majority whip james clyburn, who also paved the way making sure then-candidate biden made this commitment. >> we talked about the supreme court. i am looking forward to making sure there is a black woman on the supreme court, to make sure we in fact get -- [ applause ] >> i commit if i am elected president, have an opportunity to appoint someone to the courts, it will be -- i will appoint the first black woman to the courts. it's required that they have representation now. it's long overdue. we are putting together a list of, a group of african-american women who are qualified and have the experience to be in the court. i am not going to release that until we go further down the line of vetting them as well. >> well, there are plenty of highly-qualified candidates, some of whom already vetted and we will talk about them tonight. we will speak with valerie jaret, as well. we will talk about the process of getting any nominee confirmed which as you know has produced memorable and consequential moments over the last several decades and has proved difficult for many candidates. senate majority leader chuck schumer reportedly wants a speedy process in the manner of justice amy coney barrett's confirmation which took just 30 days at the end of the last administration. that's what a source familiar with his thinking tells cnn. minority leader mitch mcconnell, who famously deprived president obama of his final court pick was noncommittal on the subject today. now, the first part of that clip we played from president biden is from when he was candidate biden at the democratic presidential debate in south carolina on february 25th, 2020. they were words my next guest, house majority whip james clyburn, was waiting to hear but had not yet heard during the debate. here is how bob woodward and robert costa tell it in their book "peril." he instead strolled backstage and pulled biden aside. man, there have been a couple instances up there tonight where you could have mentioned having a black woman on the supreme court, clyburn said. you can't leave the stage without doing that, you just got to do that. of course, biden said you got it. and his final answer, biden hit the mark. the very next day, congressman clyburn endorsed candidate biden who went on to win the primary, resurrecting his campaign. he joins us now for his first television interview since the news of justice breyer's retirement. congressman clyburn, appreciate you being with us. can you tell us more about that conversation at the debate between you and then-candidate biden about nominating the first black woman to the supreme court? do you feel like this moment may have been made possible because of that conversation? >> thank you very much for having me, anderson. as you may know, i am the father of three daughters. and i talk with them a lot, and i talk with their friends. and i knew that one of the real undercurrent throughout the black community was the fact that no black woman had ever been seriously considered for the united states supreme court. and at the time, there were three women sitting on the court and one had already retired from the court. and that was a real problem, so i maintained and i said to the then candidate that that was an issue that i thought it would be good for him to address in the campaign if he got a chance to do so in the debate. because remember, he had lost three primary campaigns in new hampshire, iowa, and nevada. and everybody was saying that his campaign was over. i said to him, i don't think so. uh, i know your relationship with the black community, your relationship with south carolina and the south carolina primary could be a turning point in the campaign and -- and i thought one way to do that was to address this issue and he did. and addressed it many, many times since. and he has put together a list, i am assuming, that this list i saw of seven people coming from his folks -- i hope it is because the young lady that i pushing him to consider is on that list. >> cnn is reporting as far as potential nominees are concerned, your major boost of u.s. district court judge michelle childs of south carolina -- is judge childs your top pick? >> yes, she is from south carolina. i've known her most of her life. and she is a incredibly smart woman. she's president of that judge's association and she has the kind of diverse background in life and education and work. she's worked in the state agency -- two state agency. she has been a state judge. she is now a federal judge. she is a graduate of a public university down in florida and a public law school here in south carolina. and incredibly smart woman that i believe would do well. see, i think that, um, people's experiences a lot. if you going to sit in judgment of people, it would do well to be able to empathize with them and you can sympathize. that's easy to do. but i think that justices ought to be able to empathize and i think she is to be that kind of a judge. >> i want to play something justice breyer said in october of last year when he was asked by cnn if he gets irked that he still gets questions about being liberal enough, and the expectations on retiring to help president biden. let's play that. >> the truth, i think, is, you know, you can always hope for your more mature self, which is there sometimes. and this is a country in which -- number one, it's called freedom of speech. that means -- >> so you think let them -- let them say what they want? >> oh, i do believe that. >> but you must be irked somehow. this must drive you nuts a little bit, right? >> if you can, i mean please. was that -- -- >> i didn't mean to slip into an informal way of asking you a question, justice breyer. but i would think -- >> harry truman. if it is too hot, get out of the kitchen. >> so what do you make of the timing of this and as a democrat, how important is the speed of this process in your mind? >> well, you know, i live by some of those adages that i grew up in. i want us to make sure that it is a black woman. i want to make sure that it's a woman. that will get universal support -- when i say universal, i mean bipartisan support and i know that michelle childs will have support of several republicans, including the two republican senators from south carolina. >> do republicans have an obligation in your mind to endorse a history-making choice, and not let it be only democrats who vote yes for -- for such a nomination? >> i wouldn't say they have an obligation to do that. i think it would be well for that to happen. as you know, i am a big fan of jay edward dixon and that was one of the things i admired about him. he made sure that the civil rights act and the voting rights act were both a bipartisan issue. and i really, really admire that about him. and i would -- i'm -- i'm sure that the republican senators from south carolina would do all they can to make this choice bipartisan. and i'm sure they will do so because both of them know michelle real well. but i suspect that the others that i don't know as well -- i do know sherry lynn eiffel. her name is being floated. very smart, young lady that i think would make a great supreme court justice, as well. i just happen to be for michelle childs. i'm not against any of the others. >> congressman clyburn, appreciate your time. thank you. >> well, thank you very much for having me. >> just spoke about judge childs. more now on her and several other leading candidates, as well as the process of getting any choice confirmed. details on that now from cnn's paula reid. >> i made it clear that my first choice for the supreme court will make history. as the first african-american woman justice. >> reporter: a supreme court pick can be a president's most lasting legacy. justices can serve for decades. their decisions last for generations. former-president trump solidified a conservative majority with his three court picks. >> i have long been told that the most important decision a president can make is the appointment of a supreme court justice. >> reporter: for breyer's spot, judge ketanji brown jackson is seen as the front-runner. former supreme court clerk for breyer, she was vetted recently by biden and his team, and confirmed to the d.c. circuit court of appeals to fill the seat left vacant by attorney general merrick garland. the circuit is seen as a feeder for the high court, and the move was meant to groom her for a justice position if a vacant seat came open. >> when you become a judge, you take an oath to look only at the law in deciding your cases. that you set aside your personal views about, um, the circumstances, the defendants, or anything else. >> reporter: a close-second choice is california's supreme court justice leondra kruger, former acting deputy solicitor general in the obama administration, she argued a dozen cases before the high court. while she has not been thoroughly vetted by the administration, she once clerked for the late-justice john paul stevens. >> i think we tend to forget when we're in the outside world, um, that really conversations about these very difficult cases are confined to a very small number of people. >> reporter: other names circulating? south carolina judge jay michelle childs. minnesota district court judge meme wright, outgoing naacp defense fund president, cheryl lynn eiffel. 7th circuit court of appeals judge can dis-jackson akomi and north carolina supreme court justice anita earls. judge childs has been championed by house majority whip james clyburn. >> i have a high regard and sincere appreciation for our legal system, which is the form of order in our court and our democracy. >> reporter: the eventual nominee will likely face a daunting confirmation process. wire told several people who nudged him to retire that the confirmation process shouldn't be political. >> if the public sees judges as politicians in robes, its confidence in the courts and rule of law itself can only diminish. >> reporter: some democrats were worried breyer would remain on the bench, and with the 2022 midterms looming, senate republicans have already raised the stakes around his retirement with five gop lawmakers telling cnn in december that they would likely oppose any nominee out of this white house if they take the majority in november. paula reid, cnn, washington. >> so, we want to get more perspective now about the history about to be made. joining us, valerie jaret, former senior adviser to president obama. ms. jaret, thanks for being with us. how significant is this moment in your mind? >> very significant, anderson, and good evening. it is a seismic, historic moment. i am thrilled that president biden announced two years ago in the course of the campaign that he intended to select a black woman and here is the good news. as you just heard from paula, there are several very qualified candidates who have both the intellectual rigor and discipline, judicial temperament, experience, both professionally and in life to be a real asset to the court and who will contribute to reflecting the diversity of our rich country. and so, i think this is a great moment. it is historic not just because the person will be a black woman and make history but because there are so many really well-qualified choices available to president biden from -- from whom to choose. >> you have seen up close, the difficulty these nominations can have. do you think the potentially historic nature of this nomination would impact republicans who might otherwise be inclined to oppose it? >> well, i don't know. i think that if they are really focusing on what's good for the country and not what's in their short-term political interests, then they will give the support and it would be great to have bipartisan support for this historic nomination just as justice sotomayor received when she was nominated and confirmed. so i hope that they will want to be on the right side of history, and i am very confident that whoever president biden, um, selects will be somebody who is highly qualified for the job. and that should be the litmus test as to whether or not they support it, not politics. >> and there are a number of potential candidates being floated right now. we just saw some in that piece. you know president biden well. how do you think he is going to ultimately weigh this decision? >> well, he'll look at their qualifications, their track record, their experience, their life story. he will look at how they will fit in with the rest of the court. it has to work well, and be a function -- functioning court. and that's when judicial temperament becomes really important. but i think, ultimately, he will also go with who he just instinctively thinks will be the best choice possible. this is something that he will take very seriously. obviously, his years of experience as chair of the judiciary makes him very familiar with the range of candidates and qualifications that are necessary so i am confident that he will make the right choice. >> so i mean, in the context of the larger political landscape and with the administration's recent obvious ly setbacks with voting rights, build back better. do you think this is an opportunity to in some ways reinvigorate the democratic base? >> i think the base will be very excited about the selection. this isn't just something that will resonate with black people. i think it will resonate broadly, um, not only across the democratic base but i am also hoping around the country. people should celebrate this historic moment and -- and if they do so, i think it will energize people to take another look at not just the supreme court but government. and be engaged and participate, turn out and vote, care about who is running for office. elections have consequences. the supreme court -- lifetime appointments. and they make decisions that affect every single american. this is really important and so it's a teaching moment as well for people to understand what's at stake in elections, and what's -- what are the responsibilities that go along with being on the supreme court. and i hope everyone tunes in, everyone is engaged in this process. i look forward to having a very thorough review of the candidates. i think the process should not be jammed through the way president biden's predecessor did. it should be done in a thoughtful and serious way, where the public has an opportunity to see exactly what it is that president biden sees in this person, have open hearings, open debate, and hopefully a successful confirmation. >> valerie jaret, appreciate you tonight. thank you so much. >> you're welcome, anderson. coming up next, a close friend of justice breyer, constitutional law scholar laurence tribe joins us. also, hook at confirmation hearings that have left an indelible mark on history and perhaps the court, as well. >> from my standpoint, as a black american, as far as i'm concerned, it is a high-tech lynching for blacks who, in any way, think for themselves. >> later, senator chris murphy who recently traveled to ukraine on where things stand now the administration's delivered its written reply to russia's demands. burning sensation. what is this nightmare? 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>> you are asking about blackout. i don't know. have you? >> could you answer the question, judge? just -- you -- that's not happened? is that your answer? >> yeah, and i'm curious if you have? >> i have no drinking problem, judge. >> reporter: the committee postponed its vote to hear testimony from two of kavanaugh's accusers. before it was over, this happened. >> if you wanted an fbi investigation, you could've come to us. what you want to do is destroy this guy's life, hold this seat open, and hope you win in 2020. you've said that, not me. >> reporter: decades earlier, in 1991, judge clarence thomas defended himself against claims of sexual harassment. >> he got up from the table at which we were working, went over to his desk to get the coke, looked at the can and asked who has put pubic hair on my coke? >> from my standpoint as a black american, as far as i'm concerned, it is a high-tech lynching for uppity blacks, who in any way think for themselves. >> tensions spilled over to committee members. >> somebody in a sleazy way broke the rules -- >> senator -- >> let me just finish. >> i am going to let you finish and then i am going to cut you off real quick. >> on display during judge samuel alito's confirmation hearing in 2006, a racism charge. senator ted kennedy quoted from a 1984 letter from a princeton alumni group alito was believed to have joined. >> cited the fact that admission rates for african-americans and hispanics were on the rise. >> i always deplored any form of racial discrimination or bigotry. >> disgusted, alito's wife walked out of the hearing. >> are you really a closet bigot? >> i am not any kind of bigot. >> i am sorry that you have had to go through this. >> reporter: it was robert works' failed 1987 nomination that gave rise to the process's partisan divide. by the time ronald reagan nominated him, bork was well known for his beliefs. >> in robert bork's america, there is no room at the inn for blacks and no place in the constitution for women, and in our america, there should be no seat on the supreme court for robert bork. >> reporter: in the end, bork was defeated by a vote of 58-42 -- the largest margin in history. and his name symbolized outrage for conservatives. to bork soon was defined in the dictionary as to obstruct by systematically defaming or vilifying a person. randi kaye, cnn palm beach county, florida. in addition to being a distinguished legal scholar and supreme court litigator, laurence tribe is also a close friend of the outgoing justice breyer. he joins us now. professor tribe, you have known justice breyer for a long time. what do you make of -- of his decision to retire? >> i think it was the right decision. it's really important to give president biden the chance to put the first african-american woman on the court and all of the nominees that are being bandied about are extraordinarily well-qualified by experience, by temperament, by brilliance. so i think that justice breyer really helped his legacy by not holding on any longer. >> the fact he is announcing his retirement in january, which is very early by court standards, in a midterm election year, what does it say to you in terms of concerns he may have about the politics of the looming confirmation process? >> well, if he were as concerned as i wish he had been about the politics of the process, he would have resigned sooner, still. he would have resigned before this term began last october because he's already waited -- even though it's early in the year -- he's waited well enough into the process, so that mitch mcconnell -- who is known for taking every opportunity to squelch the opposition party -- is likely to pull out all the stops to make this difficult. i think that's unfortunate because i think all of the nominees will make history in a very positive way. >> how difficult could mitch mcconnell make it? >> well, he -- he did strike a deal with majority leader schumer back in february of 2021 to have an equal number of senators of both parties on the judiciary committee. some people have said that that would enable a solid republican vote to put the nomination on hold. but i think if you look at the senate rules that were passed at that time, it would be possible for senator schumer to discharge the nomination even if it was equally divided in the committee, and then a mere-majority vote is all it would take in the senate. and i think, given that several of the senators, if the nominee happens to be ketanji jackson, for example, several of the senators on the republican side have already voted for her. that really could be fairly smooth. i think that it's possible for a number of the other nominees to go through quite smoothly but i think it's important that the hearings be careful, be thorough. the nation become familiar with the nominee and i think that the national groundswell in support of the nominee president biden selects is going to make it very hard for mcconnell to obstruct, as is his want. >> randi kaye mentioned in her report the contentious defeat of conservative nominee robert bork back in '97. you were one of the witnesses who testified against judge bork. i want to play a clip of what you said to the senate judiciary committee. >> lot of attention is focused on judge bork's quite scornful dismissal of the supreme court's long line of decisions from the 1920s to the present upholding the rights of individuals and families to decide for themselves basic matters of marriage, child bearing, and child rearing. judge bork has basically said that nothing in the constitution authorizes judges to treat a married couple's intimacies in the bedroom any differently from a business enterprise as economic decisions in the board room. >> do you agree with the consensus that bork's defeat was a watershed moment in supreme court nomination fights? >> i have to say first of all, i wish i had as much hair as -- as i did back then. i do think it was a watershed moment but not for the reasons everyone tends to state. it was a watershed moment because it was an opportunity for the country to hear competing views of basic constitutional questions, like the one i was testifying about there about whether the constitution -- even though it doesn't say anything about bedroom privacy or sexual choice or the right to raise your children or any number of other rights is broad enough to encompass them. that was the first time the country, on national television, heard all of those ideas ventilated and the fact that judge bork was ultimately rejected because he rejected all of those rights and, in that way, frightened the american people -- many of them -- about his philosophy, represented a kind of turning point, a ratification of a broader view of the constitution than the current far-right court even with a younger nominee replacing justice breyer is going to take. >> yeah, laurence tribe, appreciate your time tonight. thank you. really fascinating. breaking news in the russia-ukraine conflict after the u.s. sends a letter to russia addressing the crisis. i will talk about details with senator chris murphy, who recently returned from ukraine, next. a pivoting metal head that defines every edge, and three comb lengths for added versatility. one tool that helps you choose, change, and master your style. king c. gillette new projects means new project managers. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. when you sponsor a job, you immediately get your shortlist of quality candidates, whose resumes on indeed match your job criteria. visit indeed.com/hire and get started today. ♪ get a head start in investing with the new schwab starter kit™. new investors can open an account and get $50 to split across the top five stocks in the s&p 500®. you can also unlock short videos, step-by-step guides, and other easy-to-use tools designed for people just getting started. plus, investment professionals are on standby 24/7 if you ever have a question. it's the smarter way to start investing. ♪ 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. breaking news in the russia-ukraine conflict. the united states is waiting for reaction from russian president vladimir putin after delivering a high-stakes response to russia's demands. >> today, ambassador sullivan delivered our written response in moscow. all told, it sets out a serious diplomatic path forward, should russia choose it. the document we have delivered includes concerns of the united states and our allies and partners about russia's actions that undermine security. a principaled and pragmatic evaluation of the concerns russia has raised and our own proposals for areas where we may be able to find common ground. blinken also reiterated nato's open-door policy, rejecting moscow's demands to ban ukraine from the organization. following blinken's statement, ukrainian presidential adviser said the u.s. response is quote the right strategy and russia should take the opportunity to use diplomacy to avoid a negative scenario in his words. joinings now, democratic senator chris murphy, member of the foreign relations committee who recently returned from ukraine. you just heard the secretary of state. i am wondering what your assessment of the u.s.'s response to russia today was? >> well, i'm glad that the u.s. is engaged in this intensive diplomacy. hopeful that it will bear fruit. at the same time, it is based upon a set of concerns articulated by russia that are imaginary. the russians believe that nato presents a territorial threat to russia. that's simply not true. we are -- um -- forward deployed to protect ourselves. we have absolutely no intention of ever setting afoot on russian soil. it is in fact the russians who have put their own troops inside georgia and ukraine. and so, if putin wants guarantees that nato isn't going to move on russia, we can give him those guarantees but we simply can't give him and the kremlin veto power over who becomes part of nato. so, let's hope that there is some breakthrough on the diplomatic front. i think ultimately if putin decides not to invade ukraine, it will likely be more so because he sees the cost of -- of an invasion as much more serious than he had originally anticipated. >> and in the end, it just boils down to what vladimir putin decides to do. it's not necessarily -- i mean, it's his decision and his decision, alone. >> yeah. in the united states, if a president wants to invade a foreign country, they have got to get authorization of congress normally. if you want to sign a treaty with a nation, you have got to get the consent of congress. not in russia. putin will decide what he wants to do on his own and the worry is that he has been sort of holed up, cloibtered, maybe speaking to only a handful of people that may be telling him he is going to be greeted as a liberator if he enters ukraine. of course, nothing could be further from the truth. he is going to meet a pretty fierce resistance from the ukrainian army, supplemented by u.s. weapons and he is going to ultimately have a long-term insurgency on his hands from the ukrainian people that could last for years, if not decades. and that could bring down the russian government just like the invasion of afghanistan in 1980 contributed to the downfall of the soviet union. >> i mean russia's said it's engaging in diplomacy throughout this process but they continue to move troops and weapons to the border. how can you tell when progress is being made and when they are just stalling for time? >> i think russia is sort of hoping to do two things here. they are hoping to engage the west and the united states in a way that ultimately gets us to agree to these ridiculous demands. that's not gonna happen. we are simply not going to move our troop levels inside the nato alliance back to 1990 it's levels, nor are we going to allow russia to decide whether ukraine ultimately joins nato or not. i think the other thing they are trying to do is just rattle the ukrainian government. putin doesn't want to have to march an army in. he would love to have this government fall, and a russian-friendly government installed instead. so, you know, we have to berth support ukraine militarily but also politically to make sure that, you know, the people of ukraine understand that they should stick with the zelensky government and they shouldn't let these threats from putin end up in there being instability inside kyiv. that's exactly what putin wants. >> there does seem to be this sort of disagreement words of -- of the -- the white house has used the term imminent of a potential russian invasion. some ukrainian officials have not used that word or said it's not imminent. where do you see -- how do you describe the -- the threat? >> listen. i think this is a delicate dance. you have to -- when talking to our allies -- make clear what we see in our intelligence, which is the potential for an imminent attack. and it's no secret that our allies have not always shared our assessment of the threat. so, in order to build this set of sanctions against russia that are multilateral along with our european partners, we have got to make sure they understand how serious we see the intelligence. at the same time again, inside ukraine, you don't want to build unnecessary panic. you don't want to bring down this government. and so, i can see why the ukrainians are being, you know, a little bit more delicate in how they advance this intel. you also have to understand inside ukraine, they have had russians on their soil for the better part of the decade. they have lost 14,000 ukrainian soldiers in the fight against russia. so, it -- sometimes they worry that the rest of the world doesn't know that. that they have actually been at war with russia and that this would just be a new front in that war. >> senator chris murphy, appreciate your time. thank you. >> thanks. the confirmation hearing for florida's surgeon general got contentious today when the doctor asked five times by lawmakers refused to say vaccines work. what happened next, coming up. only from discover. from the very first touch, pampers, the #1 pediatrician recommended brand, helps keep baby's skin drier and healthier. so every touch will protect like the first. pampers ...so at at&t everyone gets our best deals. aren't others doing that? 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>> as a scientist, you know, i -- i -- i -- i'm compelled to answer the scientific question. >> scientifically, do vaccines -- does the -- do the vaccines work? >> yes or no questions are are not that -- that easy to find in science. um, so i will -- i understand -- i think i -- i have better clarity about your -- your question at this point. so, what i would say is that the most commonly-used vaccines in the united states -- which would be the -- the, um, pfizer product and the product that was -- was developed by moderna -- um, have been shown to have, um, relatively high effectiveness for the prevention of hospitalization and death. and over time, relatively low -- low protection from infection. >> florida state senate democratic leader lauren book joins us now. it is fascinating to watch that. um, thanks for joining us. the last exchange lasted more than three minutes. you asked the doctor if he believed vaccines work and are effective five times. how concerning is that to you? >> thank you so much for having me. it is terrifying that we are in a place and in a state where this is the top doctor in the third-largest state in the country or hopes to be once confirmed. that's why my colleagues and i came today prepared to ask questions of the doctor. this is a man who calls mask wearing an extreme measure, who stood frontline with -- with america's frontline doctors to talk about, um, and condemn unsafe -- or to condemn common sense safety measures related to covid-19. um, he could not answer any question straightly or squarely whether it related to vaccines, mask wearing, or whether or not he regretted really putting our colleague's health and safety at risk by not wearing a mask because she was a cancer patient, undergoing cancer treatments. um, the list really does go on and on, we came prepared and he simply was not having it, and not answering any of the questions. so we decided we had other business to attend to on our igen da and didn't want to continue to listen to the nonsensical niceties he was choosing to spew forward, instead of answering squarely questions that floridians deserve to have answers to. >> is it clear to you why governor desantis put this particular doctor in that job, other than he was known for voicing skepticism about vaccines and other covid precautions? >> i think the really dangerous thing is that the governor has put this individual in place as a political measure, as -- as a mouthpiece and that is not what this should be. at the end of the day, again, this is the top doctor in the third largest state in the country. he has a responsibility to care for 21 million floridians and their health, safety, and wellbeing. this should not be a political position. this is somebody who should ensure we are making sound, smart, data-driven decisions to keep floridians safe and that's not what this individual has done. he's falsely claimed to have treated covid-19 patients when he was at ucla. that never happened. the list goes on and on and on. and at the end of the day, we asked more questions than just about the covid-19 pandemic. we asked about other outbreaks the state has had. we talked about other issues related to hiv, minority communities. again, got a lot of niceties, a lot of verbal jujitsu and got no real answers to the questions that we were posing. and quite frankly, it was beneath the dignity of the florida senate. he was making a mockery of what we were doing, and there to do and that's why we decided to walk out on that vote because at the end of the day, we had a lot of work to do and wanted to get to those issues that were in front of us. >> he was also pretending his answer is a scientific answer to that question. but i mean, his final, you know, the way he phrased the final -- the answer that we just played there -- he chose to focus on the most negative aspects, which is that, you know, in his -- i am paraphrasing him -- that long-term, the vaccines did not show -- over -- over a certain period of time, effectiveness, which is certainly true. over a long enough period of time, the vaccines are not as effective. um, but phrasing it that way is a very strange way to phrase it when in fact the most direct answer is the vaccines are very effective, and the booster it shows great efficacy, as well. as opposed to, well, just over an un -- undisclosed long period of time, they're not. >> absolutely, anderson. you are 100% correct. again, to the point that this is become a political mouthpiece for the governor and extremely dangerous measure for floridians. 21 million floridians deserve more than a mouthpiece for the governor, than talking sound bytes that sound good and suit a narrative. at the end of the day, we know that vaccines work. at the end of the day, we know that mask wearing works and prevents the spread of covid-19. these are not -- these are not very difficult to understand, and the top doctor in the state of florida should be able to answer very simple yes or no questions when it comes to the health, safety, and wellbeing of floridians across the state. again, somebody who wanted to continue to spew falsities and niceties isn't going to get the job done. >> yeah. lauren book, appreciate your time. thank you. up next, we have breaking news in the investigation of florida congressman matt gaetz who is facing accusations of sex trafficking and obstruction of justice. another key figure in his orbit or once in his orbit is now apparently talking to the feds. ♪ i'm getting vaccinated with prevnar 20. so am i. because i'm at risk for pneumococcal pneumonia. i'm asking about prevnar 20. because there's a chance pneumococcal pneumonia could put me in the hospital. if you're 65 or older you may be at increased risk for pneumococcal pneumonia. prevnar 20 is approved in adults to help prevent infections from 20 strains of the bacteria that cause pneumococcal pneumonia. in just one dose. even if you've already been vaccinated with another pneumonia vaccine, ask your doctor if prevnar 20 could help provide additional protection. don't get prevnar 20 if you've had a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine or its ingredients. adults with weakened immune systems may have a lower response to the vaccine. the most common side effects were pain and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, fatigue, headache, and joint pain. i want to be able to keep my plans. that's why i chose to get vaccinated with prevnar 20. because just one dose can help protect me from pneumococcal pneumonia. ask your doctor or pharmacist about getting vaccinated with prevnar 20 today. more breaking news tonight. a florida radio host formerly in matt gaetz's orbit is now cooperating with the justice department's investigation into the congressman. the republican lawmaker is facing allegations of sexual contact with a minor, sex trafficking and obstruction of justice. cnn's ryan nobles joins us from capitol hill. who is this third person said at one time to have been in the congressman's orbit, and how he is cooperating? >> reporter: his name is big j jjoe ell ellicott. he's worked out a plea agreement and the reason that his cooperation is significant, anderson, is because he could serve as someone who can corroborate the testimony of joel greenberg. he's the former tax collector from that part of florida who was a very close associate with matt gaetz and is suspected to be at least part of some of these crimes that they're investigating that matt gaetz could be linked to. now, ellicott, his lawyer says by his own admission was not necessarily close himself with gaetz. but he did run in some of the same circles. they partied together at times, and it seems as though ellicott is going to serve as a corroborating witness as this investigation plays out. >> and how is congressman gaetz's office responded? >> reporter: from the beginning, anderson, he has claimed he did nothing wrong. in the past, he's said he's never had sex with a woman under the age of 17 while he was not above the age of 17, and his office put out a statement today continuing along that line, saying, quote, after nearly a year of false rumors, not a shred of evidence has implicated congressman gaetz in wrongdoing. we remain focused on our work representing floridians. so despite this new development, gaetz is not at all changing his story that he has done nothing wrong. >> is there any sense of what kind of a timeline this investigation is operating on because it has been going on a long time? >> reporter: it has, anderson. that remains a mystery. keep in mind that the federal government has never officially said that they're investigating matt gaetz. this has all been uncovered through reporting through various sources, and of course we do know about the activity that's been involved with greenberg and some of these others that are tied to matt gaetz. so there is no timeline as to how long this is going to take. it could play out for much longer, but obviously the fact that they are now getting some of these witnesses to cooperate and be a part of this investigation, that shows that they could potentially be getting closer to wrapping the investigation up. >> ryan nobles, appreciate it. thanks. we'll be right back. ong with yon medication. the brand i trust is qunol. maybe it's another refill at your favorite diner... or waiting for the 7:12 bus... or sunday afternoon in the produce aisle. these moments may not seem remarkable. but at pfizer, protecting the regular routine, and everyday drives us to reach for exceptional. working to impact hundreds of millions of lives... young and old. it's what we call, the pursuit of normal. ♪ ♪ your shipping manager left to “find themself.” leaving you lost. 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 this is the planning effect from fidelity. ben isn't worried about retirement because his plan is backed by the team at fidelity. a group of investment professionals manages ben's ira for him, analyzing market conditions and helping him stay on target. he gets one-on-one coaching when he wants some advice, and can adjust his plan whenever he needs to. and now he's so prepared for retirement, ben is feeling totally zen. that's the planning effect from fidelity. . reminder, don't miss "full circle," our digital news show. you can catch it live mondays, wednesdays and fridays a