>> and good evening, i'm erin burnett. out front tonight, finger pointing after a brutal blow to democrats. the party now turning on itself after glenn youngkin pulled off an upset in virginia and in new jersey, the race for governor still too close to call. phil murphy currently leading by about 19,000 votes when polls showed him with an easy possible double-digit win. the president, along with others in his party, blaming it on biden's own stalled agenda. >> what i do know is i do know that people want us to get things done. they want us to get things done. >> there ought to be a clear message to my party and all those who support it to get the job done. >> failure to deliver. congress has to deliver. >> our inability to come together and get a result. >> failure to deliver what? i mean, senator mark warner was unafraid to touch what he sees as the third rail. calling out the left wing of his party. >> you can't win in virginia if you only appeal to very liberal voters. >> well, progressives -- very liberal -- pushing back hard. here is the chair of the progressive caucus, pramila jayapal. >> i think that, um, there is no way that you can say that a 12-point swing in a state is due to congress not passing a bill. >> well, that 12-point swing has sent shock waves across the country and through the democratic party. and left the democrats, once again, doing what they have been doing best lately. fighting each other. it seems the only thing that they agree on right now is the tired trope of trump. for months, mcauliffe made the virginia race about trump. but youngkin actually never appeared with the former president. instead, he kept focusing on issues that voters ended up caring the most about, like education. >> we are going to go to work on day one to reestablish expectations of excellence in our schools. we are going to raise teacher salaries. >> raise teacher salaries and that's not all. youngkin promised to pass the largest ever education budget for the state of virginia, rebuild crumbling schools, keep schools open five days a week to parents who have been home schooling for 18 months. the list went on and on but on the other side, they talked about education, not about budgets, about pay raises, they talked about critical-race theory. >> what's glenn youngkin's education plan? he wants to ban critical-race theory. >> and it's true. youngkin did talk about banning critical-race theory in the final weeks of his campaign but it's not even taught in the state. and what ended up mattering to voters were the dollars and cents. keep schools open. pay teachers. increase budgets. if you look at the exit polls, the economy number one. education, number two. followed by taxes and the pandemic. and by the way, youngkin had specifics on taxes, too. the big question now is how will the results in virginia and the soon to come ones in new jersey play out among democrats? jeremy diamond is outfront live outside the white house and, jeremy, how concerned is the president and the white house about what happened last night? i mean, this was a big blow. >> yeah, no doubt about it. listen, erin, here at the white house and democratic circles, there is been a lot of soul searching today among those democrats and including some white house advisers who see warning signs here for the midterms. but we didn't necessarily hear any of that soul searching from the president, himself. instead, what we heard from the president. he did not take responsibility for mcauliffe's loss in virginia and -- but what he did say was that maybe -- just maybe -- passing his agenda before that election could have made a difference. but he did not sound sure about it. what he did sound sure about is what needs to be done, going forward. between now and the midterms next year. the president talking about the need for action. the need for results. making clear that passing his agenda is important and ultimately saying that he believes that changing things like the economy, like covid, and passing these two items will make a difference when it comes to midterms next year and listen, that sentiment's been reflected by biden advisers i have spoken with today. what's also been reflected is the fact they believe the strategy ultimately of running against donald trump was not the right one. saying democrats need to be running -- showing what they are for, beyond just running against donald trump. certainly, that will be easier once and if democrats can pass these two bills going through congress right now. but a new sense of urgency definitely being felt here at the white house, erin. >> thanks very. jeremy. dana bash is our chief political correspondent. also with me, david axelrod, former senior adviser to president obama. so, david, youngkin won some key groups here and when i say key groups, i mean key, right? independents, suburbs. when you look at this, what is the most important takeaway for democrats? >> well, there are a couple. that's certainly one of them. the democratic strange has been built up over the trump years by making big inroads into the suburbs and among independent voters. biden carried them by, like, 18 points in 2020 in virginia. so, the fact that democrats lost ground in the suburbs is deeply concerning. should be to democrats. there also was a -- you know, trump was absent by youngkin's invitation. and -- and yet, the rural vote was, you know, exploded in -- in -- in virginia. and i don't know whether that's because there were, you know, under the surface, there were communications from -- from trump to his supporters. or whether it was reaction to biden. but, you know, the democratic party's problems with rural voters in virginia were more profound even than they were in the past. so, these are -- these are warning signs for the party. and we should point out, you know, because i know a lot of -- a lot of commentary has been given about the quality of the mcauliffe campaign and so on. i mean, look at new jersey. look at races on long island where county offices were lost. look at the vote around the country. this was not just about virginia. >> no. >> this was a national message. >> no, and -- and, dana, you know, to the -- to the point that david's making a lot of points there but the point he made about trump, right? trump wasn't present. s he tries to take credit for the win but youngkin did not run as trump so let me just break it down a little bit as you both know the numbers. youngkin wins the suburbs, which trump lost. even among trump's base as david points out, youngkin did better. so, trump won rural virginia with 52% of the vote. youngkin did 11 points better without trump ever appearing with him at a rally. trump wins noncollege whites with 62%. youngkin does 14 points better. i mean, dana, this is pretty stunning, right? because he was -- he was running in a sense, very much as a moderate in many ways. >> in the general election, and particularly in the last month or so where -- when he got the momentum, he was running straight into the suburbs. straight into the -- the arms of voters who were desperate for somebody to say we understand your frustration with education. with taxes. with other issues that are the more bread-and-butter issues. but that is what is so remarkable about the youngkin campaign, how unremarkable it is if you look at the history of traditional-republican campaigns. if you take trump out of this equation. because in the primary, he had to win a republican primary. and he did it by running to the right in this day and age, running to the right meant running towards donald trump and talking about election integrity and things like that. but then, as soon as he won the primary, he ran to the middle. and we haven't seen that in -- in a real successful way, in large part, in -- in a blue state or a purple state -- in large part, because the former president pulls the candidate down or pulls the candidate back to either conspiracy-theory questions or -- or -- or other kind of trumpisms. and the former president didn't do that this time. so, it -- the question about how this playbook is going to approbe used in the future for other candidates depends how the candidate is and this is a candidate who was dancing on the head of a pin and did so like but -- >> david, there is all this blame going on inside the democratic party right now. mark warner of virginia and what he said. let me play more of it. >> only in washington, could people think that it is a smart strategy to take a o once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure and prevent your president from signing that bill into law. you can't win in virginia if you only appeal to very liberal voters. so, i hope we will take that -- the lessons from virginia that we need to govern in a pragmatic way. >> david, you point out that it wasn't just virginia and it wasn't, right? you point out long island. in buffalo, new york, moderate mayor declares victory in a write-in campaign over the democratic socialist who was -- who was actually on the ballot. and -- and -- and yet, you know, you have progressives pushing back today. speaker pelosi adding more into the bill when manchin had already said it was above a price tag he is willing to do. um, you know, it doesn't seem that anybody, at least in the immediate aftermath here, is changing anything about what they are doing. >> well, let me separate out these issues. yes, you are right about buffalo, also, in -- in seattle. in minneapolis. you saw candidates getting elected and certainly in new york city who took a more moderate position on the -- on policing. >> yep. >> which is another element of this and that's important to note. in terms of what's going on in the senate, i don't know how to -- in the congress -- i don't know how to read what the speaker's doing here. and, you know, one of the theories would be that this bill may not advance in the senate. the -- the reconciliation bill. but she wants to get both bills passed, so the president can sign the infrastructure bill. and if it's not going to go -- if it's going to go down anyway, maybe she is adding the things that she -- >> pack it in with whatever. yeah. i guess, strategically, makes sense. you get one to pass. yeah, go ahead, dana. >> no, i just -- i want to tang a whack at that, also. i mean paid family leave, you both know this, is not a quote/unquote progressive issue. >> right. right. right. right. >> it is wildly popular. so, the speaker looked at the -- maybe some of the lessons from last night. the kitchen-table issues. i can't think of more of a kitchen-table issue than a woman or a man having a baby and wanting a -- a way to stay home for -- for a little while. i agree with david. it's going to be very difficult to pass in this form in the united states senate. but if it is in the house bill, it gives moderate sort of frontline democrats who are in tough re-election races the ability to say i voted for paid family leave. >> right. which of course, yeah, totally get that. i mean, it's interesting, you know, a lot of these small businesses we are talking about got their taxes cut in half by trump. going back to the tax payers to get that. there is a whole nother layer to this. david, what do you think, though, about glenn youngkin, himself? i will just say, glenn youngkin should seriously consider running for president for '24. really sophisticated guy. been around washington his whole career. um, you know, run one of the most prestigious private equity firms in -- in -- in the world. political neo-fite in some senses. and like dana says, dances on the head of a pin. it can't just be luck, david. >> no, look, he ran a very skillful campaign. i think that -- um, and ought to get credit for that. i am always a little leery. now, i know people will say i work for a guy who got elected to the senate and people were touting for president right away. but i think you probably need to see how he dances once he is in the governor's office because the dancing may become a little more challenging for him. but um, but look, i think he is a very impressive candidate. um, you know, there are these national headwinds that helped him along and there is no question about it but they ran a very good campaign. >> thank you both, very much. and next, sources telling cnn that democrats could vote on biden's spending bill as soon as this week. but, you know, as you just heard, right, just getting the vote through doesn't actually mean the president has the support to twoolly get it to law. the latest on where things stand, next. plus, alarming new details about the terrifying threats georgia's top-election official was receiving just hours after the polls closed in 2020. secretary of state brad raffensperger is out front. and the pivotal moment in america's efforts to end the pandemic. young kids across the united states, now getting vaccinated. (judith) in this market, you'll find fisher investments is different than other money managers. (other money manager) different how? don't you just ride the wave? (judith) no - we actively manage client portfolios based on our forward-looking views of the market. (other money manager) but you still sell investments that generate high commissions, right? (judith) no, we don't sell commission products. we're a fiduciary, obligated to act in our client's best interest. (other money manager) so when do you make more money? only when your clients make more money? (judith) yep, we do better when our clients do better. at fisher investments we're clearly different. exclusive ticket access to unmissable events. that's the real music to your ears. one of the many reasons you're with amex platinum. watch: serena williams... wonder woman.... serena... wonder woman... serena... ace. ♪ ♪ get your tv together with the best of live and on demand. introducing directv stream. ♪ someday you'll be better than your grandpa. - you try it. - i don't know what to draw? it doesn't matter what. just... a line. throw yourself in. ♪ don't be frustrated! okay. ♪ show me what you got there. ♪ wow... absolutely beautiful. frequent heartburn? not anymore. the prilosec otc two-week challenge is helping people love what they love again. just one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn. because life starts when heartburn stops. take the challenge at prilosecotc dot com. football, is a game of inches. but it's also a game, of information. because the nfl is connected. and at any moment, the fate of the season can come down to this. billions of secure connections, per second. when the game is on the line and the game is always on the line touchdown! the nfl relies on cisco. new tonight. house speaker nancy pelosi signaling she could bring a vote on one of biden's spiending bils to the floor for a vote as soon as tomorrow. and in a major strategic shift, pelosi announcing four weeks of family paid leave is going back into the president's bigger spending bill which, oh, déjà vu. after she indicated family leave is going back in the bill, senator joe manchin had to come out and say wait a minute, reminder, that means i won't vote for it. >> that's a challenge. very much of a challenge and they know how i feel about that. >> well, they -- they do know how he feels about that. outfront now, congressman gerry connolly of virginia. congressman, i really appreciate your time. so much to talk to you about. but first, let's just start with this. it does -- i use the word déjà vu but it is almost like groundhog's day. she says family leave goes back in. manchin goes hold on, nope, i said no. does this just frustrate you? >> very much. and you would think, by now, we could have some kind of conceptual agreement about what should be in the bill. and i think this is speaker pelosi basically saying we can't just allow one or two members of the senate to determine the content of this transformative and very consequential bill. and this is a priority for us, as you pointed out earlier, polls -- you know, stratospherically and it belongs in the bill and she is putting it in the bill. >> okay but he said he is not going to vote for it. so let's just get from a purely tactical and strategic point of view. is it possible that what she is z throwing her hands in the air and saying fine, we know you won't pass it, we know it won't become law but we will have put our stamp on we voted for this. is that possibly where she is? >> i doubt it. i know nancy pelosi very well. she is very committed to the -- this bill and what it stands for and i don't think she sees it as a political pawn. i think she may be playing a gambit here that, on balance, joe manchin, you have agreed to everything else in the bill. ? this one provision so critical for you that you are willing to actually vote against everything else? and oh, by the way, you can't be the only persona in this drama who gets to act. we do, too. >> so, the infrastructure bill obviously passed in the senate in a very big bipartisan vote, right? 19 republicans joined almost three months ago to pass that. and since then, it has not become law because of progressives in the house. i mean, that's just the reality of it right? they have said they want the other bill to come with it. they want it but they want it their way. so three months have gone by. it is not law. it is not law because of progressives in your party. virginia's two democratic senators are pointing, specifically, to that failure about the -- the primary bipartisan infrastructure bill as a huge reason why mcauliffe lost last night. obviously, you are sitting talking to me from fairfax, virginia. do you agree? >> in part. i -- i -- i think we shouldn't overstate it. did it help to not pass a bill, and have to stories about dysfunction? no, it did not. did it hurt? yes, it did. was it dispositive? you know, was that the really determining element that put this election one way or the other? no. voters don't think that way. there may be a handful who work in capitol hill who do but the overwhelming majority of virg virginia voters have lots of other things on their mind. they may, however, have the perception that there is dysfunction and disorganization and chaos in washington when we need things to get done. and i think that narrative certainly set in. it was a part -- a modest part -- contributing to the outcome last night. >> are you -- do you really believe that build back better is going to pass and become law in some form? or do you still fully feel confident in that at this point? >> i do. um, i think it reflects democratic priorities. i think -- i hope -- after the results last night, a lot of people's thinking gets better clarified about what's at stake and what can happen if you continue this dysfunction. i wish we had done that a week or two ago. >> yeah. >> but -- >> it doesn't make you wonder, though, when you look at virginia and you look at -- i mean, new jersey had polls with murphy up double digits, right? he is going to probably eke it out. buffalo. you had a write-in moderate win over a democratic socialist on the ticket. long island. minneapolis. washington state. i mean, you are a -- you're -- you're seeing a surge in moderation. does it make you question some of these priorities that progressives have that maybe they are progressive priorities but they may not be the priorities of the plurality of the voting-american public? >> in some cases, yes. but in some cases, no. i think -- i think, for example, if you look at the various elements of the build back better bill, they are wildly popular. they are not just embraced by progressives. they're embraced by a broad slice of the american people and that poll very well. so, i think part of it is messaging. part of it may be once in a while, you know, too narrow a focus or presented as such. for example, you cited minneapolis. clearly, the issue there -- and, by the way, in buffalo was law enforcement. do we really want to dismantle our police department or significantly cut back on its funding when we are seeing a surge in crime in our communities? and the answer, overwhelmingly, is no, including, i might add, in very effective communities. polling was done in minneapolis after george floyd. the black community didn't want to defund the police. they want a police department that doesn't, you know, engage in brutality and violence against them. but they want a police department that's responsive to their needs when they have trouble or crime. >> all right. well, congressman, i really appreciate your time and thoughts. obviously, a lot to think about right now. thank so much. >> thank you. next, chilling new details about the threats georgia's top election official was receiving even before all the votes were counted in 2020. secretary of state, brad raffensperger, is my guest next. plus, new york mayor elect eric adams. how did he go from patrolling the subways to winning yesterday's race for a mayor in a landslide? it is a remarkable story, you will hear in full tonight. introducing fidelity income planning. we look at what you've saved, what you'll need, and help you build a flexible plan for cash flow that lasts, even when you're not working, so you can go from saving... to living. ♪ let's go ♪ bye mom. my helpers abound, i'll need you today. our sleigh is now ready, let's get on our way. a mountain of toys to fulfill many wishes. must be carried across all roads and all bridges. and when everyone is smiling and having their fun i can turn my sleigh north because my job here is done. it's not magic that makes more holiday deliveries to homes in the us than anyone else, it's the hardworking people of the united states postal service. after pioneering photographic film, we made it our mission to help change the world... in healthcare, our imaging expertise and ai technology aims to help diagnose disease earlier. but why stop there? when we can apply our expertise in cell biology and specialized technologies to help make vital vaccines and treatments available to all. we'll never stop innovating for a healthier world. fujifilm value from innovation new tonight. president biden urging americans to trust the results of last night's elections, even though his party lost the crucial governor's race in virginia. >> look. yesterday reminded me of a -- that one of the sacred rights we have is to be able to go out and cast our votes and remember that we all have an obligation to accept the legitimacy of these elections. >> we all have an obligation to accept the legitimacy of these elections. pretty basic thing. but something, of course, that his predecessor donald trump has refused to ever say when he and his allies have repeatedly, of course, pushed the big lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and rigged in their bid to overturn it. out front now, one of the republicans who fought back against team trump's efforts to push the big lie, the georgia secretary of state, brad raffensperger. he is author of the new book "integrity counts. "and really appreciate your time, secretary raffensperger. i read your whole book last night and i -- i really enjoyed it. all your -- a lot of what you had to say. your personal commentary and also, of course, the timeline of exactly what's happened here. i want to start off, though, with what joe biden said today. we all have the obligation to accept the integrity of the election. the election was fair. i mean, it's such a basic thing to say. and yet, it must have given you a great sigh of relief to hear him come out and say it? >> well, erin, thank you. and that's why i wrote the book "integrity counts" because i wanted to set the record straight. i go through a point-by-point, very detailed analysis. i am good with numbers, i am an engineer and so i show how president trump came up short. but also, the key points that maybe help people understand what exactly happened is 55,000 -- or 28,000 people skipped the presidential ballot. did not vote for the president at all. either of the candidates. they just skipped it. and then, obviously, senator david perdue, he got 20,000 more votes in metropolitan atlanta than president trump did and so when you see that, that helps explain it but also, i run through my book, every allegation that was made and i include my letter to congress, ten-page letter, responding to them rebutting every single allegation. >> and you did. in your book, we learn the threats you have faced that started against you and your family. one day after polls closed. votes still being counted. your wife gets a tiext saying, hi, this is getting really ugly. do brad a favor and tell him to step down immediately. you write about intruders breaking into the home of one of your family members. i mean, it -- it's awful. will things ever go back to normal for you? i mean, the president -- the former president, by the way, is out a few weeks ago still maligning you by name. will things ever go back to normal for you? >> well, at all times, i have always tried to be respectful in all my conversations, recognizing the positional authority that all people have. and people really when they hold high office, they really should have a higher standard of behavior because it really is very important. we set the standard, whatever office we hold and so i have tried to be very respectful of that. will we get it back? well, we have been facing this -- stacey abrams talked about voter suppression. president trump talked about voter fraud. both of those destabilized society. obviously, president trump took a whole higher level of that election disinformation but we need to get back to basics and need to have people understand that elections are safe and secure in georgia and at the end of the day, we had a fair and honest election and i walk that line of sbegryty to make sure we would and i stood the gap and i was not going to get budged off the truth. the truth was president trump did come up short. >> so i want ask you about this because in the book, you do include the full transcript of your now-infamous call with then-president trump where he asked you to find just enough votes to flip the state of georgia to his win column. okay. now, there is six people on the call besides trump and yourself. yet, as i read this transcript in your book, the first-ten pages are trump and a monologue. you go back and listen to it, it's 20 minutes. talk about you knowing numbers. 20 minutes, he is going on this number here, this number here. 20-minutes straight, basically, without taking a breath. here is a quick taste of it for viewers. >> you will find at least a couple of hundred thousand of forged signatures of people. you don't need much of a number because the number that, in theory, i lost by the margin would be 11,779. you had 18,325 vacant address voters. you had out-of-state voters. dead people voted. and i think the -- the number is in the -- close to 5,000 people. the bottom line is when you add it all up, and then you start adding, you know, 300,000 fake ballots. they are burning their ballots, that they are shredding -- shredding ballots and removing equipment. >> so, in your book, you included, you know, in italics, sort of the facts, your takedowns of each of these points and on the call, you know, this goes on for 20 minutes. you sort of take a deep breath. and then, you respond exactly as you are in this interview. very calmly. here is a taste of you. >> well, i've listened to what the president has just said. we don't agree that you have won, and we don't -- i didn't agree about the 200,000 number that you had mentioned. i'll go through that point by point. >> and you did. point by point. i just want to ask you, as i read this transcript, 20 minutes, the president of the united states calls you up on a diatribe reciting completely made-up conspiracy number -- theories about ballot burning, all sorts of other things. throwing numbers all over the place about dead people and shredded ballots and stuffing ballots. you are sitting there for 20 minutes. secretary, what went through your head? >> be patient. um, president trump wanted to say what he wanted to say. be patient, listen to him. give him the respect that the office requires. and then, i would respond. you know, obviously, i felt that, in effect, because he had his lawyers there, we had our lawyer there, this was really -- could be considered anything i would say would possibly be used in a court of law. we already had lawsuits from the trump campaign. so it would be very factual in what i said, very deliberate, and very calm. i thought that was the best approach to take. and i still do. >> and one final question. um, you write about your son. your oldest son and he died of -- of a fentanyl overdose. you talk about that and about how you had been through worse and as i read that, secretary, i'm thinking, you know, that you made that your motto. that you have been through worse. but it -- it -- it says so much, that that's what you turned to. as -- to give you strength to get through this unprecedented assault. >> well, trisha and i have been -- the death of a child is the worst thing that any parent could ever have. here, we are talking about really defending an election, standing up on the truth and really fighting hard that every vote that was cast would be counted. so it's the very least i can do for the people of georgia but really everyone that has ever given their life as a service member in this country. fighting for our freedom. so it was really to stand on the law, stay on the constitution. it's very least but we have been in tough spots, before. and i knew we would get through this one. >> well, it's incredible as you write about it and i did really enjoy the book. i'm sure others will as well. thank you very much, secretary raffensperger. >> thank you, erin. next, new york mayor elect eric adams just the second black man in history to lead new york city. the nation's biggest. and tonight, he is promising to get things done his way. >> i'm going to be a broccoli mayor. not going to like it when you eat it but, long-term, you are going to see the benefits of it. and the shocking allegation that's being made by the attorney for the armorer on alec baldwin's film. is sabotage to blame for the deadly accident? [gaming sounds] [gaming sounds] [gaming sounds] just think, he'll be driving for real soon. every new chevy equinox comes standard with chevy safety assist, including automatic emergency braking. find new peace of mind. find new roads. chevrolet. bipolar depression. it made me feel like i was trapped in a fog. this is art inspired by real stories of people living with bipolar depression. i just couldn't find my way out of it. the lows of bipolar depression can take you to a dark place... ...and be hard to manage. latuda could make a real difference in your symptoms. latuda was proven to significantly reduce bipolar depression symptoms and in clinical studies, had no substantial impact on weight. this is where i want to be. latuda is not for everyone. call your doctor about unusual mood changes, behaviors, or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. elderly dementia patients on latuda have an increased risk of death or stroke. call your doctor about fever, stiff muscles, and confusion, as these may be life threatening... ...or uncontrollable muscle movements, as these may be permanent. these are not all the serious side effects. now i'm back where i belong. ask your doctor about latuda and pay as little as $0 for your first prescription. after pioneering photographic film, we made it our mission to help change the world... in healthcare, our imaging expertise and ai technology aims to help diagnose disease earlier. but why stop there? when we can apply our expertise in cell biology and specialized technologies to help make vital vaccines and treatments available to all. we'll never stop innovating for a healthier world. fujifilm value from innovation ♪ i see trees of green ♪ ♪ red roses too ♪ ♪ i see them bloom for me and you ♪ (music) ♪ so i think to myself ♪ ♪ oh what a wonderful world ♪ tonight, new york city mayor elect eric adams vowing to sit down with police and firefighter unions to talk about covid vaccine mandates and this just hours after being elected. gloria borger sat down with him to reflect on his long journey from the streets of brooklyn to gracie mansion. >> reporter: for eric adams, it's been a long and deliberate trek from his childhood home in blue-collar queens to gracie mansion. >> right here was ms. brown. i used to run her papers and her errands. >> reporter: not anymore. how long have you wanted to be mayor? is this the job you always dreamed of? >> not always dreamed of. but it happened 24 years ago. >> reporter: when a mentor gave him advice about climbing a political ladder, he took it. >> he said if you want to be mayor, here are four things that you need to do. >> reporter: so he got a masters degree and joined the police department. became a state senator, then brooklyn borough president. >> so i am on cue of exactly what i am supposed to do. >> reporter: what exactly happens next is anyone's guess. >> i'm evolving as a man. i am evolving as a dad. i am going to evolve if i am the mayor of the city of new york. >> reporter: all, guided by a personal anthem. frank sinatra's "my way." >> it is just eric adams all the way. you know? i'm sure you knew that i have bit off more than i can chew. >> and you play a lot? >> all the time. every day. whenever i'm feeling as though i hit an obstacle, i throw on "my way." >> reporter: his way has always been unconventional. >> this is not a fashion ltrend. >> reporter: taking on saggy pants in 2010 or teaching parents where to search for their kids' drugs. >> could be just a baby doll but also it could be place where you could secrete or hide drugs. >> reporter: adams has never shied away from the spotlight. >> i remember working on a story? brooklyn. he was state senator at the time. and in the trunk of his car was a podium so that he could hold a press conference anytime, at any place that looked somewhat official. >> the eric adams story begins here at precinct 103 in jamaica queens. in 1975, he says he and his brother were arrested for criminal trespass into the home of a go-go dancer. >> they took us downstairs to the lower level and they kicked us repeatedly in our groin. >> reporter: the incident stayed with him, and adams later joined the police department on a mission to reform it. >> questions must be answered. >> reporter: focusing on racial discrimination. at age 61, adams' belief in the power of his open life story became his campaign's main message. >> i wanted to be felt. i wanted to tell new yorkers different parts of my life. what it was like to be arrested, what it was like to live on the verge of homelessness. the people you represent were -- was me so i wanted to really show them that their fears are my fears. and their worries are my worries. >> reporter: but how does this personal history, no matter how compelling, translate into governing? people are worried about crime in the streets. they are worried that real estate's out of control. there's not enough low-income housing in the city. you name it. so, what's your plan of action? >> the foundation is safety. we can talk about all the other pieces, but we have to be safe. if we're not safe, tourism is not going to return. no business is going to stay if their employees can't ride our subway systems to get to their office space. >> so how do you do that? >> well, you start to make sure you hit reset with the police department. you go to the precincts. talk to my officers and let them know i have your backs. i am going to be there for you. but darn it, if you don't understand public protection, you can't serve in my department. >> reporter: he says reform the police, don't defund them. reduce homelessness by repurposing empty hotels. reimagine school lunches that focus on healthy veggies as he did, becoming vegan when diagnosed with severe diabetes five years ago. you have said you are going to be misunderstood. >> yes. >> why? >> i am going to be a broccoli mayor. you are not going to like it when you eat it. but long-term, you are going to see the benefits of it. >> only by new york city standards, could you possibly call eric adams a centrist or a moderate. it might be more accurate to say that he is a realist. >> reporter: he seems allergic to the activist left in his own party. presenting himself as both pro-business, and pro-union. helping the poor, without driving out the wealthy. >> in this city, we have 8.8 million people. only 65,000 pay 51% of our income taxes. if we lose those 65,000 because they feel unsafe or because we don't believe that they are part of our ecosystem, you know what happens? we lose funding for our museums. we lose funding for our broadway. >> proud to be a resident . >> adams himself faced questions about whether he even lived in the city or in new jersey. and over the years, he's been dogged by ethics complaints which he answers with derision. >> i like to always say i am a lion and lions don't lose sleep over the opinions of sheeps. >> t"the times" did an investigation that said your fundraising efforts pushed the boundaries of campaign finance and ethics laws. >> they have their opinion. and i have my opinion. and i'm going to let people know how i feel all the time. no silent suffering from me. >> reporter: adams glides easily between new york's boroughs. the wealth of the nearby hampton's and the nightlife in the city that never sleeps to the joy of photographers and his opponents. >> eric adams is with the elites, the tiktok girls, trying to sort of live up to the kardashians at club zero. come on, eric. come back. come back to the streets and the subways. >> i am the american dream. >> reporter: back on the street where he grew up, as he thinks about running the city, he also thinks of his mom who worried about him as he struggled with undiagnosed dyslexia. >> just always said, you know, i just pray for you out of all my children, i just prayed the hardest for you. >> she died earlier-this year, leaving behind her well-worn and annotated bible. >> became an anchor because there were days we had nothing but prayer. this is the bible that i am going to place my hands on when i am sworn in. >> you know, gloria, poignant moment there and, you know, of all the things he talks about, he has been so consistent about this from the beginning, right? don't defund, as he said refund the -- the -- the police. um, he was on to something in new york city and it appears that he was on to something nationwide, given what we saw for the democratic party last night. >> yeah. i mean, you know, he -- he is somebody who is trying to appeal to all constituencies and not push anyone aside and in a city like new york or in the country for democrats, that may make a lot of sense. now, you know, not only on public safety. but on -- you know, on a whole host of issues. i mean, here's somebody who says, for example, that he is pro-union but he is also pro-business. and you heard him say, you know, you don't want to drive the wealthy out of new york city because you -- you need them for the tax base. so, we'll see if he can deliver. um, you know, it -- there are a lot of problems facing new york. and this is -- this is a big challenge for him. and he admits it. but as he says, you are not going to like everything he does. but he is going to be out there and do it and he is going to answer every challenge he's got. >> when he said he is the broccoli mayor, it made me think of mayor bloomberg, right? i don't care if you don't like it when i say you can't smoke inside. >> right. >> he didn't care and he did it. i wonder if there will be, perhaps, some of that ethos. >> yeah, he told me he talked to mayor bloomberg about the response when he introduced the big gulp, for example. >> yep. >> because he wants to change school lunches. so -- >> well, i hope he succeeds at that. >> yeah. >> i got kids in public school and you know what? the -- what they are being fed doesn't match what they are being taught in the schools itself. all right. thank you so much, gloria. appreciate it. >> thanks, erin. next, did a disgruntled crew member deliberately add a live round to the props on alec baldwin's film? that is the claim being made by one attorney tonight. >> we're assuming somebody put the live round in that box. >> i mean, that's stunning. and it's the moment so many parents have been waiting for. tonight, millions of young children now eligible for the covid vaccine. discover card i just got my cashback match is this for real? yup! we match all the cash back new card members earn at the end of their first year automatically woo! i got my mo-ney! it's hard to contain yourself isn't it? uh- huh! well let it go! woooo! get a dollar for dollar match at the end of your first year. only from discover. (man) i've made progress with my mental health. so when i started having unintentional body movements called tardive dyskinesia... ... i ignored them. but when the movements in my hands and feet started throwing me off at work... i finally had to say, 'it's not ok.' it was time to talk to my doctor about austedo. she said that austedo helps reduce td movements in adults... ...while i continue with most of my mental health medications. (vo) austedo can cause depression, suicidal thoughts, or actions in patients with huntington's disease. pay close attention to and call your doctor if you become depressed, have sudden changes in mood, behaviors, feelings, or have suicidal thoughts. common side effects include inflammation of the nose and throat, insomnia and sleepiness. don't take austedo if you have liver problems, are taking reserpine, tetrabenazine, or valbenazine. austedo may cause irregular or fast heartbeat, restlessness, movements mimicking parkinson's disease, fever, stiff muscles, problems thinking, and sweating. (man) talk to your doctor about austedo... it's time to treat td. td is not ok. visit askforaustedo.com everything you've seen me do was made possible by what you don't see. cause when you're not looking, i go to work. ♪ strength isn't a given. it's grown. it's earned and tested. ♪ we all have the strength to see what's possible. it's up to us to unlock it. tonal. be your strongest. sustainability is essential to creating a better tomorrow. that's why cisco is committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2040. and we believe our smart buildings solutions can help. providing power to reduce emissions, intelligence to eliminate waste, and collaboration tools that help the workplace and the planet. between meeting human needs and a sustainable future, there's a bridge. cisco, the bridge to possible. tonight, the lawyer for hannah gutierrez reid, the armor on the "rust" movie set making a stunning allegation about how a live round may have ended up in a gun used by alec baldwin. claiming the deadly shooting could have resulted from purposeful sabotage. >> we're assuming somebody put the live round in that box which if you -- if you think about that, the person who put the live round in the box of dummy rounds had to have the purpose of sabotaging this set. >> it's an incredible allegation and it comes as the head of the film's camera department who resigned a day before the shooting is now speaking out. saying safety on the set was a, quote, massive issue. josh campbell is out front. he's been covering this and, josh, does the lawyer for gutierrez reed offer any evidence to back up this claim? it is a stunning claim, right? i mean, that -- if that happened, i mean, this is incredible. i mean, do they offer any evidence? >> reporter: no. no evidence. and as you mentioned, this claim is, indeed, explosive. the idea that someone tried to sabotage that set by placing a live round of ammunition, either in the weapon or in the box of ammunition that was supposed to contain dummy rounds. again, that defense attorney for the armorer not offering any evidence to back up that claim. savannah guthrie from nbc news came in and said is this your operating theory? he said this is a theory but again no evidence to back that up. this is all coming as we are hearing from yet another former crew member complaining about conditions on that set. he said that it was a culture of unsafety. blaming not only the armor but the assistant director and saying there were multiple times he felt unsafe. he actually resigned from the set the day before that fatal shooting. now, for his part, actor alec baldwin came out appearing to refute those allegations on instagram. he reposted a message from a costume design frr that set and i will read part of it. you will pardon my language. the story being spun of us about being overworked and surrounded by unsafe, chaotic conditions is bullshit. so again, you have a lot of people that are saying that the set was secure, including the production company. others saying not so. that they felt unsafe. of course, the major question we have ti-- i talked to the distrt attorney. i talked to the sheriff. they said they are not just looking at just one shooting. they are also looking backwards to see if there is a potential pattern of unsafety here that led to this tragic incident. erin. >> josh, thank you very much. sabotage claim just stunning. obviously, you could have had exactly this outcome and if that happened, that person would have known that. thank you so much, josh campbell. next, millions of young children now eligible to get the covid shot. so, what it means, next. sure, this is the part where all is lost and the hero searches for hope. then, a mysterious figure reminds her that she has the farmers home policy perk, guaranteed replacement cost. and that her home will be rebuilt, regardless of her limits or if the cost of materials has gone up. (woman) that's really something. (burke) get a whole lot of something with farmers policy perks. wait, i didn't ruin the ending, did i? (woman) yeah, y-you did. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ america! after the past year-ish, everyone deserves something new! so at&t is giving everyone our best deals on every iphone - including the iphone 13 pro with its amazing camera. like everyone that worked from home. or welcomed a new family member. they were all out of dogs. our deals are for everyone! it's not complicated. at&t is giving new and existing customers our best deals on every iphone, including up to $800 off the epic iphone 13 and iphone 13 pro. to make progress, we must keep taking steps forward. we believe the future of energy is lower carbon. and to get there, the world needs to reduce global emissions. at chevron, we're taking action. tying our executives' pay to lowering the carbon emissions intensity of our operations. it's tempting to see how far we've come. but it's only human... to know how far we have to go. moving is a handful. no kidding! fortunately, xfinity makes moving easy. easy? -easy? switch your xfinity services to your new address online in about a minute. that was easy. i know, right? and even save with special offers just for movers. really? yep! so while you handle that, you can keep your internet and all those shows you love, and save money while you're at it with special offers just for movers at xfinity.com/moving. tonight, a turning point in the fight against covid. young children across the united states now getting their first approved vaccines after the cdc okayed pfizer's vaccine for kids aged 5 to 11. the cdc chair rochelle walensky telling npr this morning that there was not one single severe side effect in the clinical trial among kids. that is fantastic news. and the administration says it hopes to have 20,000 locations for parents to get their kids vaccinated by next week. and finally tonight, some exciting news. we want to welcome the newest member of the outfront family. beautiful, little girl, margaret may. born to our executive producer, suzie sue. now, margaret is just getting to know her two older brothers, nolan and nicholas, who adore her and show it by poking and prodding her. so keep her safe, suzie and dave. we are all so happy for you and your wonderful family. thanks for joining us. anderson starts now. good evening. you could call this moment a red alert for democrats in more ways than one. they are clearly treating it that way after losing every major race in virginia from the governor on down. losses in formerly blue new york suburbs and a race for new jersey governor which is still undecided but wasn't expected to be so close. last night showed independent support for democrats eroding with one republican party official telling "politico" last night, and i quote, democrats were renting those voters, not buying them. also, dragging on democrats, the president underwater in the polls and a party failing to deliver on potentially popular infrastructure and social spending legislation.