This is cnn tonight. 11 00 p. M. Here on the east coast. Tonight the u. S. Death toll from coronavirus is now more than 139,000. The pandemic is getting worse around the world as well. The World Health Organization reporting nearly 240,000 new cases worldwide in the last 24 hours. Thats a record. Florida is now the epicenter of the covid19 crisis in this country. The state reporting more than 1 11,000 new cases just today. Dr. Anthony fauci urging bars to be shut down, urging americans to avoid crowds and imploring leaders to get people to wear masks. I would urge the leaders in states and cities and towns to be as forceful as possible in getting your citizenry to wear masks. Hes saying that americans are showing down the reopening of the country by not wearing masks. Lets discuss it. Hello to you, my guests. Ryan, its been a minute so why dont i call on you first. Im doing well. I hope you are as well. Coronavirus is spiraling out of control in this country. New daily cases are at record highs. The president barely talked about the pandemic all week and at the white house, they are moving around portraits of previous president s so the president doesnt have to see them. What on earth is he doing . They made a decision weeks ago with they would just move on from this. That what they call hot spots could be contained, and that the death counts, though ticking upward, over news network, as long as hospitals werent overflowing and other images on tv were not bad, it would be this kind of silent killer that people would move away from. That was obviously a catastrophic mistake. They are now delayed in reversing it, and returning to the obvious methods that they used in the early spring to control this. But i think they made a decision based a lot on politics and the reelection, and it has proved to be disastrous and it shows up in trumps polling numbers, the head to head matchups with biden, and most starkly, in the mounting number of cases and deaths. He will have to reverse course quickly before it gets worse. If he can do it. There is a lot of time between now and the election. Why dont you take listen. This is dr. Fauci. Something else he said earlier tonight. You may need to pull back a fit on a phase. You dont necessarily need to lock down but you have to do three or four or five things are absolutely critical. We know they work. And that is universal wearing of masks. Stay away from crowds. Close the bars. You appeal to the people in the local areas. Close those bars. They are seriously one of the major reasons we are seeing this. I think if we do that for a couple weeks in a row, i think well see a turnaround. Doctor, almost 140,000 americans have died from this virus. We know how to handle it and were just ignoring it. Why, why, why . Because we dont have coordinated leadership coming from washington. The governors. These Southern States that opened too soon, pressurized by the white house to actually do it, despite that the cdc did come out with really smart, measured, paced guidelines to open you understand the pressure from the white house. They opened too quickly and we are where we are now. With the political cover from the white house, yeah, the governors in these states that are really reeling under the tremendous burden of thousands and thousands of patients a day, they can turn this around. What the white house should say is very simple. Yeah. We had a national mandate. Ill going to write an executive order mandating that every american wear a mask. Were going to look at the hottest spots and close them down. Well shut down places that are really out of control right now. This is our quickest path to getting schools open. Thats what i would say. The president should completely change course and become the general of this war against the virus. I think theyve taken entirely the wrong tack and thats what he needs to do. He would be lauded for it. You and ryan were saying, it seems like youre saying the same thing. Let me get one more thing. This unpublished report was prepared by the Coronavirus Task force, recommends that 18 states with surging cases should roll back reopening measures. Another why question for you. Why wobbuldnt they put out thi information . Because it runs counter to the narrative that just a few scattered hot spots that will get better on their own. I read the report and it reads very simply. People can go online and look at it. It lists every state separately. For florida it says all bars and gyms need to be closed. Florida needs universal masking. There should be no gatherings of more than ten people. It talks about increasing testing. It is really a well written document for every state in the United States. Now that its out, maybe the State Government will take to it heart and get that done. I think this fits into your response. If it doesnt, you can add what you want to say anyway. Half of adults in this country live in households that lost income from this pandemic. Half. How bad is this for the president s reelection pitch . Its disastrous. This is the tension between dealing with the pandemic but suffering through some harsh economic problems and it is why the government should be there helping people like that and they should continue as much robust economic help as they can. Right . The government is shutting the country down. The government should help people burdened by that. I just got back from a Cross Country road trip from california to d. C. And you see across the country, just the scatter shot approach to social distancing and mask wearing. And it is just, everywhere you go. It is different and people are treating it differently. And we know how Public Health campaigns work. People wear seatbelts now, helmets, they dont drink and drive. We know when you have a massive communication effort thats unified, Public Health campaign works. Why it is not working now is because of polarization and because the messaging from the white house has been completely confused and mask wearing has turned into this cultural phenomenon where many conservatives dont want to do it because trump seems dubious of it. If he switched course and had a unified message, it would very quickly turn things around. Well, i dont know if that will happen. Speaking of whats happening across the country, doctor, for five consecutive days florida has led the nation in coronavirus cases per capita. The governor of that state says he wont close down gyms. This is his reasoning. Listen. If youre in good shape, you have a very, very low likelihood of ending up in significant condition as a result of the coronavirus. This is why we are where we are in this country now. Yeah. Its wrong on so many levels. I dont know where to start. Were talking about a virus that is transmitted person to person. Were not talking about how well a weight lifter will do with it. Were talking about transmission of the virus from people who acquire it in a gym to their families and the community. I know people who know the governor of florida. And they say, he is a really smart guy. But somehow it doesnt translate to this pandemic. I dont understand why hes hixd his wagon to the president. It is a losing strategy. Thousands of people are dying. He needs to shut large parts of the state down and it has to happen now. Isnt it better if youre outside walking, doing exercises outdoors, maybe in your backyard, instead of being in a gym, in a closed place where everybody is touching everything . Wouldnt it be healthier for you to do that outside . Everyone wants to go back to normal. But its going to take a while. We have to have a new normal. We exercise in different ways. We exercise safe. In an interview today, tony fauci, he said, if you listen to him, hes an optimist. He tells it straight but ultimately hes an optimist. He said if we hold together as a country, we can get our arms around this and we can beat this back. Do you know who he sounded like . Benjamin franklin. Benjamin franklin during the revolutionary war said, if we dont hang together, we will surely hang separately. And thats where i see us now. It is time for to us pull together and do the right things. In short order we can put this virus down. We can do it. If you dont wear a mask, surely you will hate having a ventilator on your face. And the endo tracheal tube. Yes. I want to turn to athena jones with more on the record surge on florida coronavirus cases. Reporter its a new epicenter for the virus. Florida now leading the nation in cases per capitcapita. We are at the center of it. Reporter the virus forcing the temporary closure of part of the Emergency Operations center after a dozen employees tested positive. The toll on southern florida particularly evident as hospitals and hard hit Miamidade County have started to overflow. Intensive care units now at 119 capacity. Coronavirus infections trending upward in 38 states with National Coronavirus case numbers hitting new highs on a near daily basis, topping a record 77,000 on thursday. The nations top Infectious Disease expert dr. Anthony fauci with a warning. People keep talking about the possibility of a second wave in the fall when youre having up to 70,000 new infections in certain areas of the country. Thats something you need to focus on right now as opposed to hook ahead to what will happen in september or in october. Reporter the debate over masks rages on. Masks are important. Reporter despite cheer guidance from Public Health officials. I would urge the leaders, the local, political, and other leaders, in states and cities, and towns, to be as forceful as possible in getting your citizenry to wear masks. Reporter in georgia we tip to see outbreaks in work places, businesses, in settings, daycare, camps, fraternity houses, many churches. Reporter a legal battle over the mayor of atlantas mask order. The mask mandate cannot be enforced but her decision to shutter businesses and undermine Economic Growth is devastating. I refuse to sit back as disastrous policies threaten the lives and lively hoods of our citizens. What i see happening is that the governor is putting politics over people. For the governor to sue us on a mask mandate, when the cdc has told us that it helps save lives, that really speaks to the lack of leadership. Reporter athena jones, new york. Thanks. Florida and texas are two of the biggest virus hot spots. 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Meaning, are stocks going to rise or not . , lets instead stop looking at the investments, which we cant control, and lets now look at our goals, which we can control. In other words, we only want to take as much risk as is necessary to achieve our goals. We need to protect the money thats there. And that says you should be investing in. We need to protect the money thats there. A lot of folks ask me why their dishwasher doesnt get everything clean. I tell them, it may be your detergent. Thats why more dishwasher brands recommend cascade platinum. With the soaking, scrubbing and rinsing built right in. For sparklingclean dishes, the first time. Cascade platinum. Coronavirus cases surging in florida with over 11,000 new confirmed cases just today. Miami officials announce go new 8 00 p. M. Curfews and fines for those who do not wear masks in public. But theres still no official stayathome order as cases soar. On top of it all, the Florida Governor ron desantis is refusing to close down gyms. Lets discuss now with the miami mayor. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for having me. This is madness. How concerned are you . Im very concerned. Today we just decide that had were no longer going to warn people about not wearing the masks in public. It will be a 50 fine for the first occurrence. 150 for the second, 500 for the third. Obviously weve put in a series of remediation measure thats are showing some level of bending of the increased curve which is good. Our icus are slightly down from yesterday. O our Hospital System is managing this crisis by basically shutting down elective surgeries and basically increasing their mix of Covid Patients and decreasing the mix of nonCovid Patients. Today you announced people in miami will no longer get a warning. You said if they fail to wear this mask in public, instead, there will be a fine. 50. It increases with each additional offense. So why do you think it has come to this where people are, they wont do the right thing. That it has somehow become political. I dont know why it has become political. Obviously, it would be great if our president were to adopt a National Mask in public rule. Ive said, i told our governor, i think we should have a statewide mask in public rule. I think what happens is when you say that to him, what does he say . He says that all the urban cities have a mask in public rule which they do. The issue is that within the urban cities, there is a segment of our population, i think your earlier guest alluded to this. There is a segment that will only listen to those elected officials. So i think if they were to come out and advocate i will give the governor some credit. He did come a couple days ago and he said we have to listen to the local leaders and the local rules of masks in public. I think the signaling of masks in public, which has shown in studies that ive seen, up to an 85 chance of reducing the chance of transmission. To me it is a no brainer. Like wearing a seatbelt. Your former guest alluded to that. This is something that should be a no brainer for everyone. Were already seeing the delta in our positives. Why then no stayathome order . I have friends there. One of them works at a very prominent hotel on miami beach. Hes saying the occupancy rate has been like 7 and lower and i said how many people are staying . He said you can count on one hand. So youre already seeing the effects. People are afraid to come there. Why not make people stay at home . Given the surge in cases . Yeah. Were considering it every single day. Our Hospital System, administrators, and our viral scientists and epidemiologists have asked us to stay the course with the measures weve implemented and we are seeing improvement. Thats part of the reason why. The other part is there is no federal safety net. Right now we have unemployment at 3 and a tremendous federal safety net with Unemployment Benefits and with ppe. Now were at 11 with no federal safety net. So we just have to balance the fact that we know that a stayathome order will probably put hundreds of thousands of people out of work without any sort of a safety net. We have to feed people in our cities. We dont know what kind of compliance there will be. On the other hand we have a Health Care Crisis incredibly dire and getting worse and worse by the day. So we do see some improvements if we implemented the remediation. Were hopeful if we stay the course, those improvements will be dramatic enough. I have to get to another mayor here. You dont think if you did the stayathome order, you got it back under control, at least as much as you go get it under control, you dont think that would help your economy . There have been studies that show that it does. From my perspective, ive never ruled it out. Were talking about it every single day and it may happen. Were weighing out factors. And youre feeling better and i home you stay that way and i hope everyone in your city does as well. Thank you. Texas reaching a grim new bench mark today in the fight against coronavirus, passing the 300,000 cumulative cases marshall. The situation is so dire that the state has even had to request more refrigerated trucks to serve as temporary mortuaries. While there is no statewide mandatory mask order, austin Public Health has extended the citys Face Covering order to midnovember. Despite the spike, Texas Governor greg abbott said theres no need for a lockdown. Lets discuss it with austins mayor. Thank you. Good to see you again. I wish it was better news. Texas is suffering right now. Over 10,000 new cases today. How bad is it in austin right now in. Were on the edge. Two and a half weeks ago we were told we were on such a trajectory, it was rising so quickly. We were told right with now we would be running out of icu beds. We had a community that came together on masking. We have pretty wide adoption in the city and were a case study, if anybody doesnt believe that masks can actually make a difference, they should come to austin right now. Our numbers here have plateaued pretty much in hospital admissions over the last week. Were fighting hard to hold on to it but it came as a direct result to communities prepared to step up and start masking. Today there are new rules that give local School Districts over the control of start dates for schools and how long they can teach students online. What do you speck for austin students when it time for school to start . Even before our state agency acted here locally, we just ordered that schools were not to open on their scheduled date in midaugust and issued an order that schools wouldnt open until at least after labor day. It was up clear whether we had the authority to do that. The state agency came out ultimately a few days later and said it was something that we could do. Were looking to extend it past labor day. When you come into a Community Like austin where the infection rate is so high, we have to lower the viral load before we have students and teachers show up. Many would show up already infected. So were working with our schools to figure whether or not there are students very much at risk and need school. Other than that, were trying to get everybody comfortable with the idea that it could be a while before schools open up. Yep. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Be safe, mayor. Thank you so much. Thank you. Nflt defense secretary esper effectively banning the Confederate Flag from american installations. Is he side stepping President Trump . [ ] looking to repair dry, damaged hair without weighing it down . Try pantene daily moisture renewal conditioner. Its colorsafe formula uses smart conditioners to microtarget damage helping to repair hair without weighing it down. Try pantene. With Td Ameritrade tools, and help from pros. Its almost like youre training me to become an even smarter, stronger investor. Exactly. rocky theme music fiftysix straight, come on thats it, left trade right trade. Come on another trade, i want to see it more 80sstyle training montage . Yeah. Happens all the time. Find your getupandgo. Find pants that arent sweats. Find your friends. Find your sense of wander. Find the world is new, again. At chevy wed like to take you there. Now during the chevy open road sales event, get up to 15 of msrp cash back on select 2020 models. Thats over fiftyseven hundred dollars cash back on this equinox. Its time to find new roads, again. The secretary of defense mark esper issuing a new policy today on the display of flags on military installations. While the policy doesnt specifically mention the Confederate Flag, it is not listed among the approved flags you understand the new policy which means it is essentially been banned. In a statement obtained by esper, he says the flags we fly must accord with the military imperatives of good order and discipline treating all our people with dignity and respect and rejecting divisive symbols. Lets discuss it now with my guests. So good to see you. Theres been a ton of debate over the Confederate Flag in the military as well as naming military bases for confederate officers. Give me your reaction to this sort of de facto ban and the way esper implemented it. Overall, i think while this decision is overdue on the part of secretary esper and the department, this is a rightminded decision. It has always been an abomination to see the Confederate Flag flown on military bases, at the barracks, all over military installations, alongside flags that represent true heroes. I spent 21 years in the marine corps. I got to see this flag a lot for those on active duty in the military, i think this was the right thing to do. I will say the military is a place where it matters. A lot of people with a special tie to this flag and i think this is going to be challenged by some of the rank and file. I think there are leaders out there. People need to understand this was a decision that has been made and the military has to get on board with it. You told us earlier, when you were deployed in iraq, you would see soldiers receive packages with Confederate Flags in them. Yeah. This was an interesting thing. Up with of the great things with americans, when youre deployed, people come together. They put care packages together and they sends them overseas. Theyre not always addressed to a particular service member. I remember being in iraq and fallujah in 2019 and opening up care packages and findsing Confederate Flags, finding gear there with depictions of the Confederate Flag. I remember having these feelings, here i am halfway around the world fighting on behalf of my country, for the iraqi people but there are people back home who sends these reminders of some of the most difficult and divisive things we face in the United States. Things like that shouldnt happen for service members. People need to understand. This doesnt mean the same thing for everyone. It is time for this flag to be retired. Mayor, you played big a part in having the Confederate Flag removed in new orleans. What does it say as a country that the defense secretary had to sneak this in almost behind the president s back . Well, first of all, i havent had the pleshl of meeting shawn but thank you for your service. He articulated as well as anybody how painful it is for our servicemen and women to be asked to work in and around anybody showing the Confederate Flag which is simply adoration for the folks who fought to destroy the United States of america, not to unite it for the cause of protecting slavery. You can imagine what young men and women in the service think about that. So i commend him. Second, i think secretary esper made the right decision and i thank him but it is long overdue. And it is back handed, not approach. We ought to have the courage to say forcefully, once and for all, we wont revere people who honored the confederacy. There is a difference between remembrance, and there is a huge difference between warriors and patriots. And theres not another example in the world of a country honoring the people like that. I think they should be forthright about it. The same should be said with the monuments and about renaming the bases. Yeah. Previously the president has boiled the Confederate Flag down to a freedom of speech issue. All i see is freedom of speech. My attitude is freedom of speech. Very strong views on the Confederate Flag. With me, it is freedom of speech. Like it, dont like it. Freedom of speech. So mayor, as an elected official, is freedom of speech even apply to the display of this flag . Well, first the First Amendment is really important to the country. It is important that our citizens know they can redress against the government. If someone wants to put a Confederate Flag in their pocket, god bless they will. Disagree with you but have at it. Thats different from having a public building or a public space, actually lift up the confederacy which is what do you when you allow the flag to be displayed on public property. Theres a huge difference between remembrance, people want to remember it. They can remember it however they want. And reverence. When we name things, especially on bases, its different. A huge number of heroes that have fought for the United States of america. Shawn being one of them. We have 12 bases, or 11, that can be named after them. So i feel fairly strongly about this. I think the country is clear about it now. We have to put it in the proper place which is the dust bin of history. We have conversations like this on my new podcast. It is called silence is not an option where we take on the tough questions about issues dealing with race in this country. You can find it on Apple Podcast or your favorite podcast app. Calls for the feds to get out of portland after video shows unidentified officers detaining a protester. Ill speak with two reporters who broke the story, next. Now, simparica trio simplifies protection. Ticks and fleas . See ya heartworm disease . No way simparica trio is the first chewable that delivers all this protection. And simparica trio is demonstrated safe for puppies. Its simple go with simparica trio. This drug class has been associated with neurologic adverse reactions, including seizures; use with caution in dogs with a history of these disorders. Protect him with all your heart. Simparica trio. Save without even leaving your house. Just keep your phone and switch to xfinity mobile. You can get it by ordering a free sim card online. Once you activate, you only have to pay for the data you need, starting at just 15 a month. There are no term contracts, no activation fees, and no credit check on the first two lines. Get a 50 prepaid card when you switch. 5g is now included with all new data options. Switch and save hundreds. Xfinity mobile. Tonight the u. S. Attorney in oregon calling on the department of Homeland SecurityInspector General to investigate federal officers detaining protesters in portland without probable cause. Officers dressed in camouflage driving up to people in unmarked mini vans and detaining them. Earlier i spoke with the governor of oregon, kate brown, who does not want the feds policing portland. Now i want to bring in two men who broke this story. Could not read a wilson and jonathan levinson. Thank you for joining us. I really appreciate it. Jonathan, ill start with you. You and conrad broke this story. It is so disturbing, it is hard to believe this is america in 2020. Whats going on there . Since protests started at the end of may it has been going every single night here. Sometimes numbering over 10,000 people. More recently in the hundreds. Centering around the federal courthouse and Police Headquarters in the county jail. Largely nonviolent. The protesters throw Water Bottles at the comes sometimes. People have said that people have thrown rocks. Ive never seen that. Predominantly nonviolent protests and theyvemen been met with an alarming level of violence. Tear gas, flash bangs, almost every night. The protests have ended that way. Then on july 4th, the federal officers started playing a bigger role in the crowd control and protester response and their level of violence was just levels above what the police have been doing. Same thing. Tear gas and the conditions and more of the same. Much higher quantities. Also less predictable. The Portland Police would give warnings and it would be incremental. You knew it was coming. The federal officers go from relaxed and seemed very patient to just the streets are filled with tear gas and the conditions are flying everywhere. Its pretty scary. I want to play this viral video. Under identified agents picking up a protesters. No explanation. Driving off in an unmarked van. Here it is. What are you doing . Use your words. What are you doing . Use your words. What are you doing . Use your words. What is going on . Who are you . What is your name . Tell us your name . Okay. Youre fine. Well get you out. We got you, friend. Ill just say, we dont know what occurred before that recording began. But these are the scenes that you described, that youre reporting. What happened in this video . So its about mark pettybone. He said he was at a protest on july 15th. Around 2 30 in the morning or so, he was leaving. Thats when a van pulled up and out came men in camouflage. They pulled his beanie over his eyes and he couldnt see. They put him in a van, they drove him to the federal courthouse. He didnt know where he was going but they took him to the federal courthouse where he was searched, photographed, he was put in a u. S. Marshals holding cell there. He was asked if he wanted to, he was read his miranda rights and he was also asked if he wanted to give up those rights and answer some questions. He said no. He asked for an attorney. And the federal Law Enforcement said this is, this interview is terminated. He spent about another 90 minutes or so in the cell before he was released and as far as we know, he hasnt been charged with anything. So then for what . Why are they doing this . Offering no explanation . Whats going on . To you, at least. We have a statement but what are they saying to the people actually there . Well, on npr today, dhs deputy secretary acknowledged that this is something that theyre doing. They basically said this is something that is happening. They havent really spoken about pettybone specifically. The u. S. Marshal service says this was not us. We didnt do this. But the department of Homeland Security has acknowledged that this is something that they have engaged in doing this. In, so far, there have been about a dozen people or so that have been charged. And there is at least six that we know of that havent been charged. It is unclear if pettybone is one of those six or not. I have to go. What are they being charged for . Do you know . Yeah. Theyre being charged with things like assault on a federal officer, allegedly things like using laser pointers, but other more serious crimes. One incident where a protester allegedly used a hammer, hitting a federal officer. Got it. But its the minority of incidents. Similar to what cdp said where they thought the suspect was identified as someone who had been destroying property and assaulting an agent, and that there was a large violent mob that forced them to do that with that man. Thank you very much. We appreciate it, gentlemen. Well be right back. Bottom line is, moms love that land o frost premium sliced meats have no byproducts. [conference phone] baloney [conference phone] has joined the call. Hey baloney here. I thought this was a no byproducts call . Land o frost premium. A slice above. I thought this was a looking to repair dry, damaged hair without weighing it down . Try pantene daily moisture renewal conditioner. Its colorsafe formula uses smart conditioners to microtarget damage helping to repair hair without weighing it down. Try pantene. Is now a good time enough, crohns. For adults with moderate to severe crohns or ulcerative colitis, stelara® can provide relief, and is the only approved medication to reduce inflammation on and below the surface of the intestine in uc. You, getting on that flight . Back off, uc. Stelara® may increase your risk of infections, some serious, and cancer. Before treatment, get tested for tb. Tell your doctor if you have an infection, flulike symptoms, sores, new skin growths, have had cancer, or if you need a vaccine. Rpls, a rare, potentially fatal brain condition, may be possible. Some serious allergic reactions and lung inflammation can occur. Lasting remission can start with stelara®. If youve been financially impacted by covid19, janssen may be able to help. Tonight, an update on the Ahmaud Arbery case. He is the young, black man in georgia who was chased down, shot, and killed back in february. Three men charged with felony murder, pleaded not guilty today. Well get the very latest from Martin Savidge in just moments. I want to get to some breaking news, though. Sadly, that i have to report this. Congressman john lewis, a giant in the history of the Civil Rights Movement, has died at the age of 80. Born the son of a sharecropper, he became one of the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement who, by his own count, was arrested more than 40 times. He went on to serve 33 years in congress. Again, it gives me chills to report that. But john lewis, a legend. Back in december of 2019, he was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer following a routine medical visit. And we know that he had been sick over the last months. But still, trying to make appearances during anniversaries. Even showed up at the edmound pettus bridge in selma. He was a leader for the Civil Rights Group called the student nonviolent coordinating committee. One of the key participants pushing for Voting Rights from selma to alabamas capital, montgomery. And left a legacy, just as big as this world. As big as the universite. Let me bring in lauren fox, with more on the news of the death of congressman john lewis. Lauren, what are you hearing . Well, don, this is devastating news for capitol hill. He was often viewed by many people as the conscience of the congress. He was someone that democrats and republicans, alike, looked to for guidance, in tough moments. When it came to tough votes. When it came to moments in the countrys history, he was a legend on capitol hill. He was such a important and seminal part of the Civil Rights Movement. And, you know, we just got a statement from House Speaker nancy pelosi. And i just want to read a short bit of it. She said john lewis was a titan of the Civil Rights Movement, whose goodness, faith, and bravery, transformed our nation. And you can just tell the outpouring that we expect to come, as folks really remember their friend, their colleague. Someone that many people went to for advice and guidance, in tough moments when it came to this countrys legacy with race. And a legacy that the country is, still, struggling with. You know, i talked to his staff, many times, over the years. And spoke with a staffer of his today and, you know, just a few hours ago. This morning, she said, you know, he was the bridge that connected what happened during the Civil Rights Movement, with the moment that we are living in now. And members of congress are going to miss him dearly. The country is going to miss him dearly. And, you know, hes just really, as nancy pelosi said, a titan. A titan. Lauren, he was, also, sometimes referred to as the conscious conscience of the u. S. Congress. And he is known for getting into good trouble, as they would call it. But i just need to tell our viewers, again, the sad news that we are reporting, as congressman john lewis has died at the age of 80. Born the son of a sharecropper. Became one of the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. He went on to serve Congress Nearly 33 years in congress. Arrested, by his own account, more than 40 times. And the video you are looking at there was the 55th anniversary. This is march 8th. Its a weeklong celebration and commemoration of the Edmund Pettus bridge. Marching over that bridge for rights and freedom, for all. For civil rights for all. And as he marched across that bridge, the original time, 55 years before then. He had his skull broken by White Police Officers during that march across the Edmund Pettus bridge. A key figure in the movement. One of just a just a giant when it comes to shaping the history of this country. And shaping the consciousness of this country. Not just the congress, but of this country. And anyone who came into contact with congressman john lewis, if you spent any time, you could feel his stature. And you knew that he was you were in the presence of a living legend, respected by all. Loved by all. And truly, will be missed by all. It had been said, earlier, as we were awaiting confirmation from the family and from the congress, that the family wanted to pay tribute to ct vivian, who also died today. Another civil rights icon died at the age of 95. And they were holding off on announcing john lewiss passing. But the word started getting out. And so now, there is confirmation. Two gentlemen dying today, who really fought for the rights for all people in this country. The legendary ct vivian and now the Legendary John lewis. He represented georgias 5th congressional district, which includes much of atlanta. He has been doing that since 1986. So, our breaking news tonight. The death of a legend in the history of civil rights. Congressman john lewis has died at the age of 80. Cnns Martin Savidge has the story, now, of his life and times. Reporter throughout his life, john lewis stood for people as rights. Born on a Alabama Cotton farm, into a segregated america, he had not only lived to see an africanamerican elected president. He would be a major part of making it happen. Tonight. Tonight, we gather here in this magnificent stadium in denver because we still have a dream we still have a dream. Reporter lewis, growing up, was angered by the unfairness of the jim crow south. He credited Martin Luther king jr. , for inspiring him to join the Civil Rights Movement. And eventually, lewis would become one of its most prominent leaders. As a student, he organized sitins at lunch counters. In the early 60s, he was a freedom rider. Challenging segregation at interstate bus terminals across the south. The embodiment of nonviolence, he frequently suffered beatings by angry mobs. Lewis, 23 years old at the time, was the youngest speaker at the 1963 march on washington. We do not want our freedom gradually. But we want to be free now. Then, two years later, led a march for Voting Rights in selma. On the Edmund Pettus dribridge, and the