not both sides. there's only one side. the side against hate. spoken by president biden and echoed by a vice president who is our first south asian, black, and female vp. vp harris also delivered a powerful plea to stop the hate. and then, after they spoke, they did what leaders have to do. they listened. these two did that in atlanta today, in the wake of tuesday's spa shootings. six dead -- eight dead, six asian women. the suspect in custody with white. this has not been labeled a hate crime. but on one level, the motive doesn't matter, because regardless, it generated fear in the asian-american community. i have to be honest, i don't know how, looking at the circumstances, i don't know how you separate race from the targeting that went on here. and i think one of the indications of this being a sensitive issue is that while it's generated fear in the asian community, it's also generated animus on the right political fringe that is oddly insistent that this is not a hate crime. why? why insist? and why keep insisting that attacks on asians aren't always perpetrated by whites, and does it matter? does it matter who attacks out of hate? maybe it does to people driven by division. fact: hate incidents against asians have soared almost 157% since the pandemic began. nearly 3,800 incidents have been reported in just the last year, up to 68% of the complainants are women. president biden called on congress earlier to quickly pass the covid-19 hate crimes act which would expedite the federal government's response to cases like what we just saw in atlanta. but we have to get to the root of why people of asian heritage are being targeted in ever-increasing numbers. let's be honest. this couldn't have helped. >> i can name kung flu. kung flu. the world is suffering from this china virus. it's not racist at all, not all of, no. it comes from china. >> yes, it is racist. and no, this is not about being woke. it's about the words he spoke to target asians as bad guys. and no, calling a variant the uk variant is different. and you know this, because in one case, you are ascribing animus. trump is calling it those things as a proxy to blame the chinese for getting us sick. and don't say, how do you know what he means. he said that. he said that's why he's saying it. and second, it's merely an identifier of the origin, and therefore, yes, trump is to blame for the animus, at least partially. even as recently as the night of the shootings in atlanta this week, there was trump on hate tv spewing his same racist refrains that only fan the flames of hatred. be honest, you know that's why the righty fringe are saying it's not a hate crime. same reason they say january 6 wasn't an act of terror. not an insurrection. it's to protect trump and to protect a base that is increasingly about being a safe harbor for hate. like president biden said and as we all know, words matter. and when you look at what we've dealt with the last few years starting with muslims, we know islam hates us, right, muslims are terrorists, african nations as shithole countries. oh, yeah, i said it. i'm not going to insulate trump from his own vulgarity. if you don't like that word, you don't think i should repeat it, be bothered by the author. that's the vulgarity. the intent is what makes it vulgar. black lives matter, those people, whoo, that's an an angry mob, they'll come to your homes, led by cory booker. covid, kung flu, all that bs, it's all part of an illness of animus. it worries me and it worries you, i hope, even more than the pandemic. this trump virus, there's no easy vaccine. so how do we stop it? let's ask someone who brainstormed with president biden today. atlanta mayor keisha lance bottoms. welcome back to "prime time." good to see you, ma'am. mayor. >> thank you, chris, nice to see you as well. >> i hope the family is on the mend. everybody good? >> everybody's doing much better. and i hope that you are as well. >> better than i deserve. so look, you are not new to the politics of division, people being angry, finding root causes and cures. when you see what happened in atlanta, what does it speak to, in your opinion? >> you know, our former mayor, maynard jackson, said atlanta is the city too busy to hate. then we've heard it said that atlanta is the city that's not too busy to love. i think that's where we are in america. we can't be so busy with our day to day lives and our day to day concerns that we aren't thinking about those who are also in need. we know over the summer there was so much outpouring of support and love and encouragement for the african-american community as we experienced the social protests over the summer. but lost in the conversation that we've had as of late has been hatred towards many other communities, specifically our asian-american brothers and sisters. and the absolute worst happened in atlanta. but you what's been highlighted is that we are still a community of love, and that there's still so much work to be done. and that's what we heard when we sat in the room with the president and the vice president today. we heard the frustration, we heard the anger, but also the righteous indignation. it's going to take all of us to solve this issue, solve these issues. but it was a very moving meeting today. and just to have the president and the vice president in atlanta together really speaks to how important this is to our country as a whole. >> it takes everybody, but you don't have everybody, right? the same people, it would seem, who were saying look at these savages running all over the streets of atlanta and all over this country, they're not about law, they're law breakers and rioters. they're the same ones now to a large extent saying, how do you know it's a hate crime, why is everything a hate crime? what do you say to those people? >> when you look at the definition of a hate crime in georgia, it's not just based on race, it could also be based on sex. he targeted asian massage parlors, if you can believe the word of a mass murderer, because of some sexual addiction that he had, and he targeted women. so i think that in and of itself speaks to the definition of a hate crime in georgia. but the reality is this, chris, the stiffer penalties will come along with a murder conviction, with murder convictions on several counts. in georgia the penalties, as i've read it, for hate crimes are only an additional two years for felonies. but i do think the symbolism of him being charged with a hate crime is important. and i do hope that's what prosecutors will decide to do. >> what do you think we need to do, first, to make sure that the asian community, i guess in your biggest county, fulton county, you're somewhere south of 10% asian population. obviously this is going to resonate with all minority communities. what do you do to give confidence in the investigation and confidence of some type of cure? >> well, even in sitting in the room today, as you know, gwinnett county has a very large asian population. i took, chris, probably seven pages of notes sitting there, because as informed as i think that i am, there's still so much more that i can see we can clearly do in the city of atlanta. i heard it coming from our state senators and state representatives. there was even the reading of a letter from one of the victims' children who wrote the letter as if she were writing it from her mother's voice. and so there is healing that has to happen. there is accountability that has to happen in our city, in our country. but there is also so much more that we can do because this community, just as we talk about black and brown communities, they are often afraid to come out of the shadows. someone shared the story of a store that had been vandalized. the man who owned the store was an american citizen, but he was afraid to call the police because he didn't want it to interfere with his ability to bring his wife to this country. these are real issues that we have, and there's so much work to be done. it's unfortunate that it's being highlighted on the deaths of eight innocent people. but i think there's a lot to be learned and a lot more that we can and will do as a city and a country. >> what have you learned so far in terms of whether or not the concerns of the asian-american community as a minority community, are they the same as they are for african-americans, the black community, the brown community? or do you see similarities but also distinctions that need to be addressed? >> they are the same. and i'm looking at my notes, because senator said this, sam pat, that the asian-american community should have the ability to live without fear and with equal dignity. is that not what we all want for ourselves and our families? they're not asking for anything additional. they're not asking to be treated differently. they're asking to be treated with dignity and to live without fear. i don't think that's too much to ask in the united states of america. >> how big a deal was it to have biden and vp harris be in atlanta? >> well, as you know, they were coming to atlanta to discuss the american rescue plan. so that was a big deal in and of itself. i'm not aware of many times that the president and the vice president have come to atlanta together. i can't think of a time, quite frankly, in recent memory. but what was also most striking in our meeting, a lot of the concerns that were put forth about access to resources, access to medical care, vaccines, et cetera, so much of this has already been contemplated in the american rescue plan. clearly there is always more that can be done. but this is a thoughtful administration that we have in the white house. even before this tragedy, thinking about american families, thinking about citizens, and even those who may be undocumented members of this country, thinking about them and contemplating ways that we can help them in a time of crisis. so it was good to hear president biden in his own words share those things that had already been contemplated. and i know that there's even more takeaways that the white house will look further into. >> hate always has a simple solution of loving your way through it, if you can get understanding. but this animus gets more and more complicated, you know? with black lives matter, it's people refusing to see that there are systems involved and there is inequality. now with the asian community, it's introducing people to the idea of them being somehow a gifted minority, that they don't have to deal with being a minority the way others do. it's a lot of education we have to do. that's why we have to have this conversation with people of understanding and influence, like you. mayor keisha lance bottoms, thank you for joining us, especially on a friday night. >> thank you, chris. >> be well. the man in the shadows of trump co. the man who guards many of the secrets, who knows everything that trump did with his money. prosecutors are going after him. they want to know about dealings and finances. i'm talking about the trump org's cfo, allen weisselberg. he has not flipped. they're talking about doing a cooperation agreement when they were going after michael cohen. now we're getting some insight we've never had before. his former daughter-in-law is talking. why? she says she's worried about trump's power and the control dynamic being used to silence her now that she's going through a hard divorce. she says she's seen things, lived through things, and she wants you to know things about what this investigation is really about, next. i bought this turtle from stole all of my info. ooh, have you looked on the bright side? discover never holds you responsible for unauthorized purchases on your card. (giggling) that's my turtle. fraud protection. discover. something brighter. when you buy this plant at walmart, they can buy more plants from metrolina greenhouses so abe and art can grow more plants. so they can hire vilma... and wendy... and me. so, more people can go to work. so, more days can start with kisses. when you buy this plant at walmart. ♪ it's a thirteen-hour flight, that's not a weekend trip. when you buy this plant fifteen minutes until we board. oh yeah, we gotta take off. you downloaded the td ameritrade mobile app so you can quickly check the markets? yeah, actually i'm taking one last look at my dashboard before we board. excellent. and you have thinkorswim mobile- -so i can finish analyzing the risk on this position. you two are all set. have a great flight. thanks. we'll see ya. ah, they're getting so smart. choose the app that fits your investing style. ♪ [ "could have been me" 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. ♪ ♪ michael cohen. you know him. he met with prosecutors in new york for the eighth time today, according to a person familiar with the matter. president trump's former fixer might be the most well-known name, certainly the most infamous, in the investigation by the manhattan district attorney's office. but can they really expect to bring a case against donald trump completely leaning on michael cohen? if you have a flawed witness, you end up with a flawed case. i'm not judging the man. i'm just says his past may prove a burden. but it turns out he may not be the person with the most inside information. that would be allen weisselberg. in fact michael cohen often referred to him in his dealings for trump, that weisselberg knew and helped with everything, weisselberg is the long time cfo of the trump organization. his role in the trump business dates back decades to when the former president's father was running the place. now, one person who knows this world better than most is our next guest. she is the ex-wife of one trump organization executive and the former daughter-in-law of allen weisselberg himself. and yes, jennifer weisselberg is talking with investigators. jennifer, thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >> why is it important for you to speak out now and about this? >> it's important for me because i'm being bullied and abused by donald trump's power. and the investigation going on is serious. and i'm a witness. >> now, people who support the president say, no, no, it's a witch hunt, he just runs a business, he's just successful, and there's nothing different about this organization. what is it like for someone who lived inside the culture of the trump organization for as many years as you did? what do you think people should know? >> i don't think americans nationally understand what goes on inside this small mom and pop organization. either by the way they handle their finances or by the way they conduct business with a lack of integrity. >> as an example of that, you say that you and your ex-husband were gifted an apartment when you were first married that you got to live in that never felt, let's say, as new yorkers say, kosher to you. it didn't seem like it was on the up and up. why? >> to me it felt -- it felt -- it felt completely kosher, chris. i had a surprise bridal shower across the street at trump woman rink in 2004 before i got married. i was walked over to the apartment and brought in, it was gutted, my ex-husband said, you know, check it out, this is a gift from melania and donald for our wedding. >> in retrospect, do you feel that it was somehow representative of how business and personal sometimes got mixed within the trump organization? >> yes, i feel strongly that there is an abuse of control, meaning that now, with perspective, and the fact that the apartment was deemed a corporate apartment by barry himself in the deposition in my divorce, which is the first i learned about it in 2018, that the way the company, the trump org operates, is by compensating you annually in apartments, cars, tuition for my two children. and in that sense, it's difficult to leave. >> what did you come to learn about the nature of the relationship between your father-in-law and the former president? >> it's a team. they absolutely don't -- allen doesn't do anything without him. it's not behind his back, donald trump is fully aware of what he's doing. but he is the one that makes the deals and then allen weisselberg makes the deals and decides on every number and how it will be handled within the company, every number, every deal, every part of the finances, chris. and then donald is told about it, approves or not approves of it, and then is the one that, you know, is the publicity head for it, is the talking head for it. but it's very much the same person. they're a team. it's not a witch hunt. this is based on finite numbers. this is not hypotheticals, they're not trying to assume. they're not looking to do that. this is a serious -- you know, financial laws are based on numbers. either they broke the law or they didn't. who they are is part of why they're talking to me. there are personal documents, only because my divorce started soon after the inauguration. and there are personal documents of the weisselbergs, allen and barry. share the content of it is too sensitive at this time. but the other half of it is, i'm a character witness for the control, misuse of power, for who they are and how they've done things for four decades. you know, i've been in the family for 25 years. >> what bothered you the most? >> the misuse of power and influence they used, the control. the fact that any cost, it doesn't matter how the other side in a deal makes out. they don't care. it's so self-serving. and it's unethical. there's no moral compass to that company. >> given how close your ex-father-in-law is to the former president and his father before him, do you think there's any chance that he would go bad on trump and side with prosecutors? or do you think he'll take the rap for him? >> no, i think he'll -- i think that -- i think that he'll -- i think he'll turn on him. >> why? >> i think his sons have too much criminal liability. >> you think your ex-father-in-law might turn on trump to save his own sons? >> yes. it's the only way. that i see. >> i know you're being very respectful of the investigation. we talked to counsel, i know they don't want you to divulge details, so i'm not going to push you, but i will thank you for setting the table for us. and when you are able to talk about things without compromising anything, you are welcome to do so here. >> chris, thank you. i think it's important that there's accountability for anyone, and for all of them. i believe that the investigations are serious and going well and have begun to go more rapidly in the last few months since they brought mark pomeranz in. i'm hopeful that justice will be served. >> jennifer weisselberg, thank you very much. good luck to you going forward. >> thanks, chris, i appreciate you having me. the trump organization has denied any wrongdoing. allen weisselberg has not been accused of any wrongdoing. we did reach out to mr. weisselberg and his legal team. they did not agree to come on. barry weisselberg, who is jennifer's ex-husband, had no comment when contacted by cnn. let's unpack what we just heard. what matters, what does this suggest? anything that sounds incriminating against the ex-president? we have the perfect guest, former assistant attorney general for new york state. he led the investigation and prosecution of trump university and he is here, next. keeping your oysters business growing has you swamped. you need to hire. i need indeed indeed you do. the moment you sponsor a job on indeed you get a shortlist of quality candidates from a resume data base claim your seventy-five-dollar credit when you post your first job at indeed.com/promo ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ deposit, plan and pay with easy tools from chase. simplicity feels good. chase. make more of what's yours. tonight...i'll be eating loaded tots for march madness. 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'cause i do things a bit differently. wet teddy bears! wet teddy bears here! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ it's moving day. and while her friends are doing the heavy lifting, jess is busy moving her xfinity internet and tv services. it only takes about a minute. wait, a minute? but what have you been doing for the last two hours? ...delegating? oh, good one. move your xfinity services without breaking a sweat. xfinity makes moving easy. go online to transfer your services in about a minute. get started today. jennifer weisselberg's story matters. but for prosecutors, you only know what you show. so it's the documents she has that could be key. few people better to get a sense in what you need in a case like this than tristan snell. he led the investigation and prosecution of donald trump in the trump university case. counselor, good to see you. >> thanks for having me, chris. >> what perked up your ears from that interview? >> jennifer weisselberg referred to it very well as a mom and pop organization. we think of the trumps as being a big organization, fifth avenue, new york city, the biggest, the best, whatever, that's the trump facade. it was a very small operation and still is to this day. these things are run by a small group of people who had minute control over every single thing. >> what do you see as the analog, the analogy, from what you learned from trump university to what this larger investigation may look at? >> well, look, it's all going to come down to a lot of the financial records. for our case it was a little different because a lot of the fraud was being done in these seminars, these supposed classes for trump university. so for us to get our hands on the transcripts of those classes was a big deal. but getting the financial records was a big thing. here the misrepresentations at issue, the allegations of fraud that we think are going to emerge, were fraud made to lenders saying that these buildings were worth so much and then turning around and going to tax authorities and claiming that the same buildings were worth almost nothing or worth a lot less. and it's those misrepresentations, the numerical misrepresentations will be the big issue here. so a lot of it comes down to the financial records. allen weisselberg was very much the keeper of those records. it's not just that he ran a department. he personally was looking at every single penny that went in and out of the company. >> michael cohen didn't have anything to do with the accounting, i don't know how he could help in that way. weisselberg, what could she have in the way of documents that could help investigators? >> you never know. people email themselves documents at their home address, both of weisselberg's sons, including barry, jennifer's ex-husband, were personally involved with the trump organization as well. things get brought home, discussions are made about things going on at work. she might have all sorts of information. she was part of that family for a very long time. and again, allen weisselberg is not just the accountant or something like that in the organization. he was trump's right-hand man, that is, really, really -- it cannot be emphasized enough. >> you're not going to hang a case like this on michael cohen. what are you going to need? >> no, michael cohen only touched certain aspects, when there was a certain payment that needed to be made to quiet someone. cohen was involved with trump university, there were university students who raised enough of a ruckus that cohen was dispatched to get them to sign a release and shut them up. cohen had a role in the organization but it was pretty narrow. i'm sure he helped open factual doors for the prosecutors, i'm sure he's helping guide them through a lot of the documents. but at the end of the day he's one relatively small piece of the puzzle. the bigger kicker is if they can get weisselberg implicated and it's implicated, they can get it to flip. >> how easy or hard is that? >> if you actually are the cfo and you're personally signing off on everything, weisselberg signed every check, he reviewed every tax form, i'm sure he reviewed the pro formas that would have been sent to any of the banks to get these large loans when they were getting loans from deutsche bank and so forth that are going to be key and at issue in this investigation. i think a good analogy here is to enron. obviously that's a while ago now, but for viewers who may remember it, obviously that was a huge, huge financial scandal. this could be that big. in the enron scandal, their cfo, andy fasto, was charged with fraud and conspiracy. he did cooperate with prosecutors. he still did six years in prison. but he did cooperate with prosecutors. he did flip. but the cfo in an organization that's committing rampant fraud, that cfo is almost certainly going to be personally implicated. >> this is heavily tbc, to be continued. >> of course. >> we do know this, weisselberg was heavily mentioned by cohen in knowing everything that they did in the payoffs with "the inquirer" and all that stuff and he escaped scrutiny, supposedly, working with them. what will he do this time because it's exponentially more important. tristan snell, thank you very much, we look back to having you back on when we learn more. be well and thank you for being here on a friday night. >> thanks, chris. back by popular demand, ahead, a new installment of right and wrong. we have the man who has all the right stuff, michael smerconish. that leaves me in a bad spot. next. - [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. ♪ ♪ be right back. with moderate to severe crohn's disease, i was there, just not always where i needed to be. is she alright? i hope so. so i talked to my doctor about humira. i learned humira is for people who still have symptoms of crohn's disease after trying other medications. the majority of people on humira saw significant symptom relief in as little as 4 weeks. and many achieved remission that can last. humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections, including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores . don't start humira if you have an infection. be there for you and them. ask your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, remission is possible. if you have this... consider adding this. an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan from unitedhealthcare. medicare supplement plans help by paying some of what medicare doesn't... and let you see any doctor. any specialist. anywhere in the u.s. who accepts medicare patients. so if you have this... consider adding this. call unitedhealthcare today for your free decision guide. pushing conspiracy theories is no easy matter. but pushing vaccines to save lives, that seems beyond many republicans. let's take it to a better mind to weigh in on the commentary and talk right and wrong. mr. smerconish, thank you very much for joining us. where would you like to begin? >> why not with the 47% who tell marist and npr that as republicans they have no interest in getting a vaccination. >> do you believe that is right or wrong? >> i believe that that is wrong. i believe that that is miscast as some item of individualism, gadsden flag, don't tread on me. but you're making a decision not only for yourself but also for your family and your neighbors. your decision to wear a mask or not wear a mask, get the vaccine, not get the vaccine, is going to impact me as a member of the community. so i think it's selfish. >> but here's why it is right for them, because they have been told that this science is a little squishy and you've got to be careful because it was all motivated to hurt trump. and we don't really know that much about the vaccine, the data is still slow and they keep evolving their understanding of it and it seems like cases are going down anyway and you have people like rand paul bashing on dr. fauci that you're overdoing it, you're overselling this, we don't need to do this. and they don't want to trust the institutions. and this is a perfect opportunity to show it. >> but you invoked the name of your fearless leader, that would be former president donald trump. and after all, now we know he himself was vaccinated before he left the white house. why not take a lesson from him? >> fake news. he never said he was vaccinated. he did say you should get vaccinated the other day after being pressured to do so. when we get to the point where we do have the supply and there starts to be a dip in demand curve, do you think that biden going on a messaging campaign makes the difference? or do you think he has to enlist republicans and republican culture archetypes? >> i don't think that he can get it done on his own. i think it's going to take a movement among republican leaders and i'm not convinced they're going to be there. look, why does, for example, former president trump need to be extended an invitation from joe biden, president biden, to get out on the platform that he already enjoys and encourage people to do it? that's the right thing. you would think he would want to do it without being prompted. but that's not the case. >> he has zero interest in doing anything that he can't take full credit for. the vaccine. you think he'd push it so he can own it. next one, what do you got? >> next one that i've got is the filibuster. and i think there's a very difficult decision coming from president biden, because you know that this week he embraced the idea of at least bringing back the speaking filibuster. i don't think that's enough. i think that the clock is ticking, not for the least of which reason is his opportunity to serve a second term, i don't know that i see that. if you're joe biden, you want to get a heck of a lot more done than just the $1.9 trillion relief package, not that i'm undervaluing it, but there was a lot more he promised americans. so the calculus in the biden white house right now is one of, do we try and really ditch the filibuster and get our agenda accomplished or are we setting a dangerous precedent for what's to come? >> this is what we call a ham and eggs proposition in politics. the relief bill was eggs. how many eggs, what kind of way are you going to distribute the eggs. ham is a real sacrifice. and if you allow voter rights to be suppressed and curtailed on your watch, that is ham. you are going to bleed for that with your base. the question is, can he get 50 people to say let's get rid of the filibuster. he may have to do the bird bath, he may have to go to the speaking rule only because i don't think he'll get anything else. i don't even know if he gets that. >> i remember what it was like to be present for a number of those democratic debates before covid set in, and i heard a whole wish list that was advanced by both he and his opponents on the presidential debate stage. i would sit there and i would say, it sounds great for the people in this room but how are they ever going to get it through a republican senate or a republican house? we have a democratic house, we have a split senate. but the point is you can't get anything done unless there's cooperation from both sides. i don't think that the prospect is all that good for him accomplishing any of that which he wants to get done. that's why they've got to make this call. and it's a very difficult decision. >> days of cooperation are over. they may return, but now this is power politics. the same way that you have this paradox that mcconnell is fighting to protect the minority role in the senate while he wants to restrict minority voting all over the country, you have the same problem on the democrat side. to manchin and the others who are thinking about protecting the filibuster, you want to protect something that was born of jim crow, and it's an obstacle to you to stopping the next wave of jim crow? that too is quite the dilemma. brother smerconish, thank for joining me on a friday night and all the time you make for my audience. you are always a plus. smerc's show is always strong, so is his radio show. president biden made his goal of 100 million shots in arms way early. good. the cdc set a new standard for schools. is that good? three feet apart. is that enough? is it always something else? are we applying more scrutiny to schools when we don't let other things open? let's talk turkey. top health authority, next. tonight...i'll be eating loaded tots for march madness. 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( piano glissando ) i think you better double them tots. no, this me was last year. i didn't get my madness last year, so we're doing double the madness this year. when you buy this plant at walmart, they can buy more plants from metrolina greenhouses so abe and art can grow more plants. so they can hire vilma... and wendy... and me. so, more people can go to work. so, more days can start with kisses. when you buy this plant at walmart. ♪ frustrated? me, too. especially, when it comes to schools? absolutely. while the rest of us are still urged to keep six-feet apart. cdc says, well, you know, within a school, maybe, it's three feet. okay. why? because, while everything else is opening up more and more and more. our schools aren't matching that rate. why not? kids are now considered safe, if they are only three-feet apart. we know they don't get sick at the same rate, especially when you get into middle schoolers. so, why have schools opened more slowly than everything else? the cdc -- cdc director says the three-foot thing will only work, if schools are taking other steps. mask wearing, handwashing, and, of course, ventilation. and yet, teachers unions are reluctant to move forward, until they know more. what else is there to know? let's see. dr. leana wen, good to have you here right now. i am frustrated. tell me i am wrong. here is the proposition. everything else is opening up. when they have much-more risk. mostly, adults. you know, they are eating, they're talking, they are yipping, they are yapping. kids don't get sick as much. you have seen the numbers. they are usually the low side of any community, even if it has a real number. and they are keeping more and more restrictions that keep them from opening in full. why? >> well, i think you are asking exactly the right question, chris. and that is, we should be talking about which activities are the most essential in society? and making sure that those are operating. i think, most of us can agree that, having schools be reopened for in-person instruction, full time ideally, is really essential. and that's why i'm, very much, in favor of this switch from six feet to three feet. because if we keep on this six-feet distancing, we're not going to be able to reopen schools, fully. and so, i actually think the question is not is it safe? because, nothing, at this point, is, 100%, safe. there is going to be some risk, in reopening schools, period. and some risk in changing from six feet to three feet. but i think it should be that the question we should be asking is, is it essential? and then, if it is, let's reduce risk as much as possible. so, actually, one thing i wish the cdc did more of is to say, if we are going to go to three feet. what are the other layers that we're going to make sure are in there? of course, mask wearing. but can we, to your point, can we have much-better ventilation in these classrooms? can we make sure teachers and staff are all vaccinated when you go to three feet? can we also look at -- at testing as another way to make it even safer? >> and, look, i'm in favor of all of it. and i have had the head of one of the major teachers unions on to discuss it. but i am still saying, this population is the least likely to be hospitalized and die, or even have severe illness. and we are putting the most onus on the responsibilities that need to be in place and requirements before we open them. just doesn't make sense. now, on vaccine, we have a ways to go, before we have a problem of not-enough demand for a supply, do we agree on that? >> true. although, it's going to be different in communities around the country. there are some places that, i am hearing from local-health officials, are already concerned that, maybe, on their county level, that maybe, supply is going to match demand, very soon. >> right. but the bigger populations that you have. you start to have more demand than you have supply. as we look forward to those who are reluctant to get it. the idea of messaging and targeting republican resistance. i keep hearing concerns about not enough people wanting the shot in those communities. what would make a difference, when it's political? >> yeah. so, i think that there are different groups that may be expressing vaccine hesitance and we have to target them differently. so let's leave out the anti-vaxxers. the people who don't believe in science, who are not vaccinating their children. let's leave them out, for a moment, because that's not the group that is most convincible. i think there is a really large group that is just uncertain about the vaccine. they don't know how serious coronavirus is. they may have heard some things about the vaccine. i think, for these groups, approaching them, not as a monolith but actually understanding what each individual's concerns are. and a lot of those conversations need to occur by someone trusted in their community. for example, a local doctor, a pharmacist, a church leader. not so much the national celebrities. although, certainly, that can't hurt. but actually, it's those individual conversations that really make a difference. but i think, there is another component here, too, chris, which is that people need to have vaccines available to them when it's convenient. i know, we are always, in the me media, talking so much about covid. but a lot of people, that is not their top concern. they are worried about going to work, worried about taking care of elderly parents or young children. we have to make getting the vaks b vaccine the easy choice. and i think that's how we are going to address so much of this issue of resistance that's not actually hesitancy but it's just lack of willingness to seek out the vaccine. >> convenience means a lot, especially when it comes to vaccination. dr. leana wen, thank you, and have a good weekend. we'll be right back. >> thank you. you, too. for years, i struggled with anxiety and depression. but when i was ready for help, finding the right care was nearly impossible. luckily, he had us. as mental health professionals, we could help him navigate the system. not everyone has that. that's why i started cerebral. online mental healthcare, without the high cost and wait times. with our affordable care model, you can get meds prescribed and delivered. and talk with a licensed therapist on your own time. with cerebral, everyone gets a care team. get your first month for just $30 at getcerebral.com. it's a thirteen-hour flight, that's not a weekend trip. fifteen minutes until we board. oh yeah, we gotta take off. you downloaded the td ameritrade mobile app so you can quickly check the markets? 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crazy. >> every week. every week, it's something new. as -- as my spanish friend always tells me. [ speaking foreign language ] always something. but yeah, i'm not doing the special on monda