via the winds this is cnn, the world's news welcome to the whole story. i'm anderson cooper on june 6, 1944, american, canadian, british, and other allied forces launched the largest amphibious invasion in history. nearly 160,000 troops landed along five beaches in normandy, france. and what became known as d-day it was a turning point in the war in europe world war ii was fought against fascist regimes and germany and italy and imperial japan the victory of democratic principles was hard. one but 80 years have passed since d-day. and we thought it a good time to take a look at the state of our democracy today over the next hour, cnn's jake tapper looks back at d-day sacrifices. so many young men made on those beaches in normandy that day. and what it means to us now what were we fighting for? >> we were locked a battle with fascism. we're fighting for our freedom, for the freedom to think as we wish kopan with they gave their life to preserve and protect that constitution they died for our democracy. >> that wasn't the thing that we're thinking about when they ran out of the landing craft, whatever. but at the end of the day, that's what they were protecting we're trying to say drew bankruptcy because of what crazy or stored 80 years ago, thursday on june 6, 1944 five years after adolf hitler and the nazis began their global conquest and slaughter of millions of innocence. >> the us, united kingdom and canada launched operation overlord the largest seaborne invasion ever. the allies goal to free france defeat germany, and restored democracy to europe. >> they, they were supposed to be june 5, storm came in postponed for a day jake larson is 101-years-old on d-day. >> he was 21 from rural minnesota and an aide to a colonel who helped plan the attack i was an expert typist every person that landed on omaha beach on d-day came true these fingers i typed her name one hour after midnight, about 23,000 british and american paratroopers began i'm dropping behind enemy lines. >> and their mission was to secure causeways and enable the amphibious invasion, secure key terrain over the next few hours before dawn, about 133,000 troops crossed the english channel their destination right into the line of fire of germany's heavily fortified, so-called atlantic wall on francis normandy coast the brits led the attacks. it's sword and gold beaches. the canadians and brett's headed to juno beach the americans were to take utah and omaha among them, 19-year-old army corporal george states from beacon, new york three other shifts across at the same time, all of a sudden, rochelle started coming we heard this big crash, got blue the second ship right out of the water got hit by a shell we said, what about those guys? >> and that's what we could do the cold water are so cool hyperthermia was saturday and kill him 15 minutes. they're probably all gone, blown up already so that was welcome to the european theater of how operations halfway into the beach, we started seeing bondage everywhere that floating or semi floating or what navy man tally fletcher was a 19-year-old gunners mate from baton rouge, louisiana his task escort the lcis, the landing crafts, ferrying infantry fighters such as corporal states to shore is that we're going to take in to water up to your knees and they dropped the front of the lci. >> now the answer says a go nobody moves that's a yells go nobody moves. this is all right. billy kotb, to 50 guy ring back on the 50 gallon river shiga he says we're very given 30 seconds. the start shooting from back to front. i'm going to back you know what i'm doing? >> push a first step up to our knees is right here. right. if your shoulders that is stable, you hear get those rifles up in the air. we can always get new mega, we can get new rifles omaha beach was 300 yards of flat terrain protected with razor wire and land mines. >> beyond that deadly terrain a cliff and from that high ground highly trained german machine gunners roughly 2,500 american men died that day on the beaches of normandy the idea of landing were there are german machine guns and cannons firing at you from above and their four to five right? the only way that plan makes sense is if you think you're an american commander and you say well, we're just going to put so many americans on the ground that they can't kill us. all right. >> but that's terrifying it is terrifying, but that's war takes putting a young person with a gun out in front and relying on that person to keep going regardless of what he faces. >> and if he goes down to guy right behind him, takes over and the next guy and the next guy and that's how we win just a little berm sandstone berm that protected me from the fire. >> i'm land now raise your my pocket and i pull all this package of cigarettes and i sensed someone to my left so i said hey, buddy, have been gather match? i got no answer so i turned and there was a helmet then there was no head on the body it was at that exact moment. it was just like the sole of that soldier was talking to me and said right now, get up and run and i did it was crazy. i made it without being shot there were so many dead gis that the gabe along later with a bulldozer darker tribes about 200 feet long or baby 20 feet wide. >> ted feet deep and they pushed america about his and it's a whole that it covered up coercion the bodies are in a body bag and everybody had a dog tag. >> you as best as i could tell, was hardly any trouble compared to homo. have 19-year-old staff sergeant george mullins of eastern kentucky was on utah beach the second night. or certain combat. it's too dark for me the next mortar found 43 boys wounded and dead has alcohol shock came it took weeks for the allied powers to win the battle of normandy 73,000 allied service members were killed the sizes scale of d-day is enormous this a great quote that they fought together as brothers arms and they died together and now they sleep side-by-side. and to them, we have a solemn obligation to every one of us into those that have sacrifice we have a solemn obligation to continue this experiment. liberty that experiment continues. but it is more vulnerable today than in years past in his 1941 state of the union address, president franklin roosevelt discussed a world founded upon four essential human freedoms freedom of speech, and the expression. freedom. of every person to worship, freedom from want radium, from fear that is no vision or disc millennium that is a definite basis for applying the world at panel. then our own time and generation. >> and yet 103 of the 167 major countries in the world, 62% of them have become less democratic in the last generation decline has a lot of sources. >> i tend to think it's almost as if we are living through an era of incredible change. so economic change, demographic change, informational change, and people react against change by wanting things to become simpler the idea of a unified government, the idea, even if a dictator becomes appealing and so 80 years after d-day, a day when we honor allied forces who fought and died for democracy we wanted to hear from those who survived that day george washington library and others who have borne the battle and were willing to make that sacrifice. >> retired four-star marine general john kelly. he earned it, retired four-star marine general, jim matus, a former secretary of defense how does it feel to even be having these conversations about the future of democracy? after all the sacrifice that you have personally witnessed well, i considered it a privilege now was a us marine and that just source of pride for those of us who are there. >> but at the same time, i think it's healthy that we have the discussions that we not ignore race yes or two was an enormous conflict and retired four-star army general mark milley, a former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff millie was inspired to serve by his uncle, who was at normandy his father who fought in the pacific and his mother nursed the wounded state sayyed headstone of an unknown in early june, milli fluid of france. >> he plans to honor the fallen heroes at the 80th anniversary commemoration on omaha beach it's incumbent upon us to living the pass on their memory to live their values, to ensure that what they fought for lives to the next generation what did they all fact about how well we are guarding those democratic ideals, those four freedoms the more than 400 american service members died for todd and and font, i wore for for this that's ahead oh cornea zelda, it's got an answer them that's what i got agnes saada carnegie got to me. but with more flavoring barnea harnik and you swim the role. everyone comfortable. >> yep. there's plenty of space no, no, don't don't don't just wait them out volkswagen atlas with three rows and seating for seven everyone wants her, right? >> okay. i good gibeon and see despicable me before and theaters july 3rd, rated pg stores. i read that one. i read that one. i read that. i didn't read that one. didn't read that. >> can you get this? because i left beauvoir way in my back pocket. my pleasure because i earned unlimited 2% cashback this has fascinating digital wheels and barnacles have a parasitic relationship though i 12 called parasitic relationships. let's go barnacle limited 2% cashback, the wells fargo active cash credit card one greeting 70. yeah, that's not good. happened huge things happen happened be there with three, learn more at rnc.com welcome to the waiver hood with wave finding your style is fine when the music stops grabbing it doesn't matter if i'll go dollar. >> i'm sorry, carl, this is me and chair form i don't see you. >> just perfect for you. >> thank you. love it. i told you we should have done opinion nauta i explained it so many died. then i'd said you need to sit. down every style every home counter invasion was they faced a prolonged and bloody campaign in which this beachhead was only the first thrust there was a little after ten days that we had to beach solidified that we called ours the allied forces had won the de but for then 19-year-old army corporal george states, the grind of war had just begun. i was fed 30 bucks overseas. that was unfortunately different countries though some of the other bad tags i saw, i'd like to talk about the battle of normandy raged on for nearly three months and more carnage was just around the corner i december 1944 surprised german attack the last major german offensive on the western front the brutal, bloody battle of the bulge as the allies pushed to berlin nearly a year after de states was sent to germany as part of an occupation unit, ge years were in full retreat. >> they knew they were done along the way he encountered the depths of nazi horrors were driving down a road that all of a sudden we see these people out there in their pajamas. >> they weighed about 80 pounds people say ditto, such thing as concentration camps they were there. you could smell that's a worst smelling a bird body or dead body? get it all, forget i never told anybody once i got home just forgot about it it's a brutal, brutal, vicious thing. this thing called war, the degree of sacrifice and pain and suffering is unbelievable. we've got to do everything we can to make sure that we don't have a major armed conflict between great powers. that's why this rule is based on water is so important. >> the victorious countries match design the charter of the united nations this rules-based order. >> he's talking about was put in place by the allies after world war ii to protect the newly restored democracies with a set of rules and institutions without agreement on a charter. the structure of peace cannot be part of this was done through the united nations, which essentially said that we don't change borders by force. >> some of this was the use of the language of human rights that became part of international treaties and agreements it's essentially the idea was that we try and solve as many problems that we can buy negotiation and diplomacy rather than fighting then in 1949, joseph stalin's ussr seized seven nations and threatened other democratic countries. the allies added a military component establishing nato democratic allies, banding yeah, there as a force to deter soviet aggression rule one was that great powers or any power should not cross international borders with their military unless it's an active defense the united states has fought for that principle over and over. when korea cross the border in the summer 1950, president truman immediately deployed forces, marine reinforcements are rushed to the scene since the red sneak attack on southern korea. >> when saddam hussein across the border to attack kuwait president bush immediately deploy the 82nd airborne division and now. vladimir putin's decidedly undemocratic. russia has been waging a war against the democratic nation of ukraine for more than two years mark milley was the top military adviser to president biden when president putin invaded ukraine what putin did in february 22 was to conduct an outright war of aggression. >> he did a frontal assault on the very purpose the why of what world war ii was fought about it's extremely concerning to retire general john kelly when you invade a country that may not be perfect, but it is a growing democracy. >> if you get away with it, you might do it again. and it is pretty easy to predict what would happen. i think if ukraine fell to the onslaught of what? the we're experiencing right now they're welcome to the red book, sweet here at the george washington very cool this is interesting. so this is cool here. this little booklet just documents a special visit. we had look at the date august 31, 2021 right. >> six months before the invasion it's an honor and a pleasure to welcome prison. so let's back in 2021, ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy was in washington, dc to learn about the democratic ideal of the united states and to appeal to the united states for aid. >> this was before russian president putin's full-scale invasion. you are retired general when the intel started coming in that putin was going to send russian forces into invade and attack ukraine. what were you thinking when you started hearing it? >> well, my sense was we didn't stop him in the caucuses. they kinda did what he wanted and so the next step for a guy like him is attack someone else it sounds a lot like hitler in terms of their never being satisfied with acquiring land. he's not necessarily trying to re-establish. >> you'll soviet union, but certainly the old russian empire pray, pray, pray that you never crosses that line, but never know with a guy like putin if he thinks he can get away with it. just like the dictator of north korea, if those kind of people think they can get away with it, they'll go which is why these generals argue that another component of nato article five is so critical article five states that when someone attacks a nato country all are obligated to respond allies, allies allies the british and the canadian and american troops landed on the beaches of normandy. >> we were allies and we were lincoln up. but the french resistance to shore so that tell you deal with for a terrion, we get the allies together, the democracy together. you stand up to him for some d-day veterans, the russian invasion of ukraine has disturbing echoes of the german occupation as history all over again showloading, let down. >> putin is just like hitler your tell a big lie and you're telling it often enough, people get to believe you the threat he poses a real, he is a creature straight out of dostoevsky, kinda putting me contained absolutely put and can be contained. >> so long as the democracies state tightly linked i would just point out though right now, you're watching china and north korea. and i ran stand with russia those are the allies that putin has question is, well, the western allies stand with ukraine. and if the pro-putin caucus in the us congress has their way than of course, we wouldn't. >> the bill is passed you saw 75% of the congress vote for aid how important is the nato alliance super important later is hugely important? your former boss, donald trump, was one of those people leading the charge for other countries to pay their fair share. >> but i've also heard him criticized for not really being committed to nato. do you have any concerns? i do. there are some americans are feeling as though to come home and just let the world and you go its own way. >> and i think he was responding to that sentiment in some cases this says he did push them to pony up and get into the two 2% of gdp in most of them are working towards that back here in america, there are also critics who argue president biden's afghanistan withdrawal all in 2020, sent the wrong message to poop about american resolve. >> we shouldn't have withdrawn the troops. well, we did. that was like sending a green light what other countries do you think would be at risk if ukraine were to ultimately fall to the russians? >> well, if you listened to putin in terms of what he's trying to re-establish, certainly the baltic countries would be at risk and the dominos may keep falling ukraine, the shield of europe falls you're going to see an emboldened president xi and china, the eyes taiwan you're going to see a world where more people think they can get away literally with murder coming up the rise of authoritarianism around the world a night of new cnn original series, first, violent birth with me and shriver. >> it's hard to imagine the power a mother nature, followed by secrets and spies, a nuclear game, back-to-back years starts tonight, it nine on cnn sleep at night on a mattress for mattress firm. i sleep the memorial day sales save up to file i've hundred dollars on temper pdf and get a $300 instant gift, get matched at mattress firm, sleep at night oh, carney isolde, it's got an answer. that's what i said. >> god-man, saada got a new got to me got juicy gardner salah hernias, karen, i and use holes all that golden golden corral and park dka. you have to experience it to truly appreciate the beauty. the wildlife the sheer majesty experience it with state of the art expedition equipment and hands-on scientific research activities. all in exceptional viking uncomfort. we invite you to discover the world's seventh continent, antarctica viking, exploring the world in comfort so far as helping me get my money right to achieve my ambitions were so five second and statements that pay no account and earn one of the best apy is in the league store. >> a higher apy and in patric welcome bonus when you set up to get to deposit at fisher investments, we may look like other money managers, but were different. >> you can't be that different. >> we are we have a team of specialists, not only an investing, but also in financial and estate planning and more clients rely on you for all that? yes. and as a fiduciary, we always put their interests first, but you still so commission-based products, right? no, we have a simple management fee structured, so we do better when our clients do better he were more different than i thought at fisher investments work clearly different here movement that inspires did you know sling has your favorite news programs for just $40 a month my favorite news for just $40 a month. >> my favorite news for just $40 a month. >> $40 a month like favorite for just $40 a month $40 get your favorite news are $40 a month sling lets you do that how do you sleep at night? >> on a matters from mattress firm. >> so i sleeve at the morrill the sale get a clean mattress and adjustable base for $20, go to deal dash.com and see how much you can save with jake tapper weekdays it for on cnn close captioning bronchi by meso book.com if you or a loved one have mesothelial mac will send you a free book to answer questions you may have call now and we'll come to you 808 to 14000 a great halide pushing the west his generating more pardon, punch, the desolate flooding it feels of holland heavy modifier is encountered on the way. we didn't add thousands around dropped on his 25,000 rounds of late that went on all nine. how i got here. then the shoulder and i didn't know had never been hit before rapinoe was just like stick them all hard hot pablo vera through yet. >> i have never seen before or since them in one raffles where does it go? >> knock machine yards the relentless sweep of communism has radically changed the map of europe the end of world war ii ushered in the cold war era in what may have been the the original battle for hearts and minds the united states of america rocks to seeing the from the borders of eastern europe to nearby cuba, to korea and vietnam. >> the ferocious clash between democracy combined with free markets versus iron curtain communism raged on for decades mr. gorbachev tear down this wall in a fall came in november 1989. our top story the iron curtain between east germany and west berlin has come tumbling down the fall of the berlin wall was an incredibly important moment around the world. >> because it showed that the power of civic organization, the power of democratic ideas, the power of the language, of freedom, of the rule of law, and democracy could overcome even the most powerful. and what we had thought to be the most permanent form of dictatorship, the dangerous part is that we became convinced that it would go on forever do you think we take democracy too much for granted today in 2024 now there has been recently democratic backsliding arise and populist movements arise and autocracy arise and either outright dictatorships and or authoritarian governments. >> the increase in the world's population living in autocracies is staggering. in 2003, it was 50% two decades later 71% of people worldwide live under autocratic regimes according to independent think tank v dam, which monitors global governments annually man my executes for pro-democracy activists the un secretary general says the move signals further deterioration of nor ready dire human rights environment in myanmar. >> there's a lot of people who don't think that democratic republic is a successful form of how to govern yourselves. i think it would be fair to say that it's constantly under stress and of course that authoritarian rise goes hand in hand with a steep decline in democracy less than 8% of the world lives in a full democracy according to the e. >> iu democracy indexes, latest numbers disturbingly low especially to many who font. >> for the right to democracy all tell a lot fastest government for about show many years and find out what its flag democratic freedom has been particularly hard hit in parts of asia and eastern europe hungary got total overwhelming parliamentary support for extraordinary powers and for the prime minister all ban to rule by decree orban has been explicitly named an explicitly seen by a part of the republican party as a model why? because he took power. he undermined the independence of the judiciary. he took over universities he undermined or cat captured quite a lot of the media through manipulation, through financing. and by doing that, he stayed in power indefinitely this is america's conservative political action conference, cpac, but exported to budapest, hungary, a country led by authoritarian prime minister viktor or ban, be embraced by american conservatives of hungarian ruler viktor orban, who spoke at cpac conferences in 2022, 23 and 24, has alarmed even other conservatives, such as washington post columnist mark thiessen orban said, quote, we do not want to become peoples of mixed race, which prompted thiessen to save this on fox news in 2022. >> i can't believe that seat back is a place where liz cheney is not welcome and viktor orban is so who is a, who is a hungarian david duke also noting how or ban flew to moscow to quote, proudly shake putin's hand at a time when other western leaders were shunning putin as a pariah. the plan is to eliminate any sources of opposition or criticism from within the state or inside the society. so that model is attractive to people who are looking for a way to stay in power permanently, not to lose any elections since 2010, or bond has crushed descent. he's taken control of the judiciary and major media and limited rights, especially for gay people this is the leader held up by cpac as a conservative hero in a war against the left meanwhile, on the political left in the united states, the cause of promoting the rights of palestinians it's in the midst of israel's war against hamas in gaza has in some cases, been heavily influenced by those supporting the terrorist anti-democracy forces of hezbollah hamas, and the repressive government of iran according to politico, moments after iran launched an attack on israel, around 400 pro-palestinian protesters and chicago broke out and chants of hands off iran moreover, a new york times investigation found hundreds of millions of dollars in donations to progressive groups that seemed to also repeat talking points from the chinese communist party, quote code pink once criticized china's rights record, but now defends its interment of the predominantly muslim week figures which human rights experts have labeled a crime against humanity do you view the world as this global battle between democracy and autocracy, this struggle that we faced in world war ii still continues today with the autocracies also not just russia, but china and iran. >> so there's great cause for concern i don't think we're at the levels of world war ii levels yet but that'll take a lot of very, very serious diplomatic and military and economic engagement over the years to come in order to prevent another great power war the united states remains beacon forward. >> little positions for the iranian women's movement for the navalny movement in russia, for the hong kong democracy movement. and they count on us to be a kind of a model or given example, we are still seen as the leader of the world's democracies coming up some less than model behavior. >> yeah, i think your fake eyelashes are messing up or nothing next sunday on the whole story, how to drag becomes such a target for the political right. >> do you think drag queen story hours can be family-friendly? >> know if they don't want to world of tolerance, state should be afraid. the whole story with anderson cooper next is sunday at eight on cnn the lead with jake tapper weekdays it for us with so many choices on booking.com, there are so many tina phase i could be so i hired body doubles to help me out splurge you, tina loves a hotel near rodeo drive tina talk to farm stay to ride this horse glenn close was millions are possibilities you can book whoever you want to be. >> that's my line. >> booking.com, booking dot yeah. an alternative to pills ball terrane is a clinically proven arthritis pain relief gel, which penetrates deep to target the source of pain with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine directly at the source, volterra and the joy of movement belly, i need help with a clicker. one second, grandma, this guy's going to buy my car he's still there you'd carbonic what's your plate number? boss, mov vehicle features, no accidents, right? no good generating offer guard mana can pick it up tomorrow that's an amazing offer. >> but do you still need help with the clicker? >> i'll ask your system stir. >> sell your car the easy way with carvajal centrum, it scientifically formulated to help you take charge of your health essential goods everybody, i hope he foundation, supporting your i'm yours to your did plus try centrum silver. now, could it be proven to support memory in older adults this home-style chicken salad rat from subway. >> this is how you do it savory chicken chris veggies all wrapped up. >> his wraps are amazing people can hear my thoughts that's a problem. >> stay fresh out there. all new reps from subway oh, carney isolde. >> it's gotten me. i saw them. it's what i said. god-man, saada carnegie got a meeting with more flavored gardening, carnage, icing it like this, juicy, from real quality that starts in our factory to real performance in your backyard still tools or as tough than dependable as the people who use them. >> this fathers de, give them the gift that's built for dad right now, save $30 on the fs 56 rc gas-powered trimmer real still engineered to minimize and built for adventure which can also be your own quiet cabinet the fully electric qa in charge. in electric vehicle that recharges you how we get there matters allergies with allegro, they won't stop me nothing beats allegro. >> it's the fastest it's non drowsy, 24 hour allergy relief physicians well, this is a secret, war, secrets and spies premieres tonight and ten on cnn why we care of that bag the whole time i was in the navy why, i traveled. and so it came in handy when i needed to pick up stuff that i wanted to save the first first thing in here this is out. of the out-of-print german machine gun we found these and grenades and this is a clip of cartridges for iphone this a german band that we've found that's what it looks like a whole time. this just attach to the and the via rifled barrels so that when you need it 99-year-old tylee fletcher, the former navy gunners mate, proudly showed us his spoils from the time he entered the fight for freedom and thankfully emerged alive and victorious the greatest generation save democracy. but veterans such as staff sergeant george mullins believed that generations that followed allowed that democracy to weaken here at home. >> that's all that down for me to say that we i forgot what we got. now i didn't fight a war for for this there is some reason for concern in 2016, the democracy index at the economist downgraded the us from a full democracy to a flawed democracy citing a steep decline in trust of public institutions that move the us from the category with countries such as sweden and canada, and put the us and the category with places where democracy is more recent and fragile, such as chile and estonia and that new categorisation came before january 6, 2021 was a disgrace what they did was corporately rod before her, people were killed lots of kind of stuff that makes me sick people can get by with that kind of stuff how concerned about american democracy? were you on january 6, 2021? >> i wasn't really i wasn't concerned. i mean, in many ways it worked the whole process work. i mean, it was ugly, is that it was and is embarrassed and horrified is we all should be about that we had a vice president that said stand with the rule of law in the constitution. and then afterwards we held people accountable. >> let's get back to work. the american system of checks and balances may have prevented attempts to undermine the counting of legitimate votes cast in 2020 but it has not prevented all moves away from democracy here in the us what about the attacks on journalists? >> the refusal to accept election results. the attacks on the judiciary does that concern you? it does concern me. i don't get it as hard as i tried to understand why some of these things are happening. i just don't get it what about the divisions in america today concerns you? well, the idea today that we can use scorching rhetoric against each other. >> do you know what we're here for you know what you're here for. >> well, you don't want to talk about i think your fake eyelashes are messing nothing the idea that we can turn what we're doing in politics into gladiatorial combat. how dare you are your feelings, her words down? 00 girl, baby girl. oh, really? >> don't even play. >> and we can do so without consequences is foolish. >> and gotten elbowed in the back and i turned back. >> there was kevin my kidney punch him. he'd be on the to mind, read history nations to turn on themselves they do not survive it's that simple. and so right now in beijing and in moscow, i can imagine them watching they're clapping as we carry each other apart they may be clapping. and according to the republican chairman of the house intelligence committee and house foreign affairs committee their rhetoric is being parotid in congress. >> we see directly coming from russia attempts to mask communications that are anti ukraine and pro russia messages, some of which we even here being uttered on the house floor according to an applebaum of the atlantic, the goal is to further divide american citizens and d stabilize, you us democracy russia, china, north korea, and iran. these are all countries that fundamentally have an interest in seeing democracy line. in the united states, both because american power is a problem for them, it challenges them and their parts of the world. and because the ideal or the example of democracy, whether there in the us or in europe is so inspiring to their own opposition movements. they do this by amplifying narratives, by intervening in our social media they're interested in our decline. but it will be up to us to stop it the demon possession of our political opponents and the united states has it's a mini acts of horrific violence in recent years going far beyond january 6, 2021. >> such as a shooter almost killing republican congressman steve scalise in 2017. >> pipe bombs sent to democrats and journalists in 2019, a would-be assassin arrested near the home of supreme court justice brett kavanaugh in 2022 and the break-in at the home of now former house speaker nancy pelosi, where her husband was violently attacked all the while to many in the media and political environment are incentivized to attack for the short-lived sugar rush of clicks and fundraising dollars. >> and not find common ground best thing we can do for democracy worldwide. >> prove that a government of the people, by the people for the people get really govern can handle the fundamental issues, can find common ground it can hold together nowadays, democracies rarely collapse. >> they don't fall apart and dramatic street scenes are quds, but they do declined slowly and they do decline because autocratic political parties are leaders seek to capture the state to take over state institutions and politicize them for their own purposes. that to me is a very plausible scenario in united states. >> one of things i would like, regardless of what happens in november who the next president is? i would love for people to maybe step back. and say, okay, what's done is done. and start talking about how do we not let this happen again? >> i had. >> do you see any scenarios where the us and nato could be involved in another great powers war happy birthday, marty. >> oh, no, yeah let me get this thanks. >> your to kind of her that unlimited 2% cashback. >> the wells cargo active cash credit card i brought in a juror max protein with 30 grams of protein. >> those who tried me felt more energy and just two weeks here, i'll take that ensure max protein, 30 grams protein one prim sugar 25 vitamins, minerals, and a new fiber blend with a prebiotic first, we did the impossible then you age so many of the impossible that we completely ran out. >> and now they're the been law. cook is back at subway deliveries happen order that this happens. sox that happened. he get out of their charlie's up the back of the page i'll let's go be there with ring. there are more and rnc.com my cry welcome to the waiver hood with waves. they're finding your style is fine when the music stops grabbing his chair, doesn't matter if you're outdoors dollars i'm sorry, carl, this is me and chair form i don't see you come. this one's perfect for you, but you love it. >> i told you we should have done opinion data i explained it so many dumb. >> they're not sending, you need to sit down every style, every home exact. >> we got ourselves a bad man right here we've talked enough in these territories they don't come try you will take from you who you are wiped clean from this lay use that much this year craig here pays too much for verizon wireless. so he sublet half his real estate office... [ bird squawks loudly ] to a pet shop. meg's moving company uses t-mobile. so she scaled down her fleet to save money. and don's paying so much for at&t, he's been waiting to update his equipment! there's a smarter way to save. comcast business mobile. you could save up to 70% on your wireless bill. so you don't have to compromise. powering smarter savings. powering possibilities. the cnn presidential debates, june 20, nine live on cnn and streaming on max. closed captioning brought to you by meso book.com if you or a loved one have mesothelial, will send you a free book to answer questions you may have called now and we'll come to you 808 to 14000 as a marine does this image have special meaning to you? it certainly does, it certainly does. >> having commanded service members and the persian gulf for iraq and afghanistan retired general jim matus knows the horrors of war firsthand may after remember in any amphibious operation you can lose the whole force were militaries that had no, no misunderstanding, no illusions about what they existed for. >> they were going to go in and defeater fernando at the risk of their lives and may of them paid with their lives neither is the true cost of war lost and retired general mark milley, who has served in among other theaters of war panama haiti bosnia, herzegovina, iraq, afghanistan, and somalia still, what our service members faced 80 years ago stands out. the level of intensity, fear, the noise, the blood the retired general is back on the beaches of normandy to observe the 80th anniversary of the allied landings in world war ii. >> probably five to 8,000 germans were spread out up in these bluffs up here with machine guns, cannons, mortars, the size, scale and scope of normally is unbelievable he can't replicate that nor do we want to yeah, with the world tilting toward anti-democracy forces is another world war possible? >> in our lifetime? >> do you see any scenarios where the us and nato could be involved in another great powers war sure. i mean, if someone attacked a native country, we have a commitment to concept article five and attack on one is an attack on all it's only been activated once. and that was when we were attacked on 911 if someone was to attack a natal country, the baltics finland, and even native country we are committed to helping them them. >> what if nieto's article five fails to deter russian president putin was, i hope he never think thanks that because of messages he's reading out of washington weather from the last president. the current preska isn't going forward, whoever wins, i hope he's not misinterpreting america's commitment to nato because if he does do something unimaginable and attacks the nato country i that would not be a small war that's what these veterans who risked their lives fighting against. >> here. any are afraid of, ukraine falls he'll go to another country. he's far hitler just what did he pick them off one at a time? i don't think we'll ever see one like world war ii the thing i do worry about is technology much of our military is controlled by a satellites china and russia can shoot them down. >> you spoken to a lot of d-day veterans over the years. their numbers obviously are sadly dwindling. >> you tell one particular emotional story about a veteran paratroopers. >> when you asked him about lessons he learned. could you tell us that story? >> i kneel down next to him and i said, so what's your what's your greatest lesson from world war ii? and i expected that he would give me some sort of tactical lesson like shoot low and keep your three-second russia is and have a whole bag of angry with you or something like that but we looked at me and he teared up and he said general, never let it happen again. and i think that's that entire generation, right? my father said that 1 million times. and the veterans who survived those wars we can't fully appreciate it today, jake, the level of suffering and sacrifice that they went through yet. these d-day veterans, most of them now in their late 90s have a surprising zest for life somebody up stairs loves me. >> i am the luckiest man in the world us army veteran jake larson nickname papa jake. hey, tiktok fans, is a 101-year-old tiktok star. >> i going to happy tears and he appears to be reverse aging look at me this is plain crazy that i don't have aches or pains hi, weighed 120 pounds. my buddies call me bony. yass i made it i made it every person that i was in the service with it it's gone all right. >> i'll leave it to everyone. how is that possible for sharing winning in loser, former army corporal george states it's equally mystified as to how he's made it this far. >> i haven't the oldest coach in the world after his harrowing 30 months stint in the war style, settled in rochester, new york for kids. want to tell yourself to listen and devoted his life to teaching and coaching. >> if people say, why did you say 50 years, i said because i loved this our just barely 17 years way 212 pounds, if you believe that de day that tally fletcher served as a navy gunners made in later hunted down german u-boats, the sub chaser third hey, you no one after the war, fletcher worked in construction eventually landing back home near baton rouge, louisiana. and i don't smoke and i don't drink. can it's been a long time since i chased a woman. >> he built his own house where he still lives with his two dogs fittingly named rusty and bullet all love shipment, cross ball. i was always a boy of adventure, still at george moulins a country boy from kentucky turned all american glider pilot, came home, a war hero and penned a book about the day-to-day brutalities of war combat is nothing but how long are greatly i'm lucky. here. >> as their numbers dwindle, the stories of these remaining veterans are more important than ever. do you ever worry that the sacrifices made by the men who stormed the beaches at norman de, that maybe ultimately, there'll be for naught that ultimately this experiment will fail anyone who bets against america has taken a bad bet as the bottom line. >> that means that democracy, which is not a spectator sport he, to all of us to roll up our sleeves and be better citizens of this republic it just sense of responsibility for this experiment and its survival none of what our service members fought for and fight for is a given the american experiment democracy of buying and for the people is an experiment. it has not been proven francis scott key star spangled banner is a question. >> oh, say, can you see? by the dawn's early light, our flag have we seen proof through the night that our flag was still there o say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave does it how about around the world we owe the d-day generation so much? >> are we rising to the challenge that will take all of us collectively to lean forward, put our shoulder to the wheel to make sure that we don't have a great power war never let it happen again