invades Ukraine?

COHEN: They stay there, hopefully they're reinforced. They stay there not just for a week or two or a month. But on a permanent rotational basis that we beef up all of our -- our support in the NATO countries.

After all, NATO doesn't have a separate force. It's comprised of all of the militaries of the NATO members. But if we hold that unification, then we have a very powerful force that is facing the Russians in the future. So, I mean, there are -- don't think this stops with Ukraine. That is why other NATO members in the Baltics are concerned about it. Lithuania, Estonia and elsewhere. Also, in perhaps, even Poland at some point in time if it goes unchecked.

So these forces will be stationed. And they will be upgraded and reinforced and on the ready to see if Russia intends to go beyond Ukraine if in fact they go into Ukraine.

LEMON: It's frightening. I mean, it really is frightening. We are so happy to have you here and hear, you know, get your expertise, Secretary William Cohen. Thank you. I appreciate it.

COHEN: Thank you.

LEMON: Fifty-one million dollars in lost wages. That could just be the start here. Trucker protests in Canada putting the economy on the line in both Canada and the U.S.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON (on camera): Here's our breaking thus news. The pictures, look at the pictures on your screen right now. That is Windsor, Ontario. That's where a Canadian judge issued an order allowing police to begin clearing people who have been protesting COVID-19 mandates for days at the Ambassador Bridge, this is a bridge which connects to Detroit here in U.S.

Now the protesters are still out there after a 7 p.m. deadline to vacate the area. They earlier allowed one lane of that bridge to reopen. Blockades at several points along the border slowing the movement of goods and impacting production at Ford and General Motors plants.

Joining me now is business journalist Marc Stewart. Mark, thank you very much. Let me read -- let me get this. The General -- good evening, thank you.

MARC STEWART, BUSINESS JOURNALIST: Good to see you.

LEMON: General Motors is flying one to two cargo planes a day from the Canada to the U.S. trying to ensure that they get car parts across the border. Ford has been running factories at reduced capacity. Workers in Michigan could lose over $50 million in wages this week because of these blockades. Just how hard is it hitting the industry.

STEWART: This is a big deal because --

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: The auto industry.

STEWART: It's hitting the auto industry and so many other industries. Think about what we have been dealing with lately. We have a supply chain that is already stressed. This is adding more tension to the auto makers and so many other sectors of our economy.

Here is something that people may find interesting. Canada is our number one or number two largest trading partner, depending on which list you look at. And that bridge between Windsor, Ontario and my hometown of Detroit, Michigan, it's responsible for 25 percent of all of the trade. So, this is -- these blockades are really putting a block on the economy. This is impacting everything from produce, to auto parts, the list goes on.

LEMON: Go on -- list the other industries that this blockade -- you said it's produce, auto parts. Others?

STEWART: Any industry is affected. I mean, not everyone can afford to fly things in on a plane --

LEMON: Right. STEWART: -- like some of these big auto makers are. So, you know who is really hurting? Our small businesses, and businesses around these auto plants that have had to shut down.

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LEMON: Yes, I was saying during the break, you know, that this was -- I believe in the right to protest. And that is an American right. But this is -- do you think this is something quite different because of what it's -- what it's doing to the economy?

STEWART: Well, this is obviously having an economic sting.

LEMON: Billions of dollars.

STEWART: Billions of dollars and it will likely, according to the economists I've talked to and some of the analyst reports it will have some kind of impact, maybe not long-term but in the short-term.

But the other thing to -- to keep in mind here is that these businesses are -- have no choice but to depend on these truckers to move goods. They can't necessarily get an airplane or do something on rail. So, it is so widespread.

LEMON: Because executives are telling you that this is a North American version of the ships stuck in the Suez Canal last year. Right?

STEWART: I talked to the head of the Detroit Chamber of Commerce and that is the analogy he said. This is very much like that ship stuck in the Suez Canal.

LEMON: Impacted billions of dollars.

STEWART: Billions of dollars, and this is happening in North America.

LEMON: Yes. So then what is -- what's the solution here? Because you can't -- can you complain about the supply chain and that workers are hurting and that the economy is hurting if you're blocking and causing to an extent the supply chain to hurt and workers to be hurt and wages to be hurt?

STEWART: Well, there are so many philosophical issues at stake here. But what it is perhaps doing is raising this conversation about how we are going to live during the pandemic and hopefully post pandemic.

You know, the chair of the Federal Reserve said the course of the economy is going to be determined by the path of the virus. I think this falls under this umbrella. This will likely cause many governments around the world to re-examine their policies towards vaccination. Corporate America is having that conversation today and will likely in the days ahead.

LEMON: Yes. So, you know, Sunday is the Super Bowl.

STEWART: Sure. LEMON: Homeland security is warning similar style protests could

start happening within our borders. What is the effect here?

STEWART: Well.

LEMON: What are the consequences.

STEWART: Well, look any disruption of any moving part of our economy as we have seen because the supply chain is so strained it can have a lasting impact, a lasting bite. I mean, authorities here in the states are very well aware of what's happening.

The other question is too, is that, we are waist facing a truck driver shortage here in this country. About 80,000 fewer than we should perhaps have. That's also happening at the same time that truckers are protesting. So, these different -- these different ideas are going to have to reconcile or we're going to have continued economic detriment.

LEMON: Problematic. Very problematic. And we can see Sunday what happens with the Super Bowl if it affects that. Thank you, Marc.

STEWART: Take care.

LEMON: I appreciate it.

STEWART: Thanks.

LEMON: A source telling CNN that Trump still has documents that should be in the National Archive. But her e-mails?

[22:35:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): The Justice Department releasing new video from January 6th capturing a showdown between police and rioters at the capitol rotunda.

That, as tonight, a source telling CNN the former president is still in possession of documents being sought by the National Archives, adding to the growing list of questions over his handling of official documents.

Let's discuss now with CNN senior legal analyst and former U.S. attorney, Preet Bharara. Bharara. He is also the author of "Justice Is: A Guide for Our Young Truth Seekers."

Preet, good evening to you. For months, the National Archives --

PREET BHARARA, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Good to see.

LEMON: -- has been trying to get a hold of important documents from the Trump presidency that were being stored in Mar-a-Lago in violation of the law, even threatening to go through Congress or the DOJ to get hold of them. So, why wasn't law enforcement involved earlier this. BHARARA: You know, I don't know it's yet a matter for law

enforcement. I think there are questions about what the FBI and folks at DOJ are doing. And they have a lot of fish to fry including figuring out who was responsible for and inciting the insurrection on January 6th.

You know, there are a couple of wrinkles here when you talk about who potentially committed a criminal violation. You know, was it accidental? Was it negligence? How did the documents get to Mar-a- Lago? It looks very suspicious and maybe there is a smoking gun somewhere that suggests somebody should be severely held responsible up to and including the former president.

But the second wrinkle is, you know, the president of the United States can argue that he has the ability to declassify things. He is an authorizing figure in the intelligence community. And so that's not necessarily, you know, a full response to any legal action that might be taken. But it's complicated. It's not as simple as some people seem to think it is.

LEMON: If Trump is still holding some of these sensitive documents that the archives want, that they want, how could this play out legally?

BHARARA: Well, I think there is a process going on between the National Archives and the Trump folks. Some of the documents have been turned over. I don't know enough details to understand why it's the case that not everything has been turned over. Is there some argument to be made? Is it unclear whether those documents are ones that were created after the presidency or not?

I don't know. There doesn't seem to be a good explanation for it. And given the fact that a number of those documents have been turned over, I can't give you an explanation as to why they all have not been.

LEMON: The January 6th committee looking for answers into gaps in the official White House call logs on January 6th. Congressman Raskin, Jamie Raskin saying this earlier tonight when asked if he believes that they can get the president's cell phone records from that day. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): We don't know exactly why there is this huge gap. We don't know whether, you know, that's something like Watergate where someone deleted, or it's just he was using his cell phone or someone else's cell phone.

[22:40:05]

We plan to get to the bottom of it. And we view all of it as discoverable as you are saying, Erin. I mean, we have a right and the Supreme Court has been repeatedly clear about this. We have the right to get the information we want in order to comply with House resolution 503, which commands us to give a complete report to the American people and to the Congress about the events in that day. (END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): So how strong is the case here? How strong is the case that the committee have if they subpoenaed Trump's phone records?

BHARARA: Well, I think they have a strong case to get whatever records that they want. Remember, when you subpoena phone records, you're not getting the content of conversation. Those are things of the past. They are femoral (Ph) that they have gone away. What you are trying to do is establish connections between people. Moments of communication. Pinpoint times.

So, I think they have a strong case to get all of that. Now when Representative Raskin and others talk about gaps, I'm not quite sure exactly what that means. It sounds like it's the case that the committee is aware of conversations that took place between Donald Trump and other people including Mark Meadows. Maybe Vice President Pence and others.

And so, knowing that those conversations took place and not being able to pinpoint an actual toll record, you know, an actual, you know, record of a call from a Trump phone to the other person's phone, suggests a gap. What it really suggests is as Representative Raskin also mentioned, is that the committee probably doesn't have or may not even know which devices were used for which calls.

There is reporting that Donald Trump sometimes used staffer's phones, you know, other people's phones to make phone calls. He might have had one or more other personal cell phones. I think they can reverse engineer that to the extent it's possible by figuring out you know who the person was that was called. Being sure that that call was made and then seeing the numbers from which those calls happened.

And my guess is that they're taking a go with that and they'll get more information in the future. But I think they need to figure out every single device used by Donald Trump on that day and the days leading up to it so they can get a full picture.

LEMON: Preet, before we go, this -- the mishandling of documents is just beyond reach coming from the manned who hounded Hillary Clinton for her private server in the 2016 campaign. Clinton responding today in a tweet where she is wearing a hat with the words but her e-mails on it. Republicans would have lost them, reports came out that Clinton flushed documents down a toilet.

BHARARA: Yes. I guess that's -- that's the question.

LEMON: That's the question.

BHARARA: There is a lot of -- there is a lot of inconsistency, there is a lot of hypocrisy, it's been going on for a number of years now. It extends to things beyond a comparison between what Donald Trump did and what Hillary Clinton did with respect to documents or with respect to the handling of classified information otherwise.

It's a sad feature of our democracy at the moment. And, you know, you're right to raise it. It doesn't have you know, legal consequence but it does, I think has some political consequence.

LEMON: Yes. Preet, thank you very much. I appreciate it.

BHARARA: Thanks, Don. Good to be here.

LEMON: Mississippi the latest state trying to ban critical race theory from schools. Even though it's taught in one class in one university in the entire state. And something pretty crazy happened there when one conservative student enrolled in the class. She learned from it. Stay with us. That's next.

[22:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON (on camera): A battle over critical race theory taking place in Mississippi. The state Senate passing a law banning its teaching in public schools including universities. But a Republican law student at the University of Mississippi is pushing back, saying the CRT class she is currently taking is the most impactful and enlightening class she's ever had. And that GOP lawmakers behind the ban are misinformed.

More tonight from CNN's Nick Valencia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is Mississippi State Senator Chris McDaniel, and if he gets his way, critical race theory will be banned from being taught in the state which rarely happens anyway but we'll get to that in a second. Critical race theory is the concept of seeking to understand and address inequality and racism in the United States.

CHRIS MCDANIEL (R), MEMBER, MISSISSIPPI STATE SENATE: The framework of CRT --

VALENCIA: McDaniel recently co-authored Senate bill 2113, which says no school shall direct or compel students to affirm that any sex, race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin is inherently superior but that individuals should be adversely treated base on such characteristics.

McDaniel says critical race theory is the belief that American society is inherently racist and it has no place in Mississippi's public schools including universities and community colleges.

MCDANIEL: Systematic racism should not be taught to our children.

VALENCIA: Last month on a Senate floor, McDaniel and his co-author argued for the legislation and watch as black lawmakers walked out in protest before the vote. It passed 32 to and now goes to the House chamber.

MCDANIEL: If you'll look at the plain language and I have to go back to that it clearly states that we won't allow to be taught they are inferior. We won't allow our classrooms to teach the superiority of a race or whatever the case may be.

BRITTANY MURFREE, REPUBLICAN LAW STUDENT: I thought the whole class we'd be like criticizing white people but we didn't really even mention white people.

VALENCIA: Republican law student Brittany Murfree believe Senator McDaniel and his colleagues may not understand what they are talking about. Admittedly, she says she didn't either until this semester when the second-year law students at the University of Mississippi enrolled in law 743, it's actually the only class in the state that teaches critical race theory according to the university.

[22:50:03]

Murfree says her own conservative friends and family discouraged her from taking the elective worried as one of only a handful of white students enrolled, she would be made to feel guilty about being white.

Has this made you feel white guilt?

MURFREE: No. Not at all.

VALENCIA: What has it made you feel?

MURFREE: Empowered to change the Republican Party.

VALENCIA: It's the reason why the 27-year-old wrote this letter to the Mississippi House Education committee. Asking Republicans to reconsider their legislation. The class she says takes a critical view of decisions of civil rights advocates who are mostly black, not white people.

To date, this has been the most impactful and enlightening course I've taken throughout my undergraduate and graduate education, she writes. Not only has this course furthered my understand of race and the law but the prohibition of courses in teaching such as these is taking away the opportunity from people from every background and race to come together and discuss very important topics which would otherwise go undiscussed.

MURFREE: It's just like any other theory based class that we're taking in law school. Like, I don't want people to think that it's completely different class than all the classes we're taking. It's just a normal class. And this is academic freedom and people are taking it away from me.

VALENCIA: Critical race theory has been around since the 1980s. A spokesperson for Old Miss says it's been taught here for over 10 years. Assistant professor Yvette Butler who teaches the class now says the focus that's been placed on CRT is a direct backlash to the perceived racial reckoning in the U.S. after the summer of 2020.

YVETTE BUTLER, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF LAW, UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI: We are not focused on things like guilt and shame. My focus as a legal educator is to get them to think like lawyers. And in order to be an effective lawyer you have to be able to think critically. You have to be able to consider multiple sides of an issue.

VALENCIA: Senator McDaniel disagrees. He says CRT doesn't make better lawyers but rather teaches them victimhood and blame. While the title of his bill is critical race theory, the main text does not define what it is.

And when you hear students say that this limits their academic freedom.

MCDANIEL: It doesn't. I mean, there are only so many hours in the day. We're not talking about censoring books or censoring thoughts or ideas. She is perfectly able to continue her course of study the same way many of us do outside of the presence of a professor. Or better said outside of taxpayers having to subsidize the message.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA (on camera): The bill is currently in the hands of the Mississippi House and they have until March to vote on it. Senator McDaniel says that he expects the bill to pass with minimal changes.

Though educators that we have spoken to in the state say that CRT is currently not being taught in any K through 12 classes in the state. It is, however, an elective that's being taught in law schools across the country, which is why Professor Butler said is that, if CRT is banned, her students would be at a disadvantage. Don?

LEMON: Thank you, Nick. Maybe someone should teach them go and teach the legislature that class before they are making these decisions. They probably should have a class first before they make the decision about it being good or bad.

I want to turn now to confusion and frustration for patients. The FDA announcing children -- or parents, I should say, the FDA announcing children under 5 will now have to wait even longer to become eligible for the COVID vaccine. They are postponing next week's meeting to authorize Pfizer's vaccine for that age group because of new data showing that disappointing effectiveness of the two-dose regimen. That's according to the Washington Post.

Pfizer expects to have data on their three-dose regimen by early April. CNN's medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen is a mom of two children under 5. Here's her response to the news.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: As a mom, Jim, I feel like I just got gut punched. I mean, this is really difficult because our children, kids under the age of 5 are the only group who are still not eligible to be vaccinated and to be protected at this point.

And so, it's extremely frustrating especially as we look at the time line if now the data are not going to be available until April. That means that our kids may not be able to be fully vaccinated until June. That's a long time to wait. That said, I still think that the FDA came to the right decision

because their job is to make sure make absolutely sure that the vaccines that they authorize are safe and effective.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): Now the setback raising new questions tonight about all of the states rolling back indoor mask mandates now that so many young children won't have a chance to be fully vaccinated until summer.

And urgent warning from the White House. Russia could invade Ukraine at any moment. They are urging Americans to get out. Fareed Zakaria is here after this.

[22:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON (on camera): The world is watching. President Biden set to speak to Vladimir Putin tomorrow as the administration warns a Russian attack on Ukraine could be imminent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We're in a window when an invasion could begin at any time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): Breaking news ahead, a Canadian judge issues an order tonight allowing police to begin removing protesters who are blocking the busiest border crossing between the U.S. and Canada.

And you may have seen this. Comedian Dave Chapel telling his town counsel he will pull millions of investments dollars out of his community if an affordable housing plan that he believes is poorly vetted is greenlighted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE CHAPPELLE, COMEDIAN: We look like clowns. I am not bluffing. I will take it all off the table.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): Ahead this hour, we are going to explain what happened there. There is so much to discuss tonight. I want to begin with CNN's Fareed Zakaria. He is the host of Fareed Zakaria GPS.

Fareed, thank you so much for joining us this evening. As I said, we have a lot to discuss.

[22:59:59]

The White House is warning the Russia Ukraine situation is urgent. They're telling Americans to leave within 24 to 48 hours.