murder and shootings at three massage spas in and around the city. of the eight killed, six victims were of asian descent. it's hard to ignore, who was targeted, or overlook the fact that this did not happen in a vacuum. it happened, as three new reports explain, each, from its own angle. at a dangerous moment for this country in a climate more conducive than it's been in generations for homegrown acts of violent hatred. yet, as we will talk about tonight, not everyone wants to con frontd the problem or even admit it. some people want to look away, to not see the mass killings in el paso and pittsburgh. and the white supremacist, conspiracy-driven mindset culminating in the capitol insurrection, is all being cut from the same, ugly cloth. today, in his first congressional testimony since being confirmed, dhs secretary, alejandro mayorkas made the threat clear. >> right now, at this point in time, domestic-violent extremism. the lone wolf. the loose affiliation of individuals following ideologies of hate, and other ideologies of extremism. that are willing and able to take those ideologies, and execute on them. in unlawful, illegal, violent ways. is our greatest threat, in the homeland, right now. >> in that, and other recent statements, priorities, the new administration has embraced a notion that the old administration tried to downplay. even though, it's important to medic mention some of its own law enforcement professionals were also sounding the alarm. here is fbi director, appointed by the former president, testifying last september. >> racially-motivated violent extremists, over recent years, have been responsible for the most-lethal activity in the u.s. now, this year, the lethal attacks, domestic-terrorism lethal attacks we have had, i think, all fit in the category of anti-government, anti-authority. which covers everything, from anarchist-violent extremists, to militia types. >> that's director chris wray, last september, warning as well in written remarks that day. he repeated that warning, in testimony, earlier this month. and today, a joint report put out by the office of the director of national intelligence, underscored it all. quoting from that report. the ic, meaning the intelligence community, assesses that racially or ethnically-motivated violent extremists are mves and militia violent extremists, mves, present the most lethal violent extremist threats. most likely to conduct mass-casualty attacks against civilians and militia-violent extremists typically targeting law enforcement, government personnel, and facilities. also out today, a new report from the anti-defamation league, which says that white supremacist propaganda incidents nearly doubled last year, with more than 5,000 cases reported. averaging 14 a day, across the country. also, today. a new report on growing anti-asian violence. according to the tracking group, stop api hate, such attacks have risen dramatically, since the beginning of the covid pandemic. which the former president, even as recently as last night, still, refers to as the china virus. >> when we got hit by the, as i call it, the china virus. >> we'll speak, shortly, tonight, with professional basketball's jeremy lin, one of the few asian-americans to have played in the nba. he said that he, himself, was called coronavirus by a fellow player. but again, as today's report makes clear, such incidents are not isolated. they are part of a climate that nurtures violent extremism. and that includes the capitol insurrection, which was shot through with nearly every species of white supremacist, anti-government, homegrown violent. but you have seen the leaders of this country try and whitewash what we all saw that day. and it continued today led by congressman louie gohmert. he and some republican allies tried today a resolution to give congressional gold medals to police officers on january 6th. and then, there is senator ron johnson. not only has he been trying to divert all attention from the right-wing conspiracy-minded racist elements of the insurrection and the ongoing threat they present. he's also been dabbling with racism, himself, in how he's making his case. >> i knew those were people that love this country. that truly respect law enforcement, would never do anything to -- to break a law. and so, i wasn't concerned. now, had the tables been turned. joe, this could get me in trouble. had the tables been turned and president trump won the election, and those were tens of thousands of black lives matter and antifa protestors, i might've been a little concerned. >> a little concerned, he says, about a hypothetical attack by a largely nonviolent movement which never occurred. but not concerned, at all, but the very real, very violent attack by domestic extremists on his own place of work. not bothered, it seems, by perhaps the biggest eruption yet of everything the intelligence and law enforcement community warned of last fall, and continues to warn of today. and he continues to claim that those people love america, and love law enforcement. despite the death of one officer and the suicide, following the attack, by two. and the injury of dozens of other officers. that, and, of course, senator johnson, also, threw in a dash of racism which he denies. but which one of his colleagues is calling out, directly. >> look. i -- i get no one likes to be called racist. but sometimes, there's just no other way to describe the use of bigoted tropes that, for generations, have threatened black lives. by stoking white fear of african-americans and black men, in particular. >> senator bob menendez. i spoke to him just before airtime. >> senator, as you know, the senate is a very traditional place. breaking decorum like you did, calling a colleague a racist on the senate floor is a very dramatic step. can you talk about why you did it? >> well, i understand, the -- the decorum of the senate. but sometimes, as the late john lewis says, you have to get into good trouble. i just felt compelled to speak out about senator johnson's comments. and it was crystal clear, to me, driven home by a african-american member of my staff. who served new jersey, through different senators, for three and a half decades. an incredible human being. a tremendous staffer. who is african-american. and told me about how -- how -- how hateful and harmful his comments were. and so, when he -- when he made these comments, in essence, you know, the racist trope that he would be more fearful of a "black lives matter" protest than the insurrectionists who stormed the capitol. caused the death of three u.s. capitol officers, and harmed and injured so many more. i -- i -- i just felt that, you know, decorum couldn't just stand in the way of speaking out. >> you know, do you think, should more be done? i don't know if that's even possible. but senator johnson continues to stand by, even double down on his comments. he wrote an op-ed defending himself. and late today, tweeted out a compilation. adding, quote, along with peaceful protests last summer, there were too many scenes like this. i will always condemn violence and rioting, regardless of who is doing it. he doesn't really sound like he's condemning, so much, what happened at the capitol. or at least, he is trying to, you know, whitewash it or minimize it, repeatedly. >> well, i mean, he -- he has an alternate view of the world. you know, he says that he -- he wasn't afraid of the white supremacists and insurrectionists that stormed the capitol. because he knew that they were law-abiding citizens, who love their country. well, law-abiding citizens don't attack other police officers, don't cause the death of one, and two others who committed suicide, as a result of what happened. hundreds, who were injured. many, who are scarred in their lives for a long period of time. law-abiding citizens don't come and destroy federal property. and -- and desecrate one of the most significant symbols of our democracy. law-abiding citizens don't try to undermine the rule of law, by stopping the official count of a presidential election. so, again, it's an excuse from what is, clearly, you know, a -- a racist comment. and -- and that perpetuates that white america should fear our fellow-black citizens. >> there is a report out today from the anti-defamation league, found white supremacists, propaganda hit an all-time high in 2020. report says quote white supremacists are emboldened now, emboldened than ever. i know you are not calling senator johnson a white supremacist. but the kind of language he is using it certainly is, if not a dog whistle to them. it's certainly a -- a -- a hat tip. >> yeah. well, it's -- it's -- it's -- it's an amazing set of circumstances. we all know what happened here, on january 6th. we saw the consequences. the nation saw it. and, you know, this is like some of the house members, who want to honor the capitol police. but don't want to recognize, you know, the insurrectionists that caused them to have to perform their duties, risk their lives, and get injured. >> yeah. you're talking about louie gohmert. you are talking about louie gohmert. "politico" is reporting today that louie gohmert is a texas congressman. circulating -- circulated a version of the bill meant to honor capitol police but removing any reference to the thing they're being honored for, which is defending the seat of democracy against the insurrection. >> absolutely. that's exactly what i'm referencing. and -- and so, you know, what -- what is -- what is the problem, with recognizing that white supremacists, those who stormed the -- the capitol, with confederate flags, with nazi symbols. and who, you know, shouted racial epito our african-americ police officers. what is -- what is the difficulty in recognizing that? that is the truth. that is the truth. not the alternative truth you are promoting. >> it's also so just, you know, history matters. and how we remember history, accurately, matters. and to -- to this early stage, try and be rewriting the first drafts of history. it just seems particularly galling. senator menendez, appreciate your time. thank you. >> thank you. just ahead. everything that we are learning about the atlanta killings, zbl. and later, professional basketball player, jeremy lin, on the attacks asian-americans now face. we'll be right back. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ comfort in the extreme. ♪ the lincoln family of luxury suvs. i'm erin. -and i'm margo. we've always done things our own way. ♪ charted our own paths. i wasn't going to just back down from moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. psoriatic arthritis wasn't going to change who i am. when i learned that my joint pain could mean permanent joint damage, i asked about enbrel. enbrel helps relieve joint pain, and helps stop permanent joint damage. plus enbrel helps skin get clearer in psoriatic arthritis. ask your doctor about enbrel, so you can get back to your true self. -play ball! enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders and allergic reactions have occurred. tell your doctor if you've been someplace where fungal infections are common. or if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have persistent fever, bruising, bleeding or paleness. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. visit enbrel.com to see how your joint damage could progress. enbrel. eligible patients may pay as little as $5 per month. as we reported ifat the topf the program, the suspected atlanta area mass shooter is now in custody. report on the crimes, the victims, what we know and do not know at this moment what happened. >> do you have a description of him, ma'am? >> reporter: that quiet plea came from a woman, hiding in one of three spas in the atlanta area. where, by the end of tuesday night, eight people were dead, and one injured. the killing spree, in which most of the victims were asian-american women, happened in the span of just a few hours. the suspect told investigators, he had no-racial motivation. but, that he targeted what he felt were temptations. a former roommate told cnn, he was deeply religious, and felt tortured and distraught by his sexual addiction. another roommate said, he had spent time in rehab for sex addiction, and had spent time in a transition house. law enforcement sources told cnn, the suspect purchased the gun he used this week. one source said, nothing in his background would have prevented the purchase. at 5:00 p.m., tuesday night, cherokee county deputies were called to young's asian massage in georgia, about 30-miles north of atlanta. four people died at that location. about an hour later, atlanta 911 dispatch received two calls from spas across the street from each other. emergency calls, where it took time, perhaps across language barriers, to comprehend what, exactly, was happening. >> is it a male or female? >> [ inaudible ]. >> they have a gun, you said? >> reporter: they found three asian women killed at the gold spa. ten minutes later, this call resulted in first responders finding one asian woman dead there. >> some guy came in. and shoot the gun. so, everybody heard the gunshot. and some ladies got hurt, i think. and everybody's scared so they are hiding. >> reporter: police say the suspect's family called in to help identify him from surveillance images. they tracked his cell phone. 150 miles south of atlanta in crisp county, state troopers intercepted him. investigators believe he was headed to florida to make similar attacks. while the suspect told investigators this attack was prompted by his sexual addiction. >> i'm taking that with a grain of salt. this is a man, who murdered eight people, in cold blood. so, it's very difficult to believe what he says. i'll leave it up to the prosecutors to determine what are the appropriate charges may be warranted, as it relates to hate crimes. but it's very difficult to ignore that the asian community is, once again, been targeted. >> reporter: whether or not this is called a hate crime, the asian-american community says the fear is real. >> i think there is an enormous amount of fear and anxiety. particularly, in that, this crime that was not necessarily committed based on race. at least, based on what we know, so far. but that it was six asian-american women who were shot and killed yesterday. in light of the broader context, where we have seen a spike in discrimination, hate, and violence against asian-americans across this country. >> natasha chen joins us now. do investigators believe that the suspect acted alone? >> reporter: anderson, i asked about that at a press conference, today. with the multiple-investigating agencies, about whether similar businesses should be concerned. if there's still a threat out there. and i was told, no, they believe this person acted alone. of course, it could have been much worse, had they not stopped him on his way south. investigators believe he was headed to florida to commit similar attacks there, anderson. >> natasha chen, i appreciate it. thank you. we are going to continue the conversation, in a moment, about the fear right now in the asian-american community. regardless of the motives, in this particular attack, asian-americans have seen a large number of attacks and racial slurs since the pandemic began. claim your seventy-five-dollar credit when you post your first job at indeed.com/promo want to make a name for yourself in gaming? then make a name for yourself. even if your office, and bank balance are... far from glamorous. that means expensing nothing but pizza. your expenses look good, and your books are set for the month! ...going up against this guy... and pitching your idea 100 times. no, no, no! no. i like it. -he likes it! ...and you definitely love that. intuit quickbooks helps small businesses be more successful with payments, payroll, banking and live bookkeeping. - [narrator] grubhub perks give you deals on all the food that makes you boogie. (upbeat music) get the food you love with perks from- - [crowd] grubhub. regardless of the motive in the atlanta area shootings, the asian-american community has been on edge because of increased hatred and racism, brautd on by the pandemic. a fact only made worse by the former leader of the free world. >> i can name kung flu. >> before the plague, from china, came in. you know what that is. that's the china virus. >> today, i want to provide an update on our response to the china virus. >> kung flu. yeah. [ cheers and applause ] >> kung flu. madison, we'll eradicate the coronavirus once and for all. to me, coit came from china, soe have the china virus, right? when we got hit by, as i call it, the china virus. >> the last comment was just last night. still, doing it. again, our randi kaye has more on the state of fear our fellow americans are living in. >> reporter: in san francisco, last month, on the edge of chinatown, a 67-year-old asian man is suddenly ambushed at a laundromat. surveillance video shows the terrifying moments as he is dragged to the ground. the attack comes, just after police increased patrols in the area. following attacks in oakland's chinatown. oakland's chinatown is where this 91-year-old asian man was shoved to the ground. watch, as his attacker rushes him, from behind. police, quickly, identified the male suspect, who was involved in two other assaults on elderly people. >> we have charged him with three counts of assault. >> reporter: in new york, this filipino-american believes he was targeted because of his race. his attacker slashing him across the face with a box cutter. >> he slashed me, from cheek to cheek. >> reporter: it all happened on the new york city subway during the morning rush. >> move. >> reporter: early in the pandemic, this asian man was, also, harassed on the new york subway. and when he didn't move, the suspect sprayed him in the face with febreze. in san francisco, this 84-year-old thai immigrant died after he was pushed to the ground, in january. he was simply out on his morning walk, when an unprovoked attacker charged him, from across the street. >> he never wake up, again. i never see him, again. >> reporter: a 19-year-old is now charged in his death, with murder and elder abuse. in los angeles, 27-year-old denny kim says he was randomly punched in the face, by two strangers. >> two assailants, basically, approached me. they were hurling racial slurs. they were calling me chink, ching-chong, chinese virus. >> reporter: while not all of these have been ruled hate crimes, they do contribute to a disturbing wave of violence against asian-americans. it's spurred many in the asian community and beyond to rally in an effort to stop the hate. at a demonstration in new york city, last month, some spoke openly of fear. >> many of my family members are living in fear and anxiety. >> reporter: others pointed fingers. >> i think, the rhetoric from our previous administration was, definitely, the catalyst for all this. >> got all different names. wuhan. got wuhan's catching on. coronavirus, right? kung flu. yeah. >> reporter: there have, also, been attacks on property. asian-owned businesses have been hit and robbed, too. and out in the open, in restaurants, bold-faced racism. >> [ bleep ] asian piece of [ bleep ]. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: in some communities, it's come down to neighbors protecting neighbors. after some in this california community threw rocks and hurled insults at an asian couple's home, neighbors set up camp. standing guard, in shifts, to keep the couple safe. >> they see us, and they turn around. >> reporter: standing strong, together, in the face of hate. randi kaye, cnn, palm beach county, florida. >> perspective now, from jeremy lin. professional basketball player who's spoken about racism asian-americans have faced, and sad to confront himself, even on the court. jeremy, thanks so much for being with us. i'm sorry it's under these circumstances. in february, you posted, on facebook, about racism against asian-americans. and you said you were called coronavirus on the basketball court, by another player. you talked about experiencing bigotry, throughout your career. and, of course, racism against asian-americans is nothing new. but does it feel different, to you, now? because of the pandemic. >> it feels very different. i think, you know, growing up, it was always something that might be a little bit more subtle or verbal. but, i think, what we're seeing right now is a lot of physical, actual violence. lives being taken. a lot of asian-americans, who are looking over their shoulders when they go outside. when they go to the grocery store. and we're starting to, slowly, see more and more reporting of what is going on. but this is something that is definitely hitting different. and i think, we can start to see that, you know, kind of, what you guys have shown before in terms of the previous administration. and the rhetoric that was being used. and you can even hear, in the audio recordings, the -- the cheers, the laughs, the -- all -- you know, from everybody in those situations, when, you know, it was called the kung flu virus and everyone's cheering. and i think there is just a lot of racially-charged hatred right now that we are seeing and feeling. >> you, also, in a facebook post i read, talked about, kind of, a feel -- a different feeling, among, particularly young asian-americans right now, in terms of standing up and speaking out. and just not taking the kind of stereotypes that have, traditionally, been used against asian-americans. >> yeah. i think, i mean, you know, that's something that i -- you know, i've talked about and a lot of us have talked about in terms of the mieyth. and i think, if you look back into history, a lot of this stuff, i never learned, never heard about until i had to go dig it up, myself. but if you look at how chinatowns came into existence. if you look at the japanese-internment camps or the chinese -- china exclusion act. the first legislation and only legislation that banned a specific people from coming in. i mean, i feel like, the asian and asian-american experience has often been not talked about. and asian-american immigrants have just come -- come over. asian immigrants have come over, and basically, just been told what to do. and -- and to be quiet, and to stay under -- under the radar. and to not cause any noise. and i think, with this next generation as we're starting to see more and more of this happening. asian-americans are no longer wanting to just be told what to do and keep our heads down. work hard and say nothing. and so, we are seeing a lot of people stand up and stand out and speak up and that's what we need because, you know, it's time. and we've been dealing with this for a long, long time. and it's just a matter of people are starting to see it, now. and it's being exposed. >> i'm wondering what you thought, when you heard about the atlanta shootings. and -- and how that adds to all of this. >> i mean, it's tough. it's tough, because i feel like it's almost, like, my raw emotion is that it -- it feels like it's happening more. and it feels like it's getting worse. and even for me, like, i'm starting to question, in a very, very -- you know, i'm sharing very openly. like, i'm questioning, oh, if i speak out more, like, am i encouraging people to have like even more hate? like, by other people seeing these, are we encouraging people to do more crazy things and hurt more asians and asian-americans? and like, it's just a very fearful-thought process of thinking through that. but, i think, now, it's like we're -- like, people are starting to really see, like, no, this is a serious, serious issue. and i think, from stop api hate called it a while ago, and said everyone's kind of in lockdown and quarantine. but when -- when everyone starts to come back out. there is a high likelihood, that we're going to see stuff like this and it is happening. and i mean, it's just heartbreaking. it's really hard to process. and every day, it's not just one headline. every day, it's new headlines. it feels like it's more. but at the same time, we can't stop. we can't stop speaking out. we can't stop fighting and we can't lose hope. if we lose hope, you know, that's the end of it. but we have to keep remaining, you know, strong in what we feel like we need to do and how we want to better this world. >> yeah. i mean, just, in seeing randi kaye's piece, i mean, to see the images of, you know, vulnerable, elderly, you know, asian-american men or women being just completely blindsided and attacked, dying, being severely injured. even that, you know, bigot sitting in a restaurant, just blatantly, saying to the faces of some table of people he knows nothing about, horrible, horrible things. it -- it's -- it -- it -- just stunning, to see it so blatant, right out in the broad daylight. >> yeah. and that's the thing is, like, for me, when i see these -- these headlines. one of the things i always try and make myself do is to -- to watch any -- any clips, if there are clips. because you can literally see just somebody turning their face, see an asian, and just go attack them. like, it's almost like, i mean, it's not even really -- like, it's hard to comprehend, how you could do something like that to somebody that you've never met. just, you look at them and, you know, you think -- and i think, what we are seeing is we are seeing all these mi micro-aggressions through history. you know, asians have always been projected as being others or outsiders. and -- and you can -- you can hear and see these micro aggressions. and like, oh, no, where are you really from? or, you know, talking about the way -- the way that we look or our complexion. or -- or things like that. and there's so many micro aggressions that contribute to that. and again, calling it the china virus, kung flu virus, that is adding to it, fueling the fire. and now, we are starting to see a lot of micro aggressions turn into actual-acts of violence. and it is really hard to watch. and so, i encourage people to watch these videos to see this is actually happening. i mean, these are -- these are real stories, real lives. >> yeah. it -- it's sickening but frankly, to turn away from it and pretend it's not happening is -- makes it even, even worse. people don't deserve to suffer, in silence. people should know about what's happening. and take a part in stopping it. jeremy lin, i really appreciate you speaking with us tonight, and appreciate all the -- all that you've been doing. thank you. >> thank you for having me, and for raising awareness about this. i really, really appreciate it. >> take care. just ahead. president biden calls vladimir putin a killer. leaving no doubt that the relationship between russia and the white house, the past-four years, is over. what that means for the u.s. and our elections, when we return. am like an immovable, implacable place. it is not. it can be bright. quiet. and safe. it's a change that will be felt from this street. to this street. to no street. and everywhere in between. all it takes is the slightest push in just the right place and that will be the tipping point that changes everything. ♪ ♪ amy body is truly powerful.g point that changes everything. i have the power to lower my a1c. because my body can still make its own insulin. and trulicity activates my body to release it, lowering my blood sugar from the first dose. once-weekly trulicity responds when my body needs it, 24/7. trulicity is for type 2 diabetes. it's not insulin. it isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't take trulicity if you're allergic to it, you or your family have medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction, a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, changes in vision, or diabetic retinopathy. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. taking trulicity with sulfonylurea or insulin raises low blood sugar risk. side effects include indigestion, fatigue, belly pain, decreased appetite, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting which can lead to dehydration and may worsen kidney problems. i have it within me to lower my a1c. ask your doctor about trulicity. four, five, turn, kick. we got chased by these wild coyotes! they were following her because she had beef jerky in her pocket. (laughing) (trumpet playing) someone behind me, come on. pick that up, pick that up, right there, right there. as long as you keep making the internet an amazing place to be, we'll keep bringing you a faster, more secure, and more amazing internet. xfinity. the future of awesome. today, the white house said president biden would not hold back against vladimir putin after the president went directly after the russian leader for undermining our elections in an interview, tuesday. >> he will pay a price. i -- we had a long talk, he and i. i know him, relatively well. and the conversation started off, i said, i know you and you know me. if i establish this occurred, then be prepared. >> so, you know vladimir putin. you think he is a killer? >> uh-huh, i do. >> so, what price must he pay? >> the price he is going to pay. well, you will see shortly. >> those comments came after a new intelligence report said russia used trump allies to influence the 2020 election, which led to a rather remarkable turn of events this afternoon when the russian foreign ministry recalled their ambassador. we are joined now by kaitlan collins and our chief political correspondent, dana bash. so, kaitlan, obviously, president biden has a different response than the former president consistently had. what more is the white house saying about moscow recalling its ambassador? >> they are not really commenting, specifically, on it. the white house press secretary was asked today during the previ briefing if they wanted to respond to that. instead, they said they are taking a very different approach to what we saw with biden's predecessor. of course, that was obvious from january when president biden had his first call with vladimir putin and you saw the readout of that. and it was basically, like, a bill of complaints. all of these things, going after russia, talking about their interference in the elections. talking about their poisonings of dissidents. everything that you could basically think of that could be a grievance with russia, they listed in the readout in biden's call with putin. so, basically, saying that he feels like he can take a much more combative approach with him. and so, what you are seeing today with them summoning their ambassador back to russia, of course, comes after, yes, he agreed that he does think that putin is a killer. and that is something that you heard from president trump. but in a very different way. because, remember, in 2017, he was also asked, and -- or he was confronted by bill o'reilly saying, well, putin is a killer. and trump said, yes, he was, but the u.s. had killers, too. basically, equivocating what you have seen the russian leader do. we have not seen that from president biden. and so, i think it is kind of a wake-up call for russia. the question is how it changes things going forward because, of course, they still have to work together, given they are both nuclear powers. and how that looks like. >> dana, this is from the infamous helsinki summit which was really shocking. the comments that he made, in front of putin, in front of -- on the world stage, kacasting doubt on what his own top-intelligence official said about russian interference in 2016. >> coats came to me and some others and said they think it's russia. i have president putin. he just said it's not russia. i will say this. i don't see any reason why it would be. so, i have great confidence in my intelligence people. but i will tell you that, president putin was extremely strong and powerful, in his denial today. >> i mean, that was nuts when it happened. it still seems kind of crazy. how -- how much of what we are hearing from president biden is basically what any other president, except the most recent one, would be saying to putin? >> well, i think it is a couple things. one is, it is pretty strong. it's pretty strong stuff. and it -- it is a, no question, a direct result of the way that his predecessor handled vladimir putin. and that was the, kind of, pinnacle. maybe, it is a better way to stay the low point of -- of the u.s. presence and the u.s. posture towards russia. across the board, republicans and democrats, will tell you that, even to this day. and they did, even at that point. and so, what joe biden is, clearly, trying to do is reset, in a dramatic way. and he did so, with those comments. and, you know, i just hung up before talking to you, anderson, with a top senator on foreign-relations matters. who, you know, just wanted to emphasize how big of a deal it is. for russia to pull back its ambassador for consultations. and according to our colleague, matthew chance, his sources inside russia, inside moscow, say it was directly because of the comments that president biden made. saying, yes, vladimir putin is a killer. and, you know, a lot of people say that he was just speaking the truth. but it, certainly, wasn't d diplomatic and so the question is how much does this escalate? and that's a very open question, right now. >> you know, kaitlan, we had jim sciutto on the program last night talking about the new intelligence rortd saying russia attempted to report then-candidate biden. pretty much, much of the same wording that was used to describe russian interference in -- in 2016. i mean, you know, many americans, who have been critics of the administration, might not want to hear, ad nauseam, about it again. but, you know, obviously, still, kind of warrants some sort of response, one would think, from the united states. >> well, and biden has said he will respond. he was pressed, repeatedly, in that interview he did last night with abc news. how was he going to respond? he has not told us, yet. so, we are waiting to see what the actions for that are going to be. what's the response going to actually be for them s? and yes, i think maybe people are tired of hearing about because it is something we have talked about at length. but what's important is it's still happening-. clearly, according to the intelligence community, on an ongoing basis. so how do you respond to it? how do you confront russia over it? and i think the big difference with biden is he is not someone who shies away from it. with president trump, i had aides tell me they were hesitant to even bring it up with him because they knew it would set him off. on a granular level like that, things have changed. >> by the way, you are shaming me, both. you have fully embraced st. patrick's day. both of you, match your jacket, somehow. yeah. i clearly have let down -- >> your st. patrick's day sandwich. we got you covered. >> i don't know. i am very sorry about this. i apologize. thanks very much. updates -- yeah -- updates on several fronts regarding the coronavirus. going to take you to a small town in oklahoma where the very idea of getting the covid vaccine seems, pretty much, unthinkable. challenging times are nothing new. neither are resilient people. there's strength in every family story. la lot of people think. dealing with copd is there's strength ina walk in the park.. if i have something to help me breathe better, everything will be fun and nice. but i still have bad days flare-ups (coughs), which can permanently damage my lungs. my lungs need protection against flare-ups. so it's time to get real. because in the real world our lungs deserves the real protection of breztri. breztri gives you better breathing symptom improvement, and flare-up protection. it's the first and only copd medicine proven to reduce flare-ups by 52% breztri won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. it is not for asthma. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. don't take breztri more than prescribed. breztri may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. for real protection ask your doctor about breztri. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ i'm erin. -and i'm margo. we've always done things our own way. charted our own paths. i wasn't going to just back down from moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. psoriatic arthritis wasn't going to change who i am. when i learned that my joint pain could mean permanent joint damage, i asked about enbrel. enbrel helps relieve joint pain, and helps stop permanent joint damage. plus enbrel helps skin get clearer in psoriatic arthritis. ask your doctor about enbrel, so you can get back to your true self. -play ball! enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders and allergic reactions have occurred. tell your doctor if you've been someplace where fungal infections are common. or if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have persistent fever, bruising, bleeding or paleness. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. visit enbrel.com to see how your joint damage could progress. enbrel. eligible patients may pay as little as $5 per month. tonight, the u.s. on brink of surpassing -- michigan's cases are up more than 50%, compared to last week. but the overall-national rate of cases, continues to decline. and cdc director, dr. rochelle walensky says the agency plans to issue new guidance to allow less social distancing at schools, down to three feet instead of six feet. also, nearly one out of every eight americans is fully vaccinated. nearly 2.5 million doses were given over the past seven days. that is a new record. still, according to an 47% support the president. they will not try to get the vaccine. one of the pockets it's playing out is in the red state of oklahoma. here's what residents told gary tuchman about the vaccine. >> reporter: it's breakfast time in boise city, oklahoma. i have this question. >> does anybody in this restaurant think it's a good idea to take the vaccine? >> no. >> raise your hand if you think it's a good idea. anyone here, it's a good idea? raise your hand to think if it's a good idea? not one person here thinks it's a good idea? complete quiet. >> reporter: boise city is the county seat sparsely populated where 92% of voters chose donald trump on election day. the highest percentage in the state, all 77 counties went for trump. >> are you taking the vaccine? >> no, sir. >> reporter: tell me why. >> i don't trust the government. i don't trust biden. >> reporter: he and his wife neither plan to get the vaccine. >> doint -- i don't want to. >> when i take the flu shot, i usually get the flu, so there is no reason to take it. >> reporter: are you saying you will get covid by taking a covid? >> yes. >> reporter: why are you thinking that in the research doesn't slow that at all. >> that's just my choice. >> reporter: these women are sisters and they, too, are doubters. why are you doubtful? >> they just started rolling them out. >> reporter: they haven't. this has been a world wide effort. >> the flu can be cured. there is still hundreds of thousands of people die from the flu. >> reporter: not nearly as much as covid. this is a horrible pandemic and this is like an amazing vaccine. they are saving lives. >> no i agree to disagree on this subject. >> i'm just not. i won't take it. >> reporter: what if president trump came out and is very ro bust and said, take the vaccine, i took it, even though i didn't tell anybody about it. it was done secretly. he said it a little bit. if he was robust and said take it, would you? >> no. he's a liberal new yorker. why would we listen to him either? >> reporter: did you vote for him? >> he was the best option. >> reporter: no matter where we went, enthusiasm for the vaccine wasn't easy to find, despite this front page announcement. >> reporter: this is the boise city news, covid vaccines are available in your hospital. they want people to get them. are you going to get one? >> no, sir. >> reporter: how come? >> i really don't ever get vaccines. >> reporter: we did find the boss in the grocery store, though, who gave us a different answer but with a caveat. are you going to take the vaccine? >> i have taken it. >> reporter: what made you decide to take it? >> my wife. ro andersen the phones at the hole hospital don't seem to be ring off the hook regarding vaccines, but appointments are being taken in doses of the johnson&johnson are being given. i spoke to a nurse. a hospital official dealing with the vaccine. she described i want as fair. there has been a fair response so far. she also told me she is hearing the same concerns and fears about the vaccine that i heard here today. >> appreciate it, thanks very much. those reaction from our other developments from dr. sanjay gupta. does it surprise you to see people saying they're not going to get the vaccine? >> yeah. it does surprise me, a little bit, i guess. we know there is a fair amount of hesitancy out there. i thought that was a fascinating piece and there wasn't a lot of dialogue. right. there was no convincing it seemed like. these people simply did not want to take the vaccine. but you know, we do know that the am of vaccine hesitancy out there has been hovering around 30%, maybe going down a little bit as more and more people get vaccinateed.n so that's not a new phenomenon, anderson for it to stall out like that. >> it's interesting, people like in israel have been vaccinated, it seems like i've read have more access to going to a gym or entering an office. do you think that's going to happen here? >> i do. i think that will happen here. it's really interesting. remember, anderson, when we were talking about this initially, look, if you get this vaccine, it essentially is 95% protective against you getting severely ill. 100% protective against dyeing. i remember thinking, that's incredible. that's huge incentive. my parents are in their 70s living in florida worrying about getting sick and hoebl -- possibly hospitalized. this was a huge weight off their shoulders. to your point, one thing i've learned, a lesson for all, in terms of communicating about this, what does the vaccine allow you to do. we know it can save your life. what do you know you can do with that life in so if people can fly, if they can enter certain facilities, do things that they otherwise would not be able to do, that could be a huge incentive. >> the cdc weighed in on two variants of concern, what do we know so far about them? >> so, these are two variants that are found that are more transmissible than the what we call the wild-type virus. the virus that is currently circulating. it's interesting, we knew there would be more and more variants as the virus circulates more and more. but when you have a variant like this, the thing you are trying to figure out is, a, is it more transmissible. b, how do the anti-bodies that the vaccine generates and the anti-bodies someone infected generates wok against these variants. what they're finding is that the anti-body still seem to work well, but there is a reduced effect from these anti-body against the variants. it's all done in the lab. i think that what we are learning over and over again is that these variants, though they are not escaping the immunity given by a vaccine, that is increasingly the concern. we haven't seen it yet. if that was the case, it would be called a variance of high consequence. we haven't seen that yet. that's what they're monitoring for. >> they said anti-body neutralize the two variants in the lab. so in layman's terms, what does that mean? >> so what they basically do is take the virus. this is all in the lab, not the real world. you don't know how well, this translates. they take the virus, they take the vaccine and say is the vaccine creating enough of these neutralizing anti-bodies that many people now know is making these proteins that into ut neutralize the virus. they find that it does. it does make the neutralizing anti-bodies, but fewer as compared to the more wild-type virus a. virus that is more predominantly circulating. >> i appreciate it. thank you very much. police arrest the man outside a residence, vice president harris today. details on that when we come back. ve always focused on my career. but when we found out our son had autism, his future became my focus. lavender baths always calmed him. so we turned bath time into a business. and building it with my son has been my dream job. at northwestern mutual, our version of financial planning helps you live your dreams today. find a northwestern [ "could have been me"com by the struts playing ] ♪ don't wanna wake up on a monday morning ♪ ♪ the thought of work's getting my skin crawling ♪ hey, mercedes? -how can i help you? ♪ i can't fear you, i don't hear you now ♪ ♪ wrapped in your regret ♪ ♪ what a waste of blood and sweat ♪ ♪ oh oh oh ♪ ♪ could have been me ♪ the 2021 e-class. motortrend's 2021 car of the year. ♪ ♪ so you want to make the best burger ever? then make it! that means selling everything. and eating nothing but cheese till you find the perfect slice... even if everyone asks you... another burger truck? don't listen to them! that means cooking day and night until you get... [ ding ] you got paid! that means adding people to the payroll. hi mom. that means... best burger ever. intuit quickbooks helps small businesses be more successful with payments, payroll, banking and live bookkeeping. with relapsing forms of ms, there's a lot to deal with. not just unpredictable relapses. all these other things too. who needs that kind of drama? kesimpta is a once-monthly at-home injection that may help you put this rms drama in its place. kesimpta was proven superior at reducing the rate of relapses, active lesions and slowing disability progression versus aubagio. don't take kesimpta if you have hepatitis b, and tell your doctor if you have had it, as it could come back. kesimpta can cause serious side effects, including infections. while no cases of pml were recorded in rms clinical trials, it could happen. tell your doctor if you had or plan to have vaccines, or if you are or plan to become pregnant. kesimpta may cause a decrease in some types of antibodies. the most common side effects are upper respiratory tract infection, headache and injection reactions. dealing with this rms drama? it's time to ask your doctor about kesimpta. dramatic results. less rms drama.