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. prof