good evening, we begin tonight on this martin luther king jr. day by first recognizing those who took a moment today to honor dr. king's life and legacy. also, to those who perpetuate that legacy in their day-to-day lives, whether by doing for others which is so vital now or by doing the difficult work of bending the arc of history, as dr. king said, toward justice. at the same time, it is hard not to notice the evidence these days his vision is far from complete. to some, in fact, its fulfillment might seem farther off now than just a few years ago. where nearly 39 years ago, when senator jesse helms of north carolina used the filibuster in his attempt to scuttle the bill making today a national holiday. that was broken with an overwhelming 78-22 vote in a republican-controlled senate. it is hard to imagine such a vote now. tomorrow, the senate will begin debate on legislation combining two bills already passed by the house, the freedom to vote act and the john lewis voting rights advancement act. john lewis, who marched with dr. king and nearly lost his life for the cause on a bridge in a state that on in very day still celebrates a joint holiday. honoring dr. king, yes, but also robert e. lee, the confederate general. the combined voting rights bill is opposed by republicans, and at least two democrats opposed measures to eliminate a gop filibuster. today in washington, martin luther king iii spoke to the moment. >> history will be watching what happens tomorrow. black and brown americans will be watching what happens tomorrow. in 50 years, students will read about what happens tomorrow and know whether our leaders had the integrity to do the right thing. if you can deliver an infrastructure bill for bridges, you can deliver voting rights for americans. if you do not, there is no bridge in this nation that can hold the weight of that failure. >> now, wherever you might stand on this particular legislation, consider that the last time the original voting rights act came up for renewal, which was in 2006 during the george w. bush administration, it passed 98-0. not a single republican opposed it. today, as you know, republican lawmakers across the country have been passing laws limiting voting hours, eliminating ballot drop boxes, making it harder to vote. and gop candidates spreading phony stories about voter fraud and stolen elections are running to, themselves, become the very officials who will oversee future elections. what's more, their party's figurehead, the former president, is back in front of crowds pushing those phony stories over the weekend. refusing to concede the plain fact that he lost. he lost. he lost and he cannot stop whining about it, and denying it happened. in fact, this weekend after months of marinating at mar-a-lago, he is now really leaning into racism, spouting a completely false and completely racist idea that white americans now have to get to the back of the line to receive covid treatment. ivanka trump stewing in miami must be really proud of her dad. the former president was also spinning wild fantasies about the fbi and insurrection and doing it at the very same time the fbi was helping end a hostage taking just two states away at a synagogue in dallas-fort worth area. now, according to the anti-defamation league's most recent reports, acts of anti-semitism are at the highest level since 1979. so if the arc of history may feel a little more brittle tonight, there is probably good reason for it. at the same time, even now, as a you are about to see, there is also reason for hope. hope in the form of tolerance and compassion, decency and simple human kindness. you can find it right now at a methodist church not far from the congregation beth israel synagogue where the hostages were taken. the church has welcomed members of beth israel tonight for a healing service, which has just gotten under way. our ed lavandera is there. ed, what's going on? >> reporter: hey, anderson. well, just moments from now, this service for healing and resilience is expected to get under way. as you mentioned, at this methodist church, just a few miles away from the synagogue where the hostage ordeal took place over the weekend. that is because the synagogue is still essentially a crime scene, and investigators are still come comb through that area. but tonight, the members of this congregation that have been separated because of the covid pandemic are coming together in large numbers. even as we are hearing from the hostages, and hearing some dramatic stories of what their ordeal was like. the final moments capturing three hostages escaping from the beth israel synagogue was captured by a photojournalist with cnn affiliate wfaa. the hostages race out a side door. the hostage taker briefly appears, pointing his firearm in their direction. the fbi hostage rescue team surrounding the synagogue moves in. an explosive device detonates and gunfire rips through the air. the man in the blue shirt escaping from the synagogue is jeffrey cohen. nearly 11 hours earlier, cohen and rabbi charlie it icytron-wa had welcomed the stranger who held them hostage to the service. >> right before the service began and i got in, the rabbi pointed this guy out to me and i went over to say hello and welcome him. >> the rabbi says the hostage ordeal started shortly after the religious service started and was being live-streamed to congregants. >> it was during prayer while we were praying and my back was turned. we face toward jerusalem when we pray. it was right before he revealed himself, but this was -- you know, mplenty of time in. i heard a click and it could have been anything. it turned out it was his gun. >> after the suspect pulled out a gun, cohen says he was allowed to call his family. >> at one point, the -- the terrorist let us call our families. so -- called to my wife and my son and basically told me, there's a gunman here, he claims he has a bomb. things don't look good right now. i love you and -- remember me. >> reporter: cohen says that after the first hour, the suspect -- 44-year-old malik faisal akram became much more calm and that's when the hostages started thinking strategically about where they should sit, and to keep their eyes open for an opportunity to escape. >> his demeanor changed not too long after that, and he became much calmer, maybe because he thought he was going to get what he wanted. and it changed from more attack to i am going to die. i'm letting these guys go but i'm going to die here. >> reporter: but in the last hour, the suspect became agitated and threatening. the men deliberately moved themselves to an area with a direct line to a side exit of the synagogue. >> up until that point, we were very willing to wait for law enforcement to do their thing. at that point, we knew we had to get out. at one point, he even said that i am going to put a bullet in each -- each of you, get down on your knees. at which point, i glared at him, i raised up in my seat, kind of like i'm doing now. i may have shaked my head like that but i -- i glared at him and i mouthed no. >> cohen says the suspect then turned to pour himself a soda, and that's the opening the rabbi needed. >> when i saw an opportunity where he wasn't in a good position, i made sure that the two gentlemen who were still with me, that they were -- that they were ready to go. the exit wasn't too far away. i told them to go. i threw a chair at the gunman, and i headed for the door and all three of us were able to get out without even a shot being fired. >> i want to make it clear -- two things. we were not released. we were not rescued, okay? we escaped and we escaped because we kept presence of mind, because we made plans, because we strategically moved people. >> ed, hearing from two of the men who were held hostage, who are they saying about what the suspect said about his motivations? >> reporter: well, you know, what they did say, especially jeffrey cohen who was interviewed by wolf blitzer on cnn just a few hours ago, talked about this idea that at the beginning of the hostage takeover or standoff inside the synagogue, he was ranting and raving about how much he hated jewish people and that sort of thing. but then, after the live stream ended, became kind of much more focused on this idea that he wanted to connect and speak with and try to garner the release of this jihadi woman, aafia siddiqui, who is being held in a federal prison here in the north texas area. but what struck jeffrey cohen -- one of the hostages -- he said that he had come to this synagogue because he believed the jews basically controlled everything. that if he came to a synagogue, that he would be able to get this woman's release, that he would be able to get president biden's attention to garner her release and that sort of thing. jeffrey cohen says, you know, all of this being fed in by the anti-semitic tropes that so many people across the country believe that jews control everything. jeffrey cohen says it's because of that, that put them in harm's way. >> ed lavandera, appreciate it. thank you. the fbi releasing a new statement on the incident overnight. reads in part, this is a terrorism-related matter in which the jewish community was targeted and it is being investigated by the joint terrorism task force. chilling enough words to read about any place, let alone house of worship. i spoke with beth israel president shortly before air time. thanks so much for taking time to talk with us. sorry it's under these circumstances, although obviously it could have ended much worse. first of all, how are you and the other congregates doing? >> well, i'm -- i'm doing better today than i was yesterday and better than saturday, for sure. congregation seems to be coming together very well. >> i knew you spent saturday at the fbi and colleyville police command center. what was that like? and what information were you able to -- to provide them? >> well, it's obviously nothing i'd ever experienced but they -- the professionalism and the interest that they showed in anything -- any question they had that i was asked and i gave or i answered their questions and they were really interested in what i had to say. mostly dealt with the layout of the building and where different items were in the building. likely where people were moving or where people were. i also was able to provide access to my ring cameras and also the access to the adt cameras we have in the facility. >> i understand you also even had the plans to the building in your -- in your vehicle. that you were able -- i mean, that's -- what a coincidence. >> it was. i had been working -- we've been working on a grant that we have from fema and the state of texas and i was carrying them because the builder and i had just met a couple days before out there on some new lighting we're trying to put into the parking lot for security. >> you said you had the ring cameras and adt cameras. what were you able to actually see while the congregates were being held hostage? were you seeing the room they were in? >> yes, well, part of the room they were in. the adt cameras -- adt does not have sound with their cameras, so you are mostly -- we were able to see where the rabbi was sitting at, for example, and by the way he was looking, we could probably kind of arrive at where the -- where the suspect was. when others moved in the room, we could see when they moved into the camera area or if they went to the foyer, we could see them. we could see them there. >> the rabbi has said that -- or has credited training that he and i guess other members of the congregation have received from the fbi and police departments over the years dealing with a situation very much like this. >> absolutely. we've had live shooter training as far as if active shooter is what they call it. we've done stop the bleed training, we've done the run, hide, fight training for our security teams, for the membership that want to be involved in security. the rabbi was very much into that. and secure community network and the government, several government sections, hsin, all helped us create this course that we've given and we helped to establish an emergency action plan of how to deal with a situation. >> i mean, it's -- it's a blessing that -- that the rabbi and others have had that training, but i mean, you know, what it says about where we are at in this country, it's a sad commentary, as well. >> oh, no doubt about it. we've put up a -- an iron fence across the property. only reason is, just to provide the safety and hardening the facility, i believe is the fema term, that we've been working on, and that's strictly just out of that potential. >> i know you are attending service being held at a nearby methodist church tonight. i'm wondering what you want your other members of the congregation to know? and what message you want to send to the rest of the world who is watching? >> well, i'm hoping they realize that -- that we are doing a healing service. we're beginning what is going to be a long-term process to bring the congregation back to the position we were in and that it is an opportunity that is much better than attending a memorial service, and that is going to be a very strong focus. >> michael, i really appreciate your time tonight and i wish you the best tonight at the service and also moving forward. >> thank you very much for having me. there is breaking news tonight. top officials with the fbi, as well as the department of homeland security, have just issued a warning that faith-based communities will likely remain targets for violence. in a letter monday to state and local partners urging them to evaluate their security posture for mass gathering events, and at houses of worship. joining us, two cnn national security analysts, former assistant homeland security secretary, juliette kayyem. and peter bergen, author of many important books including "the rise and fall of osama bin laden." peter, in your cnn.com piece, you wrote about this federal prisoner in texas which is a pakistani woman who the hostage taker was believed to be motivated by. he talked about her, called her his sister, according to one of the hostages. can you just explain why this person has become an icon for some terrorists? >> yeah. i mean, i think it was a variety of reasons. first of all, anderson, as you know, when she was arrested, she tried to kill a u.s. army officer. that's why she is serving 86 years in a prison not far from where the synagogue hostage taking took place. i think there are a couple of reasons why she's sort of an icon amongst terrorists. isis demanded her release when they captured jim foley and ultimately murdered him. they sent a note to the foley family demanding his release when u.s. army soldier bowe bergdahl was taken by the taliban. the taliban also demanded his release. i think it's partly because she's a sister, a woman, she's a mother of three -- >> you mean the taliban demanded her release. >> yeah, yeah, sorry, they demanded siddiqui's release. so, i think they're -- it's -- she's just been a cause celebre for these jihadists for a long time. so i think this is not the first time that somebody with really no relationship to her -- he wasn't a brother. he was a sister in islam that he was trying to release and it is a common narrative. and by the way, in her native pakistan when she was sentenced to 86 years, thousands of people poured into the streets to protest what they see as unjust detention, even though a court of law clearly thought that she was right to be charged with attempted murder. >> correct that she had been a neuro scientist? >> yeah, she has degrees from m.i.t. in biology and in neuroscience. so she is a smart person, clearly. an accomplished person. but also, a person with, you know, very dangerous ideas. >> juliette, i want to get your reaction to the breaking news that we're learning tonight that the fbi and department of homeland security warned that faiss faith-based communities will likely remain targets for violence. is that a standard thing to put out just to warn or just to remind houses of worship? >> yeah. so it's generally standard, especially after a specific incident against a religious institution -- a synagogue in this case. and it's sort of a -- a trigger to get those -- to get state and local authorities to focus on sort of what we call situational awareness. do they know what's going on in their communities? do they have access to a synagogue or a church? are they reaching out to them? and i think that's really important, as you -- as we just heard from the congregant, you know, this was a synagogue that sort of took advantage of every opportunity to make itself more safe and secure. fencing, video, training, active shooter training. run, hide, fight. i mean, all of them, they understood what was going on, and that saved their lives. but their one vulnerability was the rabbi let a stranger in. i mean, that, in the end, is not something you can solve, because that is intrinsic to this religion, to the jewish religion and to many other religions, and i think that's the tension that you're feeling right now, not just the hate, but also -- they lose, you know, a synagogue loses something if it becomes harder in that sense. it can't be as welcoming. >> peter, the fact this hostage taker, this terrorist, did not appear to be on any terror watch list in the u.s. or the uk, what does that say? >> well, quite a lot. and the other interesting thing, of course, he's british. think about all the muslim travel bans, so-called muslim travel ban propaganda of the trump administration, you know, this was a british citizen who came here completely legally to carry out a terrorist act. and actually it's a very rare example of a foreigner getting into the united states in the post-9/11 era successfully or somewhat successfully carrying out their attack. >> peter bergen, juliette kayyem, thank you. coming up next, voting rights, what the issue means on this day and what is about to happen as the senate talks up legislation bearing john lewis's name. democratic congressman hakeem jeffries join us. later, some answers to the question, how big is the impact of the big lie about the last election? a closer look at candidates across the country running to become top-state election officials, while at the same time, falsely claiming the last election was stolen. one of my favorite supplements is qunol turmeric. turmeric helps with healthy joints and inflammation support. unlike regular turmeric supplements qunol's superior absorption helps me get the full benefits of turmeric. the brand i trust is qunol. we have to be able to repair the enamel on a daily basis. with pronamel repair toothpaste, we can help actively repair enamel in its weakened state. it's innovative. my go to toothpaste is going to be pronamel repair. why choose proven quality sleep from sleep number? 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>> it's not dead and we have to continue to press forward in the spirit and out of reverence and respect for the life and legacy of dr. king. with the fierce urgency of now until we can get the john robert lewis voting rights act and freedom to vote act over the finish line. you know, anderson, in a democracy, there has to be an equilibrium, a balance between majority rule and minority rights. what we have in the senate right now is an aversion of this basic principle. we have minority rule and the will of the majority of the american people is being subverted and obstructed when it comes to this sacred, special right to vote and we cannot rest until we get this situation resolved. >> but as for right now, it doesn't seem like there are the votes to pass this current iteration, correct? >> as i understand it, there are ongoing conversations with both senator manchin and senator sinema with respect to both of these important bills. it's important to note that the freedom to vote act is joe manchin's voting rights protection legislation. he is allowing republicans to filibuster his own bill. that doesn't make a lot of sense to a lot of us, particularly given the stakes that exist right now. republicans have decided to adopt voter suppression as an electoral tactic because they've concluded that the only way that the radical right can consistently win elections is to engage in voter suppression. i can't think of something that's more unconscionable and more un-american and we've got to undo it in the united states senate. >> we are hearing about a group of lawmakers -- bipartisan -- who are looking at the idea of reforming the 1887 electoral count act, the law that lays out the process by which electoral congress votes are certified by congress. do you support reform to that act? and what would you say to those who argue that is maybe all that can be done? >> i do support reform of the electoral count act. but i don't think it should substitute for voting rights legislation. we have two challenges right now that we're confronting to our democracy. you have got a voter suppression epidemic that we have to crush. and then, you also have nullification efforts that are underway by state legislative bodies where they effectively are trying to set up the opportunity to steal elections. what's ironic here, anderson, is that republicans -- many of them, not all of them but many of them -- want to make it harder to vote and easier to steal an election. i mean, this is an incredible place that we find ourselves in. but the spirit of dr. king who, himself, confronted enormous obstacles to progress, yet persevered through them, will continue to inspire us to make a way out of no way and to eventually, hopefully this week -- but if not, eventually -- overcome. >> we have seen the president and the vice president, both, strongly get behind these voting rights bills in recent weeks. at the same time, you know, many voting rights activists are saying it's too little, too late. and that speeches are clearly insufficient at that point. there is clearly a lot of frustration to those who are arguing what you are arguing for. what do you say to those who are frustrated with a lack of results from democrats? >> well, democrats do consistently deliver for the people, and president biden has delivered in many different ways. the american rescue plan was an incredible step forward early on in his presidency in terms of stabilizing the economy and striking a blow against covid-19. setting up a strong setting up a strong public health infrastructure to help us get through other variants, like delta and omicron. the bipartisan infrastructure agreement is an example of his leadership. it will have created millions of good-paying jobs moving forward all across the country. and now, president biden and vice president harris are leaning into voting rights legislation. and importantly, have indicated that we have to reform, if not dismantle, the filibuster. the filibuster is the obstacle toward this equilibrium between majority rule and minority rights and that is one of the reasons why is it a perversion of our democracy, an obstacle to progress, and hopefully will be dealt with decisively this week. and the senators on the democratic side can find a way to convince manchin and sinema to do just that. >> do you believe democrats in congress will have the opportunity to pass other parts of its agenda before the midterms, some portion of the build back better plan? >> it's my view that we will be able to move forward with the build back better act in some substantial way. it's critically important that we continue to create millions of good-paying jobs, that we lower costs for everyday americans, that we revive the child tax credit which was a massive tax credit for working families, middle-class families, and low-income families and put them in a strong economic position. we have to sustain that moving forward. and i do believe that everybody under the capitol dome on the house side and on the senate side and certainly president biden understands the significance of delivering the build back better act in substantial measure for the american people. i am very confident that that is going to happen, sooner rather than later. >> congressman hakeem jeffries, appreciate it. thank you very much. >> thank you, anderson. up next, bigger picture of what congressman jeffries just laid out and what is at stake when it comes to voting rights. a look at the election deniers and conspiracy spreaders who want to be the top election officials in some key battleground states. unless you happen to be a dog. your record label is taking off. but so is your sound engineer. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. visit indeed.com/hire if you wake up thinking about the market and want to make the right moves fast... get decision tech from fidelity. 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[ coughing and sneezing ] cold season is back. bounce back fast with alka seltzer plus. with 25% more concentrated power. alka-seltzer plus. ♪ oh, what a relief it is ♪ so fast! also try for cough, mucus & congestion. this is elodia. she's a recording artist. 1 of 10 million people that comcast has connected to affordable internet in the last 10 years. and this is emmanuel, a future recording artist, and one of the millions of students we're connecting throughout the next 10. through projectup, comcast is committing $1 billion so millions more students, past... and present, can continue to get the tools they need to build a future of unlimited possibilities. the pandemic made teaching and learning really hard. but instead of working to help students safely return to the classroom, the san francisco school board focused on renaming schools and playing politics. and they've even saddled our district with a $125 million deficit. our children can't wait for new leadership. here's our chance for a fresh start. on february 15th, please recall school board members collins, lópez and moliga before our kids fall even further behind. well, there is a slew of people who insist the last election was fraudulent and are spreading conspiracy theories about it, who are themselves actively running to become secretaries of state across the country. now, there are republican candidates for top election office in some key swing states still claiming the 2020 election was stolen even though obviously it was not. more from cnn's tom foreman. >> reporter: as rioters raged inside the u.s. capitol, outside, arizona state representative mark finchem was watching and tweeting. "this is what happens when the people feel they have been ignored and congress refuses to acknowledge ram pepant fraud." >> you begin to think racketeering, organized crime. >> reporter: now, the republican is running to become arizona's secretary of state with donald trump's endorsement. and he is keeping the big lie boiling with claims of fraud coast to coast. >> when you see the same kind of activity going on in multiple states at the exact same time using the same tactics, that ain't no accident. >> reporter: secretaries of state are key election officials in most places. democratic and republican secretaries alike played a critical role in defending joe biden's legitimate and legal defeat of trump in 2020. >> congratulations, mr. president. >> reporter: so now, in several key states, the defeated president is endorsing individuals running to take those positions. people who have embraced his unproven claim the election was stolen. >> nobody understands the disaster of the lack of election integrity like the people of georgia. >> reporter: in georgia, where biden won by almost 12,000 votes, trump pushed the republican secretary of state to find enough ballots to flip the result. brad raffensperger refused. now trump is endorsing congressman jody heiss for the job. >> i guarantee you, georgia is not blue. and what happens in the election was solely because of a horrible secretary of state and horrible decisions that he made. >> reporter: in michigan, another state trump lost, he is throwing his weight behind a community college professor. christina coramo has never run for office, has attacked republicans, said the democratic party has been taken over by a satanic agenda, and she is onboard with the big lie. >> it is not right. there are hundreds of thousands of votes are considered to be lawful votes and we know they're illegal. >> reporter: there is no guarantee trump's backing can push those candidates to victory, but if those three states had gone to trump in 2020, if the secretaries of state then had bent to his will and subverted the legal vote, that would have been enough and he would be president right now. tom foreman, cnn, washington. >> joining me now, someone who knows the battle up close, katie hobbs, secretary of state in arizona. a democratic candidate for governor in that state. secretary hobbs, appreciate you being here. so what does the secretary of state actually do? and i ask this because, if someone with bad intent gets the job what could they possibly do? what's the harm? >> well, it actually varies state-by-state, but what i can tell you in arizona is that we write the election procedures manual, which requires approval by the governor and attorney general. and it's our job to make sure that federal voting rights laws are implemented consistently across the state. and we have been providing important guidance outside of the election procedures manual to the counties and local election officials to be able to do their job and ensure that arizonans have consistent access to the ballot across the state. it's a critical role. we also are responsible for certifying the election results that we get from the counties. and, you know, mark finchem, who you just talked about, has flat-out said that if he was secretary of state, trump would still be president. with absolutely no evidence that there is any case to back that up. >> for the sake of argument, say, some of these candidates do win their elections, are there any checks and balances and mechanisms in place to prevent them from sending in fraudulent vote sr i ercertificates to the national archives which actually happened in several states, including yours? or does it depend on which party is in control there because you mentioned the governor has to approve some things. >> yeah, well, certainly, what's clear is that democracy is on the ballot up and down the ballot in 2022. all these races are important. it's part of why i'm running for governor, and folks can join me there at katiehobbs.org. but there do need to be checks and balances and there are, but if the former president is successful in getting all of his loyalists installed in these positions, then i don't know what happens to checks and balances. >> where do you see things on a broader level going from here? obviously, there has been over a year since the insurrection, we are heading towards midterms nationally, countless statewide races around the country. many republicans, clearly, are, you know, focused on continuing keeping the big lie going. do you see any chance of them abandoning the bile and darkness the former president continues to spread? i mean, we heard him this weekend talking about white people have to get in the back of the line for covid treatments, which is not only just false, it's just blatantly racist. >> right. you know, i unfortunately don't see an end to the big lie, as long as it's continuing to work for these republicans. what i do know is that, again, democracy is on the ballot. and it's important that we keep the election integrity at the forefront of voters minds in terms of what we have to protect in the 2022 election. and why all of these key races, governors, secretaries of state, attorneys general, legislators, are critical to ensuring that we still have a democracy in our country. >> katie hobbs, thank you. >> thanks. up next, a massive winter wallop from florida to maine that's still causing trouble for a whole lot of people tonight. details on that, coming up. knowing where you came from, it gives you a sense of “this is who i am”. oh my goodness... wow, look at all those! you get hungry for more and then you're just like, “wow, i'm learning about my family.” yeah, yep. which one, what'd you find? 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>> reporter: it certainly does. and the optimum word here is could, because different weather models show this new storm tracking in a few different directions. but if all things line up, dallas could be looking at temperatures in the 30s by thursday. north and south carolina could be -- could see snow by friday. and atlanta could start seeing snow by this saturday. anderson? >> jason carroll, thanks so much. appreciate it. the world's top tennis star is back in serbia after being deported from australia. will he be able to play in future competitions? we will take a look at that, next. with intuitive tech... 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[first responder] it's okay. you're safe now. as we honor the legacy and work of dr. martin luther king jr. today we are also remembering another hero who put his life on the line for this country despite battling racism and segregation in the u.s. military. one of the last surviving tuskegee airmen, brigadier general charles mcgee, passed away sunday. he was 102 years old. general mcgee had a historic career serving 30 years and completing 409 air combat missions during three wars, world war ii, korea, and vietnam. he has also received numerous honors including the congressional gold medal. in 2007 he was enshrined into the national aviation hall of fame in 2011 but one of his most notable achievements was serving as one of the tuskegee airmen, the first all-black unit of the world war ii army air forces. he is survived by three children, ten grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. what a life well lived. thank you for your service. if you ever miss 360 you can always listen to our podcast. go to cnn.com/podcast on any of the major platforms. just search for anderson cooper 360. the news continues here on cnn. let's hand it over to brianna keilar for "democracy in peril." >> anderson, thank you so much. i'm brianna keilar, and this is "democracy in peril." we're doing something a little different tonight and here in the days to come.