across large sections. right now idalia is a tropical storm after making landfall as a hurricane. the rain is covering four straits, stretching 600 miles from florida all the way up to north carolina, and that wind is now impacting half of that area. now, the danger remain as idalia continues to move north into the carolinas this hour. and the record storm surge threatens communities in those areas. now, homes are still under water, and some of the damage is catastrophic. cnn is live across the southeast, including in charleston where there are reports tonight of flooding right in the city center. we'll go right there in a moment. but i want to start first with our meteorologist chad myers in the cnn weather center. chad, what is the condition right now of this storm, and where is it headed? >> reporter: well, we're losing some wind speed, and that's the good news, and it's headed to the northeast. that's the second answer toward the north carolina coast. what i don't like on this map is how bright colored here the temperatures -- the brighter the color, the colder the core, so therefore the heavier the rainfall. that's happening now in the piedmont, south carolina. also across the gulf stream, bigger storms rotating in. those on the gulf stream would rotate in with spin. that means there's potential for tornadoes tonight william a know there have been a few on the ground already. later tonight it moves off the coast, but we're still going to see coastal beach erosion for sure, and still the threat of tornadoes especially across the low country there, north carolina all the way through the south. that's the area we're most concerned with, because these storms are rotating around the center itself. every storm that rotates from the ocean on to land can cause a tornado to form. now it's nighttime, they're harder to see, you have to watch the radar, keep your phone on so you know what's going on. >> chad myers, thank you very much. we'll of course be back with you as the night progresses and things develop. just in to cnn we're getting report of flooding in the city of charleston, south carolina tonight. i want to bring in charleston's emergency management director ben elmquist. er this thank you for being here. water levels in the harbor exceeding what they expected. it's now 9 feet, the highest ever. what can you tell us about that? >> we had exceptionally high tides today william a knew we were going to have those ahead of the storm. they're actually just a coincidence that it's occurring at the same time. we get these about every year around this time. the floodwaters peaked at 9.2 tide, 9.2 foot tide for us. they are currently receding, which is good news, but we have plenty of floodwater throughout the city. >> as the night goes on, what do you expect to see in terms of the conditions in that charleston area as the storm moves through? >> we still anticipate heavy winds to come through. we're seeing tornado activity throughout the day. certainly the water's going to stick around a little bit longer even though that tide is receding for us. and there will still be rain yet to come through. >> has your department had to make any rescue efforts amid the storm? >> there have been some rescue efforts, but for the most part, the citizens of charleston have done what we asked and stayed indoors, which has been a great thing for us. >> good, we'll continue to monitor the situation there as the night progresses. thank you very much for joining us tonight. >> thank you. i want to bring in now cnn's gloria pazmino. she's in -- florida which has suffered a significant storm surge. gloria, what kind of damage are you seeing where you are tonight? >> reporter: abbey, let me give you an idea of what i have been dealing with all day. i have been at this same intersection all day, and i know it doesn't look like it now but that water i'm standing in has actually finally started to recede. it was higher several hours ago, and we were watching as a lot of cars will difficulty navigating. many of them ended upturning around. now, this is crystal river. this is a small community. over in this direction is city hall, and we heard from the mayor of crystal river earlier today, who told us city hall took on about eight feet of water at the height of that storm surge. so this water that you're seeing here came from this direction. that's where the gulf of mexico is and the river. those two bodies of water pushing all of that surge right up against the doors of city hall. eight feet of water, causing significant damage there. now, as we speak, here in crystal river, there's now a curfew, and local sheriff's department here is asking people to stay off the roads and just to try to stay off the street, because they're trying to make sure they get to everyone who may be in need of some help. throughout the day in citrus county where we're standing there have been 75 rescues that were conducted throughout the day. earlier today we were watch as the airboats were just going up and down this street. so as i said, the water finally receding, but abbey, it is a full moon. it's actually right above me, and these tides and the currents are still being affected, so there's still a possibility that even though the water is receding with the currents that some of this water could still push inland. >> yeah, that continues to be a concern. gloria pazmino, thank you very much. the destruction from idalia is not sparing. even the governor's mansion in talla tallahassee, the first lady posted a picture of an oak tree that crashed into a building. she says she was home but thankfully no one was hurt. cnn's brian todd is there in the state capital tonight witnessing the damage throughout the city. brian? >> reporter: here in the big bend area of florida, including here in tallahassee, a lot of recovery to do, damage to assess, and it's still kind of dangerous. as the first full day passes after hurricane idalia came to shore. take a look behind me. this is a street in tallahassee. we talked to the homeowners about their experience and they were jarred by what happened. take a look at this large pine tree. look at the root system. the storm uprooted the tree covered in spanish moss and vine. it uprooted the tree and roots, took the fence with them. missed the house by a few feet. the people inside were okay. they were inside with their daughter. they came out and were just aghast at what they saw here. this tree as we walk over here, came down and laid across the street, but crews were quick to get here and remove the part across the street. this family still has a lot of damage to recover from. what officials are telling us tonight is that it is still dangerous to navigate these streets. if you're in your neighborhood, determined to get back to your house or deal with your house, be very careful. there's still a lot of downed power lines. there's one over my shoulder right there. these are extremely dangerous, and this is a scene repeated across the tallahassee area. officials saying you've got to be very careful. a lot of generators also running this street. traditionally after hurricanes, a lot of people die in generator related accidents. again, there are hidden dangers all over the region affected by hurricane idalia, and people here are just digging out, assessing their homes and dealing with dangers. abbey? >> brian todd, thank you. another part of florida that took the brunt of the damage, the city of perry. idalia dropped heaps of rain and snapped trees, some falling on homes. >> i just heard something crack. look, there it go. there it goes. oh, my gosh. no! it's okay, it's okay, it's okay. >> scary moment there. cnn's jon berman is in perry at a gas station that got hammered by those winds. >> i'm at a truck stop in perry, florida. the storm passed right over perry, about 18 miles from the coast, 18 miles from where idalia made landfall. it passed over perry directly at about 85, 90 miles per hour, which is enough to do some pretty serious damage, which you can see right behind me. this is a truck stop -- or i should say maybe was a truck stop, and the wind just pushed over the awning over these diesel pumps. you can see there the brick just exploded and the metal all twisted. the force of the wind did so much damage. all around here there are trees down, telephone poles pulled up. hard getting around with so many lines that were down. but the cleanup obviously has begun. getting here, not easy. the roads were jammed with people trying to move about. hopefully over the next several days that is something that will alleviate, it will improve over the coming days, and only the people here in perry, a town of about 7,000 people, they know as bad as it is here that they didn't see the worst of it. yes, there is wind damage. yes, there's some freshwater flooding, puddles of water in different places, but it was the storm surge 20 miles away from here that would have been truly life threatening. those areas where the surge did come up are much more sparsely populated than this, which is a lucky thing. here in perry they definitely have some cleanup to do. the work has start. hurricane idalia long gone at this point. it will be a listening time, abbey, before it's forgotten. >> very much will. jon berman, thank you. we mentioned how the carolinas are getting hit right now tonight. we have new video just in to cnn of a tornado flipping a car. we'll take you there. plus, i'll speak with a woman who rode out the storm in her apartment. and serious questions tonight about mitch mcconnell after the senate's most powerful republican froze again in public. ♪ chchevy silverado has what it takes to do it all. with up p to 13 camera views. and the z71 off-road package. ♪ you ok? 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(vo) close in a matter of days. start with an all cash offer at opendoor dot com tens of thousands of customers wrote about carvana being easy in their five star reviews, including eric. the whole process was really simple and easy, and this is my third time selling to carvana. so i can practically do it from memory now. you just enter your license plate or your vin, answer a few questions. boom, you get a real offer. true story. it's still shocking how easy it was to sell my car to carvana. sell your car to carvana today. i let each governor i spoke with know, if there's anything, anything the states need right now, i'm ready to mobilize that support or what they need. i don't think anybody can deny the impact of the climate crisis anymore. just look around. historic floods. i mean, historic floods. more intense droughts, extreme heat, significant wildfires have caused significant damage like we've never seen before. >> that was president biden promising to help the areas that are being hit by idalia, and it's coming at the most opportune time as they begin to assess that damage. flooding is a major problem across florida as well, where storm surge hit historic highs, and now the carolinas are being pummelled by what's left of this storm. i want to bring in diane g gallagher who is in carolina beach north carolina. diane, you were earlier on the beach, some tourists running around trying to see how things are looking. what are the conditions right now? and hopefully other than you not a whole lot of people around. >> reporter: we are one of the very few groups of people out here right now, abbey. you're starting to see the wind pick up again. we had torrential rain a few moments ago that stopped. you can see the palm trees behind me with the wind. i want to show you, we're at the board walk of carolina beach. you can see the ride being pushed by the swings -- excuse me, pushed by the air. the swings up in the air. we're seeing bands continue to come through. according to the forecasters here, the national weather service in wilmington, this is what we expect throughout the night. we're under a tornado watch until at least 4:00 a.m. we've already had spotted tornado and water spout in the area. tornado warnings, and we have special marine warning that's been going on here with concern about possible additional water spouts. now, according to the town manager, the emergency director in new hanover county, the mos thursday morning, abbey, and anf m m g tides any way, but because of the storm surge could be even worse. they're asking people to stay off roads and out of floodwater. they anticipate the worst of it should be over mid-morning. . but again, asking people not to get into the ocean or in the floodwaters mid-morning tomorrow. >> a dangerous coincidence for this storm to be hitting at a time of that king tide, making matters a lot worse. diane gallagher, thank you very much. some florida residents decided to ride out the hurricane instead of evacuating, including my next guest. i want to bring in st. pete beach resident barb shuler. thanks for joining us. you did ride out the storm from the bottom floor of a two-story apartment building. what was that experience like? >> i did, and it was a bit harrowing, but we were prepared. and we set up our apartment to actually ride the storm out. >> you took some video from outside of your apartment, which is pretty close to the sea wall. how high did the water end upcoming up for you? >> well, it went over the sea wall, and we actually saw waves coming over the sea wall. it was a bit harrow -- i was inside my apartment, and we did board up our apartment with sandbags, we were prepared. but it was -- i actually heard -- it felt like the beach was right outside my apartment. but we did get a bit of breach of our efforts, but we were able to take care of it. we stayed. we took care of our apartment. and we succeeded and we're fine. >> good, glad you are fine. will you be able to stay in your apartment? what will the days ahead look like as the cleanup, you know, is under way? sounds like you took on some water, but perhaps not as much as it could have been. >> no, we did take on some water, but we spent a lot of time ranging out towels and cleaning up. cleanup is over with. we helped our community. we live in a small apartment complex with lots of elderly people and people that needed help, and we were there to help them. >> well, that's a good upside of your decision to stay. we're really glad you're safe, barb. thank you very much for joining us tonight. >> thank you. we'll take you right back to the carolina where is the floodwaters are rising at this hour, but first, is mitch mcconnell being transparent about what's happening with his health? there was another scary moment today that raised some serious questions. plus, a student is told by his school to remove a "don't traea on me" patch. i'll speak with the state's liberal -- (light acoustic music plays) (eagle screeches) (energetic music plays) there he is! it's right there! ♪ oh, he's straight ahead. he's straight ahead. straight ahead. go go go. ♪ cover more ground in the kia sportage turbo-hybrid. kia. movement that inspires. was also the first time you heard of a town named dinosaur, colorado. we just got an order from dinosaur, colorado. start an easy to build, powerful website for free with a partner that always puts you first. start for free at godaddy.com she runs and plays like a puppy again. his #2s are perfect! he's a brand new dog, all in less than a year. when people switch their dog's food from kibble to the farmer's dog, they often say that it feels like magic. but there's no magic involved. 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>> running for re-election in 2026. >> oh. that's a -- >> did you hear the question, senator, running for re-election in 2026? >> yes. >> all right, i'm sorry, you all, we're going to need a minute. senator. benny. >> yep. want to head outside, senator? come with us? >> hmm. >> okay. >> okay. >> that was senator mitch mcconnell during a press conference in kentucky earlier. the silence there is deafening, and as you saw there, the 81-year-old republican leader, he froze while talking to reporters at this press conference. but it is almost identical to what happened to what we experience at the capital in july, but this time it took longer for him to react. a spokesperson said the leader felt momentarily lightheaded and said he'll consult with a physician prior to his next event. here's how one doctor analyzed his freezing. >> what i see basically is the senator becoming perhaps a little bit confused and then mute, and he stares off to the side, sort of to the upper side and is unable to speak for about ten seconds, and that looks like he's having a type of seizure called a epson seizure. he had a traumatic brain injury when he fell in april. 10% a people who have a big enough injury to be hospitalized like that have seizure, and that's what this looks like to me. this is the exact same presentation as five weeks ago. >> joining me now -- gentleman, thanks for being here, frank, i want to start with you about what we heard from the senator's office. now, this is the second time that we've seen this happen, and their response is basically he's going to go see a doctor. everything's fine. is that enough? >> i sympathy having suffered a stroke myself three and a half years ago and i know how temporarily difficult it can be. i also have sympathy for him as he is committed to serving the people who elected him. but it's one of the problems that we have with washington, which is that there is a time to lead and a time to pass on the torch to another generation. i thought that the comments that his office made were insufficient. i think they're going to have to be more forthcoming. i do not want to cast any aspersions on the senator, just as i do not with dianne feinstein on the democratic side, but i understand what the public is saying about some of these people. give somebody else a chance to do the job. >> yeah. >> yeah, so i mean, look, i think between dianne feinstein as you mentioned, arguably president joe biden and certainly mitch mcconnell it's time to have a serious conversation about age limits for our public servants. there's nothing strange about the fact that states have age limits for judge. there's age limit for air traffic controllers, all kinds of professions. why would it be the most important jobs don't have age limits. >> what's interesting is the question he was being asked about is would he run again? it just raises the question, if you're a kentucky constituent of mitch mcconnell right now, don't you deserve an answer about what's going on with his health more than just, oh, he was feeling -- >> we are living in what some people have called a gerontocracy. we want to not fall into the traps of age itch. there are other politicians in theirle 0s who are vibrant, who have mental capacities. paul mccartney and bob dylan will selling out theaters in their 80s. age isn't quite it, but when there are symptoms of old age, with senator finestein or senator mcconnell, i'm not a doctor, but i am a rabbi, and there is a value of respect for helders that is not being honored by the people around them allowing them to engage in this behavior that does not create respect for themselves. >> we as a culture, we have the senate, the average age for a sitting senator is 64, right? it's about the same for republicans and democrats. so this is a bipartisan issue. then you also have just so many senators on that far end of the spectrum. 60s, 70s, four in their 80s. this is not a bob dylan situation. i mean, we're talking about people who are making laws that affect millions and millions -- hundred of millions of people. >> maybe bob dylan should sing "the times they are a-changing" to some senators. >> i'm very happy bob dylan has become the focus of this segment. >> quick lingquistics, senate and senile come from the same root. >> by the way, that is the single best thing i have learned all day. thank you. that was pretty amazing. >> look, we're talking about mitch mcconnell. but i do wonder, i mean, if joe biden, who republicans have said is basically a puppet, is being walked around by his aides and can't function as president. if joe biden had done what we we have seen from mitch mcconnell twice now, what's the reaction you think we would have here? >> probably impeachment. they would be talking the about impeachment. if joe biden did what mitch mcconnell did today, that would be the -- >> but if joe biden drank orange juice, we'd be hearing at impeachment. >> while wearing a tan suit. that was the anniversary. bernie sanders is also an elder statesman. there's a difference between being an elder statesman and elderly statesman or person. again, this is not the kind of action that anybody who is in their full capacity engage in. these will people who have people around them. they have staffs, they have families. and really i would call on them to make the decision that honors the legacy of these two. i certainly don't agree with mitch mcconnell, but he has a proud legacy, and it's being dishonored in both senator finestein's case and his. >> at what point, coleman, do you think senators start to say something? there's reports mcconnell called to his allies to tell them he was okay, but really to shore up support. >> like jay said, i think it's up to the people who care most about him as a human being who have to pull that cord and say, look, it's time. >> all right, thank you all. coleman, jay, and frank, thank you very much. everybody stand by for us. we'll be back with you. coming up next, though, a 12-year-old colorado student removed from his classroom over a "don't tread on me" flag and other patches on his backpack. that video causing the governor of the state to weigh in. we'll have his response and it may surprise you. governor jared polis joins me next. ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ ( ♪ ) constant contact's advanced automation lets you send the right message at the right time, every time. 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try nervive nerve relief from the world's number one nerve care company. nervive contains ala to relieve nerve aches, and b-complex vitamins to fortify healthy nerves. try nervive. and, try nervive pain relieving roll-on. david: i'm david goldberg, a bilingual elementary school teacher and president of the california teachers association. as we start a new school year, there's something new happening in california's public schools. jessie: they're called community schools. david: where parents and families, students and educators are making decisions as one. damien: it's a real sense of community. leslie: we saw double-digit gains in math, in english, and reading scores. david: it's an innovation that's transforming our public schools. narrator: california's community schools: reimagining public education. and tonight a viral video is sparking a big conversation on both the right and left about politics in the school building. a school in colorado removed a 12-year-old student from his classroom over the gadsden flag. that's what you see on your left. it was on his backpack with other patches buck that flag of course including the famous don't tread on me phrase, one teacher was seen in the video with the boy's parents basically saying that flag was connected to slavery. now, in a statement, the district says that the real issues were that the patches disclayed semiautomatic weapons and those patches were removed, but the district decided that the flag, the gadsden flag would remain. now the state's democratic governor is defending that student. governor jared polis is joining me now. thank you for joining us tonight. >> my pleasure, abbey. >> you called the gadsden flag a proud symbol of the american revolution. what do you make of why this incident happened in the first place? >> i call it a teaching moment. we all remember high school, college, there's kids with pins on their backpacks. maybe it's a feminist pink an anti-war pin, maybe it's a conservative one, and that enriches the discussion, right? kids are trying out different things. the don't tread on me flag, the gadsden flag is an iconic flag, flown over units of our military. has it been adopted by the tea par the i and others? sure it has. the kid could have a tea party pin on their backpack, too. let them have free education presentation in school. let them advocate for their political event beliefs. it's encouraged. >> do you think that's why this teacher made the association to slavery, because it has been associated with the right, the tea party, and perhaps with the republican party? >> it's a good opportunity to go through the history and see the pride we should all take in the gadsden flag. rattlesnake, as lincoln said, they never attack first but never back down when they're in a fight. a lot of americans identify with that spirit. it goes deeper than that. if we want to moral high ground to say schools shouldn't be banning rainbow flags we have to also say they shouldn't be banning free speech on the other side. this is a country that treasures free speech and frankly i hope it leads to a discussion in that school and others around the country about how free speech means we support the speech even when we don't agree with it. >> it's an interesting point. in the backlash against the bans. this -- i don't know what the politics of this teacher are. i can't speak to that whatsoever. but this certainly seems to be a case where they were to some extent trying to police speech even for a 12-year-old. are you concerned this is something that could be more widespread, as people in your party, maybe on the left, you know, want to sort of address types of political speech that they disagree with? >> i think what i see here is i think i see some people on the left saying, look, we see the right censoring our speech, schools where they say don't say go, going against a woman's right to choose, and they're saying we should do the same thing to them. that's not the right answer. the right hance is the moral high ground and saying we should treasure free speech in all its forms. whatever the argument is, you should make it. if you want to fly a don't tread on me flag, that's your right, and what it means to be an american. important civics lesson in schools. >> just a question about you, yourself, your own political future, these are the issues that are animating this year's presidential cycle. you kind of sound a little bit like a candidate. is this your message to your party, to the broader american population as they go into 2024? >> it's a message that i'm working through with the national governors association and governor spencer hocks of utah on working how to disagree better and really restoring civility to our disagreements some rather than questioning somebody's motive os trying to sensor them or cancel them, it's better to engage and have a legitimate discussion. kids -- the teachers say, what does that flag mean to you? why do you want to show that on your backpack? it's one thing if the kid is promoting alcohol or cigarettes in a way that is contrary to the school rules and i completely agree that shouldn't be on a school, but for political speech -- for political speech we should always give the benefit of the doubt to freedom of expression, because that's a treasured american value. >> all right, governor jared polis, really interesting case study for all of us about where the lines can be drawn when it comes to speech and schools. thank you very much for joining us tonight. >> thank you, abbey. and up next, donald trump claims that his mugshot is iconic, as it brings in millions of dollars into his campaign. but one fox host says that it helps trump with black america. we'll go there next. it's ear, and re-earned every day. tide. america's #1 detergent. let innovation refunds help with your erc tax refund so you can improve your business however you see fit. rosie used part of her refund to build an outdoor patio. clink! dr. marshall used part of his refund to give his practice a facelift. emily used part of her refund to buy... i run a wax museum. let innovation refunds help you get started on your erc tax refund. stop waiting. go to innovationrefunds.com you really got the brows. the first time you connected your godaddy website and your store was also the first time you realized... well, we can do anything. cheesecake cookies? 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(we did it) start today at godaddy.com for your most brilliant smile, crest has you covered. ♪ (laughing) nice smile, brad. nice! thanks? crest 3d white. 100% more stain removal. crest. he it would me he's buying mugshot t shirts for everyone he knows this christmas. it's up on every billboard in the city. >> the casual racism would be -- if it wasn't so predictable. his garbageman? he also cited this graphic art of the mugshot in the city of atlanta to qualify why, quote, the inner city is supportive of trump. the artist who by the way is white, was mocking trump's fourth arrest along with maga when asked about the message he wanted to convey, the artist told people simply to vote. back with the table here. where to everyn begin, right? what do you make of this idea that conservatives -- maybe they actually think this is true, that the mug shot makes him more appealing to black voters, but it also seems like they think that conservative voters believe that black people are so aligned with felons and people who have mugshots that they would actually support trump for that. i don't know which is actually worse. >> i think clearly they want it to be true. trump since the beginning he's wanted to convey himself as a candidate that's very popular with black america, though he has never been. and so this is what they would call wish casting, right? there's no data to support that the mugshot helped with black popularity. >> it's helped with one alleged garbageman from one alleged fox news host. >> right. the question is not where you can get -- i've seen one video of a black person on social media saying i like the mug shot. the question is not whether you can find one person on social media, the question, is does this affect anywhere close to large enough to move the need until any national way? very unlikely. >> our president has a mugshot. i want you just to consider that. when i was 13, 14, 15 years old, the idea that a president would be arrested, would be arraigned, would be challenged with a felony -- >> let alone arrested and arraigned four times. >> 91 felonies i heard because of trump, the average president has been accused of two felonies each. [ laughter ] we are insane. and for him to laugh about it, a former president -- this is serious, this is significant, and for him to turn it into a joke or a fundraising appeal, - every time i think we can't sink lower as a country, we do. i'm not happy with what's going on on either side of the aisle. all the time through the republican debate i was there, booing through the process. buing every time someone said something critical of the former president. we never used to boo. this is not part of the process. >> there is fundraising on the mugshot. there's consensus this is not -- but actually i think the progressives are wrong. >> -- right, i'm sure he practiced in front of the mirror, many times. but that's fine. this is trump. he is really quite good at presenting a certain construction of masculinity, as this is what real men look like and do. and that, to me, goes to maybe some of the root of this problem, this elevation of some of our -- the worst aspects of our human nature. the parts that boo at debate. the parts that are bullies. the part that -- and, for him, it's masculine. but it just is human nature. and that, for me, is the darkness of the trump phenomenon. >> six out of eight of the republicans on that stage that you were just talking about raise their hand when asked, would you vote for trump even if he were -- would you support him even if you were a felon or convicted? and if that doesn't normalize this, i don't really know what does. >> yeah, look. as you said, trump is an entertainer. so, he is able to make the best of the situation by putting on his apprentice reality tv show hat and saying, what is going to make for the best image? what is going to make me look persecuted -- >> compare his mugshot to all the codefendants mugshots, right? giuliani looks like a deer in headlights, looks terrified. some of the people were smiling in a way that trivialized it. trump was by far the best mugshot. it was so well prepared and so we'll stage. and i worry that it's actually very effective. >> -- question in all of this. do we still care about accountability? do we still care about the truth? in the end, is someone's behavior -- doesn't actually matter in the political process? and i'm starting to have to teach my students that, maybe, it doesn't. maybe you can say anything and do anything, and the public will still vote for you. >> one of the other things that trump said in this interview had to do with what he would do if he were elected president. take a listen. >> you said, in 2016, lock her up. and then when you became president, you said, we don't do that in america, that's just not the right thing to do. that's what they are doing. do you regret not locking her up? and, if you are president again, will you lock people up? >> i will give you an example. the answer is, you have no choice. because they are doing it to us. i always had such great respect for the office of the president, the presidency. but the office of the president -- and i never hit biden as hard as i could have. >> it is interesting. because they accuse biden of an elaborate conspiracy to lock trump up. biden has never said something like that. >> no. look, republicans normally are fans of federalism. the georgia as to as a state indictment has nothing to do with -- coordination in terms of tactics but this is not a federal case -- to do with biden. but this was the mile trumpet of you on the subject. earlier, he and his campaign had said that purging the department of justice, weaponizing the robert of justice, going after journalists, going after -- i mean, it is actually chilling. least to say, i remember, 2016, 2017, a few people had casually thrown around the word fascist. right? i think responsible folks were like, well, and outs let's not rushing to use that word windows in this early apply. but this is what authoritarianism is, actually weaponizing the government to go off our political enemies. it is one thing to say that as a sort of spin cycle, but to actually do that in power is chilling. >> -- do you take him seriously or literally? -- >> look, i think the worst thing about trump's you cannot believe anything he says. in the situation, the best thing about trump's, you can't believe anything he says. >> you say that. but trump said a lot of things in the 2016 campaign, many of which he did. he wanted to ban muslims from coming into the united states and he attempted to do exactly that. >> yeah, but he also said he would make mexico pay for the wall, and that he would lock hillary up, and all of that ended up being so much bluster. so, it stands -- in some way, it's anyone's guess. but look, he had crowds chanting lock her up. this time, he says it has a parenthetical in response to a question. i am not so sure if we should necessarily fall for this appeal to his base. >> it's a bad way to end this show, to go where people go to sleep, but this is going to be the worst election of our lifetime. and it is has only just begun. >> on that dark note, frank luntz, jay michaelson, and coleman hughes, thank you all -- >> i hear them laughing out there. >> -- if it's true. up ahead for us, rudy giuliani get some bad news involving the two election workers that he targeted with lies. laura coates is live. plus, more on our it dahlia so why do we leave so much untapped potential on the table? 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( ♪ ) ( ♪ ) ( ♪ ) ( ♪ ) constant contact delivers the marketing tools your small business needs to keep up, excel, and grow. constant contact. helping the small stand tall. they fell in love with the irresistible scent. ♪ ♪ huh, huh, so did their dog roger. ♪ ♪ gain scent beads keep even the stinkiest stuff smelling fresh. >> just in -- north korea says that it has fired two ballistic missiles as a warning to the united states. the launches come just hours after the u.s. -- farmers for drills alongside south korea. now, this is just the latest escalation by kim jong-un's we xi. we will have updates as we get them. but that's it for me and "cnn primetime". "cnn tonight" with laura coates starts right now. laura coates, so good to see you. >> so good to see you, abby, for me as well. i am laura coates. and this is "cnn tonight". we are covering all the big stories on a very busy news night. we've got hurricane idalia lashing the southeast at this very moment, and threatening flooding, storm surges, and strong winds as it goes. now, look at this incredible video, by the way. a car flipping over in the tornado in south carolina. almost like cgi for a second -- oh, my gosh. meanwhile, some communities on florida's gulf coast are cut off. thousands are without power. we will go to the weather center but for the brand-new forecast. plus, there is a health scare. dr. sanjay gupta is