Return to Transcripts main page

Don Lemon Tonight

Giuliani Meets With January 6 House Select Committee; Trevor Reed Details Surviving Horrendous Conditions In Russia; Dem Candidate Fetterman Still In Hospital One Week After Stroke; Tiger Woods Rebounds In Second Round To Make The Cut At PGA Championship; Federal Judge Blocks Biden Administration From Lifting Title 42, For Now; CNN Hero Helps Train Women For Careers In Construction. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired May 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]

ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Every word that Rudy Giuliani said to the committee today can be used against him just like the Fifth Amendment warning. So, it's possible he took the Fifth to some of those questions but there is now way he was in there for nine hours and did nothing but take the Fifth for nine hours. It is certain that he did answer some of those questions and that comes very much at his own peril.

DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Mark, you know, look, Rudy Giuliani was a ringleader in Trump's attempts to overturn the election. He pushed crazy conspiracy theories like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR, FORMER TRUMP ATTORNEY: You're actually seriously going to want me to take seriously the secretary of state of Michigan when Michigan -- when Michigan -- when the secretary of the state of Michigan never bothered to find out that the votes in her state were being counted in Germany by a Venezuelan company?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: I mean, Mark, he told so many lies about the election. So, why should anyone think that he is telling the truth now?

MARK MCKINNON, FORMER ADVISER TO GEORGE W. BUSH AND JOHN MCCAIN, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF "THE CIRCUS": Well --

(LAUGHTER)

MCKINNON: -- they shouldn't. To your point, he's the lead conspirator on the big lie and it was clear that he did everything in his power simply to just throw anything against the wall that they hoped would stick. And what's remarkable is how much they threw against the wall and how little stuck, literally nothing stuck after countless court cases, countless audits.

We now know, after two years, there is zero evidence supporting the notion there was any widespread voter fraud. To the contrary, just the opposite. The audit that the Republicans paid for in Arizona came up with more votes for Joe Biden.

But to your point, this is a guy who is in the middle -- he was at the tip of the spear leading the charge on the January 6th. So, I think it's a very important development, and I'm glad you have Elie on to kind of parse the legal implications for it because he is the guy with the real legal crystal ball.

LEMON: Yeah. You said not much stock. I mean, the only place that it did stick was in the court of MAGA conspiracy or the court of MAGA delusion.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yeah.

MCKINNON: Very effectively, actually, yeah.

LEMON: Right. Right.

BROWNSTEIN: Right.

LEMON: Ron, the subpoena says Giuliani was in contact with Trump and members of Congress about strategies to delay or overturn the 2020 election. What do you think? Is he naming names here?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, I don't know. I don't think we know what he -- you know, what he's doing.

But I think the big revelation that -- that, you know -- so far in the overall ark of the January 6 Committee is that we're learning it wasn't just throwing stuff against the wall and hair dye dripping down your face and kind of a gang show that there was a serious coordinated effort with the vision of how to overturn this election by encouraging state legislatures to intervene and local officials to intervene in a way that would allow -- you know, that would allow supporters in Congress to delay certification and reopen the whole thing.

I mean, this was not just kind of, you know, flailing Roman candle firing off. There was a serious effort. And as Mark was saying, you know, 70% of Republicans in the last CNN poll said they believe -- the last time CNN asked -- said they believe the election is stolen. And that is having real world ramifications in who is getting nominated in almost every competitive state for 2024.

There are Republicans being nominated who will have control over administration of the election and are adherents and accolades of the big lie. And so, there are real big consequences to what unfolded in 2020 and what is continuing to unfold in the Republican Party to this day.

LEMON: Elie, you point out something interesting. That the committee can put out the facts, but ultimately, this will all come down to the DOJ. Do you think they will actually do something about all this evidence?

HONIG: Well, that is the big question, Don. You know, it's really important to remember, all the committee can do in the end is put on the hearings that we're going to start seeing next month and put out their report. And that's it. They're Congress. They can issue findings and find facts and that's part of the historical record and that matters. But if people are concerned about real consequences, that's going to fall to DOJ.

And the fact the Rudy chose to testify today for nine hours when he could have just taken the Fifth across the board, but testified anyway, suggests to me that Rudy doesn't really fear anything the DOJ has in store because if you're a rational person, let us assume the best here for a moment about Rudy, and you believe that DOJ was seriously criminally investigating the people closest to Donald Trump for their role in this coup attempt, as Mark and Ron just laid out, he was the central figure, you would clam up, you would take the Fifth Amendment in a second.

So, the fact that he testified shows that he's brazen and unafraid. Whether he's right or wrong, I guess, we'll see.

LEMON: Let's talk about current elections now and the ones that are upon us. We're just days away from some key primary races, including in Georgia. That is where polls show that Trump's pick, David Perdue, is really trailing Pence's pick, which is Brian Kemp, by more than 30 points.

[23:05:07]

I mean, of course, he's going to try to spin it, right? But how big of a blow is this to the former president, Mark McKinnon?

MCKINNON: Well, huge. I mean, I think in terms of all the endorsements and people that he wanted to take down across the country, that the governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, was number one on the list because he felt that -- you know, he called Georgia to try to get the exact number of votes back to turn Georgia back, and Kemp and Secretary of State Raffensperger there refused and followed the law to their credit.

And so, this is the one scout that Trump really wanted and is failing miserably interestingly and, you know, backed a former U.S. senator, David perdue. And so, I think people thought that Perdue had a pretty good shot with Trump's endorsement. This, among all the endorsements of this election cycle, I think, will be the most devastating for Donald Trump.

LEMON: Ron Brownstein --

BROWNSTEIN: Raffensperger.

LEMON: Go on. Say again.

BROWNSTEIN: Look, Trump overplayed his hand in Georgia. You know, among other problems. He endorsed so many candidates that he generated -- I've talked to a Republican down there. He said, look, you know, even people who, you know, basic MAGA in policy and have questions about the election feel that he was just coming in and going after all of their candidates.

He endorsed governor candidate, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general. He's not going to win attorney general. He's not going to win in governor, but he might win and very well might win his lieutenant governor candidate.

And there is a very reasonable chance that Brad Raffensperger will be pushed to a runoff by Representative Jody Hice, who says that the election was rigged and Trump would have won Georgia if it was a fair election, and in a runoff, he could lose.

And again, just a reminder, Donald Trump is not going to win every race that he endorsed. No political leader ever does that. But steadily, Don, in a lot of states, in Nevada, in Colorado, in Arizona, in Minnesota, in Michigan, in Georgia, Republicans who are advocates of the big lie are winning nominations for positions with control and influence over administration of the 2024 election, whether attorney general, secretary of state or governor in the case of Wisconsin.

And this is a crisis that is rolling toward us in slow motion, that I don't think, you know, Americans are fully focused on the implications of people advocating the big lie, controlling how elections are conducted and votes are counted in the next presidential race.

LEMON: You have just put your finger -- you've just spoken up for really the most, I think, important thing that obviously centered around voting rights. But what you just said is something that all Americans should be paying attention to, and I don't think we're paying enough attention to, as you just said there.

Elie, in the middle of these critical Georgia races, there is a criminal grand jury in the state hearing evidence against Donald Trump. Explain what is at stake here.

HONIG: Yeah, Don. So, the D.A., Fani Willis, in Fulton County, the Atlanta area, has said she's not going to start putting witnesses into that grand jury until after the primary because prosecutors don't want to influence elections. But when this primary is over, we're going to start learning, I believe, on a regular basis who is getting subpoenaed, who is going into that grand jury.

Now, we all hear about grand jury secrecy. Yes, the grand jury operates in secret, but that only applies to the prosecutors and the grand jurors themselves and the staff, the court reporter.

However, the witnesses who go in there, they are free to come out and say, hey, I just testified, here is what I was asked, here is what I said. We, the media, are free to have people standing there looking who is going into the grand jury.

So, we're going to know who is getting called into that grand jury. That is going to give us a real good indicator of where this investigation is heading and if it might result in indictment of Donald Trump or other people who are involved in the effort to steal that election in Georgia. LEMON: Mark, the thing that affects people the most, right, the

economy. There is a Dow having its longest weekly losing streak in nearly a century. It is not just the markets. The polls show Americans are panicking, too. How can Democrats win in this kind of environment?

MCKINNON: Well, it's tough. As John McCain used to say, it's always darkness just before it goes completely black.

(LAUGHTER)

It's completely black right now for Democrats. The good news is they've got about six months left. But I want to just put a quick point on what Ron said because I think this is part of what Democrats have to reinforce. It is just the existential nature of what is going on right here.

The very specific strategy, Republicans had to wire these elections, as Ron said, including and especially the election last week. The nomination of Doug Mastriano, the governor's candidate in Pennsylvania, which we know is a key state. And in that state, he appoints the secretary of state.

[23:10:05]

And so, we know that's a key swing state. And if he is indeed elected, we know what he's going to do in 2024 because all we got to do is look at what he's done already, which is show up at the Capitol for the insurrection.

So, that is the kind of thing that Democrats have to really double down on and make clear that this is not just about, you know, food on our table which, of course, is important, but it is about absolutely retaining our fundamental rights and democracy.

LEMON: Right on. Thank you-all. I appreciate it.

Nine hundred, eighty-five days. Nine hundred and eight-five days. That is how long a former U.S. Marine was imprisoned in Russia under inhumane conditions. Now, he's speaking exclusively to CNN's Jake Tapper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TREVOR REED, FORMER MARINE RELEASED FROM RUSSIA: And a lot of people are not going to like what I'm going to say about this, but I kind of viewed their having hope as being a weakness. I did not want to have that hope of like me, you know, being released somehow and then have that taken from me.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: You denied yourself hope?

REED: Yeah.

(CROSSTALK)

REED: I wouldn't let myself hope.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: And now, a CNN exclusive. Marine veteran Trevor Reed speaking out for the first time since his release from a Russian prison. Here is part of what he told Jake tapper about his nearly three-year nightmare.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: What was the worst conditions that you had, that you experienced during that time?

REED: The psychiatric treatment facility. I was in there with seven other prisoners in the cell. They all had severe serious psychological health issues. Most of them. So, over 50% of them in that cell were in there for murder or like multiple murders, sexual assault and murder, just really disturbed individuals.

And inside of that cell, you know, that was not a good place. There is blood all over the walls there where prisoners had killed themselves or killed other prisoners or attempted to do that. The toilet is just a hole in the floor and there is, you know, crap everywhere, all over the floor, on the walls. There is -- people in there also that walk around that look like zombies.

TAPPER: Were you afraid for your life?

REED: I mean, I did not sleep there for a couple of days. So, I was too worried about, you know, who was in the cell with me to actually sleep.

TAPPER: You thought they might kill you?

REED: Yeah, I thought that was a possibility.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Wow. Well, joining me now is the former governor of New Mexico and former ambassador to the U.N, Bill Richardson. He traveled to Moscow just before the war in Ukraine to try and help secure Trevor Reed's release from prison. Thank you, Governor Richardson. I appreciate you joining us.

Man, it's awful, the conditions there. What Trevor was describing, horrifying, obviously. When you were trying to get him released, did you have any idea that he was dealing with these kinds of conditions?

BILL RICHARDSON, FORMER AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Well, yes. It became public. Trevor is a very courageous young man. We have talked to his parents. You know, the U.S. Consular Service in Moscow had been talking to him. We knew he had tuberculosis. He had been on a hunger strike. The conditions in those prisons are not good.

But what was key here in Trevor's release is one that this became very public that the Russians recognize they did not want this young man to suffer or possibly die in that prison.

And then his parents and you've interviewed them made a big public case with the president who then allowed a trade or a prisoner exchange with Yaroshenko, a Russian prisoner in U.S. prison, and that got Trevor released. But there is another marine there named Whelan who we have to get out, too, Don.

LEMON: Yeah. Right on. Let's play a bit more from Jake's interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REED: This isn't my last word whenever I was being, you know, sentenced. I said, I understand in this country that pleading guilty may lead to you having a shorter sentence, but I think it would be unethical and immoral to plead guilty to a crime that I truly did not commit. And if I'm going to be given a prison sentence, I would rather stay in prison an honest man than walk away tomorrow a liar and a coward.

TAPPER: That's a remarkable thing to tell a Russian court.

REED: Yeah. And that's truly what I believe. If I would have had to sit there for 10 years, for 20 years, it doesn't matter how long or what the punishment would be, I was not going to compromise, you know, my morals and plead guilty to a crime that I didn't commit. I think that's unethical. And, to me, the consequences of doing that didn't matter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Incredible. After everything he's been through, he still stands by those words.

[23:19:56]

RICHARDSON: Well, I think he was wrongfully detained. And our government said that. Wrongfully detained. He's a political -- he was a political pawn. He was a bargaining chip just like Brittney Griner, who probably this vaping accusation a suspect. The same with Paul Whelan, who, according to Russian courts, was a spy. It's not the case. They were bargaining chips, and the Russians wanted something in return.

And so, I think the good news here is the fact that despite the huge differences between the United States and Russia and Ukraine and nuclear weapons, that, you know, we're able to work out through a prisoner exchange the release of Trevor Reed. This is why I think this is good for Brittney Griner and for Paul Whelan.

But let us not forget Whelan, the marine. I mean, Brittney Griner, major figure, a huge profile, but this marine has been there a long time, Paul Whelan, and we got to get him out, too.

LEMON: Uh-huh. Trevor Reed told Jake that the U.S. needs to do whatever it takes to free those Americans that are illegally imprisoned overseas and some of whom you've mentioned. He really struggled with the fact that Paul Whelan didn't come home, as well. Do you think Trevor's release might help get -- do you think it is going to help get Whelan out and also, as you mentioned, Brittney Griner?

RICHARDSON: Yes, I do think so because it means that the Russians are ready to deal, the U.S. government is ready to deal, but it is going to take something in return, some kind of prisoner exchange, some kind of swap. The Russians want parody and that's what it's going to take.

You know, the administration has a track to proceed with trying to get Griner and Whelan out, and so do I. But we are not necessarily -- you know, it is like they have one track and we have another track. Three of us trying to do it. Administration has 300 or 3,000, fine. But we got to get them out, Don, both of them.

I think it looks reasonably good because Trevor Reed got out despite all this war that's going on, these huge geopolitical differences. So, I'm an optimist.

LEMON: I want to get your take, though, now on the threats of North Korean missile testing over Biden's first trip to Asia as president. How should the U.S. respond if this happens?

RICHARDSON: I think the administration is responding correctly. Sort of benign neglect. You know, I dealt with the North Koreans for years. They want attention. All the attention is on Russia and Ukraine and other issues. So, they have all these missile tests, which usually means, hey, we're here, we need attention, and maybe they're ready to negotiate.

They have a huge outbreak of COVID, and I think the international community, despite the hostile regime, has to help these millions of people that may be infected.

So, I think administration is right, the president going to Asia, he was going to reset Asia as our most important region. Well, that's been a problem because we've got this Russia-Ukraine situation, the challenge of China. You know, we have to -- we have a lot of allies in Asia. And then finally, the North Korea issue. Japan and South Korea, we have to reinforce them. Hey, we are watching North Korea, we've said we are ready to talk to them without preconditions. That's good.

So, it's a little bit of a benign neglect, not getting too agitated by their missile test. I think it's the right policy for now.

LEMON: Governor Richardson, always a pleasure. Thank you.

RICHARDSON: All right, buddy. Take care.

LEMON: Yeah. Good luck with getting the rest of those folks home. We appreciate it. Thanks so much.

Be sure to check out Jake's interview with Trevor Reed. "Finally Home: The Trevor Reed Interview" begins Sunday night at 8:00.

Pennsylvania Democratic Senate nominee John Fetterman still in the hospital after having a defibrillator implanted following a stroke. A top doctor weighs in. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: So, the republican Senate primary in Pennsylvania is still too close to call. Election officials still counting votes. Right now, celebrity doctor, Mehmet Oz, holds a similar -- a slimmer, excuse me, dense slim lead over Dave McCormick.

Whoever ultimately wins will face off against Democrat John Fetterman, who is still in the hospital tonight one week after suffering a stroke. Originally, we were told that he was going to be discharged today. But now, his spokesman says that is not happening.

Let's discuss. CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner is here. Doctor, thank you. Listen, this is serious stuff, right? This is a serious health issue. It -- the question is, is it normal for a patient to remain in the hospital a week after a stroke?

JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, after a big stroke, sure. We were told -- well, there are a couple things which are abnormal and unusual about Mr. Fetterman's condition. First of all, we were told that his stroke was essentially by aborted by the therapy that he received and a video released by the family shows Mr. Fetterman looking fairly good.

[23:29:57]

REINER: So, it is surprising that if this was just management of his stroke that he'd still be in the hospital.

And then there was a second very unusual occurrence, which was on election day, Mr. Fetterman received a defibrillator, which is almost unheard of in the days following a stroke. Defibrillators are used in folks who are felt to be at high risk of cardiac arrest or who have extremely weakened heart muscle.

And, you know, the timing relative to his stroke is striking. This would often be delayed for weeks or even months to let him recover from the stroke. So, there are issues which haven't been disclosed to the public, but there is more there.

LEMON: Yeah, there is more and I'm sure you don't want to go into -- I'm sure numerous issues, right? Myriad issues that could be there?

REINER: Right. Look, what -- I obviously don't know. I'm not privy to Mr. Fetterman's medical history.

LEMON: Got it. REINER: But these two issues, you know, one would not implant a defibrillator unless he had quite extensive heart disease, and his stay in the hospital for more than a week is unusual.

And what I would recommend to Mr. Fetterman and his people is just have your -- have his physicians come out and talk to the press and explain what is going on. I don't think there really are many medical conditions other than some psychiatric conditions, which should or could preclude a candidate for running for any office, even the highest office.

But I do think voters who are voting for him in Pennsylvania should really have a candid explanation for why he's been in the hospital now so long.

LEMON: But you don't think that this impacts his ability to serve? Tell me about that.

REINER: Well, if he has extensive heart disease, we have remarkable therapeutics both in terms of devices and procedures and drugs which can go a long way to strengthen the heart. I cared for Dick Cheney, former Vice President Cheney, for eight years while he was vice president of the United States during a time of war and he came to that office having had about five prior heart attacks over the course of decades.

We're not looking, you know, to -- this is not like screening astronauts and we're not spinning them around in centrifuges and looking for perfect physical specimen. We're looking for people who have the intellect and the character to do a job, even if they have some preexisting medical issues.

Our, you know, national constitution, our state constitutions provide for succession should a candidate get sick or die, but I do think the public should understand what a candidate is facing so that they can help inform their decision. But again, the lack of candor, I think, raises a lot of unnecessary questions.

The truth is the truth and the public will understand that Mr. Fetterman is human, but the sort of -- this cloak of secrecy becomes a bit disturbing after a while.

LEMON: Thank you, doctor. Appreciate you joining.

REINER: My pleasure.

LEMON: Tiger Woods rebounding in the second round of the PGA championship to make the cut. Christine Brennan is here to talk to us about it. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: Golfing great Tiger Woods rebounding in the second round of the PGA championship, making the cut by a razor-thin margin. Wood shooting a one under par 69 today, finishing at 3 over through the first 36 holes. The cut line was 4 over. Whatever that means. Jack, you know, what about golf, but it sounds good.

I want to bring in now CNN's sports analyst Christine Brennan. I have to -- I always have to be honest. I would love to be like a great golfer, but I don't know -- look, I know when they are good, looks good. Thank you for joining. I appreciate it.

Tiger is always captivating us. What's he going to do? How is he going to place? Close to finishing the cut. But you say he has got the grit and he has got the fight in him. So, how did he do? How does he do it?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: This is an amazing story. Tiger has been, Don, an amazing story for 25 years. And just when he thought that he tragically, unfortunately might be finished after the terrible car crash which was not even 15 months ago and his leg was shattered and he thought he might lose the leg and there are pins and rods and plates and the screws in his leg, the fascinating story continues.

This time it's not necessarily about winning. He's tied for 53rd. He's 12 shots behind the leader, Will Zelatoris. So, no one is saying he's going to win this golf tournament.

LEMON: Uh-hmm.

BRENNAN: But just fighting to make the cut. What we see here is we've known he's a great talent, great golfer, of course, for decades. What we are seeing now is the grit, the fight, the desire, a 46-year-old man who has won it all, still trying to better himself, and in this case, make the cut.

[23:40:07]

That is admirable and frankly fascinating.

LEMON: Look, I say that for the -- because I'm an old guy -- for the older guys. So, I'm here for it. Listen, you said that, you know, this is -- it doesn't put him in the top, right? But you say 56, right? That he finished 56?

BRENNAN: Yeah.

LEMON: Can you compare today to his performance at the masters earlier this year? Are we seeing progress from him?

BRENNAN: These are the first two men's majors. The Masters was in April. Of course, now, the PGA championship. And there is progress. Tiger got steadily worse, Don, at the Masters about five weeks ago. He started out well at the worst scores 71, 74, 78, 78. His leg was killing him. You could see the grimace on his face. He looked miserable. It was brutal for him to walk those hills of Augusta National for those four days. Already here, we're seeing a five-stroke difference. He shot 74. That was 4 over par on Thursday. And, as you said, he shot 69, 1 under par today. Five strokes better. Does that mean he is going to keep getting five strokes better? No. The leg is still a problem. He has to ice it every night.

What he has to do, Don, to get himself prepared for each round of golf is something that 22-year-old Tiger Woods would have never dreamed. But what it means is it's a good thing. He's better this time. He's playing better in the second round than he did the first round.

LEMON: So, he almost lost his leg in that car accident. And so, you know, he's having to do all of this to prepare to play every single day. And, as you said, that should not be discounted, what he has to do most of the plays, if not all of them. They don't have to do that in order to prepare to play.

BRENNAN: Well, that's right. And at the Masters, I was there covering him, he talked extensively -- it is a different Tiger Woods. He used to be tough and abrupt and, you know, he was the greatest golfer in the world and he was arrogant and what have you and confident. That's okay, that happens with athletes.

Now, he's much more introspective, he's much more appreciative of what he has and what he's trying to get at, and he talked extensively about the hours of ice baths with his leg. Again, he almost lost a leg and it's absolutely shattered. It will never be the same.

And so, for him to go and win major tournaments again, who knows? It's Tiger Woods. I'd say it is pretty unlikely, but I'm never going to say never with him. I've covered him too long. But just the process to get himself -- what he's doing right now is I'm sure there is an ice bath, ice all over his leg, trying to get the swelling down to get ready to play tomorrow.

LEMON: You just answered my next question. The third round begins tomorrow. So, chances of winning? I mean, does he have any chance of winning?

BRENNAN: There are a lot of players, dozens of players really making bad mistakes, all of them, and that's just so unlikely for the best players in the world. That would be one of the great sports stories of all time if he were to come back and win.

That's really not the conversation, Don, it seems to me. It's just the fact that this man, who has it all and we've seen forever and has grown up in front of our eyes, is still trying, he is fighting, he still has this incredible desire to be better the next day than he was the previous day. And that is so admirable for an athlete, especially -- it is not easy for him because he is used to playing great. He is not used to fighting to make the cut.

And now, here we are talking about him for making the cut. But he has already kind of lowered his expectations and has goals that are different for him. And again, how amazing is that, to see Tiger Woods adapt at this point in his life?

LEMON: Look, he's already iconic, right? I mean, if he does well, that just adds, right, to his lure. Inside the golfing community, though, is he perceived as an icon? How is he perceived now?

BRENNAN: Absolutely, Don, he is. He has been one of the two best golfers ever, Jack Nicklaus or Tiger. But you hit on something there, the humanity of Tiger Woods. We never thought of him as human. He was so other worldly. He was incredible when he came on the scene, winning the Masters in '97 and just kept winning majors. He looked like he was just a perfection.

And now, he has to deal with adversity. We're seeing a different Tiger Woods. And frankly, a more likable Tiger Woods, and I think that's why people are fascinated by him.

LEMON: Yeah. I said lure. I should have said allure. Thank you. We will be watching. Thank you, Christine. Have a great weekend. Appreciate it.

BRENNAN: Thank you, Don. You, too.

LEMON: Federal judge blocking the Biden administration from lifting a Trump era pandemic restriction for now. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A federal judge blocking the Biden administration from ending a Trump era pandemic restriction known as Title 42. The order allows immigration agents to turn migrants away at the U.S. Mexico border.

CNN's Rosa Flores has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This 27-year-old Haitian woman is seven months pregnant.

[23:50:00]

She and her husband have been at the South Texas shelter for three days.

(On camera): They say that they left Haiti because the situation in Haiti was very dangerous.

(Voice-over): They are part of an unprecedented surge of migrants at the southern border. More than 1.2 million people have attempted to enter through Mexico since October. About half have been expelled under Title 42, the pandemic public health order that allows immigration agents to return migrants to Mexico without a hearing. The other half have been allowed into the U.S., pending their immigration cases.

(On camera): Where are you going?

UNKNOWN: Bridgeport.

FLORES (on camera): Bridgeport, Connecticut.

(Voice-over): Nora and France (ph) want to go by their first names for their safety, and say they have no money to get to their final destination. They're part of a new pattern happening at the border, migrants entering the U.S. with no money and no immediate family to stay with, or the family and friends they did have, backed out.

That was the case with this group of migrant men in San Antonio.

(On camera): How many of you had money to buy a ticket to get to your destinations?

UNKNOWN: No.

FLORES (on camera): No?

(Voice-over): The result, a growing homeless population that could only get bigger when Title 42 lifts, and up to 18,000 migrants attempt to enter the U.S. every day.

In Miami, Malena Legarre says she has already helped hundreds of homeless migrants.

MALENA LEGARRE, HOUSING DIRECTOR, HERMANOS DE LA CALLE: It has been 60 families that we helped since December. Two hundred eighty, almost 300 people. One hundred are under 18.

FLORES (voice-over): She runs a small nonprofit and says she's housing about 15 migrant families, including Joksey and Gender (ph) and their three children. The Venezuelan couple asked CNN to use their first names only, and says they would be on the street if it wasn't for Legarre. Migrants continue to call for help, but Legarre says her housing capacity is maxed out.

LEGARRE: So, we are relocation.

FLORES (voice-over): To Wichita, Cincinnati, Detroit, and New York City, she says.

UNKNOWN: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

UNKNOWN: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

FLORES (voice-over): Ismael Martinez (ph) is an artist from Venezuela. He was with the group of men we spoke with in San Antonio last month.

(On camera): He says that after two days, his girlfriend's aunt told him that he had to leave the home.

(Voice-over): He says he's now homeless in New York City. UNKNOWN: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

FLORES (voice-over): Nay (ph) says she's homeless, too, along with her two children. She asked CNN not to show her face nor share her full name. A month into living with her cousin in New York City --

(On camera): She told you that you had to leave?

(Voice-over): She says she ended up on the street and now lives in a homeless shelter.

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY: We are addressing the challenge of irregular migration.

FLORES (voice-over): The Biden administration issued a 20-page border plan for the end of Title 42. People like Ron Book from Miami-Dade's Homeless Trust are sounding the alarm about the increase in homeless migrants.

RON BOOK, CHAIRMAN, MIAMI-DADE COUNTY HOMELESS TRUST: I cannot be responsible for the cost from a flawed immigration policy that has no legitimate plan.

FLORES (voice-over): As for the Haitian couple --

(On camera): He said that his cousin is willing to take them into their home.

(Voice-over): Nay (ph) and Ismael (ph) say that's what they were told, but the situation changed dramatically, and now they're homeless.

(On camera): We reached out to the White House and DHS about this story, and we were directed to the border plan that was issued by DHS, and specifically to the portion of the plan that says that the administration plans to bolster the resources of nonprofit organizations. We followed up asking, what is the plan for the interior of the country where we are seeing this pattern of homelessness, and we were directed back to the border plan. Don?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Rosa Flores, thank you so much. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: This week's CNN hero is teaching construction skills to women. It's an innovative approach that she hopes will change the face of a traditionally male industry and improve countless lives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: We're going to talk about putting the sheeting on the roof today.

NORA EL-KHOURI SPENCER, CNN HERO: Our students learn a little bit of everything. The basics like safety, tools and materials, construction math. And then we go into hands-on stuff: carpentry, electrical, plumbing.

UNKNOWN: One, twenty-six and three-quarters.

EL-KHOURI SPENCER (voice-over): So, our program is actually solving two problems at once. We are training women for living wage paying jobs in the construction trades.

UNKNOWN: This is where it gets fun.

EL-KHOURI SPENCER: And we're also helping older adults age in place. That's really a win-win. You get to watch something come together that you built.

Does that feel like it's going to work for you?

UNKNOWN: Yes.

EL-KHOURI SPENCER: Great.

UNKNOWN: This is awesome.

EL-KHOURI SPENCER (voice-over): There's just such a feeling of accomplishment. If we don't see women out there doing this, other women, they'll never see this as an opportunity. If you can't see it, you can't be it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Really good stuff there. To see Nora's team in action and to get the full story, go to cnnheroes.com.

Thank you for watching, everyone. Our coverage continues.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Paula Newton.